Ron, Hmmmmm, I'll have to take a closer look at this and think about it before I get much further editing my place names. My initial reaction is to wonder why would I want to use an abbreviate version of place names in text sentences, where there is no real restrictions on length and I've already consistently and purposely spelled them out after all these years. Thank you for the quick reply. I will take another look at this before going much further. David E. Cann decann@infionline.net -----Original Message----- From: rootsmagic-users-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:rootsmagic-users-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Ronald Bernier Sent: Sunday, December 23, 2012 12:48 PM To: rootsmagic-users@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [RMagic] Function of the "Abbreviated place name (if any)" field David, >From the RM help file: Abbreviated place name - You can enter an abbreviated place name. The abbreviated place name can be called up by using the [place:short] field option to show the shortened version. You would add the :short field option in the Customize sentence field to subsequent uses of a place name after the first full-length place name is shown. (Since there is no automated application of the full-length verses :short field option, it is not advisable to apply this field option to the [place] field in all the fact type sentence templates or the role sentence templates.) Ron Bernier Woonsocket, RI -----Original Message----- From: rootsmagic-users-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:rootsmagic-users-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of David E. Cann Sent: Sunday, December 23, 2012 12:07 PM To: RootsMagic Users List Posting Subject: [RMagic] Function of the "Abbreviated place name (if any)" field In the Edit Place dialogue of RM6 (and earlier) the bottom available field for data entry is labeled "Abbreviated place name (if any)." I am going through more than 5,000 place names and standardizing them all to use the new Place Detail feature, and I keep seeing this Abbreviated place name field and wondering what it is used for. I never abbreviate any place name, I standardize everything spelled all the way out such as the "Garrisonville, Stafford County, Virginia" where I live, so I have never used it. However, in bringing up my Edit Place dialogue so often and looking at the ONLY field in it that is not used, my curiosity has gotten the better of me, so I am asking another curious question. In short, what is this field used for and what does it do? Is this field where we enter a standard abbreviation for each place name, and if so, where does that abbreviation appear in the great scheme of things in the world of RootsMagic? I cannot find any reference to this in the program helps, nor has my limited experimentation with entries in this field revealed anything, so now I am asking. For the first time ever, I didn't buy the printed book with my upgrade but maybe I should have. My editing process for my place names is currently down to "F" though, so if I can find out what this place name field is used for then now is the time to begin using it if I am going to do so, before I have too many more place name entries to redo than A-F. Given the date, I suspect that most subscribers to this list "have a life" involving family festivities at this time of year and NOT genealogy, but I am obviously not one of them. :-( I suspect for this reason I may not get an answer to this for a few days at least, but I would appreciate hearing from someone who knows the function of this optional field. What have I been missing all of this time? Thank you for the help. David E. Cann decann@infionline.net

If you like to have person names in narrative reports always presented as prefix, given, surname, suffix then you probably would want places to always come out town, county, state, country and have no desire for abbreviated place names such as town just as you have no desire to see a person's names as just Given. Other users find that to be far too wordy and repetitive. Tom On 2012-12-23, at 1:40 PM, "David E. Cann" <decann@infionline.net> wrote: > Ron, > > Hmmmmm, I'll have to take a closer look at this and think about it before I > get much further editing my place names. My initial reaction is to wonder > why would I want to use an abbreviate version of place names in text > sentences, where there is no real restrictions on length and I've already > consistently and purposely spelled them out after all these years. > > Thank you for the quick reply. I will take another look at this before > going much further. > > > David E. Cann > decann@infionline.net > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: rootsmagic-users-bounces@rootsweb.com > [mailto:rootsmagic-users-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Ronald Bernier > Sent: Sunday, December 23, 2012 12:48 PM > To: rootsmagic-users@rootsweb.com > Subject: Re: [RMagic] Function of the "Abbreviated place name (if any)" > field > > David, > >> From the RM help file: > > Abbreviated place name - You can enter an abbreviated place name. The > abbreviated place name can be called up by using the [place:short] field > option to show the shortened version. You would add the :short field option > in the Customize sentence field to subsequent uses of a place name after the > first full-length place name is shown. (Since there is no automated > application of the full-length verses :short field option, it is not > advisable to apply this field option to the [place] field in all the fact > type sentence templates or the role sentence templates.) > > Ron Bernier > Woonsocket, RI > > -----Original Message----- > From: rootsmagic-users-bounces@rootsweb.com > [mailto:rootsmagic-users-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of David E. Cann > Sent: Sunday, December 23, 2012 12:07 PM > To: RootsMagic Users List Posting > Subject: [RMagic] Function of the "Abbreviated place name (if any)" field > > In the Edit Place dialogue of RM6 (and earlier) the bottom available field > for data entry is labeled "Abbreviated place name (if any)." I am going > through more than 5,000 place names and standardizing them all to use the > new Place Detail feature, and I keep seeing this Abbreviated place name > field and wondering what it is used for. I never abbreviate any place name, > I standardize everything spelled all the way out such as the "Garrisonville, > Stafford County, Virginia" where I live, so I have never used it. However, > in bringing up my Edit Place dialogue so often and looking at the ONLY field > in it that is not used, my curiosity has gotten the better of me, so I am > asking another curious question. > > In short, what is this field used for and what does it do? Is this field > where we enter a standard abbreviation for each place name, and if so, where > does that abbreviation appear in the great scheme of things in the world of > RootsMagic? I cannot find any reference to this in the program helps, nor > has my limited experimentation with entries in this field revealed anything, > so now I am asking. For the first time ever, I didn't buy the printed book > with my upgrade but maybe I should have. My editing process for my place > names is currently down to "F" though, so if I can find out what this place > name field is used for then now is the time to begin using it if I am going > to do so, before I have too many more place name entries to redo than A-F. > > Given the date, I suspect that most subscribers to this list "have a life" > involving family festivities at this time of year and NOT genealogy, but I > am obviously not one of them. :-( I suspect for this reason I may not get > an answer to this for a few days at least, but I would appreciate hearing > from someone who knows the function of this optional field. What have I > been missing all of this time? Thank you for the help. > > > David E. Cann > decann@infionline.net > > > > > =================================== > RM list Archives: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/ROOTSMAGIC-USERS/ > http://archiver.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/search?path=ROOTSMAGIC-USERS > WISH LIST: http://www.rootsmagic.com/forums/ BLOG: http://blog.rootsmagic.com/ > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to ROOTSMAGIC-USERS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message