TMG-L Archives

Archiver > TMG > 1999-11 > 0942530168


From: Lee Hoffman/KY <>
Subject: Re: TMG-L: Sharing TMG files
Date: Sat, 13 Nov 1999 16:56:08 -0500


Ken Nelson wrote:
>program and we don't advertise a breakthrough. However, it would be nice of
>Bob to somehow put a ribbon on it and call it automated though (or maybe Lee
>could write the formula on his webpage correcting the following as necessary
>and clarifying my instructions.)

Actually there is already an article about creating a new dataset on my
website (URL below) that could be used to do what you want. It is designed
for various purposes and can function for what you want.

>What I need to send her and what she needs to send me at
>regular intervals is a dataset of those relations that we have in common AND
>that have been updated since the last time we swapped. Where I need Lee or
>someone to first guide me is in "splitting off" a new dataset. My
>understanding is that this process does not alter the original dataset.

Right! It does not affect the original dataset other than
setting/resetting a custom Flag used only for the purpose of selecting
which persons should be copied to the new dataset. And following the
"split off", you would have two datasets -- the original and the subset.

>To create a new subset to swap you would need to first create a report that
>would use these filters (I have named mine "Co-operative Data Set Generator")
>Go to Custom Report Writer/Wizard.
>Click on the Wizard/Utilities/Create A New TMG Data Set/Those who are
>ancestors of a certain person.
>This will complete the initial report, and boot you out to select the report
>for further editing. Select the report and make these modifications
>General Tab/[check the box under screen print which says "Suppress for
>Secondary Output.]"
>
>Secondary Output/ [Check the box "Create a New Data Set"]
>
>Focus Tab/
>(Is an ancestor of_Person Number_[your number])_AND
>(Is an ancestor of_Person Number_[your sister's number or your cousin's
>number or whoever you are doing this cooperative work with])_AND
>(Last Edited Date_Comes After_[Agreed cutoff date, i.e 15 Aug 1999])_END
>
>Check the boxes at the bottom as appropriate for your research. At this
>point it may be easier to have as filter numbers in the above filter the
>numbers of your mother and father rather than you and your sister and then
>the boxes at the bottom could all be checked.

This filter may or may not work for everyone. A lot will depend on what
each person has agreed to work on and what needs to be exchanged with your
cousin. Later exchanges may only include certain persons that are not
connected (at least in the "split off" dataset) to anyone else.

>This report would need to be designed for both computers (anyone out there
>to tell us how to exchange reports once we have the specs written??).

Easy. Go into the Custom Report Writer (CRW) Log (select Reports=>Custom
Report Writer... from the menu). Select File=>Export Reports from the menu
at the top of the screen, and answer Yes to the Question. Using the
up/down arrows, move the cursor to the report that you want to exchange and
select Mark=>Mark/Unmark this record for selection from the menu (or press
F8). Select as many reports in this manner as you wish. When all desired
reports are marked, press F10. A standard Windows "Save As" windows will
appear. It defaults to TRANSFER.DBF in the TMGW directory/folder. You
might wish to change the name to something else if you do much exchanging
of reports (just be sure to use eight characters or less and keep the
".DBF" at the end). When you have the name as you wish and the desired
directory/folder, click on the Save button. If you already have a file by
that name, a question will appear asking if you wish to overwrite it.
Answering No will return you to the "Save As" window. Answering Yes will
create the file TRANSFER.DBF (or whatever name you select). It will also
create a second file with a similar name in the same location. The second
file will end in .FPT. You will then need to send both TRANSFER.DBF _and_
TRANSFER.FPT to the other person.

Whe they get the two files, they should (again in the CRW Log) select
File=>Import Reports from the menu at the top of the screen.
Select/deselect the desired reports to import similar to selecting reports
above. Be aware that you may wind up with two or more reports with the
same name. If so, just select for editing and rename as many as you like.

>One way is for you to design the report, back up your configuration, which
includes
>the reports, and then send this TMG.cfg file to your sister and she could
>then restore her config from it.

This would overwrite her configuration with yours (including your name and
TMG serial number). Thus I would not recommend this method _UNLESS_ you
select only Report Configurations in the configuration backup. Then when
she gets the file, she should do her own backup. Then she may restore her
configuration from the file that she receives from you. Be careful in
naming the CFG file to name it something other than TMG.CFG as that is the
default name. You might use something like TMGXXX.CFG where the XXX is
replace by your initials.

>Once you have this subset of ancestors common to both of you AND that have
>been edited since you last swapped,you would send the subset to your sister
>and/or her to you. I think it would be best if both of you did it at the
>same time. You would then merge the subset with the master set. You would
>need to merge the individuals common to both sets and then begin a process
>of meticulously editing the people that have been updated and merged. I
>would suggest that in interests of thoroughness before you merge this new
>set that your sister has sent you, generate another report called "A List of
>All People"(of the set she has sent you). Then as you edit each person after
>the merge of people you could check off that person from the list as being
>done.

I would also recommend that you create a custom Flag to both your master
and the received subset. Set the Flag on the master to M and for the
subset to S (or whatever settings you like). You may prefer to add a
global Source to the subset indicating your cousin as the source. Then
when you merge, you can know which was yours at first and which was hers.

>You could also keep a change log to help one another find what has
>been changed. If you rush to the National Archives in 2001 and get the 1930
>census data on Uncle Bill and aunt Emily, you might want to jot that down on
>this change log to give your sister an idea what has changed. If your sister
>has found another source for the wedding date of your Aunt Bertha and Uncle
>Albert, you could then zero right in on that one change. I think some of the
>stone cold silence from folks is that they are, one, envious of someone who
>can get a relative to get TMG to work with them and 2) they are aware of the
>kind of housekeeping necessary after a merge. It is not a small matter. A
>change log and a list of people would go a long way to simplify the
>housekeeping. Sometimes, the change one makes to a person is a small and
>seemingly insignificant one that can be overlooked if you are trying to
>merge. In fact, if the change is very insignificant, you may not want to
>merge but rather update your person and delete the duplicate person sent to
>you by your sister.

This "change log" could be entered in the Dataset Memo (File=>Memo from the
menu or press F7). Make this entry in the sub-dataset just before you
send it. You might keep the log in your main dataset and then cut and
paste part of it to the sub-dataset when ready.

Hope this helps -


----------
Lee Hoffman/KY
E-mail:
My website: <http://www.users.mis.net/~lhoffman>;
--------------
A user of the best genealogy program, The Master Genealogist (TMG)

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