This has generated a lot of heat about the changes but (to my poor little brain) not a lot of light, so I decided to work through my most common workflows in version 6.0 and 6.1.2 in parallel to see what impact the changes would have *on me*.
Some caveats/preliminary comments.
1. Goodness knows whether I'm a typical FH user -- I doubt there is such a beast -- but I have been a user since version 2 and have had to/have chosen to change my working methods many times in that period as the programme has improved or at least evolved. Sometimes the changes have made me take stock of how I'm doing things and make improvements to my methods; other times, they've made me learn a new sequence of steps for doing something (when I've concluded my existing method is something I want to continue.)
2. I have strong views about 'best-practice' when entering data, and would like to see FH encourage this. Unfortunately
lots of people have similarly strong views and not everyone agrees with me on what 'best-practice' is. So the best I can hope for is a flexible programme that allows me to implement my version of best-practice, allows others to implement/continue using their version, and also caters for those users who want to work as simply as possible and not worry about 'whether they're doing it right'. Perhaps in the unfathomable future when there's a universal consensus about best-practice, we can document the best way of working within FH to achieve that -- or maybe we should start a series of posts in the wiki about different workflows and their pros and cons, so that those people who are interested can understand all the options they could chose.
3. I'm not as a rule sensitive to the number of clicks it takes to do an operation, and won't mind if another click or three is introduced (as long as the result is less than 4-5ish). However, less is better in this regard as long as it doesn't result in confusion about what I'm doing at any particular step.
4. I wholeheartedly agree that the 'Source pane' in the property box should be renamed the 'Citation pane' and I shall refer to it as that in the rest of this post.
5. It is a
very good thing that Calico Pie are doing as much as possible to entice FTM (and TMG) users to use FH -- IMO the bigger the user pool, the more secure the product's future and I for one will not be rushing to use an online tree product anytime soon. (If I get a vote on the next enticing feature to add for FTM users, pretty please Simon, can we have Source Templates?)
And now, onto the comparison of my workflows in 6.0 and 6.1.2.
(Note 1: there may be better ways of doing things in both versions, but these are the ways I use).
(Note 2: I use AS to speed up some of the data entry steps for the common source types, but the logical flow is the same.)
MAJOR DATA ENTRY WORKFLOW (Add a source, and cite it in support of various 'facts', with media attached to the source, citation and/or fact)
1. I create the Source using Add>Source. While in the Source property box, I use the Media tab to add media (Images or pdfsof the source) if these are available. (If I subsequently acquire images or pdfs for an existing source, I navigate to the Source property box via the Source record list, and add the images via the Media tab.).
Differences between 6.0 and 6.1.2: None.
2. I enable Automatic Source Citation using the source record just created. I tend *not* to enter the citation details in the automatic source citation pane. I mostly use Method 1 for recording sources, so most of the granular detail is in the source and doesn't need repeating in the citation; for the sources where I use Method 2 (e.g. GRO indices) the citation details differ for each fact so there's no point in entering them in the automatic source citation pane. Even if the source only supports a single fact, I do it this way for consistency.
Differences between 6.0 and 6.1.2: None.
3. I add each 'fact' that the source supports to the relevant individuals. The citation is automatically created and if necessary I enter 'Where within source' , 'text from source' and 'note' for each 'fact' in the Citation pane.
Differences between 6.0 and 6.1.2: None.
4. I may add 'Fact media' when creating the fact or subsequently. This will not be the image of a source but could be e.g. a photograph of where the event took place, or a link to a group photo of the attendees or some other relevant image. (Joey Bloggins was a clown in the circus and here's a photo of a poster for that circus, even though it doesn't name him and isn't dated). However, my most important use of this is to link to a pdf document explaining why I've concluded that this 'fact' is the 'correct' interpretation of the documentary sources I've consulted (a proof statement or proof argument, for those who are familiar with the terminology). Right click on the fact>Show Media>Add).
Differences between 6.0 and 6.1.2: None.
5. More rarely, I will add 'citation media', usually when creating the fact but the same steps apply if adding it subsequently. If, for example, a source is a book or a diary, images or pdfs of the whole thing are rarely relevant to a single fact. I will use Method 2 for recording a source, and attach an image/single pdf page extracted from the whole document to the citation. In 6.0 this was a real pain via the All tab; in 6.1.2 it's simple: Citation Pane>Show media>Add.
Differences between 6.0 and 6.1.2: Much easier in 6.1.2.
Overall conclusion for data entry: 6.1.2 wins.
Possible improvements: The window that comes up when you Show Media from the Citation pane quite clearly says "Citation media for...."so the 'Add' button should be interpreted as adding Citation media... but nobody ever reads window headers (a fact that makes UI developers weep sadly into their beverage of choice all over the world). Was there an option in 6.0 to Add source media from the citation pane? I can't immediately find it. Perhaps add the ability to choose Add Media to Source or Add Media to Citation in the Show media>Add dialog which will alert some users to the fact that there's a difference which may matter, and provide a new short-cut for users who always add media to Sources. And be consistent about this everywhere it's relevant (so on the Add media to Fact dialog, offer the full set of options).
VIEWING IMAGES ASSOCIATED WITH SOURCES, CITATIONS AND FACTS (FROM THE CONTEXT OF AN INDIVIDUAL)
1. To view the media linked to a Source:
In 6.0 [2 clicks] Show media from the Citation pane with the relevant source selected. Click on the arrow in a green circle to view the source in the application of my choice. The context for the individual is still visible in the property box.
In 6.1.2 [4 clicks, including one double-click] Show media from the Citation pane with the relevant source selected. Tick the option to include Source media (this is sticky, so you only need to do it once). Double click on the image you wish to view. Click on the arrow in a green circle to view the source in the application of my choice. The context for the individual is still visible in the property box.
Differences between 6.0 and 6.1.2: more clicks in 6.1.2 -- acceptable to me but not to others.
2. To view the media linked to a Citation:
In 6.0 [Innumerable clicks] Furtle around in the All tab of the property box.
In 6.1.2 [4 clicks, including one double-click] Show media from the Citation pane with the relevant source selected. Tick the option to include Source media if desired (this is sticky, so you only need to do it once); un-ticking it makes it easier to distinguish between source and citation media. Double click on the image you wish to view. Click on the arrow in a green circle to view the source in the application of my choice. The context for the individual is still visible in the property box.
Differences between 6.0 and 6.1.2: Much easier in 6.1.2.
3. To view the media linked to a Fact:
In 6.0 [5 clicks, including one double-click] Right click on the fact. Show Media. Double-click on the thumbnal. Click on the arrow in a green circle to view the source in the application of my choice. The context for the individual is still visible in the property box.
In 6.1.2 [5 clicks, including one double-click] Right click on the fact. Show Media. Double-click on the thumbnal. Click on the arrow in a green circle to view the source in the application of my choice. The context for the individual is still visible in the property box.
Differences between 6.0 and 6.1.2: None.
Overall conclusion for media viewing: 6.1.2 wins., unless you *only* use media linked to a source.
Possible improvements: Would it be sensible to have a visual differentiation when showing the various media linked to an entity (fact, citation, source) -- akin to the different colour dots for family events versus individual events. Then, you would be able to see where the item you're considering is linked in the data structure. Also, proving a direct option (right-click or a arrow in a green circle) to view a media file in the relevant viewer direct from a thumbnail might alleviate a lot of concerns.
