Hi! I’m using GrampsWeb and trying to choose a consistent Sources vs Citations workflow for certificates (usually a single-page extract/copy).
When I edit an event and click Sources → +, GrampsWeb opens New Citation and forces me to select an existing Source. There’s no “create new Source” option in that dialog, so I have to do it the long way around: create the Source in the Sources section first, then go back to the event and add the Citation.
Since I can attach the scan/photo on the Citation level, I’m considering:
One document = one Source (clear, but many Sources).
One general Source (e.g., “death records extracts”) and each document as a Citation with act number + the scan attached (fewer Sources, but I’m worried about losing functionality).
Questions:
Is approach #2 considered acceptable/good practice in GrampsWeb?
In GrampsWeb, do I lose anything by doing this (searching, reports, export, navigation)?
Gramps 6.0.6
Gramps Web API 3.5.0
Gramps Web Frontend 25.11.2
Gramps QL 0.4.0
Sources are in relation to a repository. So using all death records together as one general source is a bad idea in my opinion. A source could be a church book with death records. This source belongs to an archive (or a website) as repository.
Thanks, I understand the idea of that hierarchy (Repository → Source → Citation) and it makes sense from a archival/library perspective.
What frustrates me in GrampsWeb is the workflow: when I’m editing an event for a specific person and click Sources → +, I only get New Citation with “select an existing source”. There’s no way to create the missing Source (and optionally the Repository) right there in the same flow, so I have to close the dialog, go to the Sources section, create it, then return to the event and add the citation. It feels unnecessarily “roundabout” for day-to-day data entry.
I migrated to GrampsWeb because I loved the modern, simple UI, but this particular part makes me wonder if I’ll be able to stick with it long term without getting annoyed. If there’s a recommended shortcut or a planned improvement (create Source from the Citation dialog / quick-add), I’d love to know.
I agree 100%. That is one of the reasons why I still prefer to use webtrees for adding new data to my tree. There you can add a source citation and a new source in one step. But adding a new repository for the new source is in webtrees impossible too.
I agree, and this also goes for the desktop version of Gramps. There’s really room for UI improvement, but apparently the UI doesn’t have high priority.
Having said this, there might be a way around the workflow. Have you considered opening a new tab or window when clicking the [+] sign? I’m using macOS so holding Cmd key down, while clicking the [+] signs open a new tab. I guess that using Ctrl on other OSs does the same. In this way you can easily get back to e.g. the Event page, just by selecting another tab in the browser.
The issue isn’t a huge blocker in day-to-day genealogy work, but I’m currently facing a bigger cleanup task: I need to review around 600 people in my tree to organize data and check inconsistencies (I previously maintained the tree in parallel in MyHeritage and in DG / Drzewo Genealogiczne PLSOFT). In that context, the extra “roundabout” steps add up.
All that said, I can only hope the developers eventually find the time and motivation to streamline this workflow (e.g., quick-create Source from the Citation dialog). Thanks again for taking an interest in the topic.
