* Formatting notes

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mezentia
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Formatting notes

Post by mezentia » 30 Dec 2009 10:33

I have some reference material that forms a source for various atributes. The material is a transcription of notes, and I would like to retain the formatting of the original layout if possible. This gives rise to a number of problems:

1. The notes are originally laid out in columns
2. Entries make frequent use of codes written using Greek letters
3. Entries are amended with crossings-out that have a siginicance, usually indication that the person so removed had died. These are indicated in the transcription by the use of italics.

I know that improved formatting for notes has been requested previously on the wish list, but since this still seems destined never to appear, does anyone have any suggestions on how best to present my information using the available facilities in FH4 whilst retaining as much of the original formatting as possible?



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Bilko
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Formatting notes

Post by Bilko » 30 Dec 2009 22:00

Hi David,
My choice for documents where the original format should be retained is to save a copy of the original as a PDF file and link that to a Source describing the original document. In this way, the original retains its format & value and the Gedcom remains as a basic text file (with all resulting failings).

I appreciate that this may not help you transfer the information, but I've found it to be a neat way of managing my data so far.

Bilko

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Jane
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Formatting notes

Post by Jane » 31 Dec 2009 13:47

Another option would be to create both PDF and JPG versions of the documents. Attach both to your source. You can then include the jpgs in reports while retaining the high quality PDFs for other uses.

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mezentia
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Formatting notes

Post by mezentia » 31 Dec 2009 14:57

Thanks Jane, Bilko

The approach you've mentioned is one that I've used where I want only a single page of a document. However, I want now to be able to re-create the document format consistently for use across quite a number of different individuals. It's not practical to scan the two private census documents I'm using as this would amout to hundreds of pages and probably infringe copyright too, but I want to recreate the tabular form so that selected entries are consistent in format wherever they are used, and the notes in the source reference on layout, codes, abbreviations, and typography, then need only to be made once.

David

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