Choice of data entry format

KathrynSBlack

When indexing, I find the table format much easier to use than the form. Why can't I choose the format that works best for me? I'm faster and more accurate when the date I'm creating is across the top of the window and not down the side with extra space requiring lots of scrolling to make sure that I've gotten all the fields.

John Empoliti

Hi Kathryn.

On many projects, as you've noticed (e. g., The Muster Roll projects), where the Entry Type is constant, you can choose from all four data entry modes under the Batch drop-down menu. Usually, in those where the Entry Type is variable within batch or image, you may be restricted only to Form Entry mode, as in the situation you're describing. An example of the latter is Obituaries, where you have "Deceased" and "Other" type entries.

In the case of Obituary projects, the "Deceased" entries have many more fields (are much longer) than the (typically more plentiful) "Other" entries, so they don't fit well together in the same Table. I have suggested a "truncated" Table mode to get around this. It would truncate (chop off) the "Deceased" entries to match the shorter length as the "Other" entries. The Indexer would need to do the "Deceased" entries in Form Entry mode. Alternatively, I have suggested making a read-only QC report that would look like the truncated Table Entry mode but not be "live" for indexing.

Below is a snip of an example QC report for a multiple-obituary batch. The report shows all fields in the "Other" entries but truncates the "Deceased" entries to fit in with the shorter "Other" ones. The "Age" field value appears for the "Deceased" entry types in the last cell instead of the "Relationship to Deceased" values for the "Other" ones. Alternatively, all entries could be shown fully, with empty cells for the non-existent "Other" fields, but that would make for a large report/table.

Table Entry mode could offer a format like either of the ones I mentioned above for the QC Report.

Form Entry mode does have its advantages - currently, you can rearrange or hide fields only in Form Entry mode. I and others have asked for those features in the other data entry modes. But, as you've mentioned, in Form Entry mode, you often can't glance down at all the fields without scrolling, and, unlike in Table Entry mode, you can't easily compare one entry against another, or several others, in one or more fields.

So, those are some reasons why you don't have Table Entry mode available for every project and some possible ways around the roadblocks.

NOTE: To be fair to the software engineers developing and supporting Web Indexing, doing what I have suggested for any one type of project (e.g., Obituaries) might not be too difficult. But, it would be complicated to do it and accommodate all possible types of projects under all circumstances, as the Web Indexing engineers must do.