* Modifying the sentence field produces inconsistent results in reports

[Fairperson]

Hello,

I am running FH 6.2.2 on a windows 7 PC.
Has anyone noticed that modifying the sentence field produces different results depending which report you're running?

As an example I am using the <Hair (Military)> field. The default text shows ;
{individual's} hair in the forces was '{value}' {date} {place}

Which produces in the Record Detail - Individual report;
Hair (Military): Fair
Date: 1932

and in the Individual Narrative Report
His hair in the forces was 'Fair' in 1932.

If I now modify the sentence field to show;
{individual's} hair on joining the forces was '{value}' {date} {place}

The Record Detail - Individual report now shows
Sentence: {individual's} hair on joining the forces was '{value}' {date} {place}

Whereas in the Individual Narrative Report it shows
"His hair on joining the forces was 'Fair' in 1932."

I can reproduce this on several fields so it does not seen to be restricted to this one sentence field. It looks like the compiler is not recognising the field codes in the Record Detail Individual report.

Has anyone seen this or am I doing something wrong?

Thanks

David

Hair2.jpg

Hair1.jpg

[LornaCraig]

Yes, I can reproduce that. I don't normally use Record Detail reports so I have never noticed it before.

The sentence appears correctly in all the Narrative Reports (Ancestors, Decendants, Individual), and I had believed that they were the only report types which use the narrative sentence. It is a little surprising that the narrative sentence appears at all in the Record Detail report, because the information is already shown there in summary form so the sentence is redundant.

[PeterR]

Surely all nine Record Detail Reports are intended merely to show the values in all of the fields for each record of the particular type. This would naturally include whatever has been input by the user into the Sentence field.

[LornaCraig]

I did wonder about that Peter. On reflection you are probably right, as the emphasis of the Record Detail report is on the content of the record rather than on the individual. The Individual Summary Report is better suited to the latter.

[Jane]

As you say, the Record Detail report, shows the values in the fields, not the resolved values, so to me the report is working as I would expect.

[tatewise]

Fairperson ~ The reports are performing perfectly correctly.

When you altered the narrative sentence you edited the Sentence box at the bottom of the Facts tab.
That does NOT alter the Default Sentence Template but just a specific override for that one Hair (Military) fact.
To do that it creates a local Sentence field alongside the Date and Place fields, and appears in Record Details report.

If you want to change the narrative sentence for all instances of the Hair (Military) fact, then you must use the Tools > Fact Types dialogue. See how_to:narrative_report_fact_sentence_templates|> Narrative Report Fact Sentence Templates for a fuller explanation.

[Fairperson]

Hello all,

Thanks for the speedy and helpful replies.

I am not sure I understand why the apparent inability of the Record Detail - Individual report to parse the contents of the <field> into a meaningful sentence should be regarded as normal behaviour. If the report can parse the contents of each <field> into the text if the sentence text is not modified, why can't it do the same with even a simple change (i.e. the addition of a space) in the text to produce the desired results in meaningful text?

So, I have the default sentence text producing in the Record Detail - Individual report;

Hair (Military): Fair
Date: 1932

and with the addition of a space anywhere in the sentence text producing an output in the Record Detail - Individual report thus;

Sentence: {individual's} hair in the forces was '{value}' {date} {place}
(note the additional space is there but the <fields> of individual, value, date and place now show the text as above and not the content of each <field>)

even adding a <br> in the sentence text produces;
Sentence: <br> {individual's} hair in the forces was '{value}' {date} {place}

Just been thinking about this as I'm typing and are you saying that if I modify the sentence field text for this single person in any way I cannot use <fields> and therefore I have to write everything "longhand" as I would wish to see it in the report? In which case I can see the statement "acting as expected" to be correct.

I will close, wishing you all the "Seasons Greetings" from Australia, have a great Christmas!


David

[tatewise]

You are missing the point.

The Record Detail Reports, for every type of record, show each field contents in plain text exactly as it appears in the Gedcom file. That is what is meant by 'Record Detail'.
That includes additional Place and Address field blank comma separated parts, as well as Sentence template text.
It is exactly the same as shown in the All tab of the Property Box or expanded in the Records Window.
Such reports do NOT parse any Sentence Templates. No Narrative Sentences ever appear at all.

It is only Narrative Reports that translate the Sentence template and substitute the field values for codes such as {date} and {place}. But note that any Place and Address field blank comma separated parts are tidied, and usually repeated trailing Place name parts are pruned.

That translation works in exactly the same way for both Default Sentence Templates from Tools > Fact Types and Specific Sentence Templates such as you are editing in the Facts tab. You don't need to write anything in 'longhand'. You can see the result of that translation in the Sentence box on the Facts tab. As explained in how_to:narrative_report_fact_sentence_templates|> Narrative Report Fact Sentence Templates the background colour of that box indicates whether a Default Sentence Template or a Specific Sentence Template is being translated. I suspect you have not studied that Knowledge Base article.

Merry Christmas.