tmg very basics some important concepts starting a new project demonstration
TRANSCRIPT
TMG Very Basics
Some Important Concepts
Starting a New Project
Demonstration
The Master Genealogist
• Family History Project Manager
• Supplier: Wholly Genes … Bob Velke
• Application for Microsoft Windows
• Designed for Experienced Genealogists!
• Professional “grade” … feature rich
• Usable by novices …
… it can be a bit intimidating
Welcome to The Master Genealogist™
• Each time you enter The Master Genealogist™, you will see the Welcome window. In this window you can choose:
– Last Opens the last project used. This button will not appear the first time you open the program. If you place your cursor on the [Last] button, a tooltip will tell you which project was open last.
– Sample Opens the Sample project. You can copy this project and use the copy for practice.
– Select... Selects a project from a list of those already created.– Restore... Restores a project from a backup into a folder of your choice. – Import... Imports data from another program into a project.– New Creates a new empty project and allows you to import your own data.– Exit to Windows Leaves The Master Genealogist™ program and returns to
Windows.
• Today we are going to focus on “New”
TMG: Input, Process, Output
• Input– Import– Data Entry
• Process:– Rules, interfaces, databases, terminology
• Output:– TMG windows (layout)– Reports– Charts– Exports
Help!
• Menu bar: Help– Help, Help Contents
– Tips and Hints
– FAQ
– A Guided Tour of The Master Genealogist
• Very Windows style - tabs– Contents– Index– Search– Favorites
Tips and Hints
• contains interesting hints and tips on how to use various features
• increment from Beginning, through Intermediate, to Advanced tips (then recycle)
• Show tips and hints at startup [ ] or [X]
FAQ
• Useful information
• But, not very extensive or frequently updated
More Help
• Message manager
• Check for an update
• Technical Support
• About The Master Genealogist
Windows GUI
Title bar
Menu bar
Toolbars
Minimize, maximize (restore), exit
Scroll bars
Title bar
Menu bar
Toolbars
Minimize, maximize (restore), exit
Scroll bars
A well behaved application!
TMG Layout
Project Explorer Details Windows
Flags Window
Image window
Siblings Window
Children Window
Associates window
Details Window
• Most of the data for an individual
• Display options– Person View– Family View– Tree Vuew
Project Explorer
• Provides an overview of the individuals in your project.
• Display of all names (unless filtered for primary names)
Flags Window
• Displays standard flags: sex, living, birthorder, multiple birth, adopted, ancestor interest, and descendant interest
• Displays custom flags
• Flags are single character fields used to codify information about a person
Cue Card
• Pesky little messages with “hints”
Everyone is a number!
• An ID Number is assigned to each person
• It serves as a quick way to reference a particular person.
• When asked for an ID Number, enter the number and press <Enter>.
• If you do not know the ID Number, you can search using the Picklist or the Project Explorer.
New Project …the beginning
Starting a New Project
1. Import Wizard … new project with data recorded in another program
2. Data Entry Wizard … enter data from scratch: yourself, your father, your mother, and their marriage
3. Direct data entry (what you do next)
Import
• Import from different genealogy programs– A new TMG data set, or– A new project
• File > Import
• Import Wizard
• Definitely a “trial and error (correction)” process …
• Learn TMG to at least intermediate FIRST
Maintenance
• Use periodically
• Five choices (functions):– Reindex– Optimize– Performance Recommendations– Validate File Integrity– Initialize Repeat Files
Backup
• Learn it, Use it
• If possible backup to different disk from where your Project resides
• e.g.– C: stores programs, parameters, etc.– D: stores data (My Documents, +)– E: external drive used for backups
• Norton 360• TMG, Outlook, and other application specific
Mode: Beginner or Advanced
• File > Preferences > Program Options: Data Entry– Beginner Mode– Advanced Mode
• After using TMG for several hours of tutorial, experimentation, etc. SWITCH to Advanced Mode and learn it … then stay in advanced mode!
TMG Files / Project
• … /My Documents/The Master Genealogist v7/Projects• Project files (*.pjc), e.g. Clark family.pjc• TMG has other folders:
– Backups– Configuration Files– Exhibits– Logs– Repeat_files– Report_output– Slideshow– Timelines
Menu bar: File>>New Project …
New Project Wizard
• New project through data entry (not import)
• Fast way to create a new … project …
• Enter first three people:– Yourself– Your father– Your mother
• Gee … that was easy
Everything is in a table (list)
• People
• Places
• Events (aka Tags)
• Repositories, Sources, Citations
• Tasks (research log)
• Witnesses
Report … List of … each of the above
Repeat Keys
• F3 and CTRL F3 are the repeat keys– Values stored as the “Repeat Files”– Pressing <F3> in a field inserts most recently used
value for that field
• F2 is the Unique Values key– Pressing <F2> from many data entry fields will
produce a listing of all previous entries in that field.– Highlight any item on the list and press <Enter> or
double-click on the item to insert all elements of that entry into the appropriate field(s).
• Frequently Asked Questions web sitewww.whollygenes.com/faq.htm
• Additional Resources web sitewww.whollygenes.com/resources.htm
Tags
• Basic medium for recording information about a person– Also use Flags, images,– Name tag– Event tag– Address tag– History tag– Relationship tag
• >100 pre-defined tags + your custom ones
TMG Fields
Principal 1
Date
Principal 2
Date
MemosCitation Windows
Sort Date
• Dates are sorted chronologically in several places, using the date in the Sort Date field, regardless of whether the Date or Sort Date field is displayed.
• If a Sort Date was not entered or included in imported data, the Date field will be used in the Sort Date field.
• Very useful feature!
Primary Tag
• TMG allows multiple tags for the same type of event, relationship, or name.
• It is necessary to designate one of these as "primary."
• Used by features and at other times when only one tag of a type is expected.
• Primary tags are designated with an asterisk (*) or bold type [preferenes]
Bibliography
• Primer for TMG, by Terry Reigel
• Getting the Most Out of TMG (aka GTMOOTMG), edited by Lee Hoffman
• Video Training for TMG - Getting Started
• Help system of TMG
• Help >> Online Guided Tour of TMG
Read the freakin’ manual!