Add things where you are¶
You don't have to go to the Persons menu to create a person, or to Media to upload a photo. In PastPaths you can almost always add what you find right where you are – and then it's linked to the right thing from the start.
This guide shows the most common shortcuts.
Rule of thumb
Start from what you're already looking at. If you're on a person and find a new place, add the place from there. That way you don't have to look up the person again to link them.
People¶
| Where you are | What to do |
|---|---|
| The Persons menu | + New person – the usual way |
| Research branch | Add parent/partner/child/sibling → New person. The person is created and linked with the right relationship in one step. |
| A person's edit dialog | The Relationships section at the bottom → Add → New person |
| A new person you're creating | The Parents, Partner, Siblings and Children fields directly in the form |
| An event | Add participants with a role – for example baptism witnesses or the priest at a wedding. If the person doesn't exist, you can create them right in the event dialog. |
Research branch is often quickest when you're working through a family in a household examination roll: you see the whole family at once and add whoever is missing without leaving the view.
→ Research branch · → Relationships in the edit dialog
Places¶
| Where you are | What to do |
|---|---|
| The Places menu | + Add place |
| A place field in a form | Start typing the place name. If the place doesn't exist, you can create it right there without leaving the form. |
| A person's Places tab | Add place opens the event dialog with the person preselected. Choose, for example, Residence and an existing or new place. |
| The Place Library | Import ready-made packages of counties, provinces, dioceses and more |
People are linked to places through events. That's why Add place on a person opens an event dialog – the place ends up in its context: when and why the person was there.
→ Link places to persons · → Place Library
Events¶
| Where you are | What to do |
|---|---|
| A person's Events tab | + Add event – the person becomes the primary person |
| A person's Events tab | Link existing event – if the event already exists, for example a baptism where the person was a witness |
| A place's Persons tab | Link person via event – the place is preselected |
| A person's Places tab | Add place opens the same dialog |
| The person form | Fill in the date or place of birth or death – the event is created automatically |
| The Events menu | Add event |
Don't create the same event twice
A baptism has a child, parents, godparents and a priest. Create the event once and link the others to it with their roles – from the event, or with Link existing event on each person.
→ Places and events on the person page · → Create an event
Media¶
| Where you are | What to do |
|---|---|
| The Media menu | + Upload |
| A person, event or place | Upload directly – the file is linked automatically |
| A person, event or place | Link existing – choose among files that are already there |
| A source | Upload or link a file, for example a scanned parish register page |
| A person's edit dialog | Profile picture → Upload new – the image goes into the media library and the person is tagged in it |
| A blog post | Upload in the blog's media picker – the image is inserted into the post right away |
A file is only uploaded once. The same photo can then be linked to everyone who appears in it, to the place where it was taken and to the event it shows.
→ Upload media · → Link existing media
Tags and categories¶
You don't have to go to Administration → Taxonomy first:
- Tags – type a new name in the tag field and press Enter. The tag is created when you save.
- Categories – the button next to the category field opens a dialog where you create a new category. It's selected automatically, and nothing you've entered in the form is lost.
→ Add tags and categories to a record
Example: a page in the household examination roll¶
You're reading a page where the Andersson family moves to Långsjö farm in 1862 and brings a maid with them.
- Open the father in Research branch. Add the missing child with Add child → New person.
- Click Add place on the father's Places tab. Choose Residence, type "Långsjö" and create the farm right there if it doesn't exist. Add the rest of the family as participants in the same event.
- Create the maid from the event as a participant with the role Other, or skip her for now and bookmark the event.
- Upload the scanned page from the source's dialog, so it belongs to the source and not just to one person.
Everything is connected from the start – the family, the farm, the move and the source.
Last updated: 2026-10-18