* Numpty newbie questions

[Jessie 888]

Two more stupid queries, I’m afraid … still learning, sans IT skills!
1) Does it matter if FH is open/running or not when you’re using Ancestral Sources? I forgot to open it yesterday so when I’d closed AS, I thought oh no all that newly-entered data has gone, but I opened FH and it was magically there! (I know that you have to open the Project in AS first but lots of users talk about always running them side by side?)
2) In the AS tutorials, they are copying from a brilliant little census transcript and I’ve never seen one in such a lovely, clear format before. (I use Ancestry, FMP, FreeCen and the Cornish Census Search but their transcripts are all much more ‘unwieldy’.) I know the data is fictional but is the format as well? I’d hate to be missing out on anything that makes the copying across easier!

[davidm_uk]

Re your question 1, it doesn't matter if you have FH open or not when you run AS. As you have seen, any data entered in AS will appear when FH is opened.

However a slightly slicker way of using AS is to install the Ancestral Sources Data Entry plugin into FH, which then adds a new entry onto the FH Tools menu called Ancestral Sources Data Entry. If you have the target person (maybe the head of the household) selected in FH, then click the Tools - Ancestral Sources Data Entry menu item, AS will open with Please choose a data entry mode, choose census and then AS will open it's census entry screen with that person already selected.

When you have entered all the data for that census, click save in AS (you don't need to close AS), FH will now be displayed with a message saying that your GED file has been changed and do you want to reload it. Click yes and FH will refresh itself with the new information. (any open diagrams will be closed when it does this). You can then move onto the next person/census year you want to enter.

If you make any changes in FH before you try to go back to AS, AS will say that it wants to reopen the GED file so that it picks up those changes.

I can't help you with question 2 I'm afraid.

[tatewise]

The Ancestral Sources Data Entry Plugin also ensures that FH and AS are both working on the same Project. (Some users seem to have multiple copies of their Project and sometimes update the wrong one with AS.)

The Plugin will tell you whenever there is an updated version of AS to install.

To get the Plugin to appear on the Tools menu use Tools > Plugins > More>> select/highlight the Plugin name and tick Add to Tools Menu.

See plugins:index|> Family Historian Plugins for more advice about using Plugins.

To answer you 2nd question: Yes, the tutorial transcript is entirely fictitious, but that is why you are using AS to capture the data from images and online transcripts in Ancestry, FMP, FreeCen, etc.

AS then constructs a tidy transcript when you use the Auto Text feature.

If you are still using the default comma (,) separator for the Auto Text Grid you may find using a Tab separator better.

Also by modifying the templates you can include more details that just the Grid.

[Jessie 888]

Thank you both very much for your replies and patience.

I'm only on Chapter 13: Introduction to Queries at the moment ... but when I reach the Plugin section, I'll come back and read your suggestion again. I'm easily confused ... so small steps and all that!