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Reference 462
Title Default Source Record Field Values
Category General
Description Closed - Plugin Clone Any Record FEATURE:
Every new Source Record will have custom Default Values for each
data Field depending on the Source Record Type

SCENARIO:
When creating a Source Record its Fields often need to be populated with default
Values depending on Source Type
e.g. Source Type = Birth Certificate or Marriage Certificate or Death Certificate
Text From Source field needs heading Labels for a transcript of the Certificate
Author field needs to be GRO in the UK
Repository field needs to be FindMyPast usually

PROBLEM:
At present all such Field Values have to be entered manually, which is
tedious and leads to inconsistencies between similar records

MY SOLUTION:
Create a dummy Source Record for each Source Type containing
the required Default Field Values
Copy and paste the corresponding Fields from the dummy Source
Record to the new Source Record

WISH LIST SOLUTION:
Allow the Source Record defaults for Field Values to be customised
for each Source Type
When a Source Record is created and its Source Type entered, its Fields will be
populated with Values from the appropriate Source Record customised defaults
One way of implementing this would be to link each entry in the List of Source Types
to a Source Record
The Fields in this linked Source Record would define the customised Default Values
Also any Field deleted from this linked Source Record (such as Short Title) will
also be omitted from the newly created Source Record
A similar technique would work for most other Record types

REFERENCES:
The following Wish List entries are related to this request and have been merged here:

WL#102 Define custom fields for Sources
(Would be useful to be able to add user-defined field names to master sources.
e.g. for a marriage certificate master source, the user could define fields
for church, parish, father names, witnesses, etc as entered on UK marriage
certificates.)

WL#199 General 07/08/06 Automatic Repository Citation
(I like the automatic source citation option, but even more I'd like to have
an automatic repository citation option in connection to source entries.
Usually, I sit in an archive for a day or so, and during that day,
the repository remains all the same - so why enter it anew for each source? )

WL#335 General 17/10/07 Allow setting of flags when adding records
(Basically to copy the functionality of automatic source citations to flags.
So the same way that citations can be made against new records and optionally new fields,
it would be nice if flags could be set as individuals are added. The thinking behaind
this is similar to that for auto-source in that it's not unusual to be adding a group
of individuals in a batch, and because the group is likely to be related there is likely
to be some need to identify them. Some researchers might use flags to set a flag
to indicate the origin, other's the country of birth, others to indicate that they are
work in progress etc. etc. )

WL#351 Template when adding records
(A nice feature for those of us who regularly batch up the entry of records,
especially from a single source, would be a template facility. This would work a
bit like the auto-source feature but would allow fields in an indiviudal's record
to be filled with preset data. For instance if entering data for a whole family of
people from a certain location, the residence place could be preset.
Doing a census entry (when not using Nick's program) a census event could
be preset. Knowing that everyone entered is dead could mean the entry of a
death event with no date/place or a flag. Entering data from a cemetery
would mean the burial place is the same for all records. Etc. Etc.
The main reason I would like to see this feature is for record flags.
If entering a group of individuals who all have the same feature
(i.e. Americans get the Country - USA flag) it would be useful to have this
added to the record as it's created rather than remembering to go back and add it later.
I realise that flags can be added whilst adding records in the record window, but the
awkardness of using the mouse, plus the "special" feature which re-arranges the flag
menu depending on where you right-click slows down the process tremendously.
Also, it's always the same flags so to cut down on possible errors and repetitive strain,
having the flags (or any other repetitive data) created automatically would be very useful.
I use the property dialog because I can just press TAB to switch between fields rather than
using the mouse as required in the record window.
Adding flags when entering records via the property dialog is not possible.
I currently have to remember to sort the individuals just entered by record ID and set flags
that way (if many records) or select a group of boxes on a diagram (if a small number). )

WL#354 Automatic Repository in new source
( Posted on: 17/10/07 at 12:57:38 GMT I often spend a spare hour collecting people from the IGI
and manually enter them from the christening records. It would help me if I could set all new
sources to automatically set a particular repository (the one I use for IGI in this case, though
the same applies when I troll through the Free BMD for records). )

WL#448 Multimedia 01/12/09 Automatic Multimedia Keywords
(Option to auto create keywords, based on the folder an image is in and the title and any
keywords recorded in the IPTC data in the file. )

POSTSCRIPT: I know the excellent Ancestral Sources free FHUG download offers some of this
functionality, but at present it only supports "Census" sources, although it promises much more.
Rather hidden at the bottom of my request I suggest a similar scheme for MOST Record types.
This would allow a batch of Individual Records to be created with for example
a default Surname, Flags, Attributes, Submitter, etc., or a batch of Note Records to be created
with default heading labels.
Furthermore, I have several more Source Record types than Birth, Baptism, Marriage, Death,
Burial & Probate that are to be supported by Ancestral Sources.
All these other Source Record Types would benefit from a Default Records scheme.
The concept of Default Records would be switched on and off just like Automatic Source Citation.
The user gets the defaults when wanted, but disables them otherwise, and can change the default
values whenever required.
Votes 11
Rating 3.0
Added Wednesday 26th May 2010
Last Vote Monday 21st July 2014
Released in version 5+ Plugin

 

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