Introduction

These specify the wording for facts in Narrative Reports and elsewhere. They are defined in the Tools > Fact Types dialogues, as documented at Fact Definition Dialog. They can also be defined for specific Facts in the Property Box Dialogue Facts tab by editing the Sentence field. This article gives an overview of how and where to view and edit them, and includes some examples of what can be done.

Finding Sentence Templates

Sentence Templates can be found in various dialogues to define either default fact sentences or specific fact sentences.

Default Fact Definitions

These Sentence Templates definitions are applied by default to all FactsFacts are one of the key concepts at the heart of Family Historian; they are how you record the things that happened to, or described, each ancestor (Individual). of the same type.

To view or modify them:

• Use Tools > Fact Types to access the Fact Type dialogue.
• Click the Edit… button to open the Fact Definition dialog.
• The Help button offers advice about the mandatory Sentence Template field.

To view or modify Witness Sentence Templates ([fH6 and above):

• In the Fact Definition dialogue, click the Witness Roles button
• Select a Role and use the Edit or Add button, to open the Edit/New Role dialogue.
• The Help button in that dialog has advice about the Witness Sentence Template field.

In any of those dialogues, click the Advanced button to reveal Override Templates for the Property BoxThe Property Box is the primary window for data entry and for viewing details of stored records.  It is used with records of all types.   Dialogue Facts tab and the Records WindowThe Records Window provides a comprehensive view of all the information stored within a Family Historian project.. (An Override Template, if it exists, replaces the the default template in the chosen location).

The <<Insert Code button offers the same features in all the above dialogues, as explained later.

Use the Installation Settings button or Old Versions button to restore earlier templates.

See the Alternative Sentence Templates below for examples of various sentence styles.

Tip: Such fact definition scenarios could include creating a fact list style or a foreign language style as alternatives to the default style. If you intend to extensively modify the default Sentence Templates definitions for many Facts, it is advisable to use the Fact Sets button and Clone the chosen fact set, especially the Standard set. That allows any alternative definition styles to be easily swapped via the Fact Set priority order. Only the highest priority Fact Set will list its definitions, and its clones will appear to have no Facts unless Show Hidden is ticked to reveal their eclipsed/disabled definitions.

Specific Fact Sentences

These Sentence Templates definitions apply to just one specific Fact sentence, to override the default.

In the Property Box Dialogue Facts tab, select a Fact to display its Sentence template field.

Since ƒh V6, in the Facts tab, right-click a Fact and choose WitnessesA Witness is somebody who played an important role in an event (or rarely, attribute) but were not a Principal, e.g. they could have been a bridesmaid at a wedding, rather than one of the individuals getting married.. Select a Witness to display that Witness Sentence template field, and click Helpfor advice.

If the field background is beige, then the default template applies. Click on the field to edit the template for that specific instance, and the background changes to white. Unfortunately, there is no <<Insert Code button to help compose the template. To restore the default template, delete the entire contents of the field.

Standard Template Codes

Most of the Standard Codes are simple names enclosed in curly brackets, such as {individual} or {date} that represent the Name of Individual or the DateWhen an Event happened, or an Attrribute was true. field respectively. They can be inserted from the <<Insert Code button, and for full details choose the How to Use Advanced Features option and scroll up the Help page. If the Fact field associated with a Code is empty, then nothing appears in the Sentence.

ƒh V6 added new codes for witnesses and formatting. The Witness Role Codes apply to witnesses associated with a fact, the Formatting Codes of <br>and <para> force a New Line or New Paragraph, and the special {blank} code inhibits the sentence completely. See the Alternative Sentence Templates below for examples of their use.

Advanced Template Codes

Most of the Advanced Codes are not available from the <<Insert Code button, so for full details choose the How to Use Advanced Features option and scroll down the Help page. Such Codes must be edited manually into the Sentence Template taking care to avoid syntax errors (which are evident because the Code appears in the Sentence instead of the desired text).

The {date} code automatically adds prefixes and other elements to make the Date fit into the Sentence, and is unique in allowing Date Qualifiers such as {date:YEAR} but they inhibit the automatic prefixes, etc.

It is often useful to add a prefix/suffix to a Code such as at {address}, but if the Fact field is empty the prefix/suffix still appears, unless it is made conditional by enclosing the structure in angle brackets such as <at {address}, > . This is similar to the {=CombineText("at ",%FACT.ADDR%,", ",,)} function. See the Alternative Sentence Templates below for examples of this.

Data References and Functions

Since ƒh V6 both Data ReferencesData references are expressions which are used to provide a way of referring to particular items of data in your project, such as records or particular fields within records. They can be used for advanced customizations of diagrams, websites, family and FunctionsA ‘function’ is an expression which returns values based on computations. Typically, functions require data to be supplied to them as ‘parameters’. A function in Family Historian is similar to a ‘function’ as used in spreadsheet applications (such as MS can be inserted into Sentence Templates within curly brackets such as {%FACT.PLAC>LATLONG%} or {=TextPart(%FACT.PLAC%,1,2,TIDY)}.

Use the << Insert Code> Data Reference option to open the Data Reference Assistant dialogue that helps compose the Codes. There are special Contextual Data References that provide links to the Individuals and Witnesses associated with a Fact.

Functions must be edited manually into the Sentence Template taking care to avoid syntax errors, which are evident because the Function Code appears in the Sentence instead of the desired text.

Unfortunately, Standard Template Codes are not recognised within Functions so {=TextIf(Exists({date}),{date}," at unknown date")} is not possible as explained in Wish List Ref 546 Enhanced use of Narrative Template Codes. However, it may be possible to substitute a Data Reference such as %FACT.NOTE2% instead of {note}.

Custom Fact Fields

Custom fields cannot be added to Facts, and even if they could, when exported in GEDCOMGEDCOM, an acronym for GEnealogical Data COMmunication, is a specification for exchanging genealogical data between different genealogy software. It is a file format that most genealogical programs and online trees recognise. they would not be recognised by other genealogy products.

However, when designing a Custom FactUsers of Family Historian can customize fact definitions, or create their own fact definitions to more closely match they way they want to work. and just one extra field is needed, then instead of an Event try using an AttributeEvents are things that happened to an Individual and Attributes are things that described them., which offers a value field after its name in the Facts tab, and is referenced by the {value} code in its Sentence Template.

Otherwise, the best solution uses labelled meta-fields in the Note field, such as for a Baptism Event:

Where the following Function Codes would compose the necessary Sentence text:

<by the {=GetLabelledText(%FACT.NOTE2%,"Minister: ")} >
<for a fee of {=GetLabelledText(%FACT.NOTE2%,"Charge: ")} >

Each labelled meta-field can be included or excluded in any combination desired.

This not only allows the details to be exported satisfactorily in GEDCOM, but also allows other Note text not required in the Sentence, unlike the {note} code that would include it all.

It is advisable to enclose the meta-fields in privacy [[ brackets ]] to allow the fields or the brackets to be excluded from Reports and also the {note} code.

There is a handy feature via the Advanced button for Override Templates mentioned above. It offers an Auto-Create Note field that can hold the meta-field Note labels, so they automatically get created whenever that Fact is added. To start each label on a new line use Ctrl+Enter to insert a line break.

Alternatively, the Source Note field %FACT.SOUR2% can be used in exactly the same way but rather less obtrusively. It is a local NoteFamily Historian version 6 and below supports two types of Notes: Local notes (associated with a single person, record, or fact); and Shared Notes or Note Records, that can be linked to multiple records and/or facts. Version 7 introduced Research Notes. that appears in the yellow Sources For pane, but is nothing to do with Source recordsSource: “where information was found”. This could be anything from an archive in a county records office, a book, or even a relative’s recorded recollection. Citing your Sources helps to show how you reached a particular conclusion about an Individual.. The way to add a Source Note is via the All tab in an Individual’s Property Box. Right-click the Fact and choose Add Source and then Add Source Note to this Record. Add the text to the Source Note and it will appear in the Sources For pane. To edit the text use the All tab again and expand the Fact to reveal the Source Note box. However, such Source Note fields will appear in the Sources section of Reports, and even if excluded by enclosing in privacy [[ brackets ]] the cross-reference numbers will still exist.

Alternative Sentence Templates

The default Sentence TemplatesSentences are used in conjunction with Fact Sets to produce Narrative Reports; their templates are highly customisable. are often repetitive and in a single paragraph. The following alternatives offer other sentence styles, typically using a new line <br> or paragraph <para> code. Each Template can be pasted into the Sentence Template field of any appropriate fact to yield a Sentence similar to the examples shown below.