Handwriting Examples tool

Evan Johnson

The Handwriting Examples tool may be improved if the white background were transparent to so Handwriting Examples could be over laid on the subject character or letter in question.

Also, if it were scalable so as to size to the subject character or letter in question, that would be a better indexing too.

PiperTWilson

@Evan Johnson - For those new to the community and to FamilySearch.org, would you be happy to give a link to the tool and/or more background about your idea?

John Empoliti

Here I've taken a screen snip of the Handwriting Examples and made a "reading guide" "skin" out of it using the excellent/ flexible A Ruler for Windows (AR4W) alternative ruler/reading guide program (www.arulerforwindows.com). Rob Latour is the author of A Ruler For Windows.

I'm going to try to refine it by turning the white background transparent so that I can perhaps keep the letters dark while the background is transparent. The upper image is of the Handwriting Examples as found in the Web Indexing program, and the image below is of the "reading guide" with 50% transparency. This may also illustrate what you are asking for. This reading guide can be moved around the screen to place it near the letters you are trying to decipher, while not totally obscuring them.

John Empoliti

Here, the ruler in vertical mode is an example of using the column just for the letter L and l and moving it near a letter that needs deciphering. Again, just an idea of what Evan might have in mind.

John Empoliti

With A Ruler For Windows, you could create and save the 26 vertical reading guide skins, one for each letter, and select the one you need from a drop-down menu Rob has in his "Edit Skins" section. Or, if ever implemented in Web Indexing, you could call them up in some convenient similar manner.

PiperTWilson

@John Empoliti - Thank you so much for explaining!

John Empoliti

You’re welcome , @PiperTWilson . And it’s a potential workaround.