Family Historian User Group

I've fallen in love with FH - I just finished, yesterday, converting some of the VERY old data (some of that was entered also long ago as the late 1980s and early 1990s) to be consistent with source templates I created about 12 years ago. FH allowed me to finish a project I didn't think I'd ever complete - because FH is so much more efficient than anything else available! However, I found one problem and I'm not sure how it occurred. The templates I created were originally developed for RootsMagic and I was able to import them (and make some subtle changes) into FH.

As I was working on entering census data, I discovered that a field name and code were different than I had originally designed; furthermore, in looking at the RM file things had changed there too and I'm not sure how that happened as I haven't changed the templates since I first developed them. Interestingly, I also looked at very old backups of those templates and the field name and code are correct on that. So, somehow, the template was changed and is now incorrect. Here's a screen capture that shows the problem:


The Field Name circled in red should be "Dept. or Office." However, when I got to the Source Template Field Definition to correct it, I find the following:


As noted, both the Field Name and the Code are the same. Changing the field name automatically changes the code and that breaks the template. I can't find a way to override the Code change.

What I would like (at minimum) is to at least be able to change the filed name without changing the code. Optimally, I'd like to change both the Field Name and the Code to what I had originally intended, while still keeping the current data across the citations that use this template. The Source Template Field Definition would then look like this:


Is this possible? If so, how?

(Note, the prompts and description fields also need to be changed but that's another matter that I can deal with myself.)

Thanks again for any help.

I think there is a solution.

It relies on Bureau Of The Census being a unique metafield name across all your Source Templates.

1. Use Tools > Source Template Definitions... to add the new metafield Dept. or Office and then use the Compare/Sync with Source Template Record... button to add that metafield to the Source Template.
   Now both metafields exist in the Source Template.
2. I think the easiest way to move the Source record data to the new metafield is to edit the GEDCOM file directly.
   So first make sure you have a backup copy of the Project's GEDCOM file and close FH.
3. Locate the GEDCOM file with the Project folder and open it with a plain text editor such as Windows Notepad.
   Use the Edit > Replace... command to replace the old metafield code with the new metafield code.
   e.g.
   Find what: 1 _FIELD TX-BUREAU_OF_THE_CENSUS
   Replace with: 1 _FIELD TX-DEPT_OR_OFFICE
   Obtain those codes from the Source Template Definitions.
4. Open FH and the Source records should now correctly show the data against the new Dept. or Office metafield.
5. Use Tools > Source Template Definitions... to delete the Bureau Of The Census field definition.
   The Compare/Sync with Source Template Record... button does not seem to help in this scenario.
   So open the Source Template in its Property Box and on the All tab delete the old metafield.

If any of those steps are unclear then please ask. Don't guess!

Thanks, Mike!

Your suggestion worked like a charm although I had to go VERY slowly and had a bit of a problem with the last step (item 5). Needless to say, I've been able to get it to work. THANK YOU!!! Here's what the corrected template looks like now:
The next item I may tweak is that FH allows templates to document repositories. I believe that RM does not (or at least they didn't originally) handle these the same way and they have to be entered via a separate tab, (that is not part of their templates) to record the location of each source (actually, RM allows a primary and a secondary repository).


RM uses separate tabs to recorder two (a primary and a secondary) repositories and these are not attached to citation templates. FH, however, does allow this and I'm toying with the idea of adding the FH approach to my templates. As the way in which I've dealt with that on my templates is a bit different than the RM tabs or the manner in which they're handled on FH, I may try to add the FH repositories to my templates and then update each source manually (given that I currently have about 1200 source records and approx. 6400 citations, I'm not sure I want to do that. Anyway, I'm just thinking out loud.

I still can't get over that for the first time since 1995, my citations are now completely consistent (indeed, they're far more consistent than they've ever been) and the updating I've done over the past few months since making the switch to FH would have literally taken many more years (literally) to complete (and not as well) with RM.

I simply can't get over how much EASIER FH has made my life and how wonderfully efficient it is! Once I get things where I like them with my templates, I'll release them for other FH to use (There is really just one template that I split into three smaller ones which address different types of sources) - I've now used them exclusively for about 11 years and I've been extremely happy with the results.

Other than dealing with the repository situation (which I'm not sure I'm going to do), the only other thing is that I would REALLY like to see are to make template field descriptions viewable by clicking on a "?" or other small icon to provide a lengthier hint than is displayed on the prompts (which do appear on the templates). Currently, these show up while editing the template but are not accessible whn entering data in FH. Although that's a relatively small matter, it would make things "perfect!"


Anyway, THANK YOU! I feel like I can now devote my time to new research!

I'm glad that worked out OK.

In FH you can have as many linked Repository record Template metafields as you like.

You could add the Metafield Description Tooltip suggestion to the 'New Wish List Requests' Forum.

Jeff,
SO excited to see that you are now over here in the world of FH! Your simplified citations are my "ideal destination" for making sanity of my sources.

An eon ago, while using TMG I discovered Mills' EE format. Went whole hog into making such lovely EE compliant sources with beautifully complex source templates. Then I converted to RM and ended up with Freeform Hot Garbage. Frustration with ever wanting to trust a genealogy program with custom data sent me over to Zotero for managing my research and formatting my sources. It's fine, and what I use for new stuff.

Then I discovered your website, loved the philosophy, downloaded the templates, and "convert everything to one of those 3 templates" was firmly on my to do list.

Then came RM8, and the conversion to FH. Still using Zotero, still not enamored with it. Decided to check in with your site - and I see that the FH flavor of your templates is coming soon !!!!

Is it soon yet?