* Phantom census notes

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LornaCraig
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Phantom census notes

Post by LornaCraig »

I have recently started having problems with unwanted notes being created by AS when I use it to enter 1861 census data (Method 1).

AS correctly creates an Occupation fact if I enter an occupation in the AS grid. But it also enters that occupation in the Note field of the census event for the individual. If the occupation field is blank in the AS grid then <Not Recorded> appears in the Note field of the census event.

As far as I can tell this only happens with the 1861 census. Really odd. I can’t think of any settings I have changed which could account for this. I am probably missing something really obvious - what?
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Re: Phantom census notes

Post by jbtapscott »

I'd suggest check the Census Template Editor for 1861 in AS. If Column Type is set to Generic and the tick box for "Record even if ...." is ticked then you might have the answer.
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LornaCraig
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Re: Phantom census notes

Post by LornaCraig »

The Column Type (for Individual Note) is set to Generic but "Record even if..." is NOT ticked. This is the same for other census years.
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Re: Phantom census notes

Post by tatewise »

Lorna, that is indeed very odd.
One Column Type must be defined as Occupation for an Occupation fact to get created, but the Note added to the Census Event is a feature of a Generic column which would NOT create an Occupation fact.

Where has that Individual Note column come from? It is NOT in my standard Census Templates for any year.

I also don't see how such a Generic column is getting the occupation text from the Occupation column.
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LornaCraig
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Re: Phantom census notes

Post by LornaCraig »

Here are the template settings. I have certainly not changed them recently, and don't recall ever changing them:
Attachments
Census template individual note column.JPG
Census template individual note column.JPG (139.48 KiB) Viewed 8264 times
Census template occupation column.JPG
Census template occupation column.JPG (66.53 KiB) Viewed 8264 times
Lorna
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tatewise
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Re: Phantom census notes

Post by tatewise »

I have checked the C:\Program Files\Ancestral Sources\Settings.xml installation file, and it certainly does NOT have that Generic column for Individual Notes. Also, the Reference Start is RG9 instead of your RG09/.
So I assume you must have edited those templates.

Having said that, I still don't understand how the Occupation column Rank, Profession or Occupation gets its value applied to the Generic column for Individual Notes, especially as you have not ticked Record even if no data entered. I assume you are not entering anything into the Individual Notes column.

Let me try and reproduce your symptoms...
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LornaCraig
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Re: Phantom census notes

Post by LornaCraig »

OK, I've been dredging my memory and searching the forums. I think I must have created the Individual Note column after reading your suggestion in this topic: Census entry notes (14596)

As to why that column is picking up the occupation data, I'm baffled. Searching more recent memory, I think I temporarily adjusted the relative column widths, by dragging with the mouse, to increase the width of that column at the expense of some of the others while entering some data a few weeks ago. But I can't remember if it was the 1861 census, and I don't know if that is when the problem started. It's hard to see how it could be relevant, because the column widths revert to previous settings each time AS is opened.

It's very odd, but I'll come back to this tomorrow and try deleting the column then re-creating it. If necessary I'll just delete it permanently.
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Re: Phantom census notes

Post by tatewise »

I've failed to recreate the symptoms despite adjusting associated settings.

So, yes try deleting and redefining that Generic column, and see if that fixes the bug.

BUT before doing that make a copy of the \Ancestral Sources\Settings\Settings.xml file and post the UK 1861 section here.
Mike Tate ~ researching the Tate and Scott family history ~ tatewise ancestry
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LornaCraig
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Re: Phantom census notes

Post by LornaCraig »

This is bizarre. I have done some tests entering basic information for pairs of individuals, one with and one without an occupation.

With the settings shown in my previous post, for the 1861 census. Nothing was entered in the Individual Note column. I tested the Auto Text and nothing was shown there for the Individual Note. (I don’t normally use the Auto Text, and any genuine note would need to be deleted from there anyway, as it’s not part of the original Source text). In FH an occupation fact was correctly created for the individual who had an occupation. But the occupation also appeared in a note to the census event. For the individual who had no occupation the note read <Not Recorded>
See below for the AS entry and the two resulting Property Box Facts tabs.
Test 1.JPG
Test 1.JPG (140.07 KiB) Viewed 8187 times
With the same settings I entered similar information for another pair of individuals but entered some text in the Individual Note column. The Auto Text displayed my text for the note but did not include the occupation, and the occupation appeared only in the occupation column. But the results show that the occupation was again included in the census note.
Test 2.JPG
Test 2.JPG (140.25 KiB) Viewed 8187 times
I then deleted the Individual Note column from the template and ran another test. This time the results were correct. No unwanted notes were created.

I then re-created the Individual Note column with the same settings as before. The problem returned!

My other UK census templates all have an Individual Note column with the same settings as the column in the 1861 template. I tested the 1871 census with similar data and the results were normal. To the best of my knowledge it is only the 1861 census that has this problem – I haven’t yet found any unwanted notes hiding in other recently created census entries.

I could just remove that column from the 1861 template. Or I could uninstall and reinstall AS. But the problem is so odd that I’d like to find out what is causing it first!

Here is the 1861 section of the .xml file (not in an easy to read layout I'm afraid)

Code: Select all

<Entry Year="1861" Country="UK"><Modified>1</Modified><Date>7 APR 1861</Date><Reference>RG09/</Reference><ColumnFrozen>1</ColumnFrozen><Column><ColumnType>1</ColumnType><FullTitle>Name and Surname of each Person</FullTitle><ShortTitle>Name</ShortTitle><MinWidth>150</MinWidth><RecordingLocation>0</RecordingLocation><RecordIfBlank>True</RecordIfBlank></Column><Column><ColumnType>2</ColumnType><FullTitle>Relation to Head of Family</FullTitle><ShortTitle>Relation</ShortTitle><MinWidth>70</MinWidth><RecordingLocation>0</RecordingLocation><RecordIfBlank>True</RecordIfBlank><Item><ListItem>Head</ListItem><NoteTitle>Head</NoteTitle><KeyField>Head</KeyField></Item><Item><ListItem>Wife</ListItem><NoteTitle>Wife</NoteTitle><KeyField>Wife</KeyField></Item><Item><ListItem>Husband</ListItem><NoteTitle>Husband</NoteTitle><KeyField>Husband</KeyField></Item><Item><ListItem>Son</ListItem><NoteTitle>Son</NoteTitle><KeyField>Son</KeyField></Item><Item><ListItem>Daughter</ListItem><NoteTitle>Daughter</NoteTitle><KeyField>Daughter</KeyField></Item><Item><ListItem>Father</ListItem><NoteTitle>Father</NoteTitle><KeyField>Father</KeyField></Item><Item><ListItem>Mother</ListItem><NoteTitle>Mother</NoteTitle><KeyField>Mother</KeyField></Item><Item><ListItem>Sister</ListItem><NoteTitle>Sister</NoteTitle><KeyField>Sister</KeyField></Item><Item><ListItem>Brother</ListItem><NoteTitle>Brother</NoteTitle><KeyField>Brother</KeyField></Item><Item><ListItem>Visitor</ListItem><NoteTitle>Visitor</NoteTitle></Item><Item><ListItem>Lodger</ListItem><NoteTitle>Lodger</NoteTitle></Item><Item><ListItem>Servant</ListItem><NoteTitle>Servant</NoteTitle></Item></Column><Column><ColumnType>8</ColumnType><FullTitle>Condition</FullTitle><ShortTitle>Married</ShortTitle><MinWidth>60</MinWidth><RecordingLocation>0</RecordingLocation><RecordIfBlank>True</RecordIfBlank><Item><ListItem>Unm</ListItem><NoteTitle>Unmarried</NoteTitle><KeyField>Single</KeyField></Item><Item><ListItem>Mar</ListItem><NoteTitle>Married</NoteTitle><KeyField>Married</KeyField></Item><Item><ListItem>Wid</ListItem><NoteTitle>Wid.</NoteTitle><KeyField>Widow</KeyField></Item></Column><Column><ColumnType>3</ColumnType><FullTitle>Age</FullTitle><ShortTitle>Age</ShortTitle><MinWidth>35</MinWidth><RecordingLocation>0</RecordingLocation><RecordIfBlank>True</RecordIfBlank></Column><Column><ColumnType>4</ColumnType><FullTitle>Rank, Profession, or Occupation</FullTitle><ShortTitle>Occupation</ShortTitle><MinWidth>150</MinWidth><RecordingLocation>1</RecordingLocation><RecordIfBlank>True</RecordIfBlank></Column><Column><ColumnType>6</ColumnType><FullTitle>Where born</FullTitle><ShortTitle>Born</ShortTitle><MinWidth>180</MinWidth><RecordingLocation>0</RecordingLocation><RecordIfBlank>True</RecordIfBlank></Column><Column><ColumnType>5</ColumnType><FullTitle>Whether Blind, or Deaf-and-Dumb</FullTitle><ShortTitle>Infirmity</ShortTitle><MinWidth>50</MinWidth><RecordingLocation>0</RecordingLocation><RecordIfBlank>True</RecordIfBlank></Column><Column><ColumnType>30</ColumnType><FullTitle>Individual Note</FullTitle><ShortTitle>Individual Note</ShortTitle><MinWidth>70</MinWidth><RecordingLocation>1</RecordingLocation><RecordIfBlank>False</RecordIfBlank></Column></Entry>
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Re: Phantom census notes

Post by tatewise »

Eureka!
There is a tiny corruption in the Settings.xml file for UK 1861 for the Occupation column.
(Depending which text editor you use that file should be displayed on multiple indented lines as below. I use Notepad or Wordpad.)

That column should be defined as:
<Column>
<ColumnType>4</ColumnType>
<FullTitle>Rank, Profession, or Occupation</FullTitle>
<ShortTitle>Occupation</ShortTitle>
<MinWidth>150</MinWidth>
<RecordingLocation>0</RecordingLocation>
<RecordIfBlank>True</RecordIfBlank>
</Column>

But your is defined as follows with a 1 where it should be 0:
<Column>
<ColumnType>4</ColumnType>
<FullTitle>Rank, Profession, or Occupation</FullTitle>
<ShortTitle>Occupation</ShortTitle>
<MinWidth>150</MinWidth>
<RecordingLocation>1</RecordingLocation>
<RecordIfBlank>True</RecordIfBlank>
</Column>

and that digit 1 specifies the Census Note as the RecordingLocation and the <RecordIfBlank>True</RecordIfBlank> produces the <Not Recorded> when no Occupation is entered.

I have no idea how that corruption from 0 to 1 has occurred.
If you delete and recreate the Occupation column it will all be OK.
Mike Tate ~ researching the Tate and Scott family history ~ tatewise ancestry
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LornaCraig
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Re: Phantom census notes

Post by LornaCraig »

Many thanks Mike. That was indeed an obscure bug but deleting and recreating the Occupation column has fixed it.

I confess I still don't understand why the problem disappeared when I deleted the Individual Note column and came back when I recreated that column. Nor is it clear why it created the note as well as the occupation fact, not just instead of it?

However I'm glad to know I wasn't imagining things! Thanks for your help.
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Re: Phantom census notes

Post by tatewise »

Interestingly, when that Occupation column is recreated its line
<RecordIfBlank>True</RecordIfBlank>
becomes
<RecordIfBlank>False</RecordIfBlank>

So presumably Nick has changed its default setting, although the installation Settings.xml file still has the former setting.

Perhaps Nick might be able to explain how the corruption from 0 to 1 may have arisen?

I cannot understand why deleting the Individual note column cured the problem either, because in my experiments that does not fix anything, but it is now unimportant.
Mike Tate ~ researching the Tate and Scott family history ~ tatewise ancestry
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