* Gedcom difference

[Valkrider]

There is a post on https://genealogy.stackexchange.com/ asking whether there is a programme that can compare 2 gedcoms and show the ones that are different.

There doesn't seem to be anything that will do this according to another post other than Gedcom View and Compare which does not seem to work.

Is this something that would be feasible with a plugin in Family Historian? Possible a tweak to the Find Duplicate Individuals plugin?

[LornaCraig]

The existing Merge/Compare facility in FH does that, although admittedly the results are not easy to read if all you want is a list of differences.

[Jane]

I use the Merge compare quite a lot and if you sort by the "merge" type it's fairly easy to find the changes.

[tatewise]

The Stack Exchange request https://genealogy.stackexchange.com/que ... -the-other is actually asking for something rather more specific. They want exported FTM Gedcom files compared to identify new Individual records, and by inference any associated records, AND produce a new subset Gedcom file of all the new data to upload into WikiTree.

That requires something more sophisticated than simply a difference report.
It also needs to cope with the nuances of the two Gedcom dialects.

It would be feasible with a Plugin in FH but the details of exactly what was required need carefully specification.
Colin, are you asking for a FH Gedcom compare, or what?

[Valkrider]

Mike

Before I replied on Stack Exchange I wanted to see if it was feasible with what was already available in FH or within an existing plugin. Given your reply I won't post anything on SE. I was just seeing if we could get another customer for Calico Pie.

[tatewise]

OK, I understand.
Knowing how complex it can be to import from FTM Gedcom and adjust all the data, it seems FH would not help much, even if there was a suitable command or Plugin.

[DonF]

The only product I'm aware of that does even part of what is required is GENMatcher from MudCreek Software.
GENMatcher compares two genealogy files for matches, or one genealogy file for duplicates.

It directly reads most GEDCOMs and many program's native files, such as :
Personal Ancestral File (PAF) 3, 4, and 5
The Master Genealogist (TMG) 4.x, 5.x, 6.x and 7.x
Family Tree Maker (FTW, FBK)
Legacy (FDB) 3, 4, 5 and 6 (but not 8+)
RootsMagic 2 and 3
Temple Submission File (SUB, XXX)

Unfortunately it hasn't been updated for a while so won't handle newer FTM files or FH's Unicode format GED.

[mjashby]

I had a look at the original question on Stack Exchange and don't think it has been well thought through.

The enquirer states (my interpretation):

1. He has uploaded a GEDCOM from Family Tree Maker/Ancestry to WikiTree containing about 1200 people
2. He has since amended the original Family Tree Maker/Ancestry Database, adding new individuals (and presumably additional source data)
3. He now wants to compare the GEDCOM he originally uploaded to WikiTree with a newly exported Family Tree Maker GEDCOM which contains all the additional individuals/work done.
4. He wants to remove the '1200' individuals already uploaded to WikiTree from the latest GEDCOM copy to avoid duplication/additional re-checking of the information already input.
5. He then wants to upload the supplementary information to be linked to the existing WikiTree file.

There are a number of programs (including FH) that would enable him to compare two GEDCOM files side by side and allow the deletion of duplicate individuals from one of those files, leaving an edited GEDCOM with just the 'new' individuals with their data.

Problems with this (as I see them):

- The new GEDCOM would have no remaining links to the 1200 deleted individuals originally input, so how would they be appended correctly to the existing data in WikiTree.
- What does he intend to do about any new facts/sources added to existing individuals, which would be 'lost' if those individuals were deleted from the GEDCOM to be appended?
- As at September 2017, WikiTree does not directly Import GEDCOMs. GEDCOM uploads have to be run through an online comparison process which requires individuals to be checked and compared one-by-one by the user against the existing data. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Help:GEDCOMpare.

Suggested alternative:

- Use existing desktop software to identify those individuals and additional data (facts/sources) added since the last WikiTree update.
- Export those individuals affected by the changes (including any key linking individuals that will have been in the previous upload to WikiTree) to a new GEDCOM (or to a batch of smaller GEDCOMs). Most applications, including Family Tree Maker can do this.
- Use WikiTree's 'new' GEDCOMpare' method to add the new data/individuals.

Mervyn

[jmurphy]

I had a look at the original question on Stack Exchange and don't think it has been well thought through.

I agree, and I feel that way about many of the questions we get on G&FH.SE.

As at September 2017, WikiTree does not directly Import GEDCOMs. GEDCOM uploads have to be run through an online comparison process which requires individuals to be checked and compared one-by-one by the user against the existing data.

This is exactly why the user wants to be able to identify all the new people in the GEDCOM, to avoid going through this one-by-one comparison.

I agree that his proposal misses out on adding any new sources that might have been added to these people.

If any of you would like to contribute to the answers at G&FH.SE, please feel free to join us there. It is fun, despite the annoying moderators (disclaimer: as I write this, I am one of the Pro Tempore mods).