82 replies to this topic

[Jerry Bryan]

 

As I indicated earlier, GEDCOM does not support a master citation linked to multiple things. FTM exports as many separate citations as you see in that list. It would take some magic to merge them back into one shared master citation but RM's database design does not support it anyway. I see that FTM does do that magic which is one reason its import process is so slow - that is a lot of string comparing to do.

 

 

I'm sort of beating a dead horse here. But it seems to me that the fact that GEDCOM does not support a master citation linked to multiple things is not really a barrier to genealogy software supporting a master citation linked to multiple things. Indeed, FTM is already an exemplar of how to do it - simply split the master citation into individual citations on GEDCOM export and merge the identical citations back together into a master citation on GEDCOM import. So RM doesn't have any trouble importing FTM's master citations from GEDCOM because the citations will already have been split in the GEDCOM and RM simply doesn't merge them back together. For direct import of FTM's master citations, I would assume that RM is doing the split as a part of the direct import process, and having split them it once again doesn't merge them back together. RM doesn't merge the identical citations back together because it can't - it doesn't support anything like a master citation.

 

Jerry

[Vyger]

I see that Legacy 8 just (yesterday) tweaked their gedcom import to handle FTM "better". Maybe RM will follow suit...

 

One would certainly hope so.

[mmurosky]

 

I'm sort of beating a dead horse here. But it seems to me that the fact that GEDCOM does not support a master citation linked to multiple things is not really a barrier to genealogy software supporting a master citation linked to multiple things. Indeed, FTM is already an exemplar of how to do it - simply split the master citation into individual citations on GEDCOM export and merge the identical citations back together into a master citation on GEDCOM import. So RM doesn't have any trouble importing FTM's master citations from GEDCOM because the citations will already have been split in the GEDCOM and RM simply doesn't merge them back together. For direct import of FTM's master citations, I would assume that RM is doing the split as a part of the direct import process, and having split them it once again doesn't merge them back together. RM doesn't merge the identical citations back together because it can't - it doesn't support anything like a master citation.

 

Jerry

 

Thank you for the clarification.  It is a bit frustrating that in 2015 old antiquated GEDCOM language is the limiting factor for transitioning data.

 

I can only hope Santa brings a buyer for family tree maker or some IT genius that can help all of us.....

[TomH]

The only attributes of an image that appear to be exported into the gedcom is the caption, the path to the image and the Private setting. The Date, Description and Categories values appear to not be exported into the GEDCOM.
 

Date and Description are exported to GEDCOM for FTM destinations but not to "Other". But RootsMagic does not recognize their constructs in that format.

[tschlarm]

Date and Description are exported to GEDCOM for FTM destinations but not to "Other". But RootsMagic does not recognize their constructs in that format.

RM7 will import the Description, but not the Date using this method. Thanks for the idea about exporting to the other FTM destinations. I updated my original post.

[TomH]

RM7 will import the Description, but not the Date using this method. Thanks for the idea about exporting to the other FTM destinations. I updated my original post.

Description was not imported in my little 1 person, 1 image test so there are exceptions and maybe some variation in settings for the export.

[mmurosky]

RM7 will import the Description, but not the Date using this method. Thanks for the idea about exporting to the other FTM destinations. I updated my original post.

 

Hello a user at the Ancestry Forum did a test with FTM2012 and FTM 2014.

 

"I have have both FTM2012 & 2014. Neither exports media Date. Ditto, Category. Strangely, 2012 exports Description, but 2014 doesn't. (Apparently FTM-Mac3 does, too?)."

 

Reference Link: http://ancestryforums.custhelp.com/posts/b194b40a69?page=3 

 

Screen Shot of Family Tree Maker Media view (from my tree) for reference on what Date, Category and Description are.

 

[tschlarm]

Description was not imported in my little 1 person, 1 image test so there are exceptions and maybe some variation in settings for the export.

Hi. I was using FTM2014 (latest version) and then exported to GEDCOM/FTM2012 (not Other). For me, the Date and description show up in the GEDCOM file and RM7 (latest version) imports the Description, but not the date.

 

If you follow the RM website videos on FTM exports to RM and use the Export/GEDCOM/Other method then FTM doesn't export the Date or Description to the GEDCOM file.

 

At least that's been my experience so far.

[TomH]

That's what I did. The one picture with anything in the RM Description had "@N11@". Here is the GEDCOM:

0 @M17@ OBJE
1 FILE C:\Users\Tom\Documents\Family Tree Maker\Holden-Cudworth Family Tree Media\Margaret Chalmers.jpg
2 TITL Margaret Chalmers
2 DATE About 1865
2 TEXT Media description
1 NOTE @N11@

I had entered "Media description" in FTM. RM took the value from NOTE, not TEXT. There is no 0 @N11@ in the GEDCOM. 

 

RootsMagic exports a media link thusly:

1 OBJE
2 FILE C:\Users\Tom\Pictures\2015-11-19 Awesome clouds\PB191967.JPG
2 FORM JPG
2 TITL Clouds
2 _DATE 19 DEC 2015
2 REFN Ref Num
2 NOTE Media description from RM
2 _TYPE PHOTO
2 _SCBK Y
2 _PRIM Y

Note that all tags are on the same level as FILE while FTM puts them on a subsidiary level. RM exports a custom _DATE tag instead of DATE and the Description is in the NOTE. However, changing the FTM tags and levels to correspond had no apparent effect - still no Dates nor any description other than @N11@ but the .LST file was error free.

 

Ahhh, I was deleting the person but not the media and reimporting. So I think, RM saw that it already had the media and was not updating the record - maybe? I now see Description and Date but I have not gone back to check what the minimum changes might be. Perhaps only changing DATE to _DATE since you are seeing descriptions coming from TEXT.

Edited by TomH, 19 December 2015 - 02:29 PM.

[rob p]

I think problem with FTM's media date is the format used in that field: i.e., "10/18/2009 4:32:39 AM". RM (and others) reject this.

[stukawife]

OK now, I've been using FTM for 30 years, in fact I've never used anything else.

 

I have no idea what any of these complicated instructions mean.

 

When I open FTM 2012 directly in RM7 it looks fine, except where are all my media items? I know they are held in a separate FTM file, I think, but how do I move them to RM7?

 

I need a very simplistic answer.  Should I be exporting to GEDCOM and them to RM7?

 

I am a frustrated camper, and I can't believe Ancestry doesn't see how this devalues my subscription.

[Renee Zamora]

Yes, with FTM 2012 you will want to export to GEDCOM. Use GEDCOM 5.5, Destination: Other, Character Set: UTF-8. Make sure you selected the option to include private facts & notes and the media. Then import that into RootsMagic.

 

You will want to make sure you have RootsMagic 7.0.9.0 installed (Help>About RootsMagic) before importing your GEDCOM. The media will be linked to the images you have stored already on your computer. So if you have not synced to download those images to your computer from Ancestry you will want to make sure you have done that prior to the GEDCOM. 

[TomH]

Yes, with FTM 2012 you will want to export to GEDCOM. Use GEDCOM 5.5, Destination: Other, Character Set: UTF-8. 

There may be room for experimenting to advantage here as we have found with FTM2014. In that case, exporting to GEDCOM/FTM2012 (not Other) is more complete. And changing the GEDCOM DATE tag to _DATE within all blocks beginning 0 OBJE enables the import of the Media date.

[jmillrood]

There may be room for experimenting to advantage here as we have found with FTM2014. In that case, exporting to GEDCOM/FTM2012 (not Other) is more complete. And changing the GEDCOM DATE tag to _DATE within all blocks beginning 0 OBJE enables the import of the Media date.

 

Hi everyone. About a week ago I came over to RM7 from FTM2014..Still trying to find my way around. Exported my FTM tree to GEDCOM and then imported to RM.

 

Tom, I'm curious about your post. Do you have pictures of this option to export to GEDCOM/FTM2012 in FTM2014? I've looked and that is not available in my export options. I would really like to be able to get the description for all my media from FTM into my RM tree. 

 

Thanks.

[TomH]

Tom, I'm curious about your post. Do you have pictures of this option to export to GEDCOM/FTM2012 in FTM2014? I've looked and that is not available in my export options. I would really like to be able to get the description for all my media from FTM into my RM tree. 

 

[jmillrood]

I must be blind..completely overlooked that..this worked and all my descriptions from my FTM media are in RM..I'm a happy guy. Thanks.

[CLMartin]

Just a note for those transferring from FTM2014. I did a test using every fact field in FTM. These are the facts that did not make it into RM that would have to be changed to a Custom Field if you want them transferred:

 

Address

Caste

Circumcision

Degree

Email

Employment

Excommunication

Elected

Funeral

Height

Marriage Bann

Medical Condition (RM has "Illness," but it did go there)

Military Serial Number

Namesake

Origin

Ordinance

Phone Number

Separation

Weight

 

I purposely left out the Cause of Death from above list. VERY IMPORTANT. I ran the test twice with Cause of Death from FTM. Make sure you change this to a Custom Field before gedcom to RM. This is what it did:

 

FTM

Death (for John Doe)

Date: 2 Jan 1880

Place: Illinois, USA

Description: See Death Certificate.

 

Cause of Death (for John Doe)

Description: Food Poisoning

 

RM

Death (for John Doe)

Date:

Place:

Description: Food Poisoning

[Renee Zamora]

I have passed this along to development to see if there is anything we can do on our end.

[Renee Zamora]

CLMartin, I showed your post on the forums to Bruce, about the FTM2014 test on all the facts not coming over. He would like to get a copy of your FTM2014 GEDCOM file to work on this.

 

Open a support ticket and label it Attn: Renee.
http://support.roots...us_requests/new

 

If you file is to large to upload through the support system then let me know you need the link to send a large file.

[tschlarm]

CLMartin, I showed your post on the forums to Bruce, about the FTM2014 test on all the facts not coming over. He would like to get a copy of your FTM2014 GEDCOM file to work on this.

 

Open a support ticket and label it Attn: Renee.
http://support.roots...us_requests/new

 

If you file is to large to upload through the support system then let me know you need the link to send a large file.

 

See also my note in this thread on 17 Dec 2015 10:45pm for fact fields that are dropped when using the GEDCOM export suggested by the videos posted by RM (gedcom / other export) @

 

http://www.rootsmagic.com/ftm/Videos/