LifeLines supports source, event and other, user-defined record types. You access these features through the x operation from the main menu. When you select this operation LifeLines displays the following menu:
What activity do you want to perform? 1 Add a source record to the database 2 Edit source record from the database 3 Add an event record to the database 4 Edit event record from the database 5 Add an other record to the database 6 Edit other record from the database q Return to the main menu
The implementation of source, event and user-defined records is relatively new in LifeLines, and is still primitive. For example, sources cannot be searched by title or by author, you cannot browse to sources or events, as you can to persons and families, and so forth. In addition, there is no way to delete these new records. These shortcomings may be addressed in future releases.
This operation is used to add a new source record to the database. LifeLines creates a template source and puts you in the screen editor to edit the template. The default template is:
0 SOUR 1 REFN 1 TITL Title 1 AUTH Author
Do not change the 0 SOUR line. Otherwise you may edit this record any way you like. The 1 REFN line is a special line you can use to give the source a symbolic name that can be used in other records to refer to the source record. See the section on using REFN values. Because many sources have a title and an author, the default template has these lines. Here is how I recorded one of the sources in my database:
Example 1-13. Example of a source record
0 SOUR
1 REFN jcw
1 TITL The Wetmore Family of America, and its Collateral Branches: with
2 CONT Genealogical, Biographical, and Historical Notices
1 AUTH James Carnahan Wetmore
1 PUBL
2 DATE 1861
2 PLAC Albany, New York
2 INST Munsell and Rowland
2 ADDR 78 State StreetUse this operation to edit an existing source record already in the database. When you select this operation LifeLines asks you to identify a source:
Which source record do you want to edit? enter key or refn:
Identify a source by entering its key value, with or without the leading S, or by entering its REFN value. LifeLines retrieves the record and puts you in the editor with the record.
This operation adds a new event record to the database. LifeLines creates a template event and puts you in the screen editor to edit the template. The default template is:
0 EVEN
1 REFN
1 DATE
1 PLAC
1 INDI
2 NAME
2 ROLE
1 SOUR
Do not change the 0 EVEN line. Otherwise you may edit this record any way you like. The 1 REFN line allows you to give this event a symbolic name you can use when you want to refer to this event from other records. See the section on using REFN values. The default template suggests that an event has a date, a place, and refers to persons in roles with respect to the event. There is far less experience with event-based GEDCOM than there is with simple person and family GEDCOM. You may even be wondering why you would need event records when you can simply tuck events away in person and family records. This is a topic may get covered in an appendix.
Use this operation to edit an existing event record from the database. When you select this operation LifeLines asks you to identify an event:
Which event record do you want to edit? enter key or refn:
You identify a event by entering its key value, with or without the leading E, or by entering its REFN value. LifeLines retrieves the record and places you in the screen editor with the record.
This operation adds a new user-defined record to the database. LifeLines creates a template and puts you in the screen editor to edit the template. The default template is:
0 XXXX 1 REFN
Replace XXXX with the tag string you select for the type of the new record. You are free to choose any tag value except INDI, FAM, SOUR and EVEN. For example, if you keep record information about the ships that your North American immigrant ancestors arrived on, you would keep records about those ships in your database; the tag SHIP suggests itself for such records. The 1 REFN line allows you to give this record a symbolic name you can use when you want to refer to it from other records. See the section on using REFN values.
Use this operation to edit an existing user-defined record from the database. When you select this operation LifeLines asks you to identify the record:
What record do you want to edit? enter key or refn:
You identify a record by entering its key value, with or without the leading X, or by entering its REFN value. LifeLines retrieves the record and places you in the screen editor with the record.