Family Historian User Group

This is a spin-off from the Property box icons (21446) posting.

I think this should also apply to the Citation section of the Sources For pane. I really wish I could hide the Source Rec column or drag it off the right hand side or resize it so it is very narrow. As it is I have the Sources For pane on the right hand side next to the Property Box and they are docked next to the Focus Window. I never use that column as I can just select the source and click on the blue arrow. The Source Rec column takes up so much room that would be better used for he name of the Source Record. The Column widths used to "stick" in FH 6, but that went away in FH 7. I reported this during FH 7 beta testing, but CP said it was "as designed".

Bill

ColeValleyGirl wrote: ↑

15 Jan 2023 19:02

I can feel this morphing into three wishes: one for a 'Sources Icon'; one for the ability to remember column widths; and one for the ability to hide the More column (and maybe other columns?)

The first one does seem quite different. The latter two might be combined into a single wish list since they both concern being able to have more control over the columns than currently.

Please do add the ability to hide the Source Rec column.

Bill

See Wish List Ref 534 Preserve all Workspace and Window Characteristics that I added nearly 7 years ago and covers all but the More column Source icon request.

The hide Source Rec column in the Sources For Citation List pane is not strictly needed as the column can be adjusted to zero width which effectively hides it if that setting were preserved.

Unfortunately, the More column cannot be similarly reduced to zero width as that is not possible for the rightmost column!

tatewise wrote: ↑

15 Jan 2023 22:11

The hide Source Rec column in the Sources For Citation List pane is not strictly needed as the column can be adjusted to zero width which effectively hides it if that setting were preserved.

Mike,

There are several problems with this.

You can pull the left hand side of the Source Rec column to the right, but that makes both the Citation column and the icon column move to the right. You can not make the Citation column zero width and still have the icon column.

You can pull the right side to the left, but it doesn't make the Citation column wider. Also, if you close FH and reopen it, then the column reverts to what it was. Even if the zero width was made permanent, it doesn't help because the space it took up is not regained for use by the Citation column.

Bill

Bill, I agree that currently the auto-column formatting in the Citation List pane prevents any useful readjustment.
That appears to be unique to that pane. Other panes, and the Media tab in various windows is a good example, allow column width adjustments that 'stick' for a while and columns can easily be reduced to zero width.
I could add some requests to the Wish List Ref 534 Preserve all Workspace and Window Characteristics to allow column widths to be reduced to zero, including the rightmost column, and that should help solve such issues.

I wonder whether expanding the scope of an existing item on which people have already voted is the best way to proceed? Wouldn't it possibly misrepresent matters?

My preference would be a new item, noting the possible connection with the existing one.

There's something really odd with the Source Rec - on sources created by some methods (e.g. AS) there is no + at the beginning of the Citation. That seems to be the only case when the Source Rec has any useful function as you can click the little check box and it expands the entry. Having done that there is a - at the beginning of the citation text. If you click that to collapse the details you then have a + which can be used to expand again. Totally inconsistent!

jelv wrote: ↑

16 Jan 2023 10:48

There's something really odd with the Source Rec

My guess is that the '+' only shows if there is anything in the citation-specific details to show. So for a GRO Births Index entry, I get a '+' as the Source is GRO Births Index, and the Citation is the Ref / Vol / Page number of the entry. For the equivalent Birth Certificate (entered in AS or not), there is no '+' since there are no details entered in the citation-specific details section - all the data is in the Source Record section (usually Publication Info).

Can you find a Source Record that does not have a '+' but has data in the Citation-specific Details?

You are correct Adrian. If there are no Citation-specific fields, Notes, Media, etc, then there is no [+/-] icon initially because there is nothing to expand in the Citation.
If there were Citation fields they would expand and display in the colour of the host record (Individual blue, Family brown, etc.)
Clicking the box next to the Source Rec displays the Source Record fields in red and the subsequent [+/-] icon does the same.
It does seem a little inconsistent but that is the explanation.

One issue with hiding the Source Rec column may be that this dictates the split between the field name and the data when the source/citation is expanded - but that doesn't work well now (never mind if the column could be hidden). At the moment the width of the last two columns starts always the same irrespective of the width of the property box (floating and docked). That means that when I expand (by + or the box) I always have loads of white space in the field name column and the data is not all visible. You have to drag the column left to see the data.

Ideally the split when expanded would be something like 40% 60%. Other than automatically changing the column widths when you expand I can't think how this could be addressed. What happens if you have multiple sources/citations, some expanded, some not?

tatewise wrote: ↑

16 Jan 2023 10:36

I could add some requests to the Wish List Ref 534 Preserve all Workspace and Window Characteristics to allow column widths to be reduced to zero, including the rightmost column, and that should help solve such issues.

Mike,

That would be a good addition although I'm not all that hopeful that it would get implemented.

Edit: I missed Helen's reply. If it is better in a new wish list item rather than in this old one, I'm agreeable to that.

Bill

jelv wrote: ↑

16 Jan 2023 16:22

One issue with hiding the Source Rec column may be that this dictates the split between the field name and the data when the source/citation is expanded - but that doesn't work well now (never mind if the column could be hidden).

In my case this wouldn't be an issue. I never expand the source in this way. I select the source and click the blue arrow at the bottom and edit the Source Record or I double click the entry and use edit using the Citation Window.

Bill

Assuming we widen the scope of these Column adjustment proposals then other panes such as the Facts, Notes, Media, and All tab should all be considered. Also, the needs of all users should be considered.
In the case of the All tab (in every Property Box), the border between the Record column and the next column determines where expanded field names and values are displayed (similar to the Citation List pane).
So the column widths for collapsed and expanded displays may need to be specified and saved separately.

Is anyone checking for overlap with older items in this forum?

Cannot see any overlap.

I wasn't sure if there's anything lurking in the other requests about the citation UI.

They seem to be focused on a general redesign of the Source Citation panes or the ability to edit duplicate Citations.