Using the Surname Index Page Indexing Method

Table of Contents

Patty Lindsay

What is the Surname Index Page Indexing Method?

A Surname Index Page is a page that lists the surnames referenced on a site with links to those references.

An example is my Family Origins Surname page. This page was created by Family Origins 7.0 and modifed slightly as described below. The surnames.htm page generated by Ged2HTML can also be easily modified.

If you have a page such as this on your site, Surname Helper may be able to index your site using this page with some minor changes. Note that if you have links other than surname links in between the surname links, than Surname Helper will not be able to use it.

How the Surname Index Page Indexing Method works

The site manager/county coordinator registers the URLs of the surname index pages for that site with Surname Helper. Surname Helper interrogates the surname index pages looking for the following lines:
<!-SURNAME HELPER INCLUDE AS ___>
<!-SURNAME HELPER ENDINCLUDE >

Surname Helper than considers any <a href= links between these two lines to be links to surnames. The text between the > and <\a> is assumed to be surnames

It then stores the surnames in a database with the URL contained in the <a href= link. It rechecks the page(s) on a weekly basis and reloads the data, picking up any new references and deleting any old references.

When a visitor to a Surname Helper search page looks for one of those surnames it then displays a results page that links the visitor directly to the URL contained in the <a href= link. You can try the search by clicking here.

Example of an excerpt from a surname index page:

LAW, LINDSAY, LUKE

Here is the HTML:

<!-SURNAME HELPER INCLUDE AS Gen>
<A HREF="ind0008.htm#I568">LAW</A>,
<A HREF="ind0009.htm#I537">LINDSAY</A>,
<A HREF="ind0012.htm#I522">LUKE</A>
<!-SURNAME HELPER ENDINCLUDE>

Surname Helper recognizes the ind0008.htm#I568, ind0009.htm#I537, ind0012.htm#I522 as partial URLS, and the LAW, LINDSAY, and LUKE as surnames because they are in the <a href= link and between the <!-SURNAME HELPER INCLUDE AS Gen> and the <!-SURNAME HELPER ENDINCLUDE>

Note: Surname Helper can not detect the difference between an surname <a href= link and any other <a href= link. That is why the INCLUDE and ENDCLUDE lines are important, they tell Surname Helper which links are surname links.

Procedure:

  1. Add the INCLUDE lines to your Surname Index Page.

    Add the following line before the first surname link:
    <!-SURNAME HELPER INCLUDE AS ___>
    The ___ should be the appropriate posttype for the index entries Click here to see the available post types .

    Add the following line after the last surname link:
    <!-SURNAME HELPER ENDINCLUDE>

  2. Next register your site:

    Site Id: (e.g. OHGREENE)

    For USGenWeb sites, use the 2 character state code followed by the first 6 characters of the county name, omitting punctuation and spaces.

    For WorldGenWeb sites, use 'WG' followed by the first 6 characters of the country name, omitting punctuation and spaces.

    With QueryExpress.
    Without QueryExpress.

    Site Id: (e.g. OHGREENE)

    You will be prompted for your password, enter it and then click "Get Site Info".

    Once you see the Site Info for your site, click on "Add a new index module using the Surname index page method" at the bottom of the page and then click the SUBMIT button.

Surname Helper is a surname engine for queries and surname registrations posted on various genealogy sites. Participating sites include many USGenWeb and WorldGenWeb sites. All GenConnect boards are indexed in Surname Helper. Surname Helper is also used by the USGenWeb QueryExpress system for registering counties.

Copyright © 1997-1999 Patricia A. Lindsay. All rights reserved.
Patty Lindsay

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