* Synchronization to FamilySearch Tree

[psinacio]

Dear Colleagues,

Do you know if FH is planning to add the ability to synchronize trees with the new FamilySearch Tree?

Rootsmagic did a great job adding this synchronization feature.
I am very keen of FamilySearch Tree, and this is my primary online genealogy repository. I would really hope to keep using FH locally at my laptop together with FamilySearch Tree online.

I was not planning to move away from FH to Rootsmagic. But I am currently torn, willing to stay with FH, but anxious to see synchronization like Rootsmagic has.

Regards,
Pedro

[tatewise]

We are only the FH User Group and no more party to Calico Pie planned updates that you are.

I presume by synchronisation you are talking about the FH Hints feature for FindMyPast and MyHeritage, and hoping that FamilySearch will be added.

The Lookup Missing Census Facts and Lookup Missing BMD Records Plugins support searching of FamilySearch which gives much the same functionality as the FH Hints feature.

[psinacio]

Hi Mike,

You are right, we are not part of Calico Pie.
But, I was actually wondering if there is some kind of beta testing going on recently, that may show something in this direction.

By synchronization I am actually not just talking about Hints.
Rootsmagic (but also Legacy) allows you really synchronize your family tree locally with an online family tree on FamilySearch Tree.
So it shows Fact by Fact what is differently among the databases. The software actually set a FamilySearch Tree Individual to be always compared to your local GEDCOM Individual. And you can easy update data on your database or at FS online.
I find It very helpful for those that are already using FamilySearch Tree but do believe you should keep a local database.

The only reason I do not want to switch to Rootsmagic (or Legacy, that also has this feature) is because I do like the way FH is built.

Well, at the end I hope FH will also follow the competition adding the feature. Let's see.
I am getting crazy working with both software at same time, when I would love to be using only FH.

[mjashby]

Not an expert on this by any means, but the process for providing a Web Hints feature that links to FamilySearch is unlikely to be as 'straightforward' as it is for FindMyPast and MyHeritage, i.e. only software that is FamilySearch Certified can provide Web Hints service and the process for gaining and maintaining that Certification seems to be quite onerous for any software developer ( https://www.familysearch.org/developers ... compliance). This might also impact on any software's functionality, e.g. might it be necessary for Family Historian's user-developed 'Plug-ins' have to be tested for compliance and approved before they could be released by Calico Pie, in case they impacted on Certification?

Add to that that the search feature on FamilySearch is now screened behind a User Login requirement, not entirely dissimilar to Ancestry's restrictions, and you have an ethical as well as a business decision that software developers have to make.

Mervyn

[tatewise]

@Mervyn ~ I'm not sure that 'Hints' for FindMyPast and MyHeritage are that 'straightforward'. They both involve an API that is probably granted access by licence. Plugins cannot access the 'Hints' features, and their Cache folder files are in an extremely cryptic format known only to Calico Pie.

@Pedro ~ I'm not sure I understand your concept of synchronisation. You talk about synchronising your family tree locally with an online family tree, and that you can easy update data on your database or at FS online, but then later say you should keep a local database. BUT if synchronised with an online tree then the local database is not independent but shared with the online tree.

BTW: Recent updates to FH have not gone through a user beta testing phase. Any such beta testing would have been announced here and via [FHU] Emails.

[mjashby]

Mike,

My point that implementing the FindMyPast and MyHeritage APIs are probably more 'straightforward' is that the APIs for both are publicly documented and open to any developer. There is no licensing test procedure invoked by either organisation as far as I can determine, although any software provider who wishes to use the API does have to apply for some form of 'Authorisation Key'. See:

FindMyPast: http://findmypast.github.io/public_docs/
MyHeritage http://www.familygraph.com

It seems that their main driver is/has been in encouraging users to become and/or remain subscribers to their services through providing a software 'Hints' facility.

Software Developers who wishes to directly access FamilySearch databases, in contrast, have to put their software through an extensive testing/licensing process, which is also subject to continuous review. Users of FamilySearch certified software products have always had to login to an online FamilySearch account to make use of the provided API; and 'casual users of FamilySearch are also now compelled to open an online Account and can only access search facilities when logged in.

Ancestry's API Is currently closed to all but two software suppliers, and places restrictive conditions on it use by insisting that access to 'Hints' can only be gained by Software Users after they have uploaded their data to the Online Ancestry Tree, i.e. there is no facility for obtaining Hints on a local (desktop) managed Family Tree, although Ancestry does allow uploaded Trees to be kept both 'Private' and 'Unindexed' for users who want to limit the online sharing of data.

Mervyn

[psinacio]

@Mike
Let me see if I can better explain. Rootsmagic actually keeps them fully independent. They are just linked to the Family Search Tree ID.
The software asks for your login at start. So you are logged in to FamilySearch as default.
Then you have to link that a specific person at your GEDCOM database is linked to a person at FamilySearch Tree. (they actually can look for matches automatically...)
Roots magic stores this info and shows any difference in Facts to you.
So whenever someone changes the person at FamilySearch Tree, like adding a new birth date, you can see that your local information does not match with what is online. Then you have the choice to update your local database, to correct the online database (if you believe the person did a mistake), or even to ignore and live with the fact that your database does not match the person online...
Attached an image of the comparison feature. To the left my ancestors at my local database, to the right the person at FamilySearch Tree.
In yellow there is a small difference in date format I ignored...
In the future, if someone add a new child online, I can add it to my database, or ignore if I do not see any sources for that and so on...

I believe it is a great feature, but as you all said, maybe it will never be implemented to FH. I believe I will have to live with both running in parallel...

[tatewise]

That is an interesting feature with capabilities I had not come across before.
The best I can suggest is to submit a support request to Calico Pie and cite this thread.
See how_to:about#problem_reporting|> Problem Reporting.

[psinacio]

Great! I am going to do that.

Tks!
Pedro