Family Historian User Group

I am completely baffled by the explanation and multitudinous options (without an explanation of what they mean) of how to create a CD.

I attempted this last Christmas hoping that what I wanted would be a simple press of a button...but alas no! After 2 days I gave up!

ALL I want to do is to give to members of my family a CD. It needs to open with the full family tree visual thus far created (exactly as the PDF), but with all the multimedia elements accessible (via a click on the individual), starting with a traditonal visual family tree as expressed through the 'All Relatives Diagram' button.

It's what I see on my screen and it's what I would like them to be able to see on theres.

One of my first issues was what on earth do all the Primary Page Types mean? When I tried to write the first CD I attempted I had pages and pages of textual records. That was from 'Record Details - Individuals' - well of course what else would I be wanting? However that didn't lead me to where I wanted to go.

There's nothing contained within that I don't want to show (ie no private notes etc).

Can anyone please offer me a simple way forward to acheive what seems to me a simple objective and a natural family by-product of Family Historian?

Much appreciated.

ID:6451

The Family Tree CD is very closely related to the web site generator, and currently you can not create a 'live' tree for use in a browser.

You can use any of the main reports, for example an Ancestors outline report and use it in conjunction with the two standard Web reports, which are an indivudual summary or family group sheet, both of which can be viewed via the Publish/Reports menu.

See the Knowledge Base advice for how to Make a Family Tree CD/DVD or Website.
I suggest you work through the advice on each Wizard step.
(I admit it would benefit from some samples of the web pages created).
Among other things, under Tips and Tricks it describes how to create a PDF Diagram with a Hyperlink per Box that links to a featured Individual page.
This will go some way towards what you would like to achieve.
However, FH Family Tree CD are not as dynamic as many of the Internet based tree diagram navigation tools you are probably trying to imitate.

Thank you very much for your 2 responses.

With respect to the inability to produce a 'live' tree in a web browser, surely I already have a live tree (as I understand the term) ie one with links established that can open linked pieces of information though the 'Individual' window (like 'Main', 'Facts', 'Notes', 'Multimedia') off my own hard drive. All I want is for members of my family to be able to open the same elements of information off a CD through your free version of Family Historian.

That free version was, as I understood it, designed precisely for the purpose of sharing all the information with interested parties. Obviously the only difference is that nothing new can be created or deleted through that version which is of course understandable and fine.

When I was struggling last Christmas I seem to recall that it was a change in the path to those items that caused the problem once on a CD (from C:/ to D:/). It appeared I had to go to every single linked item and change each path to that on the CD which left me with, potentially, an unusable version on my own PC! Nightmare!

With respect to the linked PDF document suggestion, that would be fine but that appears to lead me back into the same process of changing paths for every single linked item...

...that's as I understand it and, of course, I may be wrong in that assessment.

Surely, this should be an automated process if it's necessary. Isn't that in part why we buy PCs in order to remove repetitive tedious processes? Going through over 100 individuals and changing the path to every single Multimedia object is not something I would readily undertake.

So in summary, I have my traditional Family Tree as represented through the 'All Relatives Diagram'. I click on a name and that opens up the 'Individual' window displaying 'Main', 'Facts', 'Notes', 'Multimedia' and 'All' Tabs and that information can be read but not changed....off a CD.

Isn't that what almost every user of Family Historian wants to do?

Aaaaah! That is a completely different kettle of fish!

You must ignore everything to do with creating a Family Tree CD.
That is for creating a self-contained CD for people without any version of FH.

What you are trying to achieve is an exported copy of your FH database on a CD or pen-drive that can be imported into the free Read Only Version 3 of Family Historian.
Note that it is not our 'Family Historian' - we are the FHUG - Calico Pie are the developers of FH.

So the commands you should be looking at are:
File > Import/Export > Export > GEDCOM File
and
File > Project Window > More Tasks > Copy Project
The exact details of how to use these depend on your Version of FH.
There are complications associated with links to Multimedia record files.
Also there are restrictions of what the free Read Only Version 3 of Family Historian allows your family members to do.
See Read Only Version for details.

It is intended to be of use to Family Historian users who wish to give their family tree files (‘GEDCOM’ files) to relatives and friends.
We do not recommend using the read only version of Family Historian with GEDCOM files if you wish the recipient to be able to view multimedia, as it is not suitable for this.

i.e. NOT the Multimedia Files, just the GEDCOM file.

Please identify which Version of FH you are currently using for further help.

I feel progress may be being made!

My version is 4.1.3.

Many thanks.

...to add, I'm easy about the process of how the files are shared. I just want to acheive the described objective.

When I first looked into sharing files, using free Family Historian seemed the prime option.

Are you are happy with the restriction:

A few features (Merge/Compare, Queries, the All Relatives diagram) are further restricted in that they can only be used in files which contain 100 Individual records or fewer.

and that Multimedia images will be not be included?

If so then simply use File > Import/Export > Export > GEDCOM File and Exclude all Multimedia Records.
Copy the exported GEDCOM file to the CD or pen-drive.

I advise that you download and install the Read Only Version 3 of Family Historian and then check that the CD/pen-drive works OK for you in this Version of FH before sending off to family members.

When you describe 100 Individual records or less can I assume you mean 100 named Individuals?

No images files? That's not helpful. What harm would it do to allow image files?! No photos? No birth certificates? No correspondence? Surely the visual element is 50% of the Family Tree story! Just a list of connected names is meaningless and hollow.

That's closed that door then! I'm left totally stumped!

Please would you refer to my simple requirement explained above and advise how I can best achieve this (what originally seemed to me) straightforward objective.

A CD and free reader seemed ideal and straightforward and not dissimilar to a PDF reader - and you can even see images in that!

You can use media with the V3 read only version, but you need to export the file and then do some work on it to match the drive letter.

Personally I find most people get on well with the CD exported version or the web site or an exported PDF book which can be done with V5.

Another option is your family could use the V5 trial for 30 days and purchase a copy of they like it

Jane ~ One technique I tried was to Export GEDCOM with embedded BLOB images, but although RO V3 FH opened GEDCOM OK, the images were not displayed - is this a limitation of V3?

John ~ 100 Individual records means 100 Individual Records, i.e. the number of Individuals reported on bottom right status bar of FH.
As Jane says if you want a full copy of everything then FH V5 is the easiest and best option.
You will not be able to adjust Multimedia file links, as Jane suggests, for RO V3, unless you use a pen-drive and your family members happen to use the same pen-drive letter as you do.

That's all been very helpful. Thank you all very much.

I will have to give it some thought and do some further digging over the weekend to decide what best to do.

I can't help but feel the difficulties I've raised in trying to acheive something so essential and simple could be aided by a transportable root path.

In other words imagine there was one hidden file within FH that was the point from which all other files radiated. Whatever path from the root directory that led to the hidden file would automatically become the start of all the paths leading to all the files within a particular project.

So in my case 'C:UsersJohn's 2011 PCDocumentsFamily Historian ProjectsFamily Tree Projecthidden file' would be the transportable path. If the project was moved to another PC to somewhere like 'C:Family Historian ProjectsFamily Tree Projecthidden file' that would become the new transportable path. However EVERYTHING within the project remained unaltered because it all related to this hidden file. The root to the hidden file could be established automatically from the root directory or entered manually if necessary (maybe on a server for example).

Good idea?

I can't help but feel the difficulties I've raised in trying to acheive something so essential and simple could be aided by a transportable root path.

This is the way that Family Historian projects work when the media is within the project. You can move the project folder to anywhere and these relative file paths continue to work.

The problem is that these projects were only introduced in version 4 and there isn't a free read-only version of Family Historian 4 or 5. So Jane and Tatewise are discussing the issues of having to convert your version 4 project to a version 3 file.

It was a year ago, nearly, I raised the original issue in this thread with FH by email.

I tried again via this FHUG in the summer.

I would very much appreciate the promised response as per the last post.

It would be nice to be able to fulfil the promised CDs to my family for Christmas in the not unreasonable way described.

johnga, I'm not entirely clear what you expect a user group to do, other than -- as has been done -- advise you on what is possible with the program as it currently stands?

John, please keep in mind that this FHUG is quite separate from Calico Pie and has no direct control over the Family Historian products.
See Family Historian User Group for full details.

As has been advised before, if you wish to offer your family a CD with all the Family Historian features that you enjoy, then they must install a current version of Family Historian on their PC.
Then the command you use is File > Project Window > More Tasks > Copy Project with a CD/pen-drive as the destination.
Your family would use File > Project Window > More Tasks > Browse for Project and locate it on their CD/pen-drive.

As has been explained, the free Read Only Version 3 of Family Historian does NOT support the Version 4/5 features you want to offer.

One option is to install the free Family Historian 5 (30 Day Free Trial).
If any of your family like what they see, then a licence can be purchased to remove the 30-day restriction.

I was given to believe:

Jane and Tatewise are discussing the issues of having to convert your version 4 project to a version 3 file.

and looked forward to a helpful solution.

My family won't be changing anything I give them - it's purely for their interest and to enable them to read all components as explained, so the reader option is a perfect solution.

Oh, the ambiguities of the English language!!!
What Nick was referring to was the preceding thread discussion of the issues.

Jane said:
You can use media with the V3 read only version,  but you need to export the file and then do some work on it to match the drive letter.

Mike said:
You will not be able to adjust Multimedia file links, as Jane suggests, for RO V3, unless you use a pen-drive and your family members happen to use the same pen-drive letter as you do.

Also, as you might expect, V3 offers fewer features than V4.

It is not clear, given your objectives, why the free Family Historian 5 (30 Day Free Trial) is not the most attractive solution.

However, if you still wish to pursue the free Read Only Version 3 of Family Historian, then as I said before:

I advise that you download and install the Read Only Version 3 of Family Historian and then check that the CD/pen-drive works OK for you in this Version of FH before sending off to family members.

The RO V3 version will install alongside your FH V4, so that you can run either or both together.
The FH V4 commands you should be looking at are:
File > Project Window > More Tasks > Copy Project to copy your project onto a pen-drive.
Then to convert the Media file links, open that Project on the pen-drive and use:
File > Import/Export > Export > GEDCOM File with all options unticked and Use Full File Paths for External File Links and overwrite the original GEDCOM file.

Then you can open this GEDCOM file in RO V3 with all the Media files included.

One 'gotcha' is that the drive letter of your PC pen-drive must match the drive letter of the pen-drive on your family member's PC.
This can be arranged with some adjustments in Windows if necessary.
Alternatively, on FH V4 you can use Tools > Work with External File Links and Edit the drive letter as necessary for each family member and Save the modified Project, but then for you the Media will 'vanish'
Equally, your family can do the same in RO V3 to adjust to their drive letter, but must repeat this every time they use it.

If you need further advice with this route then please just ask here.

Many thanks for that information.

I will have a play over the weekend.

Here is a slightly easier method that works well if everyone is using Windows Vista or Windows 7 (and probably Windows 8 too).
It looks long-winded, but is really quite quick to carry out.
It relies on the public folder path C:UsersPublicDocuments being consistent across these versions of Windows.

In FH V4 use File > Project Window, select your Project, and use More Tasks > Copy Project.
Set the Location for Copy to C:UsersPublicDocuments and set Items to Copy according to how much of your Project you wish to send.

Then use More Tasks > Browse for Project and browse to the C:UsersPublicDocuments based Project to open its Family Historian Project File (.fh_proj).
Now use File > Import/Export > Export > GEDCOM File to create a V3 Read Only compatible GEDCOM.
Click the Add All button, untick all the Exclude options, and choose Use Full File Paths for External File Links.
Save the Gedcom File (.ged) with the Project name as filename in the Project folder created above.

Finally, use Windows Explorer to copy the entire Project folder to your CD or pen drive.
Your recipients simply reverse the process and copy the entire Project folder from CD or pen drive to their C:UsersPublicDocuments folder.
Now they can use FH V3 Read Only to open the Gedcom File (.ged) within the Project folder and the Media links should be OK.
Furthermore, if they opt for FH V5, they can copy the entire Project folder from CD or pen drive to their Family Historian Projects folder and have full functionality.

To repeat the process, the C:UsersPublicDocuments based Project folder must be deleted beforehand, or a different Project folder name used for the new copy.

Remember that the other FH V3 Read Only restrictions still apply.
A workaround for the All Relatives Diagram limitation is to create a Custom Diagram for All Relatives and export that too so it can be imported into FH V3 Read Only.