* Export Gedcom Plugin - Templated Sources

[ADC65]

I'm not sure if this is best in Exporting or Plugins so please feel free to move it.

I'm experimenting with outputting Templated Source data to TNG. I normally use Generic Sources but some of the data I have obtained recently might lend themselves to a Templated Sources approach.

In the Export Gedcom Extra Options tab, for the Templated Source 1 _SRCT option, I have chosen Convert to Notes (Std+). I have already decided the other options are not suitable for me. I have a few questions about the output this generates.

Firstly, the GEDCOM seems to produce a superfluous NOTE tag, please see the example below:

Code: Select all

0 @S4336@ SOUR
1 NOTE @N2@
1 REPO @R28@
1 TITL Parish Register for Baptism of John Hendra, Gwinear, Cornwall, England, 19 January 1823
1 _TYPE Birth & Baptism - Baptism Record
1 NOTE Footnote:	Parish Register for Baptism of John Hendra, Gwinear, Cornwall, England, 19 January 1823, FamilySearch Website - England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975.
2 CONT Short Footnote:	Parish Register for Baptism of John Hendra.
2 CONT Bibliography:	Parish Register for Baptism, Gwinear, Cornwall, England, FamilySearch Website - England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975.
2 CONT Register Type:	Parish Register
2 CONT Event Type:	Baptism
2 CONT Principal:	John HENDRA
2 CONT Date:	19 JAN 1823
2 CONT Location:	Gwinear, Cornwall, England
2 CONT Reference:	Digital Folder Number 004021294 / Microfilm Number 254209 / Originating System ODM / Indexing Batch C02571-2
2 CONT Repository:	FamilySearch Website - England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975
2 CONT Collection:	England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975
2 CONT Url:	https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JW7Q-D26
1 CHAN
2 DATE 5 JAN 2024
3 TIME 17:40:49

There is no corresponding @N2@ note in the file. The effect of this is that TNG interprets it as a note with no data, and this has the annoying effect of producing a small bullet point in the TNG display:

Screenshot 2024-01-22 002954.png (77.38 KiB) Viewed 765 times

Is this a small bug or can the (possibly spurious) NOTE be suppressed?

Secondly, the first three lines of the (real) Note are the Footnote, the Short Footnote and the Bibliography. Since these generally only contain elements of the data then listed below them, I'd prefer not to have them listed. Is this an option somewhere that I might have missed? If not, is there a reason for them being there, e.g., did someone request these be output specifically?

Thanks
Adrian

[tatewise]

Thank you for the feedback Adrian.

The superfluous NOTE tag is meant to be a link to the Source Template converted to a Note record.
However, the Source Template is not being converted at all
That bug crept into the plugin Version 5.5 last May and has not been spotted.
It will be fixed in the next plugin version.

Regarding the Source local Note, yes, users requested the Footnote and Bibliography to be included because they may include additional text and formatting (such as italics) that does not appear in the separate Fields below.
This is a consequence of Templated Sources being a non-standard GEDCOM feature and my attempt to satisfy as many users as possible for as many target products as possible.
The only alternative at the moment is the Remove entirely ( Std- ) option that will remove the Source Template and all the Templated Fields. However, many of the Field values will be included in the Souce Title and Repository Fields converted to standard GEDCOM Repository links.

[ADC65]

Thanks for the quick reply Mike.

Could you please give me an idea of what will be produced in that Note when it is fixed please? That is, what will be converted from the Source Template exactly?

I see what you mean about the Footnotes, etc., I had forgotten about extra formatting. I agree it is very tricky trying to please everyone, especially when non-standard GEDCOM is at play. Ideally we could choose which output we wanted to appear - Footnote, Short Footnote, Bibliography, Field details - using some tickboxes, but I think the combinations are too onerous to code for a small payback. If I do go forward with some Templated Sources, a quick find-and-replace would probably be able to do the job. I have considered Remove entirely ( Std- ), which looks tidy, but I'd probably have to make the Source Title longer than I prefer to give sufficient detail.

I keep coming to the same dilemma repeatedly - Templated Sources can handle some data well, but being non-standard causes problems elsewhere, whereas Generic Sources are standard and transfer well, but can sometimes feel like squashing a square peg in a round hole to get the data to fit the fields. I don't think I will be solving it any time soon!

[tatewise]

This is the Source Template record Census Return converted to a Note record:

Code: Select all

0 @N18@ NOTE Source Template:	
1 CONT Source Template:	1 NAME Census Return
1 CONT Source Template:	1 COLL Essentials
1 CONT Source Template:	1 CATG Civil
1 CONT Source Template:	1 DESC One source record per census return (census household).  This means that the same census (e.g. UK 1901) may have many source records associated with it, and a single household may be associated with multiple censuses, an
1 CONC d hence multiple source records.  Add your census region (e.g. country and/or state or territory) if it is not already listed in the Region field.
1 CONT Source Template:	1 TITL {Year:YEAR} {Region} census, {Location}, {Address}, {Reference}, <head of household: {Head_of_Household}>
1 CONT Source Template:	1 BIBL {Year:YEAR} {Region} census, {Repository}.
1 CONT Source Template:	1 FOOT {Year:YEAR} {Region} census, {Address}, {Location}, {Reference}, <head of household: {Head_of_Household}>, {Repository}.
1 CONT Source Template:	1 SHRT {Year:YEAR} {Region} census, {Address}, {Location}, {Reference}.
1 CONT Source Template:	1 FDEF
1 CONT Source Template:	2 NAME Region
1 CONT Source Template:	2 CODE Region
1 CONT Source Template:	2 TYPE EN
1 CONT Source Template:	2 PROM Australia | Canada | England and Wales | Ireland | New Zealand | Scotland | United States
1 CONT Source Template:	1 FDEF
1 CONT Source Template:	2 NAME Year
1 CONT Source Template:	2 CODE Year
1 CONT Source Template:	2 TYPE DT
1 CONT Source Template:	1 FDEF
1 CONT Source Template:	2 NAME Location
1 CONT Source Template:	2 CODE Location
1 CONT Source Template:	2 TYPE PL
1 CONT Source Template:	2 PROM Location of household
1 CONT Source Template:	1 FDEF
1 CONT Source Template:	2 NAME Address
1 CONT Source Template:	2 CODE Address
1 CONT Source Template:	2 TYPE AD
1 CONT Source Template:	2 PROM Address of household
1 CONT Source Template:	1 FDEF
1 CONT Source Template:	2 NAME Head of Household
1 CONT Source Template:	2 CODE Head_of_Household
1 CONT Source Template:	2 TYPE NM
1 CONT Source Template:	2 PROM ...or person of interest if in an institution
1 CONT Source Template:	1 FDEF
1 CONT Source Template:	2 NAME Reference
1 CONT Source Template:	2 CODE Reference
1 CONT Source Template:	2 TYPE TX
1 CONT Source Template:	2 PROM e.g. census id, registration district number, schedule number, piece number and/or page number
1 CONT Source Template:	1 FDEF
1 CONT Source Template:	2 NAME Repository
1 CONT Source Template:	2 CODE Repository
1 CONT Source Template:	2 TYPE RP
1 CONT Source Template:	1 FDEF
1 CONT Source Template:	2 NAME Collection
1 CONT Source Template:	2 CODE Collection
1 CONT Source Template:	2 TYPE TX
1 CONT Source Template:	2 PROM Online data collection if any
1 CONT Source Template:	1 FDEF
1 CONT Source Template:	2 NAME URL
1 CONT Source Template:	2 CODE URL
1 CONT Source Template:	2 TYPE UL

I plan to add a feature to the Export Gedcom File plugin where on the Labels Set B tab clearing the Labels for Footnote, Short Footnote or Bibliography will remove those items from the Source local Note. Will that help?

[ADC65]

Thank you for the detail Mike. Is it possible to suppress that Note with the Source Template details if they are not required?

Yes, the Labels Set B feature sounds just the job! However, please don't work it on my behalf as I'm still not sure if Templated Sources are going to be the way forward for me.

[tatewise]

I think the Labels Set B tab Source Template label could be cleared to suppress that Note with the Source Template details.

[ADC65]

Those sound like very useful options, Mike, thank you for considering them.

[ADC65]

I plan to add a feature to the Export Gedcom File plugin where on the Labels Set B tab clearing the Labels for Footnote, Short Footnote or Bibliography will remove those items from the Source local Note. Will that help?

Hello Mike, just to let you know I have installed v5.7 of the GEDCOM Export plugin, and the enhancements you have made listed above work perfectly. Clearing the three items mentioned in the quote above removes them from the note output, and clearing the Source Template label suppresses the (previously missing) Note. I've put some screenshots below for information. Thank you for taking the time to do this.

After clearing Label B fields:

v_57 Opt_1 Labels_Cleared.png (39.1 KiB) Viewed 169 times

Before clearing Label B fields:

v_57 Opt_1.png (157.87 KiB) Viewed 169 times