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Archiver > TMG > 2000-12 > 0975768672


From: "George W.King" <>
Subject: Re: [TMG] GEDCOM (was ROOTSWEB)
Date: Sat, 02 Dec 2000 09:51:12 -0500


Yesterday Gene Stuff asked and Lee Hoffman responded:

> >I think a wish-list item is in order for a future version of TMG. The
> >discussion below makes a very good point. Perhaps TMG should allow the
> >creation of a NOTE for each event from the sentence template and
> >corresponding data in order to better preserve and export the data
> contained
> >within TMG. Another possibility would be to create a single note for each
> >individual by combining the software-generated text from all or some
> >user-chosen events.
> >
> >GEDCOM is in fact a report type and despite its shortcomings has become the
> >standard method of exchanging data between genealogists. TMG is a nice
> >program, but it doesn't have the largest share of the market and entering
> >data in such as way as it cannot be exported in GEDCOM is probably unwise.
> >All software has a limited lifespan. Data will eventually have to be
> >exported or be lost. I've been programming for 25 years and the only file
> >type which has so far survived all the myriad software and hardware changes
> >over the years is ASCII text. In my mind that makes data in GEDCOM format
> >much more preservable than data in Foxpro databases or FTM format or
> >whatever. In fact, there should probably be as many report styles for
> GEDCOM
> >export as there are for any type of printed report and the user should have
> >as much control of how, who, and what gets included.
> >
> >Also, I think the possibility certainly exists for someone or several
> >someones to write utilities that could export more of the data in GEDCOM
> >format.
>
>If a programmer is to follow the "standard" for GEDCOM, there is only one
>way to export the data and that does not include the Sentence Structure.
>But if the TMG Sentence Structure was exported to GEDCOM, then it would be
>disregarded when imported into another program (at best it would go to an
>error list. <rest snipped>

I read Gene's request as having TMG produce complete sentences in
GEDCOM-standard format in the GEDCOM Memo field, not putting the TMG
sentence structure codes in the GEDCOM Memo field. This should be
technically easy as TMG already translates the TMG sentence structure for
conventional reports.

As one who must often exchange information with cousins who do not <YET!>
use TMG, I urge Bob Velke to add this to his job jar.

George

George W King, Vice President
Edmund Rice (1638) Association
http://www.edmund-rice.org

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