Pathagoras has a very simple, easy to learn and implement, tool pronoun consistency throughout your document. Just assign what we call a 'groupname' to multiple choice variables that reference the same actor. All elements in your document that contain the same 'groupname' will conform to the selection made for the first member of the group.
For example:
| Examples |
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The patient is a well-nourished [age] year old [!p!male/female]. [!P!His/Her] blood pressure is [blood pressure] and [!p!he/she] weighs [weight] pounds.
(The groupname can be anything. A letter, a word. Even a short phrase.
The only requirement is that it be understood by the end user.)
I give my precious [item] to my [!ch!son/daugther/children] to be safely held by [!ch!him/her/them] until [!ch!his death/her death/the death of the last surviving child], and then such [item] shall be given to [name of charity].
(Remember, it is the position, not the inherent nature of the choice, that controls.)
[!Owner!He/she] went with [!owner!his/her] dog to the pet store because [!owner!he/she] wanted to buy [!dog!him/her] a new collar. Blue is [!owner!his/her] favorite color.
(Of course, the 'actor' for the second sentence could have been !dog!.) |
A 'groupname' can be any text you want. A single character, a word, a short phrase. No matter. Just enclose the groupname within exclamation marks "!" inside of the opening bracket of the variable.
While we used the groupname !p! (for 'patient') in the first example, we could have used any value, including !patient! or !our patient!. We suggest that 'shorter is better,' but the groupname should be something that the end user will understand. We used 'real' actor descriptions in the second example.
Groupnames are not limited to 'actors' and 'pronouns'. You can use them to connect any collection of related multiple choice variables. Remember, all that Pathagoras cares about is the position of the first choice. It will carry that position forward no matter the choices provided.
When implementing this feature, we recommend 'practical,' not fancy. If words can be combined to avoid groupings, do so. Therefore, a setup like this:
"The [client requests/The clients request]"
(with no grouping) is far preferable to
The client[!c!/s] request[!c!s/]
Read more about groups and groupnames on this page of the on-line Manual: http://www.pathagoras.com/help/groups.htm
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