Category: RootsMagic

New Year’s Resolutions for 2010

Bruce Buzbee 7 Comments

RM-2010-Resolutions

Welcome to 2010!  Now that 2009 is in the past, and in the spirit of the new year, we’d like to present our resolutions for 2010.  While losing 20 pounds would be great for us personally, as a company our goals are a little different.

RootsMagic Updates

RootsMagic 4 Insider

When we spent over three years in rewriting RootsMagic 4, we did so with an eye on the future and emerging technologies.  Just as we broke new ground with our Shareable CD’s in version 3 and RootsMagic To-Go in version 4, we’re working on new and unique features to make researching and sharing your family history even easier.  In 2010, watch for regular updates to your software with improvements, fixes, and new features.

One much-requested feature that we’ve already been working on is making RootsMagic available in other languages.  Since RootsMagic 4 is a unicode application (computer jargon for supporting all international character sets), it is able to be translated into any language including Russian, Japanese, and Chinese in addition to western-alphabet languages such as Spanish, German, and Portuguese.  If you’re interested in seeing RootsMagic translated into your native tongue or would like to help with the actual translations, please contact us.

Personal Historian 2

Personal Historian

It’s been a long-time coming but we’re excited to be finishing up the next version of Personal Historian, our software which helps you write and organize personal histories and biographies.  Much of the development work that went into RootsMagic 4 is being transplanted into Personal Historian, giving it improved writing and publishing capabilities, better media management, and an even easier-to-use interface.  Look for previews and announcements in this blog in the coming months.

More Website Improvements

Just as the rewrite of RootsMagic set the stage for many new and exciting features in our software, the redesign of our website in 2009 has set the stage for new methods of interacting with our users via the internet.  Watch for more tutorials and support options coming to our website later this year.

More Awards

Just when we thought we had wrapped up our 2009 Year in Review and the awards we’ve received, one more sneaks in at the last minute.  This one came from the GenSoftReviews website, where people can rate and review their favorite genealogy software products.  We are honored to receive the “Best Liked Genealogy Software 2009” award.  RootsMagic finished 2009 with the highest rating of all genealogy software programs with an average of 4.95 out of 5 stars!

award2009_rootsmagic

Thank You!

Of course, these resolutions are not a comprehensive list of our plans and goals for 2010.  There are many other projects which are in development in our secret underground laboratories which we’ll talk about when the time is right.  In the meantime, thank you again for your support.  We try very hard to listen to your problems, questions, and suggestions.  If there is something that you’d like to see us do, please contact us and let us know.  Happy New Year and may you have lots of success in 2010 (both genealogically and otherwise)!

Year in Review

Bruce Buzbee 12 Comments

RM-2009-Year-In-Review

Well, 2009 has been a busy year for us.  It’s gone by very quickly and we thought it would be fun to review all that has happened in the last 12 months.  If you’re not one to dwell on the past, check back tomorrow as we present our 2010 New Years’ Resolutions with a peek at our plans for the coming year.  But until then, “Sherman, set the Wayback Machine to 2009!”

RootsMagic 4

RootsMagic 4 Insider

The biggest event by far this year was the release of RootsMagic 4.  Over three years in the making, RootsMagic 4 was a complete rewrite from it’s predecessor, introduced many new and exciting features, and paved the way for incredible new features in the future.   After working insanely long hours for months on end, it was apparent that we weren’t going to make our original goal of releasing version 4 in late 2008.  After a community preview in January with 2,000 of our own users testing it, we did something we had never done before and invited the public to preview RootsMagic 4 before it was released.  With the terrific feedback and suggestions we received, we were able to officially release RootsMagic 4 on March 25, 2009.  Our users were thrilled with the new features, we were thrilled to get some sleep again, and our families were thrilled to have us back.

Growth

We feel very fortunate that in these days of economic uncertainty, not only have we been able to stay in business, but we’ve been able to grow as a company.  To keep up with this growth, we’ve hired additional sales and support staff.  We recognize that this growth is only possible because of your support and eagerness to tell your friends and family members about us.  Thank you!

We Get Around

In 2009, we traveled more miles, taught more classes, and attended more conferences than we ever have before.  In fact, there was one weekend where we were present at four different events in four different states at the same time!  Thank you to all the societies, user groups, family history centers, and companies that organized these events.  And thank you to all of you who came to see us!  By far, the most rewarding aspect of these events is the chance to meet our users face-to-face, answer your questions, and receive your suggestions.

Website Facelift

RMWebsite

After almost 7 years with the same basic design and layout, our website was starting to show its age.  We’ve been meaning to update it for several years now, but something has always gotten in the way (cough.. Version 4…cough).  We finally bit the bullet and did it and on November 18, our new website was launched.  It’s not perfect but it’s much better organized and, from what you’ve told us, easier to find what you’re looking for.

RootsMagic Essentials

RootsMagic Essentials

2009 brought another first for us.  Many of you have told us about friends or family members that would like to dip their toes in the world of genealogy but weren’t ready for software as comprehensive as RootsMagic.  In answer to these requests, on November 18, we released our first completely free genealogy software, “RootsMagic Essentials“.  RootsMagic Essentials contains many core features found in its namesake but at a much friendlier price- free.  Since then, thousands of people have downloaded RootsMagic Essentials and have started tracing their family tree.

Awards

We’ve been honored with several awards this year including:

RMFSAward

2009 FamilySearch Software Awards
Best Dashboard and Easiest to Sync

ThinkGenealogy Innovator Award

ThinkGenealogy Innovator Award
July 2009

GeneAward 2009

GeneAwards 2009
Best Genealogy Product of 2009
Most Improved Product of 2009

Thank You!

We know this sounds clichéd, but none of this would have been possible without you and your support.  2009 has been a big year for us and, rest assured, we’re working hard to make 2010 even better!

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

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

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).

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

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