Importing a FTM Gedcom file

[smh]

I see where there have been problems importing Gedcom files created in Ancestry's Family Tree Maker into the TNG program.  I would like to make sure there is a work around to the current problem with FTM 2014 files before making a TNG purchase.  If I understand correctly, I would create a Gedcom file in the 2014 version of FTM, import that file into a 2012 version of FTM and export a new Gedcom to be used by TNG.  Can that file then be imported directly into the TNG software or is there another step involved? 

Thanks,

SmH

[WantItRight]

Actually, you can import a GEDCOM created by FTM 2014 directly into TNG now. I think there was originally a problem doing that. There is another post on these boards that shows the difference between the GEDCOM generated by FTM 2012 and FTM 2014, and it shows that FTM 2014 no longer exports (to a GEDCOM - not necessarily to a file exported for another version of FTM) the descriptive text that you may have added to an image in FTM (or in Ancestry if that is where your FTM file originated).

If you are willing to live with a TNG version that has the image captions (use the GC_TNG converter utility which you can Google ... it is on the connergenealogy web site ... or else you will not see the captions in TNG) but not the descriptive text, then FTM 2014 is okay to use.

If you want your TNG version to have the descriptive text that you added to an image, then perhaps your proposed FTM 2014 export to FTM 2012 (if you can still find a copy of this) to TNG may work.

[smh]

Thanks so much for the quick response.  Great site and awesome looking program.  I'll be back shortly to purchase!

[Robin Richmond]

Actually, though FTM 2014 files can be directly imported into TNG, that import can lose a good bit of information, depending on your Ancestry.com/FTM data.

WantItRight may have an updated FTM2014 that is different, but as I understand it, not only do FTM2014 fail to export media description, but (I believe) FTM2014 fails to export the media filenames.  Or if it does export them, it fails to link them to people, families, and sources in a way that TNG understands.

The TNG Wiki article Desktop gotchas at http://tng.lythgoes.net/wiki/index.php/Desktop_gotchas mentions some of the data problems and links to other  documents that explain the data problems - and solutions -  in more details.

- Robin

[smh]

Thank you for the link!  Great source for answers and I truly appreciate any help that is offered.  In the process of setting up a website, which to say the least, is a bit of a daunting project in itself!  We have two large trees that will need to be merged.  I expect to lose some data, but am worried most about citations and bits of custom info added to the Ancestry pages, so I am in the process of moving anything custom into notes.  Hoping that will at least pull the info in a way that can be preserved.  I do have access to a 2012 version of FTM, so knowing there is a conversion program that may preserve some of the work is comforting.  The answer to how it will all come together won't be found until I actually give it a run, but the more I know ahead of time the better chance of finding a work around - I hope! 

Thanks again,

Susan

 

 

[Robin Richmond]

You may know this already, but I you can potentially keep your two trees separate on TNG.  I have three Ancestry.com trees, (mine, my late wife's mother's family, and her father's family)  Those three trees sync to three separate FTM databases, and I export from those three databases independently, and upload three gedcoms to three different trees on TNG.  In my case, since my wife had a small family, and we had no children, I only have 8 people duplicated in all three trees.  And 95% of my activity is in my tree, so I very rarely update the other two.

With Ken Roy's Same Person Link mod, you can link from a person to that same person in another tree, which then allows a user to climb the other tree as needed.   But in general, I assign users to branches so that users can see living people close to them, but not all living people.  As a result I don't always use the Same Person Links.

Also - Citations in Ancestry.com/FTM should come across cleanly, but notes are a problem, since there are so many types of notes.  I hope I get this right.  

Certainly, what Ancestry calls "comments" are public on Ancestry.com, but aren't part of your tree, and aren't synced to FTM, much less exported to TNG.  

"Research notes" are not synched between Ancestry.com and FTM, but Research notes ARE exported from FTM in Gedcoms, and are uploaded into TNG as notes on the person.  I know of no good way to hide those notes in TNG.  

Like research notes, notes on events are not synched between Ancestry.com and FTM, but ARE exported from FTM in Gedcoms, and are updated into TNG as event notes.

The little description fields that accompany facts are real funny.  TNG does not accept descriptions on Birth, Death, Christening, Burial, Marriage, Divorce and the like.  (Well, at least not on the first instance of such events.) So, to keep those descriptions, the converters change them into event notes.  

It never ends...
- Robin

[smh]

Thank you!  I had no idea that was possible and knowing we don't have to actually merge everyone into one giant tree solves a lot of issues.  You just saved me a ton of work!  Everything will need to be reviewed but the prospect of  "cleaning up" vs recreating just made my day a bit brighter!  So looking forward to getting this all set up.  I am constantly amazed when I look at the different websites people have created and at what this program can do.  Can't wait to get started.

Thank you again,

Susan