Family Historian User Group

Is it possible to have flags automatically set by making an entry in Ancestral Sources? If not is it something that could be considered for an update sometime in the future?

AS already does that, see ancestralsources:tutorial:tools:flag_assignment_settings|> Ancestral Sources Tutorial ~ Working With Tools ~ (3) Flag Assignments.

But why would you want to?

Expressions are usually so much more effective, and need no 'maintenance'.

Mike

I don't understand what you mean by

Expressions are usually so much more effective, and need no 'maintenance'.

I want to set the flags so that the various icons show in diagrams rather than setting these manually. I had missed that option in AS my bad.

There have been many threads discussing this topic.

Checkout how_to:using_flags_and_icons_and_expressions|> Using Flags and Icons and Expressions for details.

If you want Icons on Boxes in Diagrams then you always have to set a Box Condition.
Just adding a Flag to an Individual (using say AS) is not sufficient.

There are several types of Box Condition, but for this discussion Record Flag and Expression conditions are alternatives.

Once the Record Flag Box Condition is set for say the Baptism Flag (%INDI._FLGS%=Baptism), then whenever that Flag is added to an Individual the condition is invoked, which usually (but not necessarily) is to display a Baptism Icon. That happens regardless of whether that Individual has a Baptism Event or Source or whatever. If after using AS to add the Baptism Event and Flag you later decide it was a mistake, you must not only delete the Event but also delete the Flag.

The alternative is an Expression Box Condition to check the existence of say a Baptism Source Citation (%INDI.BAPM.SOUR>%). So as soon as AS adds that citation, the condition is automatically invoked to display a Baptism Icon (or whatever). But if you later delete the Event the condition automatically fails, and removes the Icon. So you do not have to 'maintain' a relationship between Event and Flag. But note that it is not necessary to add the Baptism Event via AS. It could be added by any other means, but the Expression Box Condition is still automatically invoked. Whereas with a Record Flag Box Condition you would have to remember to add the Flag as well as the Event.

If you want Icons on Boxes in Diagrams then you always have to set a Box Condition.
Just adding a Flag to an Individual (using say AS) is not sufficient.

I know I have done that and the icons display fine when the flags are set. I just wanted AS to set the flag if I add a census etc, it is just I had missed it in the AS tutorial which I last looked at some years ago.

But that is my point; why get involved with remembering all that stuff about Flags for the rest of your genealogy research.

Just scrap all the Flag stuff, create a few Expression Conditions and forget about them.

Back in the early days of Family Historian, when I created 'Gedcom Census', the only way to add icons to diagrams was to use flags so I made sure GC had built in support for that. When I created Ancestral Sources I had to keep supporting flags as many users hadn't upgraded to the latest FH and also wouldn't have been happy to migrate from GC if that feature was missing.

But Mike is right, there really isn't any need to use Flags anymore as expressions can do this automatically without having to worry about flags being maintained.

It depends on how you use diagrams and whether you print them or reports as to using expressions or again I may have missed something. I seldom if ever print diagrams or reports and I certainly find flags easier than expressions for my use of FH.

Using Record Flag Conditions versus Expression Conditions is nothing to do with printing Diagrams. They are simply alternative mechanisms for choosing to display Icons. Neither are anything to do with Reports.

Earlier you said: I want to set the flags so that the various icons show in diagrams.

Nick and I are pointing out that Flags are largely redundant for that purpose. Expressions test the actual data in your Project (Census, Birth, etc), so are always correct, whereas Flags might not agree with the actual data.

But of course if you are more comfortable with Flags then that is perfectly OK.