Family Historian User Group

In FH6 I used Source Type to keep track of four categories of sources.
1) First-original sources – material in its first form regarding content and physical makeup that is in my possession. Examples: a bound journal with handwritten entries, letters, or a paper diploma carrying an embossed university seal.
2) Original sources – material with content in its first oral or recorded form, which may be a digital copy. “Examples: the testimony of someone relating events that he or she personally experienced or witnessed; or an original document created by a party with firsthand knowledge of the information recorded.
3) “Derivative sources – material produced by copying an original or manipulating its content; e.g., abstracts, compilations, databases, extracts, transcripts, [and] translations….
4) “Authored works – a hybrid of both original and derivative materials, produced by writers who study many different sources, reach personal conclusions, and present a new and original piece of writing.” - Elizabeth Shown Mills, Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources From Artifacts to Cyberspace, Kindle Edition (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2017), 24.

In FH7, I use custom source templates to create source records and "Source Type" is now "Generic Source Type." I wish to continue tracking the four categories above and have tried to include Generic Source Type code in my source template definitions but, as far as I can figure out, that is not allowed.

I thought about named lists, but I believe I would need four lists and that is awkward in reports. I'm looking for an option that allows me to select from four choices (enum). Then the selected option would show in reports and windows such as the attached.

How can I indicate to which of my four source categories each source record I create belongs, whether generic (prior records) or created from template (going forward)?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

A closely related question came up previously, and the advice here should help you to enter a Generic Type for Templated Sources.

I think you want the Generic Type field for Templated Sources to continue to hold the same values as your old Generic Sources, so the top two records in your screenshot would have values in Generic Type cells.

The way to achieve that is to display the Generic Type field in the Templated Source record Property Box the same as in the Generic Source record Property Box.

So, display a Template Source record and on its cog Menu choose the Customize Property Box... option.
With the Tab: setting top right set to Main (generic) notice how Generic Type is one of the Selected Items.
Change the Tab: setting to Main (template), select Generic Type on the left and add it using > to Selected Items.
Use the up/down black arrows to move it up under Title similar to its position for the Main (generic) case.
Click OK.

You can now enter the Generic Type into Templated Sources just like you have always done.

Do you need any advice to get that Generic Type to appear in Reports for Templated Sources?

Thanks for both responses.

Mike — I had previously discovered the ability to add the Generic Type to individual sources created with templates, but had it my head that I needed to get Generic Type in the source template itself or the template definition to affect future source records. So, I was futilely messing around with those and their fields. I see now that that I was going down the wrong path. You provided an easy fix—and it works! Thanks.

I haven't tried to produce any reports yet, but I welcome any advice you may provide to display Generic Type.

I imagine you want Reports to display the Generic Type for both Generic and Templated Sources in a similar style.
Please produce a Report that has both Generic and Templated Source Citations and post a screenshot here.
Explain where you want the Generic Type to appear in both cases.

Generic Sources are governed by Tools > Preferences > Sources > Generic Source Formats...
The Format option at the top chooses Footnote, Short Footnote and Bibliography template formats.
The Customize option at the bottom needs to include {%SOUR._TYPE%} to display the Generic Type field.

Templated Sources are governed by Tools > Source Template Definitions... and then the custom View/Edit... dialogue.
The Bibliography, Footnote and Short Footnote formats must include {%SOUR._TYPE%} to display the Generic Type field.

FYI - Will attempt a report at the end of the day (or possibly later in the week).

I produced the attached report (screenshot) which successfully displays the Generic Source Type as "Source Type." The first record was created with FH6 generic and the second with a FH7 template. Thanks for your help.

EDIT: Ooops! Just noticed that "Type" was also showing, which I have now hidden.
[“SOURCE SUMMARY REPORT” ATTACHMENT DELETED]

I had not thought of the Source Summary Report but that looks OK.
What about Source Citation Footnotes in Individual Summary Report, Family Group Sheet, Narrative Reports, etc?
Do you want Generic Type to appear in the Sources section of those reports?

I was thinking reports such as the Source Summary and queries. It doesn’t seem necessary to include the type (“physical form,” according to Elizabeth Shown Mills) of sources in footnotes. But, if I change my mind, I have your above advice to fall back on. Thank you.