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Archiver > GENBOX > 2005-04 > 1113094849


From: "Cheri Casper" <>
Subject: RE: [GENBOX] Viewing source information
Date: Sat, 9 Apr 2005 18:00:49 -0700
In-Reply-To: <42586445.5010705@paradise.net.nz>


Gotcha. So you go to an Event, and there is the Citation View already
displayed without having to click an "S." Alternatively you could switch
this to a Notes view.

CheriC

-----Original Message-----
From: Murray Lynn [mailto:]
Sent: Saturday, April 09, 2005 4:25 PM
To:
Subject: Re: [GENBOX] Viewing source information


Hi Paul

>So, if I am understanding you correctly (hope), it appears to me that you
>would like a 'faster' or more direct way to 'see' the Evidence Tab on the
>Source, without opening the Source?
>
>
Half right, more importantly a unique citation view is associated with
each event. With this approach you could see a source or note for every
event without repeatedly opening the citation window. If it was only a
question of opening the citation view once it would not be an issue,
however if you want to look at two events it becomes a distraction.

As each event would in effect have its own citation window, you could
rapidly switch between events and see the relevant support information
and within each event rapidly switch between note and citation view and
so quickly review all sources and notes attached to that event.

The problem with any database, especially one as complex as genealogy,
is providing the means to rapidly see and compare information within it
as easily as possible. One of Genbox's big strengths is the ease with
which you can see the information relating to a person, place etc. What
I am proposing is simply to make it even easier - in a way which has no
effect on what you can do now.


Murray

>At the present time, when you click on a Source Citation Button, the
>Citation View is opened to the default of the Assertion Tab. At one time,
>Bill changed this to the Cited Sources Tab, but several of us squealed with
>an argument to change it back to the Assertion Tab, which he did. What if
>there was a setting in Preferences to change the Default Tab on the
Citation
>View? Or, what if you could have different options for click, Shift+click,
>and Ctrl+click, to accommodate the way you are working at the time? Then
you
>could accomplish what you want with the current interface, couldn't you?
>
>

>IOW, click a Source Citation Button and the Citation View pops up 'over' or
>'beside' the Notes, showing the Excerpts Tab for the first source, which is
>essentially the Evidence Tab of the source. The only problem with the
>current implementation is that I don't think navigation on the Excerpts Tab
>has been implemented, yet. IOW, the subrecord buttons and the drop-down
list
>change the Cited Source, but it does not update the Excerpt field. This
>could, and should, be fixed.
>
>Paul
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Murray Lynn [mailto:]
>Sent: Saturday, April 09, 2005 6:12 AM
>To:
>Subject: Re: [GENBOX] Viewing source information
>
>
>Hi Paul
>I think we are at cross purposes, I'll send a screen mock-up which may
>explain better. I'm not proposing any change to notes or sources, simply
>an alternative way to view them.
>
>Murray
>
>Paul J. Harris wrote:
>
>
>
>>Murray,
>>
>>Seems to me you have found the best way to work the way you want to work,
>>using the Notes fields. I look at the beautiful implementation of dual
>>
>>
>notes
>
>
>>as one of Genbox's greatest features. General Notes translates into notes
>>
>>
>to
>
>
>>others. Research Notes translates in to notes to me! <g>
>>
>>There are many ways to 'see' the information of a census event, including
>>witnesses and data in notes, as you have done. However, we all tend to
>>implement differently. For example, weird as it seems, I create a Higher
>>Source for a census page, then create separate Lower Sources for each line
>>entry (individual) in the household. So for me to get the same kind of
>>information out of my sources as you do would be unlikely.
>>
>>I'm still trying to grasp what you are looking for. Seems that you want to
>>'replace' the Notes at the bottom of an Event with the "Abstract" of the
>>Source? So you can see EVERYTHING, not just what applies to the focused
>>citation? What if your source is a book? Will you transcribe the entire
>>
>>
>book
>
>
>>into the source record? If you are bypassing the Citation View, how will
>>
>>
>you
>
>
>>keep track of what the source you are looking at supports?
>>
>>Paul
>>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: Murray Lynn [mailto:]
>>Sent: Saturday, April 09, 2005 12:38 AM
>>To:
>>Subject: Re: [GENBOX] Viewing source information
>>
>>
>>Hi Paul
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>>One of the problems is that the Source Button is not for a source, but
>>>connects to a LIST of Sources for an ASSERTION of a fact. This Assertion
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>can
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>>be supported by MANY sources.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>If Bill did decide to do something like this, I'm sure he would (as
>>usual) come up with a much better implementation, but I envisage the
>>"Source View" would look much like the view you get in the Excerpt Tab
>>in the Citation View with the top 4 rows reduced to just the third row
>>(plus a button to switch back to Notes and one to go to the full
>>citation view).
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>>Just what is it that you want to see about your sources when you click
the
>>>Source Button that you don't see on the Assertion Tab of the Citation
>>>
>>>
>View?
>
>
>>>Can you be specific with an example?
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>Nothing extra whatever! I just want it to be able to quickly see the
>>source of the data I am viewing and make the source info more visible.
>>Inevitably there is considerably more info in the source than is
>>included on the current screen and I am a strong believer that the more
>>you can see, the more likely you are to extract knowledge!
>>
>>One good example is Census data. I have just discovered one GGGF had
>>twice the number of siblings the family thought, largely because I had
>>started putting the whole census text in the notes field, making the
>>entire source visible every time I went to the census event. Because
>>this information was highly visible (in comparison to it being tucked
>>away in the source) I suddenly realised that visitors in a number of the
>>censuses matched the names of other families I had stumbled over while
>>browsing the census records. A bit more digging (and some jolts of
>>inspiration) showed them to be siblings. Yes, I may have worked it out
>>anyway, but I doubt it, it happened because these names were 'in my face'
.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>>To achieve something along the lines of your original concept, you can
>>>
>>>
>open
>
>
>>>the Citation View and size it to 'fit' over the Notes section of the
>>>Individual View, then click on the Individual View to bring it in front
of
>>>the Citation View. Save the layout. When you click on a Source Button,
the
>>>Citation View will pop up in front of the Notes. Clicking on other Source
>>>Buttons will change the focus of the Citation View. When you are done you
>>>can click on the top of the Individual View, which will hide the Citation
>>>View once again.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>Yes you can do that if you want to look at a single citation (albeit not
>>very clearly as only the lower half of the citation screen displayed in
>>this way is 'productive') , but when you go on the the next event - or
>>whatever - you then have to go through the whole business of opening a
>>new citation...
>>
>>As I said it is not hard to do this, but one great strength of Genbox is
>>that it makes it easy to see all of the relevant information very
>>clearly (except the source).
>>
>>Murray
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>>Paul
>>>
>>>
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