TMG-L Archives

Archiver > TMG > 2001-09 > 0999443392


From: Lee Hoffman <>
Subject: Re: [TMG] GEDCOM to WorldConnect prob
Date: Sun, 02 Sep 2001 11:09:52 -0400
References: <014301c13367$8b1f0ac0$c7405041@hpp900><4.3.2.7.2.20010901190327.00adfc60@pop3.airmail.net><003501c13340$b02b5d40$b66b323f@custom><4.2.0.58.20010830222608.00a495a0@mail><00b901c1332f$52ae03e0$2f2c0441@bvrtn1.or.home.com><4.3.2.7.2.20010901225312.00aa3480@pop3.airmail.net>
In-Reply-To: <4.3.2.7.2.20010902000737.00aa3100@pop3.airmail.net>


Linda Lawhon wrote:
>Mynice said:
>
>>My guess is that the marriages are in order by the marriage record number
>>not the individual record number.
>
>I do not understand this problem at all -- but then numbers give me
>fits. I can see what is happening, I just do not understand *why* it is
>happening.
>---clipped ---
>=============
>
>0 @F42@ FAM
>1 HUSB @I59@
>1 WIFE @I242@
>1 MARR
>2 DATE 27 NOV 1870
>2 PLAC Newton Co., Missouri
>
>0 @F43@ FAM
>1 HUSB @I59@
>1 WIFE @I243@
>1 MARR
>2 DATE 12 DEC 1886
>2 PLAC Pike County, Arkansas
>
>0 @F44@ FAM
>1 HUSB @I59@
>1 WIFE @I241@
>1 MARR
>2 DATE 02 JAN 1856
>
>0 @F45@ FAM
>1 HUSB @I59@
>1 WIFE @I6497@
>1 MARR
>2 DATE 12 FEB 1884
>==========
>
>So what I see is --
>John Morgan Boyd married:
>
>1. Sarah 2 Jan 1856 # F44
>2. Talitha 27 Nov 1870 # F42
>3. Mary 12 Feb 1884 # F45
>4. Frances 12 Dec 1886 # F43
>
>TMG is not putting the ladies in order. As the Rootsweb support
>stated: "Family F3 comes before family F4, regardless of the associated
>dates, and that is how WorldConnect displays them. I'd suggest you check
>with TMG's technical support."
>
>I certainly do not know how I can control how TMG takes the dates given
>and applies that to the marriage number.

The problem really is not TMG, but GEDCOM and its implementation
by WorldConnect. They seem to think that dates have no bearing in life
and that data will be entered into a program always in the correct order
only after all data is known. They are trying to blame TMG for their bad
implementation of the ambiguous "standard" called GEDCOM.

Sure TMG _could_ output the data in the correct date sequence, but there is
no requirement in GEDCOM to output multiple marriages in date
sequence. Specifically the "standard" states:
"The order in which GEDCOM lines are written to a GEDCOM
file is controlled by the context and level number. When the
lines are of equal level number but have a different tag name
then the order is not significant. The occurrence of equal
level numbers and equal tags within thew same context imply
that multiple opinions or multiple values of the data exist. The
significance of the order in these cases is interpreted as the
submitter's preference. [ITAL:] The most preferred value being
the first with the least preferred data listed in subsequent lines
by order of decreasing preference. [:ITAL] ...."

This speaks of multiple data such as multiple names or conflicting data and
indicates that the sender place the _preferred_ data first. But no where in
the "standard" does it address the placement within the GEDCOM file of data
based on dates. The implication to me is that the program reading the
GEDCOM file should place the data in the correct chronological order --
isn't that what computers are supposed to do?

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


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