Working charts

[Virginia Blakelock 0]

 

This is an example of a one-page 'working chart' to keep by the computer. Quickly locate a person/ID and use Ctrl-I to switch focus. This is an ancestor + sibling chart (about 110 people) on legal size paper.

 

The instructions and settings below are for a basic Ancestor 'working chart' - which is a modified Ancestor Box Chart - but the same settings are generally applicable to the Descendant Box chart. Once you have set up this basic configuration with no data, you can easily add data - say Lifespan, ID#, etc.

 

Basic Ancestor Working Chart:

 

1. Select the Ancestor Box Chart from the Report menu.

 

2. Make a new report configuration:

---- Click the Add button under 'Configuration name'. If you are asked if you want to use the existing configuration, say Yes.

---- Give the report a descriptive name, say 'Ancestor_Small_NoData'.

 

3. OPTIONS:

Orientation: Left to Right

 

Max # Generations: 5 (as a starter)

 

--- Title location: 0, 0

--- Diagram location 50, 15

--- Gap between boxes: 10, 20

 

4. BOXES;

--- Width: 150 pixels as a starter; widen or shorten as needed for your average name length

--- Box fill: Color - white

--- Use Accents: Optional

--- Frame: None

--- Box Border: Solid line, color Black, Width 1 pixel (if your printer will not print 1 pixel, try 2 pixels)

 

5. LINES:

--- Connector lines: solid line, color Black, Width 1 pixel (if your printer will not print 1 pixel, try 2 pixels)

--- Sibling lines: solid line, color dark Gray, 1 pixel (2 pixels if necessary) or dotted line, color Black

 

6. TEXT:

--- Title: Tahoma 10 Regular

--- Names: Tahoma 8 Regular

--- Data Lines: Tahoma 8 Regular

--- Manual entry default: Tahoma 8 Regular

 

7: BACKGROUND: Solid

 

8. IMAGES: Off

 

9. DATA TYPES:

This basic report configuration has no data types. For each of the default 4 'Box types' on the left of the screen, you have to delete all of the default 'Box contents' on the right. This can be tedious, but I've included some shortcuts:

 

--- click on the first Box type (Duplicate people) and then the number '1' on the Box contents; that opens the 'Selected tag types' window. Move that window to the right of and near to the Box contents area, so you can mouse back and forth easily. (Reverse if you are left handed.)

 

--- For each Box type then, the drill is:

With mouse/pointer select '1' and top item '(delete)' in the 'Selected tag types window'; with other hand press the Enter key. Move to '2' and down the list of Box contents, following the same routine.

 

Other options on the Data Types tab are user preference. I leave them at the defaults.

 

10. OTHER:

Identifiers: None

Surety: check both No threshold and Include blank surety if you want everyone

Text Alignment: Left

Lifespans - birth year - death year

Places: not used with no data, so leave defaults

Names: No caps (user preferences; caps take more space in a box)

Miscellaneous: Allow word wrap (optional)

Researcher info: optional; I don't use any here. For my own use - and so it's not obtrusive - I insert the date in a light gray text manually (from the VCF Palette) on the bottom corner of the chart.

 

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You can use this basic chart and change the options on the Other tab to use ID# or to Include Siblings. You would want to make a new configuration based on this one if you wanted to add data like Lifespan.

 

Re box color: You can use your existing Accents by selecting that option in the Report Definition Screen, or hand-color the finished chart using the standard Windows Color Lookup Table or the VCF Palette. I usually find it quicker for a working chart to hand-color with the palette. In my own working charts, I tend to use color sparingly for emphasis.

 

Please ask if you have questions or something is not clear -

 

Virginia