* New Pre-release: 6.1.3

[SimonOrde]

We have now updated the pre-release version of 6.1. The new version (another pre-release) is 6.1.3. It includes some new functionality (such as a new ability to automatically take snapshots of a project's GEDCOM file), provides more improvements for importing from Ancestry, and fixes some problems that were reported with each pre-releases. For full details see the section New & Enhanced Features in 6.1.3 in http://www.family-historian.co.uk/downl ... ade-to-6.1.

If anyone wishes to post comments about 6.1.3, please post them here.

[DarrylGale]

Simon - I've reviewed my current FH projects and also uploaded a new FTM gedcom to FH as another test site and the media enhancements for either a source or a citation are excellent.

[BillH]

I also really like the changes for viewing source or citation media from the sources pane. Very nice Simon!

Bill

[Valkrider]

No problems for me this time resetting custom config options.

I too like the media viewing changes.

[davidm_uk]

I was concerned that Simon and his team might have been overwhelmed by all of the feedback on the previous pre-releases, but it seems not!

Well done, I'm impressed

[NickiP]

I've also not had any problems with the resetting of custom config options and I too do like the media changes, especially the option to add source media immediately from the same place as creating the source record.

[LornaCraig]

The list of new features for 6.1.3 says:

Users who prefer to view media in the workspace Media Window, can now use a new menu button on the Source Citation pane toolbar to do so. You can also use the same menu to open media in an editor/player. Both options are disabled if there is no source citation media for a given source citation.

Why does this only work for citation media? Both the options are disabled is there are source media but no citation media. In order to view the source media in the Media Window it is still necessary to go via the Show Media window and then click View, which adds one more click. One click is not much, but why streamline the viewing of citation media and leave this extra step for source media?

Apart from this, I like the new look.

[NickiP]

The list of new features for 6.1.3 says:

Users who prefer to view media in the workspace Media Window, can now use a new menu button on the Source Citation pane toolbar to do so. You can also use the same menu to open media in an editor/player. Both options are disabled if there is no source citation media for a given source citation.

Why does this only work for citation media? Both the options are disabled is there are source media but no citation media. In order to view the source media in the Media Window it is still necessary to go via the Show Media window and then click View, which adds one more click. One click is not much, but why streamline the viewing of citation media and leave this extra step for source media?

Apart from this, I like the new look.

Lorna, I've found it working where I have only got Source Media and no Citation Media.

Adding - rather weird, it shows for some but not others, and seems to be a bit random. They're all Source Record Media.

[tatewise]

I agree with Lorna. That must be a mistake and the cog options should be available for both Citation Media and Source record Media, i.e. when there is a Media icon against the chosen Source.

[LornaCraig]

Lorna, I've found it working where I have only got Source Media and no Citation Media.

This is strange: have now found some cases of it working where I have only source media, and some cases where it does not!! In some cases both options on that menu are disabled although there definitlely are some source media.

Edit: I have just seen your addition: yes, definitely weird and apparently random.

[NickiP]

Mike, the cog does show for some Source Record Media (I don't have any media against Citations), but it is pretty random. I've tried more than one tree file and several people in each tree.

Edit: I've some individuals where it shows for all Facts that have Source Media, and others where it shows for the first Fact but not later ones that have Source Media. Very strange.

[tatewise]

Yes, I have similar mixed behaviour, but it looks like it depends on the Fact Media.

In other words the Sources For pane Cog options are enabled if there is Fact Media or Citation Media but disabled otherwise regardless of Source Media.

[LornaCraig]

Yes, I confirm that pattern. But presumably as this cog menu is in the yellow Source pane it should not be influenced by Fact media at all. The options should be enabled if there are Source media or Citation media or both, but should not be enabled for Fact media.

[tatewise]

Yes, it is a bug/mistake. The code is looking at Fact Media %FACT.OBJE% whereas it should be looking at Source Media %FACT.SOUR>OBJE%.

[LornaCraig]

One of the things suggested in the discussions of 6.1.2 was that when media for a Fact are viewed and the options to include Source media and/or Citation media are ticked, there should be some way of distinguishing easily between the three categories of media. In practice this won't bother me because I will not have the extra options ticked, but is this still something worth considering?

The extra options were ticked by default (I think? I may be wrong), resulting in a potentially long series of thumbnails with nothing to show which type of media they are. Only by switching the options on and off does it become clear.

Another slight problem I have found is that after using the Show Media button in the yellow Source pane, if the Show Media button in the Facts toolbar is clicked, the Media Viewer window still shows the Media for Citation to..., instead of the Media for Fact.... There is some inconsistency: sometimes it switches correctly, but if the Media Viewer window is closed first it usually (always?) re-opens again on the Media for Citation. It is necessary to select the fact again positively in the facts list to get the Media for Fact dispalyed reliably.

[NickiP]

Yes, it is a bug/mistake. The code is looking at Fact Media %FACT.OBJE% whereas it should be looking at Source Media %FACT.SOUR>OBJE%.

It does still show the correct Source Media rather than the Fact Media.

Another slight problem I have found is that after using the Show Media button in the yellow Source pane, if the Show Media button in the Facts toolbar is clicked, the Media Viewer window still shows the Media for Citation to..., instead of the Media for Fact.... There is some inconsistency: sometimes it switches correctly, but if the Media Viewer window is closed first it usually (always?) re-opens again on the Media for Citation. It is necessary to select the fact again positively in the facts list to get the Media for Fact dispalyed reliably.

Yes I've noticed that. But if you close the yellow Show Source/Citation pane and then click Facts Show Media, it does show the Facts Media without having to click on the Fact again.

[LornaCraig]

Nicki,
True, but I feel it shouldn't really be necessary to either close the Source pane or click the Fact again to make sure you get the right display in the Show Media dialog. The 'new features' list says:

Various enhancements have been made to the way the Show Media dialog interacts with the Property Box, to ensure that it always behaves as you would expect.

I don't think it is 'always behaving as you would expect'.

[NickiP]

True Lorna. Something is obviously not working correctly to deselect the Source/Citation, unless you close the pane, when you click on the Facts Show Media.

[tatewise]

Many (but not all) of the Ancestry/FTM import UDF, etc, I reported in New Pre-release: 6.1.2 on Fri Jan 29, 2016 have been suitably improved.

BUT the Origin fact _ORIG UDF MUST NOT become a standard National or Tribal Origin attribute NATI tag.
I fell into the same trap, but FTM user Barnowl Ian Johnson in a private Email to me about our Plugins said:

_ORIG In my experience this has always been paired with an Arrival event as the Port of Origin. It is not used for Ethnic or Geographic Origin. Similarly _DEST is paired with Departure.

This is corroborated by Ancestry/FTM also having a Nationality fact that uses the standard NATI tag.

If Origin and Nationality are perceived as distinct facts by Ancestry/FTM users then they must remain distinct in FH.

If they happen to be recording similar facts then the Change Any Fact Tag Plugin can merge them later, but if the FH import merges them they cannot be easily separated later.

[DavidNewton]

True Lorna. Something is obviously not working correctly to deselect the Source/Citation, unless you close the pane, when you click on the Facts Show Media.

So here's another scenario. I have individuals for whom I have a baptism register image which also contains a date of birth. My previous practice was to cite the source for the baptism, copy the citation to the birth and attach the media only to the baptism Fact. In view of the simplicity of adding media to citations now I am going through my file (luckily this situation is not too common) and adding the media to the citations. So I am now looking at two almost identical citations one of which (Birth) has now got media attached and the other (Baptism) has media attached to the Baptism Fact but not to the citation.

What do you expect to happen if you select the Baptism in the Fact Pane, then the Baptism citation in the Source Pane, move to the Birth citation within the citation pane and now click the Show Media button in the Fact Pane?

Is it surprising that this shows the Citation Media for the Birth remembering that the Birth is not and has not been selected in the Fact Pane? You may need to widen the Media box to see the heading in full to know what you are looking at.

Despite all this and the previous comments I think this is an improvement (still in progress, but this is after all a pre-release).

David

[tatewise]

The problem with very large Result Sets from Plugins displaying 25 times slower than for Queries has been dramatically improved. Than you.

[LornaCraig]

What do you expect to happen if you select the Baptism in the Fact Pane, then the Baptism citation in the Source Pane, move to the Birth citation within the citation pane and now click the Show Media button in the Fact Pane?

Is it surprising that this shows the Citation Media for the Birth remembering that the Birth is not and has not been selected in the Fact Pane? You may need to widen the Media box to see the heading in full to know what you are looking at.

I'm a bit confused. How do you move from the baptism citation in the Source Pane to the birth citation in the 'citation pane' (=Source Pane?) without selecting the Birth in the Fact pane? The sources/citations shown in the Source pane only relate to the currently selected fact.

I think the point at issue is that clicking the Show Media button in the Facts toolbar should either show the Media for Fact... or do nothing, if the focus has shifted away from the fact. It should never produce the Media for Citation... display, because that is what the Show Media button in the Source pane is for.

Clicking the button in the Source pane toolbar displays the Media for Citation even if the source is only highlighted in grey (rather than positively selected and highlighted in blue). But clicking the button in the Facts toolbar also displays the Media for Citation if the fact is only highlighted in grey. It is necessary positivey shift the focus back to the fact, so that it is highlighted in blue, to get the Media for Fact displayed.

[mjashby]

JULIAN DATING BUG

Have just tested again and my favourite long-standing Version 6 BUG is still present in 6.1.3, i.e. Julian Dates do not work correctly, although they were fine from Version 2 to 5.

To repeat: the BUG is that FH 6 does not recognise that Julian Calendar years (as used in Parish Registers legal documents etc. in England) started on 25 March and ended on 24 March until 1751. So February 1750 definately came after December 1750 and a user shouldn't get a warning that a baptism date in February 1750 is earlier than a birth date in December 1750!

Mervyn

[TimTreeby]

I would have to disagree that there is actually a BUG with Julian Dating. As some countries used Julian Dating and had 1st of Jan as the Start of New Year. (e.g Scotland from 1600 to 1752, had New Year start on 1st of Jan and was using Julian Calendar). Also not every document created in England and Wales used the Civil year on dating, so some documents could well be dated say 10 Feb 1742, when in reality it should of said 10 Feb 1741. This is actually noted in the Calendar Act, as to why the Date was changed.

WHEREAS the legal Supputation of the Year of our Lord in that Part of Great Britain called England, according to which the Year beginneth on the 25th Day of March, hath been found by Experience to be attended with divers Inconveniencies, not only as it differs from the Usage of neighbouring Nations, but also from the legal Method of Computation in that Part of Great Britain called Scotlond [sic], and from the common Usage throughout the whole Kingdom, and thereby frequent Mistakes are occasioned in the Dates of Deeds, and other Writings, and Disputes arise therefrom

Therefore I would always say that you would have to use double dating for any event where the year could be misinterpreted.

[tatewise]

Lorna, you can move to any Citation in the yellow Sources For pane via the drop-list at the top without even being on the Facts tab never mind selecting a Fact. You just open the Sources For drop-list and choose any item with an asterisk *.