The first column in a chronology table can be a Sequence column. This provides two main benefits:

  • it can contain a reference number for each event
  • you can use it to specify the order of events on a particular day when you do not know their times

Defining a Sequence Column

The Case Review Administrator can define a Sequence column when setting up the chronology document.

You can define one using Home > Edit > Sequence column (this is the only change Chronolator allows to Administrator-defined column headings).

When adding a column this way, it is automatically populated with sequence numbers.

Updating Sequence Numbers

When you first add a Sequence column, Chronolator automatically adds a sequence number to each event. 


Later, you can update the numbers at any time - for example, if some events are added or removed.

  • Press Home > Edit > Sequence column

and then

  • Press Update - sequential to give each event a unique number or Update - group by day  to start the numbering at 1 on each new day
  • Press Clear to delete the numbers in the column

Deleting a Sequence Column

Press Home > Edit > Sequence column  > Delete column.

Forcing events into order

Sometimes you might not know at what time events happened on a particular day, but you do know their order. You can use the Sequence column to specify it.


In this example from a multi-agency chronology, the time has only been given for one of the events of July 15 (2013-07-15), and events are in the wrong order (in the first one an infant has collapsed, while in the second he seemed well):

We can put them in the right order by adding a Sequence column ...

... and editing each event, putting the desired sequence number in it:



       

When you press Update, the event will be put in the correct place (in this picture, we have edited all the required events)



You do not always have to update sequence numbers in all the events, as the sort recognises decimal numbers. For example, suppose that you now wanted to put event 4 before event 2 (this might not make sense in terms of the story, but we will do it here just to illustrate the feature).


Replace the 4 in the event with a number between 1 and 2 - 1.5 say:

               

When you press Update, the event will be put in the correct place ...

... and then you can update the numbers as described above.

       


Sequence column conflicts when merging chronologies

Because anybody can add a Sequence column it might happen that a chronology you are importing has one but not the one you are importing into, and vice versa. 

When such conflicts occur, Chronolator Integrate adds a column to the chronology that lacks one.