Friday, November 27, 2009

Version 2010 - Errors on GEDCOM Import

Family Tree Maker
Version 2010
Error Message on GEDCOM Import

One of the options to create a New Tree is Importing a GEDCOM file. That GEDCOM file may be from another program or a download from a Ancestry.com Member Family Tree.

See:Plan - New File - Download from Ancestry.com

If, during the importing of a GEDCOM file, errors are encountered, the final screen of the import process will provide a Error Log file.

New in Version 2010:

Clicking on the Error Log button on that screen, information will be provided on the errors. Such as:

GEDCOM Import

  File:        C:\[user account information]\Family Tree Maker\Family Tree 11-09.ged
  Created by:  Ancestry.com Family Trees (2009)

Errors

  Line 12 : error InvalidDate: Unrecognized date for the Residence fact: 2006-present
  Line 227: error 4  : Invalid tag: MARR. Line ignored.
  Line 11145: error InvalidDate: Unrecognized date for the Education fact: abt 1895-1910?
  Line 13282: error InvalidDate: Unrecognized date for the Adoption fact: 1970?

This information may not be of much help. With Version 2010, this information is not placed on the To Do / Task list.


The Error messages are briefly described, who the error was associated and that it was an Import Error. Clicking on the line will take you to the individual involved for resolution.

Looking at the error messages, there is an indication of a number of the Facts that there is a "?" in the date field, or the word "or" was in the date field.

The Error Log can be opened with most word processors, including Notepad.exe and is filed in: C:\[user account information]\Family Tree Maker.

 Helpful Knowledge Base Articles on this topic: 

What is a Gedcom?

GEDCOM files and how they are used

Uploading my file from Family Tree Maker to Ancestry.com 

Importing an Existing File in Family Tree Maker 2009 & 2010

Resolving File Import Errors in Family Tree Maker 2008 or 2009

Version 2010 - Plan Workspace

Family Tree Maker
Version 2010
Plan Workspace
New Tree Tab

This is the initial screen that you see when you open the Family Tree Maker program for the first time. This is the control center where you manage your family trees. The Plan Workspace is divided into two tabs:
  • New Tree
  • Current Tree

In an earlier post:

Family Tree Maker 2009 - Plan Screen

This screen was discussed for Version 2009. #1 is the Plan Workspace Button. The New Tree Tab is #2 and #3 indicates the files that have been open. Not much changes here. 

 #4, Web Dashboard, has changed. In version 2009 it "indicates that I am logged into various online offerings at The Generations Network. There is a link to Log Off of these websites, if I so choose". 

New with Version 2010, the Web Dashboard gives you quick access to your Ancestry.com subscription; you can log in to your account, view your subscription expiration date, and display the Ancestry trees you have created and posted on the Ancestry.com Member Family Tree. The Web Dashboard will only be active when your computer is connected to the Internet.

There is are options on what is displayed in this part of the window.




Web Dashboard Options:
  • Show my Ancestry subscription information
  • Show my Ancestry trees
  • Show content feeds
  • Show web links section
  • Automatically update dashboard

Each has an option to expand the content of the feeds section or not expanded. The Dashboard update intervals can also be set.

The window on this screen capture has each option Expanded.

Beside the Dashboard options menu, each section can be expanded by clicking on the double up-arrow on the right end of the Option line, of compacted with the double down-arrow,

I have found that the Twitter Feed is important, as it will reflect, for example, that Scheduled Site Maintenance Tonight, Tuesday Nov. 18 posted on 3:34 PM Nov 18.


All of the Plan Workspace posts can be reviewed by clicking here:

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Thursday, November 26, 2009

FTM2010 - Workspaces

Family Tree Maker Version 2010


Many of us have been using Family Tree Maker Version 2010 for a while now. The purpose of the next series of Blog posts will be to cover the various Workspaces, what is included in these workspaces and options that are found there.

Below is the top part of the screen in Family Tree Maker. These items are on each page as you navigate through the program.

#1 below is the very top bar of the Family Tree Maker program. Two pieces of information are there. The Filename, in this case "Blog", and the Version of Family Tree Maker that is being used. "Blog - Family Tree Maker 2010" in this case.


#2 is showing the seven (7) Workspaces that will be described later on. There is the Plan workspace, People workspace, Places, Resources, Publish, and Web Search. The Active workspace, or where you are at the moment, is in orange. In this case Plan. The Web Search button is a lighter orange, was this computer is online.

#3 is showing two Tabs. Each Workspace will have Tabs and will be discussed later. In this case, New Tree and Current Tree at the two tabs

#4 is the another level of menu for specific tasks. The Help menu is on the Left end of that list of menu selections.

Each Workspace Button can be accesses throughout the program and will be discussed in the near future. Since many of these options have been covered, the focus of future blog posts will focus on the New or Changes that have been made in 2010.
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Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Family Tree Maker: Program Update

From the Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker Blog

Family Tree Maker: Program Update


Hello Everyone,

We are soon going to release a small program update to Family Tree Maker 2010, which will address some of the requests you’ve made here on the blog and in other forums.  Here are some of the highlights:
  1. Improved Relationship Calculator. Direct-line relationships now take precedence over less direct lines.
  2. Greater control over hinting. A new option lets you turn tree hints off, so you can get hints from records only. See the new check box in the Options dialog. Also, the program will stop hinting on trees owned by the logged in user, as well as not hinting records that have been downloaded with a tree from Ancestry.com.
  3. Improved data and formatting in a number of reports.
  4. Improved support for GEDCOM, PAF and Legacy import.
  5. Many other small changes throughout the program to help it run more smoothly.
We appreciate your feedback and suggestions. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us; they have helped us tremendously in preparing this update.

Please watch for the update in the next day or two. When it’s ready, a prompt will display in Family Tree Maker after you start the program. For those of you using Vista or Windows 7, make sure to right click on the Family Tree Maker 2010 shortcut and chose the “Run as Administrator” option to ensure you receive the notification. More detailed information regarding the patch, as well as links to download the patch directly, can be found at the following location starting tomorrow morning: http://www.familytreemaker.com/Support/Patch_2010.aspx.
Thanks!

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Ancestry.com Adds 600 Navy Cruise Books to Its U.S. Military Collection

Below is a Press Release from Ancestry.com.


Ancestry.com Publishes for the First Time Online
Collection of Twentieth-Century Navy Records
Site Celebrates Veterans Day with Free Access to Entire U.S. Military Records Collection

PROVO, UT (Nov. 11, 2009) – Ancestry.com today added more than 600 Navy cruise books to its online collection of military records to commemorate Veterans Day. This historic effort is the result of an agreement between Ancestry.com, the world’s largest online resource for family history, and the United States Navy. As part of the agreement, Ancestry.com set up scanners on location at the Navy Department Library in Washington, DC, and has spent several months digitizing the cruise books for this occasion.
 The collection of Navy cruise books, available exclusively online at Ancestry.com, represents nearly 40 years of cruises following World War II (1950-1988) and chronicles an estimated 450,000 servicemen deployed at sea during that time. Styled after yearbooks, the cruise books include the names and photographs of individuals who served aboard the ship and highlight not only significant milestones that took place during the cruise, but also the day-to-day life on board ship. While not every Navy cruise was documented in a cruise book, the Navy Department Library has on file an estimated 3,500 cruise books, which Ancestry.com plans to digitize and add to this collection over time.
“When Ancestry.com approached the Navy about digitizing these cruise books for online access, we were thrilled,” said Captain Charles Todd Creekman, Jr., USN (Ret.) Executive Director of the Naval Historical Foundation. “A cruise book offers an insider’s perspective into what these sailors experienced, and the strong camaraderie they established, while serving their country at sea.”
The Navy cruise books are part of Ancestry.com’s U.S. Military Collection, which includes 100 million names that span more than three centuries of American military service.
“When you have a family member who has served in the Armed Forces, you can’t help but be proud,” said Tim Sullivan, CEO of Ancestry.com. “This Veterans Day, we’re celebrating America’s military heroes of yesterday and today and invite every American with military roots to see if they can learn something new about their family member on Ancestry.com.”
In honor of America’s military heroes, the entire U.S. Military Collection on Ancestry.com can be searched free through Nov. 13. To begin exploring your family’s military heritage, visit www.ancestry.com/military.
About Ancestry.com Inc.
Ancestry.com is an online resource for family history and has digitized and put online over 4 billion records over the past twelve years. Ancestry users have created over twelve million family trees containing over 1.25 billion profiles. Ancestry.com has local Web sites directed at nine countries, including its flagship website at http://www.ancestry.com/.

###

Ancestry.com Adds 600 Navy Cruise Books to Its U.S. Military Collection

 

To add a note:  I did look at this collection, as I was on board a ship in Vietnam, and read with interest a couple of these Navy  Cruise Books of ships that we encountered in Vietnam. There was one cruise book that was taken while my ship (U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Halfmoon) was in the same port at the same time.


Thursday, October 22, 2009

Family Tree Maker 2010 and Windows 7

The Family Tree Maker Blog on Ancestry.Com posted an article on

Family Tree Maker 2010 and Windows 7


It starts with:

With the release of Microsoft Windows 7 this week, many have been asking about the compatibility and testing of Family Tree Maker 2010 related to this new operating system.

The short answer is yes, Family Tree Maker 2010 is fully compatible with Windows 7.

Please read the complete Blog for details.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Source Citation Template - Find-A-Grave

This series of Blog posts will expand each of the Groups and show the various Categories that will appear on the Category menu. The list of Categories to select from. Each of these categories are referred to in Evidence Explained by Elizabeth Shown Mills

 There have been several Blogs, written today  (10/21/09), on How to Cite a Gravestone from the Find-A-Grave website.

As a contributor to Find-A-Grave as well as posting a blog on Tombstone Tuesday, I thought it was time to continue the Use of the New Templates found in Family Tree Maker Version 2009 and now 2010 and address this specific issue..

Here are two Blog Entries that might be of interest on the topic of Citing Find-A-Grave information:


and



In researching Tombstone Pictures on Find-A-Grave, a photograph of the Headstone of Hiram Deats, Jr. Based on the information in my Family File, this was the correct Hiram Deats, Jr.



Figure 246

Downloaded the image to the Media Folder for this Family File, gave it a filename that was meaningful (Deats-HiramJr) and Added it to the Media section for this person (People Workspace, Person Tab, Media tab in the Center).

Hi-Lighting that image, and going to the Right Hand Panel (RH Panel), and selecting the Burial FACT that was already known, from a Cemetery Visit, Selected New, Add New Source-Citation in the Source-Citation portion of the RH Panel.



Figure 247


This brought up a New Source-Citation Screen (2), where New was selected. This brought up another screen, where More (3) was selected, as this is where the Templates are chosen from.


There is a more detailed description on this blog post:


Source Citation Template - Source Group

In that blog the various Source Groups were discussed. From the list of Groups, Cemetery Records (1 below) appear to be the best match. That would be Group 3 

 


Figure 248

Looking at the Category Listing, Grave Markers appear to be the best choice for this Headstone photograph. Selecting the specific Template would be the next choice and that would be Online Image.




Figure 249


This completes the Selection of the Template, but now to "fill in the blanks" for the Find-A-Grave Source.



Figure 250

The Create surname, in this case, is Find-A-Grave. No Creator forname is required, but the Web Site Title (Find-A-Grave) and URL (http://findagrave.com) is entered. The year is also entered.

Clicking on OK will bring up a Specific Source-Citation screen.




Figure 251


For this example, the Date of the Citation was entered in the Citation Details, and in the Citation Text box, the information was transcribed from the photograph of the headstone. Giving Credit to the photographer would also be acceptable.

The Source-Citation will appear like this:

Find-A-Grave, Find-A-Grave, digital images (http://findagrave.com), October 21, 2009. Photograph of the headstone of Hiram Deats Jr - Born Sept 10 1853 - Died Feb 6 1928 - Cherryville Baptist Cemetery Cherryville, Hunterdon County, New Jersey.

Note: When entering information into the Citation Text field, the Enter Key (return) will NOT be recognized in the end note (Source-Citation). In this example you will see Dashes (-) in the entry. "Hiram Deats Jr - Born Sept 10 1853"

Evidence Explained: 5,16, page 229 

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Family Tree Magazine - Vote for the 40 Best Genealogy Blogs

Don't know how this happened, but this Blog in on the List. I am overwhelmed. Thank you.

Looking at the entire list, there weren't but one or two Blogs that I don't follow every day and learn from. Please take a moment and review this awesome list of Genealogy Bloggers.

For a little more information please check out the Family Tree Magazine Insider Blog

Thank you.

Friday, October 2, 2009

Family Tree Maker: Webinar Recap

This information can be found on the Ancestry.com Blog:
http://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/2009/10/02/family-tree-maker-webinar-recap/

Hello Everyone,
We want to thank you all for your questions and participation in the webinar for Family Tree Maker 2010. We had a great turnout, with about 2,000 of you participating live with us that night.
We answered as many questions as time permitted, and we’re sorry if we weren’t able to get to yours yet. But don’t worry, we’ve got a list of the questions asked during the webinar, and we’ll be posting here to answer what we can. Again, specific questions about errors or technical problems will be answered much more quickly if you email support@ancestry.com or give our customer support center a call.
We just wanted to briefly mention some of the more frequently asked questions here:
Q: Will the webinar be available for viewing at a later date?
A: Yes. We will have the archived webinar up on our site in a few days. When its available, you can find this webinar, and past webinars at http://familytreemaker.com/About/Webinars.aspx. The webinars can be found on both FamilyTreeMaker.com in the Help section and on Ancestry.com under the Learning Center.
Q: What about phantom hints with the shaky leaves?
A: We are aware of this problem, and are working on getting things fixed. Right now the best thing is to be patient with us, or email support@ancestry.com for some help.
Q: There were lots of questions about functions in the program.
A: Many of those can be answered within the program itself, so you don’t have to wait for us to get back to you to get working on your family history. To get answers, go to the Help menu in Family Tree Maker, and there you will find the Training Tutorials and Online Help Center.
The tutorials are videos on your program that go over some of the basics of Family Tree Maker, and are great for visualizing what you want to do within the program.
The Online Help Center gives you access to the Getting Started Guide. This handy guide will help you begin your first Family Tree Maker project and master the program’s basic features. You can quickly navigate to the section you would like to see for the answers you are looking for.
Also in Online Help Center is a link to our free online database of Knowledge Base articles. These are often made up of answers excerpted from the Official Guide, and are updated often. These are a lot of the same answers Customer Support would provide–it’s the same set of information they work from when they’re answering your questions. By typing in a few key words of what you are looking for, such as “splitting trees” or “duplicate people,” a list of articles will display that you can browse through to find what you are looking for.
During the webinar, there were many more questions, and just to give you a heads up for what we’re working on to put in the blog post, keep your eye out for these new posts:
Book publishing
Source Citation
Transferring Files
Thanks!

Friday, September 25, 2009

Free Family Tree Maker 2010 online class

Family Tree Maker® 2010 has a lot of great new features. Let us show you around.


Family Tree Maker® 2010 new features online class
Here’s your chance to save 20% on Family Tree Maker 2010 and learn how to use it to grow your tree like never before. Join us on September 30th at 8 PM (EST) when some of the people behind Family Tree Maker walk you through what’s new and how to bring your family tree to life in the newest version.


A few of our developers from the Family Tree Maker team will also be on hand to help answer questions. We encourage you to submit questions in advance through our Family Tree Maker blog.

This is the perfect time to get 20% off of Family Tree Maker 2010 and learn about all its unique new features. Order now.

Register for free online class.


Duff Wilson Speaker: Duff Wilson, Sr., Senior Product Manager – Family Tree Maker
Duff has 15 years of software design and development experience creating user–friendly interface designs. His interfaces have earned national awards and numerous patents. He holds a master’s degree from Utah State University in instructional technology with an emphasis in computer–based instruction. He’s also an avid genealogist. In the process of designing Family Tree Maker, Duff has worked closely with countless genealogists ranging from novice to expert.
Michelle Pfister Moderator: Michelle Pfister, Senior Product Manager – Family Tree MakerMichelle has 20 years of industry experience with companies such as Microsoft, WordPerfect and NTT/Verio. She has worked on products such as Microsoft SharePoint, WordPerfect Suite, Corel WordPerfect Legal Edition and several Verio eCommerce offerings. One of her passions is making software simple to use, yet powerful enough for the pros.
Genealogy.com | Help | Money-back Policy | Unsubscribe | PRIVACY
If you would like to contact Genealogy.com directly, please write to:
Ancestry.com Operations Inc. Attn: Customer Service
360 West 4800 North, Provo, UT 84604.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Family Tree Maker: Webinar on Sept. 30th

Please drop by the Ancestry.com Blog on Family Tree Maker:

http://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/2009/09/09/family-tree-maker-2010-webinar-questions/


To quote the blog:

We have a free webinar scheduled for September 30th at 8:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time. In this webinar, you’ll see a demo of the new features in Family Tree Maker 2010. We know it can take time to learn all the details of a rich application like Family Tree Maker. This webinar will hopefully help.
To help us prepare, please enter your questions in the comments section. We’ll try to answer every question in either the webinar or in blog entries here. To keep us all on track, please limit your questions to those regarding functionality in Family Tree Maker 2010.
As always, you can see past webinars on FamilyTreeMaker.com. These will be especially helpful to you if you’ve upgraded from Version 16 or earlier. To attend the upcoming webinar, register here.
Thanks for entering your questions about Family Tree Maker 2010 functionality — we’ll look forward to reading every one. Thanks!
End of Quote:
I have signed up.

Genealogy Guys Videocast and Family Tree Maker

You are invited to visit the Genealogy Guys Videocast at http://genealogyguys.blip.tv/.

Drew Smith, one of the Genealogy Guys, interviews Michelle Pfister and Mark LeMonnier of Family Tree Maker.

The Genealogy Guys Videocast #002 - 2009 August 2

Enjoy what they have to say about Family Tree Maker Version 2010.

Attach Images following Download

In a previous Blog entry

Plan - New File - Download from Ancestry.com - Version 2010

The process of downloading a file from a Member Family Tree, you will notice that Source-Citation Images are not included in the download. The Source-Citation information is present as seen in the Source-Citation in the Right Hand Panel, but a 0 in the second column on the People, Person Facts page indicating no Media is present. Clicking on the Media Tab, in the Right Panel will also show no images.


 
Figure 235

As one who would like the image included in the Media collection for Source-Citations, the following are the steps that will include the Source-Citation image. Figure 234 was from the 1870 Census for Hunterdon County, New Jersey, Delaware Township.

Clicking on this link: http://ftmuser.blogspot.com/search/label/WebSearch will take you to a series of blog entries on how to do a Websearch.

A Web Search is performed on this individual, Hiram Deats was performed, and the 1870 Census Record is Selected.





Figure 236

Clicking on the View Image link, as seen in Figure 236, will bring up the Census Record in the Center, upper portion of the Family Tree Maker screen.




 
Figure 237


After a review of the image, which would have been looked at before, and is in the Member Family Tree, online, there will be a SAVE button, in the upper right corner of that screen. Looking in the box, you will note the it is, already, in the Member Family Tree.

Clicking on the Save button, will bring up a window asking you where to save the image. In this case,  Save This image to Your computer is selected.



Figure 238

The next window that opens will be asking where do you want to save this image. In this case, it is the Media Folder for Descendants of John Deats (1769-1841), which is the file name listed in the earlier blog.

For my file naming convention, I use a YYYY for Year, Undescore, Fed for Federal Census, Underscore, ST for the State Abbreviation, dash, County, dash, Township, dash, pg for Page Number. In the Figure 239, you will see where that information comes from.

In this case it is:

1870_Fed_NJ-Hunterdon-Delaware-pg34.jpg

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Plan - New File - Download from Ancestry.com - Version 2010

In an earlier post, the ability to download a file from Ancestry.com was discussed, using Family Tree Maker, Version 2009

Plan - New File - Download from Ancestry.com


There is also an entry on how to upload a file from the Family Tree Maker program to a Member Tree at Ancestry.com.

Publish - Upload to Ancestry.com


One of the new features of Version 2010, is the ability to download a file from Ancestry.com that Includes Images that are in the online Member Tree.

You will notice a new option on the Plan Workspace a new option, that is Download a tree from Ancestry.

Selecting that option, Family Tree Maker will connect to your Member Family Trees. You will notice that in this screen there are 4 trees on Ancestry that can be downloaded or exported. The one with the images and the one to be downloaded is hi-lited. Clicking the Download button will begin the process.



Figure 229

There will be a downloading process window that appears and the proces bar will be active.




Figure 230

You will be asked to Import that file, into a new file, or Merge this download into an existing file.


Figure 231


In this case, the selection was to Import the file. The next screen is where you name this new file (for import) or select the file to Merge this download into.


Figure 232

Again the download process bar will make a couple of passes as the file downloads.



Figure 233

When the download completes the Import Complete status will be given. You will notice that there is a new item, that is the Media status. This screen is similar to

Plan - New File - Download from Ancestry.com figure 218

This download is of the same file as the earlier download. This time the images are now in the file on the PC.




Figure 234

Just a note, there are 16 figures to do this same process in Version 2009 and do not end up with Images. In Version 2010, on this blog entry, there are only 6 AND the Images or Media files are included.

Helpful Hints from the Family Tree Maker Knowledge Base website:

How to download your personal member family tree

Importing an Existing File in Family Tree Maker 2009

GEDCOM files and how they are used

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Monday, August 24, 2009

Multiple Marriages and Remarriage

How do you enter Multiple Marriages, where the first (or other) spouse was remarried.

Please note that this example is where there was a marriage. However, other FACTs can be selected to clarify the type of Relationship the two individuals had.

Peggy Marriage was married 3 times. See the number next to the spouse ICON.




Figure 223

Going to the People Workspace, Person Tab, FACTs page, the three marriages are listed. The Date of the Marriage and the fact that, in this example, the marriages ended in Divorce (with dates). They are listed in the Shared FACTs for each relationship.





Figure 224

To add a new Marriage to the First Spouse, click on the Green Plus sign and a New FACT screen will appear, where Marriage is selected. Note that the cursor is on the First Spouse (Select Spouse)


Figure 225

The date of the new marriage was added and marked as Preferred.


Figure 226


What will this look like in a Genealogy Report (Collection Tab), Register Report (Detail Tab), in the Publish Workspace?

By default, the Preferred only FACTs are selected. The three marriages are reported, BUT the first marriage is not. Removing the Check Mark, in the Items to Include ICON, will resolve this.



Figure 227


The result shows the complete set of relationships and the fact that there was a child from the first relationship.


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Friday, August 21, 2009

Family Tree Maker: Upgrading from previous versions

Information from the Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker Blog:

http://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/

Family Tree Maker: Upgrading from previous versions

* Posted by Michelle Pfister
* August 21, 2009


We are often asked about the process of upgrading to Version 2010 from older versions of Family Tree Maker. If you’re upgrading, here are some answers to frequently asked questions:

Q: Will FTM 2010 run on my computer?
A: Your computer must meet the minimum system requirements in order to run the program. A list of system requirements can be found here. By going to the Start menu and selecting the Help option, you can search for “About this computer” to find your system information and compare to the list on the Web site.

Q: Will FTM 2010 replace my old version?
A: No. Family Tree Maker 2010 will install as a completely separate program and will not affect your old program. If you do not want to keep your old version you will need to uninstall it.

Q: Do I need to install FTM 2009 before I can upgrade to FTM 2010?
A: No. Because FTM 2010 installs as a separate program you can upgrade to 2010 directly, without having to install any older software.

Q: Will FTM 2010 automatically open my files from the old version?
A: This depends on which version you’re upgrading from. If you’re upgrading from version 2008 or 2009, your old file names will appear in your list of trees. Then opening the files will convert them to the new format. If you’re upgrading from an older version (Version 16 or older) you will need to import your files into the new program. You can see instructions on how to upload your files from the older version, or how to import files from other programs to your new Family Tree Maker here.

Q: When I import my file will it get ALL of the data?
A: Family Tree Maker 2010 will import all of the data contained in the file you are importing. If you have multiple files in the old program to represent different families, you will have to import each one separately.

Q: I can’t find my files from the old version to import them. Where are they?
A: You can use either your old version’s Find file utility or use Windows Search to locate the files on your computer. These are detailed here.

Q: My old version is on a different computer. How can I transfer the file to my new computer?
A: By exporting your old files to an external drive, you can transfer your files from one computer to another. Detailed instructions for this can be found here.

Q: Do I need to keep my old version on the computer after upgrading?
A: No. Once you have imported your data files into FTM 2010 you can uninstall your old version, it is not required for FTM 2010 to operate. Removing your older version is optional, but doing so will leave more memory available for use on your computer. Even if you remove your old program, you can keep your old data files for safekeeping.

Q: I imported my files, but I don’t know where they are now. Where does FTM 2010 store the data files?
A: The default save location is in a Family Tree Maker folder in your Documents folder. Any imported files will be here unless you changed the File Location on the import screen. If your files are not in your Documents folder and you don’t remember if you changed the File Location or what you changed it to, you can use Windows Search to locate the files. The search tool can be found under the Start menu on your computer.

Q: How can I make FTM 2010 look like my old program?
A: Family Tree Maker 2010 is built on our new platform, which has many similarities to the older versions but looks quite different. The People workspace, Family tab is a combined Pedigree View and Family View from the old programs.

Q: I need help working in the new format. Are there any tutorials available?
A: There are Training Tutorials available in the Help menu and a Getting Started Guide available on our website to help you get started working in the new format. You can view the Getting Started Guide by clicking here.

I hope these answers help. If you’ve already made the transition to Family Tree Maker 2010, please offer your helpful questions and answers here. Thanks!

Monday, August 17, 2009

File Organization - Filenameing Convention - Individuals

Among the Genealogy Blogging community, there have been a number of Bloggers talking about 'Getting Organized". There have also been a couple of PodCasts talking about the same topic.

Please see my earlier Blog on this topic: http://ftmuser.blogspot.com/search/label/Organization. This link will bring up any blog entries that I have posted on Organization.

In my first post on this topic, I talked about what file naming convention I used in a specifc file. I have given this some serious thought, but in a more generic, not file specific file naming.

In the Family Tree Maker program, all Images are, by default, are stored in a Media Folder based on the File Name of the family file.

For example: The family file is located in:

My Documents\Family Tree Maker\MasterFile.FTM

The Media Items are in:

My Documents\Family Tree Maker\MasterFile Media

Here is what the filenames look like using Windows Explorer:



Figure 220

This JPG files are a results of a Web Merge.

There is no meaningful information in the names of these files. For example, the second filename on that list is:

08061202192718.JPG


Figure 221

It is a Registration Report. Looking at the Image with any photo editor doesn't really say what time of Registration Report it is. Of interest, for entry into Family Tree Maker is his Occupation.

So, looking at the Files, external to the Family Tree Maker is of little help.

The view within the Family Tree Maker is a little clearer:



Figure 222

From the People Workspace, Person tab, selecting the Occupation FACT, Farmer in 1918 (signature line on 2nd page) there is a Source Citation Image of this World War I Registration Report.

Figure 222 shows the Source-Citation information, the Filename and the Location of the file. That agrees with what is seen in Figure 220.

The task here is to have the ability to look externally to Family Tree Maker and Internally to Family Tree Maker to know what image is.

The format of Filenames that is under consideration is:

Surname_FirstnameMiddlename-year-Event

The Surname followed by an Underscore, followed by the Firstname, followed by the Middlename (if appropriate), followed by a Dash and Year, followed by a Dash and the Event.

In this case:

Worrell_JosephWilson-1918-WWI-Registration

In the External view, all images for Joseph Wilson Worrell will be sorted together with Windows Explorer, then sotret by Year, followed by the Event. For sorting purposes, the plan is to keep an individuals images together, then by years. The Event sorting isn't that important for this user at this time.

Will have another blog post on other types of Records.

Sunday, August 9, 2009

More on Family Tree Maker 2010

There has been a number of discussions on the Internet Message Boards and among several Bloggers about the pending release of Family Tree Maker Version 2010. Randy Seaver just posted another blog on 2010.

Which Family Tree Maker version to use?


I see that Family Tree Maker Version 2010 is now listed at the Ancestry.com Store:

We have seen the information at the store, but I might suggest that you click on this link, also found there for some screen shots.

See an overview of all the features in Family Tree Maker 2010

You might want to take a look at these screen shots

Family Tree Maker Screenshots
For the People Work Space, Family View:

Family View

This isn't much different in this screen, BUT, the Navigation has been updated from here. However, I think there is a new feature that is not on that screen. It's an Enhanced nodes option. From my notes, the Enhance View will allow more information on the Family View screen. This screen shot just shows names, but with the Enhanced View, you will be able to have an Image of each person in the view AND birth and death dates.

Media View

Looks familiar, however, this is really where the use of Categories. In the image provided, you can see any Media, in your file, that are not linked to an individual or Source.

Places View

From my notes, in the Left Hand Panel, with the Place Name above and list of people who had an event there, is a field, not on the screen shot, for the GPS coordinates. As I remember, with the GPS information the Push Pin can be moved.

Timeline

In the People, Person View, Timeline Tab, we have had the capability to view an Individuals Time Line. Currently, we can add Historical Events and Family Events. With 2009, we did not have the capability to Print the Time Line. From my notes again, we have the capability to Print the Publich, Person Report, Time Line.

Web Search

In the Demonstration that I saw, the capability to take information of another website, like a book, hi-light information AND pictures from that online book and merge it into the Family File. The details of this feature went by very quickly, but the information, picture include, that was online was brought into the file on the computer. Don't know about you, but I could have used that many times in the past, and look forward to exploring this feature in the future.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Family Tree Maker 2010 - Download from Ancestry.com

In an earlier post:

Family Tree Maker Version 2010 at Ancestry.com

the features that are to be in Version 2010 were listed.

A follow up was posted here:

What's New in Family Tree Maker 2010


As mentioned, there was a demo of Version 2010. From my notes, some observations of the new features will be posted here. There will be follow up posts when the software is received.

What’s New?

* Easy family tree download from Ancestry.com – Import your Ancestry.com family tree, along with attached photos.


From a previous message, another Blogger, Randy Seaver from the Genea-Musings Blog posted this:

Genea-Musings: Family Tree Maker 2010 software - what? when?


To understand a little more about this feature a review of Version 2009 might be helpful.

There is the ability to Publish the information that is on the PC, in Family Tree Maker Version 2009 and Publish it to a a Member Family Tree at Ancestry.com. That capability is posted here:

Publish - Upload to Ancestry.com


Put, what if the Member Family Tree is where your information has been researched and recorded on Ancestry.com and now you want to have that information in the Family Tree Maker program on your PC.

That capability is posted here:

Plan - New File - Download from Ancestry.com


There has been some discussion about the Synchronization of the data between the PC and the Member Family Tree. The short coming of the Download process, mentioned above, is that the information from Ancestry.com is in the form of a GEDCOM file. That means that media items (images, PDF files) are not included. This has also been discussed.

Family Tree Maker 2010 <=> Ancestry Member Tree Synchronization


So, from the Demo at the Convention showed that this new capability in Version 2010 will now INCLUDE the images and other media in the Member Family Tree in the download. As this demo was done pretty quickly, the details on the screen changes are not available, but the download did include those images.

From what this participant saw in the demo, what will be in Version 2010 will NOT be a complete full synchronization of the same file in two places. But it does allow for updates to the files in two places be shared to both locations. (PC or on Ancestry.com). The full feature, from the Q&A (Questions and Answer session), is understood by the development team. This clearly, for this user, another step in the right direction.

Please note: these comments are made from the observation of the Demo and the notes that were taken during the presentation. Follow up posts will be made on this feature when the program is made available..

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