diff --git a/core/views/new_hole.py b/core/views/new_hole.py
index bd46e023..b368421b 100644
--- a/core/views/new_hole.py
+++ b/core/views/new_hole.py
@@ -158,9 +158,7 @@ class NewHoleForm(forms.Form):
             
             except (ValueError, IndexError):
                 # Individual field cleaners (regex) will handle malformed wallet strings
-                pass
-
-        
+                pass  
 
         if wallet_id and trip_date:
             try:
@@ -176,7 +174,7 @@ class NewHoleForm(forms.Form):
             except (ValueError, IndexError):
                 # Individual field cleaners (regex) will handle malformed wallet strings
                 pass
-                
+                        
         # 2. Extract the year from survey_wallet (YYYY#NN)
         # We only proceed if wallet_id passed its own validation earlier, 
         # which removes whitespace and checks the year
@@ -197,7 +195,16 @@ class NewHoleForm(forms.Form):
             # cleaned_data['intrepid_ids'] = intrepids
             # cleaned_data['cameramen_ids'] = cameramen
                 
-         
+        gps_lat = cleaned_data.get("gps_lat")
+        gps_lang = cleaned_data.get("gps_long")
+        valid_area, area = which_area(lat, long)
+        if not valid_area:
+            self.add_error('gps_lat', "Not in Area 1626 or 1623")
+            self.add_error('gps_long', "Not in Area 1626 or 1623")
+        else:
+            if Cave.objects.filter(unofficial_number=cave_id, areacode=areacode).exists():
+                self.add_error('cave_id', "This Cave already exists, pick another identifier.")
+   
         # Entrance Photo Logic
         photo_ent_on_camera = cleaned_data.get("photo_ent_on_camera")
         gps_screenshot = cleaned_data.get("gps_screenshot")
@@ -314,6 +321,7 @@ from textwrap import dedent
 from django.shortcuts import render, redirect
 from django.contrib import messages
 from .auth import login_required_if_public
+from troggle.parsers.caves import make_cave
 
 @login_required_if_public
 def new_hole(request):
@@ -325,7 +333,7 @@ def new_hole(request):
         form = NewHoleForm(request.POST, request.FILES)
         lat = float(form.data['gps_lat'])
         long = float(form.data['gps_long'])
-        valid, area = which_area(lat, long)
+        valid_area, area = which_area(lat, long)
         if valid:
             areatext = f"in {area}"
         else:
@@ -334,14 +342,27 @@ def new_hole(request):
         if form.is_valid():
             editor = form.cleaned_data["who_are_you"]
             editor = git_string(editor)
-            process_new_hole(form, area)
-            messages.success(request, "New prospect save data successfully saved.")
             
-            success_url = "/walletedit/" + form.cleaned_data.get('survey_wallet').replace("#",":")
-            return redirect(success_url)
+            if valid_area:
+                process_new_hole(form, area)
+            
+                messages.success(request, "New prospect save data successfully saved.")
+            
+                success_url = "/walletedit/" + form.cleaned_data.get('survey_wallet').replace("#",":")
+                return redirect(success_url)
+            else: 
+                # not in 1623 or 1626
+                 messages.failure(request, "Not in 1623 or 1626. Fix this.")
+                 return render(request, 'new_hole.html', {'form': form, 
+                    "identified_login": identified_login,
+                    "areatext": areatext})
+                 
     # GET
     else:
         form = NewHoleForm(initial={"identified_login": identified_login, "who_are_you":editor})
+        if identified_login:
+            # disable editing the git id string as we get it from the logged-on user data
+            form.fields["who_are_you"].widget.attrs["readonly"]="readonly"
 
     return render(request, 'new_hole.html', {'form': form, 
         "identified_login": identified_login,
@@ -397,16 +418,25 @@ def process_new_hole(form, area):
     we do not put "reference" in the *fix because we know it is used in the Entrance we are creating
     ❌BUT we DO put reference in now because we haven't written the Entrance bit of the code yet!
     """
+
+    
+    editor = git_string(form.cleaned_data["who_are_you"])  
+
+    _newfix(form, area, editor)
+    _newcave(form, area, editor)
+    _newent(form, area, editor)    
+    return
+    
+def _newfix(form, area, editor):
     auto_gps_file, content = get_auto_file()
     fix_id = f"{area}.g{form.cleaned_data.get("cave_id").lower()}"
     fix_line = f"*fix {fix_id} reference {form.cleaned_data.get("gps_lat")} {form.cleaned_data.get("gps_long")} 0\n"
-    print(fix_line)
+    
     content += f"\n; {form.cleaned_data.get("discovery_date")}  wallet: {form.cleaned_data.get("survey_wallet")} \n"
     content += fix_line
     content += f"*entrance {fix_id}\n"
     content +=f"\n*end\n" 
     
-    editor = git_string(form.cleaned_data["who_are_you"])  
     files = [(auto_gps_file, content, "utf8")]
     
     try:
@@ -422,4 +452,13 @@ def process_new_hole(form, area):
         return render(request, "errors/generic.html", {"message": message})               
     except:
         raise
+    return
+    
+def _newcave(form, area, editor):
+    # unofficial_number
+    slug = f"{area}-{form.cleaned_data.get("cave_id")}"
+    #cave = make_cave(slug)
+    return
+
+def _newent(form, area, editor):
     return
\ No newline at end of file