My Footnote pane on the Edit Source window seems to have disappeared. What did I do and how do I get it back?
Polly
Hi PollyH,
To view the footnote from the Sources tab, click on the arrow next to the citation number (in this instance click on the “131” alongside the Oneida Family Book source). This takes you to the list of all 131 citations using that particular book source. Select one, and the footnote for that particular citation will be visible on the bottom right of the page. From here you can edit or customise the citation.
Generally speaking, a footnote sentence is constructed from data that is stored in the source plus from data that is stored in the citation. In other words,
footnote = source part of footnote + citation part of footnote.
In RM7, the Source list ;shows you the source part of the footnote. When you drill down to the Citation, you can see the source part of footnote + citation part of footnote. This is also the case when building a new citation from the Edit Person screen. You can see the source part of the footnote as soon as you fill in the source data.
In RM8, the Source list does not show you the source part of the footnote. When you drill down to the Citation, you can see the source part of footnote + citation part of footnote. Therefore, in RM8 you have to drill down the citation level before you can do much of anything with the footnote. You can’t do anything with the footnote when just looking at the source. This is equally true when just looking at the RM8 source list or when adding a new source in the RM8 Edit Person screen. You can’t see any of the footnote sentence until you drill down to the citation level.
JillV and Jerry,
See attached screenshot from one of Bruce’s webinars. I distinctly remember the footnote panel showing on the Edit Source screen when I have created a source. I recall that it was there when creating a source so that I could see how the source would look in any citation. That panel is indeed showing in my Citation and Citation Edit screens–I already knew that–but I distinctly remember it being on the Edit Source screen also.
It used to show on the Source page under Edit Sources too. But, the Customize button should not have been there, nor could you identify which citation the footnote belonged to. It was removed in an later update.
Thank you Renee. I was beginning to think dementia was setting in.
I totally understand that there is a conflict between showing a partial footnote sentence just for the source and RM8’s new ability to customize footnote sentences for templated sources. But I would think that if you wanted to customize a footnote sentence you would just use free form sources rather than using source templates. I therefore don’t quite get the reason RM8 supports the ability to customize footnote sentences for templated sources. If you are going to customize the footnote sentence anyway, you don’t need to use a source template. Just type or paste your footnote into the “footnote” field of a free form source.
As a source splitter, in RM8 I have to create a dummy citation with no data before I can see the footnote sentence. That has been one of my frustrations in trying to move from RM7 to RM8. Essentially, I copy and paste from my footnote sentence to name the source and now that capability doesn’t exist because I don’t yet have the footnote sentence from my template available at the time I need to name my source. So I have to give a new source a dummy name and then create a dummy citation. Only then do I have the information need to replace the dummy source name with the real source name. It’s a very awkward workflow.
My workaround is that I create a new source by first copying an existing source that uses the same source template I need for the new source. I just let the copied source name be the dummy source name for the new source on a temporary basis. I enter the master source fields as usual and then go into the citation dialog. I don’t have to enter any data into the citation but I can’t see the footnote sentence until I get to the citation dialog. Only then do I fill in the real name the source is going to have. Finally, I copy and paste the source name into the citation field. Otherwise the citation field is blank. Fortunately, there was a recent update so that the citation name field is there to be filled in.
There are places in the RM8 user interface that only show you the source name. As a source splitter, I’m good with that. There are places in the RM8 user interface that only show you the citation name. I’m not good with that if the citation name is blank which why I copy the source name to the citation. There are places in the RM8 user interface that show you both the source name and the citation name. Therefore, I sometimes see the name duplicated as both a source name and a citation name. I just have to live with that, but it’s not ideal.
I have resolved several times to quit being a source splitter in RM8, but then I run into good reasons to continue being a source splitter. That’s one of the reasons I have stayed with RM7 so long. I can’t figure out a good way to do sources in RM8. I’m getting very close, but I’m not quite there yet.
Jerry, I am in complete agreement with you regarding these limitations. It really makes creating new Source Templates very difficult to troubleshoot.
Paul
I am a visual learner and removing the Footnote panel from the Source Edit screen has just made it harder for me to create a source.