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Advice on adding sources to entire project

Posted: 12 Feb 2019 03:58
by lebs
I am new to FH where I will be migrating from FTM version 16. I have just read “Getting the most from Family Historian 6. I am at the planning stage and have also read various FH forum posts as well as looked at the plugins.

I currently have no sources in the project I am importing from FTM. I have a tremendous amount of work to do on this and plan to review everyone in the project one individual at a time. I also have additional information to add and want to review what has been migrated into FH. Before I start to add Source information, I want to identify everyone (and it is everyone!) who does not have source information. I was thinking of somehow giving everyone a custom flag that said something like “No Source Citation”. Once I have assigned source citation(s) to an individual’s data, I would then remove the flag. Over time, I want to be able to identify who does not have source citation data so I can work on these individuals. My goal is to have source information for everyone migrated and then add sources from now on to any new individuals. Is there a way to assign a custom flag to everyone in the project? Many thanks.

Re: Advice on adding sources to entire project

Posted: 12 Feb 2019 06:50
by Gowermick
There are many ways to skin this particular cat, and I offer some alternative methods for you to consider:

1.Reverse your thinking and assume evryone has no source, and as you check through them one at a time, add a flag to say they’ve been checked. You can create a query, and exclude those you’ve already checked (have the flag set), leaving you with those still to be checked.

2. Check the individuals in birth date order, note how far you’ve progressed each session, and resume checking from that date, you can even modify the query to automatically exclude those born before this date, the date being adjusted as you progress, this way will obviate the need for a flag at all.

3. Use a query to check one fact at a time (e.g. birth date), excluding those that have a source. Again no flag will be necessary, the result set will slowly reduce as sources are added. Repeat the process for each fact type.

Re: Advice on adding sources to entire project

Posted: 12 Feb 2019 08:28
by LornaCraig
lebs wrote:Is there a way to assign a custom flag to everyone in the project?
Yes, if you want to do it that way you can. You will need to create the flag first by right-clicking on one individual record in the Records Window and using Set Flag then <New Flag>.

Then select all individuals in the Records Window, Individuals tab (click on the first, then hold down the Alt key and scroll down to click the last) then use Edit > Add to Named List to create a list with everyone in it.

Then use Tools > Named Lists and Flags, select your list and your flag, and use option 1 to Set the flag on all individual record members of the list.

Re: Advice on adding sources to entire project

Posted: 12 Feb 2019 08:35
by Jane
Just to prove there is more than one way to add a flag.

Use View>Standard Query>All Individuals

Then click the Gear Wheel and select "Set Flag on Row Records"
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Re: Advice on adding sources to entire project

Posted: 12 Feb 2019 10:06
by tatewise
This really is a wide ranging topic.

As an alternative to Flags you can use Named Lists which have several advantages.
You can only add Flags to Individual records, whereas Named Lists can hold any mix of any type of record.
You can add Notes to each entry in a Named List. So Named Lists are far more flexible than Flags.
It is just as easy to for example to compose a Query, or add a Diagram Icon, for Named Lists as for Flags.
There are also more sophisticated ways; see how_to:create_work_in_progress_or_research_to_do_lists|> Create Work In Progress or Research To Do Lists.

Your proposed strategy of finding ALL the Source Citations for ALL the Facts of one Individual before moving on is unlikely to be straightforward. Sometimes you might achieve that, but in general you will come up against missing or very difficult to find records that block your way forward. So it is those cases where you need to note the details of the problem, move on, and return to try again later. But it will probably only apply to one Fact like a missing Census record, but all the other BMD Facts are suitably sourced.

For most of those cases there are Queries & Plugins to list and help search for such missing Census and BMD sources.
So you don't necessarily need Flags or Named Lists at all for such missing Source records.
In fact there are many ways that Queries and other techniques can be used to identify Facts without Source records.
The advantage of such techniques is they interrogate your actual Fact entries, and as soon as a Source Citation is added they are eliminated from the results of the interrogation. The [kb]|[/kb] has advice on such techniques.
Whereas, with Flags and Named Lists you have to remember to manage them each time you add a Source Citation, otherwise those entries will remain listed as still needing research.

A further consideration is what style of Source Citations to utilise.
In how_to:key_features_for_newcomers|> Key Features for Newcomers there is a section on Sources Methods 1 & 2 followed by Ancestral Sources and I strongly advise you study both before going too far.

Re: Advice on adding sources to entire project

Posted: 25 Feb 2019 21:41
by lebs
Many thanks for the information! I am still trying to figure it out.

I have decided not to create a flag for Add Sources. Advice made sense. Instead, I will create a flag that reads “Revise Data” and apply it to all individuals in my Gedcom file once I migrate. I have tested it in the Sample Project and it works (Thanks Jane). This will indicate which individuals came over from FTM that also need to be looked at (adding data plus sources). If there is ongoing work after I initially review and add sources, then I will keep the flag until it is no longer needed.

I will take up your suggestion Mike and look at using The Custom Attributes Approach to create a Research List.

Sue