* How To Modify Fact Set

[edmacke]

I created a custom fact (attribute) called "Military Service" and assigned it to the "Extended Set" Fact Set. I meant to assign it to the "Custom" Fact Set, but didn't notice until after I'd used it for many people.

I'd like to just edit the Fact Type and change the Fact Set from "Extended Set" to "Custom", but the Fact Set field is disabled.

Is there an easy way to change the Fact Set for an existing custom fact? Seems like there should be but I'm just missing it.

Bonus Question: Is there a way to change the Fact Type from "Event" to "Attribute". I don't really understand the implications of doing that, so I'd have to research, but I'd like to know if it's possible.

Thanks!!

[ColeValleyGirl]

Are you sure you created it? You can't add facts to the Standard Fact sets (including the Extended Set) AND the Extended Set by default comes with a Fact for Military Service.

And no, there isn't an easy way to change the Fact Set for an existing Fact. (That said, it can be done, but in multiple steps).

Bonus answer: The difference between Events and Attributes is that Attributes (like Occupation) have a value and Events don't. If you search (top right) for 'change event attribute' you'll find previous discussions of the topic.

[tatewise]

Helen, I agree you can't add fact definitions to the Standard Fact Set but it is possible to add them to the Extended Set, which is simply another Custom Fact Set albeit pre-installed with FH.

The only way to move a Fact definition from one Fact Set to another Fact Set would be to edit the configuration files in the C:\ProgramData\Calico Pie\Family Historian\Fact Types\Custom\ folder, but if you do not understand their format then that is fraught with risks.

Facts can be converted between Event and Attribute similarly.

[ColeValleyGirl]

Helen, I agree you can't add fact definitions to the Standard Fact Set but it is possible to add them to the Extended Set, which is simply another Custom Fact Set albeit pre-installed with FH.

Yeah, I realised that as I was checking my answer, but forgot to edit it!

The only way to move a Fact definition from one Fact Set to another Fact Set would be to edit the configuration files in the C:\ProgramData\Calico Pie\Family Historian\Fact Types\Custom\ folder, but if you do not understand their format then that is fraught with risks.

Facts can be converted between Event and Attribute similarly.

I thought I'd worked out a complicated sequence of actions that would do it without editing the files directly:

• create new Fact Type in Custom called Military Service
• use Change Any Fact Tag to change the Military Service facts from the Extended Set into the new fact type in Custom
• Hide the Military Service fact type in extended (or delete it if it really has been created on top of the one that existed already, and hide the pre-existent one)

But Change Any Fact Tag doesn't seem to recognise the existence of the Extended Set!

In any case, using the pre-defined fact type in Extended (edited if necessary) would seem to be the most sensible approach so it would be good to understand why the OP thinks they need to create a new one.

[tatewise]

Helen, the Change Any Fact Tag plugin does not offer a solution to moving fact definitions between Fact Sets.
That plugin has no effect on Fact Set definitions at all. It only changes the tags of facts in the database.
Assuming the same Fact definition custom name is used in both Fact Sets, changing the database is not necessary, because the GEDCOM tag remains the same.

BTW: The Change Any Fact Tag plugin does handle the Extended Set the same as any other Fact Set, and is selected from the Source/Target Tag Set: drop list. N.B. It won't appear in the Source Tag Set: drop list unless a Fact from that Fact Set is used in the database. The reason is that there will be no database tags to change.

The problem with moving Fact definitions is that they may involve much more than just their Name and Label, such as Sentence Templates, Normal Time Frame, Witness Roles, Fields Required, Display Settings, Language Variants, etc.

[ColeValleyGirl]

Helen, the Change Any Fact Tag plugin does not offer a solution to moving fact definitions between Fact Sets.
That plugin has no effect on Fact Set definitions at all. It only changes the tags of facts in the database.

I know that it only changes tags -- hence I assumed some steps would be needed before and after to create the target fact (before) and remove or hide the unwanted fact (after). And yes, the target fact would have to be created with identical details to the unwanted tag -- but safer to do all this with the FH facilities than directly editing the Gedcom file. If the OP wants to proceed, I would anticipate providing more detailed instructions.

However, the fact (which I'd forgotten) that two facts types in different fact sets can have the same tag makes things much simpler, I think. Define the new Fact Type in the Custom set and the one in the Extended Set will automatically be disabled -- can you think of anything else that would be needed?

Also, I'm sure the plugin documentation details that constraint on the available tags, but I almost lost the will to live looking for it. Where should I have found it?

[tatewise]

OK, so we agree that moving a Fact definition from Fact Set to Fact Set potentially involves manually copying many settings especially if Witness Roles are involved.

See Help page Change Any Fact Tag Individual Records tab where in the Source Tag Set and Target Tag Set description it says:

The Source Tag Name and Target Tag Name dropdown lists will include all available Facts or Tags from the chosen Source Tag Set and Target Tag Set respectively, but the Source… lists will include only those used by the current Project. Any Facts with <hidden> visibility will be suffixed by <hidden>.

[Mark1834]

It's probably worth a brief summary of how Fact Set files are structured, as this move is actually fairly straightforward if you understand the content of the Fact Set files.

Each file starts with an [.index] section that lists the various Facts defined in that file. For example, the first entry in the Standard.fhf file is Item1=BIRT-IE, where BIRT is the GEDCOM code and IE means Individual Event (other codes are fairly obvious, IA = Individual Attribute, FE = Family Event, FA = Family Attribute.

Each defined Fact has a section starting [FCT- (so in this case, [FCT-BIRT-IE]) defining the main properties of the Fact. There may also be a separate section defining Witness roles, ending in -ROLE] (so in this case, [FCT-BIRT-IE-ROLE]. There may also be a section defining the Auto Note, of the form [TEXT-FCT-BIRT-IE-Auto Note].

The easiest way to move a Fact from one Fact Set to another would be to have the two Fact Sets open side by side on the screen using a plain text editor (Notepad is adequate), and cut/paste the above sections from one file to another. The exact positioning is not critical, and different Fact Sets may not be consistent with ordering. Finally, also cut/paste the Fact definition in the two [.index] sections, adjust the numbering of remaining Facts to accommodate the gap/addition, and amend the two Count=xx lines to reflect the new number of Facts in each set.

Remember to create backup copies of any Fact Set file that you change, just in case! If you are a "tinkerer" who wants to know what FH is doing behind the scenes, don't be scared of diving in and having a play. Users who do understand these files and have created plugins to manipulate them don't have any extra magic powers - we all started out not understanding them, so anybody else can do it if you are so inclined.

[Peter Collier]

The difference between Events and Attributes is that Attributes (like Occupation) have a value and Events don't.

I sometimes struggle with this description of the difference between attributes and facts. I understand the general idea of a value/no-value distinction that divides them and thus how, for example, Occupation is an attribute by dint of having a value such as "labourer". However, I always stumble over how, for example, the date of a given event is not its value?

[ColeValleyGirl]

The difference between Events and Attributes is that Attributes (like Occupation) have a value and Events don't.

However, I always stumble over how, for example, the date of a given event is not its value?

Why the date and not, for example, it's place? Both events and attributes (can) have dates, places and addresses, but value is an 'extra' piece of information that makes the attribute more specific. There is no 'extra' piece of information about a birth similar to the occupation value.

[Mark1834]

The best distinction is that an event happens at a particular time (even if that time is not known), but an attribute is something that is true over an extended period.

GEDCOM is ambiguous over whether Events can have values or not, but FH takes the stance that they cannot. Other apps may allow values. So value/no value is not the defining difference, but a consequence of FH’s interpretation of GEDCOM. Other apps are not wrong, just different to FH.

[edmacke]

Seems like I opened a can of worms! I thought switching between sets would be something fairly straightforward, but it sounds like there some "gotchas" that make it a little more complicated than at first glance.

I thought I had created the Military Service fact, but it was a while ago so maybe I had just modified the existing out-of-the-box extended set attribute.

In any event, this all came up because I created a new Custom fact ("Attended School"). I noticed it was in the custom set but the Military Service (which I thought was also a custom fact) was in the extended set. I just wanted to tidy things up so that both my custom facts were in the Custom set.

So, anyway, I'm not sure exactly how, but somehow I got the "Military Service" attribute moved from the Extended to the Custom set. I was trying a couple of things (creating a new Custom fact type, using the Fact Type screen's "Copy..." function, etc.) and apparently something stuck. I wish I could reproduce the steps I used, because it seemed to have done what I wanted.

I didn't change the raw configuration files, nor the Change Any Fact Tag plug-in, just used native FH functionality. I spot-checked some records that use the Military Service attribute, and everything looks fine, so problem solved???

[edmacke]

If you are a "tinkerer" who wants to know what FH is doing behind the scenes, don't be scared of diving in and having a play.

Thanks for the details!

I'm definitely a tinkerer. I've written some Python apps to do some mass changes on my GED file (long story) so no fear there. If I knew Lua and the internal FH workings I think it'd be fun to have a go at some plug-ins, but only so many hours in a day

I'll take a look at the behind-the-scenes setup...

[ColeValleyGirl]

Doh! Copy!!! A prime example of so-called experts overlooking the obvious.

If you show Hidden facts, you'll probably see that the original Military Service fact is still present in the Extended set, but has been 'eclipsed' by the one in the Custom Set.

[LornaCraig]

Edit: Helen's post just snuck in while I was writing this.

I was trying a couple of things (creating a new Custom fact type, using the Fact Type screen's "Copy..." function, etc.)

I was going to suggest using the Copy button in FH when I first saw your question, but Mike and Helen had already replied suggesting that it was a complicated process so I though I must be missing some problem. But yes, as far as I can see copying a fact from one set to another does almost what you want. It doesn't actually delete the fact from the Extended set but that can be done afterwards if you want to. However that shouldn't be necessary because following the move the fact in the Extended set is disabled.

[Mark1834]

A prime example of so-called experts overlooking the obvious.

Who exactly was that barb aimed at? Seems to me that this forum has its fair share of self-appointed "so-called experts"...

[ColeValleyGirl]

Aimed at myself, Mark, as I was the first to say it was complicated.

[Mark1834]

Fair enough - I wasn't sure how to read it. Still worth studying the detail for future reference though.

[tatewise]

And I reinforced what Helen said and completely overlooked the Copy... button

[edmacke]

If you show Hidden facts, you'll probably see that the original Military Service fact is still present in the Extended set, but has been 'eclipsed' by the one in the Custom Set.

Yep!

You're right: if I tick the Show Hidden box, my copied Custom attribute is the one in use; the original Extended Set attribute is still there but "eclipsed" and "disabled".

[edmacke]

It's probably worth a brief summary of how Fact Set files are structured, as this move is actually fairly straightforward if you understand the content of the Fact Set files. Each file starts with an [.index] section that lists the various Facts defined in that file....

Mark, thanks so much for the details on how to modify the files. I love having options like that in my back pocket.

One thing that took a while to figure out is that there were several locations of .fhf files. For example, (in Windows) there is an Extended Set.fhf file in:

• C:\Program Files (x86)\Family Historian\Fact Types
• C:\ProgramData\Calico Pie\Family Historian\Fact Types\Custom
• D:\Documents\Genealogy\Family Historian\Family Historian\Program Data\Fact Types\Custom

It looks like the Custom.fhf and Extended Set.fhf files in C:\ProgramData\Calico Pie\Family Historian\Fact Types\Custom are the ones I'm looking for.

At first something seemed off since the Custom.fhf file definitely had the 2 custom facts I had created, but the Extended Set.fhf file had 26 attributes that didn't appear in FH. Then I noticed all 26 of the extended facts had Hidden=Y... that became apparent when I ticked the Show Hidden box in the FH screen.

[tatewise]

The thing as, as Helen said early on, that Military Service attribute in the Extended Set was not created by you as it is normally part of the Extended Set installed by FH.

So you did not need to Copy it to the Custom Fact Set.

FYI: All facts defined in any Fact Set other than the Standard Fact Set are custom facts.
The name of the Fact Set is irrelevant. So all the facts in the Extended Set are custom facts just the same as all those in the Custom Fact Set or any other Fact Set downloaded from say Download Type: Fact Sets.

[edmacke]

...the Military Service attribute in the Extended Set was not created by you as it is normally part of the Extended Set installed by FH. So you did not need to Copy it to the Custom Fact Set.... all the facts in the Extended Set are custom facts just the same as all those in the Custom Fact Set...

Yeah, that's all a lot more clear now thanks to everyone's kind help.

What I didn't understand then, but do now, is that a) Military Service was a part of FH default sets, and b) Custom and Extended facts are really both custom.

Ironically, in my attempt to "clean things up", I actually ended up with two "custom" Military Service attributes, one in use and one not, which seems to be worse than when I started.

But it works, and at least I understand what happened and why, and also how to manually tweak the .fhf files if I want, so thanks again to everybody!

[tatewise]

Yes, the FH Fact Sets are quite flexible.
As you have found, it is possible to define two or more facts with the same Name although only one is visible and enabled while the others are <eclipsed> and <disabled) as determined by the order of the Fact Sets as listed in the Fact Sets... dialogue. The higher Fact Sets take precedence and eclipse similarly named facts in lower Fact Sets.
It is also possible to Hide any fact so it becomes <hidden> and <disabled> such that some other similarly named fact becomes visible and enabled.

[fhtess65]

Thank you for this! I was lost...

The best distinction is that an event happens at a particular time (even if that time is not known), but an attribute is something that is true over an extended period.
<SNIP>