Family Historian User Group

I am relatively new to Genealogy programs; I have used My Heritage (free version - which is very good freeware with user friendly interface and output capabilities) for quite a few months, but there are limitations with this program when it comes to customising the reports and charts.  I have a considerable amount GEDCOM data at the moment for three different family trees and I need to home in on presenting these data in appropriate ways (both CD and hard copy) to suit various interested stakeholders (ranging from teenagers to relatives in their nineties).

Based on recent reviews, I have decided to evaluate Family Historian 4.0.2, and also Family Historian 4.0.2 in conjunction with GEDmill to attempt cover the above requirements.  FH4s interface is nicely thought out, and the software appears fairly robust with plenty of flexibility across the board. However, even at this early stage I find myself agreeing with some of the current Wish List items.

Now to my question (apologies if this has already been discussed previously).  In My Heritage I have exported a GEDCOM file of the smallest of the family trees, and these data include, amongst other things, Electoral Roll data under the guise of Census data. I have downloaded and used some of the Custom Fact sets (Sailed from, ...) and where appropriate created my own Custom Fact sets for Electoral Matters, Memberships_Awards, ... These latter utilise the 'value' parameter afforded by the 'attribute' Fact Type.

Example:
Name            Electoral Roll            Fact Set      Electoral Matters
Label            Electoral Roll            Fact Typre      Attribute
Abbreviation                        Record Type      Individual
Template      {value} on the {date} {label} whilst resident {place}

Use Override Template for Event tab Listings
     blank at this stage
Use Override Template for Record Window Listings
     blank at this stage
Auto-create Note: blank at this stage

FH4 typically exports the following GEDCOM code:
...
1 _ATTR Carlo GIORGI (miner) was registered in the Mt Fanklin Rate Book; 1879/80 property (with house) rate assessment - NAV $5, Central Riding, 5/-, total arrears 1/-/-
2 TYPE Property Rates
2 DATE 1880
2 PLAC Deep Creek, Eganstown
2 SOUR @S21@
3 PAGE ref: Rate Book; (1879/80) page 57, entry 117
1 _ATTR Carlo GEORGI (farmer) was registered in the Laanecoorie (Mt Prospect) Electoral District, Victoria
2 TYPE Electoral Roll
2 DATE 1903
2 PLAC Eganstown
2 SOUR @S9@
3 PAGE ref: Search for GEORGI; Roll No. 108
1 OCCU farmer (Carlo GEORGI (farmer) was registered in the Laanecoorie (Mt Prospect) Electoral District, Victoria)
2 DATE 1903
2 SOUR @S9@
3 PAGE ref: Search for GEORGI; Roll No. 108
...

GEDmill does not seem to recognise the _ATT 'value' tags (unless I have missed some option in GEDmill).

However, if I do a global Find and Replace on the GEDCOM file and change _ATT to EVEN, then GEDmill appears to handle all the data appropriately.

I am very keen to generate good GEDCOM, rather than blindly resort to the above apparent work-around.  Any comments would be appreciated before I go ahead and massage all these data in the three family trees.

Cheers
Tornado  

ID:4273

What version Gedmill are you using ?

According to the GEDCOM 5.5 Standard, to which Family Historian adheres very closely, it is not permitted for the EVEN tag to have a value parameter. Quote from the Standard under http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/ ... _STRUCTURE:

The EVEN tag in this structure is for recording general events or attributes that are not shown in the above >. The general event or attribute type is declared by using a subordinate TYPE tag to show what event or attribute is recorded. For example, a candidate for state senate in the 1952 election could be recorded:

   1 EVEN
     2 TYPE Election
     2 DATE 07 NOV 1952
     2 NOTE Candidate for State Senate.

And it could be argued that registration (e.g. in a rate book or on an electoral roll) is an 'event' rather than an 'attribute'.  If you follow this route, your GEDCOM export could look something like:

1 EVEN
2 TYPE Property Rates
2 DATE 1880
2 PLAC Deep Creek, Eganstown
2 NOTE Carlo GIORGI (miner) was registered in the Mt Fanklin Rate Book; 1879/80 property (with house) rate assessment - NAV $5, Central Riding, 5/-, total arrears 1/-/-
2 SOUR @S21@
3 PAGE ref: Rate Book; (1879/80) page 57, entry 117
1 EVEN
2 TYPE Electoral Roll
2 DATE 1903
2 PLAC Eganstown
2 NOTE Carlo GEORGI (farmer) was registered in the Laanecoorie (Mt Prospect) Electoral District, Victoria
2 SOUR @S9@
3 PAGE ref: Search for GEORGI; Roll No. 108
1 OCCU farmer
2 DATE 1903
2 NOTE Carlo GEORGI (farmer) was registered in the Laanecoorie (Mt Prospect) Electoral District, Victoria
2 SOUR @S9@
3 PAGE ref: Search for GEORGI; Roll No. 108

This approach avoids the use of a non-standard GEDCOM tag _ATTR (albeit correctly defined in FH according to the Standard), but I've no idea how GEDmill would handle the Note fields.

Hi Stevebye and PeterR

GEDmill is version 1.11.0 (according to their website, the full blown and only version is now free).

I originally went down the Attribute path for a number of my Custom Facts (which you could argue require a 'value' parameter) on the basis that some of the other Custom Fact Sets which I downloaded were of Attribute type (as is, for example, the Standard Occupation Fact).  As it happened I have not used any of these downloaded Custom Attribute Type Facts to-date, but the Occupation tag works fine with GEDmill.

PeterR's suggestion appears to work seemlessly with GEDmill and is probably my best way to go. I cut and pasted PeterR's suggested equivalent GEDCOM into my exported GEDCOM file (now includes my EVEN changed data and additionally Peter's equivalent code) and GEDmill handles both methods (the latter was introduced outside FH4 so the non-chronological order is not surprising):

[my EVEN code]
1880
Property Rates: Carlo GIORGI (miner) was registered in the Mt Fanklin Rate Book; 1879/80 property (with house) rate assessment - NAV $5, Central Riding, 5/-, total arrears 1/-/- in Deep Creek, Eganstown.17

...

1903
Electoral Roll: Carlo GEORGI (farmer) was registered in the Laanecoorie (Mt Prospect) Electoral District, Victoria in Eganstown.18

1903
Occupation farmer (Carlo GEORGI (farmer) was registered in the Laanecoorie (Mt Prospect) Electoral District, Victoria).18

...

[then Peter's revised code]
1903
Electoral Roll in Eganstown .20

Carlo GEORGI (farmer) was registered in the Laanecoorie (Mt Prospect) Electoral District, Victoria

1903
Occupation farmer .20

Carlo GEORGI (farmer) was registered in the Laanecoorie (Mt Prospect) Electoral District, Victoria

1880
Property Rates in Deep Creek, Eganstown .19

Carlo GIORGI (miner) was registered in the Mt Fanklin Rate Book; 1879/80 property (with house) rate assessment - NAV $5, Central Riding, 5/-, total arrears 1/-/-


The GEDmill Sources are also fine as would be expected.

Sources
...
[my EVEN code]
   * 17. Mt Franklin Rate Book (Electoral District: Creswick/Daylesford).
         o ref: Rate Book; (1879/80) page 57, entry 117
...
[Peter's revised code]
   * 19. Mt Franklin Rate Book (Electoral District: Creswick/Daylesford).
         o ref: Rate Book; (1879/80) page 57, entry 117

With your assistance it would appear problem solved for me and I will now recast some of my Custom Fact Sets to be all of Event Type.  Of course I will also have to recast any of the other downloaded Attribute Type Custom Facts should I wish to use them.

It would be interesting to hear FHs views and guidance.

Cheers and thanks.
Tornado

For what it's worth, my unscientific gut feeling is that many GEDCOM handling programs deal happily with custom events, but few deal with custom attributes.

It may therefore be worth following Peter's suggestion and always sticking to custom events by recasting the form of words to make a sensible sentence. This is defensive coding, as it were - deliberately not making use of the full facilities to avoid triggering issues elsewhere.

What has to be remembered is that not all programs deal equally well with good GEDCOM, especially with its extensions. (In fact many don't even deal well with non-extended GEDCOM but let's not go there).