Using RM7
Is there an way to automatically add a date to a common event e.g. a census, so that I don’t need to keep entering it in to the fact, when the fact is added to a person. I have created custom facts for each of the UK censuses with an abbreviation that shows the date of the census (e.g. 1881 04 03 Census) but I still need to enter the date into the fact date field.
It would save a lot of time when entering data for these facts.
I don’t believe one can affect a fact date field in any automated way. The only option would appear to be editing the fact sentence template itself to include a date.
That would probably work. Thanks
Keep in mind if you don’t add the fact date and only add it to the sentence template it’s not searchable.
It’s also can’t be displayed in places such as a column in People List view. You really need to add the date to the fact rather than as hardwired text in the sentence template.
Thank you everyone who replied - it looks as though I will just have to add the date to the fact every time.
Thanks again
If you have the date in the custom fact type name, it can be copied by a sqlite query into the date field of events of that type en masse.
Hi - this sounds interesting - currently the custom fact name is, for example, 1881 Census UK with the date in the abbreviation, for example, 1881 04 03 Census. The custom facts can be easily changed. Can you let me know how to use a sqlite query and what the query would be.
Thanks
Of course, if one were to write a query as Tom proposes, then one would need intermediate SQL skills to read the name, extract the date, update the fact date and move on to the next. Once one actually has a query written that works, then it would have to be periodically ran after entering data, then checked to make sure it worked…all in all, probably wasting more time than simply adding the date when you add the fact.
All in all, not a smart suggestion for a newbie, or someone that has no prior SQL skills.
Sure. Visit sqlitetoolsforrootsmagic.com, register there, read the Learn page for an intro, subscribe to the Forum and repost your question there. I’m being sensitive to the wider RM Community having no interest in SQL.
Hi Thanks for this I am already a registered user of sqlitetoolsforrootsmagic.com, so will repost there. Thanks again
For anyone wishing to follow:
Keep in mind if you edit the RM database outside of the program it is at your own risk. You can make irreparable damages to your database. RM Support cannot help you if you modified your file outside of the program. If you want to learn SQLite use a practice database never your actual database.
Hi Many thanks for your warning - I was planning to try this on a backup of my database - and if successful then import the backup to become my main database.
Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this Thread - I plan to take all comments on board and decide how I am going to proceed.
Thanks again