GEDCOM Export

[treechaser 0]

I am trying to export my project as a GEDCOM. I am using TMG 7.04 and have tried the export on both a Vista and XP machine. The export is only exporting the following tags: birth, marriage, death, burial, illness and probate. No other tags are being exported.

 

I have made sure I have ALL tags selected in the export options pane. I have even gone as far as editing the tag itself, chaging the GEDCOM information. Still no go.

 

At first I thought it was the program that was importing the GEDCOM, but I opened the GEDCOM itself in Wordpad, and the info is still not there.

 

Any idea what might cause the other tags (events) to not export? I am at my wits end with this and can't find anyone else that is posting similar problems.

 

Norm

[Terry Reigel 0]

Norm,

 

What kind of tags are not exporting? How are they defined for GEDCOM export on the Other tab of the Tag Type Definition screen?

 

TMG allows you to construct many kinds of tags that are not "legal" in GEDCOM - for example, any tag that has two principals that are not a "family" ("family" means that they are either married to each other or have children together). Tag types that can be exported as family tags, like a census tag with husband and wife as principals, are exported as "family" tags, not individually for each principal, so they would appear in the file with the family information rather than with each person. Tags with witnesses are not exported for the witnesses, since GEDCOM does not recognize that construct.

 

I don't know whether this explains all the tags you are finding missing, but I suspect it explains many of them.

[Vera Nagel 0]

Norm,

 

in addition to Terry's questions:

 

I have made sure I have ALL tags selected in the export options pane.

 

On Step 6 Option screen 2 you selected:

-Tag Types = All

-Names = All variations

-Events = All variations >>> Is that correct?

 

I have even gone as far as editing the tag itself, chaging the GEDCOM information.

 

Can you please provide an example what you've done here / mean by this?

[Jim Byram 0]

I have even gone as far as editing the tag itself, chaging the GEDCOM information.

You can really foul things up by messing with the GEDCOM export options for tag types.

 

If you make the wrong selections, the tags won't export.

 

Custom events should always be exported as: 1 EVEN 2 TYPE

 

There are also issues with how many principals a tag has and who they are with certain tag types.

 

You need to provide exact information about the tag types that you are trying to export.

[Michael Hannah 0]

I have even gone as far as editing the tag itself, chaging the GEDCOM information.

Hi Norm,

 

I assume that by this comment you mean you went to the Tag Type Definition and on the Other tab you modified the text for what the GEDCOM Export tag would be? As Terry said, if you make the wrong selections, the tags won't export. Anything you put in that field must be the exact name in all caps of one of the very limited types of actual GEDCOM pre-defined tags. Further this TMG tag type must make sense to export as that type of predefined GEDCOM tag. That is what Terry means by "There are also issues with how many principals a [TMG] tag has and who they are with [exporting to] certain [predefined GEDCOM] tag types." A list of valid GEDCOM Version 5.5 tag types and their tag name abbreviations published in 1996 can be found here.

 

That is why TMG has the option for exporting a TMG tag as an otherwise undefined generic GEDCOM tag. That is the purpose of the radio button to export the TMG tag as the defined generic "1 EVEN" GEDCOM tag type with the GEDCOM subfield being filled in with the label from the TMG Tag Type.

 

Note that the GEDCOM structure has not changed or been redefined since 1996 and thus GEDCOM tags do not and cannot include many of the valuable new features possible in TMG tags, such as witnesses, etc., etc.

 

Hope this helps explain things about this very old GEDCOM format,

[E Wilcock 0]

Tree chaser -

A few weeks ago, before taking a break, I exported many GEDCOMs using UK version 7.04, experimenting with exports to suit FTM and Family Historian.

I exported both my own data sets and the UK and USA Sample files.

I did not experience any loss of Tags.

 

Are you sure you are exporting using the default configuration for GEDCOM export?

 

In order to set up a uniform standard on which to build, I went to Screen 3 of the export wizard and deleted all the configurations there. Including, finally, the default.

An expert on the list told me that, if one attempted to delete the default configuration, that request had the effect of restoring the original.

 

My next step was to export from the two sample projects, UK and USA. I came across certain issues with tags customised for the UK version. If you too have edited Tags, as Terry said, this customisation may be the cause of your problem.

Try exporting from the USA sample and see if it goes OK.

 

Then I tried my own Project - at this stage, my problem arose not from custom Tags, but the use I had made of occupation and education tags, to include long chunks of narrative biography for which they are not intended when used for GEDCOM purposes.

 

I hope this may be helpful.

You don't say why you are looking for GEDCOM export? I intend to experiment further with FTM transfer next winter.

 

Best regards

Evelyn Wilcock

[treechaser 0]

Thanks to everyone for their replies and tips. Let me give you more details of what I am doing and why. I am currently a UFT user, but it is time to move on to a program that is being updated for the new operating systems. So I am trying to import my data and use it like I normally would. TMG seems to do a fine job of importing my data - I haven't found any losses yet and clean up looks minimal right now.

 

I also keep a copy of my data on my Palm, the software requires a GEDCOM for importing. Also, I do a lot of sharing with others using various programs. So a good Gedcom export is critical for me.

 

There are numersous tags that don't export, but a crucial one is Anecdote. On importing, I used TMG's suggested matching between UFT's events and TGM's tags.

 

I am using a fresh file, with no meddleing of the tags on myh part. Here is what the tag for Anecdote has on the OTHER tab, which I presume what is important for prober export:

 

Gedcom export as:

 

the radio button for Tag is unmarked,but the box as "EVEN" in it.

the second radio button is marked, and as 1 EVEN and 2 Anecdote

 

As far as I can tell there is only one Primary person per tag. That is, only one person is tied to any specific anecdote.

 

When I go to export the GEDCOM, here are my steps:

 

1. File/Export

2. Next in the wizard

3. Choose gedcom and select desktop as location and NewExport as filename

4. I only have one Configuration, which is Default, and have use without saving changes radio button selected

5. Choose the imported dataset with All People radio button selected

6. Gedcome version 5.5, ANSI Character set. All check boxes set at their default.

7. Tag Types All, Names All variations, Events, All variations

8. Step 7, all settings at their default

9. Finish export.

 

 

Again, I am appreciative lf any help you folks could offer.

 

Norm

[Michael Hannah 0]

Thanks to everyone for their replies and tips. Let me give you more details of what I am doing and why.

Hi Norm,

 

I am glad to offer suggestions as GEDCOM export in TMG is so reliable that I cannot understand why you are having problems. Thanks for the added details, they help, but I am still unclear.

 

So a good Gedcom export is critical for me.

There are numerous tags that don't export, but a crucial one is Anecdote.

Your need for GEDCOM is clear and meaningful. But how do you know that these tags don't export? What are the symptoms you are seeing that makes you believe this? A GEDCOM file is simply a text file, so you can open the exported file that TMG creates with any text editor, like Notepad, and actually view the output of the TMG export. Are you sure these "missing" tags are really missing? Perhaps they are simply now in a format or structure that some subsequent program you are using to import that file does not understand?

 

Here is what the tag for Anecdote has on the OTHER tab...

Yes, these setting seem appropriate.

 

I cannot see or understand what could be causing a problem. Could you open the export file that TMG creates in a text editor and actually verify that these tags are not in that file? If they are being exported and in the file but your subsequent program can't recognize them, then we can focus on that instead.

[Jim Byram 0]

Anecdote should be exported as 1 Even 2 Type as it is set by default.

 

Do the Anecdote tags have 1 or 2 principals? If two, the two need to be married or have children.

[treechaser 0]

For instance, I have an anecdote with a date (1855) and a place (Denton County, Texas). The note for the tag says something like" Sam Young along with his brother Ezekiel were part of the survey team that set the northern and western county lines of Denton County".

 

So, in the gedcome, that tag/event should have exported and that text should be in the Gedcom. But when I open it in Wordpad, it is not there.

[treechaser 0]

1 EVEN 2 TYPE is the generic format, right? For anecdote, Type should be ANECDOTE. That is what it is showing.

 

There should only be one principle. I never had two people tied to these anecdotes in UFT, so I would find it odd they would now be tied to two people. How do I check this for sure?

[Jim Byram 0]

The GEDCOM export setting for the Anecdote tag should be 1 EVEN 2 TYPE. It should not be "Anecdote". There is no such tag in the GEDCOM 5.5 specs. If the GEDCOM export setting for the Anecdote tag type is set to "Anecdote", the Anecdote tags will not export.

 

Again, if you change the GEDCOM output settings for tag types without a full understanding of the GEDCOM 5.5 specs and how TMG uses them, you can very easily break GEDCOM export.

[treechaser 0]

I am running a new import, with no changes to TMG at all. I may have misspoke about the "TYPE" part. Here is a screen shot of my settings (again, I haven't made any changes here):

 

[Jim Byram 0]

With one principal, there is no reason that the tag shouldn't export.

 

In the GEDCOM, the tag will look like this:

1 EVEN

2 TYPE Anecdote

[Vera Nagel 0]

Norm,

 

as has already been stated with the information and settings you've kindly provided so far there should absolutely be NO reason why the Anecdote tag should not be exported. I just did a quick text and it worked like a charm.

 

So I would like to suggest the following since we need to see the details:

 

1) go to one person in your project having an anecdote tag

2) access/open the anecdote tag for this person and attach a screenshot of it's Tag Entry screen to your next posting here

3) cancel out of the Tag Entry screen

4) say File > Export and select to export to a gedcom in step 2

5) on step 4 check "Current Focus Person" in order just to produce a gedcom export for this single person only

6) on the following steps of the Export Wizard leave everything set to default

7) attach the so produced Gedcom File to your next posting here / or open that file in a text editor and copy / paste the information into your next reply here

[treechaser 0]

All,

 

I want to thank you so much for taking time to give me things to try in my quest to resolve my GEDCOM issues. After several things, I finally found a workaround and the underlying culprit (I think). Let me post my findings should another UFT convert run into the same issues.

 

First, I just decided to go back from scratch. I uninstalled TGM and deleted all orphan folders and files. After reinstalling, I used the import wizard (GenBridge) in TGM to open and import the UFT file, again using all default settings.

 

When I opened the file, I found a new problem, which short of shook my cobwebs loose and triggered a bit of old memory. Now, instead of imorting my UFT anecdote events as anecdote tags, it brought them in as name-bptm tags. In every case. Go figure on this one!! And there is no way to change the tag on those "events'.

 

But that triggered something in my head. I think, years ago, when the demise of UFT came about, I started looking at TGM and tested this with version 4 or 5 of TGM, and I remember that same result. I also seem to now remember, that in the time line of verisons of UFT (either from Roots IV or to Visual Family Tree or to Ultimate Family Tree) there was a change in the way events were handled and the user had to make a choice. I think it was wether to scrap your old events and redo them to be compliant to GEDCOM 5.5 or leave them as is and be non compliant. Again, that is still a dusty memory.

 

On all other events that were imported, I could go into the tag editor and change the radio button from the GEDCOM tag to 1 Event 2. Type, and they would print and export in a GEDCOM. Only Anecdote gave still gave me fits.

 

So, I reimported the UFT file one more time. But this time, I chose to NOT map UFT anecdote to TGM anecdote. The TGM wizred then required me to create a new tag name, which I did (Story). My thinking was, worst case scenario, I would be able to still export a GEDCOM from TGM and then do a seach and replace and relace "Type Story" with Type Anecdote".

 

After the import, I went in to the tag editor for my new story tag (all events corretly imported as story). Just on a whim, I made type "Annecdote" and it took, so when I export, I don't have to to a search and replace.

 

A bit clunky, but works.

 

Again, thanks for all of your help. Now I can start testing the rest of the features of TGM.

[Michael Hannah 0]

Norm,

 

Since you got all your tags imported as a "Story" type event look at the TMG Utility to change all these "Story" event tags to "Anecdote" event tags in one quick action. For details look here.