RootsMagic 4 Book Available for Pre-Order

Bruce Buzbee 16 Comments

The book Getting the Most Out of RootsMagic 4 is on a truck racing towards our warehouse.  This 336 page book written by Bruce Buzbee (that’s me) starts with the basics (creating a database, adding people, etc).  Subsequent chapters go into detail on more advanced aspects of RootsMagic 4.

We are now taking orders for the book which will begin shipping the day the books arrive (probably Wednesday August 26).  As always, the fastest way to order is online.  You can also order by phone starting Monday morning, but be prepared to leave a message and be called back since we could be getting a lot of phone calls those first few days.

The regular list price of the book will be $14.95, but we are going to offer it for the bundle price of $10 (plus s/h) for a limited time.

Click here to order your copy of Getting the Most Out of RootsMagic 4

Updates Available for RootsMagic, Personal Historian, and Family Atlas

Bruce Buzbee 13 Comments

New RootsMagic Update Available

We have just released a new update to RootsMagic 4 (version 4.0.5.0).  This update is primarily a bug fix update, although there are a couple of new items.

If you have the RootsMagic News screen come up when you start RootsMagic, it may have already notified you of this update.  If not, you can do “Help > Check for Updates” from the RootsMagic menu to download and install this update.

You can also download the update from http://www.rootsmagic.com/download.

Here are the new, fixed, and updated items in this update:

NEW

– Children in narrative reports that are in the next generation now print birth, marr, and death info in the child list
– Added “Search > Move to primary position” to move the highlighted person (really only useful in pedigree and descendant views)
– Added a button to FamilySearch match and sync screen to view the person on the FamilySearch website
– Added birth year to FamilySearch sync screen for relationships (both RM and FS sides)
– Added FamilySearch import to import a tree from New FamilySearch into an RM file (File > FamilySearch > FamilySearch Import)
– Added Remove to the FamilySearch ordinance request screen to unreserve names

FIXED / CHANGED

– Color coding now works on Timeline Chart
– Spaces are trimmed from name parts when adding a new person
– If short footnote is left blank, RM will use the full citation in its place
– Changed default for color coding to “Highlighted person”
– Box charts in wordwrap mode don’t sometimes truncate a person’s info anymore
– RM warns you when you try to print a group sheet that would be blank
– GEDCOM import doesn’t sometimes duplicate city/state/postal code in second street field anymore
– Drag and drop doesn’t create a blank death fact for people who had their “Living” flag unchecked
– Disputed or disproven alt names now display red crossout
– Fixed several screens / reports where an “unknown spouse” could have phantom events
– GEDCOM import / export now supports “proof” settings
– Drag and drop now preserves “proof” settings
– Added person’s name to title of Individual Timeline list
– Source list prints a person’s suffix for citations
– Changing title of descendant list holds now
– NFS sync screen name matching color coding works properly now
– PAF import handles user defined divorce events now
– When running RM from a flash drive, File > New now defaults to a folder on the flash drive
– NFS Sync options list repositions if necessary to remain completely on screen
– Group sheet doesn’t display wrong Seal to Spouse info when a person wasn’t married
– Submitted ordinances in group sheet print as “Submitted” instead of date to prevent confusion
– Submitted ordinances in NFS sync screen display as “Submitted” instead of date to prevent confusion
– Fixed several issues when printing FORs from NFS
– NFS Match and Sync only shows primary names in list (doesn’t list people multiple times in list anymore)
– Description field in events now transfers back and forth from NFS

New Family Atlas and Personal Historian Updates Available

We have also just released updates to our Personal Historian and Family Atlas programs to provide support for importing the new RootsMagic 4 files.  These are free updates for registered users of Personal Historian and Family Atlas.

To download the update for Personal Historian, go to:

http://www.personalhistorian.com/Support/Updates.aspx

To download the update for Family Atlas, go to:

http://www.familyatlas.com/updates

Join RootsMagic at the Salt Lake Family History Expo

Michael Booth 7 Comments

SaltLake-2009-WebHeader

Come join us at the Salt Lake Family History Expo August 28-29, 2009 at the South Towne Exposition Center in Sandy, Utah.  Visit our booth, attend our classes, or take away one of our over $1,000 worth of prizes!

Free Exhibit Hall!

Visit us at the RootsMagic booth in the Expo’s exhibit hall and experts will be on hand to answer questions about the RootsMagic software.  Don’t miss special conference discounts on various RootsMagic products. The Exhibit Hall also features family history vendors from across the world. The Exhibit Hall is free to the public and is open:

  • Friday, August 28: 9 am – 6 pm
  • Saturday, August 29: 9 am – 5:30 pm

Free RootsMagic Classes!

Come learn about the new features in RootsMagic 4 ( including our award-winning integration with New FamilySearch) in 3 free classes.  That’s right, these classes are FREE to anyone (but you do have to come pick up a ticket from our booth to attend).

  • New FamilySearch Made Easy with RootsMagic 4 – Friday 11:30 am
  • What’s New in RootsMagic 4 – Saturday 8:00 am
  • Sharing and Publishing Your Family History with RootsMagic 4 – Saturday 2:30pm

We are also teaching a couple of other classes as well:

  • Personal Historian: Bringing Life to Your Life Stories – Friday 3:00pm
  • Where in the World? GPS and the Genealogist – Saturday 11:00am

Fun Prizes!

And to help show off some of the great features in RootsMagic 4, we’re going to give away these great prizes in each of our free RootsMagic classes.

  1. Two 4GB flash drives pre-installed with RootsMagic 4.  That’s right, RootsMagic 4 will run directly off a flash drive.  And with the included RootsMagic To-Go program you can easily transfer your data back and forth between your desktop computer and your flash drive as well.
  2. Two copies of Evidence Explained (a $50 value each) to highlight the updated SourceWizard in RootsMagic 4.  It will automatically write your sources in Evidence Explained, Evidence!, Cite Your Sources, or other formats, as well as let you create your own custom formats.  And it’s easy to use!
  3. Two $25 gift certificates from Generation Maps.  Generation Maps makes it easy to print those large wall charts you’ve created in RootsMagic 4.
  4. Plus a bunch of stuff just for fun: RootsMagic tote bags, badge holders, genealogy ties, and more!

Other Classes!

Over 100 other classes will be presented by industry leaders and experts from the local and national genealogical community.  Products and services from genealogy companies will also be showcased in an exhibit hall where you can meet with specialists for free personal consultations on research questions or problems.

If you wish to attend the other classes, pre-registration is just $68.00 through August 24.  After August 24, you may register at the door. The cost at the door will be $78.00 for both days and $48.00 per day. Individuals who want to attend only one or two classes and visit the Exhibit Hall can register for single classes at $12.00 each.

Expo details and the class schedule are available online at: www.FHExpos.com.

Competitive Upgrade Discount Ends in 3 Weeks

Bruce Buzbee 7 Comments

$19.95 Price Ends August 31st

When we released RootsMagic 4, we offered a limited time “competitive upgrade” price to users of other genealogy programs to thank them for their help testing RM4 during our community preview.  That competitive upgrade price will expire on August 31st.

So if you are a user of Personal Ancestral File (PAF), Family Tree Maker, Legacy Family Tree, or The Master Genealogist, (or an other genealogy program for that matter) you can still buy RootsMagic for the upgrade price of $19.95 (that’s $10 off the regular price).  Or if you have a friend you have been trying to switch over to RootsMagic, there’s no better time than now.

To receive the competitive upgrade discount, visit:

http://www.rootsmagic.com/upgrade

RootsMagic Book Coming Soon

As a side note, the long awaited book for RootsMagic 4 is at the printer.  Keep watching this blog, or make sure you are subscribed to the RootsMagic News email newsletter to be notified as soon as it is available (sorry, we can’t take orders for it until it is ready to ship).

Free RootsMagic Classes, Cool Prizes, and Fun Buttons at BYU Conference

Bruce Buzbee 18 Comments

BYU Family History Conference 2009

Come see us at the BYU Family History Conference this week (Tuesday July 28th – Friday July 31st).  Visit our booth, attend our classes, or take away one of our $1,000 worth of prizes!  You don’t even have to be registered for the conference to attend the class or be eligible for the prizes.

Free RootsMagic Classes!

Come learn about the new features in RootsMagic 4 ( including our award-winning integration with New FamilySearch) in 3 free classes.  That’s right, these classes are FREE and don’t require registration for the conference.  So whether you are attending the conference, or have to work, these evening classes are open to everyone.

Each class starts at 5:15pm in room 2295 of the Harman Continuing Education building.  Classes will be held Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings at that time.

Fun Prizes!

And to help show off some of the great features in RootsMagic 4, we’re going to give away these great prizes in each of our classes.

  1. Two 4GB flash drives pre-installed with RootsMagic 4.  That’s right, RootsMagic 4 will run directly off a flash drive.  And with the included RootsMagic To-Go program you can easily transfer your data back and forth between your desktop computer and your flash drive as well.
  2. Two copies of Evidence Explained (a $50 value each) to highlight the updated SourceWizard in RootsMagic 4.  It will automatically write your sources in Evidence Explained, Evidence!, Cite Your Sources, or other formats, as well as let you create your own custom formats.  And it’s easy to use!
  3. Two $25 gift certificates from Generation Maps.  Generation Maps makes it easy to print those large wall charts you’ve created in RootsMagic 4.
  4. Plus a bunch of stuff just for fun: RootsMagic tote bags, badge holders, genealogy ties, and more!

And we’re giving away all these prizes during each class!

RM-NFS-ButtonFree Buttons!

And if you’re one of those users who has already experienced how easy RootsMagic 4 makes working with New FamilySearch, show your appreciation at the conference by sporting one of our free “I Love RootsMagic and FamilySearch” buttons.  Just stop by our booth and pick one up for yourself and a friend.

RootsMagic 4 Update Released (4.0.4.0)

Bruce Buzbee 17 Comments

We have just released a new update to RootsMagic 4 (version 4.0.4.0).  This update includes a new feature which should prove to be very popular… the ability to automatically fix broken media/image links that occur when you move pictures or move your database and media to a new computer.

If you have the RootsMagic News screen come up when you start RootsMagic, it may have already notified you of this update.  If not, you can do “Help > Check for Updates” from the RootsMagic menu to download and install this update.

You can also download the update from http://www.rootsmagic.com/download.

Here are the new, fixed, and updated items in this update:

NEW

– Added a feature to fix broken media / image links (in the media gallery/album do Tools > Fix broken media links)
– Added the ability to enter Helper mode for another person when using the NFS features
– Added life span (birthyear-deathyear) to parents and children’s spouses in group sheets

FIXED

– Deleting a fact will now remove the shared copies of that fact instead of leaving phantom witness records (Note: we are still working on a way to delete any pre-existing phanton witness records)
– Edit source screen displays Call# in right panel if one exists
– Shouldn’t sometimes change family in family and descendant view when adding a child
– Double clicking a citation when the citation manager is opened from Explorer now opens Edit Source screen
– Box charts now include prefix and suffix on names
– FTM import now preserves nicknames entered with quotes like William “Bill” Jones

RootsMagic 4 Update Released (4.0.3.0)

Bruce Buzbee 32 Comments

We have just released a new update to RootsMagic 4 (version 4.0.3.0).  If you have the RootsMagic News screen come up when you start RootsMagic, it may have already notified you of this update.  If not, you can do “Help > Check for Updates” from the RootsMagic menu to download and install this update.

You can also download the update from http://www.rootsmagic.com/download.

This is primarily a bug fix update and includes a couple which required some major internal code changes.  If you have reported a bug that isn’t addressed by this update, don’t worry… all reported bugs have been logged and are being worked on.

On a somewhat unrelated note… we have had a lot of questions about if and when the RM4 book will be available.  The “if” is yes, and the “when” is I’m not sure.  Because of the large number of changes / additions in version 4, the book is taking me longer to put together than with past versions (especially with the amount of time I’m spending programming at the moment).   I just wanted to assure you I am working on it with all that spare time I have laying around<g>.  But the plan is to get it out in the next couple of months.  We are also working on some free video tutorials which you will be able to watch online from our website or download to your computer.  Keep an eye on the blog and our RootsMagic Newsletter for more information about those in the coming months.

Here are the new, fixed, and updated items in this update:

NEW / CHANGED

– Added an option to select the default starting side-list page (or use previous side-list page) in Tools > File options
– The Scrapbook report now has an editable title
– The NFS Match screen and Sync screen have been combined into a single tabbed screen
– Renamed “Tools > Database options” to “Tools > File options”

FIXED

– Primary facts now works properly in reports, screens, etc.
– Fixed ‘List index out of bounds (-1)’ error when creating a Fact List
– Fact type “exists” now works properly in search criteria
– Name doesn’t disappear from edit screen list after the name is edited
– Fixed “Allow close matches” in NameFind in RM Explorer
– Fixed “Sounds like” search for name fields in RM Explorer
– LDS template will now save ordinance statuses if no date or temple was entered
– Deleting the birth or death for a person removes the year from the Explorer list
– Citation memorize / paste now includes any images attached to the citation
– :Age modifier works in sample sentence and customize sentence in edit screen now
– Alternate name date is now exported to GEDCOM
– Alternate name privacy setting is now exported to GEDCOM
– Fixed a few issues with some source templates
– RM remembers size of Edit Media window
– When importing an older RM (v1-3) file, RM4 defaults new filename to same name (except with .rmgc extension)
– Fixed some issues when importing some older Family Origins files
– Merging preserves the notes of the person being merged in
– Fixed the random freezing in various New FamilySearch screens
– Fixed error 400 problem when combining records in NFS

One Week Until Colorado Family History Expo

Michael Booth 1 Comment

Just one week until the 2009 Colorado Family History Expo!  This is the first time that the expo has been held in Colorado and we’re excited to meet and interact with our users in that area.

If you’ve never been to a Family History Expo, you need to check it out.  Lots of classes on a wide variety of subjects and levels of experience, product demonstrations, a free exhibit hall where you can talk face-to-face with us, prize drawings, and just a fun place where you can be with others who share your love of genealogy.  We love the Expos so much, we’re an official sponsor!

And if that isn’t enough of endorsement, just watch this commercial for the expo which is currently running on local television stations in the area:

If you live in the area or are just looking for an excuse to take a nice summer trip to the Rockies, come see us at the expo.  There’s still time to register and we hope to see you there.

RootsMagic 4 Update Released (4.0.2.1)

Bruce Buzbee 34 Comments

We have just released a new update to RootsMagic 4 (version 4.0.2.1).  If you have the RootsMagic News screen come up when you start RootsMagic, it may have already notified you of this update.  If not, you can do “Help > Check for Updates” from the RootsMagic menu to download and install this update.

The update may also be downloaded from http://www.rootsmagic.com/download.

We have worked many, many hours on this update, but realize there are still a number of items we need to address.  We have even had to fix bugs in other company’s products that we are using in RM4.

We decided to go ahead and release this update to get these fixes out while we work on and test other issues.  If your pet bug isn’t addressed by this update, don’t worry… all reported bugs have been logged and are being looked into.  There are a few bugs (like the occasional random hanging in some of the FamilySearch features) that require more testing because of the possible impact of the changes on other areas of the program.

We want to thank everyone for their support through all this work.  Your encouraging words have helped make the long hours seem not quite so long.

Here are the new, fixed, and updated items in this update:

NEW

  • Can view and edit place details for places from the master place list (Lists > Place list)
  • Added source templates for Elizabeth Shown Mills’ new Ancestry QuickSheet
  • Indexes in reports now support color coding
  • Added several color schemes (in addition to blue) for toolbar and menu colors (blue, silver, green, windows setting)
  • Several reports allow editing title
  • Added optional built-in background images for website creation
  • New ordinance reservation list when selecting “# people are ready for temple ordinances” from FamilySearch Central
  • Added option to exclude RM specific tags when exporting GEDCOM files

FIXED / UPDATED

  • Added hotkeys to numerous screens
  • Creating a shareable CD doesn’t hang on collecting media
  • Shareable CDs don’t crash when opening the media album anymore
  • Stopped “Windows no disk” errors when accessing media on drives that don’t exist
  • Fixed some search criterias that didn’t work properly
  • List of citations for a person/fact/etc now shows page no. / details in the list
  • When citing an existing source RM4 starts with the cursor in the first source details field
  • Added phone and email to address form display
  • Website header font can now be modified in .CSS file
  • Added create and modified date to properties form
  • Place merge leaves original place in list (w/o checkbox)
  • Place details print in website narratives now
  • Name in place list report now includes prefix and suffix
  • Added hints to toolbar buttons that didn’t have them
  • Reader splash screen doesn’t say “Trial Version” anymore
  • Family events in narratives use customized sentences if they exist
  • Narrative websites use customized sentences if they exist
  • Customize sentence displays “They” instead of He/She for family events
  • Eliminated extraneous witnesses in shared events in narratives
  • Fixed some shared event issues
  • Sample sentence supports witnesses on edit individual screen
  • Sample sentence supports witnesses on customize sentence screen
  • GEDCOM import doesn’t ignore death info if the DEAT tag has a Y on it
  • Changed “General” to “Person” on edit screen for notes, sources, etc.
  • Spaces are trimmed from name parts when saving name in Edit Person screen
  • Fixed issues with a few source templates
  • UK edition defaults to using british dictionary now
  • NFS matching / searching filters out dups returned by NFS (led to “Must have 2 people to do a combine” errors)
  • RM doesn’t crash anymore when importing a corrupt file from other programs (SQLite Error 19)
  • BEPS prints on pedigree charts when LDS support turned on
  • Fixed read of “Needs more information” status from NFS
  • Bibliography prints properly in the Source Report
  • Photo tree doesn’t display wrong photos when an ancestor doesn’t exist
  • Gazetteer opens with focus on search field
  • Sources in narratives handle template field modifiers (like [place:reverse]) properly now
  • Website image links are lower case to handle servers that lowercase files and are case sensitive
  • FTM import doesn’t crash when invalid source citation is encountered
  • FTM import doesn’t mix up some fact types anymore
  • FTM import doesn’t put every description in the place list anymore
  • FTM general sources import properly now
  • Short citation includes detail text and comments if enabled
  • Note, source, and media checkmarks display for alt names in Explorer
  • Adding a birth (or other life event) over 105 years ago clears living flag for the person
  • Deleting address from Lists > Address removes the link to it from the person (same for repo)
  • Deleting place from Lists > Place list clears place (and site) for events which used that place
  • Seal to spouse prints for parents in group sheets now
  • LDS report marriage sealings filter properly now
  • If preference file gets corrupt RM will use defaults instead of freezing
  • Merging places preserves all place notes
  • Merging places preserves place details
  • Chart program doesn’t sometimes revert to trial mode
  • Sped up merging a person dragged and dropped onto a copy of himself
  • Reuse duplicate citations now works properly (make sure “Combine endnotes for each fact” is turned off)
  • BIC and other LDS statuses print on group sheets if date is blank
  • Fixed random crashes in publisher when Table of Contents is added
  • Changed Twin Falls Idaho temple code from TFALL to TWINF
  • Legacy import now imports “unspecified” citation links
  • Selected date format is used in edit screen and sample sentence on edit screen
  • GEDCOM export strips hard returns out of exported single field lines
  • Display / printing of freeform sources adds punctuation the same way RM3 did
  • Doesn’t display the chapter title in the endnotes when there is only one chapter/report
  • Place list remembers size and position now
  • Fixed some age display issues on edit screen
  • Main views (pedigree, family, descendant, people) now support font style (bold/italic) set in options
  • Fixed some issues with privatized narrative websites
  • Sort date is created even when user presses Alt+V or Alt+O before moving out of the date field
  • Sort date is updated when you select a different date from the calendar in the edit screen
  • Bibliography can now print even when footnotes / endnotes are turned off

What Have We Been Doing the Past Month?

Bruce Buzbee 31 Comments

Well, it has been exactly a month (an extremely busy month) since we officially released RootsMagic 4, so I thought it might be a good idea to let you know what we are up to.

Fixin’ Bugs

Of course our number one priority right now is fixing bugs which have been reported.  Please keep in mind that RootsMagic 4 is a complete rewrite and we are working full time squashing bugs as they are reported.  We are fixing the most major bugs first and will continue until we get them all.  Don’t worry if your pet bug isn’t fixed in the next update, it doesn’t mean we aren’t going to fix it.  Those of you who have been with us for a long time know how hard we work to make things right, and RootsMagic 4 is no exception.  We plan to release the next update in the next week or two, so please keep an eye out for that.  And now that things are starting to settle down just a little bit, we will try harder to keep you up to date with what we are up to here on the blog.

Answering Questions

As you might imagine, we are getting a lot of emails (questions, bug reports, etc.).  We are trying to answer them as quickly as possible.  If you have submitted a bug report through our support system (http://support.rootsmagic.com) or on our message boards, please be assured that we have seen it and will be working on it even if you don’t hear back from the programmers right away on it.  Bug reports are always forwarded to us programmers, but we are spending so many hours working to improve RootsMagic 4 that we often get behind (sometimes way behind) on our emails.

The Most Common Questions Support is Receiving

  1. Why can’t RootsMagic 4 find my version 3 database? – If you are running Vista and had your RM3 files in the RootsMagic program folder, then Vista is hiding those files from RootsMagic 4.  Here is a knowledge base article on this problem and how to get around it.
  2. Why can’t I log into New FamilySearch? – New FamilySearch is a brand new system that is being rolled out in phases, and isn’t available to everyone yet (including many LDS church members).  As it becomes more stable it will be opened up to everyone (whether LDS or not).
  3. When will the RootsMagic 4 book be available? – If I had to guess I would say in about 3 months (I should know better than to guess at a release date, but I just can’t help myself 😉 ).
  4. Why haven’t I gotten my CD yet? – CDs began shipping this week.  We had that on the main order page, but forgot to update the generic confirmation email to say that.
  5. Numerous feature requests – We have received a ton of feature requests, many new, and a few for features which were in version 3 but are missing from version 4.  While our main focus right now is fixing bugs, we will also be working on some of these feature requests as time permits, and they will be included in the free updates as well.

 Of course there are many, many other questions that we are receiving, and many of them are answered in our knowledge base at http://support.rootsmagic.com.

A Word of Thanks

And finally I would like to thank all our great users for their support.  This has been the busiest month in our company’s history, in sales, support requests, hours spent programming, everything.  We knew coming in that with a complete rewrite there would be some growing pains, but based on the reviews and comments RootsMagic 4 has been receiving we know that we are on the right track.

“Probably the best all-around genealogy program, RootsMagic offers a winning combination of features for both casual and serious genealogists.” – Family Tree Magazine, July 2009