{"id":10548,"date":"2020-07-02T15:12:13","date_gmt":"2020-07-02T15:12:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fhug.org.uk\/kb\/?post_type=kb_article&p=10548"},"modified":"2022-03-22T20:20:24","modified_gmt":"2022-03-22T20:20:24","slug":"handling-uncategorised-data-fields","status":"publish","type":"kb_article","link":"https:\/\/www.fhug.org.uk\/kb\/kb-article\/handling-uncategorised-data-fields\/","title":{"rendered":"Handling Uncategorised Data Fields"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0Introduction<\/h2>\nUncategorised Data Fields (UDF) are data fields that Family Historian <\/glwrap>does not recognise as its own GEDCOM Data References<\/glwrap>, but have been retained for review, typically following the load of a GEDCOM file created by another application. These are often fields that are user-defined by other products, such _AKA <\/code>(Also Know As) in PAF, or _MILT<\/code> (Military) and _FOOT<\/code> (Footnote) in Ancestry and FTM, or completely invalid GEDCOM fields such as CE81<\/code> in Generations.<\/p>\n

A UDF will have an Item value as well as the Data Reference Tag referred to above.\u00a0 When a UDF is deleted, both the Data Reference Tag and UDF Item value will be deleted.<\/p>\n

Details<\/h2>\n\u0192h<\/span><\/span> Version 7 creates many fewer UDF fields than Version 6 due to its enhanced direct import from other applications such as RootsMagic and Legacy.\u00a0 The description on this page applies equally to both versions.\u00a0 Always bear in mind when reviewing UDFs that they all contain data that was relevant in the originating application.\u00a0 It may just be formatting data that is not used in \u0192h<\/span><\/span>, but be careful that you do not accidentally discard important data.\u00a0 \u0192h<\/span><\/span> not understanding a field doesn’t mean that it is not potentially valuable!<\/p>\n

Use Tools > Preferences…<\/a> and look at the File Loading Options<\/em> under File Load\/Save <\/em>to see how UDFs are being handled on import. The options are documented at Preferences Dialog: File Load\/Save<\/a>. For all options except Exclude<\/em>, \u0192h<\/span><\/span> will create UDFs if it finds data it does not recognise, and you will then need to make decisions about how to handle them.<\/p>\n

There are too many products and too many UDF to list them all here, so some investigation is needed to establish what data values they hold, and whether that is important. If necessary ask for advice in the FHUG Forums on Importing and Exporting<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The first time a GEDCOM file is opened by \u0192h<\/span><\/span>, (including opening a file from a previous Version of \u0192h<\/span><\/span>), it will report all UDF and other issues in the Exception Report<\/em>, but once Saved they will no longer be reported on load. The report can be viewed using Window > Log Files<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Some popular user-defined Data Reference Tags are converted automatically to \u0192h<\/span><\/span> compatible tags and reported in a Process imported GEDCOM extensions<\/em> log.<\/p>\n

Each Exception Report for a UDF typically has the format:<\/p>\n

I.6789 - INFO ONLY: Loaded uncategorised data (non-GEDCOM)<\/code><\/p>\n

above this will be a line with the format:<\/p>\n

Record Type=Individual. Gedcom Id=P4321. Record Number=1234.<\/code><\/p>\n

where the Record Type may also be Family, Source, etc; the Gedcom Id=<\/code> gives the pre-import record id; and Record Number<\/code> gives the post-import record id.<\/p>\n

\"\"If you are happy there is no useful data mentioned in the Exception Report, then the quickest way to proceed is to use Tools > Preferences…<\/a> and modify the File Loading Options under File Load\/Save. Select the two exclude options. The next time the Project is opened, all UDF will be deleted, but you must use Save to commit the changes to the GEDCOM file. We advise then restoring the two options to their Installation Settings.<\/p>\n

By default \u0192h<\/span><\/span> will load all UDF fields, and they will appear in the Property Box on the All tab with a * star bullet point next to them. Use Tools > Uncategorised Data > Find Uncategorised Data…<\/a> command to obtain a Named List of affected records.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

The UDF List Plugin<\/h2>\n

The easiest way to find all UDFs is to use the UDF List<\/a> Plugin. It will list full UDF details, and you can selectively:<\/p>\n