Custom Queries, GEDCOM version, and a tip
Date: Thu, 15 Aug 2002 10:41:03 +0100
Colin Moretti asked whether it was possible a custom query which will show 'a 2-column list for a given individual with each residence entry on a separate line'. The answer unfortunately is No. The output generated by queries is always given in the form of one row per record. You can never break the output of a query over multiple lines. Colin also ask 'if it is possible to produce a list of all individuals at a give address on a given date'. You cannot currently specify the date part, but you can do the rest of it. The first question is which field do you mean when you talk about a person's address? The answer might be, say, Residence. Although the Property Dialog doesn't currently let you enter it, you can (in the Records Window or the All tab of the Property dialog) specify an address separately from a place of residence. So which do you want? Let us assume that you want the Place of Residence field and not the address of residence field:
(1) Create a new custom query in the normal way (see User Manual if unsure) (2) Add all the columns for the individuals that you want, again in the usual way (3) In the 'Rows' tab, add the following 'Add If' filter: (a) select the 'General' tab, and 'Add If'. (b) click on the 3 dotted button to the right of the Expression field. In the Data Reference Assistant dialog expand 'Events', then expand 'Residence', then select 'Place' within that, and press OK. The 'Expression' field should now read 'INDI.RESI[1].PLAC' (c) Set Operator to 'Matches' or 'Contains' whichever you prefer. (d) Click on Parameter and set the Parameter text to 'Residence' (say). (e) Click 'Add'. (4) Step 4 will only match people whose first residence field matches the one you want. But you are presumably interested in any residence fields that match; so you must decide what the largest no. of residence fields a record might have, and do the following: (a) Make sure the first (or a previous) filter is selected. Change the expression from 'INDI.RESI[1].PLAC' to 'INDI.RESI[2].PLAC' and then press 'Add' again to add a 2nd filter. (b) repeat the above but using increasingly higher index values (ie. 3 instead of 2, then 4, 5, 6, etc - until you are confident that you have reached the maximum you will need).
It is important that each filter takes a paramter and that the Label specified for each parameter is identical in each case. That way, when you run the query, you will only have to specify the place you want once.
Colin also wanted to be able to specify a given date. You could add similar filters using the date portion of the residence information. The problem you have is that if you're not careful you would effectively get a query that gives you this: Find me anyone who lived at X address and lived ANYWHERE at D Date. Clearly that's not what you want. You want someone who lived at X address at D date. The filter mechanism currently doesn't support that. We are considering plans for extending the power of queries which would allow you to do that, but we have no current planned release for these ideas.
Phil Warn wanted to know which variety of GEDCOM Family Historian uses. The answer is 5.5 (the current version - and about 7 years old now).
James Hart wants to know if, in diagrams, you can click and drag 'on a box to alter its position, in order to make a tree fit more easily on one page'. No you can't. There are a number of different ways of getting a diagram laid out the way you want it, but that isn't one of them. Its on the Wish List though as quite a few people have asked for it.
Jim Winfrey wants to know if there is a demo version of the software. No sorry there isn't. We may do one some time, but right now we're too busy working on 2.1.
David Meredith asked about the date for 2.1. As I said before, we're not giving a date for this. However, we are working on it very hard, and have cut back on other activities so that we concentrate on that, as exclusively as possible.
Finally a tip. The manual describes 2 techniques for setting the size of a diagram when printed. But there is actually a 3rd technique, which may suit some people better. And that is simply to set the font size. Open a diagram, and then bring up the Diagram Options dialog. Select the text tab, and click on Font. Set the Point size to whatever you would like the point size to be when printed. Press OK to close the Font dialog, and OK to close the Diagram Options dialog.
Simon Orde List Administrator and Family Historian designer
P.S. I read the debate about same sex relationships with great interest. I don't want to re-awaken the debate so I'm not going to comment further, except to say that I'm sure that the issue is not going to go away. S.O.