Genealogy Chat

Hi JUdy Many thanks for clearing that up. I was afraid I'd be spending the holiday weekend at a complete standstill if FTM doesn't arrive today or tomorrow! I hadn't thought of saving the file under a different name to experiment with either. Now you've suggested that, I'll feel a lot happier transferring info between different programs. Thanks again! Frances

Hi Judy, Thank you for the info. What I mean about hyperlink is as follows, hope it is clear. If I am researching the tree of the name Georgina Homewood, when I have the two parents I enter them on the tree i.e. Robert Homewood and Pamela Graham. Then when I find Robert Homewoods parents, brothers, sisters etc. I enter them up on the same tree. To avoid the tree getting too big and unprintable I then double click on Pamela Graham, go to view and on bottom right hand corner set up a hyperlink i.e. Graham One.gno. I then start a new tree for the name Graham and put all the Graham family on this one named Graham One. Any time I go onto the original tree Pamela Graham is highlighted in blue and when I click on the blue name it takes me straight to the Graham Tree. Georgina

Hi Georgina....Yes, you have to delete your tree on GR before you can import your revised tree. As for hyperlinking.....I'm not sure what you mean by you hyperlinked them....could you be more detailed on that question? Frances....I built my tree using the GENOPRO first, as you have done using PAF. I then also use Family Tree Maker (as both programs are excellent and both generated different types of reports.....) Ive exported info from Genopro and imported it Family Tree Makes....and for the most part the information was retained, including the notes but found I did have to tidy it up a bit. You can also enter your tree information into one program and open that same program using another....allowing you to generate different types of reports.....(ie: Enter information into Genopro and open the tree with Family Tree Maker.) You would do this by finding your original tree, in my case it's the Genopro prgram, place your mouse over the Genopro file and RIGHT click. A drop down box appears, click on OPEN WITH. A list appears showing what programs on your PC that will open this file....I click on FAMILY TREE and my Genopro file then opens in the Family Tree program allowing me to generate the type reports that I want. I suggest, before you "experiment" with work you've entered into you PAF program (and this would go for any program someone is using) is that you SAVE AS the tree, giving it a different name so that you now have 2 copies of your tree on your PC.....then import your PAF or .ged files from others to see how it effects your tree. This way if your wary of messing up your tree, or you want to see the effects of how another person's files may change your existing tree, you can practice without fear of deleting or messing up your original work..... If you get the desired effect you wanted after importing you can delete the other tree. Judy

I'm also new to working with GEDCOM files, and wondered if somebody could explain something. I've ordered Family Tree Maker, and while waiting for it to arrive, I've been entering the info I have so far on PAF, which I downloaded from LDS. I know if I convert the info I've entered to GEDCOM, I can transfer that to Family Tree Maker, and the names, dates etc will transfer, but can anyone tell me if ALL info, such as notes and sources will also be transfered. I don't mind having to do some tidying up if details don't transfer exactly, but I don't really want to have to sit and type everything up for a second time. If it won't transfer, I'll just hold off on entering any further details. Thanks in advance to anyone who knows how this works. Frances

Hi Judy, Many thanks. The instructions sound really simple and so will try and do this. Do I then go on GC and import the gedcom file. I bet this is another really stupid question. Do I have to delete what is already on GC as my tree. The other thing is that I have lots of trees on Genopro as I have hyperlinked them. Will it connect them altogether if I export/import them all to GC. Georgina

To change your Genopro tree to a .ged, do the following: 1. Bring the Genopro tree up on your screen. 2. Clcik on a blank area or the screen....so that no particular name is highlighted. 3. Go to the top of your screen and click on TOOLS. 4. A drop down box will appear.....click on EXPORT GEDCOM. 5. Another box pops up.....At the top of the box there is a field called LOOK IN. This is where you will choose to place your .ged file. You can choose to put the file where ever you want on your PC....(I like the desktop.) There is a small "v" at the end of the LOOK IN field. Click on it so that you can scroll and located where on your PC you want the file to go to. 6. Click on SAVE. Voila! You now converted your tree into a .ged file which does not affect your original tree. Judy

Thanks Kim, I now need to learn how to transfer it to a GEDcom file. Georgina

I think gedcom is a away of storing and downloading files that most family tree programs recognise, once transfered to a gedcom file your tree is portable from software program to website and is fairly universally accepted on various websites such as this. eg type all your family on here and then transport it via gedcom to your own family tree offline or family tree software.

I have been searching my family tree for a year now and have entered it up on Genopro free download. I see that you can transfer it to GC by using GEDCOM but I know it sounds stupid but I don'tknow what GEDCOM is. Could anyone explain in really easy terms what I would do. No technical answers please. Georgina