Legacy tip: how to create a list of everyone with notes

Geoff Rasmussen

18 Feb 2010

Question from Diane:

"I have 120,000 names in my file. I need to find all of the ancestors' names where a "note" (biography, or other) has been added. Obviously, not all of the 120,000 names have a note or notes.

Is there an easy way to do this? I tried using the search feature, but I'm probably doing something wrong because it didn't work."

Our answer:

Diane – you were really close. Yes, using Legacy's Search tool is where you want to be. You just have to use reverse thinking. Look at the image below (click to enlarge). It shows you what to enter for the search condition.

Using the criteria as entered below, you will get a list of all individuals whose General Notes are not blank. In other words, you will get a list of everyone who has general notes.

Below is what the Search list looks like. It is a list of just those persons who met the above criteria (everyone with general notes). Here you can click on the Notes tab to view each person's notes. The list can also be printed. Or, for more advanced users, you can "tag" everyone in this list for quick reference later.

Hope this is what you were looking for Diane.

Comments (6)

Logan – no, I’m pretty sure there’s not a way to do this.

How would I then erase all of the General Notes without deleting the individual. I see how to do that one at a time, but is there any way to do this en masse?

I don’t know if this helped Diane but it definitely helped me! Thanks so much!

Thanks for the follow-up Ron. To do this, you’d need to perform separate searches for each of the Note categories in the Where To Look selection. Just use the “Add results to existing list” option in the lower left.

I’m being very bold here by saying you didn’t answer the question that was asked. I read the question to be the same as the one I want to ask: how do you, with a single query, find individuals with not only a ‘general’ note but any note, i.e. birth, death, burial, etc.?
Thanks
Ron Walter

Thanks for asking that question Diane. I wondering the same thing but I’m much too stubborn to just give up and ask. lol!

GR
Geoff Rasmussen

15 years ago

Logan – no, I’m pretty sure there’s not a way to do this.
LG
Logan Garth Swanger

15 years ago

How would I then erase all of the General Notes without deleting the individual. I see how to do that one at a time, but is there any way to do this en masse?
MG
Margaret Guild Lambert

15 years ago

I don’t know if this helped Diane but it definitely helped me! Thanks so much!
GR
Geoff Rasmussen

15 years ago

Thanks for the follow-up Ron. To do this, you’d need to perform separate searches for each of the Note categories in the Where To Look selection. Just use the “Add results to existing list” option in the lower left.
RW
Ron Walter

15 years ago

I’m being very bold here by saying you didn’t answer the question that was asked. I read the question to be the same as the one I want to ask: how do you, with a single query, find individuals with not only a ‘general’ note but any note, i.e. birth, death, burial, etc.?
Thanks
Ron Walter
K
Kathy

15 years ago

Thanks for asking that question Diane. I wondering the same thing but I’m much too stubborn to just give up and ask. lol!