How to create and use custom frames in VCF

[Virginia Blakelock 0]

Creating the frame:

 

Open VCF from the Start menu.

 

Draw a box frame with an inside dimension of about 2.4 in wide by 1 inch high (38mm by 25mm). You can embellish this simple frame (making it wider to 8 points using Properties) or you can create a larger frame by superimposing one box (with say white fill) on top of a second larger box (say red fill). Note when using a two-box frame, the smaller box may become hidden under the larger. In that case, highlight the larger box, rightclick and select Order > Send to Back.

 

Select your drawing and drag it all the way up into the upper lefthand corner of the canvas. Use 'Tools > Diagram > Size to Components Exact' to reduce the canvas to fit the layout.

 

Use File > Export to save your drawing as an EMF (.emf) file to the Frames folder in your TMG installation. The format of the file name should be: anyname(nnS).emf, in which nn is the width in pixels of the frame border and the 'S' indicates a Standard frame drawn using vector graphics. For example, using a reasonable pixel size of 30, the name would be 'anyname(30S).emf'. A frame using bitmapped graphics would have 'F' for Fancy. (Note there is an option to change the pixel size on the report definition screen if it turns out to be too large or too small.)

 

Using the frame in your chart:

 

For everyone in the chart:

- Select the Box tab in the report options and at the left bottom of the screen select Other file and use the Browse button to select (doubleclick) your frame. There are also options to change the Frame width and/or use it as a shadow. (Note that the frame is not in lieu of a box, but goes outside of it - so you might want to make the box border transparent.)

 

For selected people in your chart (in this example - gender specific):

- On the Box tab in report Options, select 'Use Accents' and click on Define.

- From the drop down list for Chart accents, choose SEX and select M

- From the Preview box, click on 'Other file" under 'Frame (outside box)'.

- Click on the Browse button and a list of frame thumbnails will open

- Click on the Standard tab and doubleclick your frame to select it.

- Repeat for the F flag.

 

Virginia

 

(With permission from Lee Hoffman, editor of 'Getting the Most out of The Master Genealogist', I have drawn upon Robin Lamacraft's instructions in Chapter 14 of GTMOOTMG for making a custom frame.)

[RobinL 0]

some_custom_frames.zip

 

Attached is a zip of 6 custom frames as examples:

_boxpalecyan(30S).emf -- used as a male shadow

_boxpalepink(30S).emf -- used as a female shadow

_female_circle(20S).emf -- used a female circle centre top of box

_femalebox(30S).emf -- used as female symbol top left

_male_triangle(20S).emf -- used as a male triangle centre top of box

_malebox(30S).emf -- used as male symbol top left

 

- note that I start these filenames with "_" to separate them from the Wholly Genes supplied ones when they are copied into the "frames" folder. Unzip this archive and place the extracted files in the "frames" folder used by your installation of TMG - it varies depending on whether you are running WinVista or earlier. In XP and earlier, it usually was

C:\Program Files\The Master Genealogist\frames

 

Then these new files are available as selections under the Simple "S" frames in the frames selection. To get the result that you best like you may have adjust the frame width value and reduce the spacing between boxes in same generation.

[pktropics 0]

Robin, Virginia,

 

Thanks for these tips on frames. I can see they offer the potential to resolve my longstanding frustration at not being able to generate circle and triangle charts from TMG. Robin's examples are not exactly what I'm looking for, but they're close, and I hope I can now design what I want.

 

pktropics

[nbradley 0]

Robin,

 

I used your custom frames in Version 6 (thanks!). Now I have tried to use them in Version 7 but I can't get them to appear with all of the Standard Frames. Is it working for you with Version 7?

[Virginia Blakelock 0]

Robin,

 

I used your custom frames in Version 6 (thanks!). Now I have tried to use them in Version 7 but I can't get them to appear with all of the Standard Frames. Is it working for you with Version 7?

 

 

Neil -

 

Make sure you stored the custom frames in the Frames Folder in the Shared Program Data Files folder, by default at

 

Windows Vista:

C:\ProgramData\The Master Genealogist v7\Frames

 

Windows XP and Windows 2000:

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\The Master Genealogist v7\Frames

 

Virginia

[nbradley 0]

Virginia

 

Thanks. Under XP the TMG 7 installation also creates a frames folder at c:/program files/The Master Genealogist v7/Frames which is what tricked me.

[Virginia Blakelock 0]

The first time you run v7 after the installation, that folder is copied to user space - and it is that copy which you can customize and which TMG looks for, not the folder in program files.

 

From Help > Data File Storage:

----------------------

The first time you run TMG v7, Data Files located in the program folder that might be susceptible to modification are copied to one of three new folders that contain:

 

1. Shared Program Data Files

 

2. User Program Data Files

 

3. User Data Files

 

Three new folders (together with various subfolders) become the Program Default Data Paths. The new folders are where the program will look for the data that it uses such as the language files or layouts or your projects and exhibits. You can change some of these paths for a specific project by editing the path settings in Preferences."

-----------------------

 

The Help article lists the files and folders in each category; Frames are located with Shared Program Data Files.

 

Virginia

[penelope 0]

I've been trying to use the custome frames here described, but every time I get as far as "chart options" and click on the the "other file" button or the "..." button it all goes pear-shaped. Instead of getting thumbnails of the various chart options, a window opens asking me to locate ltocx1.ocx and no files are visible. If I change the menu at the bottom to "all files" they appear, but whenever I try to open one, I get

the following error code:

 

ErrorMarker: OLE error code 0x80040154: Class not registered. 12 FRMDESCOPTIONS.PGFCHARTOPTIONS1.PAGE2.CNTBOXES1.CNTMETAFILESELECTOR.CMDSELECTFIL

E.CLICK

 

This is a real problem for me as I am making charts for legal purposes and they need to be right. Can anyone please help me? I have tried trinstalling the program 3 times, it makes no difference.

 

Penelope

[Jim Byram 0]

Make sure that you are running v7.04.

[penelope 0]

Make sure that you are running v7.04.

 

 

H'm. No, I've just got v7. is there some particular reason why it wont work on this version?

[penelope 0]

Ok, I couldn't find 7.4, but I did find 7.3 and I've updated it. It's now bringing up the frames nicely and it will use the frames that come with the program. However, the ones that I have made myself, even though they come up for selection along with the others when I hit the browse button, do not display when I actually seek to apply them the chart generated is just the plain one with the blue frame that is the default. Any more clues out there?

 

RobinL - I am also needing to use triangles and circles, did you manage to make some that worked?

[RobinL 0]

RobinL - I am also needing to use triangles and circles, did you manage to make some that worked?

 

I just repeated the previous custom frame experiment in TMG 7.03 with frames that use a circle or triangle selected on the SEX flag and found that it worked as I expected.

 

What are you trying to achieve?

 

Are you trying to create a circle and a triangle fame that surrounds the contents of the box?

 

How much content are placing within the boxes?

 

Remember that the frame surrounds the contents of and is scaled from its original shape by the space required to fit the rectangle that holds the box contents. This places limitations on what can be achieved. That is why my preferred solution was to add a small version of the symbol (circle or triangle) at the attachment port of that person to the descendant chart, ortherwise the space taken up by the frame and/or the distortion of the frame symbol because of the vriable scaling can make the chart unattractive.

 

It is unclear to me what you are expecting to achieve. Please draw a 2 or 3 box example in VCF (using the Toolbar drawing tools) save that VC2 file, zip it and upload it as an attachment to your reply. If you aren't able to do this, please describe it in words.

[Virginia Blakelock 0]

The first thing that comes to mind is that your custom frames are in the wrong folder - but you say you see them when you browse and select a frame. To verify, the default location is

 

Windows Vista:

C:\ProgramData\The Master Genealogist v7\Frames

 

Windows XP and Windows 2000:

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\The Master Genealogist v7\Frames

 

Virginia

[Robert Jacobs 0]

Make sure that you are running v7.04.

 

Is this a typo or am I missing something?

 

 

formerprof

[Virginia Blakelock 0]

Typo. Maybe a bit of wishful thinking . The current release is v7.03.

 

Virginia

[Robert Jacobs 0]

Typo. Maybe a bit of wishful thinking <g>. The current release is v7.03.

 

Virginia

 

 

Thank you, Virginia. Hope springs eternal . . .

 

 

Robert

Edited January 15, 2009 by formerprof

[penelope 0]

Hi Robin,

 

thanks for your reply. What I need to do is have four symbols - circle (female), Triangle (male), strike-through circle (deceased female) and strike-through triangle (deceased male) If I could do those in 2 or 3 different colours, that would be even better.

 

As you describe - there are problems with the symbols getting squashed the closer they are to the bottom of the page. Oddly, when I tried it with the sample that is provided with the program in the same view, the boxes didn't squash up towards the bottom of the page - is there same way I can stop that happening on my own project?

 

How does one "add a small version of the symbol (circle or triangle) at the attachment port of that person to the descendant chart"? Perhaps this could be my solution.

 

My other problem is that while I am able to flag for sex OR living/dead status, I can't see how to flag for both - which I really need to do. Is this something I can solve with the attachment port?

 

I need to have the symbol at the top of the box, the Name beneath, and then 6 or 7 lines beneath. At the moment, I can't even get the text off the symbols, being new to the program. I drew the boxes as per Virginia's instructions above.

 

I have made a zip file, but I can't see where to attach it. Also, I'm not sure I want to post it on a public forum as this may be displeasing to my superiors. I see you're in Adelaide - is it at all possible to speak to you on the phone and/or email it to you offlist?

 

many thanks for your help,

 

Penelope

[RobinL 0]

Hi Penepole,

 

I suggest that you mail the zip file to me here. If possible it should include the .VC2 files that you created on the way to creating your .emf frame files.

 

Once I have looked at your file, I will see what can be done. This discusssion will occur off-list.

 

If appropriate, I will then explain details of any issues and workarounds in this topic.

 

Robin

 

 

 

Hi Robin,

<snip>

I have made a zip file, but I can't see where to attach it. Also, I'm not sure I want to post it on a public forum as this may be displeasing to my superiors. I see you're in Adelaide - is it at all possible to speak to you on the phone and/or email it to you offlist?

Penelope