* Ancestral Sources: Error Reading GEDCOM File

[mulhollandgj]

Hi,

I am trialing Family Historian and someone recommended that I also try Accestral Sources. I installed AS, however when I try to open my FH project or even the GEDCOM file that I used to generate the FH project I get an error and cannot proceed. The GEDCOM file was generated with FTM2014.

Ancestral Sources: Error Reading GEDCOM File

File cannot be loaded:

Invalid GEDOM Error on line 3696: 3 OBJE @ @ M3950@@
Record links to non-existent multimedia object: @@M3950@@

As I cannot get past this error, I cannot actually try to use AS as all fields remain greyed out.

I also would like to know if AS follows any standards such as "Evidence Explained" by Elizabeth Shown Mills.

Thanks,

Geoff

[Jane]

It may be worth running the File>Validate option over your file in Family Historian to see if it can correct the problem AS is spotting.

[mulhollandgj]

Thanks Jane, as a matter of fact, I found that utility after I posted my message. However, it says "Validation complete, no errors found."

So not sure how to proceed with this.

[tatewise]

That @@M3950@@ looks wrong on several counts.

1. M3950 is an invalid Record Id as none of them start with M.
2. The double @@ suggests the link is in an invalid position in the GEDCOM.
3. As it is an OBJE tag the link should be like @O3950@.

I suspect it is an invalid/U.D.F. GEDCOM entry from FTM.
Check out how_to:import_from_family_tree_maker|> Import from Family Tree Maker (FTM).
Try using Tools > Find Uncategorised Data...
If that finds some U.D.F. then download and run the Unidentified Data Fields (UDF) List Plugin named UDF List when installed.
This will give a much more detailed analysis of the U.D.F.
You then have to set about fixing them, so lets us know what they look like and we can help!
This thread might then get moved to Importing and Exporting Forum to help other FTM importers.

[mulhollandgj]

FYI, before I did the export to GEDCOM I had already read and followed the instructions on the "Import from Family Tree Maker (FTM)" thread.

I downloaded the suggested plugin and installed it.

However, as I am using a trial version the plugin does not work and says I have to buy a licence.

So does this mean I cannot proceed with the trial of Family Historian with" Ancestral Sources" unless I buy a licence?

[tatewise]

Sorry, I forgot you said it was a Trial version of FH.

You can work with AS once we have fixed the GEDCOM error(s).

As I said above, try using Tools > Find Uncategorised Data... and report back if it finds U.D.F.

[mulhollandgj]

Yes, I did run that , in each case it says -

"5255 records found containing one or more UDFs. The record list ("Bookmarks") .../... ("Key Individuals") .../... ("Work in Progress") can be viewed in the Named List Pane of the Records Window.

I have found the Named List Pane, however, I am not sure exactly what I am supposed to be looking for.

[NickWalker]

The issue here, which crops up occasionally, is that whereas Family Historian ignores this data (Family Historian is currently ignoring 5255 records in your file and classing them as 'Unclassified'), Ancestral Sources tries to interpret it. I probably ought to look again at this sometime to see if AS can handle this better, but currently that's your issue. If you would like to email your file to me I'll strip out the problem data and send it back to you. My email address is: nick AT ancestralsources DOT com

Nick

[mulhollandgj]

Hi Nick,

I have found an exception file I saved at the time of installation. I found a few references to the "M3950" I reported in the original error message.

The exception file lists items such as various Addresses for people saved in FTM2014, Media file Captions, Source Reference Notes etc.

Are you saying that all these items are being ignored by Family Historian and all that data is effectively missing and not useable?

Thanks,

Geoff

[mulhollandgj]

I found that there is another plugin for correcting UDFs - Change Any Fact Tag, but again because this is a trial I cannot run it.


I know that Nick has offered to strip out the problem data, but ideally I would rather that data be usable.

[NickWalker]

Yes - you have a lot of data in the file that Family Historian doesn't understand and doesn't therefore know what to do with it. So it just ignores it. By examining the report you may be able to work out the significance (or otherwise) of this data.

Tatewise will probably be able to give some more constructive advice on how you might deal with these UDFs

To get back to your other question:

I also would like to know if AS follows any standards such as "Evidence Explained" by Elizabeth Shown Mills.

No, but from what I understand of this book, I think that is largely due to the GEDCOM standard used by Family Historian not really being suited to the kind of formats required. However, Ancestral Sources has a lot of configuration options so that, for example, you can create templates for sources to meet your needs.

I'd suggest you try Ancestral Sources with the Family Historian sample project for a while.

[mulhollandgj]

Thanks Nick,

It looks like this is going to be a more onerous task than I first expected.

As I am in week 2 of a 9 week course and with Christmas/New Year coming up, I think I will have to put this trial on hold, uninstall the program and attempt a new trial at a later stage when I have more time to devote to it.

Thanks for your help, I do appreciate it !

[tatewise]

To give a bit more understanding, what is happening is that FTM is trying to represent your data in GEDCOM format.
The GEDCOM standard has strict specifications about what data structures are allowed.
It allows a high degree of customisation, but different programs do not always recognise each others customised dialects.
FH sometimes discards badly structure GEDCOM subsections and reports that on import.
Other structures it imports, but treats them as Uncategorised Data Fields (UDF).

UDF are visible in the All tab of the Property Box reached by double-clicking an entry in the Named List you chose to list the Records with UDF.
The UDF are identified with a star-burst bullet on the left instead of a plain bullet.
Clicking the [+] on the left will expand the structure to show all the details.

What the Plugins do is offer ways to adjust the data structures into a recognisable GEDCOM dialect that FH understands.
If the existing Plugins cannot do it, then a custom Plugin can be created to handle your specific data so nothing will get discarded.
It is possible to make the changes by editing the GEDCOM file with a plain text editor, but with 5255 records to edit that is not feasible.

If there is a regular pattern to many of the UDF, then post a few examples here and we can advise on the best approach.
You might discover the FTM community can suggest ways your FTM database can be bulk edited to make the exported GEDCOM more acceptable to FH.

If you let Nick strip the rogue data temporarily, you could continue with your FH + AS trials.
You can always get the full data back by re-importing the original GEDCOM from FTM.

I have moved this posting to the Importing and Exporting Forum because it is not fundamentally an AS problem, which is designed to work with standard valid GEDCOM.

[jimlad68]

###EDIT - Apologies, I initially thought you had problems importing to FH, not just AS. In any case it might be worth trying some of my original post:

You need to find the best way of getting the most data across. A point I disagree with Calico Pie is the lack of Plugin usage in the trial version, as this adds a whole lot of extra functionality, hence not showing FH to anywhere near its full potential.

It's a while since I used FTM2014 but I've just had a look at the GEDCOM export. For testing FH it might be worth creating a few different GEDCOM files from FTM. E.g. A selection of individuals, exclude media files. It's a pity you can't exclude notes/memos as that is often a problem with Ancestry. Could you create a copy/stripped down project and delete anything you think might be causing the problem.

At some point you would need to clarify what the "Invalid GEDOM Error on line 3696: 3 OBJE @ @ M3950@@... etc" refer to, otherwise that data will be lost anyway.

There is always the Sample program that comes with FH that you can play with, add to, merge in (have you any GEDCOM files from other sources).

It's only my opinion, but you should make your decision on what FH can do, rather than how well your data imports, especially as I suspect you will have problems wherever you move it from FTM, such is the nature of Ancestry online and program based trees.