Upgrading to Version 8

[Maxine Crabtree]

I am having trouble installing Version 8. I don't know what I am doing wrong but it is driving me crazy. I am using an iMac and running Mac OS X. I presently have Version 4 and 5 in my Apple Menu. I can open both OK. I have installed Version 8 but am having problems upgrading. I went through the first three steps to upgrade but the 4th step "select your OLD Reunion family file" doesn't work right for me.. I go to my Apple Menu to click on Reunion 5 but it is not highlighted although Version 4 is highlighted ( I did click on Reunion 5/6/7 in step 3). What on earth am I doing wrong? I remember that upgrading to Version 5 was a breeze - not so with this one. Maxine

[David G. Kanter]

I am having trouble installing Version 8…I am using an iMac and running Mac OS X. I presently have Version 4 and 5 in my Apple Menu…I have installed Version 8 but am having problems upgrading. I went through the first three steps to upgrade but the 4th step "select your OLD Reunion family file" doesn't work right for me.. I go to my Apple Menu to click on Reunion 5…What on earth am I doing wrong?Sounds as if you're trying to select an application (and, perhaps, just an alias to it), but Reunion is asking for you to locate your old family file.

Instead of going to your Apple Menu (and unless you're using a 3rd party utility to modify your Apple Menu, I'm not clear on what you're going to in the Apple Menu, but that doesn't matter), you should be navigating on your hard drive, using the "Upgrade Family File" window that Reunion opened for you, to where you have kept the actual file (and not to an alias of it) with all your Reunion data. That's the family file—with whatever name you gave to it. It's that data file which Reunion 8 will then upgrade to be ready to handle all the features available in that version. Note: As you say you still have two prior versions of Reunion on your computer, be sure to navigate to the family file that has your most recent data set—and not some older family file that may have reflected your data set at some earlier time.

[Maxine Crabtree]

David - I used my find button and found Reunion 5 here --- Macintosh HD = Applications (OS 9) = Reunion 5 Folder = Reunion 5. It looks like all my data is in the application folder, and the Reunion 5 in my Apple Menu is probably an alias, although with OS X it is not identified as an alias.

I had a Mac service rep install my OS X upgrade so I am not sure why Reunion was put in the OS 9 application folder. I'm not very smart when it comes to computers so I really don't have a clue what to do now. Can I drag the Reunion 5 folder out of the Application folder and into the hard drive without doing any damage to my data? I lost all my data once (when I was using PAF) and had to redo every thing - and yes, I did have a backup but there was nothing on the backup disk. And now I've gotten too old to start over again. Maxine

[David G. Kanter]

I've gotten too old to start over again.You shouldn't have to. Send me an e-mail and if you'll include your telephone number, I'd be happy to talk this over with you.

But, in any case, here are my responses to the rest of your last post:

I used my find button and found Reunion 5 here --- Macintosh HD = Applications (OS 9) = Reunion 5 Folder = Reunion 5. It looks like all my data is in the application folder. . .That your data (i.e., your Family File and any Multimedia folders) are in that folder is prefectly reasonable—that was, and still is, the default location. (Once we get you up and running under with Reunion 8 under OS X, we can address the value of putting just your data elsewhere—for example, in your Documents folder.)

I am not sure why Reunion was put in the OS 9 application folder. As your old version of Reunion (version 5) is not one that will run natively under OS X, it was appropriate that it would be put in the OS 9 application folder. (Those programs would be run in the Classic environment of OS X—which would be OS 9.2.2—if that Classic-environment software has been installed.) I'd only expect programs that run natively under OS X to be in the (plain) Applications folder—as is the OS X version of Reunion 8.

From your original description (where explained that you had gotten to the "Upgrade Family File" window), you should find that you now have a Reunion 8 folder in the (plain) Applications folder. It would contain the Reunion 8 application, a "Sample Family" file, the Reunion 8 Manual folder, and a bunch of other things that make up the installation. Once you navigate in the "Upgrade Family File" window to your data file in your Reunion 5 folder in your Applications (Mac OS 9) folder, Reunion 8 will then ask you to name the new file and where you want to have it stored. (The default location—which is good enough to start with, just so you don't have to change anything—can be your Reunion 8 folder.) You'll then click the "Convert" button and Reunion 8 will take care of building the new Family File. (Your Reunion 5 data file will remain unaffected.)

Once that new Family File is sitting in your Reunion 8 folder (within the [plain] Applications folder), I'd suggest you open that Reunion 8 folder in a Finder window and drag that Family File to the documents side of your Dock—the side with the Trash icon. (The file itself will remain in the Reunion 8 folder, but there'll then be a document-style icon—with the Reunion 3-person logo—that will remain on your Dock until you choose to remove it.) Putting your Family File on the Dock gives you a 1-click way to cause Reunion to launch and display your Home Family Card in your Family File.

Can I drag the Reunion 5 folder out of the Application [Mac OS 9] folder and into the hard drive without doing any damage to my data?While you can drag that folder elsewhere on your hard drive (of course, being in that folder it is already on your hard drive), there no need to move it anywhere. As explained above, I expect that everything Reunion 8 needs is already in its own folder in the (plain) Applications folder except for your data—and the new data file (the Family File) will be created for you when you get to click on the "Convert" button.

[latblumr]

...I had a Mac service rep install my OS X upgrade so I am not sure why Reunion was put in the OS 9 application folder....This may be too simple, but when I moved to OSX I had similar problems. When I moved Reunion out of OS9 onto the desktop, everything worked.

[Maxine Crabtree]

David,

Thanks for helping me with my upgrade. I now have it up and running in the Reunion 8 folder. I haven't had time to do much checking of the data but what I did see looked ok. However, there is one problem that I haven't been able to correct - the type size in the notes field. When I opened the first family card (mine) the type size was very small, so small I could barely read it. it looked like a size 7 or 8. There were several little buttons at the top of the card where I could change the size on the primary & secondary names/data. After clicking on the little buttons all the data was changed to a readable size, including the notes field. When I clicked on the note field to read the rest of the notes I discovered that the type size had not changed. Incidentally, when I went back to the family card the little buttons had disappeared. How can I change the type size in the note field?
Maxine

[David G. Kanter]

there is one problem that I haven't been able to correct - the type size in the notes field…How can I change the type size in the note field? There are both a general font & a general font-size setting for all the non-name data fields (Options->Fonts->Family Card: Data) and then there could be a custom font (but not font size) prescribed for a Note (or Fact) field (Options->Define->Person Fields->Notes). [Search the Manual for "font size" and start with the 1st item "Fonts, Fonts on the Family Card". Then note the link in the last paragraph of that item to "defined a fact or note window" regarding a custom font for a Note or Fact.]

Unless you have some specific settings that you had established in Reunion 5, I'd be inclined to click the "Defaults" button in the first case (i.e., for the Family Card fonts) and choose "Default" in the Font pop-up menu where the troublesome Note is defined. (Of course, don't forget to click the "Save" button whenever you've made changes.) Then see if the problem still remains. (If it does, perhaps another reader can suggest your next step to try.)

Also, I tried to drag my family file to the Dock but it wouldn't stay there…Oops. I think I draged the file to the wrong place on the Dock - me thinks it should have gone next to the Trash. Yup. If, as it appears, you did get the Family File to remain on the Dock, I'd suggest you directly edit that post and remove that whole paragraph. I'd then, remove this paragraph from this reply post. That should make it easier for someone who later walks through this thread.

[martha]

<...> Yup. If, as it appears, you did get the Family File to remain on the Dock, I'd suggest you directly edit that post and remove that whole paragraph. I'd then, remove this paragraph from this reply post. That should make it easier for someone who later walks through this thread.

Why should Reunion be in the right hand side of the Dock? I have mine on the left with everything else, and it works fine. The right hand side, next to the trash contains temporary stuff that I will want in a second but that I do not want to remain forever in the dock. Is that incorrect? What IS the difference between places in the dock??

Martha [in Israel]

[David G. Kanter]

Why should Reunion be in the right hand side of the Dock? I have mine on the left with everything else, and it works fine. The right hand side, next to the trash contains temporary stuff that I will want in a second but that I do not want to remain forever in the dock. Is that incorrect? What IS the difference between places in the dock??As people may have their Docks on the side, rather than the bottom, of their screen, let's talk of the portion of the Dock on the Trash side of the dividing line versus the other side. The Trash side is for volumes (like your hard drive), documents and folders; the other side is for applications.

As I was suggesting to Maxine Crabtree that her Family File be kept in the Dock, it needed to be on the Trash side. As you, instead, refer to Reunion (i.e., the application), it needs to be on the other side. (In my case, I have several Family Files—one that's my own; others with which I'm helping other people—and keep each of them on my Dock so getting to a specific Family File is just one click, whether or not the Reunion application is already running. I, therefore, do not keep the Reunion application on my Dock. But, each to the approach which serves them best.)

In any case, while you may be using the Trash side for temporary stuff, it's available for those non-application item items to which you may wish to have direct access. (For volumes and folders, you get a pop-up menu of their contents—which is often an easy way to get within them to a specific subfolder or file.)