Using the Manual Indexing Method

1. You will need to create a text file (called a summary file) containing minimally all the surnames referenced by your site. Surname Helper will read this file to build the index entries for your site. You will need to decide how much you want to supply to that index. The more you supply, the more functionality will be available to the users of the index and the more work it will be for you.

   You can use a Web page I have written to generate the file of surnames plus the URLS. How much work it will save you will depend on how many of your surnames are in capital letters. More on how to use this "Extract Surnames" page is given below.

   PC Users: Save this file as a text, ASCII text, or MS-DOS text file - do not save it in a word processor's format. (IE Do not save as a WordPerfect or MS Word file. You can use these products, just be sure to save as a text file).

   MacIntosh Users: Save this file as a text or MS-DOS text file. Here are some sample options to use:

   • Microsoft Word - "Save As ..." and select from the "Save File As Type" pull-down menu "Text Only" - being sure to use .txt at the end of the file name.

   • SimpleText - Simply save the file making sure to use .txt at the end of the file. It is my understanding that SimpleText comes on every MacIntosh.

   • ClarisWorks - use the "Text" option when doing a "Save As", be sure to use .txt at the end of the file.
   • If you choose to just supply the surnames, all index references will link to one page on your site (like your home page or the first query page).

     Here's what the results of a search from Surname Helper might look. In this example the link is to the Greene Co home page.

     Surname	Post Type	Date	Site
     COY	N/A	N/A	USGenWeb, Greene Co., Ohio

     
     

     Here's what your summary file could look like:
     

      
     JONES 
     smith 
     COy 
     adams 
     Jones 
     

     The summary file should contain one surname per line. The surnames in this file do not have to be in any particular order. Multiple lines containing the same surname are not a problem. What this means is that you can create a text file containing all of your current surnames and then just add lines to it each time you get a post. You do not need to worry about if the surname already exists or about putting them in any order. The surnames can be in upper, lower or mixed case. If you remove a query from your site, you should make sure that any surnames referenced by that query are either removed from the summary file or are referenced by another query on your site.

   • If you choose to supply more detail, your link references will look like this. In this example the links go to the exact spot on the Greene Co pages where COY is referenced.

     Surname	Post Type	Date	Site
     COY	Query	03-15-1997	USGenWeb, Greene Co., Ohio
     COY	Surname Registration	10-19-1996	USGenWeb, Greene Co., Ohio

     
     

     To provide this level of detail to the index, your summary file should contain one line per entry using commas to separate the following items:

     • surname
     • type of post
     • index link reference
     • post date

     Example summary file format for the COY example given above:
     

      
     COY,Q,query007.htm#207,03-15-1997 
     COY,R,resa.htm#38,Oct. 19 1996 
     

     Notes:
     • If their are commas in any of the items, each item should be enclosed in quotes.
     • Various date formats will work, if you have a question about a particular format, please send me a message.
     • Only the surname is required, to leave out an item just insert the comma as a placeholder.
     • The "index link reference" will be added to the "index link base URL" you specify when you register your site. In the example above, the "index link base URL" is "www.rootsweb.com/~ohgreene/" and the "index link references" are "query007.htm#207" and "resa.htm#38".

   I have written a Web page that will scan your Web pages looking for surnames (actually it looks for words in all capitals) and create a file in the above format. Here's what you do:

   1. This procedure is dependent on the surnames being in all capitals. If you're not sure about how may of yours are, you may want to check them. If you have a mix of some capitalized and some not, you may want to capitalize the ones that are not before proceeding.

   2. Link to Extract Surnames page. On that page you will specify each of your query and/or surname pages that you want indexed and save the file created by that page to your hard drive. When you complete that process, there will be a link that will return you here.

   3. Using a file editor or word processor edit the file that you saved. Be sure and delete everything up to and including the line that says "DELETE THIS LINE AND EVERYTHING BEFORE IT".

      Then carefully go through the file removing any lines that are not surnames.

   4. Go through your query and surname pages to make sure that all of the surnames are in the file (they won't be if they are in lower case) and that the surnames are correct (e.g. McDonald will be in the list as Donald because of the lower case "c").

   5. Proceed to the next step. Note that when you are asked to enter the "Index link Base URL" while regsitering your site in step 3, enter what you entered in "First Part of URLs" on the Extract Surnames page.

2. FTP the summary file to your server. You should FTP this file to your server every time you make changes to it. If you are using a Mac be sure and FTP the file as ASCII (not BINARY).

3. 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 Manual 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 Click here for help or more information.

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