This page updated 2 Jan 2006
Version note: Applies to TMG 8 & 9
As discussed in my article Working with Source Templates, source data is entered in Source Elements. When reports are created the data in these Source Elements are then assembled to create source notes according to the specifications in the Output Templates. Likewise, when you export a group of people to a GEDCOM file, information about all the Sources cited in the Tags included in the export is also included in the exported file.
The process for handling source information in an export is quite different than the process for displaying sources in a report. Rather than being assembled into source notes, each Source is exported as a series of GEDCOM tags, which correspond, conceptually, to TMG's Source Elements. For example, TMG's "Title" Source Element is exported to a GEDCOM tag TITL. And TMG's Author Source Element is exported to a GEDCOM tag AUTH. It is then the job of the importing program to interpret these tags and accept the data they contain according to that program's own source system.
The export is complicated, however, by the fact that TMG has far more Source Elements, or even Source Element Groups, than there are different tag types for sources in the GEDCOM specification. TMG deals with this by doubling up the information from several source elements into a single GEDCOM tag. But since there are no accepted standards for this "doubling up" process, various programs importing a GEDCOM file containing such combined tags will meet with varying degrees of success in satisfactorily placing the data in their own systems of recording source data. It is unlikely that the resulting source notes will read much at all like the source notes produced by TMG, even if the importing program successfully retains all the data included in the GEDCOM file.
If you are unconcerned about obtaining high quality exports (perhaps because you find sharing of data by using TMG's excellent reports more desirable than use of GEDCOM), this issue will be of little concern. But if use of GEDCOM export is important to you (perhaps to transfer data to a handheld computer, or to exchange information with someone you cannot convince to migrate to TMG), especially if faithful transfer of source information is important, you may want to consider the issues discussed in this article.
Before we look specifically at how TMG exports source information to GEDCOM files, let's look a bit more at how Sources are recorded in GEDCOM files. GEDCOM specs recognize the same three basic aspects of sources that TMG does – the definition of the source itself; definition of repositories (where the source may be found); and citations of the source to event and other tags. Therefore aspects of exported sources and citations appear in the three corresponding parts of the GEDCOM file:
The GEDCOM source number is shown in red above. The Page tag contains the information from the Citation Detail from the Birth Tag.
Note that both the TITL and PUBL tags contain information from several TMG source elements, because there are fewer GEDCOM tag types than there are source element groups.
The data in TMG Source Elements is placed in specific GEDCOM tags according to the Source Element Group it falls in. The following tables show how each TMG Source Element Group is placed in GEDCOM tags. (This information is based on analysis by Caroline Gurney, and appears here by permission. Thanks, Caroline.) Tables showing the Groups for all the standard Source Elements can be found in my list of Source Elements.
| Source Elements Related to Citations in Tags | ||
| TMG Source Element Group | Exports to GEDCOM Tag | Notes |
| Citation Detail | PAGE | appears first |
| Citation Memo | NOTE | only Source Element using this tag |
| Citation Reference | PAGE | follows Citation Detail if present, separated by a comma; only included if specified in Export Wizard |
| Source Elements Related to the Source Definition | ||
| TMG Source Element Group | Exports to GEDCOM Tag | Notes |
| Abbreviation (Note 1) |
ABBR TITL |
appears in these tags only if the source elements listed below for these tags are absent |
| Author | AUTH | appears first if present |
| Comments | NOTE | only Source Element using this tag |
| Compiler | AUTH | follows Author if present, prefaced by Source Element name |
| Date | PUBL | follows Publisher and Publisher Location if present, separated by commas |
| Edition | TITL | follows Title if present, prefaced by Source Element name |
| Editor | AUTH | follows Author and Compiler if present, prefaced by Source Element name |
| File Reference | TITL | follows Title if present, prefaced by Source Element name |
| Film Number | TITL | follows Title, prefaced by Source Element name |
| Location | TITL | follows Title if present, prefaced by Source Element name |
| Pages | TITL | follows Title if present, prefaced by Source Element name |
| Publisher | PUBL | appears first if present |
| Publisher Location | PUBL | follows Publisher if present, separated by commas |
| Record Number | TITL | follows Title if present, prefaced by Source Element name |
| Record Type | TITL | follows Title, prefaced by Source Element name |
| Repository Reference | CALN | only Source Element using this tag |
| Second Date | PUBL | follows Date if present, prefaced by Source Element name |
| Second Location | TITL | follows Title if present, prefaced by Source Element name |
| Second Person | TITL | follows Title if present, prefaced by Source Element name |
| Series | TITL | follows Title if present, prefaced by Source Element name |
| Short Subtitle | ABBR | appears first if present |
| Short Title | ABBR | follows Short Subtitle if present |
| Subject | TITL | follows Title if present, prefaced by Source Element name |
| Subtitle | TITL | follows Title if present, separated by colon |
| Title | TITL | appears first if present |
| Version | TITL | follows Title if present, prefaced by Source Element name |
| Volumes | TITL | follows Title if present, prefaced by Source Element name |
| Note 1: | Abbreviation is not actually a TMG source element, but it is included here because it appears in the GEDCOM tags shown when source elements otherwise using those tags are absent. |
| Source Elements Related to the Repository Definition | ||
| TMG Source Element Group | Exports to GEDCOM Tag | Notes |
| Repository | NAME | only Source Element using this tag |
| Repository Info | ADDR, CITY, STAE, POST, CTRY, PHON, NOTE | contents of Repository address and note fields appear in respective tags; contents of Addressee, County, LAT/LONG & Temple fields are not output (Note 2) |
| Repository Memo | NOTE | only Source Element using this tag |
| Note 2: | The GEDCOM 5.5 spec does not call for those fields in addresses |
TMG exports essentially all source information into the GEDCOM source record which has relatively few tag types available to record the information. It does so in a way that is reasonably logical for the default Source Elements. But with the lack of any accepted standards for doing so, results upon import into various programs are likely to be uneven. At best the resulting source notes are likely to read in a disjointed fashion. The data will likely need to be edited after import in order to make the best use of the source fields provided by the importing program, and to print correctly in narrative reports.
To a limited degree with default Source Elements, and more likely with custom Source Elements, the intent of some data element may be become obscured. This is because, as noted in the tables, the names of the Source Elements are not included in the output in many cases. This is not an issue, for example, when the default Author Source Element is used, because it appears first in the AUTH tag. But should a user create a custom Source Element in the Author Group, say one called "State," for recording the state of a census source, the recipient of the GEDCOM might be baffled by the result. Therefore, if GEDCOM export of sources is important to you, you need to choose the assignment of custom Source Elements to Groups carefully.
If you are having difficulty successfully transferring source details via GEDCOM, careful review of the above tables may explain some of the issues, and perhaps suggest solutions, such as placing specific data items in other Source Elements.
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