* Saving Contact Info for Living People

[patriciaann]

Is there a way to save contact info for living people?
And once it's saved, is there a way to generate lists of this info so it could be used for a family reunion contact list?
Thanks for any help you can provide.

[tatewise]

Welcome to the FHUG Patricia, and here are a couple of suggestions.

1) Residence Attribute
Create a Residence fact for each living Individual with a current Date and fill in Place and/or Address details.
On the All tab of the Property Box, right-click that Residence fact and use Add Phone Number, Add Email, Add Website as required.
It is possible to create a custom Contacts tab for the Property Box with all those Residence details in dedicated boxes.
It is then possible to create a Fact Query for Residence facts with a current Date and Phone/Email/Website details, that produces a Result Set listing Name, Address, Phone, Email, Website, etc.

2) Labelled Notes
The Notes tab of the Property Box can be used to add a Note with a label on each line such as Address:, Phone:, and Email: followed by the details on the same line.
You may wish to enclose these details in [[privacy square brackets]] so they are automatically excluded from Reports by default.
It is then possible to create an Individual Query for those labelled Notes with a Result Set similar to option 1) above.
Hint: This would utilise the =GetLabelledText() function.

If either of those suggestions sound attractive, but you need more help with the details, then just ask.

[patriciaann]

Thank You, Mike Tate, for trying to help me with saving contact info.

I like your idea of a custom fact with dedicated fields for email, phone, website.
I went ahead and created a custom fact called Contact Info. It is an attribute fact.
But, I can't figure out how to add field boxes for email, phone, website, etc.
I'd like these boxes to automatically be there, ready to be populated, when I choose that fact.
I'd also like to add a box called Facebook Profile to this Contact Info fact.
How do I add in these extra boxes so they'll always show on my Contact Info custom fact?
And lastly, is there a way to make this fact private so that in the future,
if I share my tree to a website or share my gedcom with someone else, the contact info remains private?

I truly appreciate your help.
Warm regards,
Patricia Ann

[tatewise]

To be precise, I never mentioned a Custom Fact, which would be my third suggestion, but does have both advantages and disadvantages.

You cannot add fields to a Custom Fact (or any type of Fact) but can use the standard Phone/Email/Website fields I mentioned.
On the All tab of the Property Box, right-click that Contact Info fact and use Add Phone Number, Add Email, Add Website as required.
Because it is an Attribute you also have the Contact Info value that you can use.

I did mention a custom Contact Info tab for the Property Box with all those details in dedicated boxes.
From the cog Menu choose Customize Data Entry and on More Tab Tasks choose New Tab and assign a Name.
In the Customize Property Box window, untick Show most commonly-used items only.
At the top of the Available Items, select <Custom Item> and add it using central > button.
You should read up on the Help for the New Custom Item.
The idea is to add a Part box for each Contact Info data field.
The Label: fields and Data Reference: fields could be such as listed below, but others are possible:
Value: INDI._ATTR-CUSTOM_INFO[1]
Address: INDI._ATTR-CUSTOM_INFO[1].ADDR[1]
Phone: INDI._ATTR-CUSTOM_INFO[1].PHON[1]
Email: INDI._ATTR-CUSTOM_INFO[1]._MAIL[1]
Profile: INDI._ATTR-CUSTOM_INFO[1]._WEB[1]
(Assuming Facebook Profile would be a Web address.)
Use the <<Select Data Reference Assistant to compose the Data Refs.

To exclude those Contact Info facts from shared data, you would need to Copy the Project via the File > Project Window, and then use the File > Split Tree Helper to Delete all facts listed below and list the Contact Info fact, and anything else you wanted to make private. There are many other privatisation techniques you may need to learn about, e.g. to hide Living person details.

[patriciaann]

Thanks again Mike,]
I appreciate your info but am still a bit confused.
Like your idea of a custom Tab on the Property box, but am struggling to understand how to set it up.
Followed your steps and when I got to New Tab from the cog menu assigned the name Contact.
When I got to the Custom Item Name I typed in Contact Info.
It's at this point that I'm lost.
I only see choices for two parts.
It seems to me I'll be needing 7 parts because I want fields of: Name Address, Home Phone, Cell Phone, Email, Website, FB address.
How do I add more Part Boxes?
And, how do I format each box?
And what do I do from there?
Sorry for all the questions, but I'm not a programmer, this is a foreign language.

Thank you for all you kindness and efforts.
Blessings to you,
Patricia Ann

[tatewise]

No problem. I did keep details brief because you were adept at creating a custom fact.

Each new <Custom Item> can only add one full-width Part, or two side-by-side Parts.
To add more Parts, add another <Custom Item>.
The alignment and other options adjust the layout.
Did you inspect the Help as I suggested?

Use the <<Select Data Ref Assistant to define the references to various data field Parts.
It is worthwhile mastering this technique because it is used in many scenarios in FH.

When finally setup, you can select the Contact Info tab and edit each of the field Parts directly.

It is quite an advanced technique for a newcomer, so perhaps you need to take a step back and work through some of the FH tutorials to get some grounding in its basics.
Use how_to:key_features_for_newcomers|> Key Features for Newcomers as a starting point.

[patriciaann]

Hi Mike,
I did read through the Help section...but I really don't get it. Plus there's no pictures to illustrate, so I'm not about to make changes I don't understand and risk ruining a new program. I'm afraid I need step-by-step help to do a complex procedure.

I think you're right...I need to work through that Key Feature list before attempting this kind of procedure.

I'll keep your post saved for the future when my understanding deepens.
Thank you for all your efforts.
Truly appreciate your help.
Patricia Ann

[tatewise]

Patricia, I have attached a Property Box tab definition file that will create a Contact tab as illustrated below.

If this looks attractive then simply click on the ATTACHMENTS file below and it will define that tab in FH.

(This may evolve into a FHUG KB Download for others to share if there is enough interest.)

[EDIT: Illustration and Attachment now deleted as superseded in a later posting.]

[patriciaann]

Dear Mike,
THANK YOU!!!
I'm so very grateful to you for developing that contact tab. It's just what I need. I'm working on a family tree for a family reunion and people are giving me all sorts of contact info that I'd like to keep with their profile. Now, thanks to you, I can. I'm sure when others find out what you have developed they'll want it, too.
Your attachment installed perfectly.
A quick question for clarification... What was your intention for the title: Info and for the title: Profile? Which is the one you would suggest putting the name?
Again, I can't thank you enough, You're a gem!
Richest blessings to you,
Patricia Ann

[tatewise]

A word of warning; this Contact tab only works in conjunction with a Contact Info custom Attribute fact.

A word of advice; that Contact Info custom Attribute is best edited in Tools > Fact Types so the Date, Age and Place fields are hidden, the sentence Template is set to {=Text("")} to inhibit Narrative Report text, and the Normal Time Frame set to Pre-Birth or Post-Death so it appears first or last in the Facts tab.

Info: is the Attribute value of the Contact Info fact (as shown on the Facts tab) in the same way Occupation, Physical Description, and Possessions have an Attribute value to define the job, description, and property. The alternative is an Event that does NOT have an associated value.

Earlier you mentioned needing a Facebook Profile so Profile: is where a Facebook link could be entered, but all the fields are actually just plain text and can hold whatever you like.

Unfortunately, the Email and Web fields are not active hyperlinks, so you'll have to Copy & Paste them to a Mail or Browser utility in order to use them.

I didn't think a Name field was needed as it would duplicate the caption at the top of the Property Box derived from the Primary Name field on the Main tab. Are you saying you would want a Contact Name different from that Individual record Name? Perhaps a married woman's name where the Individual name is their birth name? In that case it would be easy to change the label Info: to Name: and use that field.

[patriciaann]

Precisely Mike...I list maiden names for women on my tree, but contact names would reflect current names which often are married names for women.
If it's easy to switch the title Info to Name, I'd like to do that. If not, I'll leave it as is. It will still work fine
And I thought that when I somehow figure out how to print this list in the future, if I didn't have a name listed, then I wouldn't know who's contact info it was.

Thanks for the clarification of your term: Profile...That's perfect for the Facebook name and link.

And it doesn't matter to me if things are not hyperlinked...my main goal was to gather all the contact info in one place and keep it with the living person's profile on my tree.
Thanks to you, I can now do that.

Again, I'm truly grateful to you, Mike.
Blessings to you,
Patricia

[tatewise]

Changing the label is quite easy.
Display the Contact tab in any Property Box.
Use the cog Menu > Customised Data Entry as before.
Select the Info entry top right and click Edit button.
Change the Info title and Info: label to Name and Name: respectively.
Then click OK repeatedly to close each window.

When listing the Contact Info it would be against the Individual Name of the record, so would be in context, but I understand that the Contact Name may be different.

I can provide a Query to create a Contact list that you can print if required. Will do that tomorrow afternoon probably.

[patriciaann]

Followed your instructions, Mike, and the change worked perfectly
Thank you for your help, I truly appreciate all your efforts!

Wondering if the same procedure could be done where I would switch the label: 3rd email with the label: DNA. I've done DNA testing, and I'd like to log which cousins have done it too. If I could make that change, then I'd be able to enter the DNA test names they've done such as 23&Me, AncestryDNA, FTDNA, & gedmatch. And I could enter their gedmatch # there too.

Would it be ok if I made the switch I'm proposing following the same procedure?

Thank you, again, Mike.
And if you do happen to have the time in days to come to develop a way to search and make a list of contact info, that would be great.

Warm regards,
Patricia Ann

[tatewise]

Although you could make that change it is somewhat inappropriate.
I appreciate it is tempting to use a neat new feature to store interesting details.
However, DNA Tests are not really Contact Info.
Also the underlying data reference for the Email items uses the _MAIL tag, which is unsuitable for DNA data.

So it would be more appropriate to use a standard fact such as Physical Description, or create a custom DNA Test Attribute.
Then the Attribute value would hold the DNA name & number, and the Date, Place, Address, Note, etc, fields would probably be needed. The general point is to use separate Events & Attributes for each separate fact especially if a Date &/or Place, etc, need to be recorded with the fact, or it needs a Source Citation.

[patriciaann]

OK, Mike...won't put DNA under the Contacts Tab. Didn't realize about the _MAIL tag.

What I'm trying to do is find a way to list for each cousin, the DNA tests they've taken...the company name and the name of the test...Autosomal DNA, Mitochondrial DNA, or Y DNA., and the test taker's name or ID #. I want this info recorded so that I know who's taken what test.
I'm not looking to record all their test data... I just want to if they've taken a DNA test, what type of test, and what companies they've tested with and any necessary number or name ID so I can go to that site and find their results. The date of the test is not necessary for these companies.
If I were to add on to this list, what would be useful is knowing how many generations apart I am from each person and the # of total cM's we shared, and the longest segment length shared or longest cM for the autosomal and X-DNA.
But setting this up is well beyond my abilities.

I'll have to study and consider how to set up what you wrote:
"So it would be more appropriate to use a standard fact such as Physical Description, or create a custom DNA Test Attribute.
Then the Attribute value would hold the DNA name & number, and the Date, Place, Address, Note, etc, fields would probably be needed. The general point is to use separate Events & Attributes for each separate fact especially if a Date &/or Place, etc, need to be recorded with the fact, or it needs a Source Citation."

Thanks once again for your input.
Truly appreciate your insights,
Patricia Ann

[tatewise]

BTW: Another problem with using an Email item for DNA Tests is that FH will still think you are entering an Email address. If the Email 1 and Email 2 addresses are empty and the 3rd holds the DNA Test data, then when FH is closed and opened it will shuffle what it thinks is Email 3 address to the top of the list, so the DNA Test data will be listed against Email 1.

For DNA Test data you can either use the existing Physical Description attribute, or create a DNA Test custom attribute via Tools > Fact Types > New just as you did for Custom Info.
You cannot create custom fields for a fact, so have to work with the standard fields provided.
(Those I used for Custom Info are standard fields, but some are usually only visible via the All tab rather than the Facts tab.)

The fact attribute value would hold the type of DNA test and its name or ID.
The Address field would hold the Company name and address.
The Date and Age fields could optionally be used to put the facts in correct chronological position amongst other facts.
The Notes field is best for everything else, but can be formatted with labels, which the GetLabelledText() function can detect.
e.g.
Gen Gap: 5
cM Shared: 99
Seg Shared: 99

The same fact type can be used again and again for each separate DNA test.

P.S. I am still planning to get you a Custom Info report shortly.

[tatewise]

Here is a sample Contact Info Report. Is it anything like what you expected?

FH Property Box - Contact Info Report.png (129.98 KiB) Viewed 15334 times

[patriciaann]

This is just what I'm looking for. That contact info report looks great, Mike.
Did you create an extra box for the postal code?

Chuckling about your fox jumping over the lazy dog...
Is that Cont: an extra feature, too?

Thanks for all you've done to help!
Warmly,
Patricia

[tatewise]

Well spotted, I thought it worthwhile to separate Postcode: from Address: as that field already exists.
The Cont: report item is a technical necessity for each subsequent Note paragraph and will repeat for each extra paragraph.

The three ATTACHMENTS are for the new Contact tab, Contact Info Query, and Contact Info Report.

To install the new Contact tab with Postcode: field, first delete the old Contact tab via cog Menu > Customize Data Entry > Tab: Contact > More Tab Tasks > Delete Tab and then click the ATTACHMENT Contact tab for Individuals below.

Install the Query and Report by clicking their ATTACHMENTS below.

To run the Query use View > Custom Queries > Contact Info.

To create the Report use Publish > Custom Reports > Contact Info Report, and in the Select Records dialogue click Add using Query, choose Contact Info (custom), and click OK twice.

After playing with them for a while, please just ask for any more advice.
There are a few more tricks they can perform.

[patriciaann]

Thank you for the excellent revised contact tab, Mike. I just installed them all and they downloaded perfectly.
And thank you, too, for the query and the report attachments that you developed to get even more use of the contact data.
I'm so grateful to you for these very useful additions to Family Historian.
I'm sure they'll be appreciated by many.

May you abound in blessings.
Sincerely,
Patricia Ann

[patriciaann]

Hi Mike,
I have been getting a confusing result...
When I click on the "All" tab and then click on the plus sign next to "Contact Info", I see the words "Responsible Party" listed in the place where it should say "Profile". This is not happening on the Contacts tab... Profile reads correctly there. It is only happening when I click on the All tab... Profile gets replaced by the words "Responsible Party".
Do you know why this might be happening?
Thank you for any help you can provide.
Sincerely,
Patricia Ann

[tatewise]

In the Contacts tab, each Label on the left can be anything we choose, and does not necessarily match the name of the Data Reference on the right.

If you check carefully, you will find no Label matches exactly with its name in the All tab.
e.g. Phone 1, Phone 2 & Phone 3 all have the same name Phone Number,
and also Web 1, Web 2 & Web 3 all have the same name Web Site.

Profile labels the Data Reference: INDI._ATTR-CONTACT_INFO.AGNC that has the name Responsible Agency.
This is a very rarely used standard GEDCOM field that seems appropriate to hold your Contact Profile.
It is nothing to worry about, because this 'minor' misnomer only affects your Custom Contact Info Fact, so it will never compromise any standard GEDCOM Facts.

[patriciaann]

Thanks for the clarifications and info, Mike. I appreciate your help.
Blessings to you,
Patricia Ann

[Coolgarra]

I like the idea of this Mike, and installed the components, but am not sure what I didn't do correctly, as I cannot update the Contact Tab details. It shows the field names, but no field boxes to fill in. I thought there might be a 'fact' to add the details...what have I done wrong?
Thanks!
Chris

[tatewise]

Yes Chris, you need to create a Custom Attribute called Contact Info. An earlier posting said:

A word of warning; this Contact tab only works in conjunction with a Contact Info custom Attribute fact.

A word of advice; that Contact Info custom Attribute is best edited in Tools > Fact Types so the Date, Age and Place fields are hidden, the sentence Template is set to {=Text("")} to inhibit Narrative Report text, and the Normal Time Frame set to Pre-Birth or Post-Death so it appears first or last in the Facts tab.

BTW: FH V6.1 will add a {blank} template code to inhibit Narrative Report text.