* Video for recommended configuration

[Gary_G]

Nick;

There are so many options that I thought I'd best ask if you've made one or more videos specifically on configuration for different record types in A.S.
I understand that there are switches that one could use, but which you generally recommend avoiding. Fiddling with those switches is something I'd rather avoid.

In your "Ancestral Sources Introduction" video, for example, you used a set of census defaults that seems to produce close to what I need. However; they were covered only briefly and I assume the changes you made were relative to the as-delivered defaults and based upon your experience.

My big difference is that I am a splitter and use templates that generate source titles. So; I'm hoping to try to get much the same effects as you did in the video, but with my templates. I am Ok with setting the switches and mappings to link in my templates, but not so comfortable with the remaining switches.

[NickWalker]

I think I just use the AS default values, except I also set the 'Offer to create birth fact even if existing birth includes date and place' option.

[Gary_G]

Thanks, Nick.
Good to hear that the defaults are really all one really needs.

[Gary_G]

Nick;

Before I try entering census data, there is one setting that raises some questions in my mind.
Should I check “Duplicate Repository link” in the General Settings?
The tooltip help tells me what it does to the GEDCOM, but wonder about its net effect on things like transportability etc.

I should note that I use user-templates exclusively, since mixing user-templates and generic templates seems likely to cause issues.
Also; while I don't exchange data between programs on a regular basis, I can foresee situations in which I might need to do so.

[NickWalker]

If you have a repository reference in a Family Historian source template, then the GEDCOM will have a repository field under a 1 _FIELD RP-REPOSITORY tag, e.g.

1 _FIELD RP-REPOSITORY
2 REPO @R8@

If you were to open this GEDCOM in another product, then unless it has an awareness of FH custom GEDCOM, it won't know what to do with this and you'll lose the link to repository. This is because FH doesn't generate the standard GEDCOM repository tag when using templated sources. So if you tick this option in AS, AS will create the standard REPO GEDCOM field (example below) in addition to the templated source repository. This means that other software importing the GEDCOM is likely to be able to correctly understand that this source links to a particular repository.

0 @S1597@ SOUR
1 REPO @R8@

The main issue with the duplication that I can see is that if you ever change the repository referred to in a templated source, you would need to remember to remember to modify the standard REPO link too in the records window (or 'All' tab) for the source. In the screenshot below you can see the Repository (t) is the link to repository in the template, but the other is the standard repository link.

image.png (12.58 KiB) Viewed 458 times

I don't really have any experience of exporting FH GEDCOM but I'm aware there is at least one existing FH plugin that can be used to export FH GEDCOM that attempts to convert tags into more compatible standard ones. So it may be that this plugin could be used to generate these 1 REPO links if you ever needed to export (but not sure whether that is an existing feature or not).

I can't really comment on this further as I don't use templated sources and therefore haven't needed to use this feature personally.

[tatewise]

I can confirm that my Export Gedcom File plugin will copy templated Source Repository metafields into standard GEDCOM Repository fields and is usually the default behaviour for most destination products.

So using this method ensures the Repository link is always current and the AS option is not needed.

See Export Gedcom File Extra Options Tab under Templated Source Options.

[Gary_G]

Thanks, Nick.
I see what you mean.

If one uses A.S. to create the duplicated repository link and later alters the link from the template itself, then the two copies will be out-of-sync.
One option is to run some sort of program or do a manual edit to bring them back into sync prior to export of the GEDCOM.
The other option is to not create the duplicate link via A.S. and rely on a program to update and/or create the duplicate while exporting the GEDCOM.
Given the choice, I'd think the latter option would be the more straight-forward and less prone to issues.

So; I think I'll keep the duplicating switch "off".

Mike;
Your post arrived just as I made mine.
Thank you for confirming that your plugin addresses the situation of exporting, since I may want to do so at some point.