* GEDCOM Compliant Good Practice

[Devonjon]

[This continues from the place / address (12591) posting but in a new direction.]

Thanks Mike - I do try to skim content before posting but the results given the subject were many and caused info overload albeit left me posing the questions with the suspicion of the answers. Thank you for reply which is as I feared. The plug in for the address/place switch is not something I'd come across and looks like it will really help.

Post switch from FTM I do prefer and feel more in control with FH6 that said the options and preferences conveyed by its power (and the plugins) often leave me feeling a little lost in determining what is the right thing to do. I often find I don't have or want a preference I just want to do 'good practice' - and to be told what that is.

So ....what I'd really like is to be able to download a small example (a few individuals GED including all the generally expected occurrences and variety of facts) which presents 'good practice' in terms of data entry , source, media and repository refs etc. With one version of the GED in a future proof (strictly GED compliant) and one that uses FH6 and its plugins to its best. That way I could see in one place and a quick click how things 'should' look. The provided tutorial GEDs are 'nearly' there but with 13 or so different GEDs and no apparent use of additional fact types or plugins its not quite doing the trick. Are there any accessible elsewhere which might help me ?

[tatewise]

You need to spend some time (as with any new software product) working through how_to:key_features_for_newcomers|> Key Features for Newcomers that mostly promotes good practice and extends way beyond just entering genealogy data.

The Family Historian Sample Project is quite a good example GEDCOM, but there is no perfect answer. The main thing is to be self-consistent within your own objectives, because there are inevitable compromises. ancestralsources:index|> Ancestral Sources helps with achieving consistency as well as streamlining data entry.

There is no such thing as a future proof GEDCOM compliant solution. The GEDCOM Spefication allows non-standard custom extensions where each such tag starts with an underscore (_). Every genealogy product, FH included, creates its own dialect of GEDCOM with custom extensions that are usually unavoidable. See the glossary:gedcom_extension_list|> GEDCOM Extension List for FH and export options including the Export Gedcom File Plugin.

I am not sure what you mean by "additional fact types" but if you mean Custom Facts then although part of standard GEDCOM they may reduce portability.

As a general rule, Plugins do not impact GEDCOM compliance. Some even provide ways of avoiding non-compliance.