Description
Return exact census-edition difference and definition-label change.
Historical and archival records distinguish source labels, local grid conventions, edition numbers and validity periods. A parsed token or geometric area term cannot establish provenance, historical identity or land rights. Date endpoints, text-counting units and numbering origins must match the original record.
Return exact census-edition difference and definition-label change.
When to use this tool
Use Census Variable Era Gap when checking the stated archival record, grid, edition or validity-period convention.
How to use the tool and how it works
- Enter firstEdition, secondEdition, firstDefinition, secondDefinition. Use the units and conventions below.
- Run the tool. Correct any format, range, or cross-field input error before interpreting the output.
- Read editionGapDecimal, definitionChanged. Inspect definitionChanged before interpreting the associated values.
Return exact census-edition difference and definition-label change. Require whole edition coordinates; editionGapDecimal = second-first using BigInt, definitionChanged tests literal inequality.1
| Input field | Meaning and units | Accepted input |
|---|---|---|
| firstEdition | First Edition | Required. Safe integer. |
| secondEdition | Second Edition | Required. Safe integer. |
| firstDefinition | First Definition | Required. Text; maximum UTF-16 length 8192. |
| secondDefinition | Second Definition | Required. Text; maximum UTF-16 length 8192. |
| Output field | Interpretation | Returned shape |
|---|---|---|
| editionGapDecimal | Exact signed difference of supplied whole edition numbers as decimal-integer text; numbers need not be years. | Required. Text; maximum UTF-16 length 8192. |
| definitionChanged | Definition Changed | Required. Boolean. |
{
"input": {
"firstEdition": 2000,
"secondEdition": 2010,
"firstDefinition": "A",
"secondDefinition": "B"
},
"output": {
"editionGapDecimal": "10",
"definitionChanged": true
}
}Limitations and assumptions
- Edition numbers need not be years and matching labels do not prove semantic equivalence; actual census comparability is not established.
- Inputs must satisfy both the field types and the cross-field conditions above. Invalid input causes an error; a successful false flag or documented placeholder is a different result.
- Numeric calculations use binary floating point unless exact decimal-integer arithmetic is explicitly stated. No hidden measurement tolerance or decimal rounding is added; nonfinite or out-of-contract results are rejected. Numeric signed-zero results are exported as zero.
Alternative or Complementary methods
Consult the original archive, survey and applicable authority for historical interpretation, provenance or actual property rights.
References
Similar or alternative tools
- Historical State Code Era Flag
Check a supplied historical code against half-open era intervals.
- Public Census Enumeration Token Tool
Parse a supplied edition namespace and two opaque enumeration-reference components, preserving unresolved suffix text without inferring people or places.