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CD ROM Paradise Collection 4 1995 Nov.iso
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GIM15.DOC
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1993-04-17
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CHAPTER 15 THE UTILITIES AREA
Folder Housekeeping Utilities
INTRODUCING THE UTILITIES AREA...
For the most part, GIM folders pretty much take care of
themselves.
However, there are some things that need to be done every now
and then. GIM doesn't do them automatically because they can
be time-consuming on large folders, and because they aren't
always necessary.
They are:
- periodic backups of folder data
- optimization of empty folder notes
- assignment of GIN numbers to new ancestors
- matching PIN and GIN numbers where possible
Functions to accomplish these tasks are provided in the
Utilities Area. This chapter will discuss each of these
tasks in turn, and will discuss how often they need to be
performed.
The Utilities Area also provides a function to fix corrupted
folders. That function is described in chapter 16, entitled
"Testing and Fixing a Folder".
To get to the Utilities Area, press F5 from the Multi Area.
FOLDER BACKUPS...
As a matter of fact, GIM folder backups are described in
chapter 3. That's because folder backups are performed from
the Folder Area, not from the Utilities Area.
However, the Utilities Area provides a variation of the Folder
Backup called the Folder Check. This function performs the
same consistency check that the backup function does, but it
does so without making backup copies of your files.
Why is this useful? Most of the time, it's not. Most of the
time, it is sufficient to let the Folder Area Backup function
perform the consistency check before it backs up your data.
But occasionally, if you suspect a problem, you may want to
check the consistency of your data with the confidence that
you won't affect your clean backup in any way.
To perform a consistency check without subsequently backing up
your folder data, press F3 from the Utilities Area. If your
folder is large or your hard disk is slow, you may need to
wait a while.
FOLDER OPTIMIZATION...
GIM does a pretty good job of keeping track of empty spots in
your folder. If you delete a person, or a date or note, GIM
is usually pretty good about remembering where that empty spot
is, so that it can use it again the next time you need one.
Occasionally, you may want to check to make absolutely sure
that there are no missing spots in your folder. The folder
optimization function will take care of this for you. This
function searches through all of the files in your GIM folder
for empty spots, and remembers them for future use.
Generally, you should only need to perform this function once
in a great while, such as when you suspect that GIM isn't
correctly reusing empty spots in your files. For example, if
you should happen to delete a lot of notes, and yet you notice
that every time you add a new note, the size of your notes
file continues to grow. However, this sort of thing should
never happen, and if you notice it, you should report it to
the GIM Authors immediately.
To perform this function, press F5 from the Utilities Area.
RESET GIN: ASSIGNING GIN NUMBERS...
In order for GIM to perform optimally, it is important that
all of your direct ancestors have GIN numbers assigned to
them.
A GIN number is like an Ahnentafel number. Each GIN number is
assigned such that every ancestor has a unique number. To be
specific, for each ancestor with a GIN number of N, his or her
father has a GIN number of 2N and his or her mother has a GIN
number of 2N+1. In this way, once an ancestor receives a GIN
number, he or she will retain that same GIN number throughout
the course of your research. This means that you can assign
GIN numbers now, then add more ancestors later, and then when
you assign GIN numbers again, none of the already-existing GIN
numbers will need to be changed.
You should perform the Reset-GIN function whenever you create
a new folder from a GEDCOM file (see Chapter 14) and whenever
you notice that a direct ancestor has no GIN number.
To assign GIN numbers to your ancestors, use the following
procedure:
First, identify the "root" person in your folder, that is, the
youngest person in your family tree, such as yourself, or your
oldest child. This person will receive the smallest GIN
number, typically 1, although you can choose any number for
that person.
Next, navigate to that person using the folder navigation
techniques described in Chapter 4. This must be done from the
Multi Area; it cannot be done from within the Utilities Area.
Next, enter the Utilities Area by pressing F5 from the Multi
Area.
Next, press F2 to activate the Reset-GIN function.
The Reset-GIN function will display a pedigree chart, includ-
ing the selected person, and will ask you to verify that this
is the person you want as your root person by asking, "Do you
want to start the GIN numbering system with the highlighted
person?" Answer "no" to abort the Reset-GIN function; answer
"yes" to proceed.
The Reset-GIN function will ask you for a starting GIN number,
and will recommend a value of 1. You may choose any starting
value here.
The Reset-GIN function will then proceed automatically to
assign GIN numbers to your entire family. It will clear out
all previously existing GIN numbers before it does so. (But
see the "More to Come" section below.)
Once the Reset-GIN function is completed, it is highly
recommended that you continue with the Match PIN-GIN function,
described below.
MATCH PIN-GIN: MATCHING GIN AND PIN NUMBERS...
In order for GIM to perform optimally, it is important that
all of your direct ancestors have GIN numbers assigned to
them, and that their GIN numbers and PIN numbers are identical
wherever possible.
GIN numbers were described above. PIN numbers are unique for
each individual in the folder, and they correspond to the
location on your disk where that person is stored. For a
variety of reasons, it is faster for GIM to find people on the
disk if their PIN and GIN numbers are identical.
You should perform the Match PIN-GIN function whenever you
perform the Reset-GIN function, and periodically thereafter,
especially when you add new ancestors and when you add many
new persons.
To match PIN and GIN numbers in your folder, use the following
procedure:
First, enter the Utilities Area by pressing F5 from the Multi
Area.
Next, press F1 to activate the Match PIN-GIN function.
The Match PIN-GIN function will then proceed automatically to
match PIN and GIN numbers wherever possible.
MORE TO COME...
It is not necessary for the Reset-GIN function to clear out
previously existing GIN numbers before assigning new ones.
Not doing so, especially for newly created folders, would save
some time from that function. Also, not doing so would allow
a husband and wife without children to function jointly as
root persons (with GIN numbers 2 and 3, respectively); with
the current system, this is not possible. On the other hand,
the alternative does not guarantee unique GIN numbers in a
single folder. The GIM Authors are already aware of how to
address this problem, and they intend to do so before the
product is released. However, at this writing, that is not
currently being done.