Family Historian User Group

Hi

Wondered if anyone had tried (and had success) in importing a Family Historian GEDCOM into RootsMagic with associated Multimedia?

I've tried importing the GEDCOM from within the project, exporting with both relative and absolute links, and exporting to an embedded GEDCOM.

All times have failed (as also co-incidentally fail to import the media into FTM 2014 too).

The data comes across OK, its just the Photo's that don't.

Has anyone else done this?

I want to use the "shareable CD" feature in RootsMagic to pass my research to other family members, and the read-only version of Family Historian (v3) is not as user friendly as the v4 or v5 interface, so I don't really want to go down that route if I can avoid it.

thanks in advance
Phil

Following the Cole family from Rutland, UK

I have moved this to the Importing and Exporting Forum where it fits better.

You may not have noticed but File > Import/Export > Export > GEDCOM File has a Destination option for Family Tree Maker that may be worth trying.
[EDIT]
This may be worth trying even for RootsMagic, because instead of _FILE it substitutes FILE which seems to be more widely recognised. (See next sentence.)

Media files linked to Multimedia Records are NOT supported in standard GEDCOM, and FH uses a custom tag _FILE for this purpose, so it is not surprising that media files do not transfer.
For similar reasons importing from other software into FH has the same problem.

In any case you should always use File > Import/Export > Export > GEDCOM File to create the GEDCOM.
[EDIT]
With this dialogue open, click the Help button, and thoroughly digest all the advice on exporting Multimedia.

Have you considered creating a CD/DVD directly from FH using Publish > Make a Family Tree CD/DVD?
(It does not have to be a CD/DVD as a USB Pen-drive works just as well.)

You are wise to avoid the FH Read-Only V3 because it is very tricky to get it to support media from V4/V5.
Your family could use the FH V5 Free Trial and if they like it they could buy it, as it is not exactly extravagant.

If you use the plug in which converts file links, this will "cut up" the images and convert the links to ones which Roots Magic should read.

http://www.family-historian.co.uk/plugi ... try?id=195

If understand correctly, that Plugin only helps with Multimedia images that utilise the Link To Face/Detail option.
Full image links are unaffected.

No from memory it also changes the File links and a few other items, making all the media local rather than media records. I know the old PC program RJTConverter made all the links local and I think the new one does the same.

Hi
Thank you both for your help.
I've certainly learned something about GEDCOM tags, I had erroneously thought all programs would treat things the same.

In terms of the CD directly from FH, unfortunately its not quite what I'm looking for as its not interface driven, its more like a website on a cd. This is also where the v3 read only falls down as its missing the focus pane introduced in v4 which I think my family would benefit from as they're not family historians, more just "mildly curious".
Roots magic produces this as a read only full featured program.
We can only hope that when v6 comes out, we might get a v4 read only


Jane - thanks for the plugin - works a treat
Is there any way to flag the image as the "primary" so that when it imports it becomes the profile picture of the individual?
No worries if not, your plugin's already saved me hours of manual importing

many thanks
Phil

With regard to the primary, it would require knowing how RootsMagic needs the records marked in the Gedcom File in order to do it, so I would need to experiment with RM and to be honest I don't have time to spend on that at the moment. If you wanted to experiment your self you might be able to tweak the plugin to do it for you.

My guess is that RootsMagic will use the first of the media listed in the record as the Primary image.
(I was wrong and Jane was correct in saying the Plugin moves the media from Multimedia Records to Local Multimedia links in the origin record, where it uses the FILE tag legitimately. You will see that in the exported GEDCOM there are no Multimedia Records.)

So try the following:

• Use File > Import/Export > Export > GEDCOM File as usual.
• Run the Plugin Convert File Links on this exported GEDCOM.
• Open this converted GEDCOM in FH and note the media images are displayed as required.
• In the Focus Window select the Multimedia tab of any Individual Property Box.
• Click the +* Higher Preference and -* Lower Preference buttons until desired image is Pref 1.
• This image will show in the Focus pane for the Individual and the image order will change at the top.
• If you check the All tab you will also see the images listed in preference order, and can be change here too by using the up/down arrows top right.
• Save this GEDCOM and import it into RootsMagic to check each Pref 1 image is the Primary image.

If this test works for a few images, then repeat for all images as required.

If the test does not follow those rules, then you may be able to determine what rules are used.
Maybe RootsMagic uses the last image as the Primary instead of the first image?

The Plugin appears to maintain the original order of the images, so the first image in the original Project GEDCOM is the first image in the Local Media list of the converted GEDCOM.
If this order needs to be reversed for RootsMagic, then that could probably be added as an option.

hi
thank you both again - i'll have a little play over the weekend with some sample data and export to and from rootsmagic to spot the tags it uses.

will let you know what i find, although in the short term i have done what i needed, i'll continue working on a "workflow" for subsequent occasions

thanks again for your help and advice

cheers
phil