Family Historian User Group

As the title says, I just wanted to say how much I like the Named Lists I've only had FH for a few weeks so I've been working my way through it's facilities and it's been a good learning curve. I had used the named lists a bit but yesterday I read the instructions properly and realised what the blank box at the bottom was for! Fantastic! I now have a lovely To Do list that I can easily add notes to for each individual when I have researched something, noting whether it was successful or not and reminding myself what I need to do next. So much better than having to flick back through a note book trying to find the page that I'm sure is in there somewhere if I could just remember how long ago I last researched that person.

Thank you, FH programmers!

Have you found how_to:create_work_in_progress_or_research_to_do_lists|> Planning and Tracking Your Research yet? It might give you a few more ideas.

Thank you. Lots more to read there

I recently made a breakthrough in my use of Named Lists and research logs or To Do lists. My ongoing frustration was due to the fact that everything in a Named List has to be linked to a named individual. There is nowhere in the program to record that I have today searched as far as p159 in the burial register for multiple names, or that I have downloaded wills from TNA that may be for people not yet in the database, or that I searched a newly released record collection for my ONS name and found nothing.

My breakthrough came when I realised I could create an individual to link all these odd things to, and thus was born: Research [PROGRESS]! (I suspect his family were Puritans, some may have sailed on the Mayflower). There is absolutely nothing entered against this individual except the ongoing record in the Named List. The [ ] round his surname mean it stays at the top of the Named List, and each entry is from the top down and dated.

So far everything is going swimmingly. My only concern is any possible limit on how much information can be recorded against any individual in a Named List. If Version 7 comes in and blows my workaround out of the water with a wonderful new research recording system I shall be delighted, but otherwise I shall carry on using this.

everything in a Named List has to be linked to a named individual

Not true.

You can add a Note Record to a Named List without linking it an an Individual.
Or a Source Record, to which you can link a Note.

In fact, a Named List can contain any combination of any type of record: Individual, Family, Note, Source, Media, etc.

To keep items in a Named List in a particular order you can right-click the list name and choose Keep Current List Order.

Hi,

Would you please advise what the significance of the Named List editable field, by right clicking, selecting properties and making it "Record editing enabled".

Thank you.

By default in the Named List you cannot edit the fields displayed in the Named List pane.
i.e. If you expand the records by clicking the [+] buttons on the left nothing can be edited.

If Record Editing Enabled is ticked then all fields can be edited, deleted and inserted just like on the All tab of the Property Box, so it saves going through opening the Property Box and opening the All tab.

Thanks for your reply, Mike.

Thanks for this thread. I have been searching for a way to record my To Do lists and track my research for a while. After attempting to use a stand alone spreadsheet and the recommended to do list, all of which seemed not to work for me, I think Named List may be the answer. Having read though Chapter 20 of "Getting the most from Family Historian" I think I have got my head around Named List, unfortunately I can't say the same about Queries. Despite reading the same book and looking through the forum I struggle with understanding and using Quries.
Before I commence using Named Lists could I ask for some advice please. If I created various "named lists" in the top pane such as Census, Birth, Death, Marriage etc. can a query be created to extract all the data relating to one individual therefore creating an individual "What I've done" or "To Do" List . This approach would allow me to see who I have specific records for such as all those whom I have obtained Census, Birth, Death, Marriage etc. for as well as creating the individual To Do list I so desperately wish for.

I am not sure I understand what you are trying to achieve because your description has some contradictions.

You mention extracting the data relating to one individual, but later imply you want it for all individuals.
You talk about creating a "What I've done" or "To Do" list, but they are complete opposites.

It is certainly possible for a Query to create a list of all Individuals who say do have a Birth Event, or the opposite list of all Individuals who don't have a Birth Event. You can also add other criteria, such as does the Birth Event have a Source Citation for a Birth Certificate. You don't need Named Lists to produce such Query reports.

Similar Query reports can be produced for existing or missing Marriage Events, Death Events, and Census Events for each Census year, and some already exist in the Knowledge Base Downloads.

Perhaps we need to discuss the criteria that must be true in order to add an Individual onto your To Do List?
Exactly what are your objectives for which a To Do List would help you?
Are you wanting to search online records, or visit somewhere that might provide the records you are looking for?

What I would like to achieve is a TO DO list though conversely in creating a TO DO list am I able to create a separate list of Research done.
In my mind I have the idea that I would like to create separate Named Lists of Birth, Marriage, Death, Census 1841, Census 1851 etc so each list shows all the individuals in my tree that I have those records for. Then from those “ Named Lists” am I able to extract all records relating to one individual, such as Oscar Franklin which would show what I have got but incidentally Show what I haven’t got for Oscar.
Or would it be better to create a Named List for “All individuals” inputting the sources I have for that individual in their own specific Named List.
Ideally I would like to be able to see what I need to do for an individual so I can target my research but also if I am looking at the Census for 1841 I can see who I have a Census for and who I don’t.
I hope that makes sense it does in my head but that’s a strange place

I'm not sure you actually need any Named Lists initially, so let us explore Queries first.

In the fhugdownloads:queriesindi|> Downloads and Links ~ Query Type: Individual there are several candidates:
fhugdownloads:contents:bmd_-_checklist|> Query:Individual ~ BMD - Checklist focusses on BMD events
fhugdownloads:contents:query_bmd_census_check|> Query:Individual ~ BMD Census Check BMD events & Census years
fhugdownloads:contents:individuals_with_bmd_events_without_sources|> Query:Individual ~ BMD Events without Sources BMD Events without Source Citations
fhugdownloads:contents:kinsfolk_census_queries|> Query:Individual ~ Kinsfolk Census Queries (2 downloads)

Try some of those to see if they produce anything like you might need.
In general they show which people have which events and the gaps show things to do.

Thanks for all the information. I’ll work my way through the list.