Virginia Blakelock

See the video (no sound) here where I added the Ancestors and Descendents of one person to the Focus Group and then I 'Selected All' before Adding the Spouses. Virginia

Sandy - A handy source for your registration information, including registration number and email address, is the Trouble Report on the Help menu in your project: Help > Technical Support > Trouble Report (button at lower left). Virginia

Terry - It is VCF that wlll not accept the .png format in chart exhibits. Virginia

These charts are in response to Randy Seaver's blog (Genea-Musings, Sept 18th, here ), concerning a request from a correspondent for a one-page letter-size descendant chart showing a family with ten children plus spouses. In following messages on his web site Randy demonstrated his unsuccessful attempts in three other genealogy programs to fit the people onto a single page. The first VCF chart below is a standard left-to-right descendant chart - more economical of space than a top-to-bottom chart. The second chart is a waterfall chart, taking up even less space. Both images are of 8.5 x 11 pages. (Note: the family is partially fictitious and with some blank boxes in order to come up with ten children in one generation.) Click on images to view full size. Chart settings for Waterfall chart:Descendant chart Options / Orientation: Left to Right Lines tab > Waterfall Data: Lifespan Box width: 139 pixels Frame: None Text: Names Tahoma 9,R Data lines : Tahoma 9,R The Box Colors are custom colors, created in TMG. The color of the Spouse's boxes was manually lightened (hand-colored) in the chart. The instructions for hand-coloring charts are here . Virginia [Edited 27 Sept to include chart settings for Waterfall chart, to update the chart examples, and to add a link to instructions for hand-coloring boxes in a created chart.]

Jim R. - There have been some discussions on the TMG mailing list on this subject. Go to the mailing list search engine here and enter 'trace slaves' in the Body field to get a list of the threads. Virginia

John - That is great - thanks for letting us know it worked. Any time I have a report problem, I try that button first, and it often helps. Virginia

John - Try resetting the report defaults - using the Reset Defaults button under the configuration name. I had a similar freeze problem with that report, and resetting the defaults fixed it. Virginia

Tony - There was an earlier thread on this subject here - and the last message in that thread is apparently a reply from Wholly Genes. Good luck with what you decide. Virginia

Pat - There is a problem at the site and they are working on it. Thanks for reporting it - Virginia

Pat - I see the same problem - and will check into it. Virginia

John - You can Insert a png image into a created chart - using the Insert button on the Drawing toolbar in the chart. While not practical to insert an image into every box, you may find ways to use free-floating images - as in examples of the late Mike Talbot's charts on the VCF forum and on his web site; see his 'Descendants of General George Smith Patton, Jr.' chart here . Virginia

Alexander - This is a known problem in some reports. It can happen with the combination of two report options: Memos / Embedded (on the Memos tab) Endnotes not Unique (on the Sources tab). Try changing either of those options and see if it clears up. Virginia

That is good. I hope it is just not a temporary fix. Keep us posted. Again, you should run as Administrator this one time only, and note that 'running' as Administrator is different from 'logging in' as Administrator - which you should not do at all. Virginia

Contact support (support@whollygenes.com) and see if they can walk you though it. In the meantime, you might try another possible fix. Rightclick on your TMG v8 icon on your desktop and select 'Run as Administrator.' Do this one time only. Virginia

Most of these topics relate to one-page charts but the subject of custom colors as well as many of the tips and hints apply to wall charts as well. In the list below, topics are grouped by date (most recent first) and by -- Messages containing Videos -- Mike Talbot's customized composite charts -- Tutorials, palette, colors, tips and ideas Many of the posts include suggested settings/options for one-page charts. To print a forum message, click on the Options button at the upper right of the message and select 'Print this topic'. VIDEOS: The videos do not include sound; content is described in the associated message. Many of the videos can be downloaded for future viewing. If available for download, the link can be found on the Details tab under each video (select only the first option). The videos are user-contributed, created with the Jing program (free from techsmith.com, for Mac and PC). Video submissions from other users are welcome and encouraged. Contact a moderator for more information. Position and Print a one-page chart, VIDEO http://www.whollygenes.com/forums201/index...showtopic=12918 Family Group Chart, VIDEO: creating and using rectangles http://www.whollygenes.com/forums201/index...showtopic=12367 Index Chart for quick-family-view-report, VIDEO: correcting an error in chart http://www.whollygenes.com/forums201/index...showtopic=12348 Using screen accents in box charts - VIDEO (2) http://www.whollygenes.com/forums201/index...showtopic=12342 Zooming in -- Connecting points, lines, ports, VIDEO http://www.whollygenes.com/forums201/index...showtopic=11563 Tips on using Lines and Ports, VIDEO: Lines, ports, arrow http://www.whollygenes.com/forums201/index...showtopic=11526 Tip for chart format w/o spouse connector lines, VIDEOS (2): hand-coloring boxes; moving boxes http://www.whollygenes.com/forums201/index...showtopic=11255 Sixteen custom colors for Charts and Accents, VIDEO - how to add custom colors http://www.whollygenes.com/forums201/index...showtopic=11267 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mike Talbot's customized composite charts: Merry Christmas, VCF Card http://www.whollygenes.com/forums201/index...showtopic=13233 Multi-Relationship Chart-composite, single page. Shows family genealogy research group http://www.whollygenes.com/forums201/index...showtopic=13038 5 generation ancestor chart, on letter size paper http://www.whollygenes.com/forums201/index...showtopic=12841 Custom VCF charts, Merry Christmas to All http://www.whollygenes.com/forums201/index...showtopic=12188 VCF Customized Composite Charts, Holiday Ideas http://www.whollygenes.com/forums201/index...showtopic=12013 Creative uses of composite TMG charts, Flexibility of VCF http://www.whollygenes.com/forums201/index...showtopic=10497 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tutorials, palette, custom colors, tips and ideas: The Data Types option, Making the choice http://www.whollygenes.com/forums201/index...showtopic=12955 Ancestor Chart, 4-generations with siblings http://www.whollygenes.com/forums201/index...showtopic=12813 Thinking outside the box, Spouse boxes (compacted chart without spouse connector lines) http://www.whollygenes.com/forums201/index...showtopic=10927 Tutorial: One-page 4-generation Descendant Chart - Part II: Hand-coloring the chart http://www.whollygenes.com/forums201/index...showtopic=10886 Tutorial: One-page 4-generation Descendant Chart, Part I: report definition and creating the chart http://www.whollygenes.com/forums201/index...showtopic=10885 Tables of content charts; ancestor & descendant http://www.whollygenes.com/forums201/index...showtopic=11975 VCF to display property transactions http://www.whollygenes.com/forums201/index...showtopic=11823 Descendant Chart Sample http://www.whollygenes.com/forums201/index...showtopic=11439 Chart to accompany the FGS report - example http://www.whollygenes.com/forums201/index...showtopic=11246 Working chart: Ancestor with siblings, 8-generation http://www.whollygenes.com/forums201/index...showtopic=11334 VCF Chart Border - Make your own http://www.whollygenes.com/forums201/index...ost&p=40301 Boxes behind boxes (tips re the Structure Toolbar) http://www.whollygenes.com/forums201/index...showtopic=10642 Working charts http://www.whollygenes.com/forums201/index...showtopic=10633 VCF Color Schemes http://www.whollygenes.com/forums201/index...showtopic=10585 VCF Palette http://www.whollygenes.com/forums201/index...showtopic=10515 VCF chart as a Table of Contents; using a VCF palette - Examples http://www.whollygenes.com/forums201/index...showtopic=10470 Pedigree Booklet http://www.whollygenes.com/forums201/index...?showtopic=5991 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Virginia

See the instructions here for a similar situation : http://www.whollygenes.com/forums201/index.php?showtopic=14849&p=60134 In this case, you would enter your husband's ID number in the 'Ancestor of' field and the ID number of his furthest direct line ancestor in the 'Descendant of' field. You can choose whether or not to include spouses and siblings - and change the chart options as you prefer. Note that the secondary output to create a new dataset copies the selected people - does not move them. Ask if you have a question - Virginia

John - I am not aware of a fix of any sort. An option would be to convert your png images to jpg using a free program like IrfanView. If you want to retain your png images, make a copy of them first in Windows Explorer and convert the copies. Having said that, I do not know how or if changing the exhibit file extensions would affect your exhibit links within TMG. You would want to first test that on a single image to see if there is a problem. [Edited to add Jim's reply below: "This would break them, of course. Changing the filetype makes the file a different file".] Apparently there is no practical solution for using your png images. Virginia

A single project contains close to 100 files. It is good housekeeping to keep each project in its own folder. From within TMG you can use File / Copy Project to move a project to a new folder. You can also Restore a backup of your project to a new folder. Make a fresh backup of the project before copying it. Once the projects are safely moved, and after verifying they work correctly, you can delete the extra copy. Note, however, it is strongly recommended that projects NOT be located in a Dropbox - or other Cloud service - folder. There is a serious risk of data loss if TMG files are being synced while you work in a project. Only backup (.sqz) files should be stored in a synced folder. Note also that GEDCOM output is adversely affected when Dropbox is enabled. Virginia

Thank you for that information. I'm assuming any sync system may have the same effect on the GEDCOM export. Also note that syncing a project in use (storing a project in a synced folder) risks loss of data and is not recommended. Only backup (sqz) files should be synced. Virginia

This can be caused by a third party program running at the same time - like an antivirus program - or if the project is in the Dropbox folder. Virginia

The Focus Group is one of the windows that you can open in your layout. Go to Windows on the top menu in TMG and click on Focus Group. I usually have the Project Explorer open in my layout, but if I want to use the Focus Group - as in the Audit report - I can open it in place of the Project Explorer window. Examples below of layout with Project Explorer and layout with Focus Group. In those layouts, the top toobar is my custom toolbar with custom icons; it includes most of the TMG features I use on a regular basis. The A-Z toolbar on the right side is the Easy Search Toolbar. You can use that in conjunction with the Project Explorer to find people quickly. See the video here http://www.screencast.com/t/heR4jFN3Ty In the Audit report you can select a group of people to Audit - and one of the report options is to audit the people in a Focus Group. First you would set up your Focus Group in your layout and then open the Audit report and refer to that focus group for the people you wish to audit. You also have an option in the Audit report to audit everyone in your project - as I did. I expect you will see many examples on the cruise of ways to use TMG - and many opportunities to ask questions. It sounds like a wonderful cruise at a nice time of year. Ask if something is not clear. Virginia

John - It never hurts to have a backup, but it is not necessary to Restore with an update (Help / Check for an Update) as opposed to an Upgrade. You can simply open your project as usual with an update. Try your backup without Exhibits and see if that works. Virginia

John - I don't know the answer to your question - but you should update to the latest version 8.08. It has fixed some important problems, perhaps this one. Virginia

gydancer - Actually the process is simple and straightforward using the Focus Group (see tips below) and the default settings in the Audit report. With those default settings, here are some results from one of my projects: William Winans Bartlett (273) Born after father was 60 years old. Gilbert Hogan (165) Death when LIVING flag is not equal to N Sarah Mills (245) Death after age 100 years. Harriet Enah Pettibone (267) Birth after non-birth events. Odell Long Whipple Jr. (17) Born before father was 16 years old. Charles Emmons Woodward (144) Birth after mother's death. Edmund Harrison Woodward (143) Birth after mother's death. Mary Theresa Woodward (136) Birth after mother's death. Tips for using a Focus Group: The people you add in the focus group are determined by who is selected. If you want to add just one person's Ancestors, Descendants, or Spouse - select just that one person. If you want to, for example, add spouses to everyone, use the Select All button to first select everyone and then tick Spouses and the Add Others button. You can use the Save button to save that group with a name for future use, or - say for the Audit Report - use the 'Current focus group option' in the report, or - if you have saved and named the group for future references - use the down arrow to select that focus group. There is a video (no audio) of the process here. Virginia

Pat - The program has effectively been uninstalled, not appearing in the Control Panel - but left behind many remnants. The installer will not install TMG v8 if it finds any evidence of an existing installation (the remnants). Once you delete those remnants - following carefully the steps in Jim's thread - the installer should work. I had to go through the same exercise myself - and it worked. Virginia