Creating, Editing, and Deleting Station Records

src/en/space-station-14/departments/command/proposals/station-records-crud/station-records-crud.md

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+# Creating, Editing, and Deleting Station Records
+
+| Designers  | Implemented | GitHub Links |
+|------------|-------------|--------------|
+| Centronias | :x: No      |              |
+
+Station records track crew members "on paper". They're effectively the "truth" which ID cards represent, they're used to
+look up information about criminal suspects, and in the future, they'll perhaps track medical information like blood
+type. As it stands today, though, station records are created on round start and are immutable from then on (latejoins
+notwithstanding), which leads to some pain points across the game. This proposal describes how Station Records could be
+created, modified, and deleted diagetically within the game, but before we get to the proposals, I'd like to enumerate
+the pain points to better motivate the changes.
+
+## Pain Points
+
+1. Visitors, adopted noncrew, etc. cannot be added to station
+   records ([issue](https://github.com/space-wizards/space-station-14/issues/22503))
+2. Destroyed records cannot be recreated
+3. Known antagonists who are not in station records cannot be tracked by criminal records
+4. Crew members who are known to have had their biometrics changed cannot have their records updated
+5. Anything beyond a couple keystrokes sucks and should be avoided
+
+## Adding new Station Records
+
+The ability to add new station records would go a long way to addressing the problems above. Mechanically, this could be
+implemented on the existing Station Records computer:
+
+* New button in the UI of the Station Records Computer:
+  `Add Record` ([mockup](#station-records-with-add-and-edit-buttons))
+* Clicking this button opens a new UI window which accepts the information required to create a new
+  record ([mockup](#add-a-new-record))
+* Submitting this window creates a new record with the given information and leaving other related records either blank
+  or not created
+
+Technically, this should be straightforward, as it'd just involve "reserving" a new station record key and creating the
+associated station record entries just like on roundstart.
+
+In terms of gameplay, this would give the Head of Personnel more things to do, though only rarely. It's not required by
+the game, so some HoPs may choose to not do this at all.
+
+## Editing existing Station Records
+
+Editing an existing record would likely be quite rare, but in the cases that sombody is known to have had their
+biometrics changed (eg. DNA scrambler; cloned person gets new fingerprints), it's an important capability to have. Same
+as adding records, this could be implemented on the existing Station Records computer:
+
+* New button in the UI of the Station Records Computer:
+  `Edit Record` ([mockup](#station-records-with-add-and-edit-buttons))
+* Clicking this button opens a new UI window which shows existing information in editable text boxes /
+  dropdowns ([mockup](#add-a-new-record))
+* Submitting this window applies any changes to the records.
+
+Technically, this should be really straightforward. The records already exist, we're just changing the values. This is
+already implemented for criminal records.
+
+In terms of gameplay, this would give the HoP even more options. Again, I don't expect this to be used that often,
+except to fill in information that's missing when a new record is created. For example, a visitor arrives, has a new
+record created, but only their name and species are entered initially. Later, when the information is collected, the DNA
+and fingerprint are entered in by editing the visitor's record.
+
+## Deleting existing Station Records
+
+Finally, we complete the feature set by enabling the deletion of records. This is useful in the case that a new record
+is added in error, or perhaps in the case that an antagonist wants to erase the evidence of their existence, or
+something. Once again, this would be implemented on the existing Station Records computer:
+
+* New button in the UI of the Station Records Computer:
+  `Delete Record` ([mockup](#station-records-with-add-and-edit-buttons))
+* Clicking this button changes it into a red `Confirm Deletion` button which would perhaps lock out clicking for a short
+  delay to prevent accidental double-clicking
+* Confirming destroys the record, including any attached criminal / medical records
+
+Technically, because station record keys are stored by other things, it'd be necessary to keep the key "reserved" and
+unused by anything else, but simply clearing all of the associated records should be sufficient to implement this
+feature.
+
+## Limiting Access to Station Record Editing
+
+Station Records are quite sensitive information, so the average greytider shouldn't be able to edit them. A simple
+solution to this could be something like the lock on the AI Upload Console: a machine-level toggle-lock which, when
+unlocked, enables the use of any non-read capabilities of the computer.
+([See explanatory text in mockup](#station-records-with-add-and-edit-buttons))
+
+## Collecting and Entering Biometrics for New / Edited Records
+
+Typing DNA and fingerprints manually sucks, and there's not a good way to get this information for new or edited
+records. To solve both problems at once, meet the "Handheld Biometer", a device similar to the Detective's forensic
+scanner. The Biometer would be used to collect biometrics from humanoids and automatically enter that information into
+the Station Records add/edit UI. Specifically, the workflow would look like this:
+
+* Person is at the HoP to get their record modified
+* HoP picks up the Handheld Biometer, uses it on the person
+* After a brief wait, the Biomete completes, storing the collected information internally
+* The HoP opens the Station Records computer, open the `Add Record` window
+* The HoP enters the name of the person manually (it's not a biometric which can be measured)
+* The HoP, with the Biometer in hand, clicks a button, and the rest of the biometric information is miraculously entered
+  automatically ([`Upload from Biometer` in mockup](#add-a-new-record))
+
+The Biometer would include a UI for viewing the collected informationl, and that UI could include the ability to print
+the information (both just like the Forensic Scanner). The Biometer would retain whatever information it's got until
+another scan is performed, overwriting its internal contents.
+
+This item, being unique and important for a part of the HoP's gameplay, should spawn in the HoP's locker and likely also
+be a steal target like other unique command items.
+
+## Tracking Crew Membership
+
+Today, the presence of a Station Record implies the described person is a member of the crew as all crew are given a
+record upon spawning, and non-crew do not get a record. If we permit the creation of new records, especially to track
+known hostiles, it is important to be able to denote that the record represents crew versus non-crew.
+
+Mechanically and technically, this would just be a new Station Record type with a value of `Crew`, `Visitor`, or
+`Non-crew`, and it's entered / modified in the same ways described above as existing information.
+
+In terms of gameplay, it may not do much of anything at all except enable the AI to look up records and do things to
+positively determined noncrew. I am not advocating for this to affect things like job icons, so probably the impact
+would be nonexistent beyond flavor.
+
+## Open Questions
+
+* What is the minimum information needed to create a new Station Record?
+    * I'm inclined to say you need only enter the `Name` and crew status
+
+## UI Mockups
+
+#### Station Records with add and edit buttons
+
+![](station-records-mockup.png)
+
+#### Add a new Record
+
+![](add-record-mockup.png)