Family Tree Maker....any tips please...

[tazzie]

Hello all.

 My brother has bought Family tree maker deluxe edition for my Christmas pressie.
 Does any one have any tips or comment on the set that could help along the way.
 

                      Thanks

                     Tazzie

[1000xlch]

Hi Tazzie

FTM is I think a very good program as I have been using it for 7 years with no problems.  Install it as normal but do not bother with the family book, or extra picture symbols.  Install the world map.  When it is up and running you need to add the extra forward arrow as it only has the back arrow as default.  It will first ask you for the name of the new database that it has opened.  This allows you to start you family at once with mother father etc.  When you have entered the name, just click on it to highlight and then hold down ALT, V, U at the same time.  This allows you to cite where you found the original info from eg census info etc, it remembers any new citations as a master list.  The arrow is found under File then Preferences then Toolbar.  FTM allows you to import gedcoms and merge or append them to your file.  Useful if others match yours as when you merge it asks you to check the info is correct and is the same person.

Hope this helps a bit.

John Rowley

[tazzie]

Hi John

 Thank you .I have been so used to collecting all my info in paper form it now feels like starting all over again.It is good to here a response from some-one that has been using it for a while as well.
 After 5 years worth of research I will now have to learn to speed type.

            Best wishes

                     Tazzie

[trish251]

Hi tazzie

I don't think I have been using it as well as John does - I simply key in my folks and put all my sources and comments into notes - thus said - I find it very easy to use. Some folks like to keep their 1000s all in the one data base. I actually keep 4 data bases. One with each of my parents names as a starting point  and one with each of my husbands parents names as starting point.  If I want them all together I can merge them, but I find it easier to work with the four separate groups. (My husband, myself and our daughter are the only folks in each of the files.    ). If you want to export data - there is a report you can design the format for & this can then be exported to excell which I find handy.

Trish

[tazzie]

Hi Trish

            That seems a good idea. It would make things easier to do by family groupings and then I can expand when all details are in.

                         Thanks


                            Tazzie

[Jane Eden]

Hi Tazzie

I have been using FTM for almost 1 year. I keep all my data in the program and have found it to be brilliant. I keep records for all members in 1 database along with all of the source details.

An excellent feature is the reporting system. There are genealogy and kinship reports which are good but a useful one is the data errors report. This will bring up all of the missing details, some of which you will know, but also if you have wrongly keyed in a date eg if the mother is under 14 or over 60 when the child was born or if you have given someone 3 husbands in error.

It really is worth spending a little time to find how to use it to its full capacity as it will save hours in the future.

One word of caution back up the database on a disc. I stupidly deleted some of mine by trying to be clever.

Have fun and what a lovely brother you have.

Jane 

[tazzie]

Hi Jane,


 Thank you for the tips. I have started a file already and am glad to say have got off to a good start. I was a little cautious because I have so much data to work with but I think it will be a great asset.

 Yeh! he has his moments (my brother)

                          Thank you

                    Tazzie

[Jane Eden]

Hi Tazzie

Have a play with the features of FTM before you put all of your data in. If you just have 10-20 peole in with BMDs, addresses, occupations etc. then play around with reporting, moving round the screens until you are confident. Then if you do anything wrong it can easily be put right.

I think it is fairly difficult to wipe people off the database as I did. I was trying to delete 1 person and ended up deleting the lot. It had asked me if I really wanted to do it but 'of course I knew what I was doing at the time'. Fortunately I had most of it backed up.

Jane 

[tazzie]

HI JANE


 I think we have all hit a delete like that before that is why I am being cautious.I will back up on disc as I go and only try one line at a time.

  Many thanks & Happy New Year



                        Tazzie