Family Tree Maker reportedly is the best-selling genealogy program in the world and for very good reasons: it is easy to use and is well marketed. Even though it has been higher-priced than most of its competitors, millions of people use Family Tree Maker to record the results of their genealogy searches. A new update to the program has just been released, and I had a chance to use it for a bit. I would have expected this to be called "Version 12," but the new owners apparently wish to start a new naming convention. This one is referred to by date. Like the automobile manufacturers, new versions are introduced in late summer before the actual model year.
Family Tree Maker has a long and convoluted "ancestry." This program has been owned by more companies than I can remember. In the early summer of 2004, it was acquired by MyFamily.com, the owners of Ancestry.com. A new version of the program was released a few months later, but I know that version was already in the works before the acquisition. It was created by the same programming group that had created earlier versions. This year's release of Family Tree Maker 2005 is the first to be completely designed by the new owners and with many new programmers on the project. Ancestry.com has long had a reputation for being more serious about genealogy research methodologies than the previous owners. I was interested to see what the new features would be, especially if they are features demanded by serious genealogists.
Installation was simple: insert the Family Tree Maker CD-ROM into the computer, and then answer a number of questions that appear on the screen. About two minutes later, the installation is complete.
During installation, the user is asked whether or not to copy the "ClickArt," maps, and user manuals to the hard drive. A minimal installation without those three items will require more than 27 megabytes of disk space for the program. Including ClickArt, maps, and user manuals will increase the disk space requirement to about 54 megabytes. This is a big program! Those numbers are for the program alone and do not include the space required for your database, stored reports, or generated Web pages.
The first time the program is launched, the user is asked to choose from three different options: create a new database, open an existing database, or take an online tour. I elected to take the tour.
After completing the tour, I created a new database. The next screen that appeared is called the Family View. Data always revolves around a couple; one man and one woman, labeled as Husband and Wife. Apparently, the developers assume that all couples who have biological children are married. However, the program also allows additional parental relationships: adopted, foster, step, family member, private, or unknown.
In Family View, you can see three generations within the same page – a primary couple, the couple's parents, and the couple's children – and edit two of those generations from the same page (the primary couple and the children). Integrated navigation controls also let you quickly move up or down the family tree by clicking on one of the navigation arrows or using your keyboard arrow keys.
I was immediately struck by the fact that the main Family View screen is all new; it does not even resemble the earlier versions of Family Tree Maker with their "tabbed interface." This is a good thing, in my mind. I never liked the "dummied down" user interface of earlier versions of this program. The earlier screens seemed to waste a lot of space, a major factor when using 800-by-600 pixel screen displays. The new look packs a lot more information into one screen and yet does not look crowded. However, I also must concede that the earlier interface was very easy to use, and this probably contributed to the program's popularity among newcomers. It should be interesting to see if the new interface still attracts newcomers. I suspect that experienced genealogists will prefer the Family Tree Maker 2005 interface, but I am not so sure about the newbies.
The original announcement of Family Tree Maker 2005 stated, "Add your immediate family members and up to eight children." This would insinuate that only eight children could be shown in one family. Luckily, this is not the case. Family Tree Maker has always allowed for much larger families, but past versions would only display the first four children in the Family View screen. With the new and improved interface, the 2005 edition will show a maximum of eight children in the same space. Still, it would be nice to be able to show all of my grandparents' sixteen children at once.
I entered data about a few individuals into the database and found that data entry was simple. Best of all, beside every entry field for name, birth place, and death place, there is an icon for a source citation. Click on that icon, and a pop-up window appears for entering the title of the source, the citation page, and text, author, publication facts, call number, source quality, researcher's comments about this source, and even a capability for inserting an image of the source citation. Do you have a scanned image of a marriage record or a census entry? If so, you can enter that image as part of the source citation. That is an excellent method of citing one's sources!
Family Tree Maker 2005 also seems to have a true sources database. That is, if you use the same source citation in the records of 75 people, you do not need to enter the source citations 75 times. Even better, if you ever want to change or add more information about a particular source, you do not need to do that 75 times. Instead, you find the single source citation and edit that one item. All 75 entries that point to that single citation will then reflect the updated information.
I have complained many times over the years about Family Tree Maker's weak source citation capabilities. The program was one of the last in the marketplace to even add the capability of recording source citations. Even then, it had a very anemic method of recording citations that was little more than free-form notes attached to each record. Successive releases occasionally added improvements to source citations, but the program has never equaled the source citation capabilities of its lower-priced competitors. I am pleased to see the 2005 version has a very good source citation capability.
One of the first tests of any genealogy program is its ease of recording conflicting data. For instance, I have found three different dates and four different locations for the birth of one of my great-great-grandfathers. He even gave conflicting information to the census takers in different years. I have multiple source citations from various census records, town records, and other documents; I do not know which "fact" is correct. Conflicting data is very common in genealogy. Anyone who has been researching the family tree for a while will find similar conflicts.
Family Tree Maker 2005 allows for "alternate facts" or "alternate events," as well as "preferred facts" that should take care of this problem. This capability allows for recording of all the data for my great-great-grandfather. To add an alternate fact or event, you do the following:
1. Open the Edit Individual dialog box for the individual.2. Just as you would add a new fact, choose the Add Fact button and enter the alternate fact. Family Tree Maker will allow you to add conflicting facts.
3. If the Make Preferred button is grayed out (so that you cannot click on it) this means that the displayed fact is the current preferred fact for the individual. If you would like another fact to be the preferred fact, click on that fact and click the Make Preferred button. The previous Make Preferred fact will be grayed out.
I was disappointed that the program requires one of the facts to be the "preferred fact." It defaults to the first fact that is entered although that can later be changed. In the case of my great-great-grandfather, I have no clue as to which fact is more likely to be correct. Which one do I select as "preferred?"
The preferred fact is also the only one that shows up on the screens and reports. Most other modern genealogy programs allow the user to enter multiple dates and locations and do not require any guess as to which is the more likely correct fact.
Family Tree Maker 2005 offers the capability to include extensive notes about each individual, as well as height, weight, cause of death, and medical information.
Family Tree Maker 2005 also requires the person's entire name to be entered into one field. Other genealogy programs typically have a single data entry field for first and middle names and a second field for the surname. That usually allows for easier editing, sorting, and searching of surnames.
Family Tree Maker 2005 assumes that the last single word entered into its single name field is the surname. This is often not true, such Peter Van Der Voort or Pierre Bourbeau dit Lacourse or John Smith Jr. In such instances, it is necessary to identify the surname for Family Tree Maker. This is done by surrounding the surname with backward slashes (\), such as:
Peter \Van Der Voort\Pierre \Bourbeau dit Lacourse\
John \Smith\ Jr.
Another instance in which you might need to use backward slashes is when entering someone who does not have a last name, such as a person of Native American descent. For instance, your ancestor might have been known as Running Bear. This name would be entered in Family Tree Maker as Running Bear\\. The same would be true when the surname of an ancestor is not known, a common occurrence when trying to identify female ancestors. You will need to enter Mary's name as Mary \\.
In addition to the Family View, a Pedigree View is available that shows from three to seven generations at a time. The Pedigree View is fully interactive; you can click on a field and edit it directly. Navigating around the Pedigree View seemed easier than with most other genealogy programs of today.
Of course, there are capabilities to search for individuals within the database. All searches seemed to be simple and intuitive.
One of Family Tree Maker's strongest capabilities over the years has been its multimedia scrapbook. The 2005 edition is no exception; it continues the tradition and even improves on it. Each individual and each marriage in your Family File has a Scrapbook where you can store virtually any type of information about your family, including Kodak Photo CD Pictures, sound files, video files, text files, picture files, and more. You can then use these images to enhance reports and family books, play slide shows, and more.
Family Tree Maker 2005 offers a new Web Search tool to help you find information about your ancestors. Web Search is always running in the background while you are using Family Tree Maker (unless you have turned this option off or unless you are not connected to the Internet). It will search Ancestry.com for more information about the people in your tree. When it finds a match that meets your designated criteria (i.e. 4 stars and higher, 3 stars and higher, etc.), the Web Search button changes to a new button that shows you have possible additional information available. To view the Web Search results on any individual, click on the Web Search button next to his/her information. You will be brought to the first page of results.
The Web Search report is divided into three sections:
1. The top half of the report lists the Web search results found for the person in your tree. The Source column tells you the name of the Ancestry.com collection in which Family Tree Maker found the information.2. When you select a result, the bottom left box displays the information found in that Ancestry.com record. Of course, if you do not have a subscription to Ancestry.com, you will see only header information for any information within their subscription databases.
3. The bottom right box shows you the information you already have in your file about this person. This makes it easier for you to compare your information with the information found online.
Keep in mind that many of the records on Ancestry.com require a paid subscription before you can view them.
Family Tree Maker 2005 has an excellent system of merging individuals. This is useful when you obtain a database from a distant cousin and want to add it to yours. You and your cousin may have the same individuals listed in each database; so, you need to merge them together to avoid duplicates. The program also has a Web Merge feature that can merge records found online on Ancestry.com into your existing database. With both the database merge and the Web merge, you can merge either one person at a time or as a one-time effort to allow the program to automatically merge all the duplicates.
WARNING: Never, ever merge anyone's database into your own until you are completely sure that you want to. The other database may contain data errors or other problems. Also, make sure you make a complete backup of all your data before merging new information into your database so that you can backtrack if you later discover a problem. I frequently receive sad e-mails from people who did not do that!
Family Tree Maker 2005 includes a wide variety of printed reports, such as:
Family Group Sheet: A detailed report about a single nuclear family (parents and their children).Outline Descendant: List shows where everyone fits in the family, starting with a distant relative and moving to the present.
Genealogy Report: Detailed listing of family information, presented in a narrative, book-like format.
Kinship Report: Lists the relationship of every individual to a selected primary individual.
Alternate Facts: Lists all alternate facts you have entered for each individual, such as two potential birth dates for the same individual.
Address: Lists all the addresses you have entered into your Family File for each individual.
Medical Information: Lists a family's health history.
Birthdays of Living Individuals: Lists all birthdays of living individuals.
Marriage: Lists all marriages with marriage dates and the status of the relationship.
Parentage: Lists the parents of each individual and their relationship to the child (natural, adopted, etc.)
Bibliography: Creates a bibliography based on source information you have entered.
Data Errors: Lists all potential errors, for example, all fields that have been left blanked and discrepancies with ages.
Documented Events: Lists all events in your file for which you have source information.
Maps - Family maps can help you trace your family's journey across the country or across the seas.
Labels/Cards - You can create address labels or name tags for the next family reunion.
Timeline - View your family's important events against the backdrop of history.Calendar - Create a calendar with birthdays, anniversaries, and other important events.
You can also create a Family History book that includes trees, reports, pictures, and more. With Family Tree Maker, you can create your own personal family home page, even if you have no previous experience creating a Web page.
You can share trees, books, and reports with friends and relatives who don't have Family Tree Maker by either publishing your information to your homepage or by using the Export feature. Depending on what you are exporting, you will have the option to save your document as a PDF file, plain text file (TXT), rich text file (RTF), or as a spreadsheet (CSV). It is worth noting that CSV files can easily be imported into Excel or other spreadsheets or database programs for further data manipulation and analysis.
Once you have exported the tree, book, or report, you can then save it to a CD-ROM, or you can e-mail it if the file is not too large. A PDF file can be viewed or printed by anyone with the Adobe Acrobat Reader program (available free at http://www.adobe.com).
Family Tree Maker will allow the user to automatically create a genealogy Web site containing data about individuals within the database. However, it is limited to a maximum of 2,000 individuals. The Web pages may even include pictures from the multimedia scrapbook. As you might expect, you can delete dates and locations of birth and other facts for living individuals. However, I did not see any option to delete the individuals' names.
I should note that this capability to create Web pages only works for pages stored on one of Ancestry.com's services. If you have your genealogy pages hosted elsewhere, there is no method of directly creating Web pages from Family Tree Maker 2005. This seems to be a serious omission, as almost all of the competitive programs do allow for the creation of "generic" Web pages that can be uploaded to almost any Web hosting service, including the free services. If you want to export data from Family Tree Maker 2005's database to Web pages of your own choosing, you will need to export your data as a GEDCOM file and then use a competitive program or one of the third-party GEDCOM-to-HTML utilities to convert the data to HTML format.
Earlier versions of Family Tree Maker had problems with certain tags when exporting data in GEDCOM format. Specifically, it would swap the occupation and place tags in the GEDCOM file. The 2005 edition seems to have corrected this problem. Here is an excerpt from a GEDCOM file that I created:
1 OCCU
2 DATE ABT 1960
2 PLAC Electrician, Dexter, Penobscot, Maine, USA
2 SOUR @S02853@
1 OCCU
2 DATE 1934
2 PLAC Milkman, Sanford, York, Maine
2 SOUR @S02853@
In the above case, two different occupations are correctly listed for one individual.
Previous releases of Family Tree Maker usually were bundled with collections of data CD-ROM disks. Prices have varied from about $30.00 without any bundled disks up to as much as $100 when 20 or more disks were in the box. Admittedly, the cheaper $30 version without disks often was difficult to find; all I ever saw on the shelf at the local software stores were those versions with multiple disks. Those "in the know" figured out how to purchase the program alone at the lower price directly from the Family Tree Maker Web site or from select mail order dealers. In looking at the promotional literature for Family Tree Maker 2005, both printed and online at the program's Web site, I see no mention of bundled deals. Everything I have seen so far only mentions the basic program being sold for $29.95 (U.S. funds).
Family Tree Maker 2005 should operate well on any Windows PC purchased within the past two or three years. System requirements include:
• Windows 98, ME, or XP (while not mentioned, I suspect it will also operate well on Windows 2000.)o For Windows 98/ME; a 300 MHz Pentium, or compatible, processor and 32 MB of memory (RAM)o For Windows XP; a 333 MHz Pentium, or compatible processor, and 128 MB of memory (RAM)
• Super VGA (800 x 600) video adapter (1024x768 recommended) with 16-bit or better color quality
• A CD-ROM drive (for installation only; to use the CD back up features, a CDR/CDRW is required.)
• 150 MB disk space
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or later. (A full install package for IE 6 is provided if your system does not already have it.)
• To take advantage of the online features, a 56 Kbps modem and an Internet connection.
• Printer Support: Works with most popular printers (monochrome and color) supported by windows
Keep in mind that the above are minimums; the program may operate slowly on a 300-MHz processor and 32 megabytes of memory. As with all Windows programs, higher processor speeds and especially more memory will greatly increase system performance.
This article should give you an overview of Family Tree Maker 2005. However, I have not described all the features and capabilities of this program. Such an article would fill several newsletters! For further information, look at the program's Web site at http://www.familytreemaker.com. I would especially encourage you to take the Product Tour at http://www.familytreemaker.com/help/tutorials/tour/ (a broadband connection is encouraged) as well as the online tutorial (which works well on dial-up access) at http://www.familytreemaker.com/help/tutorials/gettingstarted/getting_started_tutorial.htm.
If you have any comments or questions about Family Tree Maker 2005, or any corrections to the information listed here, please enter them at the end of this article. That way, everyone else can benefit from your words. Present users of Family Tree Maker 2005 are especially encouraged to post comments about your experiences with the program.
Dick,
Just a few comments based on my reading of your review.
DE: "Family Tree Maker has a long and convoluted "ancestry." This program has been owned by more companies than I can remember. In the early summer of 2004, it was acquired by MyFamily.com, the owners of Ancestry.com."
Paul: The acquisition actually happened in the spring of 2003.
DE: "Do you have a scanned image of a marriage record or a census entry? If so, you can enter that image as part of the source citation. That is an excellent method of citing one's sources!"
Paul: That's been around since version 9.
DE: "Family Tree Maker 2005 also seems to have a true sources database. That is, if you use the same source citation in the records of 75 people, you do not need to enter the source citations 75 times. Even better, if you ever want to change or add more information about a particular source, you do not need to do that 75 times. Instead, you find the single source citation and edit that one item. All 75 entries that point to that single citation will then reflect the updated information."
Paul: This was one of the headline additions to version 4.
DE: "I have complained many times over the years about Family Tree Maker's weak source citation capabilities. The program was one of the last in the marketplace to even add the capability of recording source citations."
Paul: Every version of Family Tree Maker has had the ability to add sources (stretching back to the DOS versions).
DE: "Even then, it had a very anemic method of recording citations that was little more than free-form notes attached to each record."
Paul: That's why it was a big deal when the source datebase functionality was added in version 4.
DE: "Family Tree Maker 2005 allows for "alternate facts" or "alternate events," as well as "preferred facts" that should take care of this problem. This capability allows for recording of all the data for my great-great-grandfather."
Paul: The ability to add alternate facts was added in version 5, while the ability to add alternate names was added in version 7.
DE: "The preferred fact is also the only one that shows up on the screens and reports."
Paul: Unless the charting and reporting have changed, you should have the option to choose whether to include just the preferred fact or all of alternates in most of the trees and reports.
DE: "Earlier versions of Family Tree Maker had problems with certain tags when exporting data in GEDCOM format. Specifically, it would swap the occupation and place tags in the GEDCOM file. The 2005 edition seems to have corrected this problem."
Paul: I'm very happpy to hear this. It was always one of my pet peeves.
Sincerely,
Paul Burchfield
Posted by: Paul Burchfield | August 30, 2004 at 12:42 AM
As I have done since the days of Banner Blue, I immediately bought the latest version of Family Tree Maker - now christened "2005".
It was very vexing to find that the Family View no longer shows the place and date of burial. Instead, it is buried (no pun intended!) under Edit>General>Burial.
This was caused, I suppose by the inclusion of an ability to show up to eight children on the Family View.
I hate the trade off. In fact, I hate the fact that one cannot go to "Preferences" and truncate the number of childred shown on the Family View and restore the deeply-missed date/place of burial on the Family View page.
It annoys me so much that I am thinking of going back to Version 11.
Posted by: Philip Collins | August 30, 2004 at 10:01 AM
One of the past practices was to provide huge rebates about 6 months after a new FTM version was released. I have purchased the last four versions, with numerous data disks, for under $20 each thanks to $30 to $50 rebates. Also, each usually came with 3 months access to one of the Genealogy.com databases.
Hopefully, this pricing structure won't change with the new company and FTM 2005.
Posted by: Clay Nenno | August 30, 2004 at 10:25 AM
For those with version 11 of FTM you can upgrade for only $19.95. Open FTM, click on the 'Family Tree Maker Online" icon at the top of the page and it will take you to the Genealogy.com website. You can order the upgrade from here.
Posted by: Larry Treverton | August 30, 2004 at 10:29 AM
I had hoped that FTM 2005 would finally address the oddity of merging duplicate sources. One still has to merge duplicate individuals. I find it cumbersome to deal with running a merge on the entire database when I want to clean up my sources. The program allows for merging two specific individuals but not two specific sources without going through the entire database of persons as well as sources to identify possible duplicates of both.
Posted by: Tali Barbosa | August 30, 2004 at 11:05 AM
Dick, I found the Family Group report in FTM 2005 to be very poor. It has pages of blank space.
Posted by: Eldon J. Edgin | August 30, 2004 at 11:44 AM
I have kept my genealogy data in PAF for years; however, I have purchased 5 or 6 versions of FTM and about a dozen other programs. I believe this is a shortcoming in GEDCOM files; however, all attached photographs and images are lost when data is transferred from PAF to FTM 2005.
Posted by: Eldon J. Edgin | August 30, 2004 at 11:48 AM
I have yet to find the ICON/link to read the CD's that contain Family Trees & all the Census index.
I think I'll go back to V11. Lucky I saved a database in a previous location, for it's not readable when reverted back.
Posted by: Bud Miller | August 30, 2004 at 12:38 PM
Do you use an ID for each name entry? Will they be recovered in a GEDCOM? How do you import data from a GEDCOM?
Posted by: Jack Gilliland | August 30, 2004 at 01:44 PM
---> I believe this is a shortcoming in GEDCOM files; however, all attached photographs and images are lost when data is transferred from PAF to FTM 2005.
You are correct. That is a shortcoming in GEDCOM. GEDCOM does not know what images, sound bytes and other multimedia items are.
There is a proposed new GEDCOM standard that does address those issues. However, my guess is that the new standard will not be implemented for years, if ever. (I hope that I am wrong.)
- Dick Eastman
Posted by: Dick Eastman | August 30, 2004 at 02:29 PM
When doing French-Canadian genealogy the baptism and burial dates and locations are more readily available and sometimes the only data available. The moving of the burial data off the Family Page has been *very* inconvenient. Also, the "button" for the Index has been moved way over to the right and replaced on the left corner by the "back arrow". Old habits die hard and I am very weary of clicking on the back arrow when I want the index.
I am not a newbie, but I don't like the new Family screen at all. If I wanted a program that was that different from my old FTM, I would have bought a different program. I liked FTM11 very much and am sorry I bought FTM2005. I tell people who ask "If you need to upgrade, get FTM11 when the price drops. Otherwise, check out other programs, as I am doing."
Posted by: Sharyn Hay | August 30, 2004 at 02:53 PM
I have used FTM since the early versions, and I switched to it specifically because of it's good source documentation features. This is not a "new" feature as Dick mentions. It also is one of the "cheaper" programs, not expensive like Dick suggests. Although I am an experienced genealogist and computer user, I see nothing wrong with wanting a user friendly program like FTM, and I prefer it stays that way. I will not be buying 2005 yet, until I see what others are saying after they use it for awhile. I don't like the new look of the main page, and may wait to see if they change it back in the next version.
Posted by: Sherrye | August 30, 2004 at 03:23 PM
Dick:
When installing FTM 2005 over existing FTM 11 when current database, i.e. FTM 11, does not surround surname with backward slashes and that uses _____ for missing surnames, again not surrounded with backward slashes, how are the names shown in the index and on the Family View Page in FTM 2005?
Posted by: Glen | August 30, 2004 at 04:33 PM
While using the web icon connection to see possible new information is Ancestry making a copy of my files for their use?
Posted by: Helen | August 30, 2004 at 05:36 PM
---> When installing FTM 2005 over existing FTM 11 when current database, i.e. FTM 11, does not surround surname with backward slashes and that uses _____ for missing surnames, again not surrounded with backward slashes...
That information came from the program's HELP files. If you have Family Tree Maker 2005 installed, open the program and click on HELP, then click on ENTER BASIC DETAILS. There you will see a detailed description about the use of reverse slashes.
HOWEVER, as I mentioned in the article, "Family Tree Maker 2005 assumes that the last single word entered into its single name field is the surname. This is often not true, such Peter Van Der Voort or Pierre Bourbeau dit Lacourse or John Smith Jr. In such instances, it is necessary to identify the surname for Family Tree Maker."
In other words, the backslashes are only needed in a MINORITY of names, such as the examples listed in the article (Peter Van Der Voort, Pierre Bourbeau dit Lacourse, John Smith Jr., etc.
Entering data for anyone with a single last name and no titles, the slashes are not needed. For instance, to enter information about people with the same surname as mine (Eastman), no backslashes are required. However, to enter data about my great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather Jean-Baptiste Roy dit Desjardins, I would need to enter his name with backslashes: Jean-Baptiste \Roy dit Desjardins\.
Posted by: Dick Eastman | August 30, 2004 at 06:35 PM
---> Do you use an ID for each name entry? Will they be recovered in a GEDCOM? How do you import data from a GEDCOM?
Importing data from a GEDCOM file is very easy in Family Tree Maker 2005. I described it briefly in the article. The reason for the brief mention is that it was so easy and quick that there wasn't much to say about it.
HOWEVER, it does not preserve ID numbers. Personally, I find that OK as I dislike ID numbers and never use them in any genealogy program. However, I do realize that some people like ID numbers and use them extensively. I do not think there is anything right or wrong with either approach, it is simply a matter of personal preferences.
- Dick Eastman
Posted by: Dick Eastman | August 30, 2004 at 06:45 PM
---> I have yet to find the ICON/link to read the CD's that contain Family Trees & all the Census index.
In Family Tree maker 2005, click on VIEW and then on DATA CD, then on VIEW CD.
Posted by: Dick Eastman | August 30, 2004 at 07:35 PM
Dick,
The Occupation entries that FTM produces will still not be parsed into PAF correctly. For this to work, your entries would have to be:
1 OCCU Electrician
2 DATE ABT 1960
2 PLAC Dexter, Penobscot, Maine, USA
2 SOUR @S02853@
1 OCCU Milkman
2 DATE 1934
2 PLAC Sanford, York, Maine
2 SOUR @S02853@
I believe that this is the GEDCOM standard. Maybe Paul can throw some light on this? So, they still don't have it correct.
Posted by: Dino (All Dino, All the Time) | August 31, 2004 at 01:26 PM
Here's another lost "benefit" of moving to FTM 2005.
The pop-up screen which would warn of an errent capital letter in a name (say, SpringStein) is now missing in action.
Very annoying to upgrade only to find a lost feature.
Then there is the always hoped-for ability of the program to "recognize" place names which appeared in, say, BIRTH record when one starts to type in the same location in the MARRIAGE record.
But, no! You can type all the PHILADELPHIAs you want in the BIRTH, DEATH,etc., spaces; however, when you type the same word in the MARRIAGE space it is unrecognized and needs to be fully typed.
This situation has existed in the last 4 versions, at least.
Posted by: Philip Collins | August 31, 2004 at 01:26 PM
Another aberation in FTM 2005... the PREFERENCES allows one to select among various titles, e.g., Mrs., Ms., etc.
However, even though married women are selected to be entitled MRS the program insists on titling married women as MS.
Replicate this by choosing the "Elegant" style "Ancestor Tree - standard" view.
The good folks at FTM answered my complaint by describing how to REMOVE all MR, MRS, MS titles in the "Elegant" style "Ancestor Tree - standard" view but they couldn't set it up for the married women to be titled MRS.
But they certainly focused well on their self-serving web search which directs one to their proprietary stuff.
I'm going back to Version 11.
Posted by: Philip Collins | August 31, 2004 at 01:36 PM
Dick,
The official GEDCOM 5.5 specs for the OCCU tag are:
n OCCU {1:1}
+1 > {0:1}
Which clearly specifies that the occupation description follows the OCCU tag on the same line.
So, you can see that FTM still does not put out the proper GEDCOM records. I suspect that if you try to pull those records of yours into any other program than FTM, you'll find 'electrician' and 'milkman' listed in the Place field.
Did you try to import your GEDCOM into another (non-FTM) program? If so, did it work?
Posted by: Dino (All Dino, All the Time) | August 31, 2004 at 02:36 PM
Sorry,
This blog deleted the important parts of the GEDCOM spec in my previous message because it couldn't figure out how to handle the less-than and greater-than symols. I am replacing them with parenthesis in the following:
n OCCU (OCCUPATION) {1:1}
+1 ((EVENT_DETAIL)) {0:1}
Posted by: Dino (All Dino, All the Time) | August 31, 2004 at 02:39 PM
To address the topics of viewing a data CD and the arrows in the menu bar, I have just found out how to do these. Go to Preferences, then Customize Toolbar, here you can add or remove additional icons. In addition, you can move the Index of Individuals to the first spot in the menu bar. I don't have any CD's, but am assuming that view data CD, is what that means.
Posted by: Barbara | August 31, 2004 at 03:13 PM
For some time now I have been trying to make a decision as to whether to switch from FTM 10 to Legacy 5. The new FTM 2005 seems to have changed the views to look more like other programs but I don't see many value added changes to the actual program. I have tried the Standard Legacy 5 program which is free and I really like the features and of course the Deluxe version would be even better. The only feature that I would miss that is in FTM is the Books part of the program. Of course, I could just keep using FTM for Books or find a good Family History Book program. I did play around with the TMG program but I really don't like the views at all, no matter how I configured them and besides, the learning curve just seemed far too steep for me. I am also concerned that if I go to another program that it will someday be purchased and then removed from the market like many others have been. I am interested to read about other people's experiences with the new FTM 2005 before I make a final decision.
Posted by: Wayne Dailey | August 31, 2004 at 09:32 PM
I'll stick to FTM 11! Got my 2005 today and it is very disappointing. Very poor instructions for use. Have been trying to find all of the Notes that I've entered in my files since the days of FTM 2.0, and not finding a good way to see them.
Posted by: Claudia Tillman | September 01, 2004 at 12:25 AM
Dick,
FTM11, and before, had the capabilities of highlighting notes from one ancestor's notes, copying them, and then pasting them into some other ancestor's notes. The new version FTM 2005 does not (as far as I can see) have this feature.
This is really frustrating when all info has to be retyped.
Jeannette Maloney
Posted by: Jeannette Maloney | September 01, 2004 at 10:56 AM
Re: family group sheets in FTM 2005. When choosing the option to copy and paste a family group sheet, does the new version only allow this do be done in a PDF format? I was very disappointed in version 11 to find that to be the case (it may have happened in an earlier version but I hadn't upgraded in awhile). I often would copy a family group sheet into MS Word and edit it before sending it someone. In version 11 that's not possible as far as I know.
Posted by: Debi | September 01, 2004 at 01:44 PM
Dick,
Earlier you stated that "That is a shortcoming in GEDCOM. GEDCOM does not know what images, sound bytes and other multimedia items are.
Actually, the GEDCOM 5.5 specs fully embrace multimedia objects, as you can see below (from the official GEDCOM specs). Also, Appendix E is all about Multimedia Encoding and Decoding Algorithims.
MULTIMEDIA_RECORD:=
n @XREF:OBJE@ OBJE {1:1}
+1 FORM (MULTIMEDIA_FORMAT) {1:1)
+1 TITL (DESCRIPTIVE_TITLE) {0:1}
+1 ((NOTE_STRUCTURE)) {0:M)
+1 BLOB {1:1}
+2 CONT (ENCODED_MULTIMEDIA_LINE) {1:M}
+1 OBJE @(XREF:OBJE)@ /* chain to continued object */ {0:1}
+1 REFN (USER_REFERENCE_NUMBER) {0:M}
+2 TYPE (USER_REFERENCE_TYPE) {0:1}
+1 RIN (AUTOMATED_RECORD_ID) {0:1}
+1 ((CHANGE_DATE)) {0:1}
Maybe I'm wrong on this, but the specs seem pretty explicit. Just because some programs don't handle GEDCOM well does not mean that GEDCOM cannot do things it is designed to do.
By the way, it took about 2 minutes to find that in the GEDCOM 5.5 specs.
Posted by: Dino (All Dino, All the Time) | September 01, 2004 at 02:22 PM
Regarding posting pertaining to copying Notes. I had no problem. I copied several ancestor's notes without incident. Go to the Notes, select what you want, then to new Notes or a Word Document and Paste. If you have any questions, please write me personally.
Regarding exporting documents, I just did an Ancestors of ..... and saw that it can be exported in 3 different formats, one being Plain Text. I never used this feature before, always PDF. If somebody wants to see my information, and then use as their own, they have to re-type everything.
Posted by: Barbara | September 01, 2004 at 03:56 PM
I have a problem also installing my old FTM software on my new computer. The software I purchased from FTM was an investment and I am very disturbed. Does anyone know how to solve this problem. Thanks
CuriousJS
Posted by: Jeanette Scruggs | September 01, 2004 at 10:33 PM
Family Tree Maker has been my genealogy software since Version 3. Loyal and true to FTM, I purchased each version thereafter - including 2005. I HATE what has been done to my old favorite. (If I had wanted a different software program I would have purchased it!) And so I did... Family Tree Legends.
Posted by: Linda Chaggaris | September 02, 2004 at 10:34 AM
I've added more people to my All in One family tree and when I export it to PDF, the right side is cut off and the bottom of the tree is missing. I still use V.11 but has somemthing been changed in exporting because of the new version 2005?
Posted by: David Piekarczyk | September 02, 2004 at 12:44 PM
I'm afraid you are creating a false idea regarding the Citation Table. FTM has long treated (Master) Source data differently from Citation data. The "Master" source data is stored in a table and can be associated with multiple Citations. It is true that you can make a change to this information and it appears with all Citations associated with this. However, this is not the case with Citations. Each Citation is associated with a specific field and each is unique. They are not stored in a table or reuseable for other individuals or facts. You need to think of it in these terms. The Master Source is the name of a book or publication. The Citation is where you find specific information within the book or publication.
Posted by: BJ | September 02, 2004 at 05:15 PM
Thanks to all for the 2005 Family Treemaker software reviews. It confirms my feelings about "wait and see." I do not care for the constant changes and the latest seems a rather radical departure from other versions.
Posted by: gcl | September 02, 2004 at 05:47 PM
To those who are thinking about getting FTM 2005, this is a quick note. I have personally written to four individuals who responded above and told them how to do something. They may be like me, thinking I should know how to do something immediately once it was downloaded. I had to search around for several things, and calmed down once I saw how easy things were. Change in anything is usually for the better, and I think this is the case with the 2005. Love seeing the parents names as well as up to 8 children on a page. I feel there are other very good features as well.
Posted by: Barbara | September 03, 2004 at 08:01 AM
I was surprised to see the IE
browser as a requirement. I
have sworn off that baby and
blocked it with my firewall. Why does the s/w require it?
Posted by: Bart Hansen | September 03, 2004 at 03:35 PM
Bart,
The programmers took the easy way out and called some routines in one of the IE dll files so they wouldn't have to re-invent the wheel. It happens all the time, unfortunately.
Dick,
I'd still be interested in hearing if you were able to sucessfully import those OCCU GEDCOM tags into any other gen program (like PAF).
Posted by: Dino (All Dino, All the Time) | September 03, 2004 at 05:21 PM
G'day Dick
It's a pity that people are so fond of finding fault that they rush into print getting their facts right.
The person who wants the index toolbar icon on the right should do what he has been able to do in previous versions, go into Preferences and customize his toolbar so the index icon is wherever he wants it.
As for the installation default, Prev and Next arrows on the left are in keeping with browsers.
Complaints that FTM should follow the Gedcom more closely completely miss the point. Full adherence is a total impossibility. The combined location/comment field for, say, Occupation, can hold the occupation (occupation OCCU), location (PLAC), have a comment (NOTE), or any combination of themse. No conversion program can know what th user has entered.
I long for the day when FTM finally splits the location and comment field but I know there will be a flood of "I liked it that way, why did they change it".
Anyone who doesn't like change should not use a PC since Microsoft change the landscape every version. And buying a Mac won't help.
If the critics would spend time using the program rather than tinkering, they might find that the new bookmarks (regularly referenced individuals) and the history of the last 30 individuals edited will greatly enhance productivity.
Like all programs FTM has its weaknesses, but it is set apart by the versatility of its book feature. Since many FTM users fail to exploit it and the previous owners did little updating, it is not surprising that other program users underestimate its value.
Merv Leeding
Posted by: Merv | September 04, 2004 at 02:58 AM
STILL no place for baptism/christening dates and places on main screen. To me this is very important and I do not want to search for this information in "facts" or "events". It should be up there with the other vital information and it should not be so hard to include it.
Pam Abikhair
Posted by: Pam Abikhair | September 04, 2004 at 03:08 PM
My biggest gripe with v11 was that if you wanted to import and merge a portion of another family file, along with it you got all of the sources that existed in the source file.
For instance, if I export a "branch" of individuals from one family file...into a new file, the program does not figure out which sources apply to the selected individuals. Instead you get all of the master sources that existed in the original source file. This leads to a lot of clutter when you merge these individuals into your own file.
Does anyone know if this issue has been addressed in v2005?
Posted by: Scott | September 05, 2004 at 10:21 PM
I upgraded to FTM2005 and at first was a bit taken aback with the new look. I became used to it quickly, especially when I explored the menus and found that the screens behind the main one seem to be just like version 11. I like the new look and the functionality of seeing the child list with more information and parents of both the main people on the screen. It makes navigating so much easier when you are researching an Irish family who loved the names James and William, and you're trying to figure out which James or William you are looking at!
Posted by: Christine | September 06, 2004 at 07:38 AM
I am preparing a family history for publication with over 12,000 Rosevear descendants. I plan to use FTM's outline descendant tree as the data format since it provides the most compact form.
In FTM 9, when I copy my large outline descendant tree file to Microsoft Word, the tabs in the FTM tree disrupt the data format. I then remove the tabs using search and replace. This is very time consuming and requires substantial editing.
Does FTM 12 offer a better method of exporting outline descendant tree to Microsoft Word?
Does FTM 12 offer an alternative data format that I might consider? Is there another software package that I should consider?
Bruce Greenberg brucegreenberg@comcast.net
Posted by: Bruce Greenberg | September 06, 2004 at 10:14 AM
I installed FTM 2005 on a Windows XP system with multiple users/accounts. Only the main user/account could activate the program sucessfully. I am waiting for a reply to my email from FTM to see if they can solve the problem.
Posted by: Ray Baldwin | September 06, 2004 at 11:01 AM
Merv,
I agree with you that there are fundamental flaws inthe FTM program and database that do not allow them to create a compliant GEDCOM file.
Nonetheless, they say they can put out GEDCOM files and they have had many, many years and many, many customer requests that they fix their program to do so. Instead of doing so, they have spent years changing the screen layout and calling it progress.
Posted by: Dino (All Dino, All the Time) | September 06, 2004 at 12:41 PM
For Scott -- FTM 11 added a new way to copy a branch from one file to another *without* keeping unused Master Sources from the whole file. Directions in onscreen Help, using two files open at the same time.
FTM 2005 has some differences in the spell checker and GEDCOM imports/exports. No other program comes close to the features of FTM 2005 Basic for $30 plus shipping. Long time customers have been sharing ideas on the FTM TECH mailing list (on lyris) since early 1995. There are two other FTM lists on RootsWeb.
Anyone who wants to compare FTM with other genealogy programs should consider the cost of addons like a word processor and wall chart program. Enter new data, print a family book, create a home page, UPDATE with new information, print a revised family book. Add up the costs of all software used and consider the learning time.
Posted by: Elizabeth Rodier | September 06, 2004 at 12:49 PM
Have upgraded to the latest version.
Several times in the past I have "requested" an option for the "notes area" that we can do 'something' to hide personal notes from export and printing if we wanted to, but the rest of the information would go out!
Any chance of this happening? Or am I the only one with this request?
Otherwise, for me the update looks OK... for now...
I LIKE the birth place & death place on the children's area... nice and faster...
thanks - JOhn b
Posted by: Bouser | September 06, 2004 at 01:07 PM
When I loaded FTM 2005 to a computer running Windows ME, all the sources were lost. All the sources appear in the Serach Master Source list, but none of the individual events BMD, etc. contain sources.
When I loaded FTM 2005 to a Windows XP computer, all the sources were there, where they belonged.
I'm really upset that I can not find on their Web site(s) an E-mail address so that I can "talk" to them. I'm sure not going to phone their Technical Support at $2.00 / minute.
Can anyone help - with either an E-mail address, or with my missing sources on the Windows ME platform?
Posted by: John | September 06, 2004 at 01:23 PM
I used FTM up until Version 5 when I finally got fed up with it not being able to do things I wanted to do and not seeing any improvement in the foreseeable future. I switched to The Master Genealogist and never looked back. It did everything I wanted to do. I now realize that it was also more economical than FTM. Although the initial cost for TMG Version 4 was substantial, I have never had to pay for an incremental update and the one-time upgrade to Version 5 was not much more than the frequently charged updates to FTM. And I might add that TMG imported my FTM data perfectly without having to go through GEDCOM.
At the time I switched to TMG there were no really good free programs, but now as Dick points out in his current newsletter, there are at least two that are probably better than FTM. After reading all the above comments I am happier than ever that I made the change when I did, and if I had not done it then, I would certainly switch now to either TMG or one of the free ones.
Bob Stephan
Posted by: Bob Stephan | September 06, 2004 at 02:17 PM
After reading all the comments I'll stick to FTM V10 and upgrade to 11. I took the tour and don't like the look of the family page in 2005. Plus it sounds too complex. I spend my time and energies on the genealogical aspects which are much more important than trying to spend time on readjusting. Thanks, everybody for telling me all the trouble spots. I like it the way it is!.
Catherine, APG
Posted by: Catherine Edwards | September 06, 2004 at 05:35 PM
I too have been with FTM since the first Banner Blue program. I bought the 2005 update and now I'm going to send it back. I've had it a week and have used it every day and I'm not computer/genealogy illiterate either. I just don't like the changes. I'm going back to version 11 or one of the good free programs Dick mentioned in his newest newsletter. I also did not resubscribe to genealogy.com's (Family Tree Maker's)databases this new year, I'll just wait ancestry.com out until they have all the census' indexed on their site, for the same owners they sure need to get it together before they loose everyones trust, I am solely disappointed.
Posted by: Evleta | September 06, 2004 at 11:14 PM
FTM is the only genealogy software that I have ever used. Even though you know there are better programs out there, you become very comfortable with what you know and the speed at which you can move around within a program. However, after reading everyone's comments I have decided to take the plunge and I ordered the Legacy 5 Deluxe, after experimenting with the Standard version for a while. It has features that I just don't want to give up and FTM 2005 doesn't appear to add much that I am interested in. I also realize that many genealogists use more than one program but I don't really want to go that route. Let's just hope that genealogy.com doesn't buy Legacy and let it die a natural death like they did with other programs.
Wayne Dailey
Posted by: Wayne Dailey | September 07, 2004 at 07:20 AM
Wow - just read all the posts. Been a FTM user since #2. I think I will wait and see - I use MS Win ME - And I worked hard to put all my sources in. My FTM file is so big that I cannot compress it and if I go to the index and to certain names to look at - I get an error msg and have to pull up backup file - but that also has same errors.
Need to subscribe to TecH lists again- can someone send me the info please. Thank You! Paul glad to see you are still around.
Posted by: Vicky Bair | September 07, 2004 at 09:24 AM
Have you tried to import a Gedcom that has more than one disk? Try it! It is so outdated that it is crazy. I have a Gedcom that has 5 disks. As near as I can figure out, to do this, you have to create a new directory on drive C. Then import your multiple disks on this, then import that info to Family Tree Maker. It is from the dark ages! Sorry I bought it.
Posted by: Ellen Crawford | September 07, 2004 at 10:33 AM
Less than a month ago, I made an entry into my FTM11 database, and got a message congratulating me on reaching 12,800 names.
Last week, I installed my new FTM2005, without any hitches. However, I explored the new format, and tried tools/family file statistics. It credits me with 12,480 names.
Does anyone know if the counting procedure has changed, or has the program somehow deleted something that may be very hard to pin down?
Posted by: George Irwin | September 09, 2004 at 12:26 PM
George,
In FTM each name is a record in the database. I'd be VERY concerned if the prior version of FTM told you you had at leas 12,800 and now it tells you that you have 12,480.
Do you have a GEDCOM of your last file that you could import? It would be interesting to see what results that gives you. Or maybe pull one of your backup copies and try loading it.
Posted by: Dino (All Dino, All the Time) | September 09, 2004 at 05:04 PM
Outline Descendant Report: List shows where everyone fits in the family, starting with a distant relative and moving to the present.
I have been upgrading every release from V.3 to V.11 and have never been able to import all info from my original DOS program ??? I have over 18,000 persons and do not want to have to try updating the missing info after importing my Gedcom. I continue to update my records with my DOS program and the create a new Gedcom after many corrections/additions are made and then import the new version to FTM after deleting the present one. I find it very necessary to maintain the ID's so that I can find the same person in both programs.
I think I will stop upgrading with my V.11 as FTM seems to be degrading.
I have been asking ever since V.4 that the Descendent Outline Report allow my Individual Notes and Marriage Notes to be included, but they seem to have a deaf ear on anything a client wants. This capabily appears as a choice of: Items to include in each entry, under CONTENTS but will not appear on any report.
I have also requested the ability to use the Descendent Outline Report format to provide an Ancester Outline Report starting from a current individual and increase the generations to the furthest (oldest Ancester).
I believe I have been loyal long enough.
Bob Wallace
Posted by: Bob Wallace | September 10, 2004 at 01:40 PM
As a long-time FTM user, I am amazed at the reviews for this latest upgrade to FTM2005! I will stay with FTM11 to be sure. It is true that we become comfortable with what we know. I have tried PAF and Legacy, which are fine database programs, but with 12,639 individuals and a file size of 14,194 KB, I'll leave well enough alone.
As for waiting for Ancestry.com to complete their indexing ... I use both Ancestry and FTM census records. If I can't find someone in one they usually can be found in the other. Too impatient to wait ... wish the 1940 census was available!
Posted by: Tempe | September 10, 2004 at 01:52 PM
I belong to the FTM Tech list, and at first the comments on the list were negative about FTW2005, too. But now that people have used the new program a few weeks their opinions have changed. I had a chance to use the new program when I installed it for a friend. All the features I thought were gone were still there - they just had differet icons and were in a different place on the main page. After using it a little I could see it would not be a big adjustment. And with so much more info available on the main page, there will be a lot less page scrolling when you enter or view your data. I've changed my mind and I'm going to order it.
Posted by: Sherrye | September 13, 2004 at 03:37 PM
I have been a long time FTM user going through many upgrades. I am disappointed in 2005, especially losing the family page burial location field. I do a lot of work with cemetery records and find input of cemetery locations much more time consuming now. Had I known this prior to installation, I would have stayed with version 11 as that was more user friendly.
Posted by: Roger Cramer | September 18, 2004 at 12:52 AM
I installed FTM 2005 this morning and I have found I can't use the program to the fullest. I can't connect to the internet with the program. I am having no problem with connecting to the internet with my cable modem. I get a message that says i am not connected to the internet when I am. Must be a bug or they must have alot of adware.
Posted by: Roxanne Koelpin | September 18, 2004 at 03:46 PM
I have been asking, since Banner Blue days, for a way of highlighting and knowing someone by a second or third name that is their recognised name, eg William Peter Smith, known as Peter, not William. Don't these people ever listenm to requests?
Posted by: AlanDS | September 19, 2004 at 11:22 PM
How does one enter a royal title in Family Tree Maker. For example, how should a name like Alexander INNES third of Cromey 18th of that Ilk be entered so that Innes is reflected in the alphabetical index correctly? There is not enough room in the "Title" area. I have upgraded to 2005.
Posted by: Janet Ochs | October 02, 2004 at 09:04 PM
You mention "previous releases of Family Tree Maker usually were bundled with collections of data CD-ROM disks. Prices have varied from about $30.00 without any bundled disks up to as much as $100 when 20 or more disks were in the box......I see no mention of bundled deals. Everything I have seen so far only mentions the basic program being sold for $29.95 (U.S. funds). " --- I've seen 3 prices, $100 / $69 / $30 with no mention of what is bundled.
Posted by: Rob Moyer | October 25, 2004 at 10:54 AM
Hi,
I just installed FTM v11 on Win XP Pro and it won't run under a limited user account. I get a error saying it can't create XXXXTEMP and then terminates. It runs OK under the Administrator account. I do NOT want to run this application under the administrator account. Has anyone seen and solved this problem? Thanks.
Posted by: Neal Meyer | October 25, 2004 at 09:37 PM
Just finished "skim-reading" the review of FTM 2005 and a lot of the comments/questions. I STILL don't see that they are offering Pedigree and Cascading Pedigree reports. These were basic way back with the DOS version of PAF! Maybe I'm missing something, but I sure don't see where they (FTM) have it even now. These reports are, to me, invaluable! I have had (all these years) to GEDCOM from my FTM to the old Family Origins. I preferred FTM for ease of entering data, but to get the Cascading Pedigree charts, I had to also keep F.O. in my computer. Very frustrating!
Posted by: Joy Perry | October 26, 2004 at 09:21 PM
I started with FTM 2.0 now still using 7.5! I am buying a new computer and would like to upgrade but with these comments I am unsure about 2005. I do like the new "look" of the family page. Is this the biggest change? Should I upgrade to FTM 11 instead? All informed thoughts are appreciated.
Posted by: Dayle Dooley | November 01, 2004 at 05:45 PM
Try PAF. It's totallyfree and you can download it from www.familysearch.org.
Try it and see if you like it. If you don't, you haven't wasted any money.
Posted by: Dino (All Dino, All the Time) | November 02, 2004 at 11:09 AM
Take a look at Legacy. It is available in two versions, one of which is free. I tried several free programs but settled on Legacy as the best. You can find it at http://www.legacyfamilytree.com
Posted by: jenniferw | November 03, 2004 at 09:51 AM
Has anyone had the problem (in version of FTM 2005)of the sources that you have scanned in and viewed, when you later return they aren't there? I have scanned in hundreds of sources successfully and have 57G hard drive space available, so don't think it is computer problems?
Appreciate any help. Also having trouble backing up my file on a cd with this latest version.
Posted by: Barb | November 05, 2004 at 02:20 PM
Had problems with V 11 and XP Pro.
I upgraded to 2005 and problems disappeared.
I have a question about a person being called by their middle name such as John Frank Smith. They have always been known as Frank.
All records in most family tree programs will show references to this person as John. How does one go about correcting this other than listing them as Frank
John Smith?
Posted by: Wally | November 12, 2004 at 10:18 PM
I was annoyed after I installed the 2005 version and I lost all the cemetery records for individuals. I have over 22,000 names and now no longer know where the various individuals are burried. There doesn't appear to be a field in the 2005 version for where an individual is burried.
Also, it appears that one can no longer "copy and paste" into the Notes section.
Can anyone help here?
thanks in advance,
Al Robertson
Posted by: Al Robertson | November 16, 2004 at 09:45 PM
Al,
While I haven;t used the new version of Family Tree Maker, I still think I might be able to help.
The display of the burial fact was removed from the Family Page, but the fact itself is still there. Click the Pencil icon to go to the Edit Individual window (The Pencil icon is below the names of hte main individuals or to the left of the children's names). You should there be able to access all of an individual's facts, including the burial info.
I hope that helps.
->Paul B.
Posted by: Paul Burchfield | November 19, 2004 at 03:38 PM
Was delighted to find Paul!! It's been a long time. I'm now on FTW 11 and contemplating 2005 and have a question that has bugged me for years. When one pulls down a Descendant Outline, say of 6-8 pages, is there a way to "find" an individual without having to go read down each page of the entire document? Have I missed something somewhere?
Cheers, Pat
Posted by: Pat Powers Schlesinger | November 19, 2004 at 11:50 PM
Pat,
I don't think there is a Find command in trees. You may want to pop in to one of the Family Tree Maker forums at GenForum and ask your question there to make sure I'm not giving you incorrect info.
->Paul B.
Posted by: Paul Burchfield | November 20, 2004 at 05:29 AM
Though I've sent an e-mail to Dick already, I wonder if anyone else found the "54 Megabytes is 'big'" quote amusing? Perhaps I'm too "techno-savvy", but 54M is a trifle. Heck, two versions of this program would fit on my MP3 player! I can rip a CD to MP3 and get more than 54Mb. Is there some reason for this comment? I know this isn't necessarily "on-topic", but I was just amused by this statement. Is everyone out there using computer that run at 800x600 and have sub-gig hard drives or something? :D
Posted by: Carl J. Stoneham | December 23, 2004 at 10:02 PM
I have been a FTM owner since version 5.0. Well, I am very disappointed with this new version. It’s missing a feature, which I absolutely loved, the ability to do massive online searches by ancestry. This old feature connected me to distant cousin websites, and other relevant free sites that where impossible to find any other way. It greatly expanded my data and connected me to new collaborators and even long lost family members. This new system alienates us from all the user homepages on genealogy.com etc and acts as a sales device for ancestry.com . I don't like paying for an upgrade that is a marketing device. I feel cheated and taken advantage of.
Posted by: John A. Gronau | December 24, 2004 at 02:34 AM
Hello:
Well at least FTM 11 recognized my Lite-On CDRW for backup. FTM 2005 doesn't seem to be compatible with the hardware. I had to disable backup in FTM 2005. Does anyone know how I can make a backup now?
Thanks,
Joe Max Williams
Posted by: Joe Max Williams | December 26, 2004 at 09:25 PM
Joe,
Back up to your hard drive then copy the backup file to the CD. Better yet, convert off of FTM.
Posted by: Dino (All Dino, All the Time) | December 27, 2004 at 09:42 AM
Although I am not quite satisfied with the 2005 version I am getting use to it, somewhat hard after so many years since I started with the first version which could only hold a limited number of persons.
I have never been able to find out what is the real purppose of the reference numbers assigned to each people, is there a way to have a report based on the reference numbers ? i.e. print all or partial the reference numbers with the relevant name to whom it corresponds ?, so as to check through the reference numbers the entries ?
So far I fin useless to have the reference numbers henceforth I would like your comments or advantages.
Felipe Voysest
Lima, Perú
Posted by: Felipe Voysest | January 04, 2005 at 08:15 PM
I've used Family Treemaker since it's first edition, and now have 2005. I have always been able to create my "home page" on line including pictures. I have not been able to do that with 2005. However, I have made other changes on my computer. I started using Netscape for my browser rather than IE, and upgraded to Windows 2000 from 98.
My problems with creating the on line home page: I click on Create my home page, then go through the process of choosing my individuals (moving from left to right)....then to create home page. It goes through the appearance of uploading for about 45 minutes, tells me I will be able to view my home page in 15 minutes, but I go to the site and nothing is there except my heading of the name of the site, my e-mail address, etc. Another problem: When I click on the "View my home Page", it tells me I am not registered. I AM registered. What a mess. Any ideas?
Carmeletta
Posted by: Carmeletta | January 16, 2005 at 09:42 AM
What I liked about FTM's earlier versions was that if I had entered a source citation an S appeared beside the fact on the MAIN PAGE. Now in FTM 2005 the S does not appear when a source citation is entered. The source citation icon is on the MAIN PAGE so I have to constantly check to make sure I really did enter the source citation. At my age I sometimes forget to do it. I wish they would fix this so I could just look at the MAIN screen and know I entered the source citation without having to actually check on it. It really slows me down when entering a lot of information on various people in one session. I would switch back to FTM 11 but someone said the database is not backward compatible and I have already overwritten by back-up diskettes with data posted via FTM 2005.
Posted by: Kay Torpey | January 20, 2005 at 06:13 PM
I had version 5 or 6 long ago and found so many people on my tree through the mass web search function.
Now I have yet to see a search result that doesn't involve buying a CD or joining Ancestry.com
When did all the online trees go stealth?
I'm asking this because I don't want to go dig up my old version CD's and install the program if it won't find trees on the Web now???
Thanks for any help!
Posted by: Brent | February 03, 2005 at 05:11 PM
Brent,
For quite a while now it has been strictly cash-and-carry for FTM, which is amazing since everyone submitted their family trees without compensation from FTM. Anyway, the FTM CDs are pretty much filled with imaginitive work and little actual research, just people grafting branches onto their trees because names happen to match.
Posted by: Dino (all Dino, All the Time) | February 04, 2005 at 09:20 AM
Dick,
Thanks for a comprehensive review of FTM. It's by far the BEST review!!
I have version 7.5 with about 500 entries and have been pleased with it so far. I have found that the disk provided and the online services are not very useful since my grandparents came from Eastern Europe and I have collected essentially all their descendent info from relatives.
I am thinking of updating to FTM 2005. Should I buy the updating version or the regular program? Is there any special consideration for updating the files or will either version just load the old files?
thanks for your help.
Frank B
Posted by: Frank B | February 09, 2005 at 03:06 PM
Dick;
I have a problem with the spelling of "months" and "days" with my FMT programm. First, let me tell you I use an older version of FTM (which is fine with me): version 4, which runs under Windows 95. My system (PC) meets all the requirements, and I have Windows XP, the French version.
Here is the problem: I am entering in Family Tree Maker all the family information I had accumulated over the years (about 250 individuals so far). Now that I am almost done, I wanted to print a calendar. To my surprise the months of the year and the days of the week would appear in French. Everything else is displayed in English which seems normal, FTM being an English software. I did not find any way to fix that inconvenience, although I tried hard. Maybe I am missing something. I did uninstall and reinstall the program in hope that it would help to solve the problem. Unfortunately, it did not.
I turn to you, in search of a hint.
Thank you for your help.
C. Gilbert
Posted by: C. Gilbert | February 27, 2005 at 02:51 PM
I have no idea. In fact, I rarely use the program. I am hoping that a more experienced Family Tree Maker user can jump in here with a suggestion or two.
Posted by: Dick Eastman | February 27, 2005 at 05:46 PM
Family Tree Maker uses a setting in Windows to determine the language used for the display of months.
In the Windows Control Panel look for Regional Settings and then in the Regional Settings tab, change the setting to "English (United States)".
I hope that helps.
->Paul B.
Posted by: Paul Burchfield | February 28, 2005 at 02:14 PM
Is there a Max size for the FTM 2005 file, I am at 2 GB plus and now my scrapbooks pages will no longer take any new images
Posted by: Causie Crane | March 24, 2005 at 10:10 AM
Where is the Ancestral report that looked like the Descendants report but looked back up the tree?
Import from Gedcom fails to pick up the NOTEs records.
Import also fails to pick up the notes field in source references.
Import also fails to pick up the notes field in marriage records.
Import also fails to pick up CAUS of death records.
With all these deficiencies I can't use it.
Posted by: Jon | April 07, 2005 at 09:39 PM
I have FTM version 9 which I ran with ME. Due to an extended illness, I was unable to continue with my research after upgrading to XP. Is FTM v9 compatible with XP? I contacted FTM Techs with this question and they informed me (rather snippily) that they no longer support version 9 and to buy 2005! I will not buy FTM 2005. I don't want to lose all my work but am growing weary of everything being constantly upgraded.
(even more weary of Ancestry appearing to gobble up everything in sight!)
Posted by: Ginny | June 03, 2005 at 11:47 AM
A simple solution is to export to GEDCOM, download PAF for free from the familysearch web site and do some free genealogical computing. For most users PAF is sufficient to meet their needs, and the LDS church probably won't be ought out by ancestry.com.
I share your concerns and have recently migrated off of FTM onto PAF. I've been researching since the early 1970's and am one of those rare genealogists who actually document their sources. So far PAF hasn't disappointed me.
Posted by: Dino (All Dino, All the Time) | June 03, 2005 at 05:08 PM
Dino, all I want to know is if I can install FTM version 9 on my computer running XP without screwing everything up.
Posted by: Ginny | June 04, 2005 at 11:23 AM
Ginny,
You shouldn't have a problem. Before you do so, you should take the opportunity to make a backup of your family file. It's a good practice to get into regardless of whether you are upgrading or not.
->Paul B.
Posted by: Paul Burchfield | June 05, 2005 at 09:18 PM
Thanks, Paul. I've got my work backed up. Have always had that habit from days of working mainframes using un*x and LaTeX for technical work - theoretical physics equations were not to be lost! :) Thanks for the info. I think I'll get brave and try installing FTM ver. 9 w/XP - I do like it's features.
Posted by: Ginny | June 12, 2005 at 03:24 PM
Sometime ago I compiled most of my family tree only to be lost on my hard drive. I did back up to a floppy but now after reinstalling the program it tells me I can not open from floppy. The company Family Tree Maker told me it could be opened from the new version 2005. Do I have to by another version to open my old file. The old file was created on Family Tree Maker, standard edition, 4.0 Help, Help
Posted by: Jerry Bomay | June 20, 2005 at 04:03 PM
Dear Sir/Madam
I have installed Family Tree Maker 2005 with Windows XP SP1. All is OK.But I want to update my Windows XP to include SP2.My queston is "Is Family Tree Maker 2005 compatible with Windows XP SP2
Regards
Geoff Ash
Posted by: Geoff Ash | June 22, 2005 at 05:34 AM
I installed FTM 2005 on my Windows XP SP2 computer, no problems. I LOVE 2005. The long awaited Windows GUI style is much much better than the old DOS looking versions. Easier to use and more features. Some of the features other poster's have posted as "don't work" do indeed work. It may be the different style is throwing off some folks??? If users have difficulty dealing with change, I recommend them using their older FTM versions from here to eternity, I for one welcome the new look and new features and look forward to future releases of improved interfaces. Reverting back to older "methods" or "styles" for future FTM releases is not how the Software market works (for good reason).
Posted by: Tom | July 10, 2005 at 10:44 PM
Hello All,
I am using 2005 and am having trouble previewing, printing and exporting books to pdfs. After choosing my information, I hit preview and all I get is the firstpage or TITLE PAGE. An 85 page report shows me one lone page...... Anybody else out there having problems like this? Any solution?
Thanks in advance!
Mark
Posted by: Mark Marnell | August 01, 2005 at 08:54 PM
Hello,
I am using 2005 and am also having troubles previewing, printing, and exporting books to pdfs. I sent a question to them and this is what they told me:
Dear Donald,
Thank you for contacting Genealogy.com Technical Support.
We are currently working on fixing this problem. Our system was not designed properly to export more than about 200 pages to PDF in any given file. I have seen it work up to 800 on certain computers. I don't know if you have already read the following but here is the knowledge base article for exporting Books.
Of course I had already seen, read, and done what they suggested. I have since noticed that I am losing information. My wife was going through some old, old papers to file them in their correct places when she decided to go to the file and check some of the information to make sure everything was okay. Well, it wasn't. We have discovered that at some point and time either when upgrading to newer editions from an older one or when entering new data into the file we are losing what information we already have in the files. If my wife hadn't decided to check some of the old pages we would never have known because it was on some people that we haven't had a reason to look at in some time. After we noticed two people missing that we know was entered in the system we decided to get our old book that we had printed a long time ago and check each individual person one by one. So far we have discovered twelve people missing and we are only in the A's, and all marriage dates that we had entered at one time are now missing! We have over 100,000 records in our files and over 2800 surnames, but each time we add the marriage dates back into our records the number of surnames go down! Has anyone else experienced this problem?
Posted by: littlechickadee | January 13, 2006 at 12:18 PM
When I do a back up there are never any footnotes or pictures that go to the backl up. I am useing FTM 2005. What can be done? Can an answer be e-mailed to me?
Charles
Posted by: Charles Hines | April 01, 2006 at 09:52 PM