Author: Bruce Buzbee

RootsMagic 4 Update Released (4.0.7.0)

Bruce Buzbee 8 Comments

We have just released a minor update to RootsMagic 4 (version 4.0.7.0).

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/updates/rootsmagic

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

NEW

– Added “Use standardized place” button when editing a place from the master place list
– Streamlined NFS features

FIXED

– Source list now prints all occurrences of multiple citations of the same source for the same fact
– Fixed a problem with longitude sometimes having the wrong E, W designator
– Fixed problem with non-admin, non-power users getting a “Can’t save application settings” when exiting from RM
– Importing a GEDCOM with more than 2 addresses for a person doesn’t hang anymore
– Merging doesn’t put — MERGED NOTE — when one record has a note but the other doesn’t
– Record number doesn’t print for the spouse of children in narratives anymore
– Nickname delimiter (parens vs quotes) honored in website narratives

Addendum: Version 4.0.7.1 is the current version and includes just a couple of minor tweaks / fixes.

RootsMagic 4 Update Released (4.0.6.0)

Bruce Buzbee 29 Comments

We have just released a new update to RootsMagic 4 (version 4.0.6.0).  This update adds several new features, plus returns several reports (such as the blank forms) which didn’t make it from v3.

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 blank reports (pedigree chart, group sheet, cemetery record log, correspondence log, research log)
– Added Print button to the Count Trees screen
– Added Print button to the Relationship Calculator screen
– Added option to display birth year in side list index
– Added option to display record number in side list index
– Marriage list report can now print marriage rec# with any sort order (as an option)
– Any events which don’t fit on a printed calendar print on an overflow page at the end of the calendar
– Double clicking a fact in RM Explorer now opens the edit screen to that fact in edit mode
– Added “Edit Family” button to problem list
– Added RootsMagic Launcher to manually start RM on flash drive since Vista now disables autorun on removable drives
– Installer will warn if you try to install on a removable drive (use RM to go instead)
– Added Oquirrh Mountain temple to LDS temple list

FIXED

– Direct line children in ancestor narrative now show spouse / marriage information
– Doing “Add multiple people” when sharing a fact now assigns a default role (which can be changed for each person)
– When deleting a shared fact, RM will warn you that it will delete the fact for everyone sharing it
– Named groups side list is now updated when you change color coding for a person
– Alternate names in family group sheets now reference the correct sources
– Family sources are now printed on group sheets
– Sources now print in group sheets for LDS facts
– Replacing a “submitted” ordinance with the actual ordinance in the NFS sync screen now clears “submitted” in the RM fact
– Unlinked non-image media items now show broken link in media gallery and media albums
– Fixed the format that latitude and longitude are exported to GEDCOM
– Lat/Long and Media for place details are transferred via GEDCOM
– Mapping screen (Tools > Mapping) remembers size and position
– Fact types turned off for individual summaries aren’t printed in the summaries anymore
– The title of a text page in publisher appears in the table of contents (instead of “Text page”)
– [Husband] and [Wife] fields now work properly in narrative report sentence templates
– :Age and :Role modifiers now work for [ThisPerson] in witness sentence templates
– Helper status bar now shows on File > FamilySearch > FamilySearch Import when in helper mode
– Living flag is cleared during FO import if person has a death-like fact or over 105 years old
– Publisher can print blank pages that appear at the very front of a publisher book
– Todo report doesn’t print false repository when todo item doesn’t have a repository
– RootsMagic on flash drive (To-Go) can find place database on computers w/o RM installed
– Deleting places and place details removes media links to those items

Come See Us in California, Arizona, Idaho and Indiana

Bruce Buzbee 5 Comments

This month finds us traveling around the country for conferences and presentations.  If you live in one of these areas, please stop by and say “hi”.

OCTOBER 16-17 – REDDING CALIFORNIA (CALIFORNIA FAMILY HISTORY EXPO)

We will be in Redding, California October 16-17, 2009 as major sponsors of the California Family History Expo.  Visit our booth, attend our classes, or take away one of our over $500 worth of prizes!  The exhibit hall and our RootsMagic classes are free, but there are other great classes you can register for as well.  For more information about the California Family History Expo, visit:

http://www.fhexpos.com/events/upcoming.php?event_id=52

OCTOBER 16-17 – MESA ARIZONA (MESA REGIONAL FAMILY HISTORY CENTER)

Michael Booth, VP of development for RootsMagic will be presenting two RootsMagic classes open to the public at the newly remodeled Training Center of the Mesa Regional FHC located at 464 E. 2nd Ave, in Mesa, AZ.  The first class will be Friday evening at 7:00 PM, and the second class will be at 10:00 AM Saturday morning.  Classes are free but you are asked to register by calling 480-964-1200.  For more information visit:

http://www.mesarfhc.org/new_books_publications_1.htm

OCTOBER 17 – REXBURG IDAHO (BYU IDAHO FAMILY HISTORY CONFERENCE)

This Family History Conference is sponsored by Brigham Young University – Idaho. The conference provides instruction on how to find information about your ancestors and other related topics.  Jason Mendenhall will present a class “Introduction to RootsMagic 4” which will cover the new features in version 4, including the New FamilySearch support.  More information is available at:

http://www.byui.edu/ce/familyhistory

OCTOBER 30-31 – FT. WAYNE INDIANA (INTL. BLACK GENEALOGY SUMMIT)

Then on October 30-31, 2009 we will be exhibiting at the International Black Genealogy Summit in Ft. Wayne, Indiana.  For more information visit:

http://www.blackgenealogysummit.com

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

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

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