* Migrate from The Master Genealogist (TMG)

[jimlad68]

Dear Forum,

I have been productively using The Master Genealogist (TMG) for some years but I am now considering moving to a new genealogy database; the contenders seem to be FAMILY HISTORIAN, ROOTSMAGIC and LEGACY FAMILY TREE.

It would be nice to hear if anyone else has moved, and what FEATURES THEY KNOW TMG HAS THAT ARE MISSING in Family Historian, Rootsmagic or Legacy.

As well as the "usual" the main features I am looking for are:

[] Left to Right tree chart with flexible content/persons choice/exclude and formatting.
[] Reports with flexible content/persons choice/exclude and formatting with easy manipulating with say Word Macros.
[] Global database edits (similar to the TMG "addon" TMG Utility)
[] A database that is easy to enquire/manipulate with SQL or similar with help of an active user group etc.
[] A database that is not past its sell by date (TMG uses FoxPro, and as ever with TMG, no time indication of a fix/replacement).

Cheers

[tatewise]

I suggest you download and experiment with the FH 30-day Free Trial.
It comes with a ready made sample project and tutorials you can work on.

Also see http://www.fhug.org.uk/wiki/doku.php?id=how_to:import_from_tmg|> Import from The Master Genealogist (TMG) if you want to try and transfer your TMG database and experiment with that.

FH certainly has flexible Left to Right tree charts.
FH has many flexible Reports but some formatting is limited unless you export to word-processor.
FH global database edits are possible via existing or custom Plugins.
FH has its own Query language as well as Plugins and an extremely active user group.
FH does not use a proprietary database utility.

See the [kb]|[/kb] for extensive advice created by the user group.

[Jane]

Just to expand a little on a couple of Mike's comments

FH global database edits are possible via existing or custom Plugins.

FH has its own Query language as well as Plugins and an extremely active user group.

FH does not use a proprietary database utility, rather it stores it's data in the GEDCOM file format so you can if you really want edit it with Notepad. that said a combination of the extensive built in query language and the full blown scripting language means you can manipulate and edit data easily, in addition with the Lua plugin language you can even output directly to Word or Excel using OLE to write extremely customised reports should you want to.

[jimlad68]

Thanks for those comments. The "standard" GEDCOM format does inspire me and I would imagine direct editing and global changes of the GEDCOM should be quite easy with a good text editor like NOTEPAD++, (after backup of course). It would not do me any harm to learn more about the GEDCOM structure.

I will shortly give Family Historian a whirl, but first I am checking out Rootsmagic and Legacy, then I can concentrate for the 30 day trial.

A few things have struck me so far:
- My old TMG is very slow
- TMG is still probably the most flexible re data input and selection of data for reports and trees and Global "data" management.
- FH does seem expensive compared to Rootsmagic and Legacy, especially considering the licence restrictions. Is this the old "UK ripoff" I am of the UK but spend a lot of time in the USA where pricing in many things is much keener. Perhaps if it was at the $30 / £20 mark, people would buy just as an extra GEDCOM viewer and chart writer. FH seems to win hands down with its Smart Trees, and I have not seen a good Everyone tree since the old FTMv16 (before Ancestry ruined it).

[Valkrider]

As you use Notepad++ to edit your Gedcoms may I suggest that you get the free Gedcom plugin for Notepad++ it makes navigation within the file much easier as well as doing syntax highlighting.

As to pricing that is a commercial decision. I am happy to pay the current amount as I think it is excellent value for money and having tried the majority of the other Family History programmes available it cannot be beaten IMHO.