Family Historian User Group

I am trying to open a FH. ged in Legacy. I get the following not recognised
_AREA
-FILE
-KEYS
-NOTE
The error log says all unrecognised has been put in note field.
None of the notes have been transferred-what am I doing wrong please?
Please reply in very untech language
Thanks.

ID:6952

Unfortunately it is not easy to explain in a completely 'untech language', because what you are trying to do is quite technical, but I will do my best.

The GEDCOM (.ged) format allows customisations that different products such as Family Historian and Legacy use in different ways.
These customisations are identified by non-standard tags with a leading underscore such as _AREA, _FILE, _KEYS, _NOTE, etc.
Only standard GEDCOM tags are reliably transferred between products.

The problem tags you mention only relate to Multimedia Record fields as follows, but you may come across others:
_AREA defines the Link to Face/Detail frame.
_FILE defines the external media image Linked File path.
_KEYS defines the Keywords associated with the media.
_NOTE defines the Note field.

Some of these can be easily resolved, but others may be more difficult to fix.

_AREA
The Link to Face/Detail frame feature is unique to FH and does not export easily.
There is a V5 Plugin Convert File Links you can install that converts each such frame to a separate image file.
You MUST use File > Import/Export > Export > GEDCOM File and Add All but Exclude nothing, and select Use Full File Paths for External File Links.
Then run the Plugin on this exported GEDCOM file.

_FILE
Strangely, the GEDCOM standard does not allow Multimedia Records to link to external image files, but FH does by using _FILE tags.
These can be eliminated by embedding the images within the GEDCOM file, and will resolve the problem assuming Legacy supports this mode.
On the converted GEDCOM file from above use File > Import/Export > Export > GEDCOM File and Add All but Exclude nothing, and select Embed Multimedia in Export File.
[EDIT 18/07/2014]
Alternatively, select Destination as Family Tree Maker which replaces _FILE with FILE as detailed in how_to:exporting_gedcom_with_multimedia|> Exporting GEDCOM with Multimedia.

_KEYS
If you have not customised the media Keywords then these can be ignored.

_NOTE
If there are not too many of these, then copy them afterwards by hand.
Alternatively, the GEDCOM (.ged) file could be text edited, or a small Plugin written to convert the Notes.

Thank you for your reply.
Do I understand that the _NOTE field only applies to the Multimedia?
I have not been able to transfer the note fields shown in the property box ie the main notes for each person.
Sanderson

Can you confirm you are using FH V5.0.9 ?
It is a good idea to post problems with this version in the V5 Usage Forum.

Your understanding is correct.
_NOTE only applies to Multimedia Record Note fields.
The standard NOTE tag is used for all other Note fields and should transfer OK.

Does the problem apply to every Note field, or only a few?
Remember there are Note fields on the Main tab, on the Facts tab in each Fact, on the Notes tab, and elsewhere, including other types of Record.
Are your Notes marked as [ [Private] ] in square brackets, and did you untick the [ [private] ] notes export option?

I am using v5.0.9. All boxes and unticked and no notes are marked private. No notes have transferred.
sanderson

The NOTE fields should be in the GEDCOM (.ged) file.
To check, use a plain text editor such as Start > All Programs > Accessories > Notepad, and open the exported GEDCOM (.ged) file.
Use Edit > Find with Find what: as NOTE, tick Match case, and click Find Next.
The actual Note text may sometimes be on subsequent lines prefixed with CONT or CONC.
This should confirm that your Notes are included.

I notice that in the Importing Files Into Legacy wizard there are several Note text options.
If you have confirmed the Notes are in the GEDCOM, then try experimenting with different import wizard options.
If this still does not work, then it would appear to be a Legacy problem.

From their video I notice that Legacy has three types of Notes (General, Research, Medical) and maybe the FH GEDCOM Notes do not fit this structure.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH -- YES THE NOTES ARE THERE. IT MUST BE A LEGACY PROBLEM. SORRY TO HAVE BOTHERED YOU.
SANDERSON

Did my suggestions above for _AREA and _FILE resolve those tag problems?