Family Historian User Group

I've persuaded a friend to buy Family Historian and she's absolutely delighted with it. The only problem is that she would like to use my custom diagram settings so I would like to save mine somehow on a memory stick to transfer to hers and make it her default?

(I've already tried to recreate mine from scratch on her laptop but I made a pig's ear of it because I couldn't remember how I did it in the first place!)

Is there a simple way for a non-techie person to do this?

Use Diagam > Save Diagram As > Custom Diagram Type. (If you haven't already done this it's a good idea to do it anyway, in case your diagram settings accidentally get put back to the installation settings). Then use File > Import/Export > Export > Diagram Type and select the saved type. By default the export will be saved in the Public folder of your project but you can choose to save it anywhere. Then put it on the memory stick, or just email it to your friend. She then uses File > Import Export > Import to install it.

Lorna,
Thank you so much for that ... it was exactly what I needed!

That will work fine if you have only customised the standard Diagrams accessed via the toolbar at the top.

If you have other customised Diagrams listed in View > Custom Diagram Types, then repeat with each of those.

Sorry, I spoke too soon! The export/import bit worked perfectly but nothing is 'applying' to her diagram?

We've tried looking through her View - Custom Diagram and clicked on my added diagram type (so it's in there!). It asks for the root which we clicked on but it didn't change things properly? (My own custom diagram has different colour male/female boxes, font size, birth, baptism, marriage, death, burial, occupation and relationship to root, but hers just had BMD and none of my colours, etc.)
We've also tried looking through the Tools - Preferences choices but couldn't see how to do it on there.
We're tried using the Help search for 'diagram default' and 'importing a custom diagram' but there are pages of topics on that and I don't know which one would help.
We've also tried the Diagram - Options but we're clearly missing something obvious.

Is there any way of making my custom diagram type open as her default every time? Or maybe we should just accept that this is a bit too tricky for us!

It sounds as if you are doing things right. Click View > Custom Diagram Types and select the custom type which had been imported. (You say it's there, so the import must have worked). When prompted, select the required diagram Root and click OK.

Is the diagram opening at all? Are you saying it still looks exactly like her old diagrams? Or do you mean it opens OK but you haven't managed to make it the default style?

To make it the default style, when you have it open use Diagram > Options and tick the Save as default box at bottom left.

I did forget (sorry) to ask whether you had customised more than one diagram type (e.g. is it just the All Relatives diagram, or others also?) As Mike said, you will need to follow the same procedure for each type.

Unfortunately, it sounds like your customisations go beyond just the Diagram settings.
You have probably also customised the Text tab Diagram Text Schemes, and may be other things too.

However, I am surprised that your Male/Female box colours did not migrate satisfactorily.
Are you sitting with your friend while customising FH or are you relaying details to each other by phone?

What does the Diagram > Options > Boxes tab say for the Sex condition?

You don't have to deal with each standard Diagram type separately as they all share the same settings.

There are two ways forward to ensure all the necessary customisations reach your friend:

1. Migrate individual customisations by picking and choosing from the how_to:move_settings|> Move Family Historian Settings and Projects guide for such as Core Diagram Settings, and using the Export/Import technique for your Diagram Text Scheme and anything else you might have customised such as Tools > Fact Types.
2. Use the Backup and Restore Family Historian Settings Plugin to migrate everything as outlined in the how_to:family_historian_migration_guide|> Family Historian V5 & V6 Migration Guide steps 2) to 7).

Mike, my understanding is that when you save a diagram as a custom diagram everything about it's style is saved - including the text scheme. The settings on all of the tabs in the Diagram Options are saved. So it is not necessary to save the text scheme separately.

As Jessie said "Is there any way of making my custom diagram type open as her default every time?" It may be that the custom diagram type worked but she didn't know how to set it as the default.

Diane, the diagram looks just like her old one I think.

Mike, she is going to bring her laptop over tomorrow so we’re going to have another stab at it then.

Hopefully, a good night’s sleep may help us both to understand where we went wrong!

Lorna ~ No, a saved Custom Diagram Type does not include the custom Diagram Text Scheme.
It saves the Text tab name of the Text Scheme, but if that custom Diagram Text Scheme file does not exist in the destination PC then it reverts to the default Birth, Marr, Death standard Text Scheme.
Of course if the Custom Diagram Type happens to use any of the standard Text Schemes then all will be OK.

I have just saved a Custom Diagram Type with such a custom Diagram Text Scheme specified.
The size of the Custom Diagram Type file is 3KB and the Diagram Text Scheme file is 6KB, so can't be included.
I've temporarily deleted the Diagram Text Scheme and Custom Diagram Type, and then imported the Custom Diagram Type but the Diagram Text Scheme definitely does NOT get imported.
Simply importing the Diagram Text Scheme does not fix things unless the Diagram Text Scheme is deleted and re-imported.

Similarly, any custom Icon files used by a Custom Diagram Type are NOT saved, and must be copied separately.

That is why the Backup and Restore FH Settings Plugin is so handy, because it covers all those bases.

I agree there is a trick to getting the custom settings to be the standard settings and that is covered in how_to:move_settings|> Move Family Historian Settings and Projects under Core Diagram Settings.

Yes, sorry, the text tab setting is saved but I'd forgotten the text scheme itself wouldn't be on the other PC. (I tested exporting, deleting and importing again on the same PC! )
Using Export > Diagram Text Scheme and installing it on the other PC might be enough to fix things unless, as you say, Jessie has used custom icons as well. In that event the plugin is the way to go.