* iPad Apps comparisons?

[AnneEast]

I have had a look at previous topics and also read the descriptions of Heredis, Gedfamilies and Geview. Before I decide which to use on my iPad I wondered if anyone could comment on my particular need?

I have all my FH stuff in one FH Projects folder as recommended. I have four different projects; two personal family ones, one small One Name study and one large Society One Name study, which I manage for the Society. I would like to be able to view them on my iPad Mini. I'm not really interested in editing them on the iPad or seeing photos.

My question is .... Will I be able to load all of the four Gedcom files onto which ever App I choose? Is there any advantage of one of them over the others? Any other comments?

Thanks
Anne

[Valkrider]

Anne
I use Heredis on my iPad Mini (oh for FH on the iPad) and I have two FH gedcoms in it. One my personal ancestry and the second my UK One-Name Study. You just load your Gedcom file in and then on opening Heredis you have to convert it which is a quick process.

I have no experience of the others as I found Heredis first and found it fits my mobile needs.

**UPDATE**
I have just added two more of my One-Name study country Gedcoms to Heredis and it works fine. From the home screen you just select which one you want to open.

[ejp]

As with all software I tend to like each for different reasons. I compared Gedfamilies & Gedview for my use in Mar 2013 so things may have changed. I more recently looked at Heredis but not in as much detail. I was not looking at the editing aspects at all, only viewing. If you just want to see basic data then any of them will suffice. I think all will import multiple trees.
However if you wish to have ALL your notes etc included, you need to look more closely. It will depend how you use FH & which note categories you use for individuals, facts, sources & media. Gedfamilies imported the most note categories & also alternate names. It also has a clickable pedigree chart.
Gedview although importing less notes overall, did include individual note records. I preferred its index & search although Gedfamilies is also searchable by location. They each map locations but I did not experiment with that.
Gedfamilies imports links to face, whereas Gedview needs converting first. Heredis requires you to have its main computer software to enable media transfer but you can print from Heredis. I am not sure why, but the media quality on my Gedview import is superior to Gedfamilies.
I hope this is helpful.

[AnneEast]

Thanks very much for the feedback, I'll be able to make a more informed decision now!
Anne

[mezentia]

Have you taken a look at MobileFT Pro? It has a lot of features, inculding an interesting 3D tree view

[AnneEast]

No, I haven't. Thanks for the tip
Anne

[Morvran]

I recommend having a look at MobileFamilyTree 7, by Synium Software GmbH. I export my trees to GED files, copy them to my DropBox folder, then open them on my iPad in MFT7. There is no limit to the number of trees that can be imported in this way. It isn't an alternative to Family Historian, but a pretty good way to view trees and create attractive reports and charts. It is entirely possibly to enter and update data, but I haven't tried exporting as GED and importing into Family Historian. That would be an interesting experiment to see what, if anything, gets omitted either going from Family Historian to MFT7 or from MFT7 to Family Historian.

I'm trying to move more and more of my activities from Windows PCs to iPad and iPhone. Windows doesn't seem to get any more reliable as the years go by and PC after PC, laptop after laptop of mine have become slower and slower with ever more error messages and glitches no matter how careful I have been in keeping revisions, virus detection software and firewalls up to date. By contrast, iPads provide such a pleasant experience, with regular cost-free releases of new versions of the operating system that are a breeze to install and many hundreds of thousands of apps of all categories at peppercorn prices compared with Windows programmes - most with lifetime free upgrades. But, for me, it's the relative freedom from worrying about security and viruses because of Apple's stringent vetting of all apps that's the "icing on the cake".

There are not so many difficulties in making the transition from PC to iPad as might be imagined.

The iPad's virtual keyboard is pretty good, but investment in a physical keyboard will overcome any inadequacies of the virtual one. I use a Logitech keyboard that is every bit as functional and fast as a laptop keyboard that clips to my iPad to provide protection for the screen of the iPad when not in use, looking every bit as though it is something from Apple itself.

CloudOn offers a free app for iPads giving on-line access to Cloud versions of the latest releases of Microsoft Word and Excel, storing files in one's choice of several prominent Cloud storage venues, including DropBox. This seems to me to be the facility offering full-scale work in these applications for those who need more than can be achieved through some iPad apps offering comprehensive but not complete compatibility, such as the excellent Polaris Office 5.

Coverage by my present expensive multi-PC anti-virus/firewall software expires in about five months' time. I have set that as a deadline by which to have found ways to do on my iPad the things that I can presently only do on a PC or to find workarounds. Two of the most important programmes in this category are Family Historian and Maple Professional. For anyone not recognising the latter programme, I have used it for many years as a more efficient tool than Microsoft Word for writing biographies - it's something well worth Googling, I suggest. It's too much to expect that Calico Pie will create an iOS version of Family Historian and a remote access app such as Teamviewer or Splashtop is not an option because these would mean still needing to have an operational PC, but I hope that before the deadline one or more Cloud sites will be offering virtual Servers on which one can install Windows apps of one's choice.

[tatewise]

Morvran said:

Two of the most important programmes in this category are Family Historian and Maple Professional.

But what about Ancestral Sources?

BTW: There is perfectly good FREE anti-virus/firewall software available for PC.

[AnneEast]

Just for information ..... I went with Heredis in the end. I only wanted to view the Gedcom files and not edit them. It works very well and is very useful when away from the computer. Mine is an iPad Mini which I really love but too small for "proper" work. Great as a reference and reminder though.
Anne

[Morvran]

Following up on my earlier posting, installing FH on a virtual server has proved not just possible but practical as an alternative to a PC or laptop. The same goes for Ancestral Sources. So I can now continue to use FH as my tool for maintaining trees without needing a PC or laptop, using just my iPad. Actually, I have two iPads, so using Ancestry.com's app on one while running FH on my virtual server via a good remote access app on the other, side by side, gives me a powerful environment. i don't need anti-virus or firewall software on the virtual server because I don't need to run Internet Explorer or mail. And as I suspect anyone who has tried Ancestry.com's app on their iPad will have discovered, getting search results, accessing census etc images and manipulating them to view particular portions is faster by far and more convenient than on a PC or laptop. So I'm pretty happy with the way things are going.

I am not an Apple aficionado and have never owned an Apple computer. I have bought Microsoft computers since MS-DOS days in the early '80s before the IBM PC was released. But I've had it with Microsoft operating systems, their bugs, their exposure to malicious attack, their high cost and the way their host computers take an age to boot up and eventually degrade to the point of unserviceability.

I retain a loyal attachment to FH, but I recommend that those of you using iPads or iPhones seriously consider purchasing MobileFamilyTree 7 as a tool to use concurrently with FH. It is available at whatever your local currency's equivalent is to $7.49 until 31/3/14, half its normal price, and I think it is still a bargain at full price.

[tatewise]

Can you give more specific details of the virtual server & remote access app you have successfully used.
i.e.
Name of product, web site address, cost of use, ease of installing FH & AS, do Plugins run, etc...

Then I can add a page to our Knowledge Base for the benefit of other iPad users who want to run FH & AS.

[Morvran]

Can you give more specific details of the virtual server & remote access app you have successfully used.
i.e.
Name of product, web site address, cost of use, ease of installing FH & AS, do Plugins run, etc...

Then I can add a page to our Knowledge Base for the benefit of other iPad users who want to run FH & AS.

http://www.atlantic.net - US$14.97 per month for a Microsoft Server 2012 with 1GB RAM & 40GB disk space.

I evaluated several iPad remote access apps including TeamViewer and SplashTop but my clear favourite was Wyse' PocketCloud, not because the basic version is free but because the app is just an absolute pleasure to use. I opted for its 'Premier' in-app purchase costing US$8-something per quarter to make the experience even more enjoyable.

File transfer facilities in remote access apps are sometimes in-app purchases or not very friendly, but I found DropBox an ideal and free solution and one offering benefits over alternatives.

This is how I proceeded:

1) I created a Windows Server 2012 on atlantic.net. Took less than five minutes. No up front fee, no term contract. $14.97 per month inclusive of support.

2) Downloaded PocketCloud onto my iPad and accessed my server using the information emailed to me by atlantic.net. Experimented to get the 'feel' for the server, knowing that if I stuffed anything up and couldn't backtrack I could cancel my server and would be charged only for the minutes since its creation, then create a brand new server and start over. Server 2012 is much like Windows 7 but uses different names occasionally such as for its equivalent of Windows Explorer. There was an Internet Explorer already installed and the environment was generally friendly.

3) Using Internet Explorer I downloaded DropBox's installation file from their site and installed it. As I already had a DropBox account, the installation process recognised it and created a replica folder on the server mirroring that on my laptop and in the DropBox app on my iPad.

4) Within the DropBox folder on my laptop I created a new folder and copied into it the installation files for Family Historian (FH), Ancestral Sources (AS) and the entire project folder for my current family tree (by just dragging and dropping the parent folder). I also created a .txt file in which I placed copies of the registration details that I would need when installing FH. All of these files were immediately visible in the DropBox folder on my server as soon as I transferred my attention from my laptop to my iPad, which is the beauty of DropBox, of course.

5) From my iPad, using PocketCloud, I then installed FH and AS, copying the registration code from the .txt file and pasting it into FH's registration dialogue box when so asked. I then experimented with FH's sample project to make sure everything was OK, set up default backups folder etc, before dragging and dropping my project folder into its proper place. I experienced several Windows security alerts during this process, due to the server's default installation setting everything at the highest level of security. Anything I didn't understand I entered verbatim into Google on my laptop and soon found advice on what to do.

That's about it, except to say that I close Internet Explorer on the server as soon as I have done whatever I use it for, such as installing DropBox, believing that by so doing and by not needing to set up a mail facility on the server my potential exposure to malware should be so little as to free me from needing anti-virus or firewall software.

As mentioned in an earlier contribution, we have two iPads and when working with FH on the server, one iPad accesses FH and AS via PocketCloud while the other is logged into ancestry.com via the site's very nice iPad app and also via Safari, concurrently. The Ancestry app is a very good, fast way to follow up the site's vine leaf hints and very fast at displaying original document images as well as full site searches for the person whose record is displayed, while a quick switch to Safari provides the means for more specific searches.

Time will tell whether this works out well in the long term. The server solution seems to offer an inexpensive alternative to buying a new laptop and upgrading Windows operating systems as I have already found ways for everything else I need to do to be done on an iPad.

[tatewise]

I am not sure that many would agree that US$180 or £108 Sterling per year is inexpensive!

Of course to use the server requires an Internet connection, which may not always be available.

Beware that Microsoft Server 2012 is NOT a supported system for FH or AS, so if there are problems Calico Pie and Nick Walker may not be prepared to help.

Did you run any Plugins yet ?

Others might comment on whether that setup is any less prone to malware attack than a normal Windows PC.
It is always connected to the Internet in order to talk to the iPad and to Dropbox.

[Jane]

Mike, just for your information, my reading of the site is that you don't pay when the virtual server is not on, so in theory you could start it when you want to use it and leave it off the rest of the time.

I have installed V5 on Windows server 2003 with out problems, but I have not put in on the latest Server versions as I don't have them. I have not tried your "auto detect" type plugin such as the AS one.

[tatewise]

Yes, sorry, I should have looked
It does appear to say that they charge 2 cents per hour, and the monthly rate assumes a full month's usage.
So that makes it considerably cheaper, but I suspect my other points still stand.

It also infringes the FH licence terms:

you may install it onto 2 computers (and no more than 2) if both computers are owned and kept by you

[Morvran]

It also infringes the FH licence terms:

I sought clarification of FH's views in respect of my ideas, in advance.

The virtual PC will be less expensive than a real one and its use will not be reflected on my electricity account.

[makfai]

I recommend having a look at MobileFamilyTree 7, by Synium Software GmbH. I export my trees to GED files, copy them to my DropBox folder, then open them on my iPad in MFT7.

I am glad I read this and it worked perfectly. Emailed Gedcom from FH desktop to iPad and opened in MFT no probs. Tried same with Heredis but it said the file was not a Gedcom file! Removed Heredis from iPad!

[tatewise]

If using FH V6 you probably need to export GEDCOM in say ANSI rather than use the FH Unicode GEDCOM or use Export Gedcom File Plugin.

[makfai]

If using FH V6 you probably need to export GEDCOM in say ANSI rather than use the FH Unicode GEDCOM or use Export Gedcom File Plugin.

Will bear that in mind.

[makfai]

I posted this elsewhere but thought it may be useful to copy it.

Re: workflow and getting organized (10946)
by makfai » Sat Dec 20, 2014 6:38 pm

I think I may have found something which suits me!

I have installed the Handbase* (database) app on the iPad and created a database. This can be uploaded to OneNote (or elsewhere) as a csv file. It can be stored in Dropbox and synced with Windows or Mac.

* http://www.ddhsoftware.com/handbase_ipad.html


UPDATE: NOTE Date field only goes back to 1904! However this is little dfferent from Excel which only goes back to 1900! There is a work-around for both:

If you need to store dates prior to 1904, you could add a text field or an integer field for each of the month, day and year values.

Regarding the use of an external field to add the values, assuming that the fields added for month, day and year are text fields, you can do the following:

1. Add a text field called "old date" (you could actually call it whatever you prefer e.g DOB)
2. Add an external field to the database
3. Set it to use the concatenate feature
4. Supply the month, day and year text fields as fields to "add"
5. Supply the "old date" field as the field to be used to store the date value

The problem however is that the SORT feature does not produce a correct sort when applied to the "old date" field (because of the lack of recognition of figures prior to 1900/4 as dates). If I change the nature of the field from 'TEXT' to 'DATE' then all the years change to '2000'.

To get round this I am sorting on the Year and Month fields but as I have selected the Surname as the first sort field - and you can only sort on three fields - I cannot include the 'Day' in one sort!

[Valkrider]

I have just come across another iPad app that is currently free (instead of $4.99) and that is Branches. It imported a FH gedcom (export) without issue.

Worth taking a look at as it is free.

[capnkeith]

I have just come across another iPad app that is currently free (instead of $4.99) and that is Branches. It imported a FH gedcom (export) without issue.

Worth taking a look at as it is free.

Branches is no longer free, now £1.50 or $1.95 but I think still worth a look. It is only a viewer you cannot add detail but most of us only want to view and add any info we find into FH when we get home.

It is a tree diagram much like the All Relatives dia. in FH, displaying as much or as little info as you want and as the advertising states, works like Google maps. Move to the area of the tree you want to view and zoom in for more detail.