But I’m unsure if there are formats/methods that are preferred over the other, and/or import to Ancestry, FamilySearch, GEDCOM better than others.
For example:
2010–2020 vs. From 2010 to 2020
OR
abt 1910 vs. est 1910 vs. ca 1910
And a slightly different question. When using Between (between 2010 and 2020) does that imply a singular event occurred once between that time (a marriage) versus From/to (from 2010 to 2020) meaning it was continuous between those dates (residence)?
I guess first would need to know which ones are equivalent for date calculations for RM and which one are not. Also which one RM might handle differently than other software.
so for example if 2010–2020 vs. From 2010 to 2020 are equivalent then if only personal preference matters
(not sure of the answer just adding to my interpretation of the questions being asked)
Not that this directly answers your questions but it might shed some light and suggest an extension to what I’ve done. Years ago, I collected examples of RM4 Date Modifiers in a SQLite database when I was developing a decoding query. They are available at Date Decoder #date – SQLite Tools for RootsMagic . Today, just for fun, I created a RM10 database with those 40 examples applied to 40 Birth events for one person named Example Dates. The RMcode for an EventDate was applied to the Birth Date field and the Date displayed by RM4 was applied to the RM10 Details (Description) field for side-by-side comparison in the Edit Person screen (Date=After, Description=Before). The Person was exported to GEDCOM and imported to a new RM10 database and the Fact List for both versions compared. The only obvious variant was that mixed case Text Dates (not valid dates) were transformed to ALL CAPS as seen in the Fact List report imaged below.
My example dates may not test all the nuances you questioned but you could create your own examples and test them out. You should be free to do so with and Ancestry via both GEDCOM and TreeShare. Not sure how FSFT and others would react.
More useful might be a screenshot of the Edit Person screen which should be in date sort order according to RM’s computation of Sort Date, which you will find on inspection is the same for many variants.
@ChadK – not sure abt Family Search BUT Ancestry is pretty open when using dates-- you can enter almost anything such as b stardate 6645 , died stardate 7775 and it will accept it in a ged com or tree share BUT like RM, it does NOT know how to use it to figure the age-- Ancestry had no problem with from/ between BUT like RM, on the age timeline it defaults to the earliest age…
So basically ( I think) if it does NOT show in YELLLOW on RM, Ancestry will be able to figure the age-- IF yellow, it will accept the date BUT not figure the age.
That said, if you are sending a gedcom to a friend who does NOT use RM, then these specialized dates ie Hebrew, Stardate, and Quaker ( which is recognized by RM) may NOT transfer to the new program-- the gedcom sends them BUT the new program does NOT know what to do with it…
As for Between and From, I would take it that between is used for a single event and from is continuous BUT NOT everybody gives it as much thought as you-- so you MIGHT see a death fact that says from 1910-1920–guess it just depends on what fact it is used in.
