Shareware Universe - The Gold Collection

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Text File | 1996-04-19 | 165KB | 2,908 lines

Brothers Keeper Manual Table of Contents Description of the program 1 Setting up your disks 1 General typing information 2 Adding people to the file 3 Message lines 9 Modifying people 10 Individual add (single) 12 Edit text file 12 Options 13 Print routines 17 Descendant chart 17 Ahnentafel 18 Name and number print 18 Last names 20 Word search 20 Printer strings 21 Backup data files 21 Tree chart 22 Ancestor charts 23 Group sheets 23 Register style reports 24 Descendant box charts 26 Four family box charts 27 More ancestor reports 27 Merge two databases 27 Split one database 27 Import or export gedcom 28 Utility program 30 Appendix A. How to correct problems 32 Appendix B. Printer problems 34 Appendix C. Explanation of relationships 35 Appendix D. Sample printouts 37 Appendix E. Changes from prior versions 38 Appendix F. Converting from version 4.5 40 Appendix G. Suggestions and help 40 Appendix H. Technical stuff 41 Appendix I. Alt keys 42 Appendix J. Shareware 43 Appendix K. Config.sys file 44 Appendix L. Custom reports 46 Appendix M. Commonly asked questions 48 Index 52 Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 1 DESCRIPTION OF THE PROGRAM BROTHER'S KEEPER is a set of programs that will help you organize your family tree information, and that will print the information in several ways. You will be able to print descendant charts that show how anyone in the file is related to everyone else. You also may print ancestor charts, family group sheets, alphabetical name lists, descendant trees, birthday lists, ahnentafel charts, box charts, and customized reports. For each person entered you may include a date of birth, a date of death, and three other dates, and you may store a place of birth, a place of death, and a place for three other events. You may record source information for every date or location. You also may enter two additional fields that you may define. Each person may have up to seven message lines of additional data or a text file of unlimited size containing additional data. Fields are available to store the person's current mailing address. Each person may have up to eight marriages stored. Each marriage record can hold a marriage date, a place of marriage, one additional date and place, and divorce information, and the marriage can connect up to 24 children. You will need 512K or more of RAM memory in your computer to run the BK program (640K is recommended). This program may have problems if you have memory resident programs running also. It is strongly recommended that you install the program and the data files on a hard disk because the program will run very slowly if the data is on a diskette. Note: If you have used a different genealogy program, read Appendix F for information about converting data from other programs. Read the README.DOC file for changes to this manual. SETTING UP YOUR DISKS If you have problems starting the program, then read APPENDIX M. NOTE: If you already have data in Brother's Keeper files, make a backup copy of the data before installing a new version. If there are data files on the diskettes, they may copy over your existing data files, so make a backup copy of your data before installing a new version. If you have a HARD DISK, create a subdirectory called BK5. To do that, at the C:> prompt, type: MD \BK5 <enter> Then change to that directory by typing: CD \BK5 Then put disk number 1 in the A: drive and then type: COPY A:*.* C:\BK5 <enter> to copy all the files on the program disks into the subdirectory. Repeat the same copy command for each disk of the Brother's Keeper disk set. To run the program just change to that directory CD \BK5 and then type BK5 and the program will start. You may enter up to 1,000,000 names with this version (if you have enough disk space). If you have a 2 DISK DRIVE computer (no hard disk), then put the BK program disk in the A: drive and have a separate blank formatted disk available for the data files. Start the program by typing BK5. The very first time you start the program it will say, "if you have only 1 disk drive, insert the data disk now." This does not apply to you since you have your data disk in the B: drive so just push enter. The program should then ask you for a Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 2 "path" and you would type B: since that is where your data will be. You may put about 1000 names in the data files before you will fill up a 360K disk and about 2000 names if you have 720K disks. However, if you have a hard disk, use it for your data files. Putting your data on a floppy will result in the program running very slowly. If you have only 1 DISK DRIVE, put BK5.BAT, BTRIEVE, BK5MAIN, and LANGUAGE.BK5 on one disk and have a separate blank formatted disk available for the data files. Start the program by typing BK5 /H <enter>. The /H tells the program to stop and say "press enter" after the program is loaded. When it says press enter, take out the program disk and insert the data disk. After inserting the data disk, do not remove it until the program is stopped. To run the other programs that appear on the main menu, you will need instead to pick S to stop, and then put in a disk that has the program you want and then start that program. You will need to create for each program a batch file that has a first line that is the same as the first line in BK5.BAT and a second line with the name of the program. Note that this paragraph only applies to people with only one disk drive, such as users of some laptops. If you cannot get the program to run, see APPENDIX M. GENERAL TYPING INFORMATION When you are typing, use the following keys to make corrections: Backspace - delete the character to the left of the cursor Esc - erase the whole field. Esc again will restore it. Left arrow - move the cursor to the left Right arrow - move the cursor to the right Del - delete the character the cursor is under Ins - insert mode - to insert letters Home - move the cursor to the beginning of the field End - move the cursor to the last character in the field If you make a mistake and are past the field where the mistake is, you may type Shift-Tab or UP arrow and move back to the field and correct the mistake. Then push Enter or Tab or DOWN arrow to move forward to the next field you wish to input. On most keyboards, the Tab key is to the left of the letter Q. * You may set up Alt-keys to repeat any name or city (see Appendix I). * You may type " to duplicate a location name that is above. * If you want to type an accented or foreign letter, hold ALT and press F2 and a chart will pop up. Then hold ALT and type the number that you want on the number keypad. Then release ALT. * Press F4 to display the mailing address fields, and then press CTRL-L (Control L) to print a label. If a person has an address entered, the letter "A" will be above the name on the modify screen. The main menu of Brother's Keeper will show all the routines and programs that you may run. Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 3 Add names or link Tree of descendants Modify or look anCestors Individual add (single) Group sheets Edit text file Register style report Options Box charts (descendants) Help 4 family box charts Descendants 3 more ancestor reports ahnentafeL merge 2 data files Names-custom-birthday split 1 database Word search gedcom import/eXport Print strings Utilities program bacKup data files Stop To select the routine you want to start, either type the letter that is capitalized (or the number) or else use the arrow keys to select the desired routine and then press enter. Each menu choice will be described below. ADD NAMES OR LINK You use the Add routine to add new people to the file, and to link together people who were previously entered. The Add screen shows husband information in the top section of the screen, wife information below that, the marriage information next, and then child information. After each child is added, that child's information is erased from the screen and another child may be added. The way to add people is first to type in the husband, then the wife, then the marriage information, then each of their children in order. You may start entering families in any order that you wish. You may start with yourself, or with your oldest known ancestor, or with anyone else that you wish. The reports will look the same, regardless of which family you enter first. An example of adding a family follows a discussion of the fields. When you are Adding someone, you may enter the following information: (size of field) PERSON'S NAME 40 SEX M or F 1 DATE OF BIRTH 15 PLACE OF BIRTH 40 DATE OF DEATH 15 PLACE OF DEATH 40 3 OTHER DATES 15 each 3 OTHER PLACES 40 each REFERENCE 15 OCCUPATION 25 MESSAGE LINES (7 lines 78 characters each) TEXT FILE 120 lines each SOURCE LINES (3 lines for each date) MAILING ADDRESS (6 lines 40 characters each) When you are adding a marriage, you may enter: Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 4 MARRIAGE DATE 15 PLACE OF MARRIAGE 40 OTHER DATE 15 OTHER PLACE 40 MARRIAGE CEREMONY Y or N 1 DIVORCED/SEPARATED/ANNULLED 1 END YEAR 4 The person's name and sex are required information. The rest is optional. The sex is needed so that the program can correctly compute the relationships when printing. * When you are entering names, use maiden names. All date fields are 15 characters long. You may type any information into a date field and it will be accepted. If you type a date in the form MMDDYYYY where MM is the month, DD is the day, and YYYY is the year, then the program will convert the date into a standard format. If you enter MMDDYY (i.e. you only enter 2 digits for the year), the program will convert the year to 19YY. Each date will be converted to whatever format (0-9) you have set in the options area. Format type 0 (zero) means no change from the way you type it. The other date formats (1-9) will do a conversion on the date you type (provided it is typed as MMDDYY or MMDDYYYY). If you wish to include /'s around the day you may, e.g. 5/4/1954 is acceptable for input. The following is an example of how the dates will be changed based on the format you have set. If you enter 05041954, it will be changed to (based on the date type you have chosen): Type 1 04-MAY-1954 Type 2 04 MAY 1954 Type 3 05/04/1954 Type 4 05-04-1954 Type 5 MAY-04-1954 Type 6 MAY 04 1954 Date types 7, 8, and 9 are only used when you want to ENTER dates in European date format (DDMMYYYY). Using the European date input, if you enter 04051954 you would get: Type 7 04-MAY-1954 Type 8 04 MAY 1954 Type 9 04-05-1954 You may change the option called "Months capital or lower case" on Options screen 1 so that the months will appear as May instead of MAY and the day will appear as 4 instead of 04. If you have already entered dates in one format and wish to change to another format, you may use the utility program to change all dates. Generally, if you type in less than 6 digits or more than 8 digits or type any alpha characters (A-Z), then no date conversion will take place no matter which date format type you have set. You may, however, type either a ? or a _ for parts you don't know and it will still convert. For example if you don't know the day of the month you could type 05__54 and it will convert to __-MAY-1954 if you are using type 1 dates. Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 5 Most dates will require 10 or 11 characters when converted. However, the field is 15 characters long to accommodate the exceptions. If you are not sure of a date, you may add additional information. The program will automatically recognize certain 3 character abbreviations such as ABT for about, CIR for circa, BEF for before, and AFT for after. For example, if you know a person died before March 15, 1920 you may enter BEF 031520 and the program will convert it to BEF 15-MAR-1920 if you are using type 1 dates. The abbreviations (ABT, CIR, BEF, and AFT) may be in upper or lower case. You may also enter dates with dual years such as 15-MAR-1680/81 The location fields each hold up to 40 characters. These fields will not print on the descendant printout, but they do print on the family group sheets, the ancestor charts, and on the Register number system printout. Since many locations will be repeated, there are a few short-cuts to speed up your work. If the location has been entered previously, then type the first couple letters and then press the F8 key. A list of matching locations will pop up and you may use the up and down arrow keys to pick the one you want and then press enter. This will guarantee that you are consistent in the spelling of the locations and that will result in a savings in disk space. Another short-cut is to use the ALT-keys (see Appendix I) to have the program remember 36 commonly used names or locations. Using the ALT-key routine, you can enter a location by pressing just two keys. Another short-cut is that you may enter a quote or ditto mark in a location field and the program will copy into that field whatever location is shown in the field above. For example, if you enter the birth location as Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan, and then move down to the place of death, you may enter either " or ' as the first character in that field and when you push enter, the field will show Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan. When you use either the " or ' , the program will duplicate the closest non-blank location field above the one you are entering. If you are entering a wife or child, it will even go to the person above to find the field to duplicate. Some disk space is used for every unique location, however once a location has been entered, it does not take any more disk space to have several people use the same location. Another short-cut when entering locations is = (the equal sign). When you enter = in a location field, it will make the location equal to what that same field was for the last person you entered or displayed. For example, if you are entering data for a wife, and she was born in the same city as the husband, you may enter = for her place of birth. When you push enter, it will display the same location that you entered for the husband. This is handy for times when " would not work because there are other locations directly above (such as husband's place of death) that are different. Using = will work even when the last person you entered is no longer showing, such as when you are entering children. If several children were born in the same location, you may enter = in the birth location and it will duplicate the location for the previous child. You may use = to duplicate any of the five location fields from the previous person entered. Remember that " will copy whatever is currently above on the screen at the time, whereas = will duplicate from the same location field from the previous person you entered, whether or not the person is still showing. While you are in a date or location field, you may press the F6 key and a Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 6 screen will pop up allowing you to enter up to three full lines of information to describe your source. The information you are collecting and entering about people should be documented so that other people will know what your sources were. Often there will be a conflict regarding a date, and after a few years, no one (including yourself) will remember where you obtained the information. So "cite your sources" as the experts say. If the information is from a book, give the title, author, publication information, and perhaps where to find the book. Use the page number field to cite a specific page if you wish. If you are referring to a source you have previously entered, just type the first few letters in the source field and then press the F8 key to show the complete source. Each unique source takes up disk space, but duplicates take up no additional space. If your information is from personal knowledge or from a letter from someone, cite that also. On the modify screen, each date that has a source will have a dash on the left of the screen. The Reference field (which holds 15 characters) may be useful if you want to print out some other information about the person. For example, if you are getting your information from a family history book, you may use the Reference space to show the number already assigned to this person. When you print the descendant report, you have the option of printing this field in brackets after the name. In this version of Brother's Keeper you may also search and find people based on what is in their Reference field. For example, if you put JS1234 in the reference field, then whenever you want to find a person to modify or to print, you may type /JS1234 when asked for the name. The / character notifies the program to search based on the Reference field. If you want to use your own numbering system, put your number in the Reference field. Do not put the / character in the Reference field, just use it when searching. The program assigns a code number for each person added, but it is not a genealogy number. Genealogy numbers are automatically computed and printed on the appropriate reports. For example, when printing ancestor charts you have the option to print the "standard" number for each person. That is the same as the ahnentafel number (starting person is number 1, father is 2, mother is 3 and so on). When printing the Register report, the program will automatically compute the Register number for each person. You may assign any name you wish to the 3 extra date fields, the Reference field, and the Occupation field. Use the options routine to assign new names to these fields. Whatever names you assign in the options area will display on the screen and show on the printouts. If you need to change other words in the program or on the printouts, there is a program available called BK5WORDS that will let you change any or all of the words. This program is used by those wishing to translate the BK programs into another language. The program has been translated into several languages already including French, Danish, German, Norwegian, Polish, and Dutch. Before you go to the work of translating, check with John Steed to see if someone has already translated into the language you want. * After you have entered all the fields that you wish to for a person, push F1 (Function 1) and you will be moved on to the next person. If you are adding people who are not already in the file, just type in the person's information (type the name in normal first-middle-last order). If you are adding a spouse to someone who has already been added previously, Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 7 you may type the person's code number or the person's first and last name and then F8 (F8 is the search key). For example to find John Smith type John Smith then F8. Since you pressed F8, the program will not add John Smith as a new person in the event you misspelled his name. If you type John Smith and press Enter, the computer will search for him, and if he is not found, it will add him. Let me show you an example to clarify this. Let's suppose you type in the following people. Husband - John Smith Wife - Jane Jones Child 1 - James Smith Child 2 - Carol Smith After typing them all in, press the F1 key to clear the screen. Now you want to type in information about John Smith's second marriage. Since you have already added John Smith, you now only have to let the computer know who you want. So when prompted for the Husband, either type his code number (which we will say is 25 - so you would type 25) or type his name John Smith then F8 and either way the computer would show you his information that you entered previously. The computer would then notify you that it has information about his marriage that is already on file. You would then be asked if you wanted to display his first wife or add a new wife. In this case you would respond that you want to add a new wife. Then the computer would ask you for the Wife information. After you add his second wife and second marriage date information, add the children of the second marriage (if any). Then you push the F1 key to clear the screen. Let's say you want to add the husband of Carol Smith, the daughter. (Carol has already been added.) When the add screen prompts you for a husband, type in the name of Carol's husband and the other data for him. When it prompts you for a wife, since Carol is already on file, type either her code number, (31 or whatever it is), or type Carol Smith and F8. Then type the marriage date information and their children (if any). Then push F1 to clear the screen. Now let's suppose you just found out that John Smith and Jane Jones had a third child, a son named Remington. You would add him this way. When prompted for a husband, type 25 or type John Smith and F8 and John Smith's information will show. The computer will inform you that he has two marriages on file. You will be asked if you want to display one of his wives or add a new one. In this case you are adding a child to a marriage that is already on file, so you will choose to display his first wife. When Jane is showing as the wife you will be asked if you want to keep this wife or display another. You would choose to keep this wife. When you do so, the program will jump to the child area, and will prompt you for child #3. You would then type in the information about Remington. (If the children are in the wrong order, use Modify to correct the order.) If you enter "N" in the marriage ceremony field, the program treat the couple as having not been married and will avoid printing the words "husband" and "wife" and "married" on the reports. If the field is blank, it is assumed they were married. Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 8 If you wish to designate a child as being adopted, a step child, or a foster child, then move to the last field for the child (the occupation field) and press CTRL-A (control A). Each time you press it, it will change the designation for the father and mother. This designation probably will be included on some of the reports in the future, but currently it will show up on the modify screen. You may also change this designation on the modify screen by moving to the occupation field and pressing CTRL-A. To enter a child under a second set of parents, when prompted for the child's name, type the code number for the child or type the child's name and press F8. So, in summary, when the program is asking for a person - either husband, wife or child - you may type in the person's name (if the person is new - i.e., is not already in the file) or you may type the person's code number (the number that is assigned to a person when they are added) or you may type the name of a person who is in the file and F8 and the computer will search and find that person. When you type a name and F8, the program searches for a person with that name. It is actually only searching for a person who has the same first five letters in the first name and the same first five letters in the last name. Because of this, you do not need to type in middle names when you are having the program search. Also, if the last name is over five letters, you may leave off all letters after the fifth. It is probable that more than one person could match when searching. If there is more than one match, the first person to match will display and you will be asked if this is the desired person or if you wish to continue searching. Push F1 if the person is correct, or push TAB to continue searching. When you type a name and push Enter (instead of F8), the program also will search for a name that is similar - just like pressing F8. However, you may change an option on option screen 3 so that when you type a name and press Enter, it will only show you exact matches in the event there is at least one exact match. If there is not an exact match, it will still show you the matches with the first five letters the same in the first and last names. The exact match option may be useful if you have thousands of names and do not want to review similar names that are not exact. If you are sure that the person you are adding is not already in the file, you may press F1 after typing the name (without pressing enter or F8) and it will add the person as new without searching the file and without showing any matching names. If you are not sure of the spelling of a name that is in the computer, you may use ? for the first and/or last name. For example use ? Smith to find all people with the last name of Smith. Or use Joseph ? to find all people with the first name of Joseph. This will work in the Add, Modify, and Print routines. If you are entering a family, where the father is unknown, you may use the name *UNKNOWN for the father's name, and there will not be any reference to a father on any reports. The name *UNKNOWN will not print. The computer will not save any information about a person with *UNKNOWN for a name. It is just a way to bypass a person and allow you to enter children Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 9 with only one parent. If you want to save information about a person, but do not know the name, you may use _____ _____ for the name. When you are prompted for the name of a child, you may press F9 to display all the children entered so far. Also, you may press F6 when the child name field is blank to go immediately to the Modify routine and display the same family. In addition to the name field, you may enter an alternate name for each person. After you have entered a person's name, you may press F6 while at the name field to enter the alternate name. This alternate name is currently used as the person's current name when printing birthday lists. Remember when you are adding to the file that you should make copies of the data files regularly. You do not want to have to add all these names again in case of a disk going bad (it happens) or a bug in the program (it happens). You may use the Backup menu item to copy all the data files to another disk. If you are using a hard disk and the files are too large to copy to a floppy, then use the DOS BACKUP command or use another backup program. You also could use a program such as ARC or PKZIP to make a compressed copy of the data files. A program such as ARC will compress the data files down to about one quarter the regular size. (The actual data files are not reduced but the compressed copy may be saved on a floppy disk.) . If you have your data on a floppy then use DISKCOPY to make a copy of the diskette. Have at least two different backup copies of the data disk, and in case of a major problem, make more different copies before you attempt to fix the problem in case you make matters even worse. These suggestions come from years of experience with computers and years of experience in making matters worse. MESSAGE LINES If you want to put in other information for a person, you may do so using message lines (up to 7 lines) and text files (unlimited length). Since there is not room to show these message lines on the screen all the time, you may see or add message lines by moving the cursor to any date or place field and then pressing the F5 (Function 5) key. The bottom of the screen will then clear and display any existing messages for the person and let you add or modify the messages. After you are finished with the messages, they will be replaced on the screen by the child information. Remember that there are separate message lines for the husband and the wife. Since message lines will not always be showing, the computer will notify you if a person on the screen has some message lines already. It does this by putting the letter M on the screen on the line above the person's name. If you need more than 7 lines, see text files below. The descendant report and group sheet routine will let you print message lines. Each time you run those routines you will have the option to print no message lines or all message lines or certain message lines about a person. You might have certain messages that are only for your information about a person and other messages that you wish to print out. There is a way to designate certain message lines that you wish never to have printed out. If you want to enter a message line, but never have it print out, then start the message line with the # character as the first character in Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 10 the line. For example, you could enter a message line as follows: #Committed suicide. Any message line that starts with the # character will not print, even if you ask for all message lines to print. If you want some message lines to print some of the time and all the message lines to print at other times, start each message line that you want to print some of the time with an asterisk * as the first character in the line. When printing, you may choose the option to print only message lines that start with an asterisk and other message lines will not print on that report. (The * will not print; it is simply a code to tell the computer which lines you want to print.) If you want either all message lines or no message lines to print on some reports, you do not need to start each line with an asterisk, just choose the correct option regarding message lines when printing. In addition to the 7 message lines, you also may designate a text file to be associated with a person. To do this, go to the message lines section for a person and type at the beginning of any message line two dollar signs and then the name of a text file. For example, if you have a text file in the \WP50 directory called SMITH.TXT you would type a message line of $$C:\WP50\SMITH.TXT (Nothing else should be after the name of the text file on that message line.) Then, whenever you are running a print routine that is printing all message lines, it also would print the file SMITH.TXT. The text file can be created by any word processor, provided it is saved in ASCII format or DOS text format. (That is the format that you may read directly on the screen by using the DOS command TYPE.) Each line in the file should have no more than 78 characters in it. If you do not want to use your word processor to create the text file, you may use a limited 120 line editor that is included in this program. You start the text editor by entering a message line starting with $$ and the name of the file and then pressing F5 again. The file name may be up to 8 characters long followed by a period and then up to 3 more characters. There should be no spaces between the first $ and the last letter of the name. The text editor has a few features to help you when making changes. If you wish to insert a new line between two existing lines, then press F9. If you wish to delete a line, then first make the line blank (by pressing ESC) and then press F7 to remove the blank line. If you wish to move a line, press Alt F10, then when it is blinking, press Alt = (Alt and equal) then move to the new location and press Alt = again. The editor has a word wrap feature and includes mouse support. MODIFYING * If you want to LOOK at a person's information, use the modify routine. Then after looking, push F1 (Function 1) to return to the menu. The modify screen will ask you for a person's code number or name. When it finds the person, it will show the person, the person's mother and father, the person's spouse, and the names of the children. You may then modify any information about the person and the marriage. (You may not change the sex of the person if the person is married.) To change information about a person showing, use the up and down arrow keys to move to the field to change and type in the correct information. If a person has more than one spouse, you may display the other spouses in this manner: when the cursor Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 11 is at the bottom right corner, push the F9 key (Function 9) and the next spouse will display along with the children from that marriage. If you want to change date or location information about the parents, spouse, or children, then you would need to switch to them (see below) as the person to modify. If you want to add the parent's names, use the Add routine, not the Modify routine. If you want to delete the parents (because of an error) then switch to one of the parents as the person to modify, and then pick D to delete the child. This same modify screen may be used to delete a child who was put in a family in error, to change the order of children, to delete a spouse who should not be married to this person, and to change the order of spouses. If you want to do one of these four things, type one of the following when the cursor is at the bottom right corner. R = rearrange the order of the children who are showing D = delete a child who is showing W = change the order of a spouse X = delete a spouse When you delete a child or delete a spouse, the child or spouse will still exist in the file, however they will no longer be connected to this person in any way. You are then able to add that person as a child of someone else, for example. If a person has the wrong parents, modify one of the parents and delete the child. If you want to add the parents for a person, use the add routine from the main menu. When you want to rearrange the order of children, you will be shown the children in their current order with the word OLD above their code numbers. You will then be allowed to type in the code numbers in the correct order under the heading of NEW. Type in the code numbers in the correct order and then press F1 and the computer will move the names of the children into the new order. To completely DELETE someone from the file, press / while on the bottom line. You will be asked if you really want to delete the person, and if so it will remove the person and delete all links from that person to parents, spouses, and children. After a person is deleted, that code number is not used again, but the disk space is reused by the next person you add. Perhaps in a future version there will be a way to reuse the number. There is no reason for you to have to reuse a number, but since a few people may want to do so, here is a method to use instead of the above method. To delete a person and allow the number to be reused: First, be sure that person is not linked to anyone else. Use Modify to call up the person and check that the parents say "not entered" and the spouse and child areas are blank. Then change the name to NOT USED and also blank out all the date and location fields and message lines. Then, the next time you are adding children to someone, type the code number that you wish to reuse. It will display any information about the person who previously had that number. Then use the UP arrow key to move up the fields to the name field. Type the new correct name and then all the correct date and location information. The new information will be stored with that code number and the person will now be linked into a family. Often, when you are looking at someone on the modify screen, you want to Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 12 display someone else who is closely related to the person showing. Therefore, there is a quick routine for doing this. When the cursor is at the bottom right corner of the modify screen, you may type one of the following characters to move quickly to another person. F = display the person's Father M = display the person's Mother S = display the person's Spouse 1 = 1 to 9 to display child 1 to 9. 0 is 10. Shift-1 is 11 O = display the next Older brother or sister of this person Y = display the next Younger brother or sister of this person If the person you are displaying is married, then you may also press F6 and you will go immediately to the Add routine so that you may add more children to the family. If the person you are displaying has two sets of parents, you may press the F8 key to see the other set of parents. The parents that are shown when you first display a person with modify are the primary parents, and the other parents are the secondary parents. When you print an ancestor chart, the primary parents will show. If you wish to switch the primary and secondary parents for someone, then on the bottom line of the modify screen type the : character. INDIVIDUAL ADD (SINGLE) Some people want to be able to add a person to the files without having to link the person to a spouse or parents. To do this, use the individual add routine. You may enter a new person using this routine, and then link the person to others at a later date using the normal add routine. One case where this routine might be useful would be if you have information on a person that you know fits into your family somewhere. You could enter the person, and then when you find the connection later, you may link the person to others without having again to look up all the details about the person. EDIT TEXT FILE The E routine will allow you to create or edit a text file with up to 120 lines of text. (You also may access this editor by pressing F5 when in the message line area.) This is useful if you need to have more than 7 message lines for a person and are using the $$FILENAME option on one or more of the message lines (as described above in the add section). You may use this routine to create the file instead of having to stop the program and start your word processor. Although this is a quick way to edit files, it is limited in features. Besides the normal editing keys, the text editor has a few features to help you when making changes. If you wish to insert a new line between two existing lines, then press F9. If you wish to delete a line, then first make the line blank (by pressing ESC) and then press F7 to remove the blank line. If you wish to move a line, press Alt F10, then when it is blinking, press Alt = (Alt and equal) then move to the new location and press Alt = again. If you do not have a word processor, I would suggest the shareware program PC-WRITE that is available from several sources. You cannot use the E routine of Brother's Keeper to edit an existing file that is longer than Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 13 120 lines. If you use your word processor to create a file, there is no limit to the number of lines you may enter. The print routines that print all message lines will print the entire text file that you have named in a message line. If you use a word processor to create your text files, be sure that the file is saved in ASCII format and not in some special format that is unique to that word processor. The ASCII format is the format that can be read from DOS with the TYPE command. If you are at the DOS prompt (A: or C:) and enter TYPE and then the name of the text file, you should be able to read the text file on the screen. If you see strange characters, the file is not saved in ASCII format. Some word processors always save files in ASCII format, but most word processors have their own file format but also have an option of saving files as ASCII. OPTIONS The O options routine will let you change certain parameters. The first screen appears as follows: Default value color mono Form color (3) or (7) Data color (7) or (15) Background color (1) or (0) Date format (0-9) (1) Months Capital or Lower (0) Name for date below Born Baptized: Name for date below Died Buried: Name for date 2 below Died Other: Name for bottom line at left Ref: Name for bottom in center Occupation: Name for date below married Other: Menu default 1=Add 2=Modify (1) Special effects? curtain (yes) Beginning output (printer or display) Push Enter if 1 character (no) Character for # ASCII(35) (35) Path for data files (drive or path) On this screen you may change the colors, change the conversion format for the dates (see the ADD section above for description of date types), and have the dates converted to upper or lower case. Also you may change the names that will appear for the other date fields and for two other fields. Whatever description you put here in the options section will show on the Add and Modify screens and on the printouts. You may have the main menu default to highlight either the add line or the modify line, and you may cause the program to use special effects (like the opening and closing curtain.) The program may be set to start up with the output going to the printer or the screen (you may also change the output at the main menu by pressing F9.) You may either require the pressing of the enter key after filling a one character field, or you may have the program not require pressing enter. If your printer cannot print the # character, then change the value from 35 to a value that prints a symbol that you want printed before a person's code number. Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 14 The line for the path for the data files tells the program where your data files are located. That line should contain the drive and subdirectory name that will contain your data. For example, it might be C:\BK5 or it might be C:\SMITH or whatever directory name you have set up. The data files are the files that contain all the names, dates, locations, sources, message lines, and mailing addresses. Those files have names that end with the letters DT5. After you push F1 you will see screen 2, which has the printer options. Ascii vertical (179) Ascii horizontal (196) Ascii corner (192) Ascii vert/right (195) Ascii horz/down (194) Print generation bar (yes) 1 2 3 4 Printer LPT1 or LPT2 (LPT1) Date format top of form (1) 1 = 01-JUN-1991 4 = 06-01-1991 Pause after each page (no) continuous Compress print on (15) Regular print on (18) Bold print on (27) (69) Bold print off (27) (70) Can it bold/w compress (no) Can printer backspace (yes) Can it CR w/out LF (yes) Graphic spacing sideways (18) CR/LF for end of line (0) Print string 1 Print string 2 Print string 3 The utility program (pick U from the main menu) can help you in setting up the codes for your printer. The defaults shown above work fine for dot matrix printers such as Epson and IBM. For the HP Laserjet printer, the utility program will set up the codes: Compress 27 38 107 50 83 0 0 Regular 27 38 107 48 83 0 0 Bold on 27 40 115 51 66 Bold off 27 40 115 48 66 If that does not work on your model of Laserjet, you may wish to try: Compress 27 40 115 49 56 72 0 Regular 27 40 115 49 48 72 0 The first five numbers on option screen 2 are the characters that are used when printing the tree chart (T from the main menu). If your printer does not print graphic lines for the tree chart, first try changing the dip switches in your printer to set up the IBM character set (look in the index of your printer manual under "dip switches" or under "character sets") and if that does not work, change the top five numbers as described in the description of the Tree routine in this document. The "print generation line" refers to the numbers 1 2 3 4 5 6 at the top and bottom of the Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 15 descendant report (D on the main menu). If you do not know the answer to the 3 "can" questions about your printer, you may run the printer test routine by typing a T at the bottom right corner of option screen 2. The test routine will show you if your printer can backspace, if it can do a carriage return without a line feed, and it will show you whether your codes for compress, regular, and bold are correct. The three print strings allow you to save any information you wish to send to your printer later using the P routine. You may wish to change to a different type style, change the orientation for your laser printer, or set a left margin. Each of these strings can be up to 42 characters long. Set up the ASCII decimal values you wish to send to the printer with a comma or a / between values. For example, if your printer has a NLQ (near letter quality) mode, you could set print string 1 to be: /27/52 and then when you send print string 1 to the printer using P from the main menu, the printer will be set to NLQ mode which will make the family group sheets look better. Consult your printer manual to see what features your printer has and what ASCII decimal codes must be sent to activate them. If you need more codes than what will fit on one line, you may use two lines and then send both lines. You may want to set string 3 to the code that resets your printer. You may even send short character strings to the printer by entering the decimal values for each letter. Note that most of the reports start by sending to the printer either the codes for regular size or compress size letters. Sometimes this will change your printer setup. For example, if you use the print strings to send codes to your printer to print in near letter quality mode, and then you start the D routine for descendants, your printer probably will not print in near letter quality because the D routine sends the codes for compressed print. Option screen 3 appears as follows: Character before last name [ Character after last name ] Label size (lines top to top) 6 Which address lines to print 1 2 3 4 5 Put changes in BKAUDIT no Show date of change no Character to never print mess. # ASCII for vertical bar 124 Enter will search exact names no Printer codes for superscript Printer codes cancel superscript On option screen 3 you may specify which characters to use to surround unusual last names. (See last names section.) Also you may set the size of your labels that you use for printing addresses. The size you set here is the total number of lines from the top of one label to the top of the next label. You may also tell which mailing address lines to print on the label, and in which order. For example, if you have the phone number on Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 16 line 6 you may leave it off the printed labels, or you could print it as the first line if you want. If you answer yes for the BKAUDIT file, then when you make changes to a person using the modify routine, the changes will be written into the BKAUDIT file. The file will show the date you made the change, the person's code number, the field you changed, and the old and new value. The program can currently show changes made to the name, any of the five dates, the Ref and occupation fields. It does not currently show changes made to the location fields, the marriage information, or the sources. This BKAUDIT file, if used, will continue to grow in size until you delete it. To see what is in it, you may print the file or display it on the screen using either your word processor or the DOS command TYPE. Do NOT use your word processor to view any of the BK data files (that end with the letters DT5) or they will be damaged. If you elect to show the date of last change, it will display the date on the top line of the modify screen. The date shown will be the date the person was added, or the date a change was made with modify. Currently, if you move the cursor into any of the fields for a person being modified, it will change the date even if the field was not changed. Message lines that start with the # character (or whatever character you set up on option screen 3) will never print out even if you ask for all message lines to print. The vertical bar character is the character that is used on the ancestor charts, and the compressed group sheets. It is normally the | character which is ASCII 124, but you may change it to the graphics character ASCII 179 or another character. If you answer no on the line about "enter will search exact names," then when you type a name and press enter, the program will show you all names with the same first five letters in the first name and the same first five letters in the last name. (This is basically the way version 4.5 operated.) If you answer yes for this option, then if you type a name and there is at least one exact match, then only exact matches will be shown. If you want to see non-exact matches you could still do so by typing the name and pressing the F8 key instead of the enter key. For example, if you have 15 people named Robert Jones, you might want to set this option to yes so that when you type the complete name, including the middle name, you will not have to skip through all 15 people. The codes for superscript should be set up using the utility program (U from the menu) to pick your printer. If your printer is not Epson compatible or HP compatible, you may have to set up the superscript codes manually. These codes are used when printing footnotes in the group sheet routine or the register report. On group sheets, the footnote numbers will be in superscript at the bottom, but not up by the locations. This was done intentionally because with several date and location lines all together, the footnote numbers, if superscripted, look confusing; they would appear to be subscript numbers for the line above. HELP Choosing H from the main menu will give you a summary of some of the Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 17 information in this documentation. Even though it is brief, it may remind you of what you need to know. Also pay attention to the bottom line whenever you are in the add or modify mode, because it will show you your choices as you are entering data and moving from field to field. PRINT ROUTINES In any of the print routines (e.g. ancestor, tree, group sheets, descendants) you may type a person's code number or the person's name when specifying who to print. You may type a question mark (?) in place of a first or last name that you are not sure of. When given a print option, the default answer will show and you may push enter to keep that response or you may type in a different response. All print routines may have the output sent to the PRINTER, to the SCREEN, or to a DISK file. (You may use the Options routine to set up a default so that each time that you start the program it will be set for either the printer or the screen.) Whenever you are at the main menu, push F9 if you wish to change the output. There are two ways to write to a disk file. One way is to include the control codes (such as compressed and bold). This is useful if you want to print the information later. The other way is to send the output to a file without control codes. This method is useful if you wish to use a word processor to edit the file. (If you wish to save the output of an ancestor chart without control codes, you probably should first temporarily set the printer options to "cannot backspace" and "cannot CR without LF" since that report tries to underline the names if possible.) If you send the output to a disk file, you may type the name for the disk file or use the default name (which is the date.) If you send several printouts to the same file, it will append to the file (add to the end of the file). The output file may later be edited with a word processor or desk top publishing program, or may be sent to a printer with the copy command. You may edit a file you create in this way, but never edit one of the BK data files (all BK data files end with the letters DT5). If you are printing a multi-page printout and the second and following pages do not start at the top of the paper, it means you need to set your "top of form" on your printer. To set the "top of form," move the paper to the top of a page, then turn the printer off, then back on again. Once you set the top of form, it will remain set correctly as long as you do not turn the knob on the printer. DESCENDANTS REPORT Choosing D from the main menu will print the descendants of any person. You will have the option to print code numbers and message lines. You also have the option to double space and to print relationships. (The utility program also has the ability to compute relationships.) The descendant routine will show up to 20 generations. A sample printout appears in Appendix D. If you wish to show more information about each person, try printing the register report or the indented report (by choosing R from the main menu.) The D routine assumes your printer can print 132 characters in compressed (or condensed) mode. It sends the codes to put the printer in compressed Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 18 mode. If the report does not print compressed on your printer, then use the utility program (U on the menu) and set up your printer with the "pick a printer" choice. You also could go to option screen 2 and enter the codes. If your printer can print more or less than 132 characters, you may type in a different number when asked for the number of characters per line (the range is from 70 to 250). The descendant report prints a series of numbers at the top and bottom of the page. These are generation numbers and they line up with the indentations for each new generation. If you prefer to eliminate those numbers, you may go to option screen 2 and enter a zero for the line that says "print generation bar." AHNENTAFEL The L routine will print an Ahnentafel list (Ahnentafel is from a German word meaning ancestor table). This is a list of ancestors of a person, without drawing a chart like the Ancestor routine. You have the option to show relationships (such as Parent, Grand Parent, etc.). This routine will show standard code numbers starting with 1. The father of any person has a standard code number of double the child. The mother of any person has a standard code number of double the child plus 1. The Custom report routine is used when printing so that you may choose which information to print about each person. See Appendix L for more information about custom reports. For example, when you pick L, it will ask who you want to print the report for. You type the person's name or code number. Then it reads all the ancestors into memory. Then you set up a custom report (or use a previously saved custom report). If this is your first time using custom reports, you could pick field 2 for the person's name, and then 40 for the name length, and then 4 for the person's birth date. Then when you press F1, the report will print. Note that the ahnentafel report will add the standard ahnentafel code number at the beginning of each line, so the line length will be about 8 characters longer than the total of the fields you pick. You also should try the other ahnentafel report that is available by choosing "3" from the main menu. That ahnentafel will print a paragraph of information for each person, and it also can print more generations. NAME, CUSTOM, BIRTHDAY PRINTOUT Option number 1 of the N routine will print all names, birth dates, and code numbers in numerical order. If a name field is blank or is equal to "Not used" or is equal to "*UNKNOWN" or if a person has been deleted then it will not print. Option number 2 also will print everyone, but it allows you to custom design a report with any information about each person. See Appendix L for information on custom reports. If you pick option number 3, you will create a file called ALPHA1.DTA which may then be sorted alphabetically. (You may create a file of all names or just the descendants of a certain person.) Each person's name will automatically be changed to last name first (see LAST NAMES below). This file may then be sorted into a file called ALPHA2.DTA and when that file is printed (option 4 or 5), you will have an alphabetical list. Remember, Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 19 before you can pick routine 4 or 5, you must first run routine number 3 to create the file ALPHA1.DTA and then sort it. After the file ALPHA1.DTA is created, you may sort the file while still in the Brother's Keeper program if you have enough memory and if the SORTF.COM program is with your BK programs. If you are not able to sort from within the BK program, then you must stop the program in order to sort the file. To sort the file use the SORTF program. Copy the SORTF.COM file to your disk and then type SORTIT which is a batch file to sort the file. (To run the batch file, the files SORTIT.BAT and SORTF.COM should be on your data disk or in the same sub- directory as the data.) If you do not have the SORTIT batch file, just type: SORTF ALPHA1.DTA ALPHA2.DTA The sort may take a minute or so, depending on how many names you have. (The ALPHA1 file and the sorted file will each use up 59 bytes of disk space for each name.) When the sort is finished, restart the BK program and run the N routine option 4 or 5 to print the alphabetical list. You may run options 4 and 5 several times without having to sort the file again. However, you will need to sort again if you add people to the file. Option number 6 will create a file (called BIRTH1.DTA) that can be sorted to print a birthday list. This routine will only include people who are still alive (the date of death field is blank) unless you specify otherwise. This routine also will attempt to give married women the correct last name, even though you entered their maiden names. If you choose to create a file of the descendants of someone, you also will have the option to include other people in the list (just in case you want to include a relative who is not part of the descendant list). After running this routine, you may type Enter to sort the file or you may stop the BK program and sort the file by typing BIRTHDAY. That will run the batch file that sorts the data. The same requirements that are discussed above about needing the SORTF.COM program also apply to this sort routine. After the sorted file (called BIRTH2.DTA) is created, start the BK program and pick N then 7 to print a birthday list. This will show everyone's birthday in order, starting with January. If the results of the birthday list are not correct, check to make sure that the format of your birth dates matches what is specified on option screen 1 as far as date type. (See dates in Add section above.) If your dates are not all in the same format, you will get strange results. You may use the utility program to change the format if you wish, but be sure to have a backup copy of all your data files before changing the date format since sometimes the results are not what you expected. The files ALPHA1.DTA, ALPHA2.DTA, BIRTH1.DTA, and BIRTH2.DTA are temporary files that may be deleted (if you wish) after printing. They must be recreated anyway if you later want to print an updated report. You may edit these files if you wish to make changes before printing. DO NOT EDIT ANY FILE THAT HAS A NAME ENDING WITH .DT5. The .DTA files are created on the same drive or in the same subdirectory as Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 20 the .DT5 data files. If your programs are on a different drive, or in a different subdirectory, you will need to change to that data area before sorting with the SORTIT or BIRTHDAY batch files. It is possible to change the batch files so that the drive or path is included in the batch file. Just put the drive or path name in front of the existing file names. For example, if your data is in the C:\SMITH directory, you could change the BIRTHDAY batch file to read: SORTF C:\SMITH\BIRTH1.DTA C:\SMITH\BIRTH2.DTA /+47,4 If you have modified the batch file to include drive or path names, you may then exit the BK program, type the name of the sort batch file, and then restart the BK program without having to change directories. LAST NAMES Certain suffixes such as Jr and Sr will be ignored by the program while it is looking for each person's last name. If you put a suffix after a name, and the program thinks that the suffix is the last name, you may add a period after the suffix and the program will skip it and find the correct last name. For example, if you put MD after a person's name, you should put a period after it so that it will not be alphabetized under the M's. You could end the name with MD. or M.D. and then it should print correctly. The program also will attempt to place two part last names in the proper order. If you come across a last name that does not alphabetize correctly, then surround the last name with the [ and ] characters. For example, if you enter a name as John Steed of Kent, the program will alphabetize using the name Kent, but if you enter it as John [Steed] of Kent, then it will be alphabetized under Steed. The [ and ] characters will not print on the reports. The program automatically looks for many two part names such as those starting with Van, so the name Jack Van Ek should alphabetize correctly without using [ ]. But if a person's middle name is Van, then the program may assume it is a two part last name, so put in the name as John Van [Brown] and it will alphabetize under the name Brown instead of Van. WORD SEARCH The word search routine, like the other reports, can be either printed, displayed, or sent to a disk file. Press F9 at the main menu to change the output between print, display, and file. There are two types of Word searches. The first type will let you enter one word or name and will search all fields of each person for a match. If you type "Chicago" it will find all people who were born or died in Chicago, or have the word "Chicago" in a message line, or even have "Chicago" in their name. The second type of Word search is field specific, which means that it searches for a word only in a particular field. It also can search for people with several fields that match, and it uses the Custom report format for printing. This second type of Word search will let you find all the females who were born in Chicago in 1950. First a discussion of the first type of Word search. It will allow you to search all fields and message lines. Type the word or words you are searching for (capitals or lower case makes no difference). The program will then search the names, dates, locations, and message lines (not text Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 21 files) to find a match and will display or print the names of people who have data that matches. When the end of the file is reached, you will be asked if you also want to search the marriage records. If you wish to search the 2 date fields and 2 place fields associated with each marriage, then push enter, otherwise you may skip the searching of the marriage file. Note that the first word search routine is looking for an exact match to what you type in. So if you type "Joe Doe", it will not match "Joe Q Doe". However, the search is useful to find all relatives who were born in, or died in, or were married in, a certain city. You also may match people who share a common date. For example, if you matched "1954" you would find all people who were born or died in that year. The second type of Word search will let you enter what you are searching for in the appropriate field. If you enter information in more than one field, a person will have to match ALL fields in order to be a match. Some of the fields (name and locations and message lines) will allow you to enter two words and you may specify whether it has to match both words or either word in order to qualify as a match. Some examples are given on the input screen. You may then use the Custom report format to print the matching names. (See Custom reports in Appendix L.) PRINTER STRINGS The P routine will send any of the 3 print strings (described in detail above in the options section) to the printer. It also has other print strings for laser printers. If your printer is turned off or reset, the strings you have sent will have to be sent again. You do not need to use this routine unless you want to send special information to your printer. The normal information such as regular size or compressed size letters is sent to the printer automatically when each report starts. BACKUP DATA FILES You may use the K routine to make a backup copy of your data files. I suggest that you do this on a regular basis. At some point in time you will have a problem, either caused by hardware problems, or software problems, or maybe even by you. I am sure that you do not want to start all over again. So take a minute and make a copy of your files. I have made the process as easy as possible. Just pick the BACKUP routine and then put a formatted diskette in the A: drive or the B: drive. When the Backup is complete, remove the copy and label it with the date. Have two or three different backups and store them in a safe place. If your files are too large to fit on a diskette, then it is very important that you use the DOS BACKUP command or that you buy a fast and easy to use backup program such as FASTBACK or PC-TOOLS to make backup copies of your data. You may find it faster to use an archive program such as ARC or PKZIP to archive the data files and then copy the condensed file to a floppy. If you have a single drive computer without a hard disk, use DISKCOPY. Whatever the case, be sure you have a couple backup copies of your data. No diskette and no hard disk will last forever. It will fail someday, so be ready. If you need to use a backup copy that you made with the K routine, you may just COPY the files from the floppy back to the correct subdirectory on the hard disk. If you need to use a backup copy you made with the DOS BACKUP command, you will need to use the DOS RESTORE command. Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 22 If you are experiencing any problems, do not backup onto an existing backup copy of your data files, but instead backup onto a new blank formatted floppy. Always save the older backup copies when you notice a problem, because the problem may also turn up on one of your backup copies, and you may have to use an older backup copy in order to restore your data files. Try to always have at least two different sets of backup data diskettes that were copied on different dates. For example, today when I am done, I can backup to a diskette. Tomorrow when I am done, I backup to a different diskette. The next day I could backup onto the first diskette again. That way I have two different backups and the chances of the same problem being on both backups is reduced. It is a good idea to once in a while move one set of your backup diskettes away from your computer (in case someone steals your computer and grabs the box of diskettes next to it) or even take the backup to a different location (in case of a fire). Some people have been very happy that they shared their data with another genealogist because they were able to get a copy back after having a disaster on their computer. TREE PRINT Use the T tree print routine to print a tree chart showing the descendants of any person with the parents and children connected with lines. (If you do not get lines printed on your printer, see below for instructions on changing the line codes.) The tree report will print up to 20 generations at a time. If you do not have the option set to pause after each page, it will print continuously without page breaks until it finishes the left section of the chart. It will then do a form feed and print the right section of the chart. If you are not printing compressed, it also might have a middle section. You also have an option of printing sideways on an Epson or IBM graphics compatible dot matrix printer. When printing the tree chart, you have the option of leaving names at 40 characters, or shortening them to fewer characters. (Names are shortened if necessary by removing the middle name.) The shortened name version will be able to print more generations on each page, thus condensing the size of the chart. You may include spouse names, and if you choose a name width of less then 40, you may include birth dates or code numbers. If you have your output set to the SCREEN instead of the PRINTER, the first 22 lines of the tree will display and you are given the option to shift the screen image to the left to see other generations on the right. Each time you press the right arrow key, it will shift by one generation. You also may push the down arrow key to see names below. You may move up, down, left and right having a total of 66 lines and 10 or more columns. Press enter for the next 66 lines. This tree routine is the one that uses the five ASCII codes that show on screen two of the options. These codes are used to draw the lines from parent to child. If your printer does not print IBM graphic characters, (see your printer manual for a dip switch to change for IBM character set) try the sideways option (if you have a graphics printer) or change the codes to the ones your printer uses that look like those that display on the options screen. If you CANNOT get the lines to look right, set the options as follows and print regular (not sideways): Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 23 vertical (124) | horizontal (45) - corner (124) | vert/right (124) | horz/down (45) - Note: If you have a laser printer that can print landscape, you may set your laser printer for landscape mode using the Print string routine ("P" from the menu) and then you should print regular (not sideways). The sideways routine in this program is different from the landscape mode of laser printers. Also, laser printer users may have better results if they specify a page length of 59 lines instead of 9999. Also HP laser printer users can use the Print string routine at the main menu to send the string #13 which is 27, 40, 49, 48, 85 to cause the printer to use IBM graphic characters. ANCESTOR CHARTS The C routine will print an ancestor chart for anyone in the file. The ancestor chart will show the person you choose and that person's parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, etc. Birth, death, and marriage information also will print. You may choose 8 different sizes of charts when printing. If you need to print over seven generations, you will need to print multiple charts. For example, you may print a 5 generation chart starting with yourself. Then if you have further ancestors on file, you may print other 5 generation charts starting with each of your great-great- grandparents. This would give you a total of 9 generations printed. Using this method, there is no limit to how many generations you may print. The BKAA5 program ("3" from the main menu) does multiple charts automatically. The first 6 types of ancestor charts (A - F) and type (H) will shorten long names to 30 characters. This is accomplished by changing a middle name to an initial or removing a middle name if necessary. The (G) type of ancestor chart will leave names at 40 characters, but will print only 4 generations per page. If you have a wide carriage printer, the (H) type ancestor chart will print 6 generations. This report also works with laser printers that can print up to 162 characters on a line in landscape mode. When printing a 5 generation chart, you have the option to print code numbers, no code numbers, or standardized numbers. Standardized numbers are what you see on hand generated charts and ahnentafel reports. When you are displaying an ancestor chart, you may press one key to jump to another person. Press F for father, M for mother, S for the spouse, and the number 1 for child number 1, 2 for 2, etc. These are the same keys that are used when browsing on the modify screen. GROUP SHEETS The G group print routine will print the information for any person along with the person's parents, spouse and children. Any message lines you entered may also be printed with this routine if desired. The group sheets are useful if you are organizing your data, creating a book, or you wish to Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 24 send the sheets to relatives for further information. All fields will print for each person. However, if you are not using an optional field (such as baptized), and if you have set the name of the field equal to blanks (in the options routine), then that line will not print. Also, you have the options not to print a field if it happens to be blank for some people. Just answer no to the question "do you want to print blank fields" and those lines will not be printed. The program will print the birth and death fields and labels even if blank. There are many options when printing group sheets. If you choose All for children data, it also will include spouses of children. If you choose Compressed for children, it will print all information for up to 10 children on one sheet of paper. If you set a left margin greater than two, you probably should print with Elite size or compressed size characters so that information is not lost on the right side of the page. If you wish to save the options you have chosen, press F5. The last option lets you add 4 personal message lines to each page so that you could put instructions and your address on each page. You may print people one at a time, or you may choose to print a range of numbers, or everyone who is a descendant of or ancestor of a certain person. When the program asks for the name of the person to print, you may type the name, or number, or type an R to print a range of numbers (or all) or an A to print all the ancestors of someone, or a D to print the descendants of someone. If you type a D, you will then be asked for the name or number of the person for whom you want all descendants printed. If you type an R, you may either get a group sheet for everyone in the range you specify (2 sheets for each family - one showing the husband first and one showing the wife first) or you may choose to get 1 group sheet per marriage. REGISTER STYLE REPORTS If you choose R from the main menu, a program will start that will let you print register reports, indented reports, or 3 by 5 cards. The register and indented reports will print all the information about all the descendants of a person and will optionally print an alphabetical index. If you intend to publish a book and use the register style report, you may set the output to go to a disk file and then use your word processor or a desktop publishing program to enhance the book. The second choice for output to a disk file will use tabs instead of spaces at the beginning of the lines, and that will help if you intend to use a proportionally spaced font and if your desktop publishing program can handle the tabs. The register and indented reports will give you several options about what information to include and how the report will look. If you choose to have page numbers, it also will prepare for an alphabetical index at the end. When the report is finished printing, you will have the option to prepare an index file, and then sort the file. If your database is large (over 2,000 names), you may have to exit the program and sort the index and then restart the program and print the index. If your database is very large (over 20,000 names), it may not be able to prepare an index. In case of a printer problem part way through printing a long report, remember then you may set the output to go to a disk file (press F9 at the menu) and then you may edit or print part of the file. Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 25 The register report uses a numbering system where the first person is number one, and the children are numbers two, three, four and so on. Each person is given a number if they have children. To see more information about a person who is listed as a child, look for the same number in the next generation. To see who a person's parents are, look for the same number in the previous generation. The names are printed one generation at a time. Here are the specific questions when printing a register report (the questions for the indented report are similar). Print how many generations? If you wish, you may enter a number less than the maximum (currently 20) that the program will handle. Children's names. Pick how you want the children's names to print the first time, when they will be printed more fully later. If a child will not be printed later, then the full name will print. Abbreviate to b. and d. You may choose to have either the abbreviations or the full words for born, married, died, and buried. Include which message lines. If you have entered message lines for people, you may have them included in this report. If you choose A for all, then all message lines and text files will be printed. If you choose * then only those of the seven message lines that start with * will print. If you choose unformatted, then all the message lines and text files will print, however they will print exactly as you entered them and they will not be reformatted to the line length of this report. The unformatted option is also useful if you have very large text files and if this report gives you a message that it is not able to reformat a file because of its size. Print spouse messages also. If you indicated that you wanted to print message lines, you will be asked if you also want to print the spouse's messages. Label the generations. You may choose to have the header between the generations either say just "Next Generation" or say "Second Generation" and "Third Generation" and so on. Regular size or compressed printing. You may choose the size for the characters and the program will send the proper codes that are in the options area. If you choose "U" for unchanged, then no codes will be sent to the printer and it will remain in whatever mode it is currently set in. You may then indicate the size of the left margin, the number of characters to print on one line, and the number of lines to print on each page. If you answer "yes" for page numbers, it also will save information so that you will be able to print an alphabetical index at the end of the report. You may also designate a starting page number. Show code numbers. I recommend that you do not also print the person's code numbers, since it may be confusing when also printing the register number. However, if the report is for your own use, you may wish to see the code numbers that were assigned when the people were added to the database. Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 26 Show baptized date and location. You will be asked if you want the date below the birth date also to print. If you say "yes" then it will print if it is not blank. If you answer "I" then it will only print if the birth date is blank. Sometimes a person's birth date is not known, but the baptized or christened date is known. If you want this date printed, you will be asked what word or abbreviation to use when printing. Show reference field. If you answer "yes" it will print after the date fields. You also will be asked what word to use when printing. If you answer "]" then the reference field (if not blank) will be printed after the name with the reference field enclosed with brackets. Show occupation. If yes, then also type the word to use when printing. If multiple spouses, do you want to show which spouse produced which kids? If you have cases of multiple marriages, this will allow you to show which children came from which marriages. You may then enter a page heading if you desire. This heading will be printed at the top of each page. It is anticipated that an option will be added to print footnotes for the sources. When it is added, you will be able to print footnotes to show the information that you entered in the source lines for each date or location. The footnote numbers will print in superscript based on the printer codes from option screen three or as set up in the utility program when you picked a printer. After answering the above questions, the report will start printing. Press ESC to interrupt the printout. When the report has finished, you may print an index if you had page numbering turned on. DESCENDANT BOX CHART The box chart program will print a descendant chart that has each person in a box and has lines connecting the boxes. The oldest person is at the top, and person's children are below, and the grandchildren are below them, and so on. Like most reports, the box charts may be printed, displayed, or sent to a disk file. When you display the chart, you may use the arrow keys to move around the chart. There is an option for small boxes with just dates, or larger boxes with locations also. You may also adjust the width of the boxes. The width of the boxes will affect the total number of people that can be printed in one generation and also will affect the length of the chart. If your printer has been set up to print the IBM extended character set, then you will be able to print solid graphic lines around the boxes or print shadows. Your printer will not print the IBM extended character set unless you set it up that way (normally by flipping a DIP switch or pressing some buttons on printer). Look in your printer manual in the index under "character set" or under "DIP switches" to find the section of your printer manual that tells you how to set up the IBM extended character set. Making this change will normally not affect the other programs that you use. Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 27 If you have a graphics dot matrix printer, then you may print the box charts sideways. The sideways printing will be slower than regular printing. When printing sideways, you will have an option for compressed print and an option to print faster if you have a 24 pin printer. If you have an HP laser or Deskjet printer, do not choose sideways, but instead choose regular print. You will later be asked if you want to print landscape. FOUR FAMILY BOX CHART The four family box chart is similar to the regular box chart described above, except it shows four families on the top line, and then all the descendants of those four families with dotted lines connecting the four families where marriages occurred. When looking at a person in the third generation, it is a combination ancestor and descendant chart. The children that are common to more than one of the families are only printed once under the first parent and a dotted line will show the connection to the other parent's family. MORE ANCESTOR REPORTS The BKAA5 program will print additional ancestor reports and charts. It can print multiple page ancestor reports, where the pages are cross referenced. You pick the starting person, and all of the person's ancestors will be printed with four generations showing on each page. You may also print a large ancestor wall chart with boxes for each person. This chart will contain nine generations (511 people) and will be about five feet high and two sheets of paper wide. It will include each person's name, the standard code number, and dates and locations for birth, marriage, death, and burial. People in the eighth and ninth generations will have abbreviated information. Also available is a version of an ahnentafel report with complete information for each person. The differences between this and the ahnentafel report on the main menu are that this one prints a paragraph for each ancestor which can include message lines, and also this report can print more generations. MERGE TWO DATABASES This program will allow you to merge two databases into one. If you have two Brother's Keeper databases that contain different names, you may merge them by adding one set of files to the other. I recommend that you make backup copies of both databases before you do a merge. As the files are merged, the code numbers for one of the files will be changed so that they do not conflict with the existing numbers in the other file. Currently, the program will not check for duplicate names, so do not merge two files that have several identical people in both files or else you will have to do a lot of deleting to clean the file up. SPLIT ONE DATABASE The program to split off part of a database is useful if you want to send information to another Brother's Keeper user. Often, the other person is Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 28 only interested in some of the information that you have, and this program will let you pick certain people and create a new database of just those people. For example, you may select all the ancestors of a person, or all the descendants of a person, or any combination of ancestors and descendants of several people. After selecting the people, pick "C" to create the file. The program will run much faster if you create the new data files in a temporary subdirectory on your hard disk than if you create the new data files on a floppy. After creating the new files, you may then copy them to a floppy to send to someone else. If the other person uses a different genealogy program that can read GEDCOM files, then use the BKGEDCOM program ("X" from the main BK menu) to create a GEDCOM file from the new data files and send the other person the GEDCOM file. IMPORT OR EXPORT A GEDCOM FILE A GEDCOM file is a file with names, dates, locations, and notes that is in a special format that can be read by other genealogy programs. HOW TO IMPORT DATA INTO BK If someone else has given you a GEDCOM file, do not add it to your BK database until you know what is in it, otherwise you may not want the data and you will have to revert to your most recent backup copy of your database or else do a lot of deleting. One option is to import the GEDCOM file into a new BK database in a temporary subdirectory. Then use BK to look at it by changing the bottom line on option screen one to read the new temporary subdirectory. If all looks well, then you can import the GEDCOM file into your main database. Always do a new backup of your BK files before importing a GEDCOM file. If you already have a GEDCOM file from another program, skip to the next paragraph. To transfer data INTO Brother's Keeper, you first must create a GEDCOM file that contains the data in the other genealogy program. For example, if you have data in the PAF program (version 2.1), here is a summary of the steps to create a GEDCOM file. Type PAF to see the first menu. Pick Genealogical Information System or GEDCOM. Then pick Genealogical Data Communication or GEDCOM. Then pick Create GEDCOM file. It will show the location of the PAF files, and let you type in the drive and name for the GEDCOM file. If you want the GEDCOM file to be in a certain subdirectory of your hard drive, you can type both the drive and subdirectory name on the drive line. If you pick the name SMITH for the name of the GEDCOM file, the program will actually create a file called SMITH.GED (you do not type the .GED, the program will add it to whatever name you type.) It will ask if you want all the data transferred or just certain people. It will then ask for your name and address. This is not required if you are only transferring the data to another program. It will ask if you want Notes transferred. Finally it will ask if you want the data in the PAF 2.0 format or the PAF 2.1 format. Pick the 2.1 format. Then the GEDCOM file is created. Exit the PAF program. The next step in importing is to run the BK GEDCOM program so that the data can be changed into BK format. Pick X from the BK menu to start the GEDCOM program and then pick A to add the data to Brother's Keeper. Read the screen and type C to continue. It will ask for the drive for the Brother's Keeper data. If you want to add the data to an existing Brother's Keeper data file, give the drive and path location. If you want to create a new Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 29 Brother's Keeper data file, give a drive and path location to create the files on. (It will not create the subdirectory - you must have already created the subdirectory using the DOS command MD.) Do not give any file name at this point - just give the drive letter and optionally the name of the subdirectory. Examples are shown on the screen. It will then ask for the name of the GEDCOM file to read. You also should give the drive location, and subdirectory name if any, in front of the name of the GEDCOM file. You should end the name with .GED. For example, if your GEDCOM file was named SMITH and it is on the C: drive in the \PAF\ subdirectory, then you would answer the question with C:\PAF\SMITH.GED It will then open the files. If there is already data in a Brother's Keeper file there, then it will show you how many names are in the existing file. The new data will be added to any existing data. The program will not check for duplicates - all the data will be added as new additional data. The program will then ask which drive to create any message text files on. This drive information also will be used by the BK program when locating the text files. It will then ask if you are reading a PAF 2.0 or PAF 2.1 file. Pick either 0 or 1. If the GEDCOM file is from PAF 2.2, still pick 1 since version 2.2 files are the same as version 2.1 files. It will then ask where to move the TITLE field. If you used the TITLE field in PAF, then answer the question based on what you put in the title field. If you did not use the TITLE field in PAF, then just push enter. Finally it will ask if you are ready to do the copy. Type Y if you are ready and it will copy the data in. When finished, you can use the utility program, (menu item U in the main BK menu) and check the quality of your data file to be sure all the links between people are correct. You can then use BK to look at the file, and print all the reports. TRANSFERRING DATA OUT OF BK USING GEDCOM Note: when you create a GEDCOM file, all the names in your file will be transferred. If you want to only transfer part of your file, then you will need to first use the program described above to create a new smaller set of your data files. (See split one database above.) To transfer data from BK to another program, pick X to start the GEDCOM program and pick C to create a GEDCOM file. Read the screen that is displayed. One important thing to remember, is that some programs must have the dates in a specific format or else the dates will not transfer. If you have your dates in type 1 or type 2 format (see BK documentation about date types), then all programs should be able to understand them. Some programs like PAF will understand other formats as well. If you need to change your date format, then you will need to use the utility program to convert your dates before you create the GEDCOM file. The data conversion routine is not fast and you may not want to change your original database, so you might want to try creating the GEDCOM file with the dates the way they are and see if the other program can handle them. Next the BKGEDCOM program will ask you where the BK data files are located. Type in the path for the files. If the files are on your B: disk drive, then type B: and if the files are in the \BK5 subdirectory of your hard disk, then type C:\BK5 (do not type a file name, just a directory name). Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 30 Then the program will ask for the name of the GEDCOM file you want to create. If you want the file to be created on a certain drive, then include the drive or path location also. Some examples would be B:SMITH.GED or C:\BK5\JONES.GED (note that you need to type the file name and it should end with .GED). The file name may be up to 8 characters long followed by .GED. The program will then open the files and show you how many names are in the BK data files. It will inform you that the GEDCOM file it creates will be in the PAF 2.1 format. That is the format that most other programs will be able to read. It will then ask if you are ready to create the file. If you say yes, then it creates it and if you say no, then the program will stop. After the file is created, you may use another program's GEDCOM reading routine to move the data into that program (see the other program's directions on how to read the GEDCOM file). UTILITY PROGRAM This program has a routine to check the quality of your data and can fix many errors that may turn up. If you get a "subscript out of range" error in any BK program, run the quality check routine. The utility program can set up the proper printer codes for certain printers. If your printer is not listed, you may have to consult your printer manual to obtain the printer codes and then use the options routine to enter them. The utility program also will let you save your options file by copying it. You may then restore the saved file at a later time. This may be useful for people who have 2 different types of printers. You may set up the options for one printer, and then save the file with a special name. Then set up the options for the second printer and save that file with a different name. You may then run the utility program and restore either options file depending on which printer you wish to use. All options on screen 1 and 2 of the options screens are saved or restored, so you may even save 2 different sets of screen colors, one set the way you like them, and the other the way your spouse likes them. You also may use the utility program to print all the values you have stored for the ALT key combinations. If you decide to change the date format after you have entered many dates, you may use the utility program to change from any of the 9 formats to any other of the 9 formats. Be sure to copy all the .DT5 files to backup floppy disks before running this routine, just in case there is any problem. This date change routine must read and write each record and tends to run slowly, so allow yourself plenty of time. After you change date formats, remember also to change date format on Option screen 1. There is also a routine to create a Tiny Tafel file. This is a relatively new type of report. The Tiny Tafel file is a summary of all your ancestors. The file can be used to find other people who are researching the same family lines that you are. There are computer systems set up to help people match their research with other genealogists by matching the Tiny Tafel files of each. This is a new idea and has only been in operation for a few years. If you have a modem, you may call one of these Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 31 "computer bulletin boards" that has the Tafel Matching System, and obtain further information. This routine in the utility program only creates the Tiny Tafel file. It is recommended that you also obtain a program such as TTGEN12 that will allow you to edit the file and insert and delete lines. Currently, the matching system requires all lines in the tafel file to have locations. The utility program has the ability to calculate the relationship between any two people. The relationship will only be displayed with this routine. The descendant report (D in the BK5 program) also can calculate relationships, however, by using this routine, you will not have to print or display an entire report when you are only interested in one or two relationship. There are routines that will allow you to print all locations or sources, or delete all unused locations or sources, or to do a global change of a location or source. If several people use the same location or source, only one entry is made to the file, and several people will "point" to the same entry. When you make a change using the normal modify screen, you are only changing the location or source for the one person you are modifying. If you want to change a location or source for everyone that currently uses that location or source, then use the routine in the utility program. For example, if you have entered the wrong location for a person, you may fix it using the modify routine (M from the main BK5 menu). However, if you discover that you have misspelled the name of a town, then you should use the utility program to correct it for everyone that "points" to that misspelled town. Also, if you do a printout of all locations, you may find that you have the same cities entered two or three different ways. You may use the utility program to change all people that "point" to any of those different versions so that they will all "point" to one version. Then the no longer used locations may be deleted and the disk space will be made available for new locations. STOP * If you have your data on a floppy diskette, NEVER remove the DATA diskette unless instructed to change disks or until after typing S to stop. Some of the files are not fully updated until you type S and stop. It is recommended that you put the data files on a hard disk so that the program will run faster. * NEVER turn your computer off while in the BK program. Always use S at the menu to stop the program first. If a power failure causes the program to be interrupted, run the utility program (U from the main menu) and then pick item Q to fix any link errors before adding more information to the data files. * If you have 2 data diskettes, you must STOP the program, then change data diskettes, and then restart. The program will not link people between 2 diskettes. If you have data in 2 or more sub-directories of your hard disk, you may change sub-directories by using Options to change the path. Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 32 APPENDIX A. HOW TO MAKE CORRECTIONS If you are correcting spelling or dates, use the MODIFY routine and TAB (or DOWN arrow) and Shift TAB (or UP arrow) to move to the field to change. Then use the left or right arrow keys to move within a field, use Esc if you want to erase a field, and use Ins and Del to insert or delete characters. NOTE: If, when you are on the add or modify screens, you do not see directions on the bottom line, change your colors on option screen 1. IF YOU ENTERED SOMEONE'S CHILDREN IN THE WRONG ORDER, do the following. First, go to the modify routine and type the parent's code number or name and the parent's information will appear on the screen (use either the husband or the wife). The children's code numbers will show along with their names. The first child you entered will be the first code number showing, the second child you entered will be listed second, etc. You may correct the order on the screen by typing the letter R and then retyping the code numbers in the correct order. Make sure the code number shown for first child is the actual first child, etc. The names shown on the screen will remain the same until you press F1. Then the names will change to match the new order you have entered. IF YOU ENTERED SOMEONE WITH THE WRONG PARENTS, you may correct it by doing the following. First, modify the record of the person you said was the parent, but was not (use either the husband or the wife). When the wrong parent's record is showing on the screen, type D and delete the child who should not be there. (This will delete the link between the parents and the child, however the child still exists in the database.) Then you may go to the add screen and bring up the correct parents and then add the child by typing the child's code number or the name and F8. The child added to the family will then be the last child. If the children of the family are now out of order, you may correct that as described above in the children order section. IF A MARRIAGE IS IN ERROR, use the modify routine to show the person with the wrong marriage. Type X to delete a marriage. You will then be shown all the marriages for this person and be allowed to delete one. (It will show the marriage number, not the person's code number.) When a marriage is deleted, the husband and wife stay in the file as people, but the connection that shows their marriage is deleted. If the marriage also had children records related to it, the children will have their parent connection deleted, but the children will stay in the file as people. These children may then be added as children of some other marriage by using the Add routine. IF A MARRIAGE IS OUT OF ORDER, use the modify routine to show either the husband or the wife. Type W to correct the spouse order. You will be shown all the marriages for this person and be allowed to change the order. IF YOU HAVE A PERSON DUPLICATED (the person has been assigned two code numbers by the program) then you will need to delete one person in order for the printouts to print correctly. Each person must be entered only once and then linked to the father, mother, spouse, and children. Let's assume that you have entered yourself twice into the computer and that you have two code numbers, 5 and 21. Use modify and call up number 5. Suppose Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 33 it shows you with a father and mother, but no spouse and no children. Then call up number 21. Suppose it shows you with no father and no mother, but it does show your spouse and children. In this case, you should delete person number 5 who has no spouse and no children. Here is the procedure: Using modify, call up number 5. Type / to totally delete the person. Then go to the add routine and call up your father and mother. In the children section, type 21 for a child (this is the non-deleted you). Then, if you are not in the correct birth order, go to modify and call up your father and use R to rearrange the child order. Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 34 APPENDIX B. PRINTER PROBLEMS. (There are also suggestions in Appendix M) Many of the questions or problems I have received have related to printer problems. The printer options can be set in the Options routine. Also, some common printers can be set up in the utility program. Some printers cannot backspace. If your printer cannot backspace you should set that option to 0 (zero) or names will double print on some printouts and the ancestor chart may not print correctly. Some printers cannot do a carriage return (CR) without also doing a line feed (LF). If your printer is one of those, set that option to 0 (zero) or names will double print on some printouts and the ancestor chart may not print correctly. You may test your printer's features by typing a T at the lower right corner of option screen 2. Most printers want a carriage return and line feed at the end of each line. If your printer wants only a carriage return, set that option or everything will double space. The program will try to print some reports in compressed format. That lets you print 132 characters per line on most printers. You may enter the decimal values of the codes that must be sent to your printer to do compressed and regular print. You may set up the codes that start bold print and turn off bold print for your printer. Check your printer manual and see what the decimal values are for the codes that do that. If your printer cannot bold print, set the values to zero. Bold could actually be enhanced or emphasized or italic or whatever you want the names to appear as. The program also needs to know if your printer can bold print when printing compressed. Many printers cannot do that, so if yours cannot, the program will try to backspace (if possible) to make names bold print when printing compressed (on the descendant printout). The program will only try to bold print names on the descendant printout and the family group sheet printout. There are up to 7 codes to turn on and off compressed print and bold print. Many printers only require 1, 2 or 3 codes to control those features. If the first code of the 7 is zero, none of the 7 codes are sent. If the first code is not zero, all 7 codes are sent. Normally, codes of 0 (zero) at the end will not affect the printer output. If you do not want the extra 0's to be sent to the printer, change the extra codes to 999 and those codes are not sent. The descendant printout will print generation numbers at the top and bottom of each page. You may turn this feature off in Options. I have tested the programs on several computers and with several printers. However, I do not have access to all combinations of equipment so it is quite possible that some program changes may still have to be made. Let me know if your printer is not cooperating and I will try to help. Tell me what version you are using. (5.1) Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 35 APPENDIX C. EXPLANATION ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS: Your uncle is the brother of your father or mother. Your aunt is the sister of your father or mother. Your great uncle (or grand uncle) is the brother of your grandfather or grandmother. Your great aunt is the sister of your grandfather or grandmother. Your great-great uncle is the brother of your great-grandfather or great- grandmother. Your great-great aunt is the sister of your great-grandfather or great- grandmother. Your first cousin is the child of your aunt or uncle. Your second cousin is the grandchild of your great aunt or great uncle. (If two people are first cousins, the children of each of the people will be second cousins.) Your third cousin is the great-grandchild of your great-great uncle or great-great aunt. (Children of 2nd cousins, are 3rd cousins to each other.) Your first cousin, once removed, is the child of your first cousin or is the child of your great uncle or great aunt. (See also REMOVED COUSINS) If someone is your first cousin, then his or her child is your first cousin once removed. (Once removed means one generation level different from you.) All your regular cousins (first, second, etc.) are at the same generation level as yourself. Those at different levels are "removed." If someone is YOUR first cousin once removed, then you are HIS or HER first cousin once removed also. Your second cousin once removed is the child of your second cousin. Your first cousin twice removed is the child of your first cousin once removed (i.e. the grandchild of your first cousin). Your second cousin twice removed is the child of your second cousin once removed (i.e. the grandchild of your second cousin). REMOVED COUSINS: If two people are some type of cousins, but they are at different generation levels, then here is the way to compute their relationship. (The program does this automatically when printing, but you may want to know what it is doing.) 1. Count how many generation levels they are apart. This is the number they are "removed." 2. Start with the one at the highest generation level (the older level) and count how many generations up you must go to find the brothers or sisters that are the ancestors of these cousins. This is the "FIRST" or "SECOND" or "THIRD" part of the cousin relationship. GREAT-GRANDFATHER / \ GRANDFATHER GREAT-UNCLE Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 36 / \ \ FATHER UNCLE 1st COUSIN ONCE REMOVED / \ \ \ >YOU< BROTHER 1st COUSIN 2nd COUSIN / \ \ \ SON NEPHEW 1st COUSIN ONCE REMOVED 2nd COUSIN ONCE REMOVED / / \ \ GRANDSON GRAND-NEPHEW 1st COUSIN TWICE REMOVED 2nd COUSIN TWICE REMOVED Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 37 APPENDIX D. SAMPLE PRINTOUTS. Below is an example of a descendant printout. Note that each new generation is indented. All relationships such as UNCLE, COUSIN, etc. are computed by the program. * JOSEPH P. JONES (12/20/1895) - (03/05/1949) m. SUSAN SMITH (01/05/1902- (GRANDFATHER) . * JOHN JONES (05/19/1920 - m. (12/07/1940) MARY GREEN (08/05/1921 - (UNCLE) . . * BILL JONES (03/23/1942 - (FIRST COUSIN) . . * MARY JONES (02/04/1944 - m. (03/04/1964) PETER WHITE (FIRST COUSIN) . . . * FRANK WHITE (05/04/1971 - (FIRST COUSIN ONCE REMOVED) . * MARTHA JONES (09/19/1923 - 11/17/1981) (AUNT) . * GEORGE JONES (12/13/1926 - m. (01/05/1949) LOIS WILSON (03/18/1927- (FATHER) . . * CAROL JONES (05/18/1953 - (SISTER) . . * JACK JONES (05/03/1955 - m. (08/23/1977) MICHELE MOE (07/22/1955- (MYSELF) . . . * MARTHA JONES (04/03/1981 - (DAUGHTER) If your printer does not print the IBM extended character set, and you change the printer options, a tree chart will print as: Joseph P. Jones ----- John Jones ------ Bill Jones | |-- Mary Jones ---- Frank White | |-- Martha Jones |-- George Jones ---- Carol Jones | |-- Jack Jones ---- Martha Jones | |-- Peter K. Jones Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 38 APPENDIX E. CHANGES FROM PRIOR VERSIONS. To read more about the changes between version 4.5 and version 5.0, read the file CHANGES.DOC. Also read README.DOC for recent changes. Version 5 contains many changes from 4.5. Some of them are: 1. Can handle up to 1 million names. 2. A person may have two sets of parents 3. Mailing address and phone number field (press F4) 4. Sources may be entered for footnotes (press F6) 5. All programs accessed from one menu. 6. Parent type may be designated (adopted, step, etc.) 7. Edit text files up to 120 lines within BK. 8. Designate unmarried couples and divorced couples. 9. Compressed group sheet with all info for 10 children. 10. Add a single person to the database. 11. Easy delete routine. 12. Find people using your own numbering system. 13. Browse when displaying ancestor chart. 14. Unusual last names can still sort correctly. 15. Search for existing location name. 16. Custom report can display all spouses/marriages. 17. The program may be run in several foreign languages. (French, Danish, German, Norwegian, others.) Read the README.DOC file for the most recent changes. If you used the "check" fields in version 4.5 and had the data moved to the "page" fields in version 5.1 and if you still want to print the "check" fields on the group sheets, then on the line that says "print source footnotes" on group sheets, answer with the number "4" and it will print the group sheets the way they were printed in version 4. I have dozens of ideas from users for new features. However, many features tend to make the programs larger. I tend to work on the ideas that will benefit the most people and that do not require major changes to the existing program structure. I plan to continue to upgrade the program since many ideas are good, but just require more time to implement. Please continue to send me your ideas for improving the program. All registered users are notified about major new versions. I also will send registered users at least one new version at no additional charge. I may need to charge a small fee for updates after the one free update. If you have used this program and find it to be of value to you, you are encouraged to send in the $45 registration fee to the author (see Appendix J for why to register). I have no way of informing you about improvements to the program unless you write to me. When you write, enclose the registration form found at the end of the documentation file or in the REGISTER.DOC file. If the program does not have a feature you would like, mention it on the form. I try to add new features that registered users suggest whenever possible. This program has come a long way since version 1.0 - thanks to the suggestions from registered users. There is usually a new version of the program available (with minor changes) every couple months or so. Lately, there have been significant improvements to the program about every 6 to 12 months. My budget and time do not allow me to mail information about minor changes to thousands of users every few weeks, Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 39 so one way for you to know about minor changes is to buy a high speed modem and call my BBS at (616) 364-1127 to read about the changes or to download the programs. There are also hundreds of BBS's around the world that have Brother's Keeper available for downloading. If one is near you (and if they keep up to date) then you can keep current at no cost. When there are major changes to the program, I will do a mailing to all users. Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 40 APPENDIX F. CONVERTING FILES If you have been using BROTHER'S KEEPER version 4.0 through 4.5, you will need to run the CONVERT5 program one time. If you have an older version of the FAMILY3 program, you will need the CONVERT4 program also. If you have used PAF (Personal Ancestral File) you may use the gedcom program to transfer the data (see the GEDCOM section above.) If you have ROOTS III or FAMILY ROOTS, you can purchase a gedcom program from the publisher of that program and then use gedcom to transfer the data. If you have data in Genealogy on Display, Family History System, or Linkages, see information on the registration form (last page of documentation file or in file REGISTER.DOC). APPENDIX G. DO YOU HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS and MAY I HELP YOU? I have received many fine suggestions from users of the program. The program would not be what it is without this help. Please send any suggestions you have. I may not make all the changes you suggest, but I have been able to make many changes over the years. If you have a problem, read Appendix M. If you still need help, send me a description of the problem and information about your computer (see registration form at end of documentation file). For reference, Version 5.1 was released September 1992. Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 41 APPENDIX H. TECHNICAL STUFF You do not need to know any of this to run the program, but some people may want to know what is going on. Most information is stored in 10 disk files: BKPERSON.DT5 - information about people. BKMARR.DT5 - information about marriages. BKLOCATE.DT5 - all locations. BKSOURCE.DT5 - source information BKMAIL.DT5 - mailing address BKOPTION.DT5 - option parameters (colors, printer, etc.) ALTKEYS.DT5 - Alt key names/places (see Appendix I) REPORTS.DT5 - specifications for custom reports. BOTTMESS.DTA - 4 line personal message for Group sheets. PARAMETR.DTA - default parameters for Group sheets. There are also 6 temporary files: ALPHA1.DTA, and ALPHA2.DTA, which are used for printing alphabetical lists, BIRTH1.DTA, and BIRTH2.DTA, which are used for printing birthday lists, and BKINDEX1.DTA, and BKINDEX2.DTA which are used for alphabetical indexes. When first starting out these files will be created. Do NOT use a word processor or editor to modify any of the .DT5 files since if any record is changed, it will mess up everything. If you want to read the data into your own database program, you may create a Custom report and send the output to a disk file (press F9 twice at the main menu) and then read that file as a fixed record length ASCII file into a database program. Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 42 APPENDIX I. ALT KEYS (user defined) If you find yourself repeatedly typing the same name or city, you may use a simple procedure to save time and reduce errors. You may define any of the alphabet keys (A-Z) or numbers (0 to 9) to be any name, city and state, or word. After you define what the key will be, you just push and hold the Alt key and then press the alpha key and the name or word will appear on the screen. Use the following procedure to define an Alt key. Type the name or city or word in any field on the add or modify screen. Then hold the Alt key and press F10 (function 10). The words you have typed will start to blink. When they are blinking, hold the Alt key and press any alpha key (A-Z) or a number (0-9). The words will stop blinking and that key sequence (Alt-key) is now programmed. The next time you want to type that name or city or word in any field, just hold Alt and press the same key. You may program all of the alpha keys to be a different name or word. These programmed keys will be remembered each time you restart the program. You may change what a key is defined to be by simply re-defining using the above procedure. Example: Suppose you are going to add several people who were all born in Rockford, Kent County, Michigan. When you type the first person, type Rockford, Kent County, Michigan in the "born where" field. Then before you push enter, hold the Alt key and press F10 (function 10). The entire field will start blinking. Then hold the Alt key and press R. The field will stop blinking and you may continue with adding the person. The next time you want to type Rockford, Kent County Michigan in any field, just hold the Alt key and press R and it will appear. Example: Suppose you are going to add several people who all have the last name of Winchester. When you type in one of them, type just Winchester in the name field (do not type the first name). Hold the Alt key and press F10 and the word Winchester will blink. Then hold the Alt key and press W and the word will stop blinking. Then press Esc to erase the name, and type the first name and middle name. Then hold Alt and push W and Winchester will appear. For each person that you add, just type the first and middle names and then push Alt-W. If you press Alt-F10 and then decide you do not want to have what is blinking saved as an Alt-key, then just press any key without holding Alt and it will not be saved. Also see the Add section at the beginning of the manual describing shortcuts for duplicating locations that were recently entered and for using F8 to search for existing locations. You may print the strings you have saved for each Alt key with a routine that is available in the Utility program. Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 43 APPENDIX J. SHAREWARE BROTHER'S KEEPER is a Shareware product protected by Copyright. It is NOT public domain or free software. Shareware is a method of distributing software, whereby copies may be passed around and each user may determine whether or not the program is suitable for him or her. After you have tested this program for yourself, and if you find it to be useful for you, you are requested to send the registration fee to the author of the program, John Steed. The author of the program is not paid any fee when you buy a disk from a user group or company selling Shareware. The only way the author gets paid is when you register. If you want to encourage programs of this type, please register by sending $45 and the REGISTER.DOC form. Registered users will be sent a printed manual and the next new version of the program and are entitled to use the program, and all future upgrades. Minor upgrades are made frequently to the programs, so you may wish to check to see if a new feature you desire has been added. If you have a modem, you may call the BK BBS (bulletin board service) at (616) 364-1127. This board will have the current version of all programs available for downloading. If you share this program with others, please give them all the programs that came with it and any other files you may wish to share. Please do not include the BKOPTION.DT5 file on the disks you share, since that file contains options for your disk drives, printer, and monitor and others may have difficulty using your setup. That file will be created the first time someone uses the programs. _______ ____|__ | (R) --| | |------------------- | ____|__ | Association of | | |_| Shareware |__| o | Professionals -----| | |--------------------- |___|___| MEMBER This program is produced by a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442 or send a Compuserve message via E-mail to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536 Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 44 APPENDIX K. CONFIG.SYS file. The BK program needs to open several files at the same time. Because of this, you may need to add a line to a special file on the disk you "boot" from. If you get an error message when starting BK relating to file problems, then check the disk that you use when turning on the computer each time. (If your computer boots from ROM as the TOSHIBA 1000 and the TANDY 1000 systems do, you will need to run your SETUP program to change the FILES=28 command as described in your DOS manual.) Type CD \ <enter> then type DIR CONFIG.SYS <enter> and see if there is a file called CONFIG.SYS on your disk. If the CONFIG.SYS file DOES already exist, look at what is in it as follows: TYPE CONFIG.SYS That will display on the screen the lines that are in the file. If it already has a line in it that says FILES=28 or FILES= (any number 28 or more) then leave it alone. If not, you will need to add the FILES=28 line to the file. (Any number over 28 is fine, up to about 35.) You do not want to change any other lines in the CONFIG.SYS file. You may use a word processor to modify the file if the word processor reads and writes in ASCII (i.e. not in some special format). After you add the FILES=28 line to the file, you must restart or reboot the computer for it to take effect. If the CONFIG.SYS file DOES NOT exist, then create it and put a line in the file as follows: FILES=28 If you do not know how to create the file and put that line in it, here is a way. When you are at the system prompt ( which is A> or C> ) you would type the following, and push enter at the end of each line: COPY CON CONFIG.SYS FILES=28 then push F6 (function 6), and then push enter. It should say "1 file copied". You should then have the CONFIG.SYS file with the FILES=28 line in it. After that line is in the CONFIG.SYS file, you must restart or reboot the computer. When the computer boots, it reads that file and will allow 28 files to be open at the same time. The BK program should then work properly. TANDY 1000 users may have to change their systems to boot from a disk instead of from ROM. You have a program called SETUP-- that you will need to run. Look in your manual for the name of your setup program - or look in the index of your manual under CONFIG.SYS. The setup program is usually on your DOS diskette and is usually named SETUP and then the letters of your computer, for example: SETUPHX or SETUPTL. If the setup program shows Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 45 a line such as "maximum open files" then you should change that line to be 28 files. Otherwise, pick the option to boot from a disk, and then put the disk with CONFIG.SYS in the A: drive (or else create the CONFIG.SYS file on your C: drive in the main directory) and reboot the computer to read that file. Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 46 APPENDIX L. CUSTOM REPORTS BROTHER'S KEEPER gives you the ability to design your own report format. You may print custom reports either in number order or alphabetical order when using the N routine and also when printing Ahnentafel charts and when using Word search. When you pick the custom report option, you will be shown the different fields that you may print for each person. For example, you may wish to print for each person their number, name, father's name and mother's name. So you would choose field numbers 1, 2, 17, and 18. As you choose each field number, you will be shown the normal length for that field. For example, the name field is 40 characters long. You may shorten the normal length for your report if you wish. If you type 25 for the name length, that will be the length when it prints. For all names, a special routine will automatically remove middle names of people with names longer than the length you specify. That way, the last name will not be cut off. If you shorten the length of a field that is not a person's name, the field will be cut off at the end if it is too long. For example, date fields are 15 characters long, but most dates fit in 11 characters, so you may shorten a date field to 11 characters. There is also a special routine for birth date and death date so that if you shorten the length to 4, it will print only the year (the last 4 characters). If you lengthen a field, it will print extra blanks after the field is printed. (That may improve readability.) As you type the fields and lengths, the total length will display at the top. The total length is the sum of the field lengths plus 1 space between each field. Use this as a guide and try to keep the number under the maximum number of characters your printer can print on a line. Most printers can print 80 characters in normal print and 132 in compressed print. If you attempt to print more than the number of characters your printer can handle, your printer might jump to the next line, which will cause problems with page headings. If you want multiple lines for each person, then pick the field for extra CR/LF at the end of the first line. You may press the up arrow to back up if you wish to make a correction. After you define your report, press F1 and print it. When the printout is finished, you will be asked if you wish to save that format. If it is a report you wish to print again in the future, answer Y (for yes) and give a brief description of the report. Then the next time you print a custom report, you may recall that format to print again. (Press F5 to recall a previously saved report.) You may create and save many different custom reports. If you are printing in alphabetical order, you do NOT need to sort the file each time you try a different custom report. You only need to run routine 3 when you have added new people to the file, or when you wish to sort a different group of people. You may print the fields in any order. (For example, birth date in first column and name in second.) The names will print in number order if you choose N - 2 or are doing a word search or else they will print in alphabetical order if you choose N - 5. If you print the spouse name or marriage information, it will normally print the first spouse or marriage. If you choose field 98 as one of the Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 47 fields, it will instead print the last spouse or marriage. If you choose field 99, it will print all spouses or marriages for each person. (You also must pick the spouse or marriage fields that you want to print, such as spouse name or marriage date.) The custom report formats are saved in a file called REPORTS.DT5. Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 48 APPENDIX M. COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS. Q. I can't get the program to start. What is wrong? A. Well, it could be one of several things. First of all, do you have enough RAM memory in your computer? The program wants about 500K of available memory. If you have 512K of RAM, read the BK5.BAT file for directions on changing the first line in the batch file so that BK will use only 450K of RAM. Even though your computer may have 640K of RAM memory, other things may be using up some of the memory. To see how much memory is available for the program, you should run a program called CHKDSK that is located on your DOS disk. Just type CHKDSK at the C> prompt and it will give you several lines of information. The last two lines are important to the discussion here. The next to the last line will show total RAM memory, and the last line will show what is available for programs such as Brother's Keeper. If the last line shows less than 460,000 you have a problem. It is possible to have 640K of RAM memory in your computer, and yet still not have 460K available for programs. If, for example, you have a RAM disk in use, it will take up memory. Also, pop-up programs such as Sidekick will use up some of your memory. Look in your CONFIG.SYS file and in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file to see what all you have running. DOS itself requires about 50K or more of memory, depending on what version you have. The line BUFFERS=num in your CONFIG.SYS file also will use up some RAM memory (do not use over BUFFERS=25). Secondly, assuming you have enough memory, you also need a line in your CONFIG.SYS file that says FILES=28 (or some number larger than 28). This is explained in Appendix K. If you don't have that line in the CONFIG.SYS file, you will see the opening screen of Brother's Keeper and then you will get a message telling you that you need that line in the file. Thirdly, you might have a problem of the computer "locking up" when you type BK5. This is caused by a dip switch inside older computers set in the wrong position as though you had an 8087 co-processor, when in fact you do not have an 8087 math co-processor. So, if the computer freezes up and you have to turn it off to regain control, check that co- processor switch. Also try typing SET NO87="true" before starting BK5. There is also a known bug with MS-DOS 3.20 if you do have a math co- processor. This bug is overcome by typing the following line at your DOS prompt before starting BK: SET NO87="true" If you still have problems starting the program after checking all the above items, try removing all memory resident programs and all device drivers. The easiest way is to format a blank diskette with the FORMAT /S command. Then create a CONFIG.SYS file on that diskette with only the line FILES=28 in it. Then reboot the computer with that diskette in the A: drive. Then try to start the program. If it still does not work, contact John Steed and describe the problem. Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 49 Q. I have played around with the program a little and now I want to just start over. How do I get rid of the names and information I have entered so that I may start from scratch? A. All the data that you enter is stored in files that have names ending with .DT5. If you stop the program and change to the drive or subdirectory that contains the data files, you may type DIR *.DT5 and you should see about 6 files listed. If you erase those files, you may start over. So if you are SURE that you want to start over, you may type ERASE *.DT5 and all the data files will be gone. Q. When I look at someone's information in the Modify section, it shows "not entered" for the names of the parents. How do I type in the parents' names? A. In order to add the parents of someone, you need to go to the Add routine. Type in the Father's name for husband, and the Mother's name for wife. Then type the child's name. Then the parents' names will show at Modify. If you have entered the wrong parents for someone, see Appendix A. Q. How do I enter information for a family if I only have the Mother's name but I don't know the Father's name? A. You may either enter the Father's name as _____ _____ (if you think you will collect the information later) or you may type the name as *UNKNOWN and it will never print on any report. Q. How do I add a spouse to a single parent? A. Look at the single parent in the Modify routine, then press F6 while at the bottom line. Then use the UP arrow to go up to the husband or wife area and enter the person. Q. How do I enter the second husband for a woman? A. Using the Add routine, type the name of the second husband. Then for the wife, type the code number for the wife or search by name. When the wife is displayed, the program will know that it is an additional marriage for her. Q. When I print the Tree report, why do I get strange characters instead of the nice lines I see when I display the report? A. The program will try to print lines using the extended IBM character set that contains graphic characters. Most printers can print IBM graphic characters, and most will only do so if you set a certain switch in the printer or send a certain code to the printer. If you have an HP Laserjet printer, then use the "P" routine then "13" to send the codes to change to IBM graphic characters. If your printer cannot print graphic characters, then change the numbers at the top of Options screen Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 50 2 as described in Tree section above. Q. Why doesn't the sideways Tree report print work for me? A. The sideways report is designed to work on a printer that is compatible with IBM or Epson graphic printers. If your printer prints something that does not look like sideways characters, then your printer is not compatible. Do not worry about it, it is the same report as the regular Tree report so you are not missing much. The sideways tree uses the SIDEWAYS.DTA file to define the graphic characters. That file should be located on the same disk as the program since the program looks for it on the default disk or in the default directory (whatever directory you were in when you started BK). Note: if you have a laser printer, this Sideways report is not the same as Landscape. If you wish to print in Landscape mode, set your laser printer for Landscape and then run the Tree report as a regular (not sideways) printout. Q. I got an error message saying "Device fault" or "Device timeout" or "Disk Fault". What does that mean? A. Usually it means that your printer was not turned on or not connected. If you do not have a printer attached, be sure to have output set to DISPLAY. Even the Word search routine will try to print unless you change output. Printer timeout can be cured by adding this line to your Autoexec.bat file: MODE LPT1:,,P That will use the DOS MODE command to stop the timeout error message. Device fault also could mean a problem with your disk drive (if it happens when you are adding, modifying, or reading data). If you have DOS 5.0 use MODE LPT1:,,B Q. What does the error message "Bad record number . . ." mean? A. If you get this error message it could mean you have a problem in your data files. Each name in the file has several "pointers" that indicate which other people are related to him or her and which message lines and which locations are associated. If these pointers get messed up, you have a problem. Hopefully, you will have a recent backup of your data files that you may use if necessary. In any case, make a couple more backup copies of your *.DT5 files before trying to solve this problem. This problem is usually caused by exiting the program improperly. Never remove the data diskette until you choose S to stop the program. Also, never turn off the computer while still in the program. If your data files get messed up, run the Q routine from the utility program menu. Then if necessary contact John Steed. If you send me a diskette with a copy of the *.DT5 files and a description of the problem, I can try to correct it for you. Q. If I want to keep 2 or more sets of data files totally separated from each other, how do I do it? A. To create another set of data files that will not interact with your existing files, you need to use a new diskette (if you use B: for your data drive) or create a new subdirectory (if you have a hard disk). If you use floppy disks, be sure to STOP the program before changing diskettes. If you have a hard disk, you may go to the Options screen 1 Brother's Keeper 5.1 Page 51 and type a different path and then the program will change to the data files located in that subdirectory. (The program will not create the subdirectory, you need to create it yourself with the DOS command MD.) You do not need to copy the programs to that subdirectory. Q. How may I DISPLAY a report or send it to a disk file so that I may make changes to it? A. When at the main menu, press F9 to change output. Q. Why does the AGE display incorrectly on the modify screen or on the Birthday printout? A. The age is calculated based on the birth date and either the death date (if the person is deceased) or the current date (if the person has a blank death date). The current date is the date that shows when you first turn on your computer or when you type DATE at the A> or C> prompt. Assuming your computer knows the correct current date, the problem is probably that you have not used a birth date in the style that is currently set in the options screen. Look at the date types on page 4. Then look at the date format line on options screen 1. Then look at the way you have entered dates and be sure it matches whatever you choose in the options screen. The program cannot compute age if you are using a non-standard date format. Q. I still need help, what do I do next? A. Well, if you decided to read the documentation you must be desperate! And if you have not found a solution to your problem after reading this far, you are probably frustrated also. So, here is what you may do. You may write to John Steed, 6907 Childsdale Rd., Rockford, MI 49341 and describe the problem. Indicate what size disks you use in case the solution includes receiving a program in return. Also indicate what version you have (5.1) and any other pertinent information. If you give me your phone number, I may be able to give you an answer by phone. If you wish to contact me through CompuServe, the ID number is 75745,1371. I try to check for Electronic Mail every day. If you have a modem, my current BBS (bulletin board service) number is (616) 364-1127 at up to 9600 baud. This BBS contains the current versions of all programs. If you want to call me, call information (area code 616 Rockford, Michigan) for my number. I am usually available in the evenings between 8pm and 10pm Eastern time. I do programming during that time, but I do not mind taking a few minutes to answer some questions. I N D E X Add a child . . . . . 7 Device timeout . . . . 50 Add parents . . . . . 49 Display reports . . . 51 Adding names . . . . . 3 Ditto " key . . . . . 5 Address fields . . . . 2 Down arrow . . . . . . 2 Adopted child . . . . 8 Drive for data files . 13 Age incorrect . . . . 51 Duplications . . . . . 32 Ahnentafel report . . 18 Edit text file . . . 10, 12 Alphabetical index . . 24 Equal = key . . . . . 5 Alphabetical printout 18 Erase a field . . . . 2 Alt keys (user defined) 42 Esc key . . . . . . . 2 Alternate name . . . . 9 European dates . . . . 4 Ancestor chart . . . . 23 Exact search . . . . . 16 Ancestor reports . . 27 Example - adding names 7 Backup data files . 9, 21 Family group sheets . 23 Bad record number . . 50 Father unknown . . . . 49 Birthday printout . . 18 Field names . . . . . 6 BKAUDIT file . . . . . 16 Find relative of person 12 Bold print . . . . . . 14 Find word or date . . 20 Box chart . . . . . . 26 First person to add . 3 Browse . . . . . . . . 12 Footnotes - sources . 16 Change name of fields 6 Foreign characters . . 2 Change order of child 11 Four family box chart 27 Change order of spouse 11 Gedcom files . . . . 28 Change parents . . . . 32 Global changes . . . 31 Changes file . . . . . 16 Group sheets . . . . . 23 Changes to program . . 38 HP Laserjet printer . 14 Colors . . . . . . . . 13 Individual add . . . 12 Compress print . . . . 14 Insert a character . . 2 CONFIG.SYS file . . . 44 Install . . . . . . . 1 Converting data files 40 Landscape printing . . 23 Correcting problems 2, 32 Laserjet printer . . . 14 Custom reports . . . . 46 Last names . . . . . 15, 20 Data files location . 13 Linking people . . . . 3 Database programs . . 41 Location fields . . . 5 Date format - change . 30 Location print/change 31 Date of last change . 16 Location search . . . 5 Date types . . . . . . 4 Look for person . . . 12 Delete a character . . 2 Lower case months . . 4 Delete a person . . . 11 Mailing address . . 2, 15 Delete as a child . . 11 Maximum number of names 1 Delete as a spouse . 11, 32 Memory requirements. . 1 Descendant report . 17, 24 Menu . . . . . . . . . 3 Descendant tree . . . 22 Merge two databases . 27 Description of program 1 Message file . . . . . 10 Device fault . . . . . 50 Message lines . . . . 9 Modify information . . 10 Single parent-add spouse 49 Months - lower case . 4 Size of files - maximum 1 Move forward/backward 2 Sort alphabetically . 19 Multiple data sets . . 50 Source footnotes . . 16 Multiple printers . . 30 Source information . . 6 Names of fields . . . 6 Source print/change . 31 New features in program 38 Special effects on/off 13 Numbering systems . . 6 Split one database . . 27 Numerical printout . . 18 Start over, erase files 49 Occupation field . . . 6 Step children . . . . 8 Options . . . . . . . 13 Stop . . . . . . . . . 31 Order of children . 11, 32 Suggestions . . . . . 40 Order of spouses . . . 11 Superscript codes . . 16 Order to add people . 3 Technical information 41 Output routines . . . 17 Text editor . . . . 10, 12 Output to disk file . 17 Text file . . . . . 10, 12 Output to screen . . . 17 Tiny Tafel file . . . 30 PAF program . . . . . 28 Top of form - printer 17 Parents . . . . . . . 12 Transfer data from BK 29 Parents - second set . 8 Tree printout . . . . 22 Path for data files . 13 Up arrow . . . . . . . 2 Prepare disks . . . . 1 Updates to program . . 38 Print routines . . . . 17 Use of ? to find name 8 Printer options . . . 14 Utility program . . . 30 Printer problems . . . 34 Word processor . . . . 12 Printer setup . . . . 30 Word search . . . . . 20 Printer strings . . 15, 21 Problems - questions . 48 Program will not start 48 Questions & answers . 48 Quit . . . . . . . . . 31 Reference field . . . 6 Register style reports 24 Relationship calculation 31 Relationships . . . . 35 Reuse a code number . 11 Sample reports . . . . 37 Search for word or date 20 Searching by name (add) 7 Second marriage . . . 7 Setup disks. . . . . . 1 Shareware concept . . 43 Sharing the program . 43 Short-cuts . . . . . 5, 42 Sideways printing . 22, 50 To: John Steed Date _______________________ 6907 Childsdale Rd Rockford, MI 49341 U.S.A. I have version 5.1f of Brother's Keeper. (20-May-1993) __ |__| I would like to become a Registered user. Enclosed is a check for $45 (U.S. check or Canadian check in U.S. funds) or MasterCard or VISA number and expiration date. Please send me the printed manual and the current version of the programs. ($45 includes all programs.) __ |__| I have data in Brother's Keeper version 4. Please send the CONVERT5 program also. __ |__| I have data in ___Genealogy on Display ___FHS ___Linkages and would like a program to transfer the data to Brother's Keeper. __ |__| Send the program in __French __German __Danish __Polish __Swedish __Finnish __Norwegian __Dutch __send the translation program so that I may translate to ____________ (It lets you change the words built into BK such as Husband, Wife) Where did you first get a copy of Brother's Keeper? __Friend __Shareware Company __Computer User Group __Store __Genealogy Society __BBS I am using the program on the following type of equipment. Computer brand _________________________ Do you have a modem? _____ Amount of RAM memory 512K 640K _________ Hard disk? Yes No Do you have Microsoft Windows? Yes No Diskette size preference 3 1/2 720k 5 1/4 360K 3 1/2 1.44meg 5 1/4 1.2meg Monitor monochrome CGA EGA VGA superVGA Printer __________________________ Name ______________________________________________ Address ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ Country ______________________________________ Comments and suggestions: _________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ (Thank you very much for responding. John)