Greeting and Gedcom question

brianobrian · Post by **brianobrian** » 13 May 2009 13:48

Hello, I am a first time user, who has just taken a 30 free evaluation trial.

I have looked at previous mailings and tips, but not found an answer to my query.

I have uploaded an original Gedcom from Ancestry, plus another, which I had added to before upload. I tried to merge so that only the up to date information appeared. I E replace old file. It appeared not to work that way.

Can I completely replace existing tree, with a new Gedcom file?

Any help appreciated
Regards brian[confused]

ID:3725

YouTube · Post by **Jane** » 13 May 2009 14:05

Not sure where are you uploading to? Ancestry or are you talking about the Family Historian Merge option?

brianobrian · Post by **brianobrian** » 13 May 2009 14:23

Hello Jane, thank you for your reply.

My main tree is currently Ancestry, I spend many hours researching, and constantly add to my tree.

I therefor often need to update my other trees including this trial one, to see how changes will pan out in practice.

So my uploads are all one way from Ancestry to FH. But I want to make sure that any changes I have made since last gedcom upload, will overwrite existing information.

Regards
brian[smile]

Post by **nsw** » 13 May 2009 14:31

Hi Brian

If you move to Family Historian you would probably find it easier to maintain the tree in FH and upload occasionally to Ancestry completely replacing the tree each time (I don't use Ancestry for my tree but this is how I do it with Genesreunited). This has the advantage that you can strip out private information or data about living people before you upload your copy to Ancestry.

If you're working the other way round then you would want to download the GEDCOM and then just use that fresh version each time. Don't bother trying to merge them.

brianobrian · Post by **brianobrian** » 13 May 2009 14:35

Hi Nick, thank you for the reply.

Just to clarify for my addled brain then. I understand that a new gedcom uploaded to FH, will by default, completely replace all previous data on the tree.??.
Regards
brian[smile]

Post by **nsw** » 13 May 2009 14:54

Just to clarify. I think that you really can't expect to be able to add data in FH and data in Ancestry and then somehow merge the two together on a regular basis, you could occasionally do it but you'll almost certainly get yourself into a mess and it will take ages to make sure your merge is correct. You need to really decide if you're always going to do your updates in FH or always in Ancestry and then just copy to the other.

brianobrian · Post by **brianobrian** » 13 May 2009 15:02

Hi Nick, thanks again, point well made.

But I still need to be certain, that when uploading a Gedcom from Ancestr to FH, if I do not choose the merge option, the new gedcom data, will replace the existing data. I.E. add all new information and delete any that has been deleted from Ancestry site, since previous transfer.

Regards
brian[smile]

PeterR · Post by **PeterR** » 13 May 2009 15:26

Hi Brian,
It is my understanding that the only place that FH keeps your data is in your Gedcom file. If you provide a new Gedcom file for FH to load, the only data it uses will be that in your new Gedcom file. Your old Gedcom file can be ignored or archived, whatever you prefer. Hope this helps.

brianobrian · Post by **brianobrian** » 13 May 2009 15:28

Hi Peter, definitively thank you, all help is much appreciated on this important point.

Regards
brian[smile]

JonAxtell · Post by **JonAxtell** » 13 May 2009 16:44

Just a small point to clarify the terms of downloading and uploading.

Using the PC as the origin, downloading is the term used for putting data onto the PC and uploading the term for taking data off the PC and sending it elsewhere.

brianobrian · Post by **brianobrian** » 13 May 2009 16:57

Hiya Jon, thank you for that.
I was taking the file from a web based tree, to my desktop and onward to FH, so possibly, it was still a 'download', though I must admit, I am no techie and the semantics of 'computer speak', are a little above my hairless head. Lol
Regards
brian
[smile]

brianobrian · Post by **brianobrian** » 23 May 2009 20:49

Hi again, regretfully, I am still in trouble. Having rationalised my tree on Ancestry, by deleting a host of peripheral individuals, I made a new gedcom, which I added to FH. sadly whether I merge or try to overwrite, all the old names are still on FH.

I tried to delete the whole tree, but nowhere can I find such an option, (I just don't believe that).

I also was unable to make a person from individual list the focus person, try as I might.
What a shame, I like the presentation of the focus page and can easily change between ancestors and descendants thereon, but to get an individual from list to focus individual, is too complex.

I uninstalled the program, to give it up as a bad job, but found that the install s/cut was still on my desk top, I re-installed, and lo and behold, all my stuff was still on there, and I still could not get rid of unwanted people, without viewing each individually again and seeing if I want to keep them or not. I had already done this on Ancestry and it took me nine hours.

Regards[confused]

brianobrian · Post by **brianobrian** » 23 May 2009 21:37

Hi Peeps.

Well, I finally gave up trying to remove old gedcoms from FH, and removed them from my documents folder. Hey presto, that removed them from FH. What a long winded way to go about it.
I then tried my luck with the focus symbol on toolbar again, low and behold, it made an individual I selected, the 'Focus' person. Yet I had done nothing different to the twenty times I had previously tried, without success.
Watch this space for the next disaster from 'Cathy's Clown.[wink]

JonAxtell · Post by **JonAxtell** » 24 May 2009 08:21

To see the focus view of a person selected in the record window the method is to either double click the person and then click the magnifying glass icon in the property box or alternatively select the 'Display in Focus Window' option in the View menu.

brianobrian · Post by **brianobrian** » 24 May 2009 08:31

Hi Jon, thank you, I was single clicking them, I think.
Sometimes the focus symbol and the File menu option were not 'active,, just pale images, so that must have been the problem.
Regards[rolleyes]

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