This page updated 27 Jun 2003

Version note: Applies to TMG 4; for TMG 5 and earlier, see here

This article covers the more advanced aspects of customizing sources — creating custom Source Elements and custom Source Types. The more basic aspects of editing of Source Output Templates is discussed in the article Working with Source Templates.

Creating Your Custom Source Type

• Create New Source Type - Use the Tools > Options menu to access the System Configuration screen, and click on Configure under Source Categories. (Note - you must have Custom Source Categories selected to create any custom Source Types.) This brings up the Custom Source Categories screen. I pick the closest template to the one I want to create, and make a copy of it using the Copy button. Select the copy and use the Edit button to access Custom Source Categories - Templates screen. Change the name to what you want the name of your new Source Type to be. While you could edit the templates here, I don't think this is the best place to do that. Click OK until you are back to the main screen.

• Create Any Custom Source Elements - If you want to use any custom Source Elements, I would create them next. Go to the Master Source List. If you have an existing Source that you want to change to the new Source Type, select it and click on the edit button. If not, click New, then select your new template. In either case, once you are at the Source Definition Screen, your are ready to create the new Source Element. Click on one of the blank Source Element labels on the General tab. This brings up the Source Element screen. Click on New, which brings up the Add/Edit Source Element screen. Type in the name you want to use for the new Element, and select the Group in which you want to place it from the list. There are several considerations in selecting the group:
  • It cannot be the same as any of the Groups used by other Elements you will use in your new Source Type, or any other Source Type in which you might want to use this new Element.
  • Generally you will want it to be one of the Groups that appear on the General Tab of the Source Definition screen. Thus it should not be Comments, any of the Repository Groups, or Citation Detail.
  • Unless it is intended to hold names of people, you should avoid the "people" groups, such as Author, Compiler, etc., especially if the data to be entered might include commas or semicolons. This is because those groups interpret commas and semicolons as separators between given and surnames, or names of different people, and rearrange the text accordingly to follow the rules for name entry in the three different types of Output Templates.

When done, click OK until you are back to the Source Definition Screen.

Repeat this step for each additional new element.

• Edit the Templates of the New Source Type - Still in the Source Definition Screen, click on the Source Type button, which takes you to the Source Types screen. Select the new source you created and click the Templates button. You can finally edit or replace the templates for each of the three citation forms. Edit each one to suit your new Source Type.

• Testing Your New Templates - When you are done, you can test your new template by clicking OK, then Cancel to get back to the Source Definition Screen. Here you can enter some real data for a source, and check the Preview button on the Output tab to see how it looks. If necessary, go back to the templates by clicking on the Source Type button on the General tab as before and edit your new template. In addition to the data elements themselves, pay attention to punctuation and the flow of the elements. When you are satisfied with your new Source Type, exit to the main screen and you are done.