Search for content in message boards

Export witnesses w/ gedcom?

Re: Export witnesses w/ gedcom?

Posted: 24 Jun 2013 9:29AM GMT
Classification: Query
Resurrect? No. This is the first time this issue has come up for me, and the fact that the previous discussion was 4 years ago doesn't make it any less relevant.

As for asking Bob Velke, the amount of outdated info on the whollygenes website and comments on other message boards indicate that he's no longer interested in solving problems with TMG.

Re: Export witnesses w/ gedcom?

Posted: 24 Jun 2013 12:26PM GMT
Classification: Query
Edited: 24 Jun 2013 7:38PM GMT
Debbie,

This may sound like I'm coming to the aid of Andy, but it is not. I'm not a TMG user but I am a heavy GEDCOM v5.5.1 user.

Andy's 4 year old comment would today most likely be a little different than it was, but he is right on regarding "witnesses" of events, the subject of this thread (not a census). GEDCOM does not support the ASSO tag used to support these type of events and no other tag is appropriate to support the connection of an event to another individual. I use the NOTE tag to enter participants in events, such as judges, witnesses, co signers, etc.

If TMG does not export census information that is an issue you need to bring up with the development staff. That would be best done on a board at TMG not here since this is a public support board not associated with TMG.

All programs should/could do a better job of using GEDCOM correctly FIRST before generating their own tags. Most programs know nothing about GEDCOM and care little about using the standard correctly. They generally don't care, they would rather lock you into their program than give you a way to use " best of breed" software.

This is a loosing battle on my part. Many think that GEDCOM is old and antiquated, and needs to be rewritten. I don't belong to that group. I think that a carefully thought out enhancement program is in order then a strong campaign to tell software companies from the user community that unless they support GEDCOM correctly WE WILL NOT PURCHASE software that is not compliant.

EDIT: Unfortunately, most of the users of the popular genealogy programs such as FTM, Legacy, RootsMagic and others are novice users and know nothing about GEDCOM, and are more interested in the fancy wiz-bang new stuff that has little to do with basic genealogy research. They also expect that the program they are using, because of heavy sales campaigns or have TV programs, are the best to use. Unfortunately, they are not and these programs do little to educate the community in good (and universal) recording practices. The lack of universal recording practices and software that supports these practices is a major problem that would not be solved by better GEDCOM support but better GEDCOM support by the software companies would go a long way to better practices by the community.

Re: Export witnesses w/ gedcom?

Posted: 24 Jun 2013 6:04PM GMT
Classification: Query
I'm not sure what whiz-bang features you mean, I think TMG has many more features than any other program which is why I've stuck with it, despite my complaints.

I will continue to wish for a better method for transferring data between software packages although I can understand the developers reluctance to make it easy for us.

Re: Export witnesses w/ gedcom?

Posted: 21 Jul 2013 4:17PM GMT
Classification: Query
Angela -

In TMG you can use Copy Tag to copy the principal's census tag to each household member - and then quickly and easily edit any data specific to the individual. These tags are included in a GEDCOM. I have used this method successfully for many years.

Virginia

Re: Export witnesses w/ gedcom?

Posted: 15 Jul 2014 5:56PM GMT
Classification: Query
I have developed a software package for Microsoft computers, named WitnessProj, that can add witness data to the GEDCOM output from The Master Genealogist. I have tested the current version with GEDCOM output from TMG version 8.08. I have not tested it with output from any of the version 9s, although I believe that it will accommodate these versions. The earlier versions of WitnessProj did not function properly with TMG version 8, due to a change in the TMG internal file structures from TMG version 7.

The program builds witness entries from TMG project files and includes them in a compatible GEDCOM file. All that is strictly required is that the GEDCOM file have the same numbering conventions of the TMG file and that the TMG file include all individuals that occur in the GEDCOM file. The program asks that the TMG project be identified in the form of the core ". . . __.PJC" file of the project. It also asks for the input GEDCOM file to be identified. After the program processes and inserts the witness data, a new GEDCOM file is left in the program's folder as "newGEDCOM.ged".

The generated witness statements inserted -
1 EVEN
2 TYPE Witness: [role] in [eventtype] for [Prin1] and [Prin2] **
2 DATE [date]*
2 PLACE [place]*

* entry is omitted when [date] or [place] is blank.
** either or both [prin1] and [prin2] is omitted when blank.

For information purposes, a listing of these generated witness GEDCOM statements is also left in the program's folder as "witnessOut.txt". The package for each witness in the file is preceded by an identifier for that witness in the form "[pref_id] *****************".

The program was originally written to prepare the GEDCOM input for another of the programs I had written, "Progenitor 4". Since I use The Master Genealogist for my own files, I was bothered that the GEDCOMs produced by TMG did not include any witness data. If one is interested in looking at Progenitor 4, please go to progenitor/crestline-enterprises.com. One can of course use the "Witness Program" independent from using "Progenitor 4".

One can download "WitnessProj.exe" from:
"genealogy.crestline-enterprises.com/witnessindex.html".

You can then copy it into any available folder and run it from there.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Before installing the Witness Program, in order for the Witness Program to be able to read the internal files of The Master Genealogist, one must first install the Microsoft VFPOLEDB facility.

This can be gotten from:
"http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=1483..."

I believe that one may choose either of two relevant files to download, although I have used VFPOLEDBSetup.msi. After the VFPOLEDB facility has been installed, one may then install the Witness Program.

Over the next few weeks (only), if one has any questions or encounters any problems, I'd be willing to address them. If anyone can verify that WitnessProj works with TMG version 9, please let me know.

Re: Export witnesses w/ gedcom?

Posted: 11 Aug 2014 10:04PM GMT
Classification: Query
Given the announced discontinuation of TMG development I've been thinking of porting to another software. The witness capability of TMG is indeed one of the biggest draws and will be most difficult to deal with.

Just wanted to let you know that I tried to download WitnessProj.exe and Norton antivirus removed it from my system as possibly dangerous. It gave me no option to keep.

Re: Export witnesses w/ gedcom?

Posted: 12 Aug 2014 4:53PM GMT
Classification: Query
I've already been told that some anti-virus programs are blocking the download of the program I haven't done anything about fixing this version since no one seemed interested. I have, however, produced a new version.

I have revised the program and renamed it witnessTMG.exe and packaged it in a zipped file. Hopefully, this will prevent anti-virus programs from summarily blocking it. You still might have to give special permission to unzip the file.

The witnessTMG.exe has some additional changes. Among those are the change in format for dates that occur within a WITNESS statement. The new format is DD MMM YYYY.

You can get witnessTMG via http://www.crestline-enterprises.com/witnessTMG/

Re: Export witnesses w/ gedcom?

Posted: 23 Nov 2014 9:52PM GMT
Classification: Query
Hi,
I downloaded and successfully executed 'witnessTMG'. Nice! However, found a bug with your date formatter - all dates generated to the .ged file are one month prior to the actual date. For instance, what appears in the TMG tag is '22 Aug 1861' but '22 Jul 1861' was generated into the new file.

Thanks for your efforts. This could be very helpful!
per page

Find a board about a specific topic