Reader Question: Export / Import

Another Reader Question:

When importing/exporting, the system creates a new tree.  Is this suppose to happen?

The answer is "yes" and "no", or just "it depends".

When you do a FILE, Export, and you make your choices for people and FILE Format, Yes, you will be creating a NEW FTMB (Family Tree Maker Back Up FILE) on your computer. From there, you can do a File, Restore, or send the file to some one else.

When doing a File, Merge, you are NOT creating a New File, You are given two choices, using the Import option. 1) to Amend your current, open File, or 2) Merge that the file you select, into the File you have Open. Two different things will happen.

But, the question was Importing. You get that from the Plan Workspace, New Tree (FILE).

Plan Workspace, New Tree (FILE) Import an Existing Tree

This is where you can Browse to the file you want to Import as a NEW File. You will also be asked for a Tree (FILE) Name. The difference is that you have several options of what that Existing FILE is. A Family Tree Maker Version 5 (not 2005, but very old Version 5), a PAF file, or a Legacy Family Tree File, or a GEDCOM File.

Note: a GEDCOM file will NOT include any images.

Remember that the Import option, is to create a New FILE from another Genealogy Program, or an earlier (old) version of Family Tree Maker.

Please note my use of the work FILE and not Tree, as the screen shows. To me, a TREE is an Online version of the information in the FILE the is on my computer. I have NO Trees on my computer. My computer may be dusty, but it has nothing for a Tree to grow in. It's also easier to tell the difference between information on the Computer (File) and information that is Online (Tree). But that's just me.
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Copyright © 2019 by Cousin Russ

Knowledge Base - The Menu (updated)

Articles about the FTM2017 Menu

• Managing Historical Timeline Events in FTM 2017 for Windows (01 Sep 2017)
• Automatic Reference Numbers in FTM 2017 for Windows (12 Sep 2017)
• Relationship Calculator in FTM 2017 for Windows (12 Sep 2017)
• Exporting and Importing GEDCOM Files in FTM 2017 for Windows (17 Nov 2017)
• Compacting a File in FTM 2017 for Windows (29 Dec 2017)
• Restoring a File from a Backup in FTM 2017 for Windows (29 Dec 2017)
• Backing Up a File in FTM 2017 for Windows (12 Jun 2018
• Customizing Fact Sentences for Reports in FTM 2017 for Windows (01 Sep 2018)
• Changing the Default File Location in FTM 2017 for Windows (18 Sep 2018)

My Blog Posts

• Relationship Calculator
• GEDCOM
• GEDCOM and -Image
• Menu Bar

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Copyright © 2018 by Cousin Russ

FTM2014 to Roots Magic - Living People weren't included

How to include Living People in a GEDCOM file and other options that you marked as Private




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Copyright © 2015 by H R Worthington

Preparing to Transition

For those preparing to transition to another Genealogy software program.

This is one of several videos on transitioning to another Genealogy Software program. I think this is important to understand a few things about Family Tree Maker if you are going to move your genealogy database from Family Tree Maker to another program.

The move will be different based on the VERSION of Family Tree Maker that you have AND the Genealogy Program you might move to. This video is to help you find the Version of the program you are using and what you need to do just before you make that move.

Family Tree Maker started in the DOS days, and the Version numbers were just that, a version number. For example, my first version was Version 3.4. The Version number when up to Version 9, then Version 10, then Version 11. BUT in 2005, then changed to Version 2005, then 2006, then back to Version 16.

In 2008, then structure of the program was moved out of the DOS environment into the Windows environment. The Version numbers then started with FTM2008, FTM2009, FTM2010, FTM2011, FTM2012, and FTM2014.

In the Version 16 and earlier, all Media Files were INCLUDED in the FTW (file extension), making the files very large over time. This important to note for your transition.

Starting with FTM2008, the Media Files were in a < filename > Media folder. You would have a Filename for the Data, and a < filename > Media folder for all of the Media Files. Those media files would normally be in Media folder, but some users and their own filing structure for their media, maybe leaving those media files elsewhere on the computer. The program "knows" where they are so there are links from the database to those media files.

For Back Ups: as long as you manually back up, or Back Up as I demonstrate in this video, those Media Files will be in the Back Up file. For Version 16, the back up file extension would be FBC. For FTM2008 - FTM2014,the file extension is FTMB. Both the FBC and the manually generated FTMB file include those media files. IF you find a FTMB file that has the words "Automatic Back Up" that FTMB file would NOT include the media files, only the Data. The automatic back up would be generated if you just closed down the program without manually backing up the file.

In upcoming blog posts, I will deal with GEDCOM files. A GEDCOM will NOT include any media files. It is important thing to understand, with this transition, is the links to the Media Files. In FTM2008 through FTM2011 a GEDCOM file will NOT contain any information linking to the media files. With FTM2012 and FTM2014, the GEDCOM WILL include Links to those media files.

Here is a link to a number of blog posts on this

http://ftmuser.blogspot.com/search/label/GEDCOM

Here is a blog post I did about transferring a GEDCOM to Roots Magic

http://ftmuser.blogspot.com/2013/12/blog-post-on-hold-update.html





Bottom line here, KNOW the Specific Version of Family Tree Maker that you are using and Compact and Back Up your file when the option is offered using the Compact File utility.

Me: No Change. FTM2014 and all of its features work for me.

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Copyright © 2015 by H R Worthington

FTM2014 - How to Export a GEDCOM file for My Heritage

Earlier this week there was a discussion about Online trees and one of the websites that was mentioned was My Heritage ( www.myheritage.com ).

In this video, I will explain how to Export a file from Family Tree Maker version 2014 in the appropriate format that can be uploaded to My Heritage.



After this tree has been processed by My Heritage, I will demonstrate how to capture the information that will be identified by My Heritage and capture that information for FTM2014.

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Copyright © 2014 by H R Worthington

Blog Post on Hold - update

A couple of days ago, I mentioned that I was not going to do further blogging about using a GEDCOM file to transfer this one file from FTM2014 to Legacy Family Tree 8 nor Roots Magic 6.

Blog Posts on Hold

But after the Ranting about how bad FTM2014 is, on Facebook, I am going to amend that. There are reasons, as I mentioned, because the transfer is via GEDCOM. However, there is some very good news in what FTM2014 does when exporting a GEDCOM file.

I have successfully transferred files from FTM2014 to both Legacy Family Tree 7.5, and Roots Magic 6. Each included links to the Media files on my hard drive. I have also been successful in sending a GEDCOM to a user of Roots Magic, and had the Media Folder of the FTM2014 file, in Dropbox, with the GEDCOM file. Everything, including the Media files were opened in Roots Magic 6 (as expected).

Trying to help a FTM2014 User, who is leaving FTM2014 for another program, I did an extra test this evening, just to make sure I remembered correctly from previous tests, specifically to Legacy Family Tree version 8, which has been recently released). I had done Version 7.5 earlier, so I wanted to just double check.

When the file was imported, there was a warning message that I was missing 56 Media files. WOW !!! that's a bummer. But wait ...... There is an Error Log from Legacy that I looked at, while Legacy was trying to find those 56 files. I was doing something else but Legacy still hadn't found those files after about 1/2 hour. What's up with that. They are ALL in one folder, can't be that hard.

So, I looked at that log or error message file again, a little closer, and I realize that they ALL were images from Find-A-Grave. In FTM2014, it had marked ALL of the Find-A-Grave images as PRIVATE. They aren't my pictures, so I do NOT want them to be online.

I thought that when I made that earlier blog post, that I had checked that I had the media files in Legacy, and I remembered correctly, so this error message concerned me. Not only did the links to those images make it, BUT in the GEDCOM there was some indication that those images should NOT be included in that GEDCOM. So, FTM2014 did what it should have, including marking those Private Media files is such a way that Legacy shouldn't and didn't find them.

Lesson Learned, The export worked as it should.

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Copyright © 2013 by H R Worthington

FTM2014 - Place Name Importance

I was reading my friend, Randy Seaver's Blog on FTM2014 with a great deal of interest:

http://www.geneamusings.com/2013/09/first-look-at-family-tree-maker-2014_11.html

Early in the blog post he says "bug" and later

then this is a serious bug in the program that can probably be easily fixed in a later release.

A note like that got my attention. BUT, I read his complete blog post and the FIRST thing that caught my attention was GEDCOM. RED FLAG. Now, he and I have successfully exchanged GEDCOMs before. But the flag was out there waving in the air.

In his first image was, what I thought was the answer, AND since he just opened the GEDCOM in FTM2014 told me what the problem is and how to resolve it. The issue is Un-Resolved Place Names. In order to take advantage of the Map Feature (and this is NOT a FTM2014 problem, as it's been this way before) your Place Names MUST BE Resolved. I can't tell from Randy's screen capture, but if he looks at many of his place names, there will be NO GPS coordinates in the upper right corner of the Places Workspace, and the ICON to the Left of the Place Name will have a "?? in it. That is the Unresolved Place Name ICON.

Here is an example from MY file. I have a Place in the Center of the country, and in the Right Hand Column it has Aubrey, KS (no USA), and the bottom ICON is somewhere, probably at 0 by 0 GPS. It is there because of Scots Ford, MO (no USA). This is pretty close to what Randy has in his Blog Post.

A little more about this Map. I was tracking the movement of my Great Grandfather in the Civil War. I created a "person" 11th Calvary Regiment, Kansas. I wanted to use the Map Feature. So, each battle was listed. I used the Resolved Place name option as much as I could. I have not been able to specifically locate several of these battles (yet). So, I left them UnResolved. The two indications is that the 1) State is 2 characters and no USA, and 2) the Question Mark to the Left of the Place name.

The first location, must be pretty close, but that 2nd one, not so close, at least in Bing Maps.To illustrate that first location, there is a check mark to the Left side of the Place Name in the right hand column.

Now, I do have 2 locations that have been Resolved. USA on both locations, Check Mark in the Place Name on the Left and I selected those two places in the right hand panel.

Lesson Learned: When you import a GEDCOM file, from anywhere, you WILL have clean up work to do. That goes from FTM2014 (or any version) to other Genealogy Database Management programs. At least that has been my experience.


From another file, here is the map of another Civil War soldier. From Baltimore Maryland, was at Gettysburg and wounded, caught up to his unit a number of months later, and was shot a 2nd time, then returned home. I have more details, but am only illustrating the usefulness of the Map feature, focusing on a Person and where they had events / facts.

Here is a link to another Blog post on this topic.

http://worthy2be.wordpress.com/2011/11/14/inferential-genealogygenealogy-software/

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Copyright © 2013 by H R Worthington

File Sharing and Brick Walls - Part 11 - Comment and Status

 I want to make a couple of comments, as the Clean Up is almost complete.

The file that I received has 86 People in the file. All 460 Facts have now been documented at least once, with where and when the GEDCOM came from. So, the Search can begin.

My comments about "clean up" are NOT a reflection on anyone, nor any software program. The GEDCOM file was generated by Roots Magic 4, and Family Tree Maker Version 2012 opened that GEDCOM file.

It is NOT my intent to say one program is right nor wrong, only that the End User may have work to do, on that GEDCOM file before merging that information into their own file. And, don't forget to Back Up the file as you go. Don't rely on any "automatic" back up that any program does. That is my own opinion. The Back Up feature, from what I have seen over the various versions of Family Tree Maker includes some file maintenance that the automatic back up doesn't do.

Each of us, over time, create our own way of using what ever program we use for our Family Research. I certainly have, and change frequently, as I may find a "new" or different way to find what I am looking for. This "clean up" is of my own doing, to bring the file to what I am comfortable in working with it.

Now that the file is pretty clean, still have a couple of things to do, I have posted this FTM2012 file into an Ancestry Member Tree, that is Private, and not searchable, and have Invited Randy to the AMT as Editor.

After reviewing the comments on Randy's Blog and this one, I chose to delete any Death Facts that only carried the "Y" in the Description field. It doesn't contribute to the Brick Wall that is the Task at hand.

For those interested in the overall GEDCOM Issues, please visit the BetterGEDCOM Blog and the BetterGEDCOM Wiki. You might want to get interested in this activity, to share your experience and to help with a solution. Links are:


http://bettergedcom.blogspot.com/

http://bettergedcom.wikispaces.com/


Copyright © 2011 by H R Worthington

File Sharing and Brick Walls - "Y" in Death Fact

As a follow up to an earlier post, for the Clean Up of this GEDCOM file, Randy just posted his study of the issue. His genealogy software is Roots Magic 4, and he wanted to see what the cause of the "Y" in the Death Fact that I was seeing. He posted the following: The Strange "Y" in a Death Description Field in a RootsMagic 4 GEDCOM File

What is important about that blog post, is a comment from Roots Magic.

Wanting to test what Randy's theory is and the comment about the GEDCOM "spec", I ran a test but creating a Custom Report for Everyone in the File, with the report showing Birth fact information, and Death fact information, including the Death Description, where we were seeing the "Y".

The report shows that if there is a Birth and Death fact, with date, there will be no "Y". If there IS a Birth fact and no Death Date or Death Place, there will be a "Y" in the Death Description field.

 

 

Lesson Learned: Not every software vendor implements or interprets the GEDCOM standards the same way.


Copyright © 2011 by H R Worthington

Genea-Musings Scenario 1 (Roots Magic 4 to FTM2012)

A Genea-Blogging friend, Randy Seaver, has posted a number of blog posts about the new Family Tree Maker version 2012 program.  I have been commenting on his posts, but I wanted to test out and post my findings here:

Exploring Family Tree Maker 2012 - Post 6: Understanding Media Items

Here is his Scenario 1:

* Scenario 1: When a GEDCOM file, created by another program or online database, is imported into FTM 2012, then the images of the Media are included in the FTM 2012 Media workspace, are put into the /Family Tree Maker/"Scenario 1"/Media file folder on my computer, and links to those Media files are included for the Person(s) and Facts involved in the FTM database. If this FTM 2012 file is exported to a NEW Ancestry Member Tree, the Media images are included in the Ancestry Member Tree.


For this Blog Post, for Scenario 1, a Roots Magic 4 will generate a GEDCOM file. The file in Roots Magic 4 has one image in it for this test.


To the best of my knowledge, a GEDCOM file will NOT include any images in that file. You can open and edit at GEDCOM file with any word processor and it will NOT include any images or media files.

For part one of this test, I created a test file in Roots Magic 4 and generated a GEDCOM file (created by another program). Here is the header information from that GEDCOM file:

0 HEAD
1 SOUR RootsMagic
2 NAME RootsMagic
2 VERS 4.0
2 CORP RootsMagic, Inc.
3 ADDR PO Box 495
4 CONT Springville, UT 84663
4 CONT USA
3 PHON 1-800-ROOTSMAGIC
3 WWW www.RootsMagic.com
1 DEST RootsMagic
1 DATE 13 OCT 2011
1 FILE Scenerio-1-RM-GED.ged
1 GEDC
2 VERS 5.5.1
2 FORM LINEAGE-LINKED
1 CHAR UTF-8

This file is opened by the Windows program Notepad.exe Nothing fancy about this program and there were NOT images in that file.

There IS a link to the Media file that is in this Roots Magic file.

1 OBJE
2 FILE C:\Users\Russ\Documents\Family Tree Maker\Inferential Genealogy Study-2012_Current Media\Howard-James_M-DavidR.jpg

This entry is the LINK to that JPG file that is on my computer.

The next step is to Open that GEDCOM file, created by Roots Magic 4 with FTM2012. The Import Status indicates that  there is one image.

You will notice ONE multimedia file. That is because of the link to that image already on this computer.

Here is that image:

However, looking in the Media Workspace for this image, you will see where this image is located.

The image that is in the above screen capture is the SAME image that Roots Magic uses. The Path to that Image is Identical.

What this means, is that for a Media item to show up, that has a Link to any image, that Image MUST be on the computer in the Path that is indicated in the Link in the GEDCOM file.

For this test, to check out my theory, I MOVED that image from the folder that is indicated above so that FTM2012 would not see that file.

Now you will see that FTM2012 can NOT find that file, although the image is still showing.


Since I saw the thumbnail, I clicked on it to see if the Error Message was correct. This is the screen that appeared.

I selected the "Let Family Tree Maker search for this file." It found the image.

That image is now in the Media folder for this file, where it should be.

The link will point to where the file was, in Roots Magic, and FTM2012 found it on import. Moving the image, FTM2012 can find it, IF it is on the SAME computer, as long as the filename is the same.

Another option is in the Media Workspace, Media Menu, Find Media.

This option will search for ALL Missing Media files.

This is that Missing Media file, if there are others, they will be listed in this window, If FTM2012 finds the file, the options are to Copy the file to the Media Folder for this file or to put a Link from this family file to that image, in the other folder. The choice here is to Copy.

This scenario shows the ability for FTM2012 to read a GEDCOM file, from another genealogy program, in this case Roots Magic 4. Embedded in that GEDCOM is a Link to an image / media file that was used within Roots Magic 4, The key here is that the IMAGE / Media file MUST be on this computer.


Lets say that Randy sent me that GEDCOM file via Email. He would have to send that Image, with the SAME filename to me in that email or a separate email, and I would have had to saved that image on my PC. FTM2012 has a feature to Find that Media file, as long as the Filename is the Same and that it's on this computer.


Copyright © 2011 by H R Worthington

BUILD A BetterGEDCOM

PRESS RELEASE - I am posting this as it may be of interest to other Users of the Family Tree Maker program and Ancestry.com. Many of us, users of both Ancestry.com and the Family Tree Maker want to Share our research with family members, other family researchers, and relatives we may not even know.




BUILD A BetterGEDCOM
A grass roots initiative to improve data exchange among genealogists

Tuesday Nov 9, 2010. Alexandria, VA. A group of genealogists and programmers have established a workspace called Build A BetterGEDCOM for developing better data exchange standards to facilitate sharing between researchers using a variety of technology platforms, genealogy products and services.

"Genealogy software users are painfully aware that sharing data with other researchers is difficult since the existing GEDCOM (GENealogy Data COMmunication) file transfer script hasn't been updated in 14 years. In the meantime genealogists have incorporated tools with expanded capabilities reflecting changing technology," says Russ Worthington, a genealogy software power user and popular genealogy lecturer.

In developing a wiki site for pulling together genealogy software programmers, website developers and end users, genealogy blogger DearMYRTLE explains "The focus is cooperation. We seek solutions that will enable regular researchers like me to share genealogy with cousins regardless of the genealogy program they've chosen to use. The current GEDCOM file exchange strips out much of my hard work, leaving only some of the data I've typed in and attached to each well-documented ancestor. We experience similar problems when uploading and downloading our genealogy data with popular genealogy websites. If all genealogy product developers agree to a BetterGEDCOM format, such problems will be overcome."

The BetterGEDCOM wiki site is open to all, and is located at http://bettergedcom.wikispaces.com.

"BetterGEDCOM will be independent. This means no single entity who has an interest in our work will be the single driving force. Likewise, no work that anyone has done will be the defined starting place or the de facto basis of our work." says Greg Lamberson, the technician who developed initial pages at the BetterGEDCOM wiki. "We also seek to account for language and cultural differences as we develop data standards for recording family history information in text and multi-media formats. Input from BetterGEDCOM participants the world over is a vital component of this initiative."

"BetterGEDCOM will seek ISO recognition or recognition by other international standards bodies," continues Greg. "This has never been done in the genealogical community. This means we will have to be a community effort with participation by a substantial part of the genealogical technology community. Also, unlike previous efforts, having standards actually codified will provide developers a framework to resolve ambiguities, conflicts or other problems that may develop in using the standard as well as a way to correct or amend the standard as needed."

"Indeed everyone seems to be ready for something new," says Greg. "Every person I have talked to agrees that now is the time for action. The BetterGEDCOM project invites all to participate so that we may achieve meaningful results."


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CONTACT:
Pat Richley-Erickson

Copyright © 2010 by H R Worthington

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