Family Historian User Group

We have now updated the pre-release version of 6.1 again. The new version (still a pre-release) is 6.1.2. It includes quite a number of important new features - such as improved handling of media for source citations. For full details see the section New & Enhanced Features in 6.1.2 in http://www.family-historian.co.uk/downl ... ade-to-6.1.

Users of earlier pre-releases of 6.1 (that is, 6.1.0 and 6.1.1) can upgrade to 6.1.2 by clicking on 'Check for Updates' on the Help menu within Family Historian, and then clicking on the 'Upgrade Now' button.

If anyone wishes to post comments about 6.1.2, please post them here.

Simon

6.1.2 resets the custom project location to the default one rather than a custom one whereas 6.1 and 6.1.1 preserved the custom location.

There is a mistake with converting _ORIG fact. It should become a custom Origin (or perhaps Origination) Attribute. It is paired with _DEST fact Destination, similar to the Arrival and Departure custom facts. It is nothing to do with National or Tribal Origin, and often associated with an origin/destination seaport.

There is a problem with ADDR UDF converted to Residence, where subsidiary tags ADR1, ADR2, CITY, STAE, CTRY, POST are not handled.

The log file Process imported Gedcom extensions... only lists successful conversions, and is separate from Exception report for GEDCOM import... listing UDF or Record Id renumbering. It is complicated reconciling the two and would be better if they were merged. The Process... log filename has an extra space before P that lists it first in the Log Files window, and tempts users to View it first, which is the wrong order if they remain separate logs.

UDF tags not handled are:
INDI._INIT.STAT = INDI.EVEN-INITIATORY_LDS.STAT needs moving to INDI.EVEN-INITIATORY_LDS <value>
INDI.BAPL.STAT needs moving to INDI.BAPL <value>
INDI._DCAUS needs moving to INDI.DEAT.CAUS
INDI._PHOTO @M123@ identifies OBJE to be [1]st
INDI._UNCAT
INDI.ANUL needs to become Individual Annulment custom fact
INDI/FAM.<fact>.CONC and _CONC left from V6.1.0/1 and as reported in New Pre-release: 6.1.1 (13233)
INDI/FAM.<fact>.SOUR._DATA.TEXT needs merging with ...SOUR.DATA.DATE
INDI/FAM.<fact>.SOUR._APID <value> needs moving to ...SOUR.NOTE2
SOUR.RFN needs moving to SOUR.REFN
REPO.RFN needs moving to REPO.REFN
SOUR.CALN needs moving to SOUR.REPO.CALN
REPO.CALN needs moving to REPO.NOTE2

However, these are probably Ancestry rather than FTM tags, and can be fixed with a Plugin.

Valkrider wrote:Simon

6.1.2 resets the custom project location to the default one rather than a custom one whereas 6.1 and 6.1.1 preserved the custom location.

My custom project location didn't change to the default one.

However, Timeline Facts was reinstated to default, I had previously cleared them all.

Just noticed that the installation had reinstated the default Standard Facts and removed my Custom Facts and edited Standard Facts (the Sentence templates have been edited). I've just had to re-import them again from a previously exported copy.

I'm glad I upgraded the copy of FH on my secondary laptop and not my main one.

NickiP wrote:Just noticed that the installation had reinstated the default Standard Facts and removed my Custom Facts

My modified standard facts were not changed. They were still there as I changed them.

Bill

Very strange Bill, seems to be a bit random then. Colin's (Valkrider) custom project location was reset to default, yet mine remained in the custom location. However, apart from the issue with the Fact Sets, I also found that "Timeline Facts" was reset to the default, I'd cleared them all previously.

NickiP wrote:Very strange Bill, seems to be a bit random then. Colin's (Valkrider) custom project location was reset to default, yet mine remained in the custom location. However, apart from the issue with the Fact Sets, I also found that "Timeline Facts" was reset to the default, I'd cleared them all previously.

Yes. A bit odd. neither my project location nor my Timeline Facts were reset to default.

Bill

In a previous thread I recommended the following and as a FTM user this is an important enhancement - "If a media button was added to the citation window then I recommend a citation enhancement for the "Where within Source" pane and the "Text from Source" pane where both panes be "visually" increased and the "Note" pane be "visually" decreased to say one or two lines only - that would then be similar to what FTM offers."

DarrylGale wrote:... "If a media button was added to the citation window then I recommend a citation enhancement for the "Where within Source" pane and the "Text from Source" pane where both panes be "visually" increased and the "Note" pane be "visually" decreased to say one or two lines only - that would then be similar to what FTM offers."

Personal view - Oh dear me no. This is probably a case of finding the least worst option but please don't shrink the "Note" - that's where I record logic! (Well, it is when I use Method 2 sources, such as how do I know this is the right Registration Index entry?)

The "Where within Source" pane shouldn't be increased either because it is a one-liner - if you're putting an essay in there, something is awry, surely? (But then again, I've never seen how citation heavy FTM guys use that item).

I still think it would be better if the new option to Save in UTF-8 file format defaulted to the existing encoding of the GEDCOM file just loaded.

Does anybody disagree?

Something else about Sources and Citations continues to confuse many users.

The Citation details for a Source in the Individual Property Box include a field labelled Text From Source; in the All tab, this field is shown in the same colours as other Individual fields in a chain Source>Data>Text From Source.

The Source Property Box also has a field labelled Text From Source; however, in the All tab, this field, shown in the same colours as other Source fields, is labelled Actual Text.

I think it would be better for this field to be labelled Actual Text in the Source Property Box, to avoid confusion with the Text From Source for the Citation.

PeterR wrote:Something else about Sources and Citations continues to confuse many users ... I think it would be better for this field to be labelled Actual Text in the Source Property Box, to avoid confusion with the Text From Source for the Citation.

I'm not sure that is a source of the confusion. To me, the scope of the Citation yellow-source-pane defines what the text is, and the scope of the Source Record's property box defines the text there. One's the text for the citation, the other's the text for the whole of the source record.

I think that the origin of the confusion is a confusion between what the citation is and what the source is. It might therefore be more useful to label the yellow source pane as a citation pane and make it clear (somehow) that the Entry-Date, Assessment, Where-within, Text-from-source and Note belong to the citation, not the source-record. In other words, make it clearer what the scope of those items is.

Nevertheless, there is an important point made - though correcting it might cause more confusion. Having the label in the "All" pane different from the label in the property box is not a good idea and they should match. Which is why I suggest that the alterations / corrections might confuse of themselves. Ouch.

AdrianBruce wrote:

DarrylGale wrote:... "If a media button was added to the citation window then I recommend a citation enhancement for the "Where within Source" pane and the "Text from Source" pane where both panes be "visually" increased and the "Note" pane be "visually" decreased to say one or two lines only - that would then be similar to what FTM offers."

Personal view - Oh dear me no. This is probably a case of finding the least worst option but please don't shrink the "Note" - that's where I record logic! (Well, it is when I use Method 2 sources, such as how do I know this is the right Registration Index entry?)

The "Where within Source" pane shouldn't be increased either because it is a one-liner - if you're putting an essay in there, something is awry, surely? (But then again, I've never seen how citation heavy FTM guys use that item).

How about if we could have an option to double click on the Where within Source area to give us a bigger window to type into just as we can do with the Text From Source. For me the area for Where within Source is usually enough, but sometimes it is not. There is no easy way to view the whole thing from the Sources Pane if it exceeds the width of the current area.

Bill

Other than the discussions above, is there yet a general affirmation that it is now time to do the upgrade - or are we to expect some more modifications that might either solve or create more problems/questions.

I really only want to do this ONCE.

Look forward to input from Tatewise.

As Simon Orde says in his initial posting and in the Subject line V6.1.2 is still a pre-release it is NOT the finished product and is still work-in-progress. See http://www.family-historian.co.uk/downl ... ade-to-6.1.

Unsurprisingly, none of the outstanding Help issues have been addressed.

My Record Type Display Options stayed intact this time, but as others have reported there are still problems in retaining Tools > Preference settings.

The new Extended Set Fact Set has all Facts <hidden>, but it is not as if the Extended Set name is hidden, because it still appears in the Fact Set: drop-list top left, and in the Fact Sets dialogue.

If from the Property Box - Facts tab an FTM immigrant wants to add an FTM Fact using the Add Facts button, they won't find it, and even if they click the More >> button still won't find it. How disturbing is that?

New (FTM) users are confused enough without hiding their familiar Fact definitions. When advising such users how to use Tools > Fact Types we must remember to tell then to tick Show Hidden and then they must click Show for every single Fact they want to remain shown.

Perhaps the Fact Sets dialogue needs Show All and Hide All buttons.

Perhaps the new Extended Set Fact Set should be installed by FH V6.1 with all Facts <hidden> from existing users, but when an imported Gedcom contains any of those Facts then they all get Shown.

V6.1.2 says its supports more Date formats (e.g. "BET MAY AND JUNE 1914"), especially those imported from FTM.

It does correct such Dates if they are in a newly imported Gedcom, but if in a previously imported Gedcom and thus made into Date Phrases they are NOT corrected.

There is no Log File of the Dates corrected.

While I was using FH v6.0.4 I noticed that FH startup seemed slow. I put this down to steadily increasing number of plugins, queries etc. However, I've just moved to v6.1.2 and FH loading is much faster.

I don't know if anyone else noticed that, or perhaps while updating FH 'tidied things up'.

Does anyone know of any items that might slow down startup, that could be tidied up on a regular basis?

What's New in 6.1.2 states (inter alia)

"In unusual circumstances, Record Window options in Preferences could apparently revert to installation defaults, following an upgrade. That has now been fixed."

Well it has not been fixed. In fact, it worked fine for me up to 6.1.1 but in 6.1.2 it has reverted to Installation Settings. The two specific examples are:
1. I had the focus window display turned off in Startup
2. I displayed the Spouse's name in the Individual Record window

Andrew, what you describe is the random effect seen by others on various Windows Registry settings.

V6.1.2 is specifically talking about Tools > Preferences > Records Window tab settings.

Whereas yours are:
1. Tools > Preferences > Startup > Display the Records Window, instead of the Focus Window, at Startup
2. Tools > Preferences > Property Box > Captions > Individual Expression I suspect, or possibly a Column in Individuals tab of the Records Window?

Anyway, they are saved in a different part of the Windows Registry and with FH V6.1.* it seems that in unusual circumstances, any Preferences could apparently revert to installation defaults, following an upgrade.

Other postings have requested that Media and Sources attached to Facts be signalled somehow, perhaps with icons in the Facts tab More columns:
Sources, Citations, and Methods (13164)
Property Box - showing sources (12275)

The V6.1.2 Show Media feature does not mention in the New & Enhanced Features in 6.1.2 that if the Fact Media... window has ticked the Include Citation/Source Media options, then the Facts tab More column shows a Media icon wherever Media is attached (Fact, Citation, or Source record). This is exactly what the above postings requested.

To complement that feature, those postings requested that the Facts tab had a new More column with icons to indicate Source Citations, preferably showing how many.

It wold be neat if those More column icons were clickable buttons/links to open Witness, Notes, Media, Source dialogues.

For the "non techie" person some of this is really confusing !
I would have thouight that the majority of FH users just want to know what has/is changing since 6.04 and is the upgrade worth it for them.

In the original posting:

SimonOrde wrote:We have now updated the pre-release version of 6.1 again. The new version (still a pre-release) is 6.1.2. It includes quite a number of important new features - such as improved handling of media for source citations. For full details see the section New & Enhanced Features in 6.1.2 in http://www.family-historian.co.uk/downl ... ade-to-6.1.

Users of earlier pre-releases of 6.1 (that is, 6.1.0 and 6.1.1) can upgrade to 6.1.2 by clicking on 'Check for Updates' on the Help menu within Family Historian, and then clicking on the 'Upgrade Now' button.

If anyone wishes to post comments about 6.1.2, please post them here.

The postings here are in response to Simon's request for comments and inevitably will often be technical.

If you just want to know about the changes, then follow the link in his posting to the New & Enhanced Features, but remember this is still a pre-release and not the final upgrade.