joanmc

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to work for me using Win 7. Any other way to get updates? Are they available on the website? If so, where? Tried an unsuccessful search.....

Joan

Thanks so much for posting this info on GenMatcher! I too have 2 TMG databases with variations though unfortunately, I have no one but myself to blame . I had my desktop become unavailable for 4 months last year so used my laptop for that period, updating my db during that time. When I again had access to my desktop, like an idiot, I entered a number of changes before restoring from my laptop!!!! I will now get that program and try and fix my stupidity

Joan

Maybe a better suggestion would be we pick a global language and start teaching the entire world to speak that language.

 

You mean like Esperanto ?

You may have a valid point Sam As far as language goes, those of us who are English Canadian have a major challenge as our language is a hybrid of English (UK) & English (US). Using the OS language certainly doesn't help us as setting it as Canadian turns our keyboard into a French Canadian keyboard so our only option is US which then gives us spelling errors all over the place when we use the Canadian spelling of so many words I've learned to ignore a lot of spelling 'error' markings in many of my programs. As for my ancestry, much of it is from the UK - Ireland, Scotland, Wales & England; the Netherlands; the Palatinate (now Germany); the US; and early Canada. I haven't yet decided whether to switch to the UK version for my UK ancestry or not. I've also toyed with Teresa's multi-language method without having decided on that either

I can certainly understand the need for unicode for those trying to record info in other languages and hope that will be forthcoming eventually.

I'm more than happy with the customizing available for toolbars/icons and flags and make use of both.

Yes, the Research Log certainly can use improvement Teresa & Halfpint.

Another feature that doesn't rate as much mention as I believe it deserves is the Timeline. I've used it several times to help sort out some very confusing and intertwined ancestral lives and it helps immensely. It's also very useful for creating a Genealogy Research Plan when used with an Individual Narrative report.

All in all, any changes I'd want in v8 are pretty minor and more under 'personal preference' than 'universally required'

Joan

I’m creating a timeline for a specific region in Germany where my ancestors rose. I’m stuck on how to get a paper copy or a copy I can email. Can you help me?

There may be a simpler method than this, however this worked for me. Now, my timeline was for a specific person rather than place. You need to have it showing in one of your people then do an Individual Detail Report which will include the timeline. Have it go to your wordprocessor and simply eliminate anything you don't want. I'll attach a copy of the one I did a number of years ago.

Hope this helps.

Joan

Gilbert_MIDDAUGH___Family_Timeline.pdf

I am using Linux (PCLOS-Gnome) exclusively now except for my photo editing programs and TMG. I want to be able to use these 3 programs on Linux as well and am wondering if TMGv7 will work successfully using Virtual Box and Windows XP. If anyone has tried this, how did it work........any critical TMG facets rendered inoperable?

 

Joan

 

I am working with TMG 7 (and earlier TMG 6) with host Ubuntu (8.04 - 9.04), Virtual Box (from 1.4, now 2.2) and WinXP SP3 as guest. No problems at all (reports and printing not tested).

Backup needs additional steps as backing up on the virtual disk does not seem safe enough to me. After backup I copy the backup file either on external hard disk or into host file system.

 

It seems TMG 7.04 now works with wine, didn't try this lately.

Regards, Mikey

Thanks so much Mikey and Sam. This is good news and I can now get busy and do the install of Windoze into VB then TMG into that. It will be a delight to finally eliminate the dual boot as inevitably I would be in Linux for my online research or mail list/email and need to check something in TMG so have to reboot into Win or boot up my laptop into Win<g>. Hopefully, I'll be up and running with this within a week.

Joan

Michele: This won't help your current dilemma, however may avoid it in the future......whenever I have a baptism but no birth date, I always enter in the birth date "before <baptism date>" (which shows as b00 Month 0000). Then, if a situation such as yours arises, it will show up in the audit. I do the same when I have a burial date with no death date using "before <burial date>" which again shows up in the audit if I have events happening for this person after the 'death date'.

8)

Joan

Hi Robin,

 

I did that. What happened was that it revealed other people that I had made birthdate transpositions on. After running the statistical report several times and correcting each error, the last time I ran it revealed someone who actually had a child very young. No correction to be made. Plus the difference in age between the mother and child in this case are more than the difference in the mother/child I'm trying to pin down.

 

It may be that it is still missing Baptisms and only finding Births, because it did not find the person I am looking for.

 

It's looking like the only answer is to look through all my husband's ancestry until I locate it by hand.

 

Michele

 

Michele,

 

The quickest way to find such an aberrant entry is the run

Reports > Statistical Report

on the whole project and then look at the person whose ID is listed at

 

Females: Age at first child, ID MIN

 

Robin

I am using Linux (PCLOS-Gnome) exclusively now except for my photo editing programs and TMG. I want to be able to use these 3 programs on Linux as well and am wondering if TMGv7 will work successfully using Virtual Box and Windows XP. If anyone has tried this, how did it work........any critical TMG facets rendered inoperable?

If no one else has tried this, I'm prepared to experiment.......just looking for possible previous experimenters

8)

Joan

Finally figured it out by unchecking "Generate archive name automatically', thereby letting me edit the backup file name to "User\Duane\Documents\Smith_1.sqz".

 

Thanks anyway.

I used to have the same problem until I realized that if I put the path that I wanted my backup files to follow in Preferences, I could go back to generating automatically.......of course that wasn't with Vista, rather with XP

Joan

The font size in the tag entry screen in v5 and v6 becomes smaller and larger as that window is made smaller or larger by dragging the lower right corner diagonally. See video example of v6 sizing. I don't know why that is not working for the user.

 

The tag entry screen font size in v7 by default does not change as the window is resized. There is in an option however in v7 Preferences / Program Options / Other to use v5/6 sizing.

 

Paul Lawrence put together a list here of the places in TMG where font sizes can be controlled.

 

Virginia

Hmmm, I wonder, if the database is imported from TMG v6, if that version would default re the window fonts resizing? Both on my machine and on our Lab machine (using my imported db), in v7 the font size changed. I'll have to check the settings in preferences

Yes, in my searching, I found Paul's listing........

Thanks for trying to help Virginia

Joan

Strange occurance for one of our TMG UG members. He was doing data entry and apparently inadvertently pressed a key or keys that somehow reduced the size of fonts in the tag entry box. We spent considerable time yesterday doing searches on the forums and mail list to see if this had happened to anyone else with no luck. I'm aware of ways to change font size in the memos but not elsewhere in the tag entry box. In TMG v7, I realize that by increasing the size of the box, one can increase the size of the fonts however this doesn't work in TMG v6.

I've had him run through the Maintenance routines with no change (clutching at straws here ).

What have I missed? Is there a solution to this?

Joan

No information has been released about Version 8.

 

Can you point out some examples of a 'more modern-looking GUI' interface? I expect changes are inevitable, but I would not want to give up what I consider an elegant business-like interface (screenshot of my layout below). I've seen some new genealogy programs whose interface looks like a Dick and Jane primer, with icons everywhere, a lot of wasted white space, and nowhere near the amount of information I see on my TMG screen.

 

 

Virginia

 

While it's obviously not a genealogy database, I like the look of Google Chrome:

 

http://www.google.com/chrome

 

Interlocking windows that snap, better use of tabs and color out of the box, and use of the true Windows GUI rather than some weird DOS-like overlay are but three suggestions.

 

I honestly like the look of FTM 2009 better than TMG 7, but appreciate TMG's database capabilites more. I just wish TMG's interface were more cutting-edge.

Heaven forbid that TMG should begin to resemble FTM!!!!! The wonderful clean, functional interface is the very reason I happily left FTM far behind 10 years ago to begin my TMG adventure. Not to mention the ability to have significantly more information available in a single layout as well as being able to totally customize one's personal layout preferences for various tasks.

I'm sure we can all come up with various ideas for what we might consider to be improvements in TMG, however the main interface concept definitely isn't it!

Joan

Have not used Fusion so can't make a recommendation. I've just become aware of VirtualBox an open source virtualization product, but have not tried it yet.

Don't know how it works on the Mac but is very functional on Linux. Have experimented and now am about to do a final install & put my few 'required' Windoze programs, primarily TMG along with a couple of photo editors & Eudora in Virtual Box on my XP Pro then I can dispense with my dual boot and do all my work in Linux even when opening Windoze.

Joan

One of your problems initially would likely be caused by trying to import directly from a CD. You need to copy the file to your hard drive, either onto the desktop (simplest) or into My Documents. This would apply to either XP or Vista.

Joan

You are most welcome.

So excited for you and your book project. I wish you the _very_ best. --GeneJ

Well, it's going to be a huge project - I expect it will take about 5 years. I'm doing it on the McILMOYL(E)s in North America from 1774 and have put out the word to all the family researchers who have any anecdotal info they wish to share to put into the book. It's an interesting family as my 4g-gf packed up from Northern Ireland along with his family, some of whom were young adults and he was 74 years old!!!! Then of course they got caught up in the American Revolution and were supporters of the British and he ended up in Albany Gaol for a couple of years and eventually they all had to flee to Canada. He then had to start all over again and managed to live to 96 years of age!! As he was Scots Irish, I'm not sure if it was all that good Scotch or the Irish Whiskey that contributed

Joan

Thanks so much for reporting on this Genejunky and to Jim for testing it out. I use the sort date only any time I'm unsure of a birth date to put the child/person in the right chronological order as I think it should be. I am just embarking on a major book project and this would cause all sorts of problems had I not been prepared for it

Hopefully, it will be fixed before I run the final FGS pages.....

Joan

Perhaps the OOO (whatever that is) works well for some however it's not something I can see for myself. I do intensive graphics - I'm a photographer plus many images of documents for my genealogy. I have a nearly new laptop and certainly have no reason to replace it anytime soon. My Palm serves an entirely different purpose - it's my calendar, my chequebook, my grocery list, my address book, my notebook for meetings, research, it records voice so I can dictate on my way to the Family History Center etc., I can download photos to it if I fill all my cards for my camera, I can play games while waiting in line at the grocery store and, I can read a book without having to carry the book with me. I've never had an issue with synchronizing as I had to do that when travelling with my laptop and coming home to my desktop anyway. I also have no need for Windows on my Palm, indeed am moving away from Windows to Linux. As you can see, the purpose of my Palm is quite different than the purpose of my laptop. My laptop is used for mobile computing such as public displays, presentations and classes as well as travel computing.

Joan

It isn't the program that cares, it's MS Win Vista! In order to enable TMG v7/7.01 to work with Vista, it has to comply with the 'new' MS security process that disallows data to be stored in the same folder as the program. This is the same procedure as many of us have practised for years....I not only have my data in a different folder, it's on an entirely different drive/partition allowing me to only backup data partitions on a daily basis while backing up programs every couple of months.

Hope this helps

Joan

Michael is correct in my case definitely. I use GedStar Pro on my Palm LifeDrive which is a godsend! I cannot enter data into my database except as a memo which is fine with me as I've never entered data directly into my db while recording research data. I prefer to make notes and verify and analyze them first, prior to entering the info into my db. However, for reference purposes, it's invaluable.

The advantage? I can carry my LifeDrive along with its keyboard in my purse everywhere I go without having to pack my laptop all the time.......

Joan

Just to clarify, this isn't about my dataset(s), rather my cousin's. It took me a while to realize that the reason she was having a problem trying to figure out how to do the chart was because they were in 2 separate projects, never mind datasets!!!! I learned how much problem it could be to have multiple datasets years ago and only have separate ones for those from other people and for my clients which are in a separate project as well. My excuse for not twigging right away has to be that we'd spent hours trying to recover a project that was missing the CDX files and, then discovered some other files missing and still haven't managed to recover the project!!<sigh>. Once I had posted the message it sort of hit me over the head what the problem was Once I have a chance to get over to my cousin's we'll import one of the datasets into the other project then merge the datasets and that should solve the problem.

Meanwhile, thanks to you all for your quick responses as usual.

Joan

If you check your directions, you'll find that you can back up onto DVDs and put the boot process on the first one, allowing you to boot from the DVD should that be necessary. Let me know if you need further help - we run a Backup SIG at our PC User Group and have chosen Acronis as our program of choice.

Joan

Thanks Joan,

I just did a backup of ...\my documents\The Master Genealogist v7 to a network drive. The full backup took 6-7 minutes. Hopefully, future differenial backups will be quicker. I am still worried that I am out of the main stream.

 

Question: I have not yet converted all my TMG6 projects to TMG7. How can I do that, given that I can not do a full backup with V6?

 

Question: Acronis is on the same disk drive with TMG7. Given that the most likely failure that would result in loss of data is a disk drive failure, how do you propose that I will be able to restore my data after such a failure? What specific steps should I take to ensure the ability to recover from a catastrophic disk failure.????

 

Chuck

I'm absolutely positive I remember this on the Forums in the past but couldn't find the right parameters to bring it up in 'Search' Here's what I'm trying to do: with my child as the focus person, I want to show both lines of ancestors. Currently these are in separate datasets so I presume the first step is to merge the sets into a new combined one? At that point, there shouldn't be a problem showing both lines in a chart once I ensure the links are all ok.

Alternatively, I seem to recall I could create a chart from each dataset and then copy and paste on onto the other?

Thanks for any ideas on this.

Joan

Chuck: Just a curiousity question regarding Acronis taking so long......you can use it to back up ONLY your project(s) file and exhibits and it certainly doesn't take any time at all. I used it last night to back up my cousin's entire Data partition and Photo partition plus My Docs on C and we were both pleasantly surprised at exactly how quickly it was finished. Even the full system backup was much quicker than we had expected<g>

Joan

But I have been trying to backup to the C: drive. As I said before, if I uncheck everything except Project data files, the backup completes successfully. Is it possible to make that error message give a hint about what the problem is? TMG writes absolutely nothing to either log filename you gave me before. I hate to resort to backing up with 7zip or Acronis because both methods take so long...I see wits' end .....

Chuck

Well, after fighting with this till well after midnight, both my cousin & I decided we needed to 'sleep on it'

When I checked the original file with Lee's listing, I discovered that we were missing some of the dbf files as well so we decided to restore the backup file which hadn't had any changes done since the backup. It was, however, prior to updating TMG. Of course we got the message that it would be updated and couldn't be used in the previous version which was no problem. I then attempted to open this project. It opened without difficulty however none of the data was there!!! At that point, we gave up. We do have another backup version which I will have another go with in a couple of days (likely Wed) and will post the results.....hopefully positive.... at that time.

Meanwhile, thanks so much Virginia.....as usual TMG's support is without parallel.

Joan

Usually when you get the 'project in use elsewhere' the fix is to delete the cdx files. You might check if any of them have been generated, delete those and try again; this time open the Sample Project first and try from there.

 

If that doesn't work:

Copy the project to a separate folder (using Copy Project on the File menu) and see if it opens from that folder. If not, check what files you have. If the files are all there except for the *.cdx there should be a way to get into the project. There is a list of the v6 files on Lee's site at

 

http://www.tmgtips.com/dbnames2.htm

 

Virginia

Ok, I've moved the pjc file into the folder and then opened TMG. When I chose the 'last project' the previous one opened and I then closed it, clicked on 'open' and got the list of pjc files, including the replaced one. When I clicked on it, I got the message that TMG was going into Repair Mode which I presumed would regenerate the cdx files. Nothing happened so I again attempted to open that project. This time, TMG stayed in Repair Mode and I got a different error message (see below). All the other projects open with no problem. The error message tells me that the file is busy elsewhere which of course it is not. So, what next?

Joan

Hi Virginia.....just heading back over to my cousins to try and solve this problem. For clarification, it is her project that's lost the cdx files. I'm not there right now but as best as I can recall from last night, the only missing files were the pjc & cdx files but will double check when I get there. It will be her backup that we'll be using so no problem on same preferences etc. and same version - neither of us has made the move to 7. Me because it's so difficult to get it to install that I simply haven't had the time to fight with it I use XP Pro (so does my cousin) and I'm in the process of switching to Linux NOT Vista. So, I'll double check on the files, back them up then collect the pjc from her backup and, with fingers crossed, put it back in the folder and see what happens.

 

Thanks for all the assistance as usual! After reading the thread about the teacher who wouldn't recommend TMG, I can only feel sorry for both her and her students if they miss out on such a great program and, even more importantly, the wonderful support that's available!

 

Joan

 

 

The .pjc file is a small text file with info like preference settings - so it might change some of your preferences. More important, it contains information on the TMG version for which that project is appropriate - and that is what the program looks for when it loads the project. Are you both using v7?

 

Are you certain that you have the remaining project files? As you probably know, a project contains 80-90 or more files - including multiple *.dbf and *.fpt files in addition to the *.cdx (index) files and .pjc file - all beginning with the name of the project. Have you searched the other drive and the recycle bin for the missing files?

 

If you have all the project files except for the index files (.cdx), and if your cousin's .pjc file is from the same TMG version that you are using, , and if you first backup (or copy to a safe place) the project files you do have - then I think the worse that could happen would be an error message and the project would not open.

 

I think you first need to verify that you are missing only the .pjc and index files.

 

Virginia

Hi Virginia.....just heading back over to my cousins to try and solve this problem. For clarification, it is her project that's lost the cdx files. I'm not there right now but as best as I can recall from last night, the only missing files were the pjc & cdx files but will double check when I get there. It will be her backup that we'll be using so no problem on same preferences etc. and same version - neither of us has made the move to 7. Me because it's so difficult to get it to install that I simply haven't had the time to fight with it I use XP Pro (so does my cousin) and I'm in the process of switching to Linux NOT Vista. So, I'll double check on the files, back them up then collect the pjc from her backup and, with fingers crossed, put it back in the folder and see what happens.

Thanks for all the assistance as usual! After reading the thread about the teacher who wouldn't recommend TMG, I can only feel sorry for both her and her students if they miss out on such a great program and, even more importantly, the wonderful support that's available!

Joan

The .pjc file is a small text file with info like preference settings - so it might change some of your preferences. More important, it contains information on the TMG version for which that project is appropriate - and that is what the program looks for when it loads the project. Are you both using v7?

 

Are you certain that you have the remaining project files? As you probably know, a project contains 80-90 or more files - including multiple *.dbf and *.fpt files in addition to the *.cdx (index) files and .pjc file - all beginning with the name of the project. Have you searched the other drive and the recycle bin for the missing files?

 

If you have all the project files except for the index files (.cdx), and if your cousin's .pjc file is from the same TMG version that you are using, , and if you first backup (or copy to a safe place) the project files you do have - then I think the worse that could happen would be an error message and the project would not open.

 

I think you first need to verify that you are missing only the .pjc and index files.

 

Virginia