What's New

• A deceased family member's name no longer appears while typing on the sign-in page — This was harmless (their account was never actually reachable), but it could be an unwelcome surprise to see. Fixed.

• Fixed: your saved name from a password manager could get rejected as "not found," even though it looked exactly right — If you set up your passcode a long time ago, your browser or password manager may have saved your name with old, invisible extra text attached from a much earlier version of this page. That could make sign-in fail even though the name shown looked completely correct. This is now fixed — if you ran into "Couldn't find that name" before, please try signing in again.

• The shared family password has been retired — everyone now has their own passcode — The single password we all shared no longer works. If you didn't already have a personal passcode, one has been emailed to you: look for a message titled "Your Ratterman.Family passcode" from family@ratterman.family. If it isn't in your inbox, please check your spam or junk folder (and any "Other" or "Focused Inbox" tab). Sign in with your name plus that passcode from now on.
• One passcode, one email — nothing to set up — Previously you'd have received a temporary code and then been given a second, different one the first time you signed in. That's gone. The passcode in your email is your real one to keep, and there's nothing to do on first sign-in but use it.
• A passcode that's never used stops working after 60 days — This is a safeguard so a code sitting unused in an inbox doesn't stay valid forever. Once you've signed in with it even once, it's yours permanently and never expires. If yours does lapse before you get round to using it, just ask Matt or Nick and you'll be sent a new one.
• Already signed in? Nothing changes for you — Being signed in on a device lasts 60 days and isn't affected by any of this. You'll only need your passcode next time you're asked to sign in.

• Sign-in now shows your full name, not just a nickname — On the sign-in page, typing your name used to sometimes show a result that didn't match what you typed — for example, typing "Nicholas" would find the right person, but the suggestion only showed "Nick." If that made it look like your name search didn't work, it now shows both: "Nicholas (Nick) Ratterman." You can still type either your full name or your nickname — both find you.

• Your own passcode is coming to you — you don't need to do anything — The old shared family password stops working on August 30, 2026. If you haven't set up your own passcode yet, we'll email you one automatically two weeks beforehand, on August 16. You don't have to sign in first to get it, and you don't have to do anything when it arrives — just keep it. The next time you sign in, use that passcode instead of the old family password, and you'll be given a new personal passcode to keep. It comes from family@ratterman.family with the subject "Your Ratterman.Family passcode" — if you don't see it, please check your spam or junk folder, and look in any "Other" or "Focused Inbox" tab if your email has one.
• A clearer message if you try the old family password after August 30 — Previously, typing the retired family password just said "Incorrect passcode," and five tries would lock you out for 15 minutes even though that password could never work again. Now it explains that the family password has been retired, tells you where to find your own passcode, and no longer counts those attempts against you — so you can't get locked out over a password that no longer exists.

• New way to sign in — your own passcode or a one-time email link — You can now sign in with your own personal passcode or a one-time link emailed to you, instead of the shared family password. On the sign-in page, type your name and your passcode, or use "Email me a sign-in link" to get a link that signs you in with one click (it works once and expires after 15 minutes). The first time you sign in, you'll be given a personal passcode to save — save it in your phone or browser's password manager so you don't have to remember it. During the switch-over the old shared family password still works until you've set up your own, so no one gets locked out. Your sign-in still lasts 60 days on each device. The sign-in page will remind you if you're still using the old shared password — it stops working on August 30, 2026, so sign in once before then to get your own passcode.

• Sign-Up Sheets — rename a category or change its quantity — The Organizer of a sign-up sheet (and admins) can now click the pencil (✎) next to a category's name to rename it or change how many are needed, without having to delete and re-add it. Leave the quantity blank to make it unlimited.

• New — a User Manual — There's a new User Manual item in the top menu with a plain-language, step-by-step guide to the whole site: viewing the Family List, exploring the charts on Fun with Data!, printing and saving lists and contact cards from Reports, using and creating Sign-Up Sheets, looking someone up, editing a family member's information, and keeping up with What's New. It has pictures throughout, and a button at the top to print it or save it as a PDF.

• Sign-Up Sheets — templates now carry over invitees — When you use another event as a template for a new sign-up sheet, the people who were invited to that event are now automatically checked on the new one too (categories were already copied over). You can still add or remove anyone before saving.
• Sign-Up Sheets — invitee list now sorted oldest to youngest — The list of invitees on a sign-up sheet now appears in age order, oldest first. For a couple, the older person's age is used.
• Date of Birth is now required — When adding or editing a family member on the Edit page, Date of Birth must now be filled in.

• Pop-up windows are easier to use with a keyboard — Pop-up windows across the site (such as the Edit dialogs and the Sign-Up Sheet dialogs) now close when you press the Esc key, move the cursor into the window when they open, and return it to where you were when they close. They're also properly announced by screen readers now.

• Sign-Up Sheets — editing a contribution with an apostrophe now works — On a sign-up sheet, clicking the pencil to edit a contribution whose description contains an apostrophe (for example "Mac 'n cheese" or "Kids' table") now opens the editor correctly. Previously the edit button did nothing for those items.

• Family Member Look-Up — Sign out from here too — The Look-Up page now shows the "Signed in as… · Sign out" badge in the top-right corner, just like every other page, so you can sign out directly from Look-Up.

• Sign-Up Sheets — simpler menu — The page now opens to three choices: Current Events, Past Events, and New Event. Current and Past each show a tidy one-line list (Organizer, date/time, title) with a button back to the menu; click any line to open that event's full sheet. Past events open read-only.
• Sign-Up Sheets — who can do what — The Organizer of a sheet can add, edit, or delete anything on it. Any invitee can manage their own line and can now remove themselves from a sheet (removing a couple line takes both off; either can re-add individually afterward).
• Sign-Up Sheets — "Delete This Sheet" — The Organizer's delete button is now labeled "Delete This Sheet"; it still goes to an administrator for final confirmation, with email either way.
• Sign-Up Sheets — automatic Organizer + consistent categories — The New Event form no longer asks who the Organizer is (it's automatically you), and category columns always display in the same order — Entrée, Appetizers, Salads, Sides, Fruit, Desserts, Rolls / Bread, Other — no matter the order they were added.
• Sign-Up Sheets — easier templating — When starting a new event you can "Use Another Event as a Template," which now lists every existing sheet (current and past, newest first) to copy categories from.

• Birthdays & Anniversaries — anniversaries now supported — When editing a person on the Edit page, a new "Marriage / Partnership Date" field appears next to Spouse/Partner. Once a date is entered for a couple, their anniversary will automatically show up on the Birthdays & Anniversaries report alongside everyone's birthdays.
• Sign-Up Sheets — guided New Event creation — Clicking "+ New Event" now walks you through it: choose to start from scratch or use a past sign-up list as a template (shown with its Organizer, Date, Title, and Location), then pick exactly who to invite from searchable Individual and Couple checklists (Colorado family age 16+). Nobody is checked by default — check who you want, or use the "Check all" / "Clear all" links. On any existing sign-up sheet, "add a family member" now also lets you add a couple in one click, from anywhere.
• Sign-Up Sheets — Organizers can request deletion — If you organized a sign-up sheet, you'll now see a "Request Deletion" option instead of a plain delete. An administrator reviews your request before the sheet is actually removed, and you'll get an email either way.
• Sign-Up Sheets — Event Name capitalization can be overridden — The Event Name field still auto-capitalizes on first blur, but if you fix the capitalization yourself (e.g. "Cinco de Julio," since "de" shouldn't be capitalized), your correction sticks.

• vCard name format — All vCard downloads (Address Book, Custom Report, Member Look-Up) now show a person's nickname as their contact name when they have one, instead of their formal first name.
• Custom Report vCard — fixed missing contacts — The "Download .vcf" button on the Custom Report tab previously only showed the first selected person when opened in some contacts apps (including Windows). Fixed.

• Reports — Custom Report vCard download — The Create a Custom Report tab now has a Download .vcf button. After selecting your members, click it to download just those people as a contact file ready to import into your phone or computer.
• Reports — Address Book download — A new Address Book card on the Family List tab of the Reports page lets you download all living family members as a single .vcf file. Import it into your iPhone, Android, Outlook, macOS Contacts, or any contacts app to add the whole family at once. Members are sorted alphabetically; deceased members are not included.

• Fun with Data! — corrections — A heading on the generation composition chart has been corrected, and a confusing subtitle has been removed. On narrow phone screens, the Births per Decade chart now scrolls horizontally so all decades are visible.

• Family Member Look-Up — Download vCard — Every contact card on the Look-Up page now has a Download vCard button. Click it to download a .vcf file with that person's name, address, phone numbers, email, and date of birth — ready to import into your iPhone, Android, Outlook, or any contacts app.
• Reports — Create a Custom Report — The Reports page now has tabs, including a new Create a Custom Report tab. Build your own directory by selecting whole clans — which checks everyone in that clan so you can uncheck any you don't want — and/or picking individual family members, then choose which columns to show (address, cell phone, email, date of birth — names are always included). Your custom list keeps the same order and household grouping as the full Family List, and you can view, print, or download it as a PDF.

• Sign-Up Sheets — add yourself — If you are not already on a sign-up sheet's invite list, you will now see an "Add yourself to this list" button. One click adds your name to the list so you can then sign up for any open slot.

• Age on Family Member Look-Up — Living members with a known date of birth now show their current age to one decimal point (e.g., "69.5 years old as of June 14, 2026") above their date of birth on the result card.
• Show/hide password — Every password field on the site now has an eye icon button so you can reveal or hide what you are typing while signing in or changing your password.
• Nicknames in all dropdowns — Every family member selection dropdown across the site now shows each person's nickname if they have one.
• Login accepts nickname or first name — Members with a nickname can sign in using either their nickname or their formal first name.
• Dark mode — All pages now respond correctly when a device is set to dark mode, with a consistent color scheme throughout.
• Mobile navigation — On smaller phone screens, the navigation menu now wraps cleanly instead of running off the edge of the screen.

• Family Member Look-Up — A new search tool where any member can type a name and instantly see that person's contact card, including phone numbers, email, date of birth, and a clickable link to their address in Google Maps.
• Sign-Up Sheets — member list — The dropdown when adding someone to an event now shows a member's nickname (if they have one), and no longer includes deceased members.
• Phone number formatting — Hyphens are now added automatically as you type a phone number (XXX-XXX-XXXX), and numbers with fewer than 10 digits are not accepted.

• Sign-Up Sheets — A new section where any family member can create a sign-up sheet for an event (holiday gatherings, potlucks, etc.), and everyone can claim a slot. Creators can edit their own sheets. Past events are stored and viewable separately.
• Birthdays & Anniversaries print — Improved layout so the full list fits on one page, including on iPhones. A reminder now prompts users to select Legal-size paper for the best result.

• Reports page — A new page with two printable/downloadable documents: the full Family List and the Birthdays & Anniversaries calendar. Both can be downloaded as PDF files or printed directly from the browser.
• Submit update requests — You can now submit a request to update your information on the site. Look for the "Suggest an Edit" button on the Edit page.
• Clickable contact info — Phone numbers and email addresses on the Family List are now clickable links.