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Archiver > TMG > 2003-01 > 1042471044


From: "James P. Colgate" <>
Subject: Re: [TMG] Dealing with "Accepted sources"
Date: Mon, 13 Jan 2003 10:17:24 -0500
References: <022901c2bad5$de94cf90$ae6a3b42@Johnmain>


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----- Original Message -----
From: "John Farmer" <>
> So...if I make a flag MF12 for the 12th volume, assign yes, and even
display the names from this in a unique color scheme, I think I have done
enough source identification. I could add an introductory sentence to
identify where the information came from. In addition, I was thinking of
adding a suffix to the head of each family I took from the book, so it would
look like, Samuel Cook, [MF12]. Is such a suffix possible? Am I heading for
dangerous shoals?

Hi John,
Providing accurate source identification to the data you include in your
reports is one of the great, powerful features of TMG. If you relegate the
identification of your sources to a flag, that would probably be fine for
you when you're looking at the screen at your computer. But the flags don't
print in reports, so your reports won't say where you got the info from. So
I recommend supporting your info with sources the way TMG is designed to let
you, so your reports can have proper footnotes/endnotes and bibliographies,
etc. But the choice is up to you -- the great thing about TMG is that it
lets you do it any way you want.

I will add that if your narrative text reads something like "According to
ABC book, Samuel Cook was born . . . ", that can make great sense in some
places if that's what you want. The idea of the suffix after each name could
also work fine depending on how the completed report looks when it's done --
it's always hard for me to envision the completed work before it's done.
So, if you go that route, I'd recommend thinking about how *technically* you
achieve the suffix thing, so that you perhaps design a system that can be
revered globally if you decide to change it later. If you need ideas, just
ask and I'm sure you'll get suggestions.

James Colgate

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