Individual Timeline Report?

[Carolyn Maydole Hoard]

Re: Individual Timeline Report?

Just curious — what do you see as the advantages to using a Table in Word over an Excel file? (I have neither, but am wondering if the same philosophy would apply to a Pages Table instead of a Numbers file.)

Also, I'm wondering if you could post an example of the table you use for your research trip?

Hi Kim,
Your questions seem to be for Susan - I'm not sure how this works but could you post your questions directly to her?

[Michael Talibard]

Re: Individual Timeline Report?

Hi Kim,
Your questions seem to be for Susan - I'm not sure how this works but could you post your questions directly to her?

I'm not sure why you ask this. People often benefit from reading an exchange between others.

[Carolyn Maydole Hoard]

Re: Individual Timeline Report?

I'm not sure why you ask this. People often benefit from reading an exchange between others.

I'm not exactly sure what you mean. I referred Kim to Susan because Susan is the one who knows Word. I don't know the answers to Kim's questions.

[anitab]

Re: Individual Timeline Report?

I'm not exactly sure what you mean. I referred Kim to Susan because Susan is the one who knows Word. I don't know the answers to Kim's questions.

I'm very interested in hearing more about the timeline report in Word table - hoping to see the continued conversation right here...

[Bob White]

Re: Individual Timeline Report?

I'm not exactly sure what you mean. I referred Kim to Susan because Susan is the one who knows Word. I don't know the answers to Kim's questions.

Michael's point is that we all benefit from sharing our knowledge. It is recommended that you put aside thinking of what you can or cannot answer. You don't have to respond to everything. And be patient; this is a very international forum and has members coming and going quite literally around the clock. Between many of us, darn near every time, at least one person knows an answer and checks in.

[Carolyn Maydole Hoard]

Re: Individual Timeline Report?

Michael's point is that we all benefit from sharing our knowledge. It is recommended that you put aside thinking of what you can or cannot answer. You don't have to respond to everything. And be patient; this is a very international forum and has members coming and going quite literally around the clock. Between many of us, darn near every time, at least one person knows an answer and checks in.

Since her questions were directed to me, I thought it would be polite to reply that I didn't have the answers. I thought directing her to the previous poster who could answer her questions was the proper thing to do. I guess I don't understand how threads work, and should have just ignored the question - oh, sigh.

[Susan Freas Rogers]

Re: Individual Timeline Report?

Just curious — what do you see as the advantages to using a Table in Word over an Excel file? (I have neither, but am wondering if the same philosophy would apply to a Pages Table instead of a Numbers file.)

Also, I'm wondering if you could post an example of the table you use for your research trip?

Hi Kim,
When you create a Table in Word, you are getting all the functionality of manipulating text in Word that you are accustomed to. The Table does not have to be the entire document. I have created many docs in my lifetime that had a title and intro paragraphs at the top, just like any doc, then the Table. It's very clumsy to do that in Excel -- you have to be merging cells to get stuff centered on the page, etc. In Excel, you have to format cells as text, click a box to make it wrap, etc.

I don't see any compelling reason to create a text grid in Excel unless you specifically need the computation functions: adding up numbers, calculations, etc. If any of that is needed, then yes, you should be in Excel. OK, I did think of one exception, and that is for Research Logs. I'm following Thomas McEntee's Log format (I think it's his, or Barry Ewell's), and in Excel you can have separate worksheets in one Excel file, renaming the worksheet tabs at the bottom for each different surname. Can't do that in Word.

FWIW, one can copy a Table in Word, and paste it into Excel (paste over the same number of rows and columns, otherwise you get a message that it doesn't match). Cells/grids in Excel can be copied into a Word doc, and they become a Table at that point.

There are a few tricks to Tables, and this shouldn't become a lesson Word tables on this forum, but quickly:
1. The tab key jumps you from cell to cell in a row. When you are in the last cell of the last row, hitting the tab key creates a new blank row below.
2. If you actually want to tab-in inside a cell, you have do Control-Tab, because just hitting the tab key takes you to the next cell.
3. You can split a table in two. Highlight the row below where you want a break. From the menu bar: Table/Split table. The table will break into two. Backspace to combine them again.
4. If you are trying something and it doesn't work (such as adding a column or row), check to ensure your cursor is actually in the table somewhere, or that the table or part of it is highlighted.
5. No need to spend time tweaking the width of columns so that text cells are optimized to fit it all best on the page. Highlight the whole table, then: Table/AutoFit and Distribute/Autofit to Contents. Everything adjusts automatically. I do not think you can even approach that in Excel- it just shows where the page breaks will be, and you have to mess around manually to make adjustments.

Two images are attached:
1) Per your request, part of my book research list. I strikeout the font after using the book, to immediately show that it's "done." These now need to be moved down to the bottom of the table so I don't have to keep looking at them. (You can cut/copy/paste table rows and columns.)
2) My McFadden timeline, which I worked on after my previous post. Items in yellow have been added since the Reunion export: a "Comments" column, and additional timeline rows. Once I got the Reunion export into a table, it took about one minute to see why people recommend timelines -- I could immediately see that adding rows for two earlier censuses, and the Civil War, would help me see the whole picture better.

Hope this helps!
Susan

[Kim]

Re: Individual Timeline Report?

Since her questions were directed to me, I thought it would be polite to reply that I didn't have the answers. I thought directing her to the previous poster who could answer her questions was the proper thing to do. I guess I don't understand how threads work, and should have just ignored the question - oh, sigh.

Actually, my questions were directed to Susan, indicated by my quoting her. Just like my quoting you here indicates I am responding to you. Hope that helps you understand a little better how thread work.

[Kim]

Re: Individual Timeline Report?

Hi Kim,
When you create a Table in Word, you are getting all the functionality of manipulating text in Word that you are accustomed to. The Table does not have to be the entire document....
Hope this helps!
Susan

Thanks, Susan!

[Carolyn Maydole Hoard]

Re: Individual Timeline Report?

Actually, my questions were directed to Susan, indicated by my quoting her. Just like my quoting you here indicates I am responding to you. Hope that helps you understand a little better how thread work.

Thanks Kim, I'm learning!

[Melinda Anderson]

Re: Individual Timeline Report?

Kim, here is how I do it:
Uncheck all
Go to the person you want to have on a timeline - check just that person
Go to lists - choose Events
(For this timeline you'll need to have previously added anything with a date like census & residence)
When you have the timeline, you can send it to Word if you'd like. I go one step more and copy and paste in info to Excel (I like grids). You just need to adjust the columns.

I have been working with the events list, importing it into Word, but it doesn't come in exactly as a table. The problem seems to be in the memo field for the events- my comments spill over and go all the way to the left side/column. I've tried to edit it as a table in Word- but the memo thing messes it up. It's such a mess that I haven't even copied it into Excel. I also like grids and I love tables in Word- or Excel (if I have to). What am I missing here? Why does the memo field not stay as a column?

Correction: There IS no memo column- the info just appears UNDER the other fields- very hard to read!

[Carolyn Maydole Hoard]

Re: Individual Timeline Report?

I have been working with the events list, importing it into Word, but it doesn't come in exactly as a table. The problem seems to be in the memo field for the events- my comments spill over and go all the way to the left side/column. I've tried to edit it as a table in Word- but the memo thing messes it up. It's such a mess that I haven't even copied it into Excel. I also like grids and I love tables in Word- or Excel (if I have to). What am I missing here? Why does the memo field not stay as a column?

Correction: There IS no memo column- the info just appears UNDER the other fields- very hard to read!

The "spill over" is exactly why I copy and paste to Excel. I don't know Word tables well enough to use them. In Excel it is immediately in a grid and you can adjust the column widths easily. Memos are in their own column. I just did an experiment by copying and pasting Excel back to Word. Word still doesn't come out in proper columns. Sorry I'm not much help with Word!

[Melinda Anderson]

Re: Individual Timeline Report?

The "spill over" is exactly why I copy and paste to Excel. I don't know Word tables well enough to use them. In Excel it is immediately in a grid and you can adjust the column widths easily. Memos are in their own column. I just did an experiment by copying and pasting Excel back to Word. Word still doesn't come out in proper columns. Sorry I'm not much help with Word!

Thank you! I do use Excel (when I have to. . .), but usually use Word tables. I'm going to try that- and the tabs delimited thing mentioned earlier (which I hadn't seen before). I know this is possible! Thanks for your response!

[Carolyn Maydole Hoard]

Re: Individual Timeline Report?

Thank you! I do use Excel (when I have to. . .), but usually use Word tables. I'm going to try that- and the tabs delimited thing mentioned earlier (which I hadn't seen before). I know this is possible! Thanks for your response!

Hope it works for you!

[Kim]

Re: Individual Timeline Report?

I just thought I'd jump back in since this is an active discussion again and tell you what I've settled on....at least for now. First, I don't use timelines for everyone; I only put one together when I am having trouble with someone I am researching.

I ended up creating a Numbers template with columns for...

Checkbox - Age - Year - Date - Event - Place - Source - Notes
(The checkbox is marked when I am sure the fact applies to MY person)

I'm thinking of linking these into Reunion as a general source for the person, so that I can click and see it when I want, but I'm undecided on that at this point.