* Loss of gender choice menu in Property Box

[russellf97]

Toshiba Equum ~ Vista Home Premium ~ FH v5.0.9

Way back in the learning curve, sometimes (embarrassingly, quite a few times ) I would forget to note a child’s sex in the Property Box.
When I come across them now, I can’t enter their sex in the Property Box because the space to enter it isn’t there.
If I’m entering new people, it seems to be OK while the program is open, but after closing and then reopening FH, the M or F choice in the Property Box has disappeared.
There is a workaround where I create a spouse for the person, which brings up a box asking for their sex and afterwards I just delete the blank spouse record.

This also happened in v4 and although it's no big deal, I just wondered why the ‘Sex’ menu disappears.

[jimlad68]

could be that you have customized the property box.
To reset it click on the Menu button > customize

then either click the Installation Settings button to reset to the default (will I presume lose any changes you have made)
or select Sex & occupation click > button to move to the RH column, move up down to where you want it, then OK.

you should have it back then

[tatewise]

I don't think Jim's suggestion is the answer.
If it were, then the Sex box would NOT appear when creating new Individuals.

Nevertheless, have you ever Customised the Main tab of the Property Box?

The default Property Box has an Occupation box to the right of the Sex box.
What is there when the Sex box is missing?
Could you post a screenshot of the problem?

Can you confirm whether the problem afflicts the Property Box when it is Docked, or when Floating, or both?

As an alternative, you can always access the Sex field via the All tab, or the Records Window.

[russellf97]

Thank you very much jimlad68 and tatewise for your replies.

Sorry, the bit I didn’t mention in my original mail was that I enter the sex of a person using the All tab.

I’ve also just managed to reproduce the hiccup. To set the scene, the property box is docked and the only mod to it is the addition of ‘Cremated’ to the Main tab.

I created a child to someone and left the Sex blank. I then navigated well away and when I went back to the child’s entry, I could still enter it’s sex in the All tab.
I then did a full backup on closing the program.

On opening the program, going to the child’s record, instead of the four lines - Name: Sex: Born: Parents family:, the Sex line is missing.

Obviously, if the sex of a person has been recorded, then that never disappears in the All tab; it’s only when it hasn’t been entered, that it isn’t there when the program is opened again.

On doing the screenshots, I only did a Gedcom backup, but the same thing happened,
The l/h pic is before closing the program; the r/h pic is after reopening the program.

As I put originally, it’s no big deal and I can work round it. I just wondered why it happened. If it can’t be reproduced on anyone else’s machine, then it’s just a quirk of mine!

[jimlad68]

I'm sure there must be an answer; is it the same for a new project, if not you could start again with a saved GEDCOM?

If all else fails I suppose a reinstall might be worth a try. (I don't know if you can save settings, then reinstall just some of them).

But before you did that did you try the
- Menu button > customize > click the Installation Settings button to reset to the default

To me it would be a big deal.

[delwoodman]

Phil:

My understanding is that when Family Historian is closed down, empty fields are cleared. This is why you are not seeing a sex entry in the right hand screen grab. You haven't entered the sex of Curtis so the sex field is empty.

If you have not customised the MAIN proprty box screen, you should still have a sex box there, whether or not it has a value. Do you?

Derek

[jimlad68]

what Derek says does make more sense. (We do not have a screen picture of your Main tab).

There is a mention of NOT clearing empty fields here:
http://www.family-historian.co.uk/downl ... ee-upgrade, but I think that relates to Unrecognised Data Fields (UDFs).

I don't know if you can do it all the time, or if you would want to.

[tatewise]

Yes, the above explanations are correct, not just for the Sex field but for any blank field, except UDF.
You can always enter Sex on the Main tab, or on the All tab right-click the persons name and select Sex from the menu, which also allows you enter all the other blank fields.

Exactly the same behaviour would apply to the Born field if you had not entered the year.

[russellf97]

Thank you one and all for your replies.

I just hadn't thought of right-clicking on the name in the All tab (d'oh!) to see what happened. Of course, it works a treat. So in future, I'll try right-clicking before asking questions.

Thanks again...

[jimlad68]

keep asking the dumb questions, I've certainly learnt something from the answers. A good reason to follow the forum. FH is very powerful, but not always obvious.

[tatewise]

I know it is uncool, but it is worth spending some time working through the FH documention and exploring its depths.

Key areas are the FH Help pages, the PDF book "Getting the Most From Family Historian 5" with its tutorials, and the FHUG Knowledge Base.

They don't cover absolutely every facet of every feature, but go a long way.