* Media not visible

[kbella]

I have imported a gedcom from TNG for a new project in FH. Apparently the media links did not come through. This is not disastrous, because I don't have that many. However, I would like to work my way through the list of media so I can reconnect each as I go, and the media is not showing up in FH. I have tried the media tool, but it reports no problems.

So, how can I get the media to show up in a list, so I can work through and attach files to individuals, facts, etc.?

Thanks for any help.

[tatewise]

Kathleen, do you mean TMG rather TNG?

But you say you imported a Gedcom, whereas it is better to perform a Direct Import from TMG which does migrate the Media.
See how_to:import_from_tmg|> Import from The Master Genealogist (TMG).

Although I note you have worked with TNG before in From TNG > FH5 > TNG (11226).
I am not sure whether Media is imported with a TNG Gedcom.

I think you are saying you checked Tools > External File links.
If that lists all your Media files without any X marks then they have all imported OK.
Check the Records Window on its Media tab to see all the imported Media records.
To discover exactly where they are used by other records, run the Where Used Record Links Plugin.

[kbella]

Hi Mike,

I am using TNG - The Next Generation.
I want to do my research and keep my database in FH, then upload periodically to my website.

I did not expect the media to transfer, but was not sure about all the links. So I manually copied the files to my project media folder. They do not show up anywhere inside FH. When I use Tools>External File Links, there is nothing in the list. When I use the media tab, there is nothing in the list.

I compared the file structure in Windows with my other project and they are the same.

I guess what I am asking is how do I make FH recognize that there are files there to be linked?

Thanks

[davidm_uk]

Have you seen the post Multimedia Records (14971) by bagman54 just near your post, then read down to the reply by ronk. It looks like he is doing the same thing that you want to achieve.

[tatewise]

I presume you are familiar with the general process of adding Media to FH.
Say you are adding a photo to an Individual, then on the Media tab of their Property Box you would use Add Media that would link the Individual record to a new Media record, and that would link to the new photo in the Media folder.

The TNG Gedcom seems to be missing all those links, and the Media records that link to the Media files.
Just inserting the files into the Media folder does not magically create those missing links and records.
You would have to manually recreate those links one by one using the process outlined above.

It should be possible to customise TNG to include those links and records in its exported Gedcom.
I am not a TNG user, but did find this advice: http://tng.lythgoes.net/wiki/index.php/ ... G_Media_As.
Hopefully, one of our TNG users will be able to add better advice.
Also trying asking on the TNG Forums: https://tng.community/index.php?/forums/.

Sorry David, but that advice won't work, because bagman54 has all those links and Media records, and all the Media files, but just the drive letter in the Media record link is wrong, which is easily repaired. Unfortunately Kathleen has no External File Links to repair.

[kbella]

Success! Thanks, Mike, you pointed me in the right direction.

I found the option in TNG to export the media links by changing the file paths to match my FH setup. I then imported the new Gedcom and the media list is now populated in FH and so far everything seems to be connected.

[tatewise]

Could you give more precise details so we can update how_to:import_from_tng|> Import from The Next Generation (TNG) for the benefit of others.

[kbella]

Could you give more precise details so we can update how_to:import_from_tng|> Import from The Next Generation (TNG) for the benefit of others.

Attached is an image of the settings I changed to make the links active in my Gedcom. Hope this helps someone else.

[tatewise]

Thank you, I have updated the how_to:import_from_tng|> Import from The Next Generation (TNG) Details.
Can you please check that the advice is correct, is complete, and makes sense.

[kbella]

I'm far from an expert, Mike, but it looks OK to me.
Hopefully, I won't have too many problems when I export from FH to TNG!

[tatewise]

Kathleen, are you planning to regularly round-trip TNG to FH, FH back to TNG, TNG back to FH, and so on?

If so, then that is fraught with several pitfalls due to the different Gedcom dialects.

When you recently transferred the Gedcom from TNG to FH you probably got an Exception Report from FH about Gedcom data that needed adjusting, as explained in how_to:import_from_tng|> Import from The Next Generation (TNG).

When exporting Gedcom from FH to TNG you should use the Export Gedcom File Plugin TNG option that adjusts the Gedcom data to best match the needs of TNG.

To minimise those adjustments you will have to adopt a strict subset of Gedcom/FH/TNG data features.
e.g.
FH supports Link to Face/Details frames for Media which only export to TNG as cropped images, and when transferred back to FH will remain as cropped images.

FH and TNG use different Gedcom tags for custom data as explained in plugins:help:export_gedcom_file:tng_the_next_generation|> Export Gedcom File ~ (TNG) The Next Generation. The Plugin does its best to handle those for the FH to TNG trip. But currently you will have to handle them for the TNG to FH trip, unless a Plugin were to be written to automate it, or you avoid all those features.

So one recommended solution is to make FH your master database, and only ever export that to TNG, which is what many FH users do.

[ronk]

Mike has good advice. One should have only one primary or master genealogical software database, i.e., where all data input is performed. I chose FH over Legacy FT and TNG, for various reasons, but one was the excellent plugins available, especially the Export to Gedcom, which has options tailored for export to both LFT and TNG, to name a few. I export to both, and gives me TNG's website presentation I needed, as well as reporting and other viewing functions that LFT provides. But exporting and importing back and forth from the same database is going to cause the loss of various features and limit you to only that which is common (via Gedcom) between the two (or more) software packages.

[kbella]

Kathleen, are you planning to regularly round-trip TNG to FH, FH back to TNG, TNG back to FH, and so on?

No. Only from FH to TNG.

When you recently transferred the Gedcom from TNG to FH you probably got an Exception Report from FH about Gedcom data that needed adjusting, as explained in how_to:import_from_tng|> Import from The Next Generation (TNG).

The records I have checked so far have the map coordinates, otherwise, I didn't see anything in the log that was critical. I am now going through and checking my connected sources and attaching others. This is why I have changed my website method - I find it much easier to actually work in FH.

When exporting Gedcom from FH to TNG you should use the Export Gedcom File Plugin TNG option that adjusts the Gedcom data to best match the needs of TNG.

Yes, I do have some help from Guild of One-Name Studies and they have mentioned the plugin. It will be a while, though, because I have a lot of sloppy work to clean up first!

I have been trolling all three forums looking for information, so I will be back with more questions, I am sure.

[kbella]

I export to both, and gives me TNG's website presentation I needed, .

Yep, that's the decision I finally came to. Good to hear from someone else that it is possible.

Thanks,

[tatewise]

Kathleen, from your screenshot presumably your Media files have migrated from TNG into C:\_Data\tngfiles801\....
I suggest you use File Explorer to move them into your Project's own Media folder, using sub-folders as preferred.
Then use Tools > External File Links > Auto Repair Links to adjust the Media records to link to those new folders.
Then the Media files will be included in FH Project Backups and migrate more easily when you sooner or later need a new PC.

[ronk]

Kathleen, from your screenshot presumably your Media files have migrated from TNG into C:\_Data\tngfiles801\....
I suggest you use File Explorer to move them into your Project's own Media folder, using sub-folders as preferred.
Then use Tools > External File Links > Auto Repair Links to adjust the Media records to link to those new folders.
Then the Media files will be included in FH Project Backups and migrate more easily when you sooner or later need a new PC.

One proviso for Kathleen if you move them to FH Project Media folder is to remember to setup TNG for the expected incoming media file links/paths from the Export to Gedcom plugin. You can choose (File~Rel) Mulitmedia via Relative Link Records, then setup TNG in Admin:Setup:Import Settings: similar to:

2017-05-03_12-18-10.jpg (22.65 KiB) Viewed 13967 times

This has worked well for me. And of course you must have your TNG folders setup (can be different) on the server side as well.

[kbella]

Mike,

I think we should replace the screen shot I sent with another one - I left the wrong path in the fields instead of changing them. That path, I remember now, was from a desktop version of TNG I tried out several years ago. I'm really in a little over my head here.

I do remember, as Ron mentioned, reading about relative paths to make sure that the media goes into the right folders. That is what should be shown in the Knowledge Base article. I can do that if you like, or you can use Ron's image.

Cheers,

[ronk]

Mike,
I do remember, as Ron mentioned, reading about relative paths to make sure that the media goes into the right folders. That is what should be shown in the Knowledge Base article. I can do that if you like, or you can use Ron's image.
Cheers,

Remember though, the screenshots represent two different functions:my image is of the Import paths, referring to incoming data, whereas your screenshot, which is the export paths. I have never had occasion to export from TNG, however.

Actually, either relative or absolute media file paths will work on import to TNG, as long as the option chosen in the Export to Gedcom plugin matches the TNG import paths.

[tatewise]

Ron, the plugins:help:export_gedcom_file:tng_the_next_generation|> Export Gedcom File ~ (TNG) The Next Generation offers advice under Import Details for Administration > Setup > Configuration > General Settings.

For Paths and Folders it says to set all five Media Collection folders to media.
For Import Settings it says to leave all the Local…Path(s) blank with Import file name only selected.
(I suspect that advice came from you when we were developing the TNG Media Collection and FH Keywords options.)

Your posting refers to Administration > Setup > Import Settings without mentioning Configuration.
You also suggest setting the Local…Path(s) to specific folders, without mentioning the Paths and Folders settings.

What are the pros & cons of those two alternative settings, and which should the Knowledge Base recommend?

[ronk]

Your posting refers to Administration > Setup > Import Settings without mentioning Configuration.

Actually, the TNG Import Settings are reached w/o clicking on any 'configuration' tab (sort of odd, it appears in the screen heading though). As to the details of importing from Gedcom, this link is the most comprehensive on explaining it and perhaps this link could be in the Knowledge Base section, ..or it could be boiled down for FH' users benefit.

http://tng.lythgoes.net/wiki/index.php/ ... ing_GEDCOM

For pros and cons, not sure what you're looking for there. My understanding is that the Local Paths are for the desktop incoming paths in the Gedcom , vs. the File and Path settings are for the Server side folders. I believe TNG (as of v11.0)attempts to match up the trailing part of the Gedcom file path to the File and Path settings to make a determination of where the incoming media links are be stored. In my case, on the server/host side, I have the TNG 'root' folder, then the subfolders namedl documents,census,photos,etc. On the server I don't need a Media folder, so I do not specify that in the File and Path settings, just the bottom folders.

This is for the Import Side only. I didn't see a detailed Wiki article for Exporting from TNG, and I'm not aware of a TNG manual, other than the online help popups. However there are hundreds of Mods (~ FH plugins) which permit users to customize TNG (I have at least 50 installed).

[kbella]

It might seem clear to some, but in a long thread like this, it is sometimes hard to keep track of which import/export procedures are being discussed without specifying TNG->FH or FH->TNG. The same thing in the Knowledge Base articles, which are sometimes referenced by small clips.

My screenshot above referred to just the export of a Gedcom from TNG, noting that the path for the media files needed to be changed. I had not made the changes yet, which might be confusing; I just meant to point out what NEEDED to be changed.

If another screenshot is needed, I'll be happy to make one, but at this point, I think I will drop out of the discussion, as it's gone far beyond my capabilities.

Thanks as always for the help.

[ronk]

My last note was in response to Mike concerning the file paths necessary for Import to TNG, i.e., the Gedcom media file paths (desktop software side), matching up with 2) the Server media side file paths. TNG has a separate setup screen for each.

As to long thread, yes, many times the OP initial question leads to extended discussions, hopefully on the same or similar topic, but sometimes not. Many times some really good ideas come out of these long threads.

[kbella]

I understand, Ron. Just trying to make things clear.

[tatewise]

Kathleen, it would help if you could attach a screenshot of the TNG Export Media paths you actually used.

Ron, I am digesting your comments.