Reports - Too many periods and double names

[Cheri7 0]

I am using TMG 6.12 and Windows XP. Ques. #1: On the individual narrative and descendancy narrative reports I sometimes get 2 or 3 periods instead of the usual 1 after a sentence. They seem to appear when I have used the memo: <[M]> but not every time. I go back and carefully edit my input, but it doesn't help. Ques #2: On these same reports, the names print out twice like this: George Henry Danford(8). George Henry Danford (8) was born on 2 Mar 1843 ......

Any ideas? Great program, I enjoy using it. Thanks.

[Terry Reigel 0]

You don't need to end memos with a period - TMG adds one if none exits at the end of the sentence. But it shouldn't allow multiple periods, and I'm unable to replicate that. My guess is that you have one or more tags included in the report that have no output themselves and are just contributing their final periods. I'd suggest comparing the output in the report with the list of tags in the Person View to see if any tags fail to produce text.

 

The double name is caused by the first tag in report not starting with the name of the person. TMG's narrative reports always start each person's section with that person's name. When the first tag does the same, the name appears only once. Since the first tag printing does start with the name, I suspect that you have a tag before that that has no output. Again, check for tags before the birth tag that are producing no output. Remember that tags with no sort date will always print first, even if set to appear the bottom of the person view.

[JohnR 0]

You don't need to end memos with a period - TMG adds one if none exits at the end of the sentence. But it shouldn't allow multiple periods, and I'm unable to replicate that. My guess is that you have one or more tags included in the report that have no output themselves and are just contributing their final periods. I'd suggest comparing the output in the report with the list of tags in the Person View to see if any tags fail to produce text.

 

Terry, I am certain that this double/treble period is a bug - I have reported it several times over the last two or three years

[John Cardinal 0]

I am certain that this double/treble period is a bug - I have reported it several times over the last two or three years.

Can you reproduce it?

[Cheri7 0]

Terry, thank you for your advice. Yes, I get an extra period when I use the memo sentence structure <[M]> and have not entered any text. The extra period also appears when I have used <[M0]> when I don't want my comment to print out. If this isn't what the M0 is for, how would I enter a comment just for myself? Couldn't find anything in the instructions, etc. I have a few other times those pesky extra periods are printing out, so will report on those when I have time.

Also, on the double names: I've checked and the first tag is the birth tag and all tags have a sort date. I removed a sort date on one, and it placed that tag between the names.

Cheri

[Terry Reigel 0]

Terry, thank you for your advice. Yes, I get an extra period when I use the memo sentence structure and have not entered any text.

If the sentence consists of only and there is nothing in the text, then all you will get as output from the tag is the period.

The extra period also appears when I have used when I don't want my comment to print out. If this isn't what the M0 is for, how would I enter a comment just for myself?

Well, no. The is for when you want something in the tag to print, but not the contents of the memo.

 

There are two good ways to create notes that do not print. One is to exclude the sentence - add the exclusion marker (a hyphen) as the first character in the sentence.

 

Even better, in my view, is to create a custom tag type for these notes, and when you create reports don't select that tag type. This lets you print them if you should want to for some reason in a particular report.

Also, on the double names: I've checked and the first tag is the birth tag and all tags have a sort date. I removed a sort date on one, and it placed that tag between the names.

Puzzling. What is the sentence of the birth tag?

 

 

Terry, I am certain that this double/treble period is a bug - I have reported it several times over the last two or three years

In the case Cheri just reported it was caused by proper operation of the program - outputing a tag with no text.

 

Can you provide an example of when you see it so we can figure out what's happening?

[MMj 0]

Also, on the double names: I've checked and the first tag is the birth tag and all tags have a sort date. I removed a sort date on one, and it placed that tag between the names.

 

Hi

 

In my own TMG database, I have often noticed that TMG will take offense if I use the [M] variable at the very beginning of a sentence, before the [P] variable or one of its deritives. For Example,

 

<[M]> [P] was born <[D]> <[L]>

 

results in the following when the contents of the memo field is empty:

 

John Smith (2401). John Smith (2401) was born on 21 Jan 1900 in St. Mary's Co., Maryland.

 

Equally unfortunately, this is what I get if I stick some text in the memo field and then use the same sentence:

 

John Smith (2401). After a really tough day for his mother, John Smith (2401) was born on 21 Jan 1900 in St. Mary's Co., Maryland.

 

Seems like TMG really wants to start that first sentence with the name of the principal, which, upon reflection, doesn't seem like an unreasonable thing for it to want to do.

 

I tripped over this anomaly (at least I think it is an anomaly) about a year ago when I was playing around with using split memos to try to give myself the flexibility to add text before the principal subject of the sentence. I believe I reported the issue at the time, but I'm not certain that I did.

 

Is something like this causing your double-name problem?

 

Mike Daugherty

Frederick, Maryland

[John Cardinal 0]

In my own TMG database, I have often noticed that TMG will take offense if I use the [M] variable at the very beginning of a sentence, before the [P] variable or one of its deritives. For Example,

 

[P] was born

 

results in the following when the contents of the memo field is empty:

 

John Smith (2401). John Smith (2401) was born on 21 Jan 1900 in St. Mary's Co., Maryland.

That behavior is by design. In various narrative reports, if the sentence for the first tag has anything before the [P] variable, TMG will insert the subject's primary name to ensure that the narrative starts with the subject's name. Personally, I wish there was an option to turn off that processing, but it's not a bug or anomaly.

[MMj 0]

That behavior is by design. In various narrative reports, if the sentence for the first tag has anything before the [P] variable, TMG will insert the subject's primary name to ensure that the narrative starts with the subject's name. Personally, I wish there was an option to turn off that processing, but it's not a bug or anomaly.

 

Thanks for the clarification on that point, John. I wish there was an option to turn that off too. Perhaps if enough of us wish hard enough...

 

Mike

[Terry Reigel 0]

I suspect the name must be first because the ID# and/or reference field, and the Name and relationship source notes are attached to it if they are selected. In the Journal Generation numbers and the back-reference names also appear there if they are selected. Where would all these appear if you could turn of the manditory name first?

[JohnR 0]

Can you reproduce it?

 

Yes

In an individual narrative (but not limited to this report - its just easier to find as an example)

 

Emma Duncan Crooker was born on 17 Sep 1836 in Bath, Maine. . She married Hon. Arthur Sewell, son of William Dunning Sewell and

 

Standard sentence = [P] was born <[D]> <in [L]> <[M]> in UK English

 

and another

 

Hadeguisa (Unknown) married Robert Marmion Sieur de Fontenay. . She recorded as a widow and a nun at Caen in 1101.

 

[P] married [PO] <[PARO]> <[D]> <in [L]> <[M]>

[Terry Reigel 0]

Emma Duncan Crooker was born on 17 Sep 1836 in Bath, Maine. . She married Hon. Arthur Sewell, son of William Dunning Sewell and

What tags lie between the birth and marriage tag in her person view?

Hadeguisa (Unknown) married Robert Marmion Sieur de Fontenay. . She recorded as a widow and a nun at Caen in 1101.

And what tags lie between the marriage tag and the one producing the last sentence in her person view?

 

Assuming there are tags there, what are their sentences, and what are the contents of the fields referenced in the sentences?

[Cheri7 0]

Terry - thanks, this is working great. No more extra periods. (There are two good ways to create notes that do not print. One is to exclude the sentence - add the exclusion marker (a hyphen) as the first character in the sentence. Even better, in my view, is to create a custom tag type for these notes, and when you create reports don't select that tag type. This lets you print them if you should want to for some reason in a particular report.)

 

And for the double names on the reports - I had a tab inserted before the standard TMG birth wording. Removed the tab and now I don't have the double names.

Appreciate the help.

[JohnR 0]

What tags lie between the birth and marriage tag in her person view?

 

And what tags lie between the marriage tag and the one producing the last sentence in her person view?

 

Assuming there are tags there, what are their sentences, and what are the contents of the fields referenced in the sentences?

 

The default Name-Marr in both cases with null sentences (as they came out of the packet all those years ago!)

[Terry Reigel 0]

The default Name-Marr in both cases with null sentences (as they came out of the packet all those years ago!)

John, what do you mean by "null sentences?" The default sentence for that tag is:

 

[PP] married name was [N]

 

If you are using the UK version, there is no default sentence in English (UK), so the default sentence in English (US) is used - that's the one above.

 

If you have deleted the active sentence for that tag type, and that tag type is included in the report, you will still get a period produced by that tag. Empty sentences still print, but produce only the period. That would agree with the results you describe.

 

To avoid the period you can:

 

1) Exclude the tag from the report, by using Selected tags and then not selecting this tag type, or

 

2) Change the sentence to an exclusion marker (a hyphen).

[JohnR 0]

John, what do you mean by "null sentences?" The default sentence for that tag is:

 

<As of [D],>[PP] married name was [N] <[M]>

 

If you are using the UK version, there is no default sentence in English (UK), so the default sentence in English (US) is used - that's the one above.

 

If you have deleted the active sentence for that tag type, and that tag type is included in the report, you will still get a period produced by that tag. Empty sentences still print, but produce only the period. That would agree with the results you describe.

 

To avoid the period you can:

 

1) Exclude the tag from the report, by using Selected tags and then not selecting this tag type, or

 

2) Change the sentence to an exclusion marker (a hyphen).

 

That seems to have solved the problem. 3 years of the occasional whinge to Dorothy and it was that simple. Thank you.

[Terry Reigel 0]

You're welcome, John. Sorry it took so long, but I'm glad it's finally fixed.