Mike is correct, of course, but he is
thinking of performing the merge in the standard way which can
be used for any record type, by selecting the records to be
emerged in the Records window then using Edit>Merge/Compare
Records. On the other hand I was thinking of Using Tools>Work
with Data>Places, where you can select the records to
be merged and then click the Merge button. In that
case you only get to choose one whole record for the final
version, and you cannot ‘pick and choose’ which parts are
retained. So if you do it that way the final record will have
whatever geocoding was in the record you selected for the
final version, even if it had none and one of the other
records did have geocoding.
Lorna
The
principles of merging any type of record are fundamentally
the same, but depend on several factors.
If
a particular field is allowed multiple instances, such as
Notes or linked Media, then the Merge keeps all instances
from both records.
If
a particular field is only allowed one instance, such as
Lat/Long geocoding, then the Merge applies some simple
rules.
When
only one of the two records has a value in that field, or
the value in both records is the same, then that value is
kept in the merged record.
It
is only when both records have a different value in that
field that a decision is needed.
Whichever
record is chosen as the final or preferred record then its
field value is kept by default, but that can be reversed in
the Merge Record dialogue.
So
when Lorna says for the final merged record the geocoding in
that record will remain unchanged is not strictly correct.
If
the preferred final record has no geocoding, but the other
record does, then that other geocoding will be used by
default, but can be manually overridden.
Mike
Tate
When you merge two Place records you choose
which one is to be the final merged record, and the geocoding
in that record will remain unchanged. When you edit the name
of a record the geocoding remains unchanged. If you then want
to refresh the automatic geocoding, select the record(s) in
the Records window and click Map>Map Location of
Selected Place Records (or use Tools>Work with
Data> Places, select them there then click View
in Map>View in Map Window.) Then, in the Map Window
toolbar use Map>Geocoding>Refresh Geocoding.
By the way, in order to avoid accidentally
refreshing the geocoding for a Place you have previously
geocoded manually, it is recommended that you use Tools>Preferences>Map
Window and set Mark Auto-geocodes as Tentative if...
to Always, and tick Block Refresh for
Non-tentative Geocodes.
Lorna
....I just want to check that if I edit or
merge places does the geocoding for latitude etc adjust
automatically or is there something I need to do to "recode"
the list? I only ask because the conversation above shows me
that the mapping function is perhaps more complicated than I
might have thought?
regards
John
