Source Templates

What Is a Source Template?
Each Source Template Has a Collection of Fields
Source Template Settings
Creating a New Template for Source Records
Naming the Source Template
Adding Fields to the Source Template
Removing Fields from the Source Template
Reordering Source Fields in a Source Template
Deleting and Duplicating Source Templates

Labels for Source Templates In Endnotes

Delimiters Between Fields in Sources
Changing the Template of a Source Record

Sources: An Overview

What Is a Source Template?

When you add a new source, you can specify its template. You can also change the template of an existing source. The source template refers to the collection and order of source fields that comprise the source.

You can add or remove fields that make up the various source templates and thus fundamentally alter the structure of new, "empty" source records. In addition, you can build your own templates for source records. Some preset source templates are shown below.

Source Templates
Book
Census
Deed
Email Message
Family Bible
Free Form
GEDCOM file
Interview
Letter
Newspaper
Periodical
Tax List
Vital Record
Web Site
Will

Each Source Template Has a Collection of Fields

When you add a source, a collection of fields associated with the source template will automatically appear in the Source Fields section of the Source window. For example, when you add a Book source, a collection of fields typically associated with a book will automatically appear. In addition, every source template contains a Free-Form Text field.

Source Template:
Interview
Book
Newspaper
Source Fields:
Title
Date
Interviewer
Locality
Library/Archive
Free-Form Text
Author
Title
Publisher
Publication Place
Publication Date
Free-Form Text
Author
Article Title
Name
Date
Free-Form Text

Source Template Settings

To examine the various source templates...

This opens the Templates section of the Source Settings window which lists different source templates on the left side. When clicking a source template on the left, the right side of the window shows the fields that embody the selected source template. (The Free-Form Text field does not appear in the list of Fields — it is always included, in every source record.)

Creating a New Template for Source Records

Reunion includes many preformatted source templates from which to choose. However, you may need to define new templates for sources. To do this...

Before adding a new source template, scroll through the list on the left, to make sure the desired template isn't already defined. If it is not, click the Add Template button to create a new source template.

When you add a new source template, a new item called New Source Template is added to the list of source templates. Next, you need to name the new source template and choose its fields.

Naming the Source Template

To name the source template, you can type directly into the highlighted area in the list, the same way that you rename files in the Macintosh Finder. Source template names must be unique.

Adding Fields to the Source Template

Every source template will include a Free-Form Text field. To add additional fields to the source template, use the Add Field button. A list of source fields in your family file will appear.

If you don't see the field you need in the menu, click Cancel and then, back in the Source Settings window, click the Fields button. This will open the Fields section of the Source Settings window, wherein you can add new source fields to the family file.

Removing Fields from the Source Template

To remove fields from the source template, select the proper field (on the right side of the Source Settings [Templates] window) and click the Remove [FieldName] button. This does not remove the field from existing source records. It only affects new sources.

Reordering Source Fields in a Source Template

To reorder the fields that constitute the source record, click and drag fields in the list on the right side. The order of fields in the list determines their order of appearance in endnotes.

Deleting and Duplicating Source Templates

To delete a source template, highlight the source template in the list (on the left side of the Source Settings window) and click the Delete [SourceTemplate] button. When a source template is deleted, all sources of the designated template will be converted to free-form sources.

To duplicate a source template, highlight the desired source template in the list and click the Duplicate [SourceTemplate] button.

Labels for Source Templates in Endnotes

The label of a source template is a user-defined text string that may, at your option, be included as a prefix to the endnote. There may be some source templates that will be better understood by your readers if the endnote contains a prefix label to identify the source template.

For example, let's say you're using a source template of "letter" with fields including "author," "date," and "date received." The output on the Register report may read something like:

Joe Bloggs, 3 Sep 1998, 5 Sep 1998

...which is meaningless to another reader of the Register report. However, by including a source template label (and source field labels) it could look more like this:

Letter. Author: Joe Bloggs, Date: 3 Sep 1998, Received: 5 Sep 1998.

In this example, the label of the source template is "Letter." The source field labels are: "Author:" "Date:" and "Received:"

To include a label for the source template in endnotes...

  1. Choose Reunion > Settings.
  2. Click Sources.
  3. Select the source template in the list.
  4. Check the button Include label prefix in endnote.
  5. Type a label into the Label field.

Click here to learn how to include a label for individual source fields.

Delimiters Between Fields in Sources

The punctuation between fields of a source record may be either a comma or semicolon. And the choice of punctuation can be specified independently for each source template, or may be applied globally to all source templates. (This punctuation applies in the source preview and in the endnotes of reports.)

To specify the punctuation between fields of source records...

  1. Choose Reunion > Settings.
  2. Click Sources.
  3. Select the desired source template in the list.
  4. Use the Field Delimiter button to select comma or semicolon.
  5. To apply this choice to all source templates, use the Field Delimiter button and select Apply this setting to all templates. A confirming message will appear.
Changing the Template of a Source Record

To change the template of a source record, open a source record by selecting Sources in the Sidebar list and double-clicking a source in the Sources sidebar. Then use the Template button, located in the lower-left corner of the Source window.

When a source is converted from one template to another, its fields are inserted into the new source intelligently, following this process...

  1. Empty fields of the original source are removed.
  2. The fields in the new source template are placed at the beginning of the new source record.
  3. Fields from the original source whose names match the names of fields in the new source are merged into the new source.
  4. The remaining fields of the original source (that don't appear in the new source template) are appended to the new source record.