* Is V5 to V6 upgrade worthwhile?

[goodwin2]

I've been a FH user from V.3 to V.5 and have been pleased and helped with each upgrade. And always had helpful responses to my questions/problems from all the great folks here on FHUG. I looked forward to seeing V6 come out and carefully read about all the new features. Since most of what I saw did not seem to enhance MY method of research and use of resources [am in the US] and was directed more to "current maps and apps technology", I did not upgrade to V6. I've been tempted to do a note here to ask dear Tatewise if V6 would be of any significant value to me. I DO come in and read what's on the forums and am glad that the FHUG folks still are answering questions for all the older versions.

What I read today from Peter Wieland's Feb 17 post Automatic Source Citations do not auto populate (12345) almost answers my question of whether to upgrade to V6. His comments:

"Many of the improvements I had been hoping for haven't happened (e.g. customizing the children box in the individual window to add the birth place field so I can enter an entire family without having to change record view).

[Would be GREAT]

"There seems to be a worrying trend amongst software developers to constantly bring out new versions with loads of bells and whistles at the expense of basic functionality[/b].[/b] FH isn't the only program I use where this has happened, there are a couple of other programs I use that have been totally destroyed by this constant push for 'improvement', so much so that I still keep an old PC running XP so I can use older versions of software."

I did upgrade MY computer which was running Windows XP to a new computer running Windows 8.1. Ancestry has a problem with old IE versions so that move was almost a must.

I don't put a family tree on the web; I don't use the "connect to ancestry" which Family Tree Maker has [I do have a copy of FTM for doing "maybe" gedcoms]; I don't have a lot of detailed addresses in my databases; and copy and paste for a lot of stuff works for me. So with that background I would be interested in what others on the forum think re "what benefit would I get from V6"?

[tatewise]

I have moved this posting to a new thread, because it is starting a new topic.

FH V6 not only adds new features (see What’s New In Version 6) but adds further enhancements and bug fixes, which I suspect have not finished yet (see Free Upgrade to 6.0.4).

Even some of the features Peter complains about may yet be improved. FH V6 is only just over 3 months old and is still evolving. I suspect the Automatic Source Citations problem may get fixed. The mapping problems will improve over time, and in the meantime many users find my Map Life Facts plugin works well.

But it is a personal decision whether to upgrade.

Have a look through all the new features and enhancements via the links above, and tell me that none of them are any use to you.

[jimlad68]

Whilst you are right to ask yourself "is it worth the upgrade", cost + hassle + features etc, I have usually found it beneficial to move to the latest version of software eventually, sometimes it is wise not to jump in with a new version as they often have serious teething problems. In this release of FH it would be well worth someone moving from TMG not to do a "final" transfer until now.

OK there is the cost, but compared to the other potential costs of genealogy and upgrade is not so much. Hassle, I did not find any in the move from V5 to V6, for me just getting your head around how V6 treats Places, but now with the latest plugins I find it much more powerful and still Gedcom exportable.

Although there is theoretical support for older software versions, everything is usually concentrated on the latest, in FH that would include the ever so useful Plugins.

Peter's comments are valid (especially the "bells and whistles" with loss of old functionality which annoy me greatly but I don't think we have lost anything with V6), but it is all about accepting what the software has to offer. There are some aspects of FH/ Gedcom (and especially TMG in the past) that I do not use as they do not report well or export to other programs/ online the way I would like. You gotta design your data structure according to what you want to do with it.

[zoomdoggies]

As you say, the utility of a major software upgrade depends on how you, personally, use the software. For me, V6 was all about the mapping features. Even if it's not perfect, it gives me a new way to visualize the information in my database. I was really looking for something like that. For me, the upgrade was an easy decision, and I'm very happy with it.

In addition to adding features you may or may not want, software updates generally fix lots and lots of bugs. I usually try to keep software up to date in the hope that a new release fixes more bugs than it introduced. But that's just me.

[NickWalker]

I think one of the key features of version 6 is support for witnesses to events (godparents, marriage witnesses, etc.) to be recorded properly using the new witness roles feature rather than using one of the less satisfactory workarounds in earlier versions. And of course Ancestral Sources makes use of these too.

[NickiP]

I didn't upgrade until February as I thought I'd let Calico Pie iron out any issues prior to that. However, the improved media gallery and also the improved search (or filter as its titled) in the Records Window swung it for me. The ability to search on parts of surnames as well as first names, rather than under v5 when you needed a surname to then add a first name, makes finding people much easier with the numerous spelling variations used in some families over the centuries.

[goodwin2]

Have just gone through all the new features for V6 in somewhat more detail and am still wondering if I would experience any significant benefit. Since things like support for witnesses, Ancestral Sources, etc. are not items that we here in the US would be necessarily using [Ancestral Sources not at all unless there are UK folk in ones tree], those features would not be on my "need it" list. While I am a subscriber to ancestry.com, I don't have a tree on it so don't get those "cute" little leaves. Frankly, I prefer to go after the info with my own research methods as ancestry can spit out a large dose of totally unrelated material.

I would consider doing the 30 day V6 free trial and have read those caveats but did not get a good idea of how difficult it would be to go back to V5 - would "assume" all the additional input during the trial period would still be in the "reinstalled" V5.

The one comment re: mostly the newer versions are supported and plug ins written for - even here on FHUG - could potentially be an issue for me. Decisions, decisions ------

Any additional thoughts from all you good folks?

[BillH]

I'm wondering if you are slightly confused about Ancestral Sources. It is not part of Family Historian or the upgrade to version 6. It is a separate application and works fine with several FH versions including V5 and V6. It really isn't true that it is only for folks in the UK. I am in the US and have very few records entered for ancestors in the UK. I have entered over 800 US Census records as well as hundreds of birth, baptism, death, and marriage records using AS and find it indispensable.

Two new features of V6 which I find very useful are the new place mapping capabilities (in association with Mike's excellent Map Life Facts plug-in) and the improved media window. The new list filtering, drag and drop, direct line indicator in focus window, and other changes all made this an update that was well worth while for me.

Bill

[AdrianBruce]

And "witnesses" is a concept that applies anywhere in the world. "Witnesses" is actually a poor name - I think the name suggests its origins in TMG in the recording on marriage witnesses, but it's gone way beyond that and can be used to refer to any event that has more than one participant. For instance, one could have a single residence event and record all the other co-residents against that one event. If you go to the individual records for the co-residents, you see their residence details automatically, without you entering the data yourself.

"Witnesses" can be either just names not in the "database" or other individuals.

As with any advance, it's not necessarily a free lunch. Because the "witness" recording is an extension of the basic GEDCOM 5.5, if you provide someone else with a straight copy of your GEDCOM and they don't have FH v6, they won't be able to read the "witness" data. However, there is a plug-in that can be used to export a GEDCOM "flattened" (my term) to basic 5.5 format - the "witness" data will be moved into the event note for the original event (not sure what happens to the "witnesses" who are individuals in the database - I can't remember if they gain an event or not.)

[AdrianBruce]

Forgot one of your queries... I have a feeling that using your data from v6, back in v5 is non-trivial because the data has been (may have been????) converted to a version of Unicode that allows all sorts of accented characters. Not sure how you revert that without a v6 plug-in.

Comments anyone?

[tatewise]

Yes, reverting to FH V5 after using FH V6 Trial is potentially a problem, mainly because the Trial does not support Plugins, so the Export Gedcom File Plugin cannot be used to convert back to V5 format. But at least V5 recognises UTF-16 Unicode formatted Gedcom that earlier versions do not.

However, if you take full Backups of your Projects and use the Backup and Restore FH Settings Plugin BEFORE you upgrade to the FH V6 Trial, then if you need to revert to FH V5 you can get back where you started before the trial.

Alternatively, if you avoid using the Witnesses feature, and don't expect accented Unicode characters or any Place Record details to be preserved, then reverting back to FH V5 should be OK.

[zoomdoggies]

Not to pile on BillH's reply, but I'm in the US and find Ancestral Sources invaluable, especially for entering census data. I suppose you could say that Family Historian is UK-centric, but I have no family from the UK. Support for witnesses is just as useful for my family from Québec and the United States. For me, the upgrade to V6 has been totally worth it.

[goodwin2]

Hi,
Back again with deciding re v.5 which I am now using or going to v.6. I tried searching for possible answers to the two following questions but guess my search skill here is not too great. So my apologies if these were already answered.

1. Will the same queries AND the custom queries that I now have in v.5 work with v.6. Or are there direct replacements that came about because of the new version?

2. Will my current plugins also work with v.6 and/or will there be additional plugins generated that will ONLY work with v.6?

Always appreciate the great input from FHUG members!

GSB

[johnmorrisoniom]

1: your queries from V5 should work with V6, although some may need tweaking because of changed data references.

2: All plugins currently in the plugin store either require V6, or will work with both V5 or 6, so the pugins you currently have should work with either.

[tatewise]

1. Most V5 Queries including Custom Queries should work with V6. Rare exceptions are those involving Place names that are now held as separate records, and various Data Reference changes. There are several new Standard Queries in V6.

2. Most V5 Plugins will work with V6. Rare exceptions are those that manipulate Place names, or modify data entries that might contain Unicode symbols & accented letters, and need adapting to cater for such circumstances. It is possible, but sometimes tricky, to code Plugins to work with both V5 & V6 automatically. Otherwise, new Plugins written using V6 will only run in V6 because they are code in UTF-8 Unicode that V5 does not recognise..

[goodwin2]

Hi,

Thanks for the quick response and answers to my two questions. That sets me on the path to making the change.

Of course, sorry again, I honestly thought they were the only concerns I had left. The one remaining - and I have looked through the v6 features presentations and I see no reference to this - is what happens with my named lists? I have MANY that work for me in different ways; for instance, one with "Jane Smiths" so I can sort them separately from the rest of the database by birth, death, etc.; another with several folks who are quite on the "famous" side; many lists from various queries, etc. I use these quite regularly and would hate to lose them or have to try to figure out how they were modified in v6. With a database of now 50,007, there is a LOT to handle. My progenitor who came to the US from the UK in 1624 had 14 children.

Thanks again for your patience. With ancestry killing Family Tree Maker many folks will convert to FH but that will no doubt bring LOTS of questions to this forum.

[johnmorrisoniom]

Named Lists will be unaffected by an upgrade. The same applies to other customisations you may have made such as custom diagrams and saved charts.

[goodwin2]

Thanks again so much for the quick response re the named lists. Now planning to give myself an early gift of v.6. Hope I don't have to put out too many questions when I get that installed and running!! But you know I couldn't do it without you!

Best regards to all the great FHUG folks for a happy holiday season!

[stewartrb]

I'm satisfied with my upgrade from V5 to V6.

Since it was an upgrade, it was cheaper than buying from scratch.

And since I was spending money, Calico earned a little to continue working on what will be V7 and beyond.

In my opinion, yes, it is.

[goodwin2]

Hi again,
I did get my FH v.6 and it installed with no problems. It picked up nicely so there was no learning curve. I still do not connect FH to the Internet so that "instant clue" feature with the various online subscriptions does not apply here.

There is however, a new feature? - that I find quite annoying. When I want to do a search in sources when I put in Find what I get is: 1940 Sources for Findlay, etc.; then Connecticut Find a Grave, etc. when I really want Find A Grave. With v.5 it would come up with the first listing beginning with Find so the selection was easy and got down to what was really wanted.

Here is what the Help feature says re search individuals:
"Searching For Records

If you want to find a record quickly and know its record id, you can type this into the Record Id box at the top of the Window. For most record types, you can also search for the record by name. To search for the record for a person in the Individual tab, for example, you should type their surname followed by a comma and a space, and then their first name, into the 'Name' box at the top of the window. If you type part of a name, the first record matching the details entered will be matched. To find other matches, press F3."
That is obviously incorrect as the v.6 search provides a surname box and a given name box. Leftover from v.5?

Any comments/suggestions gratefully received.

GSB

[tatewise]

You are correct, several Help pages in FH V6 still need updating.
Please report that one to Calico Pie via their http://www.family-historian.co.uk/suppo ... t-overview + Contact Support link.

I do not have FH V6 on this PC but I think the Sources tab has an Options button, where you can alter the mode of search for whole words, start of line, etc.

[AdrianBruce]

Mike's memory is right -

Capture.JPG (116.36 KiB) Viewed 12791 times

The Options button is highlighted in the screen shot and there are two ways to filter Source Records (just make sure you see all the screen shot above - you may need to scroll down). In this example, I'm filtering on "monu" (for "Monumental Inscription") anywhere in both titles. You presumably want to set "Match on" to "Start of Text".

[goodwin2]

Hi Mike,

I sent a note to Calico Pie re the need to update the help section in v.6 previously mentioned. I did get what is probably an auto response.

I also included one of my pet peeves that is on the Wish List i.e. automatically check for duplicate names when making an entry. Think that might move it up a bit? Hope so!

Got the search feature under control using the options provided.

Thanks again for all the help you nice people give!

GSB

[tatewise]

@GSB Have you voted for the Wish List entry to move it up?