The fields are an original working design, not mandated legal classifications. Every row needs a stable ID, neutral entry, source, locator and appropriately qualified date. Blank values indicate genuinely unavailable information, not zero or a default date.
| Field | How to use it |
|---|---|
event_id |
Stable identifier such as E07. Do not renumber when inserting a later-discovered event. |
event_start |
Source-supported event time with stated UTC offset; a range’s earliest bound; a date only if that is all that is known; otherwise blank. |
event_end |
Latest supported bound for a range. Blank for a single time, a date-only entry or an unknown date. |
date_precision |
exact_time, range, date_only or unknown. Here exact_time means a single stated timestamp rather than a range, not a verified clock reading. The example’s :00 seconds are formatting of minute-level source times, not an extra observation. |
entry |
Neutral event description. Attribute reports and quotations; do not hide planned or disputed status. |
basis |
document_record, attributed_report, disputed_record, scheduled_milestone, approximate_recollection, quoted_intention, undated_recollection, or corrected_record. This does not determine legal evidential weight. |
source_ids |
Stable IDs separated by a vertical bar when necessary, such as D04\|D11. |
locators |
Exact paragraph IDs, such as D04-P01\|D11-P01. Source headers support their stated document dates. |
source_dates |
Source ID followed by = and its stated date/time, with unknown if absent. Keep multiple sources separate with \|. |
issue |
Practical subject, such as timing or quantity. It is not an approved legal cause of action. |
uncertainty |
Missing evidence, contrary accounts, indirect sourcing and assumptions still requiring review. |
next_action |
A specific check or instruction request, not an invented permission to contact a witness or release material. |
review_owner |
Role to receive the question. The example’s roles are not actual appointments. |
revision_note |
Explain a change and retain the earlier source/value in the change log. |
sort_key_utc |
Optional display helper for timed events. The supplied completed file contains converted text values, not an automatic date or legal-deadline calculator. Update or clear the helper if its event time changes. |
Working with dates and CSV
The XLSX files store values as text and format entry cells and columns as Text, including the blank template. Import CSV date/ID columns as text too. Recheck pasted content because a paste can bring different formatting. The format 2026-06-12T15:10:00+03:00 explicitly includes an offset. Do not use local computer settings to infer missing source information.
The UTC display helper for that value is 2026-06-12T12:10:00Z. D07’s forwarding header is 2026-06-13T07:20:00Z; it is a different day and event. The workbook has no automatic source-verification or approval logic and no formulas or macros.
Work on a copy. Select the whole table, not a single column. Keep timed, date-only and undated entries in clearly labelled groups; do not leave a filter hiding relevant records at handover. Sort confirmed helper values in ascending order within the timed group, retaining the event IDs. After editing an event time, update its helper or clear it and set the row aside for checking before a helper-based sort.
A range may be displayed at its earliest bound, but its exact place among overlapping events remains uncertain. Date-only rows retain their date-only precision; position them by their stated calendar date without claiming an order within that day or inventing midnight/UTC. The baseline has no date-only event rows, but D05’s source date is date-only.
If a source gives a clock time without an offset, preserve that clock time in the entry and uncertainty note. Use a date-only value only if the date is supported, leave the UTC helper empty, and seek the missing context. Do not discard the reported clock time or invent a zone to force a sort.
Clear filters and check the entire table after sorting so that rows do not become detached from their sources or disappear from the handover. Recheck imported values and export copies. The header row and ID column are frozen for navigation, not protected against editing. Recorded application checks use LibreOffice in headless mode; Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets and human-operated spreadsheet use remain unverified.
Recording changes
Use the Change log sheet or templates/change-log-blank.csv. Record one row per changed field with the event ID, field name, old value, new value, new source locator, reason and approval status. Include edits to wording, source references, qualifications and display helpers, not only the event time. For a new event, start from a blank record and log every nonblank field. Keep the original sources and earlier chronology snapshot as well.
The human_approval column is a record of an actual decision, not a request to invent one. The fictional reviewer example explicitly records that no human approval has been granted. This log captures the difference between supplied snapshots; it is not a full document-management audit trail.
Standalone reuse and version identity
Use the versioned workbooks or reader ZIP as the primary downloads. Workbooks include a Read me; the reader ZIP also includes this field guide in Markdown and HTML. Plain CSV alternatives are distributed with companion documentation; they are not a self-contained statement of approval or reuse rights. Keep the guide ID, version and limitations with a file you share for authorised evaluation.
The source documents retain their original 0.1.0 input-edition labels and bytes. The 0.1.1 release identifies that unchanged source edition explicitly; a new guide edition is not a reason to rewrite evidence.
Main guide: article.md. This website preview is not an approved public release. See package status.