Family Historian User Group

I've not used icons before and have been looking at the tutorials and previous threads and would like to start using them but cannot see a simple way of starting. I think this is because it would appear that icons can only be added if you have raised flags first and I'm not into queries yet. Is it possible to start in a small way adding an icon to, say, a family group as you see that they are in a particular years census or am I wasting my time doing so? Can I use a simple standard query to assist and how?
I should say I have only made a limited start to adding census details via Ancestral Sources.
Any advice appreciated
Dagwood

ID:5835

Ancestral Sources set's flags for you by default.

If you have additional Census data in then you can use the Census Flag Check tool on the Census menu to set flags for other data entered that way.

From V4 you can use expressions to display flags, but these require you to understand how to use the basics of functions.

Thank you Jane , then it's full steam ahead on Ancestral Sources and I'll pursue it from there.
Dagwood

Hi Dagwood,

I started off using flags to generate the icon display, but found it slightly annoying to run queries to set the flags every so often. This was made more complicated by having many different icons, with national flags showing where the B/M/D or census was. I also used wahsed out icons if I don't have a source against a B/M/D etc.
Using expresions for the icons has been a great enhancement. Once you set them up for a diagram, the icons appear automatically when you set a source. It took me a little while to get the first one correct, but after that it was easy. I would definitely recommend giving it a try.

Kind Regards

Steve

As Jane mentioned, if you're using Ancestral Sources then it can automatically create the flags for you and this takes away the need to keep re-running the queries to update the flags, which as Steve said is annoying. However, this will only be for facts created with Ancestral Sources (currently census and baptism (and marriages soon)).

I think it is probably better to do it using expressions if you have version 4. I don't think the knowledge base includes any details on how to use expressions, rather than flags, to show icons - if anyone has time to add some instructions to the knowledge base I'm sure it would help quite a few people!

Nick

I think that icons are a very useful feature and I use them often. But there seems to be no way of telling what each icon means other than remembering. If a diagram with icons is given to another person they will have no means of understanding the icons.
What is needed is a method of producing a 'legend' for the icons to be added to a diagram.
Wish list item No 276 refers to this; I have voted for it.
http://www.fhug.org.uk/wishlist/wldispl ... lwlref=276
Maybe thias will be included in version 5.
Peter E

There are various census year icons available in the downloads section. There are sets that cover all census years for England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Isle of Man, USA and Canada.
There are also template files for AS2, so that you can assign national flag icons against a countries census and year.

A way to provide a legend is to create an image file including the icons.

In a blank Diagram use Insert into Diagram > Picture for each icon file.
Then Insert into Diagram > Text Box and write the legends text.
Re-position the icons against the legends and save the Diagram as a Chart for future reference.
Finally save it as an image file (.gif or .jpg).

Then all you need to do is use Insert into Diagram > Picture for this legend image file where needed.

To change this legend file, open the saved Chart, edit it as needed, and save it again as a Chart and new legend image file.

Thanks Tatewise - I shall have a go at that.

Peter E

I have tried this and I get on fine with the exception that I do not know how to get a blank diagram to use as in the instructions.
I can make it work using a normal diagram populated with at least one box.
Is anyone able to tell me how to get a blank diagram.

thanks

Peter E

Please ignore this request above. I have been able to make a blank diagram for myself.
Peter E