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Not Combining multiple GEDCOM Files correctly - Categorized in: 
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4 posts.
Started 16 May 2006 by MaxHaiflichJr. Latest reply 16 May 2006 by lkessler.
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Not Combining multiple GEDCOM Files correctly - Categorized in:
4 posts. Started 16 May 2006 by MaxHaiflichJr. Latest reply 16 May 2006 by lkessler. RSS
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Joined: Sun, 7 May 2006
0 blog comments, 13 forum posts
Posted: Tue, 16 May 2006
LDS Familysearch website only allows downloads of either single family groups or 5 generatio pedigree files. To get a complete family tree, you have to download a combination of pedigree files and family group files, then combine them.
Combining them is only possible two ways, importing them into a genealogy program or combining them manually in a Text Editor.
Unfortunately, in the process of following the various family branches through the LDS site, it is extremely easy to miss a few, or get lost in thre maze they create.
Combining the various files in a Genealogy Program requires careful review and comparison with the LDS Site itself to find any missing branches. Time consuming and prone to the same problem as navigating the LDS site itself.
Combining the various files in a Text Editor manually is even more time consuming, but makes it much easier to find missing branches.
I came across your program while looking for a text editor with a better script language to automate combining these files. Your approach holds great promise for solving my problem and making several other things simpler for me.
Anyway, on to the problem with your program. Adding gedcoms does not combine them properly. I will Email you the .bho file and appropriate gedcom files for your perusal. I will also include two text files that shows the basic line of Descendents. LDS shows two different heads of the same family line here and the text files shows the "descendents of" for each. You can compare them to what your program does.
Max
Joined: Sun, 9 Mar 2003
288 blog comments, 245 forum posts
Posted: Tue, 16 May 2006
0 @I693K-W4@ INDI
I believe the Indi ID number is used to uniquely identify individuals in their complete library, and the same person should have the same ID even in different downloads.
No, I didn't program Behold to combine them, but I easily can. The hard part is deciding how to let the user specify which files to combine. Maybe on the GEDCOMs page of the Organize window.
I'll try to get this feature in for you before the next release.
Louis
Joined: Sun, 7 May 2006
0 blog comments, 13 forum posts
Posted: Tue, 16 May 2006
You are correct about the INDI #. If you compare that with the AFN # listed lower down you'll see that they're the same. (Unfortunately, that isn't 100% true, I've recently found two different people with the same number.)
The FAM numbers are also unique. At least as far as the AF (Ancestry Files) are concerned. The INDI and FAM #'s in IGI Files newer than 4.1 are also unique, but, the older files aren't.
There is, however, the problem of AF Files covering the same person/families from different sources having different INDI and FAM #'s.
Max
Joined: Sun, 9 Mar 2003
288 blog comments, 245 forum posts
Posted: Tue, 16 May 2006
Then there's the possibility of conflicting information, e.g. one file gives different parents, or children, or spouses, etc. Somehow these have to be properly documented.
In the simplest version, I'll see what I can do to combine the data now, but making the other enhancements will take more time.
It is almost the same as the problem of combining or comparing two files, and I may have to defer some of the major things until I implement that. (See the discussion from the Feature Suggestions Forum last August).
But using Behold to rebuild files from familysearch or other sources is one use I had never thought of. Like I said in my last post, I'll try to get a quick-and-dirty solution for you that will at least help.
This is interesting. I'm going to make a post in my blog about it.
Louis