Edit reports, notes

[BL Samuel]

I have years of data--am now using Reunion 10, but admit using other software and transferring data from one to another over the years does mess up data!

What I am hoping to find in Reunion 10, short of a miracle, is how to SEE all notes and data for an individual, then be able to edit the material into sensible sentences and proper chronology, with sources intact. Possible? How?

As in so many genealogy software programs, it is unclear as to what appears in reports of any kind--is it the notes attached to an event, the memo field, something entered in a data blank? Any rule of thumb for R-10?

Right now the whole thing is looking rather overwhelming to me!

[Michael Talibard]

Re: Edit reports, notes

[QUOTE=BL Samuel;35480]

[BL Samuel]

Re: Edit reports, notes

It will all make sense in time - really!

I would suggest you start by deciding on the layout for your Family View. (You can have several, but) start with one main one, and (since you say you'd like to SEE as much as possible on a person at once) experiment with including and arranging fields to your satisfaction. Notice that you can have a smart list of events if you wish. The other great area is the person's (or family's) multimedia: what is just too long to fit well in the fields of your Family View can be added as a document there, and is then only a click away.

Hope it goes well, and when you hit a snag, ask again.

Thank you, Michael. However, a little misunderstanding--I am talking about report output. for example, in a narrative report-any report that includes notes and sources details....well exactly how is that formatted? At present when I print such a report, lines are oft repeated, certainly there is not a good flow of narrative in anything that could be considered well constructed writing.

So my question pertains to how to input info for good output? One has notes, which can have sources; then one puts notations in citations which are often redundant to the note, etc. I am wondering if one should decide which of the many options for input to use, then ONLY use those--with sourcing of course. But even with the best of input systems, the final output is bound to need some editing...so can a report be sent to a word processor or editing program, edited and sent back to the file in corrected form? Many thanks. Bonnie

[Dennis J. Cunniff]

Re: Edit reports, notes

so can a report be sent to a word processor or editing program, edited and sent back to the file in corrected form? Many thanks. Bonnie

It sounds like what you need to do is set the destination of your report (which is probably set to "Printer" now) to your word processor. If you search the manual for "Destinations for Configured Reports" you will find how to do this.

There's no need to send the report "back" anywhere: each report will be a new word processor file, which you can save or print from your word processor. If for some reason you wanted to transfer changes you've made back to the Reunion note field, you'd cut and paste the portion you want to transfer.

[BL Samuel]

Re: Edit reports, notes

It sounds like what you need to do is set the destination of your report (which is probably set to "Printer" now) to your word processor. If you search the manual for "Destinations for Configured Reports" you will find how to do this.

There's no need to send the report "back" anywhere: each report will be a new word processor file, which you can save or print from your word processor. If for some reason you wanted to transfer changes you've made back to the Reunion note field, you'd cut and paste the portion you want to transfer.

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Thank you, Dennis. I will make that change in destinations then.

Do you have advice on which of the many options for notes or memos, it is best to put text/narrative that pertains to the person--it seems to me if one uses the memo, note, source comment all for one item you then get gobbley gook in the report! What I want to achieve is essentially a narrative report of a person or family's history, including stories and docs which gives a picture of who they actually were....with sources! I'd appreciate your thoughts on this. thanks

[Dennis J. Cunniff]

Re: Edit reports, notes

Do you have advice on which of the many options for notes or memos, it is best to put text/narrative that pertains to the person--it seems to me if one uses the memo, note, source comment all for one item you then get gobbley gook in the report! What I want to achieve is essentially a narrative report of a person or family's history, including stories and docs which gives a picture of who they actually were....with sources! I'd appreciate your thoughts on this. thanks

I tend to put everything in the misc. notes field. I don't mind tidying up in a report; I consider it a starting point, not a finished work. If you want to build a multimedia biography, I'd take Reunion's output as a framework and add to it (optimally in InDesign, but it could be done in Word or Pages or another word processor

But another solution would be to create a notes field specifically for use in reports...you could call it "narrative notes" or "biography" or anything else that makes sense for you, and opt to include it in any reports you create.

[BL Samuel]

Re: Edit reports, notes

Thanks so much, Dennis. this is very helpful.