Imported gedcom events problem

Ted · Post by **Ted** » 16 Aug 2012 12:11

FH v5.
I have used a shareware program called Cumberland Family Tree for Windows (CFTW) for years. I understand it was written to strict Gedcom standards. As it is no longer supported and having wasted time and money on RootsMagic I purchased FH and have been using it succesfully in importing my Gedcom file from CFTW and developing my family tree since. However there are a couple of Gedcom events from CFTW, both standard and added which import without error, but are not translated correctly in terms of sensible sentence construction. If I add the event codes to the FH list as custom events, will FH recognise these and retrospectively apply the correct sentence construction to all uses throughout the tree?

The standard codes from CFTW I used were LIVD for lived (CFTW gives two options, single or together, also LTOG for lived together not married) and this was translated as 'individual' (or couple) lived at 'place' and also allowed a date. The added code is AGE and this was translated as 'age at' and the sentence was age at 'date' 'age' so that I could add age information on a specific date, usually a census record. FH gives an event translation which does not make sense: 'individual experienced lived' and does not link to the place or date which is present in the FH places list. Also for AGE 'individual experienced age'. Other codes not treated in the same way as the originatiing program include WITN for 'witness' which was used to add this fact to an individual, linking him/her with another eg witness at a marriage. Any assistance would be gratefully accepted, including a link to already answered similar questions, which I could not discover in a search.

ID:6440

PeterR · Post by **PeterR** » 16 Aug 2012 13:03

I used the Search box with fact sentence and found a few topics including the following, which may help:
http://www.fhug.org.uk/cgi-bin/index.cg ... y&num=6392

Post by **tatewise** » 16 Aug 2012 17:55

First of all the codes you mention may be 'standard CFTW codes' but are not 'standard GEDCOM codes'.
This is why the Sentences are poorly worded, as FH has used a default wording for undefined Facts.

You need to define a Custom Fact for each such code, and then each Sentence will be as you define them.
You must take great care to ensure the new Fact Name matches the Code.

Ted · Post by **Ted** » 16 Aug 2012 19:37

Thanks for the replies. I will work on a copy of the file and try adding these imported codes as custom facts and check the sentence construction, which from your reply, I may also be able to edit?

YouTube · Post by **Jane** » 17 Aug 2012 08:22

You need to use the Work With Fact Sets on the Tools menu to define your sentences for your custom Facts. Once the tool is open press the Help button for detailed instructions.

Can I suggest creating a CFTW fact set so once configured you can share the Fact set with other migrating users.

Post by **tatewise** » 17 Aug 2012 10:55

Here is a worked example:-

Use Tools > Work with Fact Sets and click New button.
The Fact Name must be your CFTW code, e.g. LIVD.
Fact Type must be Event or Attribute, where the latter allows a Value, depending on CFTW code.
Record Type must be Individual for 'single' Facts, or Family for 'together' Facts.
Fact Set as Jane suggests should be CFTW.

Click Create button, then in the Fact Definition properties:-

The Label will appear in Fact tab, e.g. Lived.
Abbreviation is optional, leave blank.
Template sentence {individual} lived {place} {date} is a good start, but can be modified later if necessary.
Click OK then these CFTW Custom Facts should appear correctly on Facts tab.

Repeat for each CFTW code.
You can use the same LIVD code as both an Individual and a Family Fact, but with different sentence Templates.

You do not need to work on a copy of your data, because Custom Fact Sets are stored separately from your GEDCOM data, and affect all Projects anyway.

Ted · Post by **Ted** » 17 Aug 2012 15:54

Really grateful for your advice messages and will do as is suggested and put the imported facts in a separate CFTW set.

I still have the CFTW program running as I refer to it occasionally and can see if I can copy fact codes and the corresponding sentences which do not appear in the FH standard codes. Having said that all the Gedcom data was accepted into FH without any error messages - you should have seen the mess with RootsMagic!

I did try successfully adding a new custom fact which was recommended in the help book for a name change - the wife of an ancestor started life as illigitimate with her mother's surname and after she (the daughter) was married under her maiden name she changed to using her biological father's surname, even though her mother had married another person. Took a long time to discover all that as the later records and a headstone refer to her new maiden surname, whereas her birth and marriage records were in her mother's maiden surname, so have used a 'name change' fact occurring between certain dates to highlight it.

Ted · Post by **Ted** » 01 Apr 2013 19:53

tatewise said:
Here is a worked example:-

After a long while away I will try to explain what my problem continues to be!

I can enter a new fact coded as you described with the identical code to the CFTW one, but the program ignores the new fact and continues to assemble the sentence incorrectly as before, referring to it as 'individual experienced fact'. I can use the new fact in a new event for an individual and it will work correctly, but the coding does not pick up the CFTW event as a fact. It is obviously recognising the CFTW code as a fact, but will not assign the new identical FH code to it! I tried using GedPad to see what the coding looks like and the problem seems to be where FH puts the CFTW event code in the Gedcom file. I can see I am going to have to delete (if I can!) the CFTW events and re-assign the new FH fact code where necessary.

Another event/fact problem! I cannot in many cases get dated facts for an individual to arrange in date order - I have tried manually and using the 'automatic' sorter to no avail. The problem seems to be that standard FH facts are all colour coded with a red and blue spot, the program wants to arrange all blue codes first, then red ones! Any explanation?

PeterR · Post by **PeterR** » 01 Apr 2013 22:35

'individual experienced fact' is the default sentence for a newly defined Event or Attribute. Having defined your new Fact, have you also specified the corresponding Sentence Template as recommended by tatewise:

Template sentence {individual} lived {place} {date} is a good start, but can be modified later if necessary.

The use of a blue circle for Individual Facts and a red circle for Family Facts in the Individual Property Box is fully explained in Chapter 6 of Getting the Most From Family Historian 5, e.g. on page 59. You can get the rows on the Facts tab displayed in a different order by simply clicking the relevant column heading, e.g. Date.

Ted · Post by **Ted** » 01 Apr 2013 23:31

Thanks for the reply. I did define the sentence as advised, however the program ignores it with reference to the facts with the (now) same name imported form my old software via a gedcom file.

I now realise that the facts do re-order after closing and re-opening the file, but not in real time when using the manual or auto sort wnen the individual's window is in use!

YouTube · Post by **Jane** » 02 Apr 2013 08:07

To check what is happening please try looking directly at your gedcom file which you are importing and the new facts you are defining, I suspect you will find they are not actually named identically.

I recommend using Mike Tate's Change Any Fact Tag, which will allow you to combine all the the 'same' facts to the same tag.

Ted · Post by **Ted** » 02 Apr 2013 12:59

Thanks for that - however I did view the Gedcom file with GedPad and not knowing what I was viewing, or how to interprete it I did notice that the CFTW fact names giving the problem were not in the same position as ones which transferred satisfactorily, such as bmd events.

Having followed the suggestions for naming facts in the fact window to match those used in the CFTW program and constructing the sentence the program picks up the fact along with dates etc, but still leads the sentence with individual 'experienced', despite the sentence construction being identical to that suggested by Mike Tate. The sentence syntax for livd is {individual} lived {place} {date}, however the actual sentence appears in an example as He experienced LIVD: Lived from 1946 to 1955 in 36 Onslow Gardens, South Woodford, E18 and the syntax appears as {individual} experienced {label} {date} {place} even though 'experienced' does not appear in the sentence in the fact properties window. The label is in the syntax for the fact lived for a couple, however the one quoted is for a single person and has a blue dot and in the fact set window does not have the {label}!

a - I obviously do not fully understand 'facts' and the corresponding sentence construction and
b - I do not know how to proceed without deleting all the incorrect livd events?

YouTube · Post by **Jane** » 02 Apr 2013 13:35

I suspect Cumberland is using a different method of defining it's custom field. For example lived should be a residence fact for example.

As I suggested earlier use Mikes plugin to convert the custom facts from Cumberland to custom facts for Family Historian.

Alternately post one of the problem facts gedcom text here so we can see what Cumberland has done with them.

Ted · Post by **Ted** » 02 Apr 2013 14:21

This is text from GedPad of a Gedcom file exported from CFTW and subsequently imported to FH. As you can see the birth event starts at 1, whereas the lived event starts at 2 with an event 'even' at 1. Presumably FH is not picking up the livd event as a fact in the same way it does for the birth event? I realise that FH cannot be expected to include the free format date in the note (CFTW does) and can correct that individually. FH includes the date and place in the final sentence, but does not pick up the livd name, presumably because it is not in the position it expects?

1 BIRT
2 DATE 16 Mar 1946
2 PLAC Woodford, Essex, England
2 NOTE Sensitive:0
1 EVEN
2 TYPE LIVD: Lived
2 DATE from 1946 to
2 NOTE FreeFormatDate:until about 1955
2 PLAC 36 Onslow Gardens, South Woodford, London E18, England
2 NOTE Sensitive:0

I tried Mike Tates Change any Fact Tag program some time ago, but once again could not understand what it was trying to do, or how to use it to change the way FH dealt with this CFTW event!

YouTube · Post by **Jane** » 02 Apr 2013 15:55

The type is actually LIVD: Lived where it should simply be for FH just Lived or LIVD depending on how you have set them up in FH

There are a couple of options if you can't work out Mike's plugin.

1. Make sure the custom event you created has a name of LIVD: Lived and not just LIVD or
2. Do a search and replace with a text editor to swap 'LIVD: Lived' for what ever you have set the custom event as in FH.

Although personally I would use the plugin to swap them for proper RESIdence events.

Just select your old format ones on the left and the one you want to move to on the right.

Ted · Post by **Ted** » 02 Apr 2013 16:55

Thanks for that - I understand the problem now and will try to correct it using the plug in as you suggest. Will come back to let you know how I get on.

Ted · Post by **Ted** » 02 Apr 2013 17:01

Thanks for that - I understand the problem now and I can see the CFTW events in the change any tag plug in under 'custom', which I must have missed before. I will try to use this on a copy first (as suggested) until I get it right and then use it on my main file. Will come back with news of success or otherwise!

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