In an Individual Narrative Report when using {individual}, sometimes it uses the name and sometimes he or she. There are occasions where you end up with 'He did this ....', 'He did that ....', 'He did other ....' which does not look too good in a written account.
I have used {%CUR_PRIN.NAME[1]:FIRST%} to force a change to using the first forename but sometimes just repeats this for the next few facts making it no better than 'He did this ....', 'He did that ....', 'He did other ....'.
Is there a way in which I can use a similar expression to force the report to use he or she so that by using a mixture of {%CUR_PRIN.NAME[1]:FIRST%} and another expression to create someting like 'He did this ....', 'Fred did that....', 'He did other ....'?
I know I can export the text and then edit it but is there a way I can not have to do this?
Help please and thanks in anticipation.
* Names or he/she in Individual Narrative Report .....
- tatewise
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Re: Names or he/she in Individual Narrative Report .....
That is an interesting idea.
You know %CUR_PRIN.NAME:FIRST% will generate the first name.
Use Sex( %CUR_PRIN%, "He", "She" ) to generate "He" or "She".
The trick is to arbitrarily/randomly choose one or the other.
I looked at various options and decided the DayNumber(...) determined from the fact Date was best.
I've chosen to take its modulus 2 to check if odd or even which is a 50/50 chance.
i.e. DayNumber(%FACT.DATE%) mod 2 = 0 which even seems to work if there is no fact Date.
So the full expression is:
{=TextIf( DayNumber(%FACT.DATE%) mod 2 = 0, Sex(%CUR_PRIN%,"He","She"), %CUR_PRIN.NAME:FIRST% )}
You know %CUR_PRIN.NAME:FIRST% will generate the first name.
Use Sex( %CUR_PRIN%, "He", "She" ) to generate "He" or "She".
The trick is to arbitrarily/randomly choose one or the other.
I looked at various options and decided the DayNumber(...) determined from the fact Date was best.
I've chosen to take its modulus 2 to check if odd or even which is a 50/50 chance.
i.e. DayNumber(%FACT.DATE%) mod 2 = 0 which even seems to work if there is no fact Date.
So the full expression is:
{=TextIf( DayNumber(%FACT.DATE%) mod 2 = 0, Sex(%CUR_PRIN%,"He","She"), %CUR_PRIN.NAME:FIRST% )}
Mike Tate ~ researching the Tate and Scott family history ~ tatewise ancestry
Re: Names or he/she in Individual Narrative Report .....
Thanks Mike, will try this using this tonight.
Nigel
Nigel
Re: Names or he/she in Individual Narrative Report .....
Just tried this and have it working!
It took me a time to realise that I needed an = in the expression {=Sex(%CUR_PRIN%,"He","She")} but now can 'force' the He/She or Name in the sentences.
I also tried the 'randomising' and this works well except that if you have the dates of (eg:) all census returns as just the year then this gives all sentences 'He/She'. Putting in the full dates solves this.
All in all a great solution. Thanks, Mike.
PS: Is there a text source that fully explores the creations of expressions and use of functions in sentences?
It took me a time to realise that I needed an = in the expression {=Sex(%CUR_PRIN%,"He","She")} but now can 'force' the He/She or Name in the sentences.
I also tried the 'randomising' and this works well except that if you have the dates of (eg:) all census returns as just the year then this gives all sentences 'He/She'. Putting in the full dates solves this.
All in all a great solution. Thanks, Mike.
PS: Is there a text source that fully explores the creations of expressions and use of functions in sentences?
- tatewise
- Megastar
- Posts: 29133
- Joined: 25 May 2010 11:00
- Family Historian: V7
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Re: Names or he/she in Individual Narrative Report .....
The FHUG Knowledge Base has Understanding Expressions that crossrefers to FH Help pages and the components of Expressions such as Understanding Data References, Understanding Functions, and Operators together with many Examples.
BTW: I think you were just unlucky with Census events that only have a Date year always using He/She.
I've experimented and get a mixture of He/She and First Names both with year only dates and full dates.
The DayNumber(...) function use the 1st January to get the DayNumber for a year only date.
e.g. 1841 and 1911 both use First Names.
BTW: I think you were just unlucky with Census events that only have a Date year always using He/She.
I've experimented and get a mixture of He/She and First Names both with year only dates and full dates.
The DayNumber(...) function use the 1st January to get the DayNumber for a year only date.
e.g. 1841 and 1911 both use First Names.
Mike Tate ~ researching the Tate and Scott family history ~ tatewise ancestry
- tatewise
- Megastar
- Posts: 29133
- Joined: 25 May 2010 11:00
- Family Historian: V7
- Location: Torbay, Devon, UK
- Contact:
Re: Names or he/she in Individual Narrative Report .....
Presumably you have noticed that most facts have a similar sentence construction.
i.e. {individual} was xxxxxed {date} {place} {age}.
Consider rearranging some facts into a different construction such as:
{date} {individual} was xxxxxed {place} {age}.
{place} {date} {individual} was xxxxxed {age}.
i.e. {individual} was xxxxxed {date} {place} {age}.
Consider rearranging some facts into a different construction such as:
{date} {individual} was xxxxxed {place} {age}.
{place} {date} {individual} was xxxxxed {age}.
Mike Tate ~ researching the Tate and Scott family history ~ tatewise ancestry
Re: Names or he/she in Individual Narrative Report .....
Thanks, Mike.
Yes, I am aware of this but have been trying to regularise things as best I can to make my life easier.
I an looking at soldiers with any reference to a number of villages in South Norfolk, quite a number of them, and will want to create an individual narrative for each. I did consider having two facts, eg: Census1 and Census2 and make different sentences for each. This did make reporting a little more difficult so abandoned it. I think my best solution is to use a mixture your sentence enhancement from above and the changing of individual sentences. I will have to do this in a manner which will make the 'English' as good as possible whilst keeping the time taken into account.
Thanks for all your help, greatly appreciated. Nigel
Yes, I am aware of this but have been trying to regularise things as best I can to make my life easier.
I an looking at soldiers with any reference to a number of villages in South Norfolk, quite a number of them, and will want to create an individual narrative for each. I did consider having two facts, eg: Census1 and Census2 and make different sentences for each. This did make reporting a little more difficult so abandoned it. I think my best solution is to use a mixture your sentence enhancement from above and the changing of individual sentences. I will have to do this in a manner which will make the 'English' as good as possible whilst keeping the time taken into account.
Thanks for all your help, greatly appreciated. Nigel
Re: Names or he/she in Individual Narrative Report .....
Using all the ideas given I have made a bank of about 20 different sentences for the most common facts and tend to use these randomly to vary the way the text of a narrative reads. This does not produce literary masterpieces but it does get somewhat away from the computer generated text. Thanks for all the help, it's made the reporting of the gathered facts a much better read. Nigel