Apply modified Source Template title format to existing Source Records
Posted: 09 Jan 2023 22:03
This proposal arises from Updating Templated Sources Title.
Issue
Although Family Historian has comprehensive facilities for keeping Source Template Records and Source Template Definitions fully synchronised, there is no facility to propagate any changes to the Source Record Title Format definition to existing Source Records linked to the modified Source Template Record.
Users who wish the modified standard title to be applied to existing Source Records have to open each record individually to re-synchronise the title, which is inconvenient and time-consuming when a large number of records are involved.
Constraints
Updates to Source Record title should propagate from the Source Template Record, not the Source Template Definition, as the Definition is an optional item that is not required for self-contained projects with no shared templates.
However, retrospective changes to existing records should not happen without deliberate user action, so it should be an “opt-in” action rather than an “opt-out”.
Proposal
The following two complementary additions are requested to provide an easy route to propagate changes in Source Record Title definition to existing Source Records if required, while minimising the chances of accidental changes being made:
Issue
Although Family Historian has comprehensive facilities for keeping Source Template Records and Source Template Definitions fully synchronised, there is no facility to propagate any changes to the Source Record Title Format definition to existing Source Records linked to the modified Source Template Record.
Users who wish the modified standard title to be applied to existing Source Records have to open each record individually to re-synchronise the title, which is inconvenient and time-consuming when a large number of records are involved.
Constraints
Updates to Source Record title should propagate from the Source Template Record, not the Source Template Definition, as the Definition is an optional item that is not required for self-contained projects with no shared templates.
However, retrospective changes to existing records should not happen without deliberate user action, so it should be an “opt-in” action rather than an “opt-out”.
Proposal
The following two complementary additions are requested to provide an easy route to propagate changes in Source Record Title definition to existing Source Records if required, while minimising the chances of accidental changes being made:
- An additional button in the Source Templates Property Box (not a new option under the drop-down cog Menu) to “Synchronise current Record Title Format definition to existing Source Records”. This option covers changes made to the Source Template Record in the Property Box.
- When an existing Source Record Title Format definition is updated by synchronising with a modified Source Template Definition, an option is presented (either by an additional tick option or a Yes/No Message Box challenge) to propagate the change to existing Source Records linked to that Source Template Record. This option covers changes made in the Source Template Definition Editor.