* On Hold until 23 Oct 2024: Repeated People on a Ancestor or Descendant Chart

[waveydavey2016]

Currently, when one or more people are shown twice on a descendant or ancestor chart (e.g. when cousins marry) in FH, a curved line is drawn between the two instances of the same people shown on the same chart. This (a) looks unsightly/amateur and (b) the curved line sometimes is drawn in such a way as it exceeds the limits where the rest of the boxes are shown on the chart.

Would it be possible to employ a different method the identify the same person shown twice or more on a chart? I would much prefer the method which Family Tree Maker employs: For the person who is repeated, a number in brackets is added into their box. The same number in brackets is shown in every instance of that person on the chart. If more than one person is repeated, then the next number is shown in brackets in each instance they appear.

[LornaCraig]

Are you aware that you can choose to hide the linking lines? In the Diagram Options, main tab, untick Check for Duplicates.

Alternatively leave it ticked but click the Options button next to it, to see various ways in which the appearance of the linking lines can be customised.

[AdrianBruce]

Just to add to what Lorna said - there's no doubt that the linking lines / ribbons are something of a Marmite solution, especially if someone's not expecting them. However, if I understand the FTM-method correctly, what the ribbons do that the FTM method doesn't appear to do, is link the two boxes (or two families) with that ribbon, enabling easy identification of where both contexts are on the chart. Whereas, so far as I can see in my mind's eye, the FTM method only identifies that something is a duplicate and doesn't immediately locate the other box.

[waveydavey2016]

Hi Lorna, Adrian,

Thank you for your suggestions, I will certainly look at the options. Yes you are correct that the FTM solution doesn't visually connect where the same person appears, but in my opinion this isn't particularly necessary, all that is required is a method to identify that the person with the same name on a printout is actually the same person.

[tatewise]

To identify that two diagram boxes with the same Name are the same person, add the Record Id to each box as they are unique. So if two boxes have the same Name and Record Id then they represent the same person.

[AdrianBruce]

... all that is required is a method to identify that the person with the same name on a printout is actually the same person.

Ah! A subtly different requirement to what I was thinking of. And Mike's just beaten me to the suggestion of adding the Record Id. What you get if you do that, is:

Screenshot 2022-07-15 154255.jpg (41.53 KiB) Viewed 2016 times

(I just added Record Id to the Text Scheme and that's how it came over. No need for any manipulation.) Of course, you'll always see the Record Id, so there's no visual clue that there is a duplicate elsewhere on the diagram, and you might object to the extra clutter, but at least if the Record Id matches, it shows that the two people are indeed the same.

[davidf]

...
Would it be possible to employ a different method the identify the same person shown twice or more on a chart?
...

What we might want is a change to the preferences to include the option to just show the beginning and end of the ribbons (i.e. the ovals)?

FH can identify duplicates - which is functionality we want; it's just what happens when they have been identified. Within preferences you can adjust a lot of parameters to make them less "in your face" (see the specific help):

Customised Ribbon settings V6

Screenshot from 2022-07-25 17-17-29.png (36.26 KiB) Viewed 1618 times

The above shows the settings I have adopted. I have shrunk the ovals and thinned the lines.

Presumably it would not take much to enable the lines to be shrunk out of existence (set all colours to match backgrounds), leaving just the ovals - which are colour coded - so you could just look for the similarly coloured ovals.

Alternatively it would be useful if the ribbon only showed for say 10 seconds when you hover over an oval for more than say 500 milliseconds (configurable) - but ribbons did not show on print outs.

Perhaps an option to "move the oval" to within an individual box?

[ColeValleyGirl]

On Hold until it's clear if the Ops requirement has been satisfied with the suggestions made, and/or the suggestion in the final post has any support.