A Preview of The Master Genealogist v8

 

In addition to a variety of bug fixes, TMG v8 will include new features that were suggested by researchers. TMG v8 is in beta testing but the following is a sampling of those new features that are expected to be included in the public release.

The screen shots were made of TMG v8 running in Windows 7 64-bit with a variety of screen layouts and color schemes. Your mileage may vary.

 

The right-click menu on the Master Tag Type List. Click on the image to zoom.

With the user-defined colors, the most important data types are easy to see in a long list. Click on the image to zoom..

Tag Types and Roles

A "tag" is an independent piece of data: a name, event, or relationship. Some programs call them "facts" but TMG encourages you to view your data as evidence and not historical facts.

• Share your tag types, roles, and sentences with friends and fellow researchers or copy them between your own projects using the new Import and Export features.

  Add a new role on-the-fly. Click on the image to zoom.

  
  
  
• Use the right-click menu to more easily Deactivate/Activate tag types.
  
  
• Many new default roles and sentences have been added.
  
  
• Specific roles can be disabled/enabled to control whether you'll see them on the data entry screens.
  
  
• New projects include expanded tag labels ("Immigratn"->"Immigration") for easier readibility.
  
  
• Specify a background and foreground color for each tag type label. The label will be shown in those colors on the Tag Box, Associates Window, and other contexts.
  
  
• On the Tag Entry Screens, the list of roles includes "<New>" which will let you add a new role on-the-fly. The same option is available on the Witness Entry Screen.
  

 

Add Multiple People at One Time. Click on the image to zoom.

Add a New Family. Click on the image to zoom.

Add Multiple People

 

• A new screen allows you to add multiple people at the same time in a spreadsheet-like environment. Now it is much easier and faster to enter a list of siblings or children, e.g., from a will. Just down-arrow or click to get a blank row for another person.
  
  Cite a source and it is automatically linked to all of the new names and events.
  
  
• A variation on this screen allows you to add a new family to the project. A special column allows you to specify the relationship of each person in the family.
  
  
• A <Setup> button allows you to specify the data types (i.e., columns) to enter for each person.

 

 

The Report Writer

TMG v8's reporting engine has been completely re-written with the principal purpose of supporting the 64-bit versions of Windows 7 and Vista (as well as continuing support for Windows 7 32-bit, Vista 32-bit, Windows XP, and Windows 2000).

New Printer Setup Click on the image to zoom.

The revision process has allowed us to lift some previous restrictions while adding some great new features. For instance:

• Output to word processor formats (as well as screen/printer) now support all Windows fonts.
  
  
• A variety of new page sizes (ledger, A4, A5, etc.) are now supported.
  
  
• The user has full control over top, bottom, left and right margins (0.0" - 4.0").
  
  
• Pedigree charts can now be sent to word processors (as well as directly to screen/printer).
  
  
• ANSI Text file (as well as ASCII) is now supported.

 

The new screen preview includes some handy new features:

• Search for text.
  
  
• Mark and copy text, e.g., for pasting into an email.
  
  
• 8 preset zoom/unzoom levels (25% to 200%)

  Photos and footnotes in output to the screen. Click on the image to zoom.

  
  
  
• Toggle between "Normal" and "Print Preview" mode.
  
  
• View output from more than one copy of the same report type.

Screen preview also now supports some features which were previously only available when output to a word processor, including:

• Embedded photographs.
  
  
• Real bottom-of-the-page footnotes.
  
  
• Page numbering styles.
  
  
• Full justification.

 

 

Color-Coded Report Output

Output with user-defined colors and "Accents". Click on the image to zoom.

• User-defined color changes can be embedded in memos in order to highlight specific words or phrases in reports.
  
  
• The user can also specify foreground and background colors for each type of text (surnames, given names, dates, places, memos, etc.).
  
  
• Alternatively, output names in colors according to the current screen "Accent" which is based on personal characteristics. For example:

 

Sorting the Master Source List. Click on the image to zoom.

And other features that users requested...

 

• Sort the Master Source List by the number of times each source is cited.
  
  
• Optionally show the Date and Sort Date columns at the same time on the Person View.
  
  
• Right-click menu options include other new options to make data entry easier and faster.
  
  
• Filter by the number of DNA tests for each person.
  
  
• Filter by the flag values of a parent.
  
  
• A new button resets the default options on a report.
  
  
• A new "List of Exhibits" report.
  

  Right-click on the Person View. Click on the image to zoom.

  
  
• A new "List of DNA Tests" report.
  
  
• Updates to the GenBridge™ direct import technology.
  
  
• Enhancements to the HTML output.
  
  
• New and updated web searching features.
  
  
• and more...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although we expect that TMG v8 will include the new features here, among others, this preview of work-in-progress does not represent a committment with respect to any particular feature(s) or option(s).

When TMG v8 is available to the public, it will be announced in the Wholly Genes Newsletter.