Transcribing source documents — capturing the information they contain — is valuable even in the age of online images. A transcript ensures you have understood the document, and makes the information available to family members who may not be able to read old handwriting.
Source text is entered on the Text tab of the Sources panel. It supports rich formatting (bold, italic, tables) — see Rich Text Editor. The last button on the toolbar above the text opens the same text in a floating window, which can be moved over the document image while you type.
Many standard genealogical sources use common forms — censuses, certificates, parish registers. Rather than creating tables manually, Pedigree Forge provides built-in source templates. Select a template from the Template drop-down (e.g. "DEAT1837" for a GRO death certificate from 1837 onwards).
Clicking the Transcript Form button on the Detail tab then shows a structured form matching the document layout. Fill in the fields and click Close to save. Where no template has been chosen, the same window shows the source text instead, so there is always a transcription window to put over the image.
Transcripts created this way can be included in reports, producing well-formatted output that mirrors the original document structure.