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Archiver > FAMILY-HISTORIAN-USERS > 2002-11 > 1037103106


From: Phil & Heather <>
Subject: RE: [FHU] Merging / duplicates?
Date: Tue, 12 Nov 2002 12:11:46 +0000
In-Reply-To: <20021112114453.79CF63A90@sitemail.everyone.net>


Hi Jane,

I was not knocking you! <grin> Merely pointing up the dangers lurking when
doing a *manual* merge.

Look at Ged Commander, it was written to make merging less fraught with danger.

As usual, if doing a manual merge, I would *always* recommend backing up
the existing GEDCOM file so that one can back track to the un-amended file.

As a computer programmer and anorak, (since 1966, Heavens, that long!) I
use Delphi, but do not claim to have become expert with these Object
Oriented languages. <grin>

I too thought I would write a simple (!) program, windows based, to merge
RIN's in a Gedcom file. As you say, the fact that it would have to go up
and down that (simple) text file looking for all possibilities in the many
links, spouse, parents, sources, etc. would put off most of us!

A semi automated, semi manual method might (?) be this:

1) Use GenStrip to remove the two records into a small GEDCOM file.

2) Do the edits manually and check thoroughly the result.

3) Re-input the result into the original GEDCOM using a favourite Family
History file <grin>

Am I missing a trick here? It seems only too easy! I will now investigate
what Gen Strip does.

Best wishes,

Phil.

P.S. A final thought: look at the two records, and put down all the links
manually on paper, remove the two records, manually input the two records.
The worst that could happen is that some information is lost until the user
discovers that fact!

PPS: As with Murray Kennedy and Pedigree, a one man band team will always
be slower than a commercial company, that is why (I hope) I do not knock
(again!) Simon. One man band teams are by their very nature slower than
companies employing dozens of staff. We MUST just be patient and let Simon
have our wish lists. Good Heavens, the guy deserves holidays etc!!
At 11:44 12/11/2002, Jane Taubman wrote:

>Hi,
>I didn't say it was perfect. I was only letting people know there is a
>possible method if they can't wait for the new version. I was thinking
>about doing a little program to merge specified people, but if there are
>whole branches to search that is beyond my free programming time.
>
>Another posibility to the merge problem I suppose would be to split the
>tree into two with a query and then run the merge files options to combine
>the relevent people together.
>
>What does worry me a bit with FH is that as far as I can see nothing much
>is happening on the development front. Simon only answers queries on the
>web once a week, dispite this being the only support method for FH. The
>web site hasn't been updated. Most of the utilites and software I use
>have at least a published wish list and known bug page, so users can see
>what has already been asked for and what is planned for the next
>release. Also Simon has never said what will happen after 2.1 for people
>with FH are we expected to shell out another £49 for version 2.2, at the
>moment there is no published target for functions to be in 2.1 or a date
>for it.
>
>I bought FH knowing about the limitations on reporting and to be honest I
>don't miss them, I just load the GEDCOM back to FTW for them. FH is a
>very good product and what has been coded is stable and fairly solid, a
>big advance on most Microsoft releases. The more I use the query system
>the more impresses I am. However the query function is a complete tool on
>its own, the manual doesn't do it justice, I can do alsorts of lists and
>reports and move them to excel for graphs.
>
>I just get the impression we need some feedback on what is to be expected
>in 2.1 and when.
>
>
>Jane Taubman
>
>Web Site http://www.taubman.org.uk
>
>
>--- Phil & Heather <> wrote:
> >Hi Jane,
> >
> >Your method *may* work but wow! it is very prone to error! An automatic
> >method is of course overdue <grin>
>
>_____________________________________________________________
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