New Features in TMG Version 7

The Master Genealogist v7.0 is now available! This great new update includes bug fixes and more than 50 new and exciting features that were requested by researchers. TMG v7 now includes even more tools to help you manage your research project, search and navigate the program, and produce professional reports. Following is a list of the major new changes in TMG v7.

EASIER TO USE
- Beginner Buttons on the Person View make it easier to add, edit, delete, or change the primary status of tags (events, names, and relationships). Experienced users can deactivate these new buttons using a new Preference setting (Program Options > Data Entry).
- The options and buttons on the Report Definition screen have been revised as requested by users.
- The Exhibit Log contains new buttons that make it easier to add, edit, delete, check image properties, and perform other functions.
- The method of resizing windows has been revised to be consistent with that of most other Windows applications. When you drag the border of a window with the mouse, the text stays the same size and the data space increases so that you can see more information on the screen. The base font size can be controlled by the minimum font size settings in Preferences (i.e., Lists, Project Explorer, and Memos). The new resizing method does not apply to the Family View and Tree View which would not benefit from such a change. The base fonts for those windows, however, can be specified in Preferences (Program Options > Other). Users who preferred the scaled objects of the older resizing method can revert to that behavior using a new Preference option (Program Options > Other).
- New Reminder Pop-Up Windows for Tag Types, Sources, and Source Types help you to remember how to use the fields and encourage consistent data entry. When recording a source, for instance, the window will remind you where to record each piece of data, how to use split memos (when appropriate), what to reserve for the citation detail, etc. Reminders can be customized but default reminders are applied to existing projects which use standard tag and source types. Reminder windows open and close automatically but this behavior can be disabled with a Preference setting (Program Options > Data Entry). Where reminders are available, the window can be opened and closed with a new "light bulb" button.
- A new feature to Check for Duplicates While Adding People will help to eliminate duplication in your project. Matching rules are based on the name and birth date but can consider non-primary names and other criteria. A new Preference page (Program Options > New People) gives you control over the matching rules and thresholds (Soundex, exact spelling, number of years, etc.). When possible duplicates are found, a Picklist button allows you to examine those people without losing your work on the Add Person screen.
- New buttons on the Master Source List allow you to Export and Import Sources. Select all sources or a specific subset and send them to an external file which can then be imported to a different project, shared with another researcher, etc.
- New buttons on the Source Types List allow you to Export and Import Source Types. Like sources, you can specify which source types to export and then transfer them to other projects or researchers. Researchers who specialize in different cultures can share source types along with their appropriate data entry fields, output templates, etc.
- The source output preview buttons now honor formatting codes (bold, underline, italics, etc.) rather than displaying the codes themselves.
- New buttons on the Tag Entry Screen make it easier to repeat the previous citation or select from a list of recent citations.
- A new button on the Citation Entry screen allows you to add a new source without going first to the Master Source List.
- A variety of new options have been added to right-click menus at the suggestion of users. For instance, the Focus Group list has a right-click menu option to "Select All." The Project Explorer has a new right-click option to "Change focus to this person in other windows." (This is handy when the Project Explorer is not linked to those windows.) The new Associates window (see below) has right-click options to "Add this person to the Focus Group" and "Add all of these people to the Focus Group."

MORE RESEARCH/ANALYSIS TOOLS
- A new Associates Window shows all people (principals and witnesses) who share an event tag in any way with the focus person. A person might appear multiple times, each with the date and type of the shared event and the role that he or she played in it. This handy new window helps you see the "big picture" by showing the focus person's "circle of friends" all in one navigable list. By right-clicking on the Associates window, you can filter and sort it in a variety of ways or you can reduce it to a list of unique people, each showing the number of events which are shared with the focus person. The Associates window compliments other top-level windows, can be opened along with others, and is available from the Layout toolbar. Its size and position can be saved with your custom screen layout. The filter and sort settings are remembered and used again the next time that you use TMG.
- The List of Witnesses on the Tag Entry Screen now displays the specific name variation that has been associated with that event for each witness.
- The Picklist and Project Explorer can now be sorted by the Last Edited Date.
- The Picklist and Project Explorer now support a variety of multi-level sorts. For instance, if you have a dozen people with the same given name and surname, they can be sorted within that group by birth date or by death date. Other multi-level sorting options are also available.
- The Research Log can now be filtered by task keyword.
- The Relationship Calculator and the Automatic Relationship Tag now also display relationships as calculated through the spouse(s) of one of the two people. For example: 3rd cousin of his wife wife of her 3rd cousin father-in-law (father of her husband) daughter-in-law (husband of his son)
- Y-DNA templates have been added for DNA Ancestry. The Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) test now includes DNA Ancestry as a selection.

MULTIMEDIA ENHANCEMENTS
- Exhibit Highlighting allows you to "draw" on an image to annotate it. You're actually drawing on a invisible layer above the image, however, so the original is not changed. You can select any color, use various drawing tools, and even specify the transparency level of your annotations. If the highlighted image is made primary, it will be displayed in the Image window and output in box charts and other reports which support images. At any time you can click "reset" to erase the highlighting and return to the original image.
- In addition to the interface changes mentioned above, a new option on the Exhibit Log's right-click menu is Insert New Exhibit (other). It lets you more easily link Word documents, Powerpoint presentations or other non-standard exhibit types. The same thing can be achieved by clicking on the new button and then changing the file type to "All files (*.*)".
- A new Preferences page (Program Options > Exhibits) allows you to specify whether new images that you add to the Exhibit Log will be made internal or external by default (or ask each time).

NEW NARRATIVE CONTROLS
- A new Sentence Preview helps you to predict what a sentence will look like in a report. By being able to immediately see the effect of your changes, you'll gain more control over these advanced features and produce better narrative reports. (Source citations are not shown in the sentence preview)
- A new sentence code, [+], when placed at the beginning of a sentence will cause it to be added to the end of the previous sentence when a report is generated. This makes it easier to output compound sentences, including embedded source citations.
- A new sentence code, [:NP:], tells TMG to add no punctuation to the end of the sentence. Among other purposes, it might be entered as the sole value in a sentence in order to output an event exhibit at a specific point without any accompanying sentence.
- You can now use characters that would otherwise have a special meaning in TMG by "escaping" them. The escape character is a backslash (\) and it tells TMG that the character which immediately follows it should be output literally and not interpreted as a special character. The backslash itself is not included in the output. For instance "\{1820\}" will be output as "{1820}" rather than being interpreted as sensitive data. Similarly, "\[ED\]" in a source template will be output as "[ED]" rather than being interpreted as a source element. The backslash itself can also be escaped ("\\"). The escape character is recognized in memos (tag, witness, citation, source, and repository), sentence structures, source templates, source fields, and the citation detail.
- A new standard tag type, NarrativeChildren, can be used to override the standard "Children of X and Y were:" text when introducing a list of children or the "There were no children of X and Y" text in a Journal report.
- The Options>Tags tab has a number of new options to provide more control over the content of the list of children in the Journal report. Among other uses, you can limit the report to 1 generation (on the General tab) and then use the new options on the Tags tab to limit the text for all children, thereby producing a narrative for a single person (and optionally his/her spouse) that includes a brief list of children.
- Embedded citations now support inclusion of the citation memo, e.g., [CIT:]124; citation detail; citation memo[:CIT].

NEW REPORTING TOOLS
- A new Columnar Option on the List of Citations report allows you to specify the fields to be included and supports export to spreadsheets and databases for external processing.
- Likewise, a new Columnar Option on the List of Sources report provides more flexibility than the default formatted report.
- The List of Events and List of Witnesses reports now allow you to output the specific name variation that has been associated with each event participant (not just his/her primary name).
- Hundreds of New Filter Options allow you to search your data by even more criteria.

EVEN MORE CUSTOMIZATION OPTIONS In addition to those mentioned above....
- A new Preference option (Program Options > Tag Box) allows you to turn off the memo and source columns in the Tag Box.
- The custom toolbar can now include one or more buttons to load specific layouts.
- New Preference settings (Current Project Options > Advanced) let you specify the default folders for exports, report output, configuration files, repeat files, slideshows, and timelines (among other earlier options).
- A new Preference option (Program Options > Prompts) lets you control whether or not to search for embedded citations when deleting a source.

OTHER NEW FEATURES
- TMG v7 is native to Windows Vista. It will also run on Windows XP and Windows 2000. (Windows 98 and NT are no longer supported).
- TMG 6 and TMG 7 can both be run on the same machine without conflict (but not with the same project).
- The TMG installer now allows you to select the installation language. English, German, Dutch, and Norwegian are currently supported.
- The Help File has been updated to include the new features of TMG v7 and now uses the more modern HTML-help format, including support for full-text search.

BUG FIXES
- Ancestry and Genealogy Portal.com have been removed from the web search because of changes to those web sites. Searching of Ancestry.com may be reinstated but, in the meantime, the results screen after searching RootsWeb includes a link to see results for the same search on Ancestry.com.
- Fixed searching by Reference field on the Picklist and Project Explorer.
- Fixed subscript errors that were possible during GEDCOM export.
- Fixed primary events after an import from Family Origins.
- Fixed a problem that could cause an error while adding a married name tag.
- Fixed a problem that could cause the Exhibit Log to open when not intended.
- Fixed a problem that could cause a Picklist filter to be applied instead to the Project Explorer.
- The Delete button on the keyboard did not work to delete a highlighted tag.
- Fixed a rare problem that could cause the program to lock up when changing flags with a List of People report.
- The font was not being resized correctly for the "cited" column on the Master Source List.
- Fixed a possible "array dimensions" error when editing a citation for a name tag.
- Fixed some contexts in which the focus person would sometimes change erroneously.
- Fixed the sorting of the List of People, Names, Events, and Witnesses reports when sent to an Excel file.
- Fixed an error that occurred if a source template was previewed by two different instances of the program at the same time.
- Fixed a bug that caused the default sentence to not be displayed in one language when there was a local sentence in another language for the same tag.
- Fixed a bug that would cause "1 NOTE" to be exported to GEDCOM when the note was excluded.
- Fixed a bug that would cause tags with excluded sentences to be exported to GEDCOM even though "Show excluded data" was selected.
- Place abbreviations previously would only accept alpha characters and not, for instance, the number codes for French department abbreviations. Fixed a bug that allowed the current language to be deleted.
- Fixed an "Array dimensions are invalid" error if the user clicked on the or buttons on the list of citations or witnesses if using the tabbed version of the Tag Entry screen and those lists are empty.
- Fixed the and buttons on the Master Event List when opened from the Master Place List.
- Fixed a problem that could cause the F1 (Help) key not work on the Message Manager.
- Fixed a problem that would cause a non-primary tag to be automatically changed to primary when edited.
- Filtering by repository fields did not work from the List of Sources report.
- If a family record in a GEDCOM file had more than one divorce, one of them was not imported.
- Fixed a problem with the import of citations from Family Tree Maker.
- When exporting an entire project to an Excel file, the memo fields (e.g., event memo, citation detail, etc.) were not included.
- Fixed a problem with Validate File Integrity which would erroneously report errors after importing a TMG v4.x project.
- Fixed a possible problem editing the name of an existing role.
- Fixed a variety of other more rare and esoteric bugs as reported by users.

==== Upgrading to TMG v7 ================

Users upgrading to TMG v7 should please understand the following importing points:

TMG v6 and TMG v7 can run happily on the same computer at the same time. Your unlock code (aka "license" or "serial number") for TMG v6 will not unlock TMG v7, however.

Although TMG v6 and v7 can be run at the same time on the same computer, they cannot access the same project. Once a project is upgraded to TMG v7, it cannot be read again by v6.

To upgrade an existing project to TMG v7 you must back it up from v6 (or earlier) and _restore_ it to v7. You cannot simply use File>Open to access a project which was created in an earlier version.

TMG v7 uses a new strategy for data file storage in accordance with Microsoft recommendations. Most notably, data files can no longer be stored in the program folder. During the restore process, v7 data files are automatically placed in their new default locations, depending on their type (e.g., projects, exhibits, speller checking dictionary, layouts, report configurations, etc.). Again, this process is completely automatic and most users will be satisfied to just accept the default settings in the Restore Wizard.

If you are curious about the details of the new file storage system, however, please consult the topic called "Data File Storage" in the TMG v7 Help file. Power users who prefer to isolate multiple projects so that they don't share configuration files, exhibit folders, etc., are especially encouraged to read this help topic and the linked topics for "Advanced Users."

THEREFORE, the process to upgrade your data from v6 (or earlier) to v7 is as follows:

1) Run TMG v6 and back up your data (File>Backup). In Step 2 of the Backup Wizard, be SURE to make a note of the backup file location. In Step 3, be sure to include accents, filters, layouts, report configurations, and any other customizations that you want to move to v7.

***** 2) Purchase your upgrade to The Master Genealogist v7 from TWR Computing: http://www.twrcomputing.co.uk/tmg.htm *****
***** TWR Computing customers that purchased TMG v6 since 17th August 2007 will receive an e-mail with details of a free upgrade to version 7 *****

3) Install TMG v7 and run that program with the Sample project. Consult the "Data File Storage" help topic if desired.

4) Restore your project to TMG v7 (File>Restore), selecting the backup file that you created in Step #1.

Since TMG v6 and v7 can peacefully coexist on your computer, we recommend that you do not uninstall the earlier version until you're happily accessing your data with the new program.

That's it! Thank you for using The Master Genealogist. We're sure that you will really enjoy this major new upgrade!

EXTRACT FROM WHOLLY GENES INFORMATION - December 2004

New Features in TMG Version 6

The newest version of The Master Genealogist includes a long list of exciting new features, most of which were requested by our users.

A New Look
- TMG v6 sports a new look with new toolbar graphics and optional button text
- The Standard Layouts have been redesigned with these new buttons in mind but you can still choose to use the smaller buttons

New Multimedia Features
- New support for GIF images and other formats
- Box charts (Visual Chartform) now support all image formats supported by TMG
- Link exhibits directly to places!
- Link exhibits directly to citations!
- Exhibits now have a separate Caption field.

New "Query By Example"
- The handy new Query By Example tab makes it easy to perform common filters on the Picklist, Project Explorer, and related reports. Don't bother with building filter conditions. Simply fill in the blanks and click on to filter the list
- But that's just the beginning! You can use the Query By Example screen to learn how to use the more powerful filtering features
- After entering some search criteria, click on the Filter tab to see how you can represent the same conditions using a filter. Then you can further customize the filter, add other conditions, etc.
- It is not just an alternative to filters. It is a great way to learn how to use some of TMG's most powerful features, including filter operators, AND/OR connectors, parentheses, etc.

New DNA Log
- DNA testing is getting more popular and it is destined to be one of the family historian's most valuable tools
- The new DNA Log lets you record the results of DNA tests for the people in your project. You can keep track of multiple tests for each person, including the laboratory results, your own comments, and links to web sites which explain the tests
- TMG v6 supports a variety of current DNA fingerprint tests from popular laboratories and can be expanded to support other tests and laboratories using a powerful template system

Redesigned Focus Group Window
- The Focus Group window has been redesigned to meet the suggestions of users
- Among other new features, you can now:

Control the number of generations to add for ancestors and descendants

Add ancestors, descendants, spouses, and name variations all at once

Click to Select All

Use the Delete key to remove members

See the number of names and the number of selected names in the group

Sort members by surname, given name, or ID number

Export members to an existing group

New Data Entry Tools
- A new Witness Memo field. Now you can have a separate memo for each witness. The contents can be referenced by the new witness sentence variables [WM], [WM1]...[WM9]
- A new Citation Memo field is designed to hold comments, rationale, etc., that is separate from Citation Detail and is not necessarily intended to be output. However, it can be referenced by the new source template variables [CM], [CM1]...[CM9]
- Source output can now include the contents of the repository memo. The source template can refer to [REPOSITORY MEMO], [REPOSITORY MEMO1]...[REPOSITORY MEMO9]. Shorter versions of the same variables, [RM], [RM1]...[RM9], are also supported
- All memo fields now show formatted text rather than codes for bold, italics, underline, etc. (see image)

New Display/Navigation Features
- The Tag Box supports new optional columns for witnesses, exhibits, and tasks
- New buttons on the Tree View allow moving upward one generation at a time
- The Person View now shows the primary parent relationship type (e.g., "Father-Ado") if it is not Bio
- The right click menu allows you to show/hide child tags

New Charting Options
- The left-to-right version of the Descendant Box Chart has a new "Waterfall" option
- The Ancestor Box Chart has a new option for "Overlapping generations"
- 25 new fancy frames are now included
- Box charts now include an option to output the chart (tab type labels, months, etc.) in another language
- Control the width of curved text generations on fan charts
- Control the size of the first generation circle on a fan chart

New Reporting Features
- Print a blank Family Group Sheet
- Print spouse events on the Journal report for children who are not carried forward
- Control the number of copies of a report to print
- Specify the number of the first page
- Control the print page range
- Specify whether to include leading zeros on dates (e.g., 09 Sep 1942)

New Configuration Options
- Specify your preferred output file types. Unselected file formats will not appear on the Report Definition Screen in order to keep the list to a manageable size
- Specify a default name or place style for each tag type
- Optionally suppress the prompt to change the Last Edited date after writing to flags with secondary output
- Click to Refresh Relationships for the Auto-Relationship tag
- Add spacers between buttons on the Custom Toolbar

Other New Features
- New smart place searching allows matching on partial place names
- New smart place searching allows matching on partial place namesSoundex calculator - produces a "standard" Soundex code plus a variety of other suggestions based on common Soundex errors. Also includes Daitch-Mokotoff coding
- Edit State/Province Abbreviations
- Edit a role name
- Control the sequence of roles. That sequence is honored on the Tag Entry Screen
- Control the sequence of witnesses. The sequence is honoured in reports
- Control the sequence of citations. The sequence is honoured in reports
- Control the sequence of bookmarks on the Bookmark Manager
- Reports generated in other languages now honor the translated tag labels, past tense and tag abbreviation fields as defined on the Tag Type Definition screen, rather than doing automated translations that are out of the user's control
- Import tag type translations (for label, paste tense, abbreviation, and default sentences) from another project
- Various improvements have been made to GEDCOM export and direct import from Generations, Family Origins, and Family Tree Maker

Special Bonus CD
- Those who purchase the upgrade to TMG v6.12 on a CD will also include a free copy of "The Universal British Directory of Great Britain 1791" from Archive CD Books on the same disk (worth £34)

Digitized from five huge volumes, this is the earliest directory for Great Britain and is among the most important resources for those researching ancestors in the United Kingdom

It includes excellent descriptions of towns and villages of the time and those residents with trades (even farmers, hay-binders, labourers, bakers, shop keepers, etc.) and their addresses

Although titled "Great Britain," this directory covers places in England and Wales. Volume 1 is devoted to London, volumes 2 to 4 cover the places in England and Wales in alphabetical order, and volume 5 contains a number of the subsequent amendments that were published in the next few years

---

EXTRACT FROM WHOLLY GENES NEWSLETTER - 25th July 2004

The Master Genealogist v5.15.000 is now available. This free update includes a collection of new features and bug fixes as follows:

New - The Report Options > Lines tab includes a new option to draw lines on descendant box charts and hourglass charts in the "UK Style" (Spouses are connected with a double line, the children connector line descends from the middle of the spouse line rather than the spouse box, etc.).

New - The same tab include options to control the size, color, and style, and connection point of the spouse line.

(Note: Access to these new features does not require the new "UK Edition" of TMG which is announced separately)

Improved direct import from Legacy (Old Style dates).
Improved direct import from UFT (Biography sentence)
Improved direct import from Generations:
- Now imports multiple AKAs
- Now imports cause death
- Added an option to assume that a couple on the Family Card is married unless otherwise specified.
- Improved import of source abbreviation
- Embedded citations now remain embedded instead of linked.
Removed the [M] variable from the Memo right-click menu.
Overwriting the Standard Layout is now prohibited.
Fixed add/edit of source types in the Silver Edition.
Fixed filtering on custom flags and some other filter errors.
Fixed backup to hard drive with spanning disks
Use of the right-click menu no longer affects the clipboard value.
Fixed VCF > Export when VCF.EXE is started alone.
Fixed a charting problem when custom flags have been deleted from a project.
Fixed the display of some roles on the Family Group Sheet and Individual Detail report.
Fixed some problems navigating with the Project Explorer.
Fixed some problems with the Last Viewed Person button.
Fixed some other obscure navigation errors.
Fixed some default sentences in non-English languages.
Fixed F3 (repeat)in the Date Calculator
Fixed web searches for users of the BT Yahoo browser.
Fixed chart upload feature for printing service.
Fixed UK Style hourglass
Fixed the default sort order for the Master Place List
Fixed DOP which would sometimes exclude people without a surname
Fixed a variety of more obscure bugs that were reported by individual users.
Includes updated strings for Norwegian (2 dialects), Dutch, French, and German.
Includes an updated help file.

This free v5.15.000 update requires a previous installation of v5.11.000 or later. (Users with a prior version must first apply the free update to v5.11.000). To download and apply the update, run TMG, access the Help menu and choose "Check for an update." Alternatively, you can choose "Check for a Program Update" from the Windows Start menu > The Master Genealogist group. The update will be applied automatically. Upon restarting, the startup screen will reflect a version number of "v5.15.000."

---

Saturday 1st May 2004

Wholly Genes and TWR Computing are pleased to have announced the new TMG Gold UK edition at the Society of Genealogists Family History Show at Wesminster, London, on 1st May 2004. We will send a free CD of this new UK edition v5.14 to all customers that have purchased the current version since the launch on 1st May 2004, when the new edition is released, expected soon.

The new UK edition includes:

An interface which uses localized UK spellings and phrases.

New "UK-style" dropline charts.

UK source types, elements, and templates (GRO, Apprenticeship records, Parish Registers, Manorial Records, etc.)

UK event types, roles, and sentences (Census 1841-1901, Chancery Charter Rolls, etc.)

Default UK name and place styles (Village/Area, Town/City, County/Region, etc.).

Recognition of Chapman codes for county/region abbreviations.

Links to UK-oriented mapping sites.

Five UK-specific timelines (British census, parishes, GRO dates, Prime Ministers, and British history).

Spell checker with UK spellings.

Recognition of GBP when recording expenses in the research log.

A sample project using UK data.

A modified Help file and electronic Users Guide

---

---

Wednesday 5th February 2004

TWR Computing are pleased to announce that they have completed dispatching all TMG Gold v5.11 retail packs including CD and printed manual to all of their customers.

---

EXTRACT FROM WHOLLY GENES ANNOUNCEMENT - 5th January 2004

TMG v5.11.000 update has been released and CDs are in production! Shipping with the printed Users Guide will be underway within two weeks. This update includes the last of the missing features from TMG v5: HTML output for Journal, Ahnentafel, and Individual Narrative reports, including integrated images, Table of Contents, Endnotes, Indexes, and Bibliography.

---

EXTRACTS FROM WHOLLY GENES NEWSLETTER - 21st November 2003

TMG v5.10.000 is now available.

New Reports

Pedigree Chart (now supports sources)

List of Names

List of Citations

Interface changes

Menus and toolbars have a new, modern appearance

Some menu items now reflect icons

Book Manager

This major new feature on the Reports menu allows you to specify a series of reports that should be generated in a specific order (e.g., the chapters of a book).

Create a new "book," give it a name, and choose its contents from the existing report definitions. Thereafter, you can simply "print" the book in order to generate that list of reports in sequence without stopping.

This feature is especially handy for those who make heavy use of the List of People (LOP) and List of Events (LOE) reports to change flags for groups of people. For instance, you can design a "book" which runs one LOP report to reset a flag to its default value for all people. Then the book can run one or more other LOP reports in sequence, setting that flag based on event characteristics or other conditions. In this example, the book may not actually produce any physical output but merely serves as a way to "batch" several secondary output actions together.

Each report definition in a book is accompanied by an icon which represents the output destination of that report (screen, printer, file, or secondary output).

Note that the Book Manager suppresses all output that is directed to the screen because the intent is to execute several reports in a row without stopping.

Any number of books can be designed and saved by name for reuse later.

Other Reporting Features

Added many filter options and fixed others that weren't working.

Export of charts directly to JPG previously produced very lo-res images.

Changed some of the default options on reports. For instance, by default, box charts now have shadows turned on.

The Ahnentafel report - now supports images when output to a word processor - columnar format now outputs name dates - now optionally includes name citations

Family Group Sheet - non-primary names are now sorted properly for spouse and children. - output to word processor is now supported

Individual Detail - output to word processor is now supported

Added an option to "Combine consecutive footnotes/ endnotes" for all reports that have a Sources tab. This option will group all footnotes/endnotes for a single tag under one footnote number (with distinct memos and sources separated by semicolons). When this option is turned on, "Disable ibids" is automatically turned on.

Added support for [FATHO] and [MOTHO] variables to sentence structures. (Father and mother of the other principal)

Added an option to "Abbreviate states/provinces in output" for all reports that have that have a Places option tab.

When you open a new report definition, it now reflects the default paper size, etc., as set on the File menu.

Report titles now support "[?]" which will cause the user to be prompted to fill-in-the-blank when the report is generated.

Added an option to the Reports menu to go to the Sample Reports web site.

Printer info (paper, orientation, etc.) is now saved as part of report definition file.

New Project Wizard

This new feature walks the user through a series of steps to add the first few people to a new project.

The steps of the wizard allow the entry of the first person, his/her birth, parents, their births and deaths, their marriage, and the researcher's source for that data.

The wizard therefore helps the new user get started more quickly and serves as the foundation for more data entry.

Place Information

This new feature allows the researcher to automatically search a variety of online gazetteers for information about a specified place. The Tag Entry screen (for events), Master Place List, Place Edit screen, and Repository Definition screens each include a new button to search for the selected place on the US Geographic Names Information System (for U.S. places), GEONet Names server, Gazetteer of Australia, Gazetteer of British Place Names, and other sites.

Some sites are limited to place names in a specific country while others require a city or state/province name, etc. The user is presented with a list of sites that are appropriate for the available place data. It is therefore not unusual for the user to see different search options for different places.

In most cases, the feature automatically searches the selected site(s) using the place data in the selected record. A few helpful sites are offered even though they may not support automatic searches.

You can use this feature to find detailed information about a place, including alternate names, lat/long, current county, elevation, population, and more.

TMG's new Place Information feature is highly customizable as described below.

Place Mapping

This new feature allows the researcher to automatically search a variety of web sites to obtain detailed maps of almost any place in the world. The Tag Entry screen (for events), Master Place List, Place Edit screen, and Repository Definition screens each include a new button to produce a map for the selected place through Mapquest, Maporama, Topozone, TerraServer, and other mapping sites.

Some mapping sites are limited to place names in a specific country while others require latitude and longitude, etc. The user is presented with a list of sites that are appropriate for the available place data. It is not therefore not unusual for the user to see different mapping options for different places.

In most cases, the feature automatically searches the selected site(s) using the place data in the selected record. A few helpful sites are offered even though they may not support automatic searches.

Once a map is generated, the available features vary by site. With MapQuest, for instance, the user can easily zoom in/out, get driving directions, download the map to a PDA, e-mail the map, (sometimes) get an aerial photograph of the area, and use other features.

TMG's new Place Mapping feature is highly customizable as described below.

Data Transfer

Improved import for isolated problem files from PAF, Generations, UFT, and GEDCOM.

Now supports direct import from Legacy 5.

GEDCOM export now includes references to exhibits.

Preferences Options

"Program Options > Other" now includes an option to display icons rather than check marks on TMG's "Windows" menu. Users may find one or the other more easily readable.

"Current Project Options > Places" now allows the researcher to specify a default country. This selection is honored in the new Place Information, Place Mapping, and state/province abbreviation features (described above) in cases where the country field is empty.

Miscellaneous

File names (projects, accents, reports, filters, etc.) now support mixed case.

The Lat/Long field now recognizes any of these data entry formats (so they can be pasted from web sites):
36° 21' 4" , -82° 12' 58"
36° 21' 4" -82° 12' 58"
36d 21m 4s , -82d 12m 58s
36.3513 , -82.2162
362104N 0821258E
362104N,0821258E
362104N0821258E

The Timeline manager now has options (tabs) for locking timelines Globally or to a specific person.

Translations were updated for Afrikaan, Danish, Dutch, German, Norwegian (2 dialects) and Italian.

Updated Help files

Other/Bug Fixes

Fixed the Optimize problem.

Fixed circumstances that could lead to greyed-out menus.

Fixed some circumstances that would lead to a false message that the output file for a report already exists.

Fixed some problems using TMG on a network or sharing a project among users.

Flags that are added to the Add Person screen now stay there until changed.

Fixed a variety of other more esoteric bugs as reported by users.

Note about HTML

TMG5 does not yet include HTML (web page) output. For those who are not already using John Cardinal's excellent Second Site (see below) to produce web pages, the next release and CD will include basic HTML output for lists and narrative reports (including linked endnotes, images, table of contents, and bibliography), comparable to that of TMG4. Second Site specializes in that area, however, and has many elaborate features so it will remain the premier solution for those who want to produce superior web pages.

---

EXTRACTS FROM WHOLLY GENES NEWSLETTER - 12th May 2002

RELEASE OF TMG v5.0

You've heard about. You've wished for it. You've waited for it. And now your patience is going to pay off.

This brand new product represents a complete re-write of the most powerful family history project manager on the market. It has the long-awaited 32-bit interface with right-click menus, long file names, and support for the mouse wheel but that's just the beginning. It includes updated versions of the exclusive technologies for which TMG is famous, including GenBridge (direct imports without GEDCOM) and Visual Chartform (powerful charting tools) and it adds dozens of new and enhanced features. The Master Genealogist v5.0 raises the bar again and family history software will never be the same!

New tools make the program easier to learn and use:

NEW: Beginner and Advanced Data Entry Modes

IMPROVED: Import Wizard with Simple and Advanced Modes

NEW: Welcome window simplifies startup options

NEW: Export Wizard simplifies GEDCOM and other export options

NEW: Tips and Hints expose you to new a feature each time that the program is started

NEW: Cue cards explain the purpose and options of each major screen when you access it

IMPROVED: Expanded context-sensitive Help

More Import Options:

IMPROVED: Direct import options are updated to reflect the latest versions of supported programs

NEW: Import directly from Generations (without GEDCOM)

NEW: Import directly from Legacy 3 or 4 (without GEDCOM)

More Flexible Data Entry Tools:

IMPROVED: Expanded Abbreviation fields

IMPROVED: Link a single research task to a person AND an event AND a source AND a repository

NEW: Citation Reference field

NEW: Each event participant can have a specific name variation associated with the event

NEW: Use Microsoft Word's spelling and grammar checker as an alternative to the built-in spell checker

NEW: Customizable name field labels and easily apply Name styles

NEW: Customizable place field labels and easily apply Place styles

NEW: Customizable Add Person window, including flags

Better Searching Tools

IMPROVED: Simple Picklist for fast access even with very large projects

NEW: Expanded Picklist shows full names of parents and spouse

NEW: Expanded Picklist has Column Mode and Event List Mode to show more data

NEW: Web searching. Point and click to search for your relatives on Ancestry.com, Rootsweb, and other sites.

NEW: Conduct one search for all name variations on multiple sites at the same time.

NEW: Includes web links to searchable geographic databases

NEW: Includes other useful web links for researchers

NEW: The unique Project Explorer shows people in a Windows Explorer-like interface.

NEW: Master Event List can be searched and sorted

NEW: User-defined Focus Groups allow operations (e.g., web searches) on selected groups of people

NEW: Save/load Picklist filter conditions to file

IMPROVED: Unlimited user-defined bookmarks

Enhanced Charting Tools

NEW: Produce flexible hourglass charts

NEW: Rescale charts to fit a user-defined size

NEW: Repaginate so that boxes skip page breaks

NEW: Add and delete lines from individual boxes

NEW: Simple and artistic frames jazz up your box charts

NEW: Design your own frames!

NEW: Apply frames based on Accent conditions.

NEW: Export charts to Enhanced Metafile (emf)

Improved Multimedia Support:

NEW: Image Window displays the primary image of a person on the main screen.

NEW: Exhibit Log shows scrollable thumbnails

NEW: Produce multimedia slideshows with transition effects and other advanced features

NEW: Export slideshows send them to relatives with the included Slideshow Viewer

NEW: Drag and drop multimedia files from the Windows Explorer

NEW: Direct scanner support

Power New Project Management Tools:

NEW: View multiple data sets at the same time

NEW: View/search your data with that of other researchers in one alphabetical list without merging them together

NEW: Open multiple projects at the same time and navigate them side-by-side

NEW: Import and lock data sets from other sources

NEW: Easily Refresh locked data sets upon receiving an update from relatives

NEW: Disable data sets

NEW: Drag and drop to copy or move people between data sets

The Most Customizable Working Environment:

NEW: Control the size/position of every display window to completely customize the display

NEW: Easily switch between user-defined screen layouts

NEW: Multiple independent toolbars

NEW: Moveable and dockable toolbars

NEW: Automatic support for Windows color schemes

NEW: Customizable on-screen fonts

NEW: Custom Toolbar includes new options

NEW: Change the order of flags on the Flag window

NEW: Change the row height on the Person View (i.e., show events with wordwrap)

Supercharged Accents:

IMPROVED: Use an unlimited number of Accent conditions to display people in different colors on the screen

IMPROVED: Define Accents based on elaborate conditions (e.g, Born in London, > 10 children, etc.), not just flags.

IMPROVED: Accent definition displayed on the Status Bar

NEW: Save/load Accent conditions to files

Additional Convenience Features:

NEW: Item Tips show pop-up extended text by simply pointing the mouse to long memos on the Person View

NEW: Send your completed charts online to be printed at a budget price on a large-format color printer

NEW: Online upgrade option checks for a more recent version. If one is found it is downloaded and applied automatically

NOTE: The Master Genealogist v5.0 no longer includes a bundled copy of the Ancestry Genealogy Library(tm). Users who received that second CD with TMG v4.0 will still be able to access The Source, Red Book, Ancestry's Concise Genealogical Dictionary, and other material on that CD from within TMG v5.0, however, so hold on to your 2nd CD!

---

EXTRACT FROM WHOLLY GENES NEWSLETTER - 23rd January 2002

THE NEWS ON THE MASTER GENEALOGIST v5.0

We know that you are anxious for the upgrade to TMG v5.0 and we appreciate your patience. TMG has been completely rewritten from the ground up and it has been a long ordeal for the developers and beta testers with many unexpected speed bumps along the way. But we are reaching the end of that long road and your patience is about to pay off. We believe that we have about a month of development and testing left to do and then we will get it in your hands at long last.

Users of Family Tree SuperTools have discovered many of the powerful new enhancements that will also be in TMG v5.0, including support for multiple data sets in the same project, Web searching, multi-media slideshows, greatly expanded accent/filtering/bookmark tools, a new expanded Picklist, hourglass charts, chart rescaling and pagination functions, custom screen layouts, and an online link to our chart printing service, among others. It supports powerful new tools with the introduction of the Project Explorer and Focus Group windows. And, of course, it supports all of the latest interface conventions, including navigation, right-click menus, resizable windows, dockable toolbars, etc. It also supports multi-user access to the same project and is network aware.

But TMG v5.0 will bring many more new and exciting additions, including the ability to:
* design "styles" to label place and name fields, with the option to later apply a style from a list.
* apply artistic "frames" (instead of plain boxes) around people on box charts. There are more than 80 frames to choose from, and you can even design your own.
* link a single research task to a person AND an event AND a source AND a repository, if desired.
* disable individual flags and change their order on the flag window
* associate a specific name variation with each participant in an event, to be used in narrative reports
* document a user-defined filing system in the new Citation Reference field.
* browse and navigate a new Master Event List
* scan images directly into the Exhibit Log
* move and copy people between data sets with powerful new features
* and customize the screen, toolbar, and other interface characteristics in even more ways!

TMG is known for the most flexible importing, exporting, and reporting functions in the business and TMG5 will offer many new enhancements in those areas, as requested by our users.

We've also taken many steps to make TMG more friendly for novice users, including:
* Beginner and Advanced data-entry modes
* new "Welcome" that describes your options for getting started.
* expanded context-sensitive help
* screen-specific "Cue cards" to help learn the functions of the screen. o new Wizards to walk the new user through the more demanding and powerful features.
* a more streamlined process for generating reports

The Master Genealogist v5.0 will continue its tradition of breaking new ground and setting new standards. It will exceed your expectations, inspire your research, and validate your faith and patience as it introduces the world to a new era of genealogy software.

---

ANNOUNCEMENT FROM WHOLLY GENES SOFTWARE - 21st April 1999

Wholly Genes Software of Columbia, Maryland, is proud to announce the release of The Master Genealogist, Version 4.0.

This major new release of TMG sports a new menu system, new navigational aids, improved language translations, and a number of other enhancements that were requested by users.

By far its greatest innovations, however, are provided by the integration of a powerful drawing tool, Visual Chartform.  With this exclusive new feature, TMG v4.0 produces stunning wall charts and fan charts with unparalleled flexibility.  Ancestor and descendant box charts support images and can be printed on individual sheets or on large format printers for eye-popping charts that cover a wall.  Fan charts can be printed in any size and can be configured as a small wedge, full circle, or any
user-defined angle.

While default settings produce charts that would draw a crowd at a family reunion, each new report type includes dozens of options with which the user can customize....
       - colors                 - chart orientation
       - fonts                   - number of generations
       - box size              - title
       - data contents      - line styles
       - background        - suppressed data for living people

   All of these charts also support...
       - any Windows printer or device (fax, etc.)
       - color printing
       - page tiling with printed cut marks
       - WYSIWYG print preview
       - page breaks visible on screen
       - blank charts
       - export to JPG to BMP

   Visual Chartform uses a true 32-bit interface and supports...
       - "live" editable objects!
       - click and move boxes, lines, etc.
       - view multiple charts at once
       - drag-and-drop within or between charts
       - cut/paste with other Windows apps
       - dockable toolbars
       - right-click menus
       - zoom/unzoom, zoom to fit, and pan
       - add new boxes, text, lines, images, etc.
       - undo/redo
       - nudge objects, grouping, bring to front, and other professional editing tools.

The Silver Edition of The Master Genealogist v4.0 includes a limited edition of Visual Chartform which supports Descendant Box Charts with a top-down orientation only. For Ancestor Box Charts and Fan Charts, users must upgrade to the Gold Edition.

A quick tour and sample charts from Visual Chartform are available at www.whollygenes.com.

Wholly Genes Software also continues to add to its exclusive data transfer technology, GenBridge.  With this unique feature, The Master Genealogist v4.0 imports data directly from a long list of genealogy software packages, circumventing the many types of data loss and corruption commonly associated with GEDCOM transfers.  With the additional ability to import directly from Family Tree Maker(tm) v5/v6 and Personal Ancestral File(tm) v3.0, GenBridge will import genealogical data directly from more than 30formats.  These new import modules are not available at this writing but are expected to be downloadable from the company web site by 1 May 1999.

Visual Chartform requires Windows 95/98/NT. Although The Master Genealogist v4.0 will continue to run under Windows 3.x, those users will not have access to the new box charts and fan charts that are produced through Visual Chartform.

Wholly Genes, Inc., is a Maryland corporation founded in 1992 and dedicated to providing professional-caliber research tools to genealogists and family historians. Its flagship product, The Master Genealogist, was designed by professional and amateur researchers with a special emphasis on real-life research problems like uncertain data, conflicting events, adoptions, and name variations.

The Master Genealogist, Visual Chartform, and GenBridge are trademarks of Wholly Genes Software.  Family Tree Maker is a trademark of Broderbund Software, Inc.  Personal Ancestral File is a registered trademark of the Corporation of the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

[Bob Velke,  President,  Wholly Genes Software]
 

---

New features in version 3.5 included

Fully customisable toolbar gives you control to change icons, rearrange, delete, and even add new buttons to trigger any program function

Tooltips (aka bubble help) displays descriptive messages when the mouse points to a toolbar button

Improved interface, including improved mouse behaviour, and more hotkeys in response to user requests

View History remembers up to the last 35 views that were accessed in the current session

Check for duplicate people using customisable thresholds tom identify likely candidates to merge

Source Citations automatically constructed using selectable or user-definable rules

Quick Add feature to add a new person without exiting an event screen

Many more report formats including list of places, list of witnesses, list of tag types, relational chart, kinship report, data set information, and statistical report

Include photographs in some reports to add life and fun to your output

Dynamic Data Exchange allows report output to be loaded automatically into your word processor, database or spreadsheet program

GenBridge technology developed exclusively by Wholly Genes Software to overcome the many errors and omissions that are common to GEDCOM transfers. Using GenBridge, TMG v3.5 maximises the quality of the transfer by importing data directly from a long list of genealogy programs, including Brothers Keeper, Family Origins, Family Gathering, Family Roots, Family Tree Maker, GEDCOM v4.0, GEDCOM v5.5, Personal Ancestral File (PAF), Roots, and Ultimate Family Tree Improved features include

Merge people feature now users split and combined screens to compare two people and choose individual tage to be included in the merge

HTML output produces smaller files for faster downloading

Backup and restore produces smaller files and is now fully compatible with the industry standard PKZIP v2.04g

International translation of report output

Sentence construction supports new variables

Accent feature now extends to the Picklist

Bookmarks can now be defined for ten different screens at once

Date fields are longer and include new support for "say" dates and "from...to" dates

The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy now includes the latest revision of that valuable reference book from Ancestry Inc. The Master Genealogist v3.5 Silver Edition includes the backbone of TMG v3.0 Gold Edition, rated by industry watchers as "the premier genealogy program for the serious genealogist", an on-disk reference manual,  all at a budget price

The Silver Edition does not include output directly to the native format of 50+ word processors, Index(es) of people, places and marriages, table of contents, images intregrated in some reports, footnotes/endnotes and bibliography output to file, output to HTML for web pages, National Geographic Names Database (GEOBASE), The Source: a guidebook of American Genealogy, 1854 Gazeteer of the United States, Ancestry's Concise Genealogical Dictionary, Genealogical Publications: a list of 50000 genealogical resources at the Library of Congress, Ancestry's Red Book: American state, county and town sources, American Biographical Library, and a printed reference manual

The Master Genealogist v3.5 Gold Edition includes everything mentioned above

General Description

The Master Genealogist (TMG) is the complete family history project manager. Whether you are a weekend hobbyist or a professional researcher, TMG comes with everything you need to:

• manage volumes of research data, photos and sources
• organize a research trip, including "To Do" lists, reference material, charts and forms
• track your correspondence and expenses
• be the hit of a family reunion
• ... or publish a book, complete with table of contents, footnotes, multiple indexes and bibliography!

Limited Only by Your Imagination (and hard disk) If you are disappointed with the limits of other family history software, you need look no further! TMG supports an unlimited number of:

• people
• events per person
• names per person
• relationships
• user-defined events
• user-defined flags
• free-form text
• photographs
• sources
• citations
• repositories
• independent projects

Most data entry fields are of unlimited length - so there's no need for awkward abbreviations!

Step up to Professional Tools!

TMG was designed by experienced genealogists who understand and prepare you for common research problems, including:

• conflicting data
• uncertain dates
• adoptions
• unwed parents
• "Old Style" dates
• disproven data
• contradictory sources
• spelling changes
• multiple line of descent
• extra-long place names
• missing data
• sensitive data

Special Features

Special features not found in traditional genealogy software make it easy to:

• persue theories
• establish parent and child candidates
• record any type of event (including LDS events)
• record all of the evidence, not just your conclusions
• integrate historical timelines
• trace medical conditions
• document witnesses and other non-primary roles
• search for Soundex or true phonetic matches
• search by married name or spelling changes
• conduct Boolean (and/or) searches

Easy for the Beginner to Use

The novice researcher can be productive within minutes. More powerful features and hot keys are gradually revealed as the user gains more experience

A point-and-click interface makes navigation and common features easy to use. Data entry is made easy with repeat keys, macros, look-up tables and other shortcuts. TMG's interface is designed to stay out of your way so you can concentrate on research

Have it Your Way!

While TMG comes ready to print dozens of pre-defined reports with no hassle, its powerful Report Wizard can also guide you through the easy steps to define your own! With access to hundreds of options, powerful filtering tools, and font control, you are in control and your reports are truly one-of-a-kind. And when you save your creation by name, you can generate the same report again later in one easy step

TMG puts an end to monotonous automated "narratives". The Master genealogist puts creativity into your hands by giving you control of every sentence in every paragraph. By honouring your preference globally or locally, TMG's narrative reports actually reflect your writing style!

Unbeatable Reports!

The Master Genealogist produces dozens of narrative reports charts and forms designed for research, correspondence, and publication, including many varieties of:

• Family Group Sheets
• Pedigrees
• Ahnentafels
• Customised lists
• Individual reports
• Descendancy reports
• Ancestral reports
• Statistical distributions
• Register reports
• Modified register reports

TMG Knows Word Processors!

For maximum control, TMG can generate its reports directly to your word processor's format. TMG produces most reports in more than 50 native file formats, including:

• WordPerfect
• Word for Windows
• Ami Pro
• WordStar
• DisplayWrite
• Microsoft Works
• Microsoft Write
• Microsoft Wordpad
• ... and many others!

Because TMG uses the native features of your word processor (not an RTF or transfer file), it seamlessly supports headers/footers, endnotes and footnotes, multiple indexes, table of contents, superscript/subscript, master documents and much more!

Publication Tools!

TMG supplements its powerful reports with everything you need to publish a family journal or professional book, including:

• Table of Contents
• Headers/footers
• Endnotes/footnotes
• Memos and sources
• Index of People
• Index of Places
• Index of Marriages

Internet Ready!

TMG produces most reports in HTML format for integration on the World Wide Web

All Utilities are Built In!

• Text editor
• Research log
• Relationship calculator
• Regnal date converter
• Spell checker
• Image conversion
• Calendar
• Date calculator
• Exhibit log
• Address book
• GEDCOM import/export
• Backup/Restore

Cite Your Sources!

When it comes to tracking your sources, The Master Genealogist really shines! Document your research in as much or as little detail as you like. TMG accomadates the highest academic standards and supports:

• an unlimited number of citations (sources) for each piece of data
• conflicting or supplemental sources
• structured or free-form source fields
• independent assessment of certainty for each name, event, date, place, memo and relationship
• repositories, call numbers and all the other details

Citations are Easy!

Sources are not required, but you'll find yourself recording them because it is so easy! You can:

• pick from a Master Source List and Master Repository List. Enter the details only once
• repeat citations with a single keystroke
• attach citations to more than one record at a time
• specify which data should be included in reports, based on its reliability
• suppress specific sources or citations from printing
• produce professional putput, including appropriate use of long, short and "ibid" citation forms
• even track the sources of your sources

Professionals agree - the value of your research is reflected in your sources. And nothing beats TMG's support for source citations!

Data at your Fingertips!

TMG comes with a second CD which is the National Geographic Names Database, including the names, locations and other data about more than 1.5 million places in the USA - even the longitude and latitude of more than 100,000 private cemetaries

TMG includes a number of historical timelines to help you to "see" your family in the context of history. Timelines can be created in TMG and shared among users. Many user-submitted timelines are available online or by request

Now with Multimedia Support!

Powerful multimedia features support more than a dozen graphics formats, digital sound and scanning directly into TMG. Plus harness OLE (Object Linking and Embedding) with any other compliant software to integrate your data with slideshows, presentations and even movies if supported by your hardware

View Basket

The Master Genealogist Gold v7 UK Edition download is £39.95 inclusive Buy

The Master Genealogist Gold v7 UK Edition CD is £39.95 inclusive Buy

The Master Genealogist Gold v7 UK Edition upgrade from TMG Gold v6 download is £17.95 inclusive Buy

The Master Genealogist Gold v7 UK Edition upgrade from TMG Gold v6 CD is £17.95 inclusive Buy

The Master Genealogist Gold v7 UK Edition 30-day evaluation CD is £2.95 inclusive Buy

View Basket

Order now from TWR Computing on 01284 828271

All prices include VAT and UK first-class postage (or airmail to anywhere in the world)

Back to Software

Back to the top

TWR Computing
Suppliers of Software and Computers for Family Historians
Clapstile Farm, Alpheton, Sudbury, Suffolk CO10 9BN, United Kingdom
telephone 01284 828271 international +44 1284 828271
sales@twrcomputing.co.uk
support@twrcomputing.co.uk
http://www.twrcomputing.co.uk