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How to change RIN and MRIN numbers

Author: Reference Number: AA-00551 Views: 26096 Created: 2013-11-19 05:30 PM Last Updated: 2014-08-07 04:39 PM 33 Rating/ 3 Voters

Renumbering RINs and MRINs

You can change the RIN and MRIN numbers in the deluxe edition of Legacy, but only after you have added a person and saved their record. To change RIN and MRIN numbers, click on Tools on the menu bar and select Renumber RINs.

Each individual and marriage record in a family file is automatically assigned a unique record number when it is added.  If all you did was add new records, these numbers would always be sequential with no holes.  But, in reality, numbers are abandoned when you delete people or merge duplicate records together.  In theory this does not cause any problems.  Many people, however, would like to keep the numbers as small as possible and so Legacy provides a way to manage this.

The first way that Legacy manages the reuse of abandoned record numbers is with an option in the Customize area that tells Legacy to fill in the unused numbers whenever new records are added.  This option is set by choosing Options > Customize and then going to the Data Defaults tab and selecting the Reuse Abandoned RINs at the center-left.  This takes care of most of the situation.  But sometimes you might want to take a more proactive measure to fill in a lot of "holes" created by a large merge. Here is where the Renumber RINs option comes into effect and gives you many choices.

Both Individual and Marriage record numbers can be changed.

Individuals

Renumber Current RIN # to:  ______  - Use to change the RIN of the current individual to a different number.  When the change is made the person that was using the new number gets the old number.  For example, if you take a person with a RIN of 16 and renumber that person to #1, the person that had #1 will now be #16.  They just swap numbers.  If no one had #1 then #16 is just changed to #1 leaving #16 as unused.  This option is usually used to renumber a few people at the beginning of a file.  For example, if your mother gave you a copy of her file you might load it in, find your name and renumber yourself to #1.  You might then renumber your spouse to #2, your parents to #3 and #4, and so on.  After a couple generations it just doesn't matter any more so you stop.

Fill Missing RINs from RINs greater than or equal to: ______ - Takes records from the end of the file that are numbered greater than or equal to the cutoff point you specified and renumbers them to fill in holes below your cutoff point.  This fills in the holes without changing any of the RINs below your cutoff number.  (This might not fill all the holes below your cutoff point if there are not enough numbers above it.  You also might end up with holes above your cutoff point.)

Fill all Missing RINs from highest RINs - Takes records from the end of the file and renumbers them to fill in all the holes.  The end result is that there are no more holes left in the family file.  They are all filled in.

Click Apply after making your selection.

Marriages

Renumber Current MRIN # to:  ______  - Use to change the MRIN of the current marriage to a different number.  When the change is made the marriage that was using the new number gets the old number.  For example, if you take a marriage with a MRIN of 50 and renumber that marriage to #1, the marriage that had #1 will now be #50.  They just swap numbers.  If no marriage had #1 then #50 is just changed to #1 leaving #50 as unused.  This option is usually used to renumber a few marriages at the beginning of a file.  For example, if your mother gave you a copy of her file you might load it in, find your marriage and renumber it to #1.  You might then renumber your parents to #2, your grandparents to #3 and #4, and so on.  After a couple generations it just doesn't matter any more so you stop.


Fill Missing MRINs from MRINs greater than or equal to: ______ - Takes records from the end of the file that are numbered greater than or equal to the cutoff point you specified and renumbers them to fill in holes below your cutoff point.  This fills in the holes without changing any of the MRINs below your cutoff number.  (This might not fill all the holes below your cutoff point if there are not enough numbers above it.  You also might end up with holes above your cutoff point.)

Fill all Missing MRINs from highest MRINs - Takes records from the end of the file and renumbers them to fill in all the holes.  The end result is that there are no more holes left in the family file marriages.  They are all filled in.

To apply the renumbering option you have selected, click Apply in the upper-right corner.  After confirmation, the renumbering is done.

You can also create a log file of all the changes made by checking the Log all changes to a text file option.  Each renumbering is recorded in a file called RINLog.txt in the Legacy program folder.  The file is not erased by Legacy.  Each renumbering is appended to the end with the current date.  (If you keep printed copies of records containing RINs and MRINs, and especially if you share them with others, this RINLog.txt file will be helpful in avoiding confusion.)

Click Apply after making your selection.