Book Management

[bkreuter 0]

About every three to five years I print out books of my geneological efforts for my parents, children and grandchildren. I like to include the usual title page, dedication, introduction then a ancestral pedigree chart, geneological report (Journal) and statistic sheet for five different families (Each of my spouses and my families and my Son-in-law's family) followed by a real good index.

 

Was really excited when I found out TMG embeds index codes and loads directly into MS Word. Problem comes when the pedigree charts and statistic sheets do not. Lst time I did this I used the Ultimate Genoligist and before that Roots which both downloaded into RTF.

 

Like I said love the embeding of index codes and documents and photos into TMG. Question how do you get all the files to line up so it will print correct page numbers? I do have access to standard version of Adobe at which can convert the ancestor pedigree chart and the Stistic report files into MS Word. Will this alow me to handle the page numbering and print controls so I can print on both sides of the paper or am I wasteing my time? Or is there a better way I can accomplish want I was able to do in the past when printing my books?

[Terry Reigel 0]

The regular Pedigree does not print as a Word file, as you note. But the Compressed Pedigree does. Would that do what you want?

 

If not, I can think of one work around. If you don't need the Pedigree indexed, put blank pages in the Word file to make the page numbering work, then print the pedigree separately and insert it manually. Or, if you do want it indexed, create a compressed pedigree or other report that includes indexing and has the same people, and add that to the Word document. Then, after printing, replace those pages with the Compressed Pedigree pages. You can set the page numbering of the pedigree to start at the right page number so it will sequence properly.

 

I don't understand the part about the Statistics report. The TMG Statistical report can be created as a Word file. Or do you mean a different report?

[bkreuter 0]

The regular Pedigree does not print as a Word file, as you note. But the Compressed Pedigree does. Would that do what you want?

 

If not, I can think of one work around. If you don't need the Pedigree indexed, put blank pages in the Word file to make the page numbering work, then print the pedigree separately and insert it manually. Or, if you do want it indexed, create a compressed pedigree or other report that includes indexing and has the same people, and add that to the Word document. Then, after printing, replace those pages with the Compressed Pedigree pages. You can set the page numbering of the pedigree to start at the right page number so it will sequence properly.

 

I don't understand the part about the Statistics report. The TMG Statistical report can be created as a Word file. Or do you mean a different report?

 

 

The regular Pedigree does not print as a Word file, as you note. But the Compressed Pedigree does. Would that do what you want?

 

If not, I can think of one work around. If you don't need the Pedigree indexed, put blank pages in the Word file to make the page numbering work, then print the pedigree separately and insert it manually. Or, if you do want it indexed, create a compressed pedigree or other report that includes indexing and has the same people, and add that to the Word document. Then, after printing, replace those pages with the Compressed Pedigree pages. You can set the page numbering of the pedigree to start at the right page number so it will sequence properly.

 

I don't understand the part about the Statistics report. The TMG Statistical report can be created as a Word file. Or do you mean a different report?

 

 

The regular Pedigree does not print as a Word file, as you note. But the Compressed Pedigree does. Would that do what you want?

 

If not, I can think of one work around. If you don't need the Pedigree indexed, put blank pages in the Word file to make the page numbering work, then print the pedigree separately and insert it manually. Or, if you do want it indexed, create a compressed pedigree or other report that includes indexing and has the same people, and add that to the Word document. Then, after printing, replace those pages with the Compressed Pedigree pages. You can set the page numbering of the pedigree to start at the right page number so it will sequence properly.

 

I don't understand the part about the Statistics report. The TMG Statistical report can be created as a Word file. Or do you mean a different report?

 

 

I have too many generations for the compressed report - it starts wraping the text around to the other side of the report. I was hoping to create all my word files and turn them over to one of the quick printing places with better printers than my ink jet so I don't spend days printing and get better quality at the same time. I already knew I was going to have to add these people manually to the index. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

You are correct on the statistical report - it will load into Word.

[bkreuter 0]

My MIS person at work tried converting the Acrobat (PDF) Pedigree chart file to a word processing file today using the Standard Version of Adobe Acrobat that was supposed to be able to do this. She got a font error which keep it from converting. When I came home tonight to change to a different font as she suggested I noticed the Ariel that it was in did not have a symbol in front of it when I listed the availabe fonts. Does the A in front of some of the fonts indicate they are Adobe fonts and should convert? I'll try a different font tomorrow. Any suggestions from anyone out there who puts numerous reports together to make a book?

 

I desire to convert my PDF pedigree charts into a Word document is so I could include them in a Master Document file with other files of each of my reports I want to include in my book to be able to generate an index from all the files combined and get my page numbers correct.

 

Have checked the User Guide and Lee Hoffman's book and so far I have not found much on being able to do what I want to do.

 

As stated before I want to create a book for my Grandchildren with:

Title Page

Dedication

Table of Contents

Preface

Grandchildrens Father's (my Son in Law) Family short introduction (Text and exhibits)

Grandchildrens Father's Family Pedigree Chart

Grandchildrens Father's Family Ancestral Journal

Grandchildrens Father's Family Statistical Report

My Father's Family short introduction (Text and exhibits)

My Father's Family Pedigree Chart

My Father's Family Ancestral Journal

My Father's Family Statistical Report

My Mother's Family short introduction (Text and exhibits)

My Mother's Family Pedigree Chart

My Mother's Family Ancestral Journal

My Mother's Family Statistical Report

My Wife's Father's Family short introduction (Text and exhibits)

My Wife's Father's Family Pedigree Chart

My Wife's Father's Family Ancestral Journal

My Wife's Father's Family Statistical Report

My Wife's Mother's Family short introduction (Text and exhibits)

My Wife's Mother's Family Pedigree Chart

My Wife's Mother's Family Ancestral Journal

My Wife's Mother's Family Statistical Report

Index

 

Hope you can see by all the above to get the page numbering correct I can't just go print a number of reports individually. I WOULD THINK I WOULD HAVE TO PUT ALL THE SEPARATE FILES INTO A MASTER DOCUMENT TO BE ABLE TO GET THE INDEX AND PAGE NUMBERING CORRECT.

 

If anyone has ever done anything like this before with The Master Genealogist I would apprecate guidance to make it happen. If the Pedigree charts were RTF like I've used in the last time I printed my books I would have no problem.

[bkreuter 0]

Another possible solution would be if I could just enter the desired beginning page number. Looked in the user guide, help window and no mention of a way to enter starting page number. Is this possible?

[Virginia Blakelock 0]

My MIS person at work tried converting the Acrobat (PDF) Pedigree chart file to a word processing file today using the Standard Version of Adobe Acrobat that was supposed to be able to do this. She got a font error which keep it from converting. When I came home tonight to change to a different font as she suggested I noticed the Ariel that it was in did not have a symbol in front of it when I listed the availabe fonts. Does the A in front of some of the fonts indicate they are Adobe fonts and should convert? I'll try a different font tomorrow.

 

The Pedigree Chart specifically requires the AlineTMG font. The MIS person will need to have that font on her computer in order to convert your TMG document. I can send you that font to install on her computer and will contact you directly for an email address.

 

Virginia

[Paul Lawrence 0]

Another possible solution would be if I could just enter the desired beginning page number. Looked in the user guide, help window and no mention of a way to enter starting page number. Is this possible?

 

On the Report Definition Screen, lower right is a place to indicated starting page number....

[bkreuter 0]

Thanks Virginia and Lawrpaul - I will try both of these.

 

Am I a minority in that I want to get my data out in hard copy for future generations. We all love the momentary thrills of finding family history, but isn't the real purpose of doing all this to pass what we find on to future generations so it is not lost? I'm new to The Master Genealogist program and find it miles ahead of ROOTS, The Ultimate Family Tree and FTM which I have used over the past 20 or so years as far as the data you can record. Hopefully my problems being able to do what I want to do are because I don't understand the program yet. I was able to do it on Ultimate Family Tree seven years ago transferring everything to RTF, the MS WORD and compiling in a master document. TMG will let me go direct to MS WORD, embeds the Index codes and Exhibits on the Journals which is great but the pedigree charts are still giving me trouble - again thanks for helping me out. I'll keep plugging along.

[Pierce.Reid 0]

Thanks Virginia and Lawrpaul - I will try both of these.

 

Am I a minority in that I want to get my data out in hard copy for future generations. We all love the momentary thrills of finding family history, but isn't the real purpose of doing all this to pass what we find on to future generations so it is not lost? I'm new to The Master Genealogist program and find it miles ahead of ROOTS, The Ultimate Family Tree and FTM which I have used over the past 20 or so years as far as the data you can record. Hopefully my problems being able to do what I want to do are because I don't understand the program yet. I was able to do it on Ultimate Family Tree seven years ago transferring everything to RTF, the MS WORD and compiling in a master document. TMG will let me go direct to MS WORD, embeds the Index codes and Exhibits on the Journals which is great but the pedigree charts are still giving me trouble - again thanks for helping me out. I'll keep plugging along.

 

Bill,

I agree that a name index is a valuable part of any proper genealogy report.

 

If you have tried using the index codes in Roots IV/UFT, you will find them a bit different to use in TMG.

 

UFT had you put the individual's number in the text fields if you were going to have index references within your text block. TMG has you inserting the actual index values into the memo fields. If you want one entry in your document index to refer to both individual references from the role sentences as well as within memos, you need to ensure that you enter the individual's information in the index code in the memo exactly as TMG will format its index code: Last name, given names, and possible birth & death years.

 

This is not too much of a problem if you don't create any index codes in the memo fields until you are about ready to produce your final report. At that point you have presumably finalized on which of the various index formats you want, e.g. do you want to add the birth and death dates to the individuals' names (especially valuable if you have a number of individuals with identical names - and I think we all have some of those) and people's names in your data base have been "finalized".

 

If you want to add index codes to your memo fields as you create them initially (usually an easier way to do that), then you could have a problem. If, for example, you describe a will and indicate various beneficiaries and executors, you may not know exactly who the individuals all are at that time. You could still create the individuals in your data base, but you might not know their full names or their birth and death dates. Later research could fill in that information, but then you would have to go back to the will description to correct the data you put into the index term initially. You may well have to update the index information several times before you get it right. And you won't know if you have it right until you create a report with the index terms, and you proof read all the index terms.

 

Another problem could be if you change the format that you want TMG to create index terms. It is best to decide on a format initially and stick to it, both for creating index terms and for creating reports.

 

The UFT method of using the individual's number means that the latest version of a person's name and dates are used when you produce the report. The down-side to the UFT method is that you cannot easily provide different formats of a person's name, such as nicknames or a woman's married. UFT juse uses the birth name that you have entered.

 

A year ago, I suggested to Bob Velke that an additional syntax for index information in memo fields be allowed that uses the individuals' numbers. It seems like a fairly simple enhancement, as TMG must create index references for individuals referenced in role sentences. At the time I presented my idea, he hypothesized possible confusions if people had multiple data sets within a project. Since I don't envision wanting to use that feature, I don't understand it enough to see what the problem might be. In any case, those who want to create index references using individual numbers would just have to be careful where they use them. It would certainly make it easier to get a consistent index for Journal type reports.

 

One other problem you will notice if your are converting a UFT database with index references in text blocks, is that TMG's Genbridge import program just creates index entries of the format Last name, given names. There is not an option to have Genbridge add the birth and death years, if that is your UFT standard.

 

(These comments are for TMG 6.12. I did not see any mention of index codes in the brief description of TMG 7 that Bob has published, so it seems my suggestions have not been included in the upgrade.)

 

Pierce