Genealogy Chat

I just wanted to know if anyone knows whether it is possible to export or (easier) copy and paste some sections of the List View of a Family Tree?

What I want to do is create a spreadsheet in Excel of names, DOBs and DODs so that I can add columns to see any missing bits of information i.e. I want columns for each Census year so that i can 'tick' and if someone is missing/not found I can put an X in that square - so that I can come back to them at a later date and find them when they think I am not looking! It is all a game of Hide and Seek.......

I have tried to copy and paste - the whole thing and various sections - but when I paste into Excel it is all in one block and not different cells.

Any ideas anyone? Or have I just got to take my time and type them all in (don't feel confident enough to mess about modifying a Gedcom in Excel) - fortunately not a massive tree.

I don't know of any way to copy info from one format and paste directly into a different one.

I don't know abt List View, and I don't have a full version of Excel to experiment with, but I do have the Microsoft Works Spreadsheet, so I can say about that.

If I have some text pasted in a .txt text file, I can pate it into my spreadsheet.
A line break in the text gets me separate lines in the spreadsheet.
A "tab" in the text gets me to the next cell in a row when I paste.

Why not copy and paste your List View stuff into a plain txt file first, like say a notepad file, then maybe edit that a bit, then copy and paste it into Excel.

For Notepad, go to: Windows Start button - All programs - Accessories folder - Notepad

Reggie and mgnv

Thanks for the responses - yes I can try a .txt file - that might be what it needs, copy it into one thing then out again into another.

Can only give it a go and see what happens

Let me know how it turns out, please.

Mmmm not a success.

I think the notepad element will work but I have (so far) not been able to highlight and copy the whole list!

I can highlight it - only by starting at the outer section where it says Search Relations and then highlighting all the way down using the mouse, I have also tried using the Ctrl A and Ctrl C method, but when I paste into the Wordpad ( same as notepad) only a small amount of copied text is reproduced.

As it is not (as far I can make out) possible to highlight and then copy from within the list itself I am stuck!

I have tried copying from the top down and the bottom up.

So I am going to work through my Census records and just type up a list then add to it as I go.

Good suggestion though mgnv.

Thanks

Janet

I have just tried to copy my tree. It would only let me hightlight so far but used that bit (I think to get the next set of names I had to reload the tree)

paste into a word document

format by putting all you want on a line together eg (each on separate line)
fred
smith
1918
1997
go to end of fred and 'tab' then delete to get surname on the same line etc for each set

fred smith 1918 1997
save the file as a txt file

open excel and highlight data tab

import data 'from text' (it will ask for a field delimiter - in this case 'tab' )

worth a try

hard to explain but hope you can understand

Thanks LancashireAnn, yes I understood the explanation about using delimiters but decided rather than get frustrated I would type up what I have from my census records directly into Excel. All those typing lessons have paid off! Glad I only have a small tree though.

I now have my basic spreadsheet and I have little ticks, little smiley faces (B and M certs obtained) and little sad faces (Death certs obtained) and coloured in cells if the person wasn't born in time for the relevant census (ie b1876 then I colour in up to and including 1871 and similarly if they died between one census and another).

I can see quite easily where I have information missing and can see my direct ancestors (in bold) - now I don't have to worry (too much) about losing the 'find census' post it notes

I just have to add 'peripheral' individuals - spouses and those born after 1911 - where I think that they are relevant.

I don't know if this is of help but I did a 'Print Screen' in the end. The pages of the List did come out very small but it meant I could keep scrolling down and do each page at a time so at least I have a hard copy of the whole List to work from.

Hi Maggie

Glad you finally managed to print the list view and yes - I think that might be my next option to catch the peripherals!