The standard web/CD page display in V3 is very basic. [frown] Has it changed in V4? [smile] I would like to see a display similar to Ancestry's Family Group with Parents info and pictures side by side and children below. Please!! Without having to use PhpGedView.
ID:3674
* Web Page Display - Any Better?
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- Jane
- Site Admin
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Web Page Display - Any Better?
There are no major changes in V4 for web display.
Web Page Display - Any Better?
Hi,
I use PhpGedView (PGV). It requires some effort to use and a web server with all the necessary capabilites (MySQL, PHP, etc); it also requires some effort to set up - at least initially. However the effort seems well worth it because what you get is a searchable dynamic database rather than a set of static web pages.
Only the new GED needs to be uploaded when the data has changed, everything else (e.g. multimedia) can remain on the server. All this you will know already if you use it.
Asking FH to do something similar is a huge request and I'm not sure what the development cost would be given (by way of comparison) the resources and time already spent by contributors to PGV.
An alternative to PGV seems to be The Next Generation (TNG). I looked at some TNG sites before choosing PGV. There was nothing wrong with TNG - I chose PGV because simply it was open source, nothing more. (OK the real reason: it was free!)
I can't see FH providing graphical web output unless there is a major change of philosophy. I use FH because I want to work on my PC and have a good software application for entering and editing data. I use FH's web output only for producing a very few static pages such as an index. That way Google gets to see the pages and can crawl them.
If you want the kind of graphical output PGV produces I think you will just have to resign yourself to using two products or... bite the bullet and use just PGV and do everything (including collaboration) online.
Personally I can't be bothered to set up other users so collaboration is unecessary. There are times when I want to work away from an internet connection so again, online editing is not for me.
I think there are great strengths of using two completely different packages and, for me, the overhead - once initial setup has been completed - is minimal.
Regards,
Ric
I use PhpGedView (PGV). It requires some effort to use and a web server with all the necessary capabilites (MySQL, PHP, etc); it also requires some effort to set up - at least initially. However the effort seems well worth it because what you get is a searchable dynamic database rather than a set of static web pages.
Only the new GED needs to be uploaded when the data has changed, everything else (e.g. multimedia) can remain on the server. All this you will know already if you use it.
Asking FH to do something similar is a huge request and I'm not sure what the development cost would be given (by way of comparison) the resources and time already spent by contributors to PGV.
An alternative to PGV seems to be The Next Generation (TNG). I looked at some TNG sites before choosing PGV. There was nothing wrong with TNG - I chose PGV because simply it was open source, nothing more. (OK the real reason: it was free!)
I can't see FH providing graphical web output unless there is a major change of philosophy. I use FH because I want to work on my PC and have a good software application for entering and editing data. I use FH's web output only for producing a very few static pages such as an index. That way Google gets to see the pages and can crawl them.
If you want the kind of graphical output PGV produces I think you will just have to resign yourself to using two products or... bite the bullet and use just PGV and do everything (including collaboration) online.
Personally I can't be bothered to set up other users so collaboration is unecessary. There are times when I want to work away from an internet connection so again, online editing is not for me.
I think there are great strengths of using two completely different packages and, for me, the overhead - once initial setup has been completed - is minimal.
Regards,
Ric
Web Page Display - Any Better?
I completely agree with what Ric says above. I use TNG rather than PhpGedView, but again that was just a matter of style choice rather than functionality.
I think the web output from V3/V4 is adequate for what it is supposed to be doing, in fact I think it is quite good compared to some others I have seen.
In my opinion there is an advantage to using two applications in this case, as both applications can concentrate on what they are good at. FH is excellent software for recording and reporting, whereas TNG is excellent at dynamic web display and editing. (TNG can import gedcom files or work as a standalone genealogy app., but the fact it is relatively poor at the latter proves the point I think.)
I will say that TNG does take some considerable effort to set up in terms of servers and code, and modifying it is not for the faint-hearted. But if you want top-notch looking and interactive sites, I guess you have to put the effort in.
I think the web output from V3/V4 is adequate for what it is supposed to be doing, in fact I think it is quite good compared to some others I have seen.
In my opinion there is an advantage to using two applications in this case, as both applications can concentrate on what they are good at. FH is excellent software for recording and reporting, whereas TNG is excellent at dynamic web display and editing. (TNG can import gedcom files or work as a standalone genealogy app., but the fact it is relatively poor at the latter proves the point I think.)
I will say that TNG does take some considerable effort to set up in terms of servers and code, and modifying it is not for the faint-hearted. But if you want top-notch looking and interactive sites, I guess you have to put the effort in.
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Web Page Display - Any Better?
Thanks for those comments, ideas etc. As you would have guessed I haven't done too much experimentation with publishing my tree, although I have been using FH for about 3-4 years. I agree that FH is already a great product and have had my tree on the web for 3 years - I didn't realise how much extra work my request would take. Personally I don't like the idea of my files only being upstairs so didn't want to go to PVG but if I can use FH and upload the updated GED every now and then to PVG then I think I'll give it a try if my host 1and1 can handle it. Thanks again to everyone who replied. Mike [smile]
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Web Page Display - Any Better?
Menu item *Create a Website* should contain a notation that this may take several hours to complete should you wish to include all records !
The feature of creating a website from within FH is a great idea but if it is to be part of the program, why not make it more useable ?
Problems are:
When 100,000+ records are included it takes 2+ hours to create the web pages.
Gave a copy to the local archives library and it took over 5 minutes to load.
Others have stated that a site like GenesUnited could be used. When I uploaded my GED file to this site it seemed to process the info okay until it claimed it was finished and an error message appeared, when I checked the tree there were over 5,000 individuals missing. There support has been unable to explain the error and missing records.
There are several options available:
Legacy which is free creates useful web pages but uses more disk space than FH for the pages.
TNG which requires purchase of a software program and uses GED files.
A solution exists, however it depends on the size of your database and where online you wish to post your family history.
Myron
The feature of creating a website from within FH is a great idea but if it is to be part of the program, why not make it more useable ?
Problems are:
When 100,000+ records are included it takes 2+ hours to create the web pages.
Gave a copy to the local archives library and it took over 5 minutes to load.
Others have stated that a site like GenesUnited could be used. When I uploaded my GED file to this site it seemed to process the info okay until it claimed it was finished and an error message appeared, when I checked the tree there were over 5,000 individuals missing. There support has been unable to explain the error and missing records.
There are several options available:
Legacy which is free creates useful web pages but uses more disk space than FH for the pages.
TNG which requires purchase of a software program and uses GED files.
A solution exists, however it depends on the size of your database and where online you wish to post your family history.
Myron
Web Page Display - Any Better?
I have used PHPGedView for some years, the prime motivation was the neat way it handles Multimedia linking. As a result of the strict gedcom links i then changed database locally several times until discovering Family Historian which preserves the links made in PHPGedView.
But it requires a strict discipline to preserve the media links. I batch the media items into PHPGedView and then export the gedcom file to FH and then add new records and rotate.
So I already have a detailed structure of sub folders in PHPGedView mirrored on my local machine and backed up.
I am still looking at this new Project idea in FH4 and looking for a way to keep my existing structure and add the media items a second time within FH4 as I am so sorely tempted by the ability to use one group photo and link the faces...all I can do in PHPGedView is to caption the photo. One photo is of over 50 people at a Golden Wedding of my Gt gt Grandparents.
Having started my FH website with simple static HTML pages i watched the baby grow to be a teenager and it became quite unmanageable taking around 2 hours to prepare and FTP over 1000 pages. Now I just upload my gedcom file, FTP media and link and then download the gedcom file and replace on local machine.
I tried merging but it was a hassle and I ended up with a lot of merge dates in the raw gedcom.
So really the answer is 'What do you want out of a website?' and what is your budget??
Using PHPGedview requires no technical knowledge at all, the setup takes about 30 mins and is very well documented...but it does come at a cost as you need an ISP with the latest ver PHP, MYSQL and space for the multimedia items and of course your own personal domain registration.
So if it is a small family project where family members own computers then you can have them download the read only ver of FH and send them the gedcom file and multimedia on a CD which they can copy to their local machine....or use the limited free space on your ISP access account and use FH generated web pages.....but when it grows beyond these limitations then you need to look at the dual system outlined above.
Also bear in mind that if you just plonk your data openly on the net then it will be plagiarised....PHPGedview has a lot of inbuilt security for eg my site is a members only one and quite secure.
For sure PHPGedView and FH are a great match for the more advanced usage.
But it requires a strict discipline to preserve the media links. I batch the media items into PHPGedView and then export the gedcom file to FH and then add new records and rotate.
So I already have a detailed structure of sub folders in PHPGedView mirrored on my local machine and backed up.
I am still looking at this new Project idea in FH4 and looking for a way to keep my existing structure and add the media items a second time within FH4 as I am so sorely tempted by the ability to use one group photo and link the faces...all I can do in PHPGedView is to caption the photo. One photo is of over 50 people at a Golden Wedding of my Gt gt Grandparents.
Having started my FH website with simple static HTML pages i watched the baby grow to be a teenager and it became quite unmanageable taking around 2 hours to prepare and FTP over 1000 pages. Now I just upload my gedcom file, FTP media and link and then download the gedcom file and replace on local machine.
I tried merging but it was a hassle and I ended up with a lot of merge dates in the raw gedcom.
So really the answer is 'What do you want out of a website?' and what is your budget??
Using PHPGedview requires no technical knowledge at all, the setup takes about 30 mins and is very well documented...but it does come at a cost as you need an ISP with the latest ver PHP, MYSQL and space for the multimedia items and of course your own personal domain registration.
So if it is a small family project where family members own computers then you can have them download the read only ver of FH and send them the gedcom file and multimedia on a CD which they can copy to their local machine....or use the limited free space on your ISP access account and use FH generated web pages.....but when it grows beyond these limitations then you need to look at the dual system outlined above.
Also bear in mind that if you just plonk your data openly on the net then it will be plagiarised....PHPGedview has a lot of inbuilt security for eg my site is a members only one and quite secure.
For sure PHPGedView and FH are a great match for the more advanced usage.
- jeemo
- Famous
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Web Page Display - Any Better?
This facility is available in V3 and previous.I am so sorely tempted by the ability to use one group photo and link the faces
Not everybody sees it as plagiarism. So long as you quote the site as a source it is no different to quoting from a book. I put everything up (excluding private, sensitive and living info). I call it sharing. The result has been contacts with information on a far greater level than when I just used to show BDM information.if you just plonk your data openly on the net then it will be plagiarised