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    Migrating from FTM best practice

    With FTM's (Family Tree Makers) announced discontinuation, many of us are fighting with importing data from FTM or from Ancestry.com. I would like to understand what works and what doesn't. So far, the biggest problem I've found is that media items linked to sources are not imported.

    Please list other things that don't import. I'm going to try to start a support ticket and maybe I can help make this easier for everyone.

    #2
    Re: Migrating from FTM best practice

    Originally posted by jabraham View Post
    So far, the biggest problem I've found is that media items linked to sources are not imported.
    Just a heads up for everyone: this is because FTM/Ancestry allows you to link media to source citations, while Reunion only supports linking media to sources.

    We do have a change in the works that will result in media linked to source citations in the GEDCOM being imported and linked to the relevant source. If you find that this situation applies to you (media linked to source citations not being imported) you should contact us directly at help@leisterpro.com

    HTH
    Mark Harrison
    Leister Productions, Inc.

    Comment


      #3
      Re: Migrating from FTM best practice

      Mark, I'm coming over from FTM3 as well. However, I would rather make the transfer manually. I'm hoping you can elaborate a bit more on media beings linked to source citations in the future, since I don't see that Reunion actually has source citations, only sources.

      Are you going to add the ability to add citations to sources, instead of simply using the detail field?

      Comment


        #4
        Re: Migrating from FTM best practice

        Originally posted by Mark View Post
        Just a heads up for everyone: this is because FTM/Ancestry allows you to link media to source citations, while Reunion only supports linking media to sources.

        We do have a change in the works that will result in media linked to source citations in the GEDCOM being imported and linked to the relevant source. If you find that this situation applies to you (media linked to source citations not being imported) you should contact us directly at help@leisterpro.com

        HTH
        Is this going to result in all the media that use one source (like 1930 Census) being linked to that single source, or are you going to duplicate the source as many times as is needed to keep a single media item per source?

        Roger
        Roger Moffat
        http://lisaandroger.com/genealogy/
        http://genealogy.clanmoffat.org/

        Comment


          #5
          Re: Migrating from FTM best practice

          Originally posted by Mark View Post
          We do have a change in the works that will result in media linked to source citations in the GEDCOM being imported and linked to the relevant source.
          Thank you. This is very good news. I know many people are in a hurry to ditch Family Tree Maker, but it might be good for most people to hang on and wait a bit for this enhancement.

          If you can't wait, I have a workflow that might be useful to people:

          1) Download the free version of Legacy onto a Windows computer (could be a friend's computer, or a virtual windows machine inside your Mac using Parallels or VirtualBox.)

          2) Export a GEDCOM from FTM, then import the FTM GEDCOM into Legacy. Legacy will take a very long time analyzing and will produce a REPORT of the things it could not import. Most of the things it can't import it will turn into NOTES on the person or event. Media file names on source citations will be appended to the text of the citation.

          3) Export a new GEDCOM from Legacy, and import this new GEDCOM into Reunion. Print out the report from Legacy before leaving the windows computer.

          Now, you have a list of the things that didn't import. Since most of them are already notes or text embedded inside citations in Reunion, you can relink to the actual files at your leisure, in your spare time.

          Comment


            #6
            Re: Migrating from FTM best practice

            Originally posted by tinksquared View Post
            ...I don't see that Reunion actually has source citations, only sources.
            Reunion does have source citations. When you go into, for example, Edit Person and to the Events tab, enter an event (such as birth), and add a source to that event you are citing the source of that information -- you're creating a source citation.

            Are you going to add the ability to add citations to sources, instead of simply using the detail field?
            You don't add citations to sources, you cite a source (thus creating a source citation). The detail field is part of the source citation.
            Mark Harrison
            Leister Productions, Inc.

            Comment


              #7
              Re: Migrating from FTM best practice

              Originally posted by theKiwi View Post
              Is this going to result in all the media that use one source (like 1930 Census) being linked to that single source, or are you going to duplicate the source as many times as is needed to keep a single media item per source?
              Currently, all media will be linked to a single source (whichever source is being cited).
              Mark Harrison
              Leister Productions, Inc.

              Comment


                #8
                Re: Migrating from FTM best practice

                Originally posted by Mark View Post
                Reunion does have source citations. When you go into, for example, Edit Person and to the Events tab, enter an event (such as birth), and add a source to that event you are citing the source of that information -- you're creating a source citation.

                You don't add citations to sources, you cite a source (thus creating a source citation). The detail field is part of the source citation.
                Wow. Maybe I am understanding less about this sourcing stuff than I thought. I've been fumbling my way around the books "Evidence Explained", "Practical Citations", and the software "Evidentia" trying to get a grasp on sourcing.

                My take away from those was that there is a source which is general in nature, and then there is a citation attached to a source, which includes all the specific details.

                That is not correct I take it?

                Comment


                  #9
                  Re: Migrating from FTM best practice

                  Originally posted by tinksquared View Post
                  My take away from those was that there is a source which is general in nature, and then there is a citation attached to a source, which includes all the specific details.

                  That is not correct I take it?
                  As far as how Reunion is designed, the source record is the information about the actual document (title, author, etc.). These appear in the Sources sidebar. When you attach a source record to a piece of information (event, fact, note, etc.) you are creating a source citation. These appear in the Edit Person/Family screens, in the "Source Citations" section of each tab (Events/Facts/Notes).

                  In other words: you don't attach a citation to a source, you attach a source to a piece of data, thus creating a source citation.

                  There may be other ways of viewing/handling the concept of sources and citations, but that's how it's handled in Reunion.

                  HTH
                  Mark Harrison
                  Leister Productions, Inc.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Re: Migrating from FTM best practice

                    Originally posted by Mark View Post
                    As far as how Reunion is designed, the source record is the information about the actual document (title, author, etc.). These appear in the Sources sidebar. When you attach a source record to a piece of information (event, fact, note, etc.) you are creating a source citation. These appear in the Edit Person/Family screens, in the "Source Citations" section of each tab (Events/Facts/Notes).

                    In other words: you don't attach a citation to a source, you attach a source to a piece of data, thus creating a source citation.

                    There may be other ways of viewing/handling the concept of sources and citations, but that's how it's handled in Reunion.

                    HTH
                    Mark, thank you for responding. If I understand you correctly, Reunion is setup so that a source should be created with all the details in it, per person, rather than creating a GENERIC source, and customizing the citation detail for each person. Is that correct?

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Re: Migrating from FTM best practice

                      Originally posted by tinksquared View Post
                      ... Reunion is setup so that a source should be created with all the details in it, per person, rather than creating a GENERIC source, and customizing the citation detail for each person.
                      Reunion allows you to use either method.

                      My personal method is to use a more generic source, then enter specifics into the citation detail field. For example, I'll create a generic "1940 U.S. Census" source, attach that to any information (e.g. a birth event) I find in that census, then use the citation detail to specify where the information was found in that census (e.g. roll number, page, etc.).

                      However, I know many users handle this differently than I do. There isn't exactly one "right" way, you have the flexibility to choose which method you prefer.
                      Mark Harrison
                      Leister Productions, Inc.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Re: Migrating from FTM best practice

                        Thank you Mark.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Re: Migrating from FTM best practice

                          Originally posted by Mark View Post
                          We do have a change in the works that will result in media linked to source citations in the GEDCOM being imported and linked to the relevant source. If you find that this situation applies to you (media linked to source citations not being imported) you should contact us directly at help@leisterpro.com

                          HTH
                          When do you expect this change to be ready? I am planning to come back to Reunion from FTM now that Ancestry is dropping support.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Re: Migrating from FTM best practice

                            Originally posted by tinksquared View Post
                            ... Reunion is setup so that a source should be created with all the details in it, per person, rather than creating a GENERIC source, and customizing the citation detail for each person. Is that correct?
                            Reunion is flexible as to this, and if you look back through this forum you will find long-term advocates of various approaches. In my view, the source should be created with all the details of the document itself and where to go check it, but need not mention people: you will attach it to the relevant people, which is called citation. In this, for me, the source 'document' is usually just one page. This avoids having (in my case) 65 images attached to one source for 1851 British Census: I prefer to have 65 such sources. Others, for reasons known to them, want the 1851 to be only one source; Reunion caters for both of us.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Re: Migrating from FTM best practice

                              Originally posted by Joyce Ranieri View Post
                              When do you expect this change to be ready? I am planning to come back to Reunion from FTM now that Ancestry is dropping support.
                              I do not have a timeline for when it will be released. However, as I said, until it is ready you can always email us your GEDCOM and we'll import it with a pre-release build that includes the change.

                              HTH
                              Mark Harrison
                              Leister Productions, Inc.

                              Comment

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