* Locating records by surname/first name

[RogerF]

In the Individual and Family Record windows, it is easy (with F3) to step through a series of records by specifying either:

       surname

or

       surname, firstname

This feature should be generalised to support also:

       , firstname

This would be of particular value on the Families screen, where the wife's surname isn't always known.

ID:4655

[ColeValleyGirl]

I must be missing something n what you're asking -- it already works for me (using the search option).

[PeterR]

Roger,
I too find that entering e.g. ,e or , e into the Wife search box goes to the first Family record where the wife's surname is unknown and the wife's firstname begins with e.  Obviously you can use a longer string if the first name is known rather than just the initial.

If you want to find a family record where the wife has a particular first name, regardless of the surname, and whether it is known or not, you can either use a simple query, or you can add a column to the Family records window to show the wife's first name and then sort on that column by clicking the column header.  The relevant expression would be:

Code: Select all

FAM.WIFE[1]>NAME[1]:FIRST

[Jane]

I still feel this is better served by a query, or even just using the Find option, which will already search for any text you want.

[RogerF]

Sorry, folks, but I seem not to be making myself clear. If I find a family which I may (or may not) have come across before -- say Joe and Mary Bloggs -- then what I want to be able to do is to step through my Families records, moving directly from one 'Joe BLOGGS and Mary [anything]' to the next. And I want to do this using the Husband (surname, first name) and Wife (surname, first name) locators at the top of the window. At the moment, I can't make that happen, and I can't see why not. I'm not doubting that I could get there using a Query, but I'd like to use the natural interface already in place on the window.

[PeterR]

Roger,
I believe the design of FH is to support a user searching a family record using either the husband box or the wife box, but not both.  Either box can have all of, or just the start of, surname alone, or surname and first name separated by a comma, or just the first name preceded by a comma.  This all seems to work OK.

If I have understood you correctly, you wish to search for a combination of husband's name (i.e. 'surname, firstname') and wife's first name, regardless of wife's surname (which may be known or unknown).  If this is the case then, as Jane has suggested, a simple query would do the job.

However, it is possible to get closer to what I think you want, using the Family records window.  You need to add the extra column for the wife's first name, as suggested earlier.  Then sort on that column by clicking its header.  Then scroll down to the required first name, e.g. 'Mary'.  Then enter the desired husbands name, e.g. 'Bloggs, Joe', in the husband box. Then press F3 to see further matches.

[Jane]

Looking at the wish list, I think this would be covered by

http://www.fhug.org.uk/wishlist/wldispl ... wlwlref=66