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From: <>
Subject: [TMG] How to find all the chart "Roots" in your database
Date: Tue, 2 May 2006 20:53:23 +0100
In-Reply-To: X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.2869

**** Apologies if you are reading this twice, but I sent the first with the
wrong Subject ****

Dear All,

I'm trying to ensure that I don't miss any "root" ancestors (or relatives of
ancestors) when I produce charts. Once one has built up a few hundred names,
it must be easy to forget the odd branch. This is the scenario of which I
know I have a few:

Produce chart from oldest known ancestor on main root of family tree. Easy,
but I also have families going "sideways" and "backwards" via various
spouses/ partners, this also includes 2nd and 3rd marriages of some of
these.

Is there a way of showing these backwards "dead ends"?

The best I have come up with so far is:

1. Create a filter in Project Explorer for:
Father's Name Group, Surname, Is empty AND
Mother's Name Group, Surname, Is empty

By going down the list 1 by 1 in family view, and selecting those where both
parties to a marriage (or the 1 party if no partner) have no ancestors, my
logic says that these are a starting point for a chart.

2. In a similar vein:
(but for some obscure reason, filters for PE, report List of names and
report List of people, all seem to have different options),
running a report List Of People (All in project, or prefiltered from 1
above) including columns for Father ID, Mother ID, #marriages, spouse ID
(only gives last viewed though), output to CSV file.
If not already filtered, this can then be sorted/ manipulated to leave only
those with no mother or father. A rather tiresome "manual" procedure can
then be undertaken to give the same result as in 1.

For this 2nd option the output could be manipulated to create the "root"
people, possibly by spreadsheet or input to a database (e.g. access), but
somewhat beyond me.

I've looked at the "islands" option in GENviewer, but these are genuine
islands of people with no connection at all to one another.

I've tried export to Family Tree Maker to try it's "All-in-One" tree,
(EXCELLENT FEATURE, WHY DOESN'T TMG HAVE SIMILAR?) and although it shows all
the "roots", it is not easy to spot them.

For now the best solution I have is to create a "ROOT" tag for the "Root"
people and in the memo field key a "family" group name which I can filter
later depending on what chart/ report I want. But that means I've got to
remember to create the tag. I could use Flags in a similar vein, but
although I like temporary flags, I don't like them for permanent use,
especially as they don't export.

Anyway, many thanks if you are still with me. Has no one else ever wanted to
do this? Does anyone know of a more "automatic" solution? Perhaps I should
add it to the wish list.

Jim

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