Sharing Images

[cpoindex 0]

My Mother and I are researching the same two families and we want to share data sets and especially exhibits(images primarily) in the hopes of getting our data sets populated with images more quickly. We each own a licensed copy of TMG7.04. I've learned how to do the GEDCOM import/export routine and I think I'm getting a grip on the concept of two data sets in a project, and the locked/unlocked and the merge features.

 

What I've not come to grips with is how to best share images. GEDCOM hasn't done it for me yet with what I've tried, and I suspect that it will not. It seems that backup and restoring will work between two systems/licensing but that's pretty risky in my opinion. I'm trying to learn how to do this with only a few images, rather than when we get many images loaded.

 

Can anyone help me to better understand internal and external images and if some distinction here will help me solve this problem?

 

Regards

Cole Poindexter

crpoindex@embarqmail.com

[Jim Byram 0]

Trying to keep data in sync between two TMG installations in not a trivial task since there really aren't any built-in features to accomodate that. There are users working with different users on shared projects and, perhaps, someone will jump in and describe their methods.

 

The normal way to transfer TMG data to another user is with backup/restore. If you use any of the more complex TMG features and use GEDCOM, you will lose data in the transfer.

 

You could just send the images and the necessary text. Or you could make very simple projects with minimal information and the linked exhibits and send backups of those. They could then be merger to her project and the new data set to her existing data set and the people merged.

 

You basically need to work out as simple a procedure as possible depending on your mother's capabilities.

[Michael Hannah 0]

Hi Cole,

 

I agree with Jim that backup/restore of projects or portions of projects is the best way to work with another TMG user on the data in a common project. However, if you are primarily concerned about images, these might be easier to share outside of TMG. Either they could be e-mailed back and forth between each other, or multiple images "zipped" into a single file and e-mailed, or they could be posted on one of the many sites designed to allow you to post photos that others can download.

 

Hope this gives you ideas,

[GenerationGoneBy 0]

What I do is store the images outside of TMG and so I can just send her the images that way. She'd need to link them in her version of TMG. No advise on keeping two versions of TMG synced though sorry.

[cpoindex 0]

I worked extensively this evening to get directory paths matched for the GEDCOM Export/import requirements and even when I created directories and paths to match on both systems, the image didn't transfer. The GEDCOM wizard has a window that allows you to create some magic here, but I need more magic, evidently. The verbage in the wizard indicates that "he really wants to help you do it" but I haven't understood it all, yet.

 

In WinXP, some systems display a directory tree starting with "My Documents" that will drill down, but then below that is the "My Computer" with all the subs that will also let you drill down to user, and directories. Other WinXP installations gen with directories that begin with "Desktop" and then drill down through "My Computer", etc. The difference here is that one configuration makes you go through "Users" and the other doesn't. I suspect this could be a hangup when defining the path for locating an image file. I'm still experimenting with this. It's really important, because if we are going to be dealing with up to hundreds or possibly a few thousand images, this could be important.

[Jim Byram 0]

GEDCOM does not transfer image files. (Technically, it can but I'm only aware of one program that uses this capability.)

 

A media record in a GEDCOM file has a path to the media file and some descriptive tags to document the media. So the importing program will create a media record and have the same path to the external file that was used by the exporting program. But it is up to the users to transfer the media file and up to the receiving user to put the media file into the correct folder on the receiving system.

 

WinXP only uses one set of paths for user data so I don't understand your comments.

 

To have common paths on both systems, I would consider creating a user data tree independent of anything else. For example: D:\User_data\TMG. Some legitimate user path that can be used on both systems. Then use the Preferences / Current Project Options / Advanced paths to set the paths for each project. That will greatly facilitate your transfer of the data between the two systems.

 

You should use the user data tree created by TMG in place but it would only need the files placed there by the program. Be sure to read the Data File Storage topic in help. One of the subtopics deals with the concept that I just described.

[cpoindex 0]

I worked extensively this evening to get directory paths matched for the GEDCOM Export/import requirements and even when I created directories and paths to match on both systems, the image didn't transfer. The GEDCOM wizard has a window that allows you to create some magic here, but I need more magic, evidently. The verbage in the wizard indicates that "he really wants to help you do it" but I haven't understood it all, yet.

 

In WinXP, some systems display a directory tree starting with "My Documents" that will drill down, but then below that is the "My Computer" with all the subs that will also let you drill down to user, and directories. Other WinXP installations gen with directories that begin with "Desktop" and then drill down through "My Computer", etc. The difference here is that one configuration makes you go through "Users" and the other doesn't. I suspect this could be a hangup when defining the path for locating an image file. I'm still experimenting with this. It's really important, because if we are going to be dealing with up to hundreds or possibly a few thousand images, this could be important.

 

BTW, I even created the extra directory levels to match the two systems, so the paths matched perfectly, even thought some of the directories were blank except for the lower directory that the path called for. I could even put the image file in the desired path and the target system could find and display it, but if I deleted the image file, GEDCOM could not convey it from the source system, even after all the Merger/Maintenance/Validate File Integrity tricks I could conjure up. As I said, this is important in the face of transferring many images between systems. I can't even get one image to transfer. I think it must be my failure, not a GEDCOM failure. Help????

[Jim Byram 0]

Again, GEDCOM does not transfer image files. The media records in GEDCOM only convey information about the image files. You, the users, need to transfer the image files and place them into the correct folder(s).

[Michael Hannah 0]

Cole,

 

The GEDCOM standard has not been updated for more than 10 years. Most modern genealogy programs like TMG can do things that GEDCOM simply was never designed to record. If you export to GEDCOM you will lose much of the information and linkages that are expressed in TMG because there is no way to describe them in GEDCOM. This is not something missing in TMG, this is caused by lots of capabilities missing in GEDCOM. The fact that GEDCOM does not transfer image files is only one of many, many things that GEDCOM either cannot or does not do. This is why most of us users recommend using TMG backup/restore to share with another TMG user. You can create a new project from a portion of your full project and backup that new small project. Then the other person can restore that small project and either review, copy, or merge information from the small project into their full project. Unless you have built some special external exhibits folder tree, you can specify during backup that the TMG backup/restore include the exhibits. But there is no way to include the exhibits in the GEDCOM export.

[cpoindex 0]

Michael, Jim,

Michael, Thank you so much for that last statement, and Jim, I didn't see you clarification until a few minutes ago. I've spent the last two days trying so many different tasks to see what would actually make the GEDCOM transfer. I fear I've spent so much time on GEDCOM when I should have been studying backup/restore. It's a little puzzling to me why the EXPORT/IMPORT tools seem to give so much credibility to GEDCOM. Do you have any clue why LDS abandoned GEDCOM? Anyway, tomorrow I'll redirect my efforts to backup/restore, Project Manager, and it's features, and hope that I can figure a way to do some automation on this imaging project that's on my plate. I'm soon to assume responsibility of a significant account and data integrity will be tatamount. The whole association will soon be clamoring for access and imaging. I'm sure I'll need some assistance from staff, and some data set time sharing will be helpful, if I can get a secure set of procedures established. Hope I can call on you guys later.

 

I've worked with some entry level programming, but reality suggests to my minimal software knowledge that Velke/TMG certainly cannot afford to build a utility that would allow "like" transfers between data sets. Nevertheless, I'm comfortable with the apparent standards that TMG appears to be setting. Pretty presumptious for someone who's never tried another product, huh? and I've had a glass of cabernet, so maybe tomorrow morning I'll get back to the drawing board.

 

Thanks so much for your responses.

Cole

 

Cole,

 

The GEDCOM standard has not been updated for more than 10 years. Most modern genealogy programs like TMG can do things that GEDCOM simply was never designed to record. If you export to GEDCOM you will lose much of the information and linkages that are expressed in TMG because there is no way to describe them in GEDCOM. This is not something missing in TMG, this is caused by lots of capabilities missing in GEDCOM. The fact that GEDCOM does not transfer image files is only one of many, many things that GEDCOM either cannot or does not do. This is why most of us users recommend using TMG backup/restore to share with another TMG user. You can create a new project from a portion of your full project and backup that new small project. Then the other person can restore that small project and either review, copy, or merge information from the small project into their full project. Unless you have built some special external exhibits folder tree, you can specify during backup that the TMG backup/restore include the exhibits. But there is no way to include the exhibits in the GEDCOM export.

[cpoindex 0]

Ok, all you guys, and gals, Some of your messages are just coming through tonight. Many thanks for your replys, and re-replys. I hope I can add value soon.

Cole

[bradhallsr 0]

A friend of mine said that you can use a free online service called Photobucket. All you have to do is add your photos to photobucket and you can allow anyone you want access so they can make comments as well as download any and all the photos or images that they want.

 

I use photobucket to place all my unknown photos and everytime I send out an E-Mail to a family member they get the link to my unknown photos at photobucket. Then they can look over all the photos and make a comment to help figureout who is who in the photos.

 

Other than using photobucket to share photos, you can burn all your exhibits to DVD and mail the DVD to who you want to shair them with.

Edited March 26, 2009 by bradhallsr