Census Addons

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Revision as of 08:52, 8 February 2011 by Romjerome (talk | contribs) (Census Editor)
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There are two census addons: a gramplet and a report.

The gramplet allows users to create and edit census data in a single form.

The report prints census events in a format similar to the original census entries.

Configuration

Before using the census addons you need to define which of your sources are census sources.

To do this you need to edit each source and add an entry in the Data tab. The entry must have a key of "Census" and a value which is a code that identifies the census.

SourceForCensus.png

Supported values are:

Code Description
UK1841 1841 England and Wales Census
UK1851 1851 England and Wales Census
UK1861 1861 England and Wales Census
UK1871 1871 England and Wales Census
UK1881 1881 England and Wales Census
UK1891 1891 England and Wales Census
UK1901 1901 England and Wales Census
UK1911 1911 England and Wales Census
Code Description (Key=Recensement)
- 1774 French Census
FR1790 1790 French Census
FR1793 1793 (An II) French Census
FR1796 1796 (An V) French/Belgian Census
FR1801 1801 (An X) French/Belgian Census
FR1806 1806 French/Belgian Census
- 1817 French Census
FR1820 1820/1821 French Census
FR1826 1826 French Census
FR1831 1831 French Census
FR1836 1836 French Census
FR1841 1841 French Census
FR1846 1846 French Census
FR1851 1851 French Census
FR1856 1856 French Census
FR1861 1861 French Census
FR1866 1866 French Census
FR1872 1872 French Census
FR1876 1876 French Census
FR1881 1881 French Census
FR1886 1886 French Census
FR1891 1891 French Census
FR1896 1896 French Census
FR1901 1901 French Census
FR1906 1906 French Census
FR Local Census (not national)
Code Description
- 1814 Belgian/French Census
- 1829 Belgian/Nederland Census
BE1846 1846 Belgian Census
BE1856 1856 Belgian Census
BE1866 1866 Belgian Census
BE1880 1880 Belgian Census
BE1890 1890 Belgian Census
BE1900 1900 Belgian Census
BE1910 1910 Belgian Census
Code Description
US1790 1790 US Census
US1800 1800 US Census
US1810 1810 US Census
US1820 1820 US Census
US1830 1830 US Census
US1840 1840 US Census
US1850 1850 US Census
US1860 1860 US Census
US1870 1870 US Census
US1880 1880 US Census
US1890 1890 US Census
US1900 1900 US Census
US1910 1910 US Census
US1920 1920 US Census
US1930 1930 US Census
Code Description
CA1851EW-A 1851 Canada East and West Census: Personal Census
CA1851EW-B 1851 Canada East and West Census: Agricultural Census
CA1861EW 1861 Canada East and West Census
CA1871 1871 Canadian Census
CA1881 1881 Canadian Census
CA1891 1891 Canadian Census
CA1901-1 1901 Canadian Census: Schedule 1
CA1901-2 1901 Canadian Census: Schedule 2
CA1906 1906 Canadian Census: Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta
CA1911 1911 Canadian Census
CA1911-A1 1911 Canadian Census: Schedule A1
CA1916 1916 Canadian Census: Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta

Census Gramplet

The census gramplet consists of a census listing and a census editor.

Census Listing

When the gramplet is loaded it lists all the census events for the active person. The listing displays the census source, date and place.

A new census event can be created by clicking the "New" button at the bottom of the gramplet.

An existing census event can be edited either by highlighting a row and clicking the "Edit" button or by double-clicking on a row.

Census Editor

Census edition

The census editor is designed so that most census data can be entered into a single form.

  • The first thing to enter is the census source. This is selected from a drop-down list at the top of the editor.
  • Once the source has been selected the census date is populated automatically.
  • Next a source reference can be entered. This should comprise of one or more references that uniquely identify the census entry. In the case of a UK census you will need to enter the PRO reference, Piece, Folio and Page.
  • A place can be selected in the usual Gramps manner.

At the bottom of the editor there is a table which allows the user to enter data specific to individual people listed on the census return. A new person can be created and then added to the census by clicking the "+" button. A person already in Gramps can be added to the census by clicking the second button ("share"). A census source must be selected before people can be added to the list, and after the first person is added, the source can no longer be changed.

The cells in the table are editable. By clicking on a cell, the user can enter data from the census return into a corresponding column in the table.

A person can be removed from the list by clicking the "-" button.

The order of people in the list can be changed by highlighting a row and then using the up and down arrow buttons.

The census data can then be saved by clicking the "OK" button or discarded using "Cancel".

Census Report

The census report prints census events in a format similar to the original census entries.

Which censuses are printed is determined by settings in the Report Options.

A drop-down list allows the following options:

  • By Person
  • By Source
  • By Person and Source
  • All Census records

Use the first option to print all census records for a given person. This defaults to the current person but can be changed using a selector.

Use the second option to print all census records for a given source. Select the required source from the drop-down list.

The third option can be used to print a single census. Both the person and source selections are taken into account.

The last option prints all censuses in the database.

Data Storage

Each census return is stored as a single event record with an event type of "Census".

The chosen source is attached to the event and contents of the "Reference" field are stored and the "Volume/Page" field of the associated source reference object.

The "Date" and "Place" fields are stored in the event object.

Each person in the table is attached to the event. The contents of the table are stored as attributes in the associated event reference object. The attribute type is set to the column heading and the value is set to the contents of the cell. An additional attribute called "Order" contains an integer which defines the position that the person appears in the census.

The addons will read existing data in this format. If "Order" attributes do not exist, they will be created when the editor saves a record. Until then the order of the people in the census will not be defined.

Data can also be edited using the usual Gramps editors.

Known Issues

When using the census editor the user should not edit the same event using the standard Gramps event editor.

When the save button in the editor is clicked, the person records of the people in the census are updated. If a person is being edited using the Gramps person editor and the record is saved then data saved using the census editor will be lost for this person.

Future Enhancements

I plan to implement the following enhancements:

  • Add heading fields for Municipal Ward, Ecclesiastical Parish etc...
  • Split the Source Reference Page/Volume field into its component parts. (e.g. Ref., Piece, Folio, Page)
  • Add a census image to gallery of the Event object.
  • Add the current person when creating a new census.
  • Improve data entry into the table cells. Automatically edit the next cell when "Enter" is pressed.

The following have been requested but require further thought:

  • Add check-boxes to automatically add the census source to selected Gramps records.
  • Ensure that attributes are kept in the correct order in the Gramps editor.
  • Remove the need to add Data tags to sources. Create a tool to define census sources and store them in the Gramps configuration file.

External Links and ressources