| Ahnentafel Numbers |
Ahnentafel numbers are a common system for numbering a given
person’s ancestors. The person themselves is numbered 1, their
father is numbered 2 and their mother is 3. The father’s father is
4 and his mother is 5. The mother’s father is 6 and her mother is
7. And so on. Working back, the ahnentafel number of any given
ancestor’s father will be exactly twice that of the ancestor; and
the anhentafel number of the same ancestor’s mother will be the
father’s number plus 1. |
| Ancestor |
Your ancestors are people from whom you are directly descended -
e.g. your parents, your parents' parents, their parents, and so
on. A great-uncle, for example, is not an ancestor (although he is
a relative). |
| Attribute |
The term attribute in Family Historian is usually used
to refer to a fact about a person (or family), such as their
Occupation or Religion. Attributes are similar to events - another
kind of Family Historian ‘fact’. When you record details of either
an event or an attribute you can specify dates, places, ages,
notes and other details. An attribute however has one additional
field that events do not have. This is the value of the attribute.
You want to know what the hobby was - e.g. wood-carving?
gardening? For the same reason, Occupation and Religion are attributes
whereas Burial and Cremation are events. |
| Autotext |
Autotext is formatted text (which may include one or more
tables) that can be inserted into any note, text from source
field, or research note using the "Insert Autotext" command
(available by clicking on the last button on the Notes Window
toolbar). It is also possible to create Text from Source fields
and Research Notes with autotext already added. Autotext is used
for a number of different purposes, as described in the Help. |
| Book Window |
A window that is used for displaying books. Books are
user-created collections of reports and diagrams, and possibly
also free text, with (optional) title page, table of contents, and
index. |
| Chart |
A chart, in Family Historian terms, is a diagram that
has been saved to a file in Family Historian chart format (i.e.
using either the Save Diagram command, or Save Diagram As >
Family Historian Chart). If a diagram has not been saved it is
called a working diagram. Charts are also known as Saved
Diagrams or as Saved Charts. |
| Citation |
See Source Citation. |
| Data Reference |
A data reference is an expression which identifies a particular
field within a given type of record, or within a linked record.
Family Historian will generate data references for you, whenever
you need them. |
| Descendant |
Your descendants are people who are directly descended from you
- e.g. your son or daughter, your grandson or granddaughter, their
offspring, and so on. A great-nephew, for example, is not a
descendant (although he is a relative). |
| Diagram |
A diagram, in Family Historian terms, is whatever is displayed
in the Diagram Window - which could be one or more trees, and/or
other diagram elements such as pictures, rectangles, lines and
text boxes. Diagrams are divided into 2 kinds: working diagrams
and saved diagrams (also known as charts). |
| Diagram Window |
A window used for displaying family tree diagrams. The Diagram
Window can display an Individual's ancestors, descendants,
ancestors and descendants, or all relatives. It can also display
the same information for a couple. |
| Dialog |
Another name for a Dialog Box (see next). |
| Dialog Box |
Also known simply as a 'dialog', a dialog box is a form-like
window. Typically it contains boxes where you have to enter data
(e.g. the name of a named list you are creating), or buttons you
have to push, or options you have to tick. The Property Box, the
Preferences dialog, the Diagram Options dialog - these are all
examples of dialog boxes. With ordinary modal dialog boxes, you
have to press an OK or Cancel button, or something similar, to
close the dialog box before you can do other work within the
program. However, with modeless dialog boxes, you don’t have to do
this. |
| Duplicate Box |
Where you have two or more boxes for the same person in a
diagram, these boxes are called duplicate boxes. |
| Event |
Birth, death, marriage and divorce are all examples of events
- that is, a kind of fact about a person (or family). Event facts
are distinguished from attribute facts within Family Historian.
When you record either about a person, you can specify dates and
places and other details relating to the event or attribute. An
attribute however also has a field for value which events do not
have - see attribute. |
| Expansion Button |
In the Diagram Window, expansion buttons are little circles that
you can click on to hide or show a branch of the diagram.
Expansion buttons are also used elsewhere. For example, the
Records Window also has expansion buttons. In the Records Window,
they are square and contain a ‘+’ or ‘-‘. Wherever they are used,
expansion buttons allow you to hide or show detail. |
| Fact |
The word 'fact', in Family Historian, is shorthand for 'event or
attribute'. See also Fact Sets. |
| Fact Set |
A 'Fact Set' is a defined list of types of facts - that is types
of events or attributes. For example, you might create or import a
fact set for military events and attributes which you could use
when recording information about individuals’ military histories.
A medical fact set might define a list of events or attributes
which are relevant to a person’s medical history. |
| Field |
The terms ‘tag’ and ‘field’ are used in Family Historian largely
interchangeably for an area within a record that stores an item of
data (see Tag). ‘Field’, unlike ‘tag’, is also sometimes used to
refer to a box in a dialog where data can be entered. |
| File Root |
The File Root is an Individual record that has been given this
status (e.g. by clicking on on the Edit menu, under , or - within the Focus Window - by right-clicking
on his box and clicking on ). Only one Individual can be the File Root at
any one time. The advantage of setting a file root, is that you
can see at a glance how all other Individuals are related to
them in the Records Window, and how the focus person is
related to them in the Focus Window. You can also make use of
the File Root in other ways in diagrams and queries. You can
change the file root at any time.
|
| Floating Window |
A floating window (sometimes also called a modeless
dialog) is a window that is displayed ('floats') in front of the
main application window and which can be left open while you
perform other tasks. Some floating windows are designed to update
themselves automatically when a selection elsewhere changes. In
some cases, you can drag-and-drop a selection from other windows
into a floating window. For example you can drag-and-drop record
selections from the Records window into the Note window. Floating
windows can be very convenient and using them can greatly reduce
the number of mouse clicks required to perform certain tasks. For
example, if you want to see the witnesses associated with each
event in turn in the Facts tab of the Property Box, you can open
the Witnesses window (a floating window), and then select each
fact in turn, and the Witnesses window will automatically update
itself appropriately. If you had to open and close the Witnesses
window for each fact in turn, the process would be much slower.
The Property Box is unusual in that it can float but you can also
dock it to the side of the main application window, if desired.
Floating windows display an image of a couple of small clouds on
the right end of the title bar, as a visual reminder that the
window is floating. |
| Focus Person |
The person whose details are displayed in the Focus Window.
Sometimes also called the Focus Window root. A box about the
Focus Person, and pictures of them, if any, are displayed at the
top of the Focus Window. |
| Focus Window |
Window used to display family details about a particular person
- the Focus Person. |
| Function |
Functions are used as part of queries, and elsewhere, to compute
values. For example, a function could be used to calculate how 2
people are related to one another. |
| GEDCOM |
The global standard format for shared genealogy data, and the
one used by Family Historian. The GEDCOM format was created by the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. |
| Generic Source record |
The strict definition is: any Source record that does not have a
link to a Source Template record. Unlike 'templated' Source
records, generic Source records do not have fields which are
designed to be appropriate for particular types of source. |
| Marriage Note |
A note that is associated with a Marriage record (also known as
a Family record). It applies to both partners/spouses/parents in
the marriage/family. To be distinguished from a Shared Note.
Marriage notes are stored in Family records. Shared Notes are
stored in their own Note record. |
| Modeless Dialog |
Unlike ordinary dialogs, a modeless dialog is a dialog that you
do not have to close - e.g. by pressing an OK or Cancel button -
before you can do other things. Modeless dialogs typically will
not have an OK or Cancel button anyway. They are designed to be
used in conjunction with other windows. An example of a modeless
dialog is the Property Box or the Diagram Window’s Movement
Control Box. Modeless dialogs stay in front of other windows until
closed. If they get in the way you can move them or close them
(e.g. by clicking on the Close button in the top right hand
corner). |
| Media Window |
A window used for displaying media objects (pictures, sounds,
videos, etc). |
| Named List Pane |
A hideable area on the right hand side of the Records Window
where Named Lists are displayed. The Named List Pane is hidden by
default. |
| Parent Family |
A person's parent families (you can have multiple sets
of parents if, say, you are adopted) are those family records in
which he or she figures as a child. To be contrasted with spouse
families. |
| Plugin |
An installable extension to Family Historian, extending its
capabilities and features. Plugins can be downloaded from the
Family Historian Plugin Store on the Family Historian website
(accessible via the Plugins Dialog, on the Tools menu). |
| Prepared Citation |
A source citation that is created in advance of us, in the
Citation Window. Once created, you can copy-and-paste it, enable
it using the Automatic Source Citation pane, or use it with a Data
Entry Assistant tool. |
| Principal |
The word 'principal' is used with respect to facts, to refer to
the person that the fact is about. For example, in a baptism, the
principal is the person being baptised. With family facts, such as
marriage and divorce, there are two principals - the people being
married or divorced. |
| Project |
When you start recording data in Family Historian, you will
normally create a project to keep the data in. Each Family
Historian project is assigned a folder on your hard disk, and
Family Historian will keep all files relating to that project in
the project folder. The alternative to working with projects is to
simply use Family Historian as a tool for working with GEDCOM
files - see Standalone GEDCOM Files. |
| Property Box |
A dialog box that appears in front of other windows, showing the
contents of records. A very versatile tool, the Property Box is a
quick alternative to viewing the contents of a record in the
Records Window. |
| Qualifier |
A qualifier is a word added to the end of a Data Reference,
which determines how the referenced item of data will be displayed
in Diagrams, Queries and Reports. There are a large number of
qualifiers for dates, for example, which allow dates to be
displayed in a number of different formats. The qualifiers
associated with a field (or 'tag') can be viewed in the Fields
listing of the Columns tab, within the Query Window. |
| Query |
A set of instructions for finding a set of records, and for
displaying them in a grid. The output of a query can be printed as
a report, saved to a file or copied to other programs (such as
spreadsheets). Queries can also be used as part of other
functionality (e.g. when splitting a Family Historian file). |
| Query Window |
A window used for displaying queries. |
| Record |
A record is a stored set of data relating to a particular
subject. The notes that your doctor keeps about you, constitute
your health record, for example. There are 9 different record
types in Family Historian, including records for individuals,
families, notes, and sources. |
| Record Flag |
A record flag is like the answer to a Yes/No question for a
given record. Family Historian is installed with only 2 record
flags: Private and Living, but you can define as many of your own
as you want. For example, if you want to have a way of marking a
record to show that the individual is a fellow genealogist, create
a Genealogist flag and set it on records for genealogists. Then
the question: “Is this person a genealogist?” is answered Yes if
they have that flag, and No if they don’t. You can view and set
record flags for selected individuals (one or many) using the
Record Flags command on the Edit menu. |
| Records Window |
A window that displays (or can display) all the records in a
Family Historian file. Unlike other windows, you can't have more
than one Records Window open at any one time. |
| Remarriage Box |
Refers to a type of box that can appear in diagrams. When a
person is married more than once, you can if you wish opt to
display an extra box for that person, for each of their 'extra'
marriages. This is what happens if you choose the ‘One Box Per
Marriage’ spouse display option in a diagram. The extra boxes are
called ‘remarriage boxes’. A remarriage box is one kind of duplicate
box. |
| Reports Window |
A window that is used for displaying reports. |
| Relative |
Your relatives are your ancestors, your descendants, and your
ancestors' descendants. Spouses of any of the above are usually
counted as your relatives too. Your spouse's relatives (your
in-laws) may also count. |
| Results Window |
The Result Set tab of the Query Window. |
| Saved Chart |
See Chart. |
| Saved Diagram |
See Chart. |
| Shared Note |
If you have a note that is applicable to several records, you
can create a Note record to store the note, and link as many
records as you like to this ‘shared note’. To be distinguished
from a Marriage Note. |
| Smart Tree |
Smart trees automatically adjust themselves if you move a box or
branch within the tree, or if you resize a box, or use expansion
buttons to open and close branches. All trees in Family Historian
are smart trees. |
| Source |
When accumulating genealogical data, it is a good idea to
document not just the information you accumulate, but also where
the information came from - i.e. your sources. A ‘source’ can be
whatever you choose to consider the source of your information is.
For example, a ‘source’ could be a person, a book, a document, a
part of a document, a graveyard (perhaps, even, a single grave in
a graveyard), or even - another GEDCOM file. |
| Source Citation |
A source citation links an item of data to the source of the
information. A source citation can be qualified by a note or other
details, such as an assessment of the reliability of the source
for that particular item of information. |
| Spouse Family |
A person's spouse families are those family records in which he
or she figures as either a parent or as a spouse (or unmarried
equivalent). To be contrasted with parent families. |
| Standalone GEDCOM File |
When you start recording data in Family Historian, you will
normally create a project to keep the data in. However, you don't
always have to work exclusively with projects. You can also use
Family Historian simply as a tool for working with GEDCOM files.
You can use it to open, browse and edit any GEDCOM file. When
Family Historian is used in this way, the file in question is said
to be a standalone GEDCOM file - that is, a GEDCOM file
that is not part of a Family Historian project. |
| Tag |
The term ‘tag’ and ‘field’ are used in Family Historian largely
interchangeably. 'Tag' is, in effect, the GEDCOM term for what
would more usually be called a 'field' - that is, a part of the
record that stores an item of data. Unlike fields in database
records, however, GEDCOM tags form a hierarchy. Tags can have
child tags that qualify their parent tag. Birth, for
example, is a tag, and it can be qualified by child tags, such as
Date and Place. The term tag is
also used for the parts of a data reference. For example, in
the data reference %INDI.BIRT.DATE%, 'INDI', BIRT' and 'DATE' are
all tags. |
| Templated Source record |
The strict definition is: any Source record that has a link to a
Source Template record. Unlike 'generic' Source records, templated
Source records have fields which are designed to be appropriate
for particular types of source. |
| Text from Source |
'Text from Source' is the name of a field within a Source
record, or link to a Source record (a citation) that stores some
kind of transcript of text taken from the source. |
| Text Scheme |
A text scheme is a stored set of instructions for displaying
text in diagrams. Family Historian provides a number of standard
text schemes, but you can also define your own. For a list of
available text schemes see the Text tab of the Diagram Options
dialog. |
| Tree |
When used in the context of a Family Historian diagram, a tree
means either an Ancestor tree, a Descendant tree, an Ancestors
& Descendant tree (sometimes called an Hourglass
tree) or an All Relatives tree. That
is, it names a particular way of displaying relationships using
boxes and lines. A Family Historian diagram can contain an
unlimited number of trees of all types. |
| Uncategorised Data Field (U.D.F.) |
A field that is used to store data which Family Historian has
not been able to categorise. U.D.F.s are sometimes created when
Family Historian loads a GEDCOM file created by another
application, that contains errors or extensions to GEDCOM. |
| Witness |
The term 'witness' is used with respect to events (or
attributes, but more usually events) to refer to any person who
has a non-principal role in the event. For example, the principal
in a death event is the person who died. The principals in a
marriage are the individuals getting married. A bridesmaid
at a marriage is called a 'witness' (with role
'bridesmaid'). A principal in an event can also be recorded
as a witness to the event, so long as the role is not 'principal'. |
| Working Diagram |
Any diagram that has never been saved as a file in chart format,
is called a working diagram in Family Historian. See also saved
diagrams (also known as charts). |
| Workspace window |
There are 9 Workspace Windows in Family Historian: the Focus
Window, the Records Window, the Diagram Window, the Media Window,
the Query Window, the Reports Window, the Book Window, the Map
Window and the Web Search window. Workspace windows fit
inside, and cannot be moved outside, the frame of the application
window. They are important windows that are used for particular
tasks. Please note that the Property Box is designed to be
used in conjunction with workspace windows, but isn't a workspace
window itself. |