* Name Filtering to handle inconsistent entry or miss slashing of names

[davidf]

Name Filtering

Requirement

The Name Filter Function in the Records Window and Selection dialogues should be able to handle situations where Names have been miss-slashed or inconsistently slashed (e.g. Compound Surnames, Patronymics and Toponymics). It should be more tolerant of miss-placed or miss-ordered name parts and should filter over all Name Parts.

Benefits
This would make it easier to filter and select names (particularly non Anglo-Saxon "Given /Surname/" patterns) as well as catching miss remembered name orders and accidental duplicates due to inconsistent or incorrect input.

If it searched over all Name Parts FH could tolerate name parts in unusual fields. If Geographic identifiers (Norwegian Farm Names or Geographics - "Toponymics") were placed in for instance the Name Suffix they would still be found. Genuine "nobles" (in the Name Prefix) and people with First Name Lord/Duke etc. would be equally found.

Notes:

1. A user switchable (but persistent) option to swap between the current Last Name and First Name input boxes and an "Anywhere" input box (where "Anywhere" could include all Name Parts - suffix, prefix, surname prefix, nickname, used etc.) might achieve this. (Making it user switchable - perhaps via a small icon next to the input box, would keep the current functionality where it is desired to search within one's own tree for people in an external tree who are only referred to by initials - e.g. on a DNA study.)
2. At the same time adding the functionality to handle part matches other than the current "begins with" - either by "contains" or "begins/ends with" or full implementation of wildcards - would enable matching irrespective of "Mc" or "Mac" and similar. The search terms should be input order agnostic.
3. If Soundex could be incorporated into the filter it would allow searching on name variations/miss-spellings (Taylor Tailor, Tailer) and avoid searching on created columns using the Soundex function.

Examples that could be "caught"

• Compounded Surnames: Ralph /Vaughan Williams/ not Ralph Vaughan /Williams/
• Miss-remembered surnames as Christian Names: Stephen /James/ and James /Stephen/
• Miss-remembered name orders: Philip Charles Arthur George instead of Charles Philip Arthur George
• Inconsistently placed patronymics: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky where Illyich as a patronymic is sometimes entered between the Surname slashes with Tchaikovsky
• Given Name, Patronymic, Toponymic (with no "Surname"): Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci
• Given Name, Patronymic, Toponymic (the latter a possibly transitory "Farm name" (e.g. Norwegian usage), again not a "Surname"): Iver Iversen Berge
• "Titles" as first names or in unusual positions: Duke Ellington, Alfred Lord Tennyson

Proposed Changes to Filter Dialogue

Filter Dialogue.png (6.7 KiB) Viewed 599 times

References to Forum Discussions

Main Discussion - proposal arising near end of page 1Patronymics (& Matronymics/metronymics) (21127)
Data reference for witness (21122)
Surname prefix (SPFX) -- more generally, handling structured names. (20719)

[tatewise]

Interestingly, many other tabs in the Records Window have Filters that use the 'contains' strategy rather than 'begins with'.
Would similar Name filtering options be applicable to the Family tab?

[davidf]

Interestingly, many other tabs in the Records Window have Filters that use the 'contains' strategy rather than 'begins with'.

Whilst I can see that you would want "contains" (at least as an option) for picking up:

• "Mc" and "Mac" - i.e. contains the post Mac/Mc bit
• "Anna" and "Hannah" and "Marianne"/"Mary Anne"- i.e. contains "ann" - case insignificant

Would similar Name filtering options be applicable to the Family tab?

Logically, yes; the Individual and Family tabs on the Records Window contain the filter. The filter is also in any dialogue that requires "Name Selection".

I am not trying to bring Query building into this; I think the above is a "contained scope".