What's New in Family Historian 7?

sUMMARY OF kEY New Features and Enhancements

* All features which use Internet services provided by third parties (such as Internet Data Matching and Historical Maps) are subject to Calico Pie's continued access to these services.

Source Templates

To learn more, see Sources and Source Templates.

Source-Driven Data Entry

To learn more, see Source-Driven Data Entry.

Source Transcription Tools

To learn more, see Autotext.

New Citation Window

To learn more, see Citation Window.

View Citations for a Source

Integrated Word processing

All notes and Text from Source fields now support word processing features, such as…

New Note Window

The Note Window is a new floating window (more on these below) designed for viewing and editing notes, and supporting all the new word processing features. Double-click on any note, or click the little button with 3 dots to the right of it, to open this window.  The Note Window allows notes to be edited with OK and Cancel buttons, so you can cancel changes if you wish.  When the floating Note Window is open, the same note cannot simultaneously be edited in the Property Box (the field will be greyed).  The Note Window has its own toolbar, which includes buttons and a menu for the above-mentioned word processing features, and more, including…

To learn more, see Note Window.

Research Notes

To learn more, see Research Notes and Autotext.

Language Packs and Multi-language Output

The application language of Family Historian continues to be English (U.S. English or U.K. English). So to use the program, some command of the English language is needed.  However, the program can be used to record information in languages from all over the world.  The language in which data is recorded is called the project language.  The language in which a report or book is output, is called the output language.  In version 7, Family Historian now supports both same language rendering, and other language translation. Same language rendering means producing  output (e.g. in diagram, reports and books) in the same language that the data was originally recorded in (i.e. the output language is the same as the project language).   Both same language rendering and other language translation require the installation of an appropriate language pack.  Language packs can be installed as needed, direct from the Family Historian plugin store.  New language packs may be created at any time, so it is worth checking regularly if the one you want is not available.  All the tools required for creating language packs, and all the necessary instructions, are included in each copy of Family Historian, so technically-sophisticated users can create them themselves.  All users can modify installed language packs, if needed.  For example, new word or phrase translations can be easily added.

To learn more, see Languages and Language Packs.

Fact Flags

Fact flags should not be confused with record flags, which are different.  Events or attributes ('facts') are displayed in the Fact tab of the Property Box.  Facts can now have any combination of the following fact flags:

To set or unset any of these flags, right-click on the fact in question in the Fact tab of the Property Box, and choose the required flag from the ‘Fact Flags’ submenu in the dropdown menu that appears.  The same menu is accessible from the Fact tab toolbar, ‘cog’ menu.

Key points about fact flags:

To learn more, see How to Flag a Fact as Preferred, Private, Tentative or Rejected.

Redesigned Everyone Diagram

New All Relatives + Indirect Relatives Diagram

New Pedigree Chart, DNA Diagrams, Waterfall Diagram, and more

Enhancements to Diagrams

To learn more, see Diagram Window.

11 New Reports

The following new reports have been added:

All reports can now be more easily accessed, by clicking on the Publish button on the main application toolbar.

New Report Engine and Enhancements to the Report Window

The Report engine (the part of the program that generates reports) has been completely re-written to support the new word-processing features, and to provide other enhancements.  The new report engine allows reports to be generated using new Report-type plugins.

Reports and books now support a new optional Bibliography section (see the option in the Sources tab of Report options).  Reports now support language packs (although not all reports are 100% 'language pack ready') via a new 'Language' tab on report options.  They also support the new privacy fact flag (see check box in the ‘Privacy’ tab of report options).

The Report Window has also had a number of improvements:

To learn more, see Report Window.

5 New Queries and Enhancements to the Query Window

5 New Queries have been added. This includes 4 DNA queries and one other:

Although not listed as a query, there is also a new tool mentioned earlier (“Citations to Source Records”), listed on the View menu, which displays all citations for a given Source record. And these are displayed in the Query Window, allowing quick and easy access back to the citation and the items they are attached to. The same tool can be accessed from the new Citation Window (cog menu) when viewing a Source Citation.

There have also been enhancements to the Query Window:

To learn more, see Query Window.

New DNA Tools

This section lists the new DNA tools, most of which, however, have already been mentioned in other sections. These tools include:

To learn more, see DNA and DNA Tools.

Enhancements to Website & CD/DVD Generation

To learn more, see Websites & Family Tree CD/DVDs Dialog.

Historical Maps

The Map window now supports historical maps for Great Britain (1920s-1940s), provided by the National Library of Scotland.  These maps are UK only.  If you zoom back the rest of the world is blue sea.  To select these maps, click on “NLS Historical Maps of Great Britain (20s-40s)” on the Map Types submenu of the Map menu – which is visible when you are viewing the Map Window.  You can also change the map type by clicking on the cog menu, to the right of the Location field, at the top of the Map Window.

The user may ask: why UK maps?  Why not other parts of the world?  The answer is that we support these maps because we can. They were made available to us by the National Library of Scotland and we gratefully acknowledge their support.  Our intention is that these UK maps are just the beginning.  In the future, if we are able to arrange this, we would like to offer historical maps for other regions of the world too.

To learn more, see Map Window.

Please note: These maps, like all features which use Internet services provided by third parties, are subject to the availability of those services.

Project-Level Fact Definitions

In version 6, Family Historian fact sets (collections of fact definitions) were always system-level - that is, applicable to all projects on the computer.  Now, in version 7, fact sets can be either system-level or project-level.  A project-level fact set is applicable only to the project it belongs to.  The Standard fact set is system-level, but all custom fact sets can be either.  You can easily switch a custom fact set from system-level to project-level or vice versa. The advantage of making a fact set project-level is that if you give your project to someone else, they can get the fact set that goes with it (and it won’t affect any other projects they may have).  Project-level fact sets always have higher priority than, and 'eclipse', system-level fact sets

To learn more, see Fact Sets Dialog and the Settings button.

Improved Import from the Master Genealogist

To launch TMG Import, close the current project, click New Project on the Project Window, select Import from other family tree file, and select the TMG project file you wish to import.  You will then be presented with various options (explained in other parts of the Help).

Family Historian Now Imports Local Sentences & Converts Codes

Users of The Master Genealogist (TMG users) frequently used to override the automatically-generated narrative report sentences – as you can also do in Family Historian.  This creates problems for import into other programs, because these tweaked sentences typically contain TMG sentence template codes that have no meaning in any program, other than TMG.  Family Historian now provides an option to import Event/Witness sentences and to automatically convert TMG codes to Family Historian codes (some new template codes and built-in functions had to be added to Family Historian to make this possible).

Family Historian Now Imports Tag Definitions & Converts Codes

The equivalent of tag types, within Family Historian, are fact types.  Just as tag types can have associated roles, so too can fact definitions have associated roles. Family Historian now imports tag types as project-level fact definitions within Family Historian, to a new fact set called “TMG”.  You can convert this to be system-level by simply unticking the ‘Project Level’ checkbox within the Fact Set definition.

Family Historian Now Converts Default Sentence Codes

Part of tag definitions are TMG’s default sentences (‘sentence templates’ in Family Historian) for principals and participants with other roles.  Family Historian will now automatically convert the TMG codes in default sentences to the FH code equivalents.

Configurable Code Replacements

User can if they wish view and even tweak the code replacements, by clicking on the Code Replacements button in TMG Import Options.  Carefully read the instructions in the file before making any changes.  You can reset to default code replacements at any time by clicking the Reset button.  It cannot be guaranteed that every single possible code used by TMG has been successfully converted; so it is recommended to carefully check this list after import.  Bear in mind that, if there is any tweaking that needs to be done, it is usually possible to do it post-import, either by simply editing the sentences or possibly by using Family Historian’s Find and Replace tool (accessible from the Edit menu).  Also, if any errors are found, be sure to check the original, as the error may be there.

Language Import Support

You can now select the language to be imported (TMG supports different languages, and even different dialects of English).  There are two English options which allow the English dialect options to be prioritised.

Support for TMG Sort Dates

Family Historian now supports sort dates (see next section), and these are used within the TMG import (TMG also supports sort dates).

Sundry Other Improvements

To learn more about TMG Import, see New Project Wizard - TMG Import Options.

Sort Dates

Family Historian now supports sort dates, which are an optional mechanism for specifying how different dates should be sorted, relative to one another, where this is not determined by the date on its own or by other methods.  Users are encouraged to use sort dates, where they offer a real benefit.  But to appreciate that most of the time, you won’t need them. 

Family Historian already has two mechanisms for sorting events, where the sort order of the events is not determined by the dates themselves.  Suppose for example, that a person’s death and burial were both given simply as 1963.  The date itself does not determine the order of these events.  However, every fact type in Family Historian (even custom fact types) is associated with a value called a Normal Time Frame.  From the Normal Time Frame value on its own, Family Historian will determine that, if the dates do not indicate otherwise, a person’s burial event should come after their death event.  Equally, a baptism event normally follows a birth event.  And so on.

In some cases, a Normal Time Frame value will not be enough to determine the correct ordering.  For example, if two children were both born somewhere  in the range, 1987 to 1991, how do you decide which came first?  You may not know.  But then again, you have to order them one way or another.  How do you put X before Y?  The answer is that events, attributes, and relatives like spouses and children, can all be ordered within the appropriate record.  And if sort order is not determined by anything else, Family Historian will go by record ordering.

So there are 2 mechanisms in place, which allow events and facts to be ordered, even where their ordering is not determined by their dates.  So why do we need sort dates?  Most of the time, we don’t.  But just occasionally you can get situations where the ordering of two events is not determined by the event dates, and also isn’t determined by Normal Time Frame or record order.  So, in these cases, sort dates have a role to play.

Our goal in implementing sort dates was that there would be no unnecessary overhead, or added ‘noise’, for people who don’t use them and don’t want them.

To enable a sort date, find a fact in the Fact tab of the Property Box, and open the Date Entry Assistant by clicking on the little button with 3 dots to the right of the Date field (it only appears when you click in or mouse over the Date field).  In the bottom-left corner is a check box: “Separate Sort Date”.  If you tick this box, you will be able to enter the sort date.  Some points to note:

To learn more about sort dates see Date Entry Assistant Dialog and Date Entry Assistant Dialog: Separate Sort Date.

More Floating Windows

In version 6, various Family Historian windows were floating windows.  A floating window is a window that floats above its parent window, and you don’t have to close it before doing other tasks (unlike modal dialogs which have to be actioned, cancelled, or otherwise closed before you can do anything else).  There are numerous benefits to floating windows.  Some of them automatically update if you change the selection elsewhere.  For example, if you change the selected fact in the Facts tab of the Property Box, the Witnesses window will automatically show the witnesses for the selected fact.  This is a quick, easy and convenient way of exploring witness details.  But previously, some users did not realise that these windows were floating windows.  In version 7, all floating windows now have a little icon consisting of 2 overlapping clouds, at the right end of the window title bar, making them easier to spot:    Do not confuse these little clouds with ‘the Cloud’.  There is no Internet-related aspect to floating windows. 

The Property Box is of course unusual in that it can float in front of other windows, but it can also be docked at the side of the window.

A number of new floating windows have been added, and some windows that previously were not floating windows now are.  These include:

To learn more, see Floating Windows.

Improvements to the Property Box (Main Data Entry Window)

The Property Box has had a number of improvements.  Previously if it was resized so that there wasn’t enough space for fields to fit on-screen, a link line (".......... more ...........") would appear where fields had been hidden.   Clicking on this link would expand the window and show the missing fields.  This link has now been retired in all contexts of use.  Instead, panels showing fields will automatically display vertical scrollbars, if some fields are off-screen.  This means that the Property Box can now still be used, even when resized to be quite small.  If you tab between fields, off-screen fields will automatically scroll into view.

There are also other changes:

To learn more, see Property Box and the Citation List Pane.

Enhancements to Internet Data Matching

Improvements to the MyHeritage Hints Service

MyHeritage made some significant changes to the way their API worked, which adversely affected Family Historian 6.  The Family Historian 6 MyHeritage hints service continued to work, but much less effectively than previously.  The Family Historian 7 implementation of the MyHeritage hints service has now been extensively reworked, so that it now complies with the changes to the MyHeritage service, and resolves the problems.

New ‘View Match Details’ Window

When you view a hint, there is now a cog menu button on the top right corner of the balloon that appears when you hover over the hint.  The drop down menu has two options:

The former shows all match details (accepted, rejected and pending, etc), with links in each case, to click on, to view full details of accept, reject or pending hints for the person in question).  You can also access this same window by right-clicking on a person’s box in the first 2 tabs of the Focus Window, and choosing “View Match Details” from the drop down menu.

To learn more about Internet Data Matching, see Focus Window and the Internet Data Matches tab of Preferences.

New Export Options

There are a number of new items that can be exported (and imported):

Also, within the export GEDCOM dialog, there are a number of new options:
You can now also optionally exclude:

There are also a number of new options relating to Facts & Notes:

All of these are ticked by default.  Note that by default, all word-processing features of notes, are stripped by default, so that notes can be read in other applications.

To learn more about export options on the File menu, see File Menu. See also the Export Gedcom File Dialog.

Support for GEDCOM 5.5.1 and Changes to Data Formats

Extensive New Power-User Features

Family Historian’s power–user features include data references, functions (sometimes also known as built-in functions, to distinguish them from plugin functions) and plugins (program extensions).  There have been enhancements in all of these areas.

The enhancements to data references, which includes new indices, and support for shortcuts to metafiles (used with templated Source records and citations), are described in Understanding Data References.

New built-in functions are listed in New Functions (added in 7.0).

Family Historian’s plugin capability has been upgraded to use the latest versions of Lua and IUP (technologies used by plugins).  Other  libraries have also been upgraded to recent or latest versions. 

In addition to ordinary plugins, there are now 3 new special plugin types:

To learn more about these three new special plugin types, please see the “Special Plugin Types” section in the Plugin Help (to access the Plugin Help, click on Plugins on the Tools menu, to access the Plugin Window; then click the More >> button at the bottom to show the right-side buttons, and finally click the How to Write Plugins button).

In addition to these 3 new plugin types, there are new Family Historian API functions and new objects. See the Plugin Help for more details about these also.

Improvements to the Help

The Family Historian Help (what you are looking at now), has been extensively reworked, and improved. Many images and links have been added, to make the Help easier to use and easier to understand; and the layout has been redesigned, to make help pages easier to find.

And More...