Wishlist, Export "LIVING" flag to GEDCOM

[elevator 0]

Good evening,

I took this up in a previous topic but would like to add it to some sort of wishlist (not sure if this is where to di it?). In any event, for people who have died but no sources exist to document a death date or death place I normally set the standard living flag to N to indicate that the person died. However, when exporting to GEDCOM to data is left out, leaving no traces in the GEDCOM that the person died. The ideal way (for me anyways) would be to export a 1 DEAT Y gedcom tag to indicate that a person is in fact dead but no other data surrounding the death are known.

 

When I realized TMG didn't do this I even went as far as to create an uncited Death tag, but even that simply exports as 1 DEAT (which makes no sense to external programs utilizing the GEDCOM standard).

 

I hope a method can be implemented either by using the Living flag (ideal) or through an empty death tag that would allow the information to be exported to GEDCOM.

 

Thank you very much,

Ken.

[Shaundm 0]

I use flag values such as Yes, No, Unavailable for Birth & Death Events, so I know that there are no records around when it states Unavavilable.

 

I also use Birth Alternative (a custom tag) when i find a dodgy/wrong date.

[Jim Byram 0]

I hope a method can be implemented either by using the Living flag (ideal) or through an empty death tag that would allow the information to be exported to GEDCOM.

Ken,

 

The specs are quite clear (although incomplete) on the 'Y' convention for the DEAT tag and I'll see if that can't be implemented. The specs simply don't deal with the flag issue.

 

I would say that if Death tag exists and has no date AND no place AND Living=N, then the death event should be exported as 1 DEAT Y.

 

The Death tag would typically make an assertion (data for the death based on a source) whereas, the Living=N setting could be based on a Death tag with valid evidence or could be based on an assumption (all persons older than nnn years). The logic that I've proposed above allows the DEAT tag in the database to represent either an assertion or not. You could have a Death tag with no date AND no place but with a memo saying 'Sally thinks that Uncle Frank has died.' and Living=?. In that case, the export would be 1 DEAT with no 'Y' consistent with the intent of the GEDCOM specs (which don't cover all possibilities as written).

 

You'll note that the 1 TAG Y convention applies to all tags in the GEDCOM Individual_Event_Structure but I don't see the point of dealing with the other event tags. 1 EDUC Y makes little sense to me.

 

Jim

[elevator 0]

I can live with that. It sounds quite logical. The main thing for me is the final effect of the information being exported to GEDCOM, if that is done through a flag or empty death tag really is secondary to me. I was just illuminating cases where I for example have an ascendant that lived in the 1500's. Obviously this person is long dead. It seems to me in this case to be wrong to input a Death tag in TMG because it would then be citationless which in turn indicates poor citation procedures. In this situation using the flag would make more sense because the person is LOGICALLY presumed dead (because no one lives to be 500 years), whereas using the death tag assumes that he is DOCUMENTED to be dead. Using the flag I think illustrates this difference.

 

But like I said, your proposed solutions fits me just fine and I don't mind inputing a death tag and citing myself as the source with the note that since person lived around 1500, he must logically be dead.

 

Thanks for your help Jim.

 

Ken.

 

Ken,

 

The specs are quite clear (although incomplete) on the 'Y' convention for the DEAT tag and I'll see if that can't be implemented. The specs simply don't deal with the flag issue.

 

I would say that if Death tag exists and has no date AND no place AND Living=N, then the death event should be exported as 1 DEAT Y.

 

The Death tag would typically make an assertion (data for the death based on a source) whereas, the Living=N setting could be based on a Death tag with valid evidence or could be based on an assumption (all persons older than nnn years). The logic that I've proposed above allows the DEAT tag in the database to represent either an assertion or not. You could have a Death tag with no date AND no place but with a memo saying 'Sally thinks that Uncle Frank has died.' and Living=?. In that case, the export would be 1 DEAT with no 'Y' consistent with the intent of the GEDCOM specs (which don't cover all possibilities as written).

 

You'll note that the 1 TAG Y convention applies to all tags in the GEDCOM Individual_Event_Structure but I don't see the point of dealing with the other event tags. 1 EDUC Y makes little sense to me.

 

Jim