Natal Records Editor
The Natal Records Editor is a modal window for maintaining your library of natal (birth) records. Each record holds a name, a birth date and time, and a location, so you can cast Natal and Transit charts from your saved birth data.
Open the editor from the main window's Edit menu by choosing Edit → Natal Records. The bottom bar carries Add, Delete, Save, and Close; a File menu offers Save and Exit; and a Data menu offers Import and Export.
Natal records are saved to the shared R7Data folder on your computer. This library is shared with the other Rhythm Seven applications installed alongside Compass, so records you add here are available to those applications as well.
Natal record grid columns
Records appear in an editable grid with the following columns:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | The record's name, typically the person's name. |
| Natal Date | The birth date, edited through a date picker. |
| Natal Time | The birth time of day, edited through a time picker. A caution marker (⚠) appears when the time is affected by a daylight-saving transition (see Flagged and ambiguous times). |
| Location Name | The descriptive name of the birth location, for example "New York, NY, USA". |
| Latitude | Latitude of the birth location in decimal degrees, from -90 to +90. Editing this value re-resolves the record's time zone. |
| Longitude | Longitude of the birth location in decimal degrees, from -180 to +180. Editing this value re-resolves the record's time zone. |
| Height (ft) | The elevation of the birth location. |
Adding a natal record
To add a record:
- Click the Add button. A new, empty row is appended to the grid and selected, ready for you to fill in.
Editing a natal record
Every column is editable: Name, Natal Date, Natal Time, Location Name, Latitude, Longitude, and Height (ft). To change a record's details:
- Click the cell you want to change to enter edit mode.
- Type or select the new value. The Natal Date and Natal Time cells open a date picker and a time picker, respectively.
- Press Enter to commit the change.
A single click on a cell enters edit mode. You do not need to double-click. Press Tab instead of Enter to commit the value and move to the next cell in the row.
Flagged and ambiguous times
The Natal Time cell shows a caution marker (⚠) when a time is ambiguous or nonexistent because of a daylight-saving transition:
- An ambiguous time occurred twice, on the day the clocks went back.
- A nonexistent time was skipped, on the day the clocks went forward.
When you save a record whose time is ambiguous, Compass prompts you to choose which instant you meant. See Ambiguous Time Resolution for the choices.
Deleting natal records
To remove records from the library:
- Select the record or records you want to remove in the grid.
- Click the Delete button.
- Confirm the deletion at the confirmation prompt. For the confirmation steps, see Confirm at the Confirmation Dialog.
Importing and exporting records
The Data menu provides bulk import and export:
- Import brings in a batch of records from an external file. See Import Natal Records.
- Export writes your records to a CSV file. See Export Natal Records.
Saving your changes
To save your records:
- Click the Save button. Your named records are sorted and written to disk.
You can also save with the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+S, or from the menu with File → Save.
If any record has a time flagged as ambiguous, Compass prompts you to resolve it before the save completes. See Ambiguous Time Resolution.
Closing the editor
To close the editor:
- Click the Close button.
You can also close the editor from the menu with File → Exit.
If you have unsaved changes, an unsaved-changes prompt appears before the window closes. From that prompt you can Save Changes at the Unsaved-Changes Prompt, Discard Changes at the Unsaved-Changes Prompt, or Cancel Closing at the Unsaved-Changes Prompt.