How can I change footnotes to endnotes?
Applies to: TMG

Answer:
TMG 4 and earlier: On the Report Definition screen click on [Publication Tools] and select the option you desire for Memos and/or Sources.
TMG 5: Report Definition screen > Options > Memos and/or Sources Tabs.

The choices are: None, Footnotes, Endnotes, Embedded or Embedded w/parentheses. If you choose Endnotes you may select Unique.

For Memos you can also choose Include name memos, Include relationship memos and/or Include memos from witnessed events.

For Sources you can also choose Suppress citation details (CD), Show surety, Show excluded citations, Include name sources, Include relationship sources and/or Disable "Ibid."

If you choose Unique endnotes and output to a word processor you lose the ability to have the endnotes automatically renumber themselves if you edit the data in the word processor.

How can I create a new data set from a certain subset of people?
Applies to: TMG

Answer: This can often be accomplished by simply generating a List of People report that is filtered for the target group (e.g., "Is a descendant of ID # 23"). Use the Secondary Output option to create a new data set from the people who appear in the output.

If the target group can't be identified through a single filter, then you can create a custom flag (e.g., MyGroup) to identify members of the group. You can set the value of the MyGroup flag manually for individuals or you can use the List of People report to globally change the flag for people who meet certain conditions.

Then generate a List of People report that is filtered for MyGroup=Y and use the Secondary Output option to create a new dataset from that group.

How can I enter a variable in a filter?
Applies to: TMG

Answer: When creating a filter, in the Value column enter [?]. When you run the report you will receive a request to enter the value that applies to this particular filter.

You may enter the [?] for each of the filter lines and the requests will all be displayed on one screen when you run the report.

How can I find census candidates for a particular year?
Applies to: TMG

Answer: I have set separate flags for each census year (for example "Census 1880" for the 1880 US census).

In order to find candidates for the 1880 census, make a copy of the List of All Names report in the Custom Report Writer and changed the name of the report to 1880 Census Candidate.

On the Secondary Output tab, check Create Custom Picklist.

On the General tab check Suppress for Secondary Output so you wouldn't "print" the report when it is run.

On the Focus tab check Filtered Group and added the following filter:

Any Event Group(s) Place Contains USA AND
Any Event Group(s) Date - Year Is Less Than 1881 AND
Any Event Group(s) Date - Year Is Greater Than 1879 AND
( Any Death Group Tag Does Not Exist OR
Any Death Group Date - Year Is Not Less Than 1880 ) AND
( Any Birth Group Tag Does Not Exist OR
Any Birth Group Date Is Less Than 1881 ) AND
Any Census 1880 Tag Does Not Exist END

You may change the year and/or Country to customize the report for various census years. You may also enter a State, County , or City instead of a Country in the first filter line to define a subset of the census.

Note: The use of USA in the filter does not necessarily eliminate other entries that have an embedded usa in the name. There are cities in other countries that contain usa in the name but these should be easy to spot and eliminate as candidates.

How can I get rid of the semicolon in my narrative reports?
Applies to: TMG

Answer: There is a report option to output memos after the sentence. If that option chosen, the sentence and the memo are separated by a semicolon. To remove the semicolon, include a reference to the memo in the sentence.

For instance, change the sentence structure from:
[P] was born <[D]> <[L]>

to:
[P] was born <[D]> <[L]> <[M]>

How can I include the spouse's parents on a Family Group Sheet?
Applies to: TMG
Answer:

• From the Menu bar, click Report > Family Group Sheet
• Click on Options
• Select the Tags Tab
• Under Subject, select "Include parents"
• Under Spouse, select "Include parents"
• Under Children, select "Include their spouses", "Include their in-laws" and "Include their children" (I want everyone's name)

How can I maintain paragraphs in reports?
Applies to: TMG

Answer: When large amounts of text are entered in a Memo field, the user may enter it as paragraphs or tables. Often when reports are generated, the text is all printed together or otherwise not formatted as desired. Usually this is after entering the text with carriage returns and tabs. The Report Writer will best know to retain such formatting when the appropriate codes are used. For example, add two carriage return codes "[:CR:][:CR:]" to the text when you want a paragraph. If you want the new paragraph indented, add a tab code "[:TAB:]" following the two carriage return variables, e.g., "[:CR:][:CR:][:TAB:]". If you are using tabs to format text in a small table, use the tab code "[:TAB:]" in place of the tab key.

Other keywords: Embedded Format Codes

How can I move my report definitions to another computer?
Applies to: TMG

Answer: The easiest way to move report definitions is by using the Backup and Restore Wizards. Step 3 of the Backup Wizard includes an option to include report configurations.

Note that it is not necessary to backup a data project. Leave the "Select project" field empty on Step 2 in order to create a backup that includes only report configurations.

How can I preview sentence output?
Applies to: TMG

Answer (TMG v7): The Sentence Preview feature in TMG v7 helps you to predict what a sentence will look like in a report. On the Tag Entry window, click the [Sentence] button to edit the sentence for the current tag. (The [Sentence] button is available if you have set File > Preferences > Data Entry > Data Entry Mode to "Advanced".) The Sentence structures window shows a preview of the output from the current sentence.

If you enable the "Recalculate the preview with each keystroke" option, the preview will be updated as you edit the sentence. Otherwise, you have to press the [Refresh] button to update the preview. Some users find the real-time updating distracting, and those users should disable the "Recalculate the preview with each keystroke" option.

Answer (TMG v6 and previous): TMG does not include a sentence preview feature: you can not see the sentence with the variable codes replaced by the appropriate tag data without running a report. As a result, many users create a custom toolbar button to minimize the steps necessary to produce a "sentence preview" report. Follow the instructions below to add such a button to your toolbar.

• Select a report type, either an Individual Narrative or Journal.
• Make a new report, or select an existing report. Customize it according to your preferences.
• Set the focus to "Use the Current Focus Person."
• Print to: Screen.
• In Options, select "Bypass the Report Definition Screen when this report is called from a toolbar button."
• Assign an appropriate Configuration Name for the Report and remember it: you'll need that in a subsequent step.
• To customize the toolbar, access View > Toolbars > Customize (or right-click on the toolbar and choose Customize).
• From the Unused Buttons: column > Select Run a report of a specific name > Add > Select Report from the drop-down list.
• Enter a description in the ToolTip message and Select the Text or Icon to appear on your button.

When you click on the button, from the toolbar, the report will preview to the screen.

By the way, some users choose HTML output for their preview report. That way, they can review the report output in their web browser and switch back and forth to TMG to modify tags, etc.

How can I select the same report over and over?
Applies to: TMG

Answer: At the bottom of the Reports menu is a list of the most recently printed reports.

Applies to: TMG4 and earlier

Answer: There is a little known feature of TMG that allows you to list the last five reports that were generated at the bottom of the Reports drop down menu under the Custom Report Writer ... entry. This feature is not activated by default.

To activate this feature go to Tools > Options... > General, place a check mark on the entry Report History in the Display area of the screen and click [OK].

The next five reports you generate after activating this feature will appear on the list.

How do I add entries to the report indexes?
Applies to: TMG

Answer: The Report Writer will create a variety of different indexes from names and places entered in name and event tags.

You add entries to these indexes using the [INDEX:] and [:INDEX] printer codes. You might want to add an index entry when a person's name or a place appears in an event memo. See the note about limitations below.

If you want your manually created index entries to be sorted properly among the automatic entries, your entries must match the format of the entries created by TMG. The basic format is relatively simple:

[INDEX:]name-of-index:index-data[:INDEX]

The "name-of-index" part is replaced by the name of the appropriate index. Index names vary based on the indexes you choose on the Index(es) screen.

The content of the "index-data" part varies by the type of index entry being created. You may add additional colons to create additional indentation levels in the resulting index. For example, the entry above would create an index entry roughly as follows:

name-of-index
index-data

Add another colon and more data to add another indentation level:

[INDEX:]name-of-index:level1:level2[:INDEX]

The resulting index entry would be:

name-of-index
level1
level2

In order to create entries in the correct index, you have to know the name of the index and the index data to provide. This is somewhat complex, mostly because the Report Writer supports a number of indexes and in some cases provides options that combine multiple indexes into a single index. The list below describes each index in detail. The [INDEX:] and [:INDEX] codes have been omitted to reduce clutter in the table. Please assume that they surround each of the formats and examples.

The examples below are in the format:
Name of Index
Format(s)
Example(s)

People Related: Surname, Given Name, and Surname/Given Name Combined
(The inclusion and format of the lifespan varies by lifespan-specific options)

Surname Index (only)
[People:surname:given name (lifespan)
People:Smith:Mary (b. 1901, d. 1964)

Given Name Index (only)
People:given name:surname (lifespan)
People:Mary:Smith (b. 1901, d. 1964)

Surname Index and Given Name Index (both indexes, not combined)
People by Given Name:given name:surname (lifespan)
People by Surname:Surname:given name (lifespan)
People by Given Name:Mary:Smith (b. 1901, d. 1964)
People by Surname:Smith:Mary (b. 1901, d. 1964)

Surname Index and Given Name Index(combined)
People:Given Name:Surname (lifespan)
People:surname:given name (lifespan)
People:Mary:Smith (b. 1901, d. 1964)
People:Smith:Mary (b. 1901, d. 1964)

Place Related: Places (See the note about places below)

Places Index
Places:subfield 1:subfield 2, etc.
Places:Massachusetts:Boston

People and Place Combined (You may only combine the People and Place indexes when a single People index (either Surname or Given Name) is chosen; the examples assume that the Surname Index was selected)

People and Places Index(combined)
People and Places:level 1:level 2, etc.
People and Places:Smith:Mary (b. 1901, d. 1964)
People and Places:Massachusetts:Boston

Marriage Related: Bride, Groom, and Bride/Groom Combined

Bride Index
Brides:bride surname, bride given name and groom
Brides:Smith, Mary and John Jones

Groom Index
Grooms:groom surname, groom given name and bride
Grooms:Jones, John and Mary Smith

Bride Index and Groom Index (combined)
Marriage:surname, given name and spouse
Marriages:Jones, John and Mary Smith
Marriages:Smith, Mary and John Jones

Places

You may choose to create multiple index entries for a single place by checking the "By City (L4)", "By County (L5)", etc., options on the Index(es) tab of the Publication Tools dialog. When you check one of those options, you are requesting an index entry for each place that includes that level of detail as well as all larger levels of detail. The subfields may be ordered smallest elements first or largest elements first. In the examples above, I assumed that only the "By City (L4)" option was checked. I also assumed that the "Largest Elements First" option was checked.

Limitations

The [INDEX:] and [:INDEX] codes provide the means to manually create index entries, but it is up to you to key the appropriate data between the codes. The format of the entries created automatically by the CRW varies based on the selections you make in the Publication Tools dialog. If you create the manual index entries to match a particular option set, and then change the options, your manual entries may not sort properly among the automatic entries.

What does "One or more images failed to export" mean?
Applies to: TMG

Answer: When generating a report with images to a word processor, TMG sometimes needs to copy and/or convert those images to a format that the word processor can handle. When sending a report with images to WordPerfect, for instance, the images are copied and converted to WordPerfect's proprietary format (WPG).

In some cases, the image drivers used by TMG can be damaged or overwritten by the subsequent installation of another application.

Unfortunately, some applications have been found to hijack attempts by others to use those image drivers. Even when they are not running, the offending applications are configured to intercept any use of certain shared files, effectively blocking their use. The following applications are known to exhibit this behavior:

- HP Photo and Imaging Software (distributed with some HP scanners and digital cameras).

Solutions:
(1) In the case of one or more damaged or overwritten files, reinstalling TMG will usually solve the problem.
(2) The following steps should resolve the driver conflict mentioned above:

• Click on the Windows button.
  
• Choose "Run..."
  
• Cut and paste the following command into the text field:
  regsvr32 -u "c:\program files\hewlett-packard\memories disc\ltocx12n.ocx"
  and then click on <OK>.

Note: The command above represents the default installation for the HP driver. If you installed the HP driver elsewhere, you will need to search for its copy of ltocx12n.ocx and substitute the appropriate folder in the command above.

Other keywords: scanner, pictures, driver, graphics, report, output, WPG, JPG

Why are some tags not included in a report?
Applies to: TMG

Answer: There are two common reasons why some tags are not included in the output of a report.

1) The tag type may be excluded; check the Tag Types setting which appears on one of the option tabs of the Report Definition. If the Tag Types setting is Selected, click the [Define] button and make sure that all the desired tag types are set to Yes. When you define a new custom tag, it will not be selected; that's a common cause of this problem.

2) The Surety setting may be too restrictive; compare the Surety Values for the tag's citations to the Surety setting which appears on one of the option tabs of the Report Definition.

Why do I get "Class definition CDINTF.CDINTF is not found"?
Applies to: TMG
Answer:
The PDF printer needs to be installed on your computer.
File > Printer Setup > Install PDF printer

Why do I get a ?/F or ?/M on my Family Group Sheets?
Applies to: TMG

Answer: The ?/F or ?/M on the Family Group Sheet in front of each child's entry is because the Birthorder Flag has not been set for those individuals.

This can be remedied in two ways:

The first way is to go back and manually set the Birthorder Flag for every individual in your database. This will cause the ? to change to a number indicating the birthorder of the children. This is not recommended as it is almost impossible to know the birth order of all of the individuals you have found.

The Birthorder Flag is normally used only when you know the birthorder but not the birth dates.

The recommended way:
TMG 4 and earlier: Go to the Options 2 tab on the Report Definition Screen and turn off the option Birthorder of children in the Misc: area of the screen.

TMG 5: Report Definition Screen > Options > Miscellaneous Tab > de-select Birthorder of Children

This will eliminate the ?/ part of the output and only the sex of the child will remain.

Why does some information show on reports as "unknown"?
Applies to: TMG

Answer: Some narrative reports are generated that appear good until they are read through. Then names, date, places or additional data show as "unknown person," "unknown date," "unknown place," or "unknown data," although the user is certain that this data has been entered. For example, a marriage tag with both principals, a date, and a place might generate the following sentence in the report: "He and an unknown person were married on an unknown date at an unknown place." Since we know the data is present in the tag, the reason is usually that the Report Definition is set to accept only data of a certain minimum Surety Value. In the Report Definition, look for the Surety options, making sure that they are set "No Threshold" and "Include Blank Surety."

How do I not print "unknown" when there is no data?
Applies to: TMG

Answer: When dates, places or other data are left blank in a tag, most default sentences recognize that the field is blank and skip over it. But Custom Tags and Sentences print that the data is unknown. To have the Report Writer skip over blank fields, make sure the variable for the blank field in the Tag or Witness Sentence is marked as conditional: To make the variable conditional, add angle brackets around the standard variable. For example, if the date variable "[D]" produces "unknown date" when the Date field is blank, change the variable in the Sentence to "<[D]>".

Other keywords: Conditional Variable Sentence

Why is there an "at"/"in"/blank before the location?
Applies to: TMG

Answer: You have the option to select at, in or blank in front of the Location on the Report Definition screen.

In TMG 4, for example on the Individual Narrative report this option is located under the Options 2 tab while on the Journal (Narrative) report it is under the Tags tab.

In TMG 5, this option is located on the Options > Location tab.

In TMG 6 and after, this option is located on the Options > Places tab.