
External Notes Feature

        While researching your ancestors, you will undoubtedly find a
wealth of interesting information that you want to keep but has no
special field in the database.  Family Scrapbook has a notes feature to
help you deal with this.  To keep notes, you must choose a text editor
or word processor to create and edit your notes with.  The editor must
be able to accept the name of the text file from the DOS command line.

        Example:  I have a word processor named WP and a notes file
named NOTE.DOC.  When I am at the DOS prompt, I should be able to enter
the command: WP NOTE.DOC and see the contents of NOTE.DOC when the word
processor loads up. If the word processor does not load the notes file
up, it probably won't work with Family Scrapbook.  However, most word
processors and text editors can do this.

        To implement the notes feature you must go to the Program Setup
screen and tell it the command that is needed to start your editor.

        Example:  The filename of my text editor is Q.EXE and it is
located in the UTILS subdirectory of my hard disk named C.  I would tell
Family Scrapbook that the path to my editor is:

        C:\UTILS\Q

        After doing this, whenever you are in the Family Records or the
Person Records and you want to type in a few extra items of interest,
simply press ALT-N and your editor will pop up.

        This is how the names for note files are determined:  If it is a
note file for a person record, it will be the letter P plus the person's
record number and the extension NOT.  For family note files it is the
letter F, the record number, and NOT.  Example: Family Database record
number 167 would have a note file named F167.NOT

        Please note that the Gedcom I/O utility can import and export
notes in gedcom files, but in order to do this the note files must be
ASCII text.  Most word processors do not normally save their files as
ASCII text, but many offer it as an option.  This fact may be of
importance to you when choosing a program for recording notes.  This
subject is discussed more fully in the chapter about Gedcom.

