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1990-07-08
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Family History System
Manual For the Basic Set of Programs
CONTENTS
I. Introduction................................................1
Note to New Users...........................................2
Note to Former Users........................................2
Note to Users of Other Genealogy Software...................2
II. Getting Started
A.Creating working copies of the programs...................4
B.Beginning a Family History System work session............5
1.MAIN MENU program, EXITing from the system..............5
2 Setting the DATE, TIME and Default DATE Format..........6
3.Setting default system parameters.......................7
4.Creating a set of Family files..........................7
a.Adding a Name Record to the File......................9
b.Creating a Marriage or Family Record.................11
c.Maintaining Address Information......................13
d.Listing CHILDREN of an Individual or Marriage........13
e.Climbing Ancestor Trees..............................14
f.Searching the Name Records on File...................14
C.Importance of `backing up' system files..................15
III. Family History System design
A.Use of Fixed Formatted screen displays...................17
B.Modular design, switching between programs...............17
C.System MESSAGES (use of ellipsis)........................17
D.Use of FUNCTION keys.....................................17
E.Use of ESCAPE key........................................18
F.Full Screen mode of data update..........................18
1.Updating screen displays (other than comments).........19
2.Updating Comment display...............................19
NOTE:Concerning the Formatting of Comments in Reports....21
G.Segmented Screen in File Maintenance Program.............21
H.Changing the Screen Attribute Table & Error Tone.........22
Color/Monochrome support, setting default values
Changing frequency and duration of the Error Tone........24
I.Use of Printer Setup Table...............................24
1.Printer control codes
2.Form size
3.Multiple printer SETUP tables
4.Standard Setup tables
J.File Name Table..........................................25
1.Use of multiple disk drives
2.Use of RAM disk
IV. Family History System Files and Datasets...................27
A. FHS Family File.........................................27
B. Report Program WORK Datasets............................29
Ancestor/Descendant/Relative WRK Files
Select WRK Files
Reference WRK Files
INDEX Files
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V. Report Descriptions
A. Definitions.............................................30
B. Report Descriptions
..Fixed Format vs. Free Format..........................32
..Report Option Menus...................................32
..Other Report Options..................................32
..Pausing and Cancelling the Printing of Reports........33
1.Ancestor Report.......................................33
Ancestor/Descendant/Relative Report Options Menu......34
2.Descendant Report.....................................35
3.Relative Report.......................................36
4.Family Group Report...................................38
a.Identifying Group Reports to be Printed.............40
b.Printing Family Group Reports.......................41
5.Ancestor Charts.......................................44
4 Generation Charts
All Generation Map
6.Descendant Charts.....................................45
C.Report Program Parameters................................49
VI. Validating System Maintained "Pointer" Information.........51
VII. Export/Import Utilities....................................57
A.GEDCOM Export/Import Program.............................57
..Version 2.0 and 2.1....................................58
1.Program Operation......................................58
2.Changing the Table of Information to Process...........59
3.Exporting Data from your Family file...................59
4.Importing Information into your Family file............61
5.Producing listings of Exported Data....................63
B.ORGCHART Export Progrm...................................63
Appendix A. Extended Options for Registered Users..............65
Appendix B. Recording information for Entry into the system....67
Appendix C. Date Status Fields and Adoptive Relationships......70
Appendix D. DATECALC, a RAM Resident Date Calculator...........72
Appendix E. Logical File Record structure diagram..............77
Appendix F. Answers to some frequently asked questions.........78
(C) Copyright 1985,1986,1987,1988,1990 by Phillip E. Brown
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I. Introduction
I want to thank you for choosing the "Family History System" for
organising and reporting the results of your research into your own
family history. Although I first began work on these programs for the
purpose of "computerising" the information in a family booklet
prepared by a distant cousin of mine, I have been pleased to find that
this software has proven useful to so many others with similar
interests.
Using this software, you will be able to build one or more "family
files", each of which may have information for up to 9999 individuals
recorded in it. (Each file is limited to the size of the disk(s) on
which it resides. On 360k, 5 1/4" floppies a file may have up to 3600
names, on 720k 3 1/2" diskettes a file may have up to 7200 names.)
Provision is made for recording family relationships as well as names,
dates and places. No limits are placed on the number of relationships
that may exist for each individual or for the number of generations of
ancestors or descendants that may be recorded.
The basic system produces Ancestor, Descendant, Relative and Family
Group reports, Ancestor (tree) Charts and Descendant Charts. Blank
worksheets and charts may be produced to record information for entry
into the system.
Requirements for running these programs are:
1. an IBM PC, PCjr, PC XT, AT, PS/2 or compatible computer
2. at least 1 diskette drive
3. an 80 column monitor
4. at least 256k of RAM memory
5. Dos 2.0 or later
A printer is recommended for making full use of the system but is not
required for creating, maintaining or displaying information in the
system files.
For users of the PCjr who have only 128k of RAM installed, there is a
version of the program which runs on that machine using Cartridge
BASIC. It is very slow, but provides all the capabilities of the
system with that configuration.
These programs are being made available for general use and unmodified
copies of the distribution diskettes (the diskettes on which you
received the programs) may be freely shared with others. No fee may
be charged for such copies beyond that required to cover the expense
of media, postage and handling incurred in producing them unless
written permission is given by the author.
Those who find these programs useful and would like to receive
additional options may become `registered' users by sending $35.00 to:
Phillip E. Brown
834 Bahama Drive
Tallahassee, Fla. 32311
Registered users will receive the most recent update to the extended
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system and will be notified of future major updates as they become
available. Please see Appendix A at the end of this manual for a
description of the enhancements that are currently available among the
system extensions.
A NOTE ESPECIALLY FOR NEW USERS
While I have tried to make these programs as easy to use as possible
without reducing the available options, the on-screen help is limited
to brief menus of program functions. Therefore, I hope you will come
to this manual often to try to clear up any questions you may have
about the programs' operation. I realize that this is not the
"tutorial" type of instruction booklet that many would like, but I
have tried to include descriptions of every aspect of the operation of
the programs.
A NOTE FOR USERS OF EARLIER VERSIONS OF "Family History System"
Those of you who may be upgrading from an earlier version of the
programs should be interested in knowing that, during the 5 years
that the system has been distributed publicly, there have been no
changes to the file format that affect your being able to use your
existing "Family History System" data files with the programs in this
update. After installing these programs, you should be able to
continue working with your previous family files just as before.
There were, however, errors in some earlier versions of the file
update program that may have caused problems involving program
maintained information that "connects" the various pieces of an
individual's record together. There is now a utility program (the
"validation" option) which can help you to locate and correct any such
program generated file errors, as well as errors that may have
resulted from a prematurely interrupted file update session. I
encourage you to review Section VI of this manual describing that
option.
For those who have been using the "Sept 88" version of the programs,
the parts of the manual to which you should pay particular attention
are Section V.B, especially regarding the new "free form" reports and
report option Menus and Descendant Charts, and Section VII.B,
describing the new ORGCHART export option. The new Appendix F may be
of interest too.
A NOTE FOR USERS OF OTHER GENEALOGICAL SOFTWARE
If you have information stored in files prepared by other genealogical
software, you may be able to transfer much of that information into a
FHS family file without having to "rekey" any of it. This set of
programs includes a utility program that makes use of the GEDCOM
format for transfer of genealogical information. If the software that
was used to prepare your other files also supports that format, and
many of today's most popular programs do, you may be able to EXPORT
information from those files and IMPORT them into a FHS file. Please
read Section VII.A below for more information about the GEDCOM
utility.
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Although this public version of the 'Family History System' is the
foundation for the extended system that is sent to registered users, I
have tried in the past to avoid any references to those extended
options in these programs so that those who do not wish to register
will not feel that they are using an incomplete set of programs.
However, in the past two updates, in an attempt to extend the
usefulness of the indexing features of the registered version, I have
been forced to include, within these programs, options that only have
significance for those who have the extended system. In particular,
the ability to print family group reports in INDEXed sequence, and the
optional creation of REFERENCE work files for the printing of report
indexes are either unavailable or of no use to unregistered users.
I believe that most people will still find this basic set of programs
to be an excellent tool for recording and reporting their Family
History.
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While I have encountered (and corrected) a number of errors during my
use of the system, there are no doubt errors remaining in some of the
programs, hopefully none serious. If you should find any, I would
appreciate very much your sending a description of the problem to me
at the address shown on the previous page so that I may try to correct
it.
Good luck in tracing your `roots'.
All Programs (C) Copyright 1985-1990 by Phillip E. Brown
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