Family Historian User Group

I have been reviewing how I have been using Family Historian and I have decided to install the Military History Property Box Tabs. However, I have identified two associated issues that I need address to make this happen. While I have read through the knowledge base and forum looking for similar threads, I have not found an answer to the issues below.

The first issue is that I developed my own fact set for Military History. Some of the facts are the same as the fact set that supports the property box tab while others are different. I am considering two different approaches. The first is to manually create the additional facts to support the property box tab. The other approach is to download and install the Military Fact Set but I am not sure if installing the fact set would overwrite any facts that are the same. If did not overwrite the existing fact, I could delete or hide duplicate events and attributes or use the Change Any Fact Tag plugin to move the existing fact to the downloaded version.

The second issue is that I have noticed instances where I have created a custom event and it should have been an attribute and vice versa. To address this, I am looking at using the Change Any Fact plugin using the two following processes.

Attribute to Event
1. Create the event that will replace the existing attribute
2. Review the content of the existing attribute attached to an individual to incorporate the value field into the note field
3. Use the Change Any Fact plugin to move the existing attribute to the new event
4. Validate that the change
5. Check the hidden box on the attribute

Event to Attribute
1. Create the attribute that will replace the existing event
2. Use the Change Any Fact plugin to move the existing event to the new attribute
3. Validate that the change
4. Review the content of the existing event attached to an individual to populate the value field
5. Check the hidden box on the event

Before I launch off down this path, I would interested to draw on other user’s knowledge about how they may have addressed a similar issue, whether my approach is correct and if there may be any issues.

Hi Garry,
Let me deal with each issue in turn.

If you are comfortable with your set of military facts, and don't need any from the Military Fact Set, then you could redesign the Military tab to only show your military facts. We can help you with that if necessary.

If you download and install the Military Fact Set, any facts with the same Name and Type as yours will coexist.
You will see them listed together in Tools > Fact Types if you tick the Show Hidden option.
In the Visible column one will be <eclipsed> by the other as determined by the order shown via the Fact Sets button and adjusted by the Move Up & Move Down buttons.
You can copy & paste templates from one to the other if required via the Edit button.
Use the Delete button to remove Fact definitions you do not need.
Click the Help buttons for more advice.

Your strategy for changing Attribute to Event and vice versa is correct.
After creating the fact with the same Name but the other Type, you should give both a different Label so you can tell one from the other in the Change Any Fact Tag Plugin, e.g. add the suffix Event and Attribute. That can be changed back to the basic Label afterwards and the redundant fact definition has been deleted.

Changing an Event to an Attribute is useful to gain the Value field.
But the reverse is often unnecessary, especially if you have made use of the Value field, so why bother?
However, if determined to follow that path, see how_to:narrative_report_fact_sentence_templates#custom_fact_fields|> Narrative Report Fact Sentence Templates > Custom Fact Fields regarding labelled meta-fields in the Note field.

Hi Mike, can the facts with the same name and type coexist indefinitely or is it smart to avoid this?

Facts with the same Name and Type can coexist indefinitely, but only in different Fact Sets.
Usually it would be wise to avoid such duplicates except in certain special circumstances outlined below.
The Fact definitions & templates can have a major impact on how Facts are displayed in the Property Box, Records Window and various Reports. So if you need a number of different styles, then a number of Fact Sets all defining the same Facts can do that, and the one highest in order takes precedence. Simply switching their order via the Fact Sets button will then change the display style. Examples of such use include displays in other languages, and changing Narrative Reports into bullets lists (the advantage over other list reports is the inclusion of Witness Facts). See how_to:narrative_report_fact_sentence_templates|> Narrative Report Fact Sentence Templates for details and examples.

Hi Mike

Thanks for your answers on this post. I have been working through my options for the military fact set and property box. I have decided to download the military fact set 2 and the property box. Based on the information you provided in relation to the will property box I will be able to work my way through customising it to my needs. As I have not dabbled customising property boxes in Family Historian, I am cautious. I like to plan it out what changes I need and gather as much information as I can to make sure I minimise any re-work.

Some of the changes to the property box I am looking at include adding the arm of the Defence force and generalising some of field names (e.g. Regiment to Military Unit) to reflect the multi-service aspect of the military. As most of my family members served in the Australian military I will adjust some of the sentences accordingly. Australian Military records appear to have a lot of detail about service personnel than UK records, particularly for World War 1, I am looking at adding some additional facts. These include courts of enquiry into missing soldiers, military offences/punishments and court martials.

Once I have customised the property box and the fact set I will post up a screen shots for other users and/or share with other users.

Thanks for your assistance

Keathswa wrote:... Australian Military records appear to have a lot of detail about service personnel than UK records, particularly for World War 1, I am looking at adding some additional facts. ...

Yeah, don't forget ours got burnt in WW2! I suspect ours were also severely weeded by the War Office bureaucracy - if you ever look at the Canadian papers, you'll find all sorts of forms...

The serious comment I want to make is don't feel that you have to have a fact / attribute / event for everything in the papers. I started down that route but because I use (a) extensive notes and (b) narrative reports, I found my printed text was getting out of step with itself. For instance, if I started with a Military Service fact of service in the Cheshire Regiment from August 1914 to January 1919 (say), then my notes will describe pretty much the full history. But if the next event is a "Wounded" event for 1915, the narrative jumps back in an odd fashion. So I now put the vast majority of stuff into the Notes for the basic Military event.

If you don't have extensive notes or use narrative reports, then you may come to a different conclusion from me.

Hi Adrian

Apologies about the UK records comment. I occasionally forget that during WW2 that a lot of UK WW1 records were damaged and destroyed during the blitz.

My approach is similar to yours. I try and fit within the basic military events and use the notes field to expand. I have also taken an approach to genericise terms across the service arms. As an example, Trade/Skill (Army) = Mustering (Air Force), Posting = Transfer (Army).

In looking at the Regiment fact, I would only be using it as a point it time snapshot of the unit a soldier/sailor or airman attached to. I use the Posting event as the means to capture a movement to a military u8nit. It makes the narratives a lot easier.

I understand your comment about not creating events or attributes for everything in the papers. My approach has been to look at whether the particular fact will fit within an existing event/attribute. If not, will creating a new event/attribute be used multiple times across multiple people. If it is going to be used few times will individual notes be sufficient to capture the information. Lastly, by creating the new attribute/event will it add value to a person life story.

In the Military Records arena, I have created a few additional attributes and events that include Marched In, Marched Out, Taken on Strength, Admitted and Military Movement. The first three were initially created for WW1 soldiers to capture the time it often took to move from base depots to the battalion's location. The Admitted attribute I use to capture a soldiers admission to medical units from the field ambulance to casualty clearing stations and onward to hospital. I have also been able to capture the change on diagnosis/wound type along the way. Lastly, I use Military Movement to capture information from Unit Diaries about a battalions location changes that do not involve embarkations.

I think our approach is similar and only creating new attributes/events where it is absolutely essential to capturing a persons life story

Keathswa wrote:... I think our approach is similar and only creating new attributes/events where it is absolutely essential to capturing a persons life story

Another useful question might be - "Will I ever want to run a query to find people with this real-life event / attribute?" If not, I can stick it in a note. Different people will have different views on that - someone using FH to store military histories might want to have specific attributes for Good Conduct badges. Me, I don't. I accept that I'll have to run a search to find such a person.

On a technical point, you don't have to create a custom Fact in order to run a Query to find people with that real-life data.
You can use a labelled Note meta-field as explained in how_to:narrative_report_fact_sentence_templates#custom_fact_fields|> Custom Fact Fields.
Then the Query can use such as =GetLabelledText(%FACT.NOTE2%,"Label: ") to find people with that labelled meta-field.
Alternatively, if a Note has unique search text, the Query can use such as =ContainsText(%FACT.NOTE2%,"Text").
So you can have have your Note and find it

FH has many ways of finding people with particular characteristics, and the above are just a few.
There are also Record Flags, Named Lists, Source Notes, and more...

Re Labelled Text - yes, I had forgotten about that. I admit that I'm prejudiced against Labelled Text since it looks such an aesthetic disaster, especially when marked off by [[ and ]] to stop it printing. But I do use it (as part of the auto-generated note) in the Attribute that I have for the value of an estate since I (we?) couldn't think of a better way of ensuring that I record whether it was the value of the real or personal or whatever estate.