* Sentence translation for residence adds field?

[JoopvB]

I started translating expressions to Dutch. I created a copy of the standard fact set (and named it "Dutch"). The translation of events like Birth, Death and Marriage went smoothly. But, when I translated "Residence" to the Dutch name "Woonplaats", an extra field "Woonplaats" appeared in the property box. I assume this has to do with Residence being an attribute, but when it still was Residence, the field didn't appear.

Am I doing something wrong? Is this intended behaviour and if so, why? And, most important of all: how to get it right?

Thanks for helping me out,

Regards, Joop

[tatewise]

First a little background information:
Residence is a Gedcom oddity, because although it is an Attribute, it is not allowed to have a Value like all other Attributes., and that is why there is no value box against its name in the Property Box.

I cannot reproduce your described problem.
Woonplaats appears in place of Residence but there is no value box next to it.
So how did you copy the Standard Fact Set and how did you translate the facts?

You should have used the Tools > Fact Types > Fact Sets button and used Clone... button to make a copy.

Then when you Edit the Residence Attribute its Name and Type will be frozen as Residence, Individual, Attribute and you can only change its Label to Woonplaats and also edit the Abbreviation, Sentence Template, etc.

[JoopvB]

Hi Mike,

I did the cloning, but also created a new fact Woonplaats (because I couldn't change the Name ). I then copied the sentence from the Residence sentence and modified it.

So the special nature of Residence as an Attribute Fact is the problem.

Indeed I also found the workaround by changing the label etc. but then the abbreviated name in the property box fact list still showed "Residence" (?). I also noticed that it doesn't seem possible to change the fact set for the data entry fields on the main tab. They apparently are from the Standard set.

I am now leaning towards changing the sentences in the Standard set and keep using the English Names and Labels. This in view of a possible future support in FH of other languages (I'd like to minimize changes in my database project then). What's your advice on this Mike?

Cheers, Joop

[tatewise]

Yes, your mistake was creating a New fact for Woonplaats, which is therefore NOT a Residence standard RESI attribute, but a custom Woonplaats attribute that does allow a value. Also your existing RESIdence facts would NOT have changed their name on the Facts tab.

What is not clear is why you chose to do that for Residence and not all the others?

So the rule is: Keep the original Standard Facts with their standard Names and Types to retain their standard Gedcom tags and only change Labels, etc.

As well as changing the Label and Abbreviation to Woonplaats, also click the Advanced... button and change the top Template to Woonplaats {_place} and that will correct the Facts tab.

To get the Dutch Fact Set to override the Standard Fact Set in the Fact Types main window, click its Fact Sets... button and move the Dutch Fact Set up above the Standard Fact Set to give it precedence and Hide the Standard set.

I would advise you continue with the Dutch Fact Set as it has absolutely NO effect on your Gedcom database, which still uses standard Gedcom tags.

If at some time in the future FH gains a multi-lingual feature, then you have the option to return to the Standard Fact Set or stick with the Dutch Fact Set. It all depends on how and when such a feature is implemented. The advantage of keeping both Fact Sets is that you can, via the Fact Sets... button, quickly switch back and forth between an English and Dutch mode for interactive Windows, Reports, Diagrams, etc.

[JoopvB]

Mike, impressive as allways!

I'll go for a Dutch set. Thanks for all your help!

BTW I'm using your plugin to make the necessary changes. Works like a charm.

[tatewise]

What changes are those?

You should NOT need to change any tags just to get the Dutch translations displayed!

[JoopvB]

I am now using the standard fact types in my project.

When I clone the standard and rename it Dutch and change the sentences (and do the other thing...), I still need to change the existing Birth, Marriage etc. facts to the Dutch fact set, don't I?

[JoopvB]

As an add on... can I also change the wording of facts on the main tab? They seem to stick to English.

[tatewise]

No, you should NOT need to change any Facts in your Gedcom data.
You only need to change the Fact Set details via Tools > Fact Types.
Let me explain why:-

In your Gedcom data the Facts are stored as tags such as BIRT, MARR, RESI, CENS, DEAT, etc.
Regardless of any Fact Set definitions, those Gedcom tags never change.
The Standard Fact Set simply defines how those Gedcom tags are presented on screen and in Reports, etc, in English.
Your Dutch Fact Set redefines how those same Gedcom tags are presented, but in Dutch.
That is ensured by working with a Clone of the Standard Fact Set to ensure they apply to the same tags.
Use Tools > Fact Types > Fact Sets to move the Standard Fact Set above the Dutch Fact Set and the presentation changes back to English, but the Gedcom tags do NOT change.

Regarding the Property Box Main tab, yes it is possible to change the labels to Dutch, but is a bit trickier.
It is handled via the Property Box cog Menu option Customize Data Entry.
First save the English version by using More Tab Tasks and Export Tab.
Unfortunately, the standard Selected Items cannot be edited, so must be removed using central < button.
But before doing that, create all you Dutch substitutes to ensure they display all the data in the same way.
On the bottom left untick Show most commonly-used items only to reveal <Custom Item> at top of Available Items.
Select it and copy to Selected Items using central > button.
There you can enter Dutch Labels and the required Data References to imitate the Installation version.
Eventually, save the Dutch version by using More Tab Tasks and Export Tab but with a different filename from English version.
Then you can switch between English and Dutch by using the Import Tab option.

Checkout the Help for all the windows involved and come back if you need further advice.

[JoopvB]

Thanks for the very clear explanations Mike. FH keeps getting better and better in terms of flexibility and ease of use. One just needs to know how and where.