View/Edit modes

Choosing View from the File menu when a gedcom file has been loaded enables you to view the data in the file. Choosing Edit from the File menu when a gedcom file has been loaded, or choosing New from the File menu, enables you to edit the data in the file, to add new data to an existing file, or to create a new file. You can easily switch between View and Edit modes using the buttons on the toolbar.

Data is displayed in the form of datasheets for individuals, families, sources, repositories and the file header information, and you can switch between these by clicking on the appropriate tab. In view mode, a Pedigree View is also available, which displays five generations of data for the selected individual.

The Individual and Family datasheets each contain three pages, accessed by the three buttons labelled Main, Details and Multimedia. In View mode a fourth page is also provided, accessed by a fourth button labelled Document. In both modes, the Main page allows you to quickly view or edit basic data, the Details page presents more information, and the Multimedia page displays all pictures, sound files or video clips associated with the individual or family. In View mode, much of the information shown on the Details and Multimedia pages is presented in the form of lists. If you select an item in a list, then switch to edit mode, that item will be displayed in a different format, which allows you to edit the item. In Edit mode, you can move through the lists of items by using the buttons labelled Next and Previous.

The Document page, available only in View mode, shows all the information relating to the individual or family in the form in which it appears in the gedcom file. This may include information which does not appear on any of the other pages of the Individual and Family datasheets, and which cannot be edited. For more information, see Gedcom Document. If the Document page does not appear, it can be restored by unchecking the "Hide 'document' page" option in the Preferences dialog.

When you create a new gedcom file, or add data to an existing one, you must first add individuals using the Individual datasheet, then assign them to families using the Family datasheet.

Switching to the Source datasheet, by clicking the Source tab, allows you to view source records, a list of which appears on the right hand side of the display. Similarly, switching to the Repository datasheet, by clicking the Repository tab, allows you to view the repository records, and these are listed on the right hand side.

In order to assign a source to your data within individual or family records, you must first create a separate source record. For more detailed information about how sources are handled, see HowTo: Add a source.

Within the Individual and Family datasheets, the buttons labelled 'S' open the Source Citation datasheet on the right hand side, displaying source information linked to a source record. Each button displays source information relating to the data field adjoining the button, except that the button adjacent to the 'Source' label at the bottom left of the Main page, for either the Individual or Family datasheet, displays a general source for the individual or family record.

Because the information in the Source Citation datasheet is linked to specific data, depending on which of the buttons labelled 'S' was pressed to open it, it will usually close automatically if you click in any of the fields in the pages on the left hand side of the display. You can also close it by clicking the small button at the bottom right of the display.

Some gedcom files may contain source information in an alternative and more restrictive form, supported by the GEDCOM 5.5 standard, which does not employ separate source records. If you open such a file in Wintree, the source information will be converted to use source records. If you edit the file in Wintree and save it, or if you save the unedited file under a new name, all the source data will be converted to use source records.

Switching to the Header datasheet, by clicking the Header tab, displays the information contained within the header record. Every gedcom file must contain a header record, which should give some general information about the contents of the file.

To quit View mode or Edit mode, choose Close from the File menu or from the toolbar. Before quitting Edit mode, you must first save any changes you have made to the gedcom file, by choosing Save from the File menu or clicking Save on the toolbar - you will be prompted to do so.

When you quit View/Edit modes, your data remains loaded within the program until either you choose to open another file, or you exit the program.

View mode

In View mode, you cannot make any changes to the data displayed.

When the Individual datasheet is open, selecting an individual in the listbox on the right-hand side of the screen will display the information available for that individual. You can display details for the person's mother or father, if they are available, by clicking on the appropriate buttons at the bottom of the Main page. Information about birth, baptism, death, burial or occupation shown on the Main page will appear also on the Details page, and additional information about these items may also be shown. Clicking on any of the buttons labelled 'S' will open the Source Citation datasheet displaying source information. If the buttons are disabled, there is no source information available. When the Source Citation datasheet is open, clicking the Source tab will display the corresponding source record on the left hand side.

On the Details page, information about Attributes and Events is displayed in the form of lists. If you select an item from the lists and switch to Edit mode, the item will be displayed in a more expansive format. In the case of Associates, double-clicking on a name will display more information about the person: the individual will be shown selected in a listing of individuals. In order to display source information for an attribute, event or associate, select the item within the corresponding list, and click the adjoining button labelled 'S': if this button remains disabled, there is no source information available for the particular item.

On the Multimedia page, selecting an item in the list will display the item on the page, if it is an image file in jpeg, gif, png, pcx or bmp format. If the item selected is a file in one of these formats, but no image appears, it is most likely the file cannot be found. You can check this by clicking on the button labelled Play/View. You can play a sound or video file, or display a picture, by clicking on Play/View, provided that you have a suitable program installed on your computer to handle the corresponding file type.

You can find a given individual by scrolling the listbox, or by entering a search letter or string in the edit control above. When you enter a search letter, the listbox is scrolled to display individuals with names beginning with this letter.

When the Family datasheet is open, selecting an individual in the listbox on the right-hand side of the screen will display the information available for a family of which he or she is a member: if this person only appears as a child of a family, that family will be shown, but if he or she appears as a spouse of a family, this is the family which will be displayed. You can then find the family of which he or she is a child by clicking on one of the buttons Husband's parents or Wife's parents on the Main page. If the person was married more than once, you can display the other families by clicking on the appropriate button in "Other marriages" on the Main page. If you select a person in the family by clicking on the name, then switch to the individual datasheet, the information for that individual will be displayed. Information about the marriage shown on the Main page will appear also on the Details page, and additional information may also be shown. Clicking on the button labelled 'S' will open the Source Citation datasheet displaying source information. If the button is disabled, there is no source information available. When the Source Citation datasheet is open, clicking the Source tab will display the corresponding source record on the left hand side.

On the Details page, information about Events is displayed in the form of a list. If you select an item from the list and switch to Edit mode, the item will be displayed in a more expansive format. In order to display source information for an event, select the item within the list, and click the adjoining button labelled 'S': if this button remains disabled, there is no source information available for the particular item.

The Multimedia page is exactly the same for a family as for an individual, but shows items associated with the family, not with an individual.

As you successively select different individuals in the listbox, they are recorded by the program: you can retrace your steps using the back and forward buttons on the toolbar, displaying either individual or family information.

The Source datasheet displays information contained in a source record. This may be linked to information in individual and family records through source citations, which are accessed by clicking the buttons labelled 'S' in the Individual and Family datasheets. If the information in the source record includes the repository where the source may be found, clicking the Repository tab will display the corresponding repository record.

The Repository datasheet displays information about repositories (e.g. Record Offices or libraries).

Edit mode

When the Individual datasheet is open, selecting an individual in the listbox on the right-hand side of the screen will display the information available for that individual, as in View mode. You can then edit the data for that individual.

Information about birth, baptism, death or burial which you enter on the Main page will also appear under Events on the Details page, and occupation information will appear also under Attributes on the Details page. You can enter more information about these items, and have additional options in specifying dates, on the Details page. You can also add multiple entries for occupation: in this case, it is the last occupation item which will be displayed on the Main page. Adjacent to every place field is a button which provides access to a list of places: select an item from the list and click OK to insert the item in the corresponding field.

In Edit mode, the Details page displays only one item at a time from the lists of Attributes and Events, and one item from the list of Associates. You can switch between Attributes and Events using the radiobuttons, and navigate the lists using the Next and Previous buttons. You can also find an item by switching to View mode, and selecting the required item from the lists: this item will be displayed when you switch back to Edit mode.

To add a new Attribute, select the Attributes radiobutton, then click New Attribute, select the desired item from the drop-down list in the Attribute/Events combobox, and enter information in the available fields as appropriate. You can enter a new Event similarly, by first selecting the Events radiobutton, then clicking New Event.

The items you can enter under Attributes are: Rank/Status, Description, Education, Fact, Identity Number, Nationality, Number of Children, Number of Marriages, Occupation, Property, Religion, Residence, Social Security Number and Title. You can alternatively enter a title in the Title/Name Prefix field. You can use the generic Fact item to specify any other factual information, which you should enter in the Information field. However, the 'Fact' tag is not supported by the Gedcom 5.5 standard, but only by the later draft 5.5.1 standard, which has not been formally adopted.

The items you can enter under Events are: Adoption, Baptism, Baptism (Adult), Bar Mitzvah, Bas Mitzvah, Birth, Blessing, Burial, Census, Confirmation, Cremation, Death, Emigration, Event, First Communion, Graduation, Immigration, Naturalisation, Ordination, Probate, Retirement, Will. You can use the generic Event item to specify any other type of event, such as illness: you should enter the type of event, in this case 'Illness', in the Type field. Similarly, the award of a medal could be entered as an Event of Type 'Military'.

To add a new Associate, click New Associate, then click the small button to the right of the Person field. A list of individuals will be displayed, from which you can make a selection. You can only select from amongst those individuals whom you have already entered into your database. If you click OK, the name will be displayed in the Person field. In the Relationship field, you should enter the relationship of the person whose name is displayed in the Person field to the individual whose details you are currently editing.

The purpose of the Associates facility is to allow relationships to be recorded other than family relationships. You should not enter relationships such as brother, sister, father, mother, son, daughter, grandparent, aunt, uncle, nephew, niece, cousin, and so forth, because these relationships are established through adding individuals to families. You can use the Associates facility to record relationships such as godparent, neighbour, family friend, colleague, schoolfriend or pupil, for example.

For information relating to adoption, see HowTo: Add an adopted individual.

For information about how to enter sources, see HowTo: Add a source.

On the Multimedia page you can enter information about pictures, sound files or video clips. Once again, only one item is displayed at a time. To add a new item, click New Item, then click Browse to display the standard Windows Open dialog-box, allowing you to find the file on your hard disk; or click Acquire to scan an image and save to file. In the Format field, you should enter the format in its usual abbreviated form, such as jpeg, bmp, png, gif, wav, mpeg, avi, mp3 or pcx. If the file is an image in one of the formats just listed, it will be displayed on the page, provided the filename bears the customary extension. You can include a file in any format: however, the only formats explicitly permitted by the GEDCOM 5.5 standard are bmp, gif, jpeg, ole, pcx, tiff and wav.

When scanning images, you can save in jpeg, png or Windows bitmap format. However, only colour or grayscale images, and not black and white images, can be saved in jpeg format.

When you add a multimedia item to your gedcom file, only the information you enter, including the filename (with path), is recorded in the gedcom file: the information contained in the multimedia file is not recorded in the gedcom file. When you copy a gedcom file, therefore, you will need also to copy all the multimedia files to which the gedcom file refers, if you do not wish to lose data. Furthermore, the gedcom file specifies where each file is to be found. It is recommended, therefore, that all multimedia files included in the gedcom file are kept in the same directory as the gedcom file.

Clicking Delete on the Main page will remove all trace of the currently displayed individual from the gedcom records: a message will warn you before this happens. To add a new individual to the gedcom records, click New on the Main page.

When you change or add data for an individual, you must save it (click the Save or Add button) before switching to View mode or to another datasheet, and before selecting a new individual in the listbox: you will always be prompted by a message to protect you against losing data.

When the Family datasheet is open, selecting an individual in the listbox on the right-hand of the screen does not change the information displayed. In order to select a family for editing, switch to View mode to find the family, then switch back to Edit mode.

Information about marriage which you enter on the Main page will also appear under Events on the Details page. You can enter more information about the marriage, and have additional options in specifying dates, on the Details page. In Edit mode, the Details page displays only one item at a time from the list of Events. You can navigate the list using the Next and Previous buttons. You can also find an item by switching to View mode, and selecting the required item from the list: this item will be displayed when you switch back to Edit mode.

The items you can enter under Events are: Annulment, Banns, Census, Divorce, Divorce Filed, Engagement, Event, License, Marriage, Marriage Contract and Marriage Settlement. You can use the generic Event item to specify any other type of event, such as separation: you should enter the type of event, in this case 'Separation', in the Type field.

On the Multimedia page you can enter information about pictures, sound files or video clips in the same way as for individuals.

To remove a person from a family, select the person by clicking on the name, then click Remove person on the Main page. To add a person to a family, select the individual in the listbox on the right-hand side of the screen, then click Add as husband, Add as wife or Add as child. When you add one or more children to a family, the children will be shown in birth order when the family is redisplayed - you may need to switch to another family, then switch back for this to take effect.

To add a new family to the gedcom records, click New. Where a person has been married more than once, each marriage must be entered as a new family.

When you change or add data for a family, you must save it (click the Save or Add button below) before switching to View mode or to another datasheet.

The Source datasheet allows you to record information in a source record, which may then be linked to information in individual and family records through source citations, accessed by clicking the buttons labelled 'S' in the Individual and Family datasheets. For more details about how to enter sources, see HowTo: Add a source.

The Repository datasheet allows you to record information about repositories (e.g. Record Offices or libraries).

The Header datasheet allows you to edit data contained in the file header record. Some of the information in this record is entered automatically by the program, and if deleted will be automatically restored. You cannot delete the header record.