Family Historian User Group

I have a main project and a second one in which I do things like trying merges, temporary storage of details that need validating etc. I sometimes have both projects open at the same time and other than the project name at the top they look the same. I'd like to do something to give a more visible indication of when I'm in the test project.

My first thought was to change the background colour of the focus window, but as I immediately found out, preferences are stored at a machine level, not within the project.

Any suggestions for making it obvious when I'm not in my main project?

Perhaps add a "test" suffix to the names, or add "test" image as the first preference instead of faces

One idea is to disable the Internet Data Matches green 'hints' on the Focus Window of the test project.
i.e. Internet > Internet Data Matches
Then FindMyPast > Settings > Automatic Matching: Disable for this project only and similarly for MyHeritage.

David2416 wrote: ↑

05 Apr 2020 06:52

Perhaps add a "test" suffix to the names, or add "test" image as the first preference instead of faces

Nice idea, however something I didn't say which shoots this suggestion down is that having sorted out any issues with new data I may export the relevant records from the test and merge them in to main. Also the test is a recent copy of live.

I've just come up with one idea which helps a bit. I've added an unrelated individual called "Dummy Root". Now at the top of every focus window it says "No direct relationship with Dummy Root".

tatewise wrote: ↑

05 Apr 2020 09:30

One idea is to disable the Internet Data Matches green 'hints' on the Focus Window of the test project.
i.e. Internet > Internet Data Matches
Then FindMyPast > Settings > Automatic Matching: Disable for this project only and similarly for MyHeritage.

I like this! I don't need the data matches in the test project anyway and I wasn't aware of the this project only setting.

Thanks

I presume you have set Dummy Root as the File Root in the test project, which is a great idea.
Therefore, that dummy record will be the Home Focus Window which is another reminder.

In addition, you could customise the Property Box Caption to display something similar.
i.e. Tools > Preferences > Property Box > Captions > Individual: and edit to include something like:

Individual: %INDI% [=RecordId()] =CombineText( " is the ", Relationship(FileRoot()), " of root", " is unrelated to root" )

Then in the test project, it will say John SMITH is unrelated to root

In your main project, it will say John SMITH is the father of root or suchlike.

Thanks Mike. Not what you suggested, but your post has led me to another neat idea.

In View > Special Records > Header Record I entered
TEST Gedcom
in the File Description and put a similar appropriate entry in the main file.

Then in the property box captions I changed it to Now the caption of the property box reads

Individual: John SMITH [1] (TEST Gedcom)

What's great about this is I was finding that I forgot which file I was in when the box was undocked and this shows in the title of the undocked window. I've added the same to the caption of all property boxes.

Brilliant. That was really thinking outside the box

Or even "%CUR_FILE_HEADER.FILE%" which does not require you to add anything in the header record?
Looks a bit messy - but presumably there is a way to extract just the file name rather than the whole path?

davidf wrote: ↑

05 Apr 2020 18:16

Or even "%CUR_FILE_HEADER.FILE%" which does not require you to add anything in the header record?
Looks a bit messy - but presumably there is a way to extract just the file name rather than the whole path?

That was my first attempt. The path name for my files is far too long for that and it was exceptionally messy. Like you I thought there might be a way to just extract the file name but I'm damned if I could find it. I wasn't using the file description so the way I've ended up doing it works just fine.

David unfortunately, there are no FH Functions that can manipulate text strings at all, except TextPart(...) but that requires comma separators, so you would have to get commas into the filepath/name.
That is why %CUR_FILE_HEADER.NOTE2% to display File Description is so neat and rational.

jelv wrote: ↑

05 Apr 2020 16:08

In View > Special Records > Header Record I entered
TEST Gedcom
in the File Description and put a similar appropriate entry in the main file.

Then in the property box captions I changed it to

Code: Select all

Individual: %INDI% [=RecordId()] (%CUR_FILE_HEADER.NOTE2%)

Now the caption of the property box reads

Individual: John SMITH [1] (TEST Gedcom)

What's great about this is I was finding that I forgot which file I was in when the box was undocked and this shows in the title of the undocked window. I've added the same to the caption of all property boxes.

Would this approach cause a problem when uploading the gedcom to an online website (specifically TNG)? I have the same problem as OP - working with a One-Name Study and my personal project simultaneously, with many of the same families.

Presumably, you are using the Export Gedcom File Plugin to export to TNG.
So try setting the Header as suggested, it is perfectly valid GEDCOM.
If it is a problem for TNG then I can fix the Plugin accordingly very quickly.

TVM, Mike. Yes, I will be using the Plugin.