* Gedsite

[craigmollekin]

Hi,

I was wondering if any Family Historian users have successfully created a website using Gedsite? http://www.gedsite.com/en/index.htm

If so, what are the pros and cons of it?

[tatewise]

I have not published a website using GedSite, but I am working with the author John Cardinal to adapt the Export Gedcom File Plugin with export options for (GST) GedSite that are still evolving as features are being added rapidly.

To that end I am using GedSite to build web pages that can be viewed in any browser and saved to CD/DVD as well as online.

One unique feature is the ability to use the narrative Sentence Templates from FH to compose the GedSite web page narratives, although not all codes and functions are supported yet.

See fhugdownloads:contents:utility_gedsite|> Utility ~ GedSite and plugins:help:export_gedcom_file:gst_gedsite|> Export Gedcom File ~ (GST) GedSite.

[craigmollekin]

I tried looking for a user forum for the product but I can't find one. I can't seem to email John either. It states that large Gedcoms might make the software fail, but it doesn't state how large. I use flags, so at to sort lists of names on my website, for example, World War One casualties. Does it support any kind of sorting like that, Mike?

[Jane]

At the bottom of the Gedsite page is a link "John Cardinal" if you click on the link it will open a new email in your mail client.

[craigmollekin]

Thanks Jane, but I use Gmail so nowt happens when I click on it

[Jane]

If you are using Gmail with Chrome, go to the gmail page and click on the "eye" next to the Favourites * and allow gmail to handle MailTo links

[craigmollekin]

Excellent, thanks, Jane, that works!

[tatewise]

I don't think GedSite web pages support any form of sorting or filtering - yet!

Why not experiment with the FH Sample Project and the Export Gedcom File Plugin?

[brianlummis]

Craig

Although there is not a forum for Gedsite there is a Google Group! There is a lot of discussion there about the new software although not always relevant to FH users. There is also an Announcements group that informs you of new releases which at the moment tend to be about once a week as new features are added. Both groups are member only so you need to apply to join.
See https://groups.google.com/forum/#!search/gedsite

[craigmollekin]

I've been in touch with John and lists/flags aren't currently supported, but he writes that they will be in the future. So I think I'll hang on until then, and then I'll use your plug-in, Mike.

Thanks for the link, Brian. I did find the Announcement Group but failed to find the Discussion Group, so I'll join that now.

[E Wilcock]

My website was made using Second Site, a companion program to TMG The Master Genealogist. My site isnt particularly brilliant - there are many amazing sites out there which used Second Site.

Genealogy site at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.anc ... /~wilcock/

Many users of TMG who moved to other software wanted to continue using John's software to build their sites. So he promised to produce software that would convert GEDCOM files. At the moment Gedsite is rather limited but eventually you will probably find it can do the things Second Site used to do.

I bought Gedsite, just as I bought FH because I like computers and people who write software for genealogy.
I used Mike's export from a Project created in FH, and the site I generated looked OK to me. But as I dont want to put my FH Project on line and any families on it are 3 generations at most, it wasnt of great concern.
If I import from TMG to FH and try Gedsite with that, it is a more complex story - depending on the Project imported. I have one Project (one only) that I edited in TMG to make a complete CD for a family reunion, with Narrative style for all Events. It did not re-export well. But that is a matter of my handling of sentences I think, and I simply dont have time at the moment to sort that out - as there are both import to FH and re-export to Gedsite and the settings in each to grapple with.

A better test would be to buy and download the latest version of Gedsite and try it with an export from the FH Sample project. I dont have time to do this - I havent even had time to download the latest update.

But for FH users - John Cardinal was and still is for users of TMG, the author of valuable companion utilities and his website generating program used TMG files. The equivalent of Mike and people here - Trusted, respected and always polite and helpful.

I dont really understand the question. What is meant by pros and cons?

FH has its own site builder bundled with the project. Since I can be absolutely guaranteed not to understand FH, my impressions are not necessarily correct. But my quick trial produced only basic b m d data.

The big pro of Second Site is that it will reproduce in website format every single bit of information that one has typed into the TMG database.

It is therefore a way of giving one's private research to another family member without the danger of sending a GEDCOM which risks being pirated and put on line without one's consent. Something that happened with one tree of mine.

And indeed you can put it on an i-pad when travelling. With the help of John and others, I took two complete Projects created in Windows (TMG) to Australia on an i pad, thus avoiding having to carry a lap top.

[JohnnyCee]

One unique feature is the ability to use the narrative Sentence Templates from FH to compose the GedSite web page narratives, although not all codes and functions are supported yet.

Mike,

I think GedSite supports all FH codes, but it does not support all options on all codes. So, for example, GedSite supports {date} and {date:YEAR} but does not support {date:ABBREV3}. GedSite has other facilities for specifying which date format to use so that omission is unlikely to be an issue. For {date:ABBREV3}, GedSite will ignore "ABBREV3" and produce the same output as for {date}.

GedSite supports only a limited subset of FH's "data references" and "functions". It's impractical for GedSite to support most of the data references and functions because of the differences between how GedSite and FH store data internally. However, as described in the FH help, data references and functions "are only needed if you have complex and advanced requirements that cannot be met using standard template codes."

[JohnnyCee]

I don't think GedSite web pages support any form of sorting or filtering - yet!

Mike,

At present, GedSite's filtering is limited to living people. You can omit living people, or you can include living people, or you can include living people but show only a small subset of the information about them. A future version of GedSite will have more filtering options, including the ability to create filtered lists.

For sorting, I am not sure what sorting options you want. GedSite has a couple options for sorting a person's names and events. More importantly, it has "Tag Sets" which allow users to split names and events into groups, and each group can be formatted differently, if desired, so some events can be presented as a narrative while others are in a list or table.

[tatewise]

Sorry John, it may be splitting hairs, but I stand by my original statement, as there are some codes still not supported.

Unless there have been some recent changes not mentioned in the GedSite release notes :-
{abbr} is not supported correctly.
{their ages} is not supported correctly for Family facts such as Marriage & Divorce e.g. FAM.MARR.HUSB.AGE
I suspect {age range} and {their age ranges} are not supported.
{date:ABBREV3}, and {date:FULL}, etc, should not yield the same as {date} because there should be no prefix.
Codes such as {individual} and {individual/him/her} and {individual's} and {spouse/her/him} and {couple} should use he, she, him, her, his, they as specified as appropriate after the actual name has been used once.

I have not checked them all exhaustively, but every code in the FH Help page for Template Codes needs to be implemented as specified there in order to claim they are all supported. However, I am sure they will all be supported in due course.

Similarly, there will no doubt be more sorting and filtering options coming soon.

[JohnnyCee]

Mike,

{abbr} is supported as best it can be within GedSite. GedSite does not have a concept of a Tag Label abbreviation, and no use for one, so GedSite translates {abbr} to the Tag Type label.

In the next version of GedSite, the following date variables will yield the same value as {date}, but without a prefix: {date:full}, {date:abbrev}, {date:abbrev2}, {date:abbrev3}, {date:abbrev4}.

In the next version of GedSite, {their ages} will be changed. At present, it returns calculated ages. In the next version, it will only return a value if the user has entered ages when entering the fact.

In the next version of GedSite, {their age ranges} will be changed. At present, it returns calculated ages only. In the next version, it will return the age text from the fact or a calculated value if there is no age text.

Should {their ages} and {their age ranges} include the "at" prefix?

{age range} is supported correctly now as far as I know. It returns either the age text from the fact or a calculated value otherwise.

In the cases where GedSite calculates an age, note that it does so very conservatively. It will not produce an estimate unless the possible range is very small, within a year.

You wrote, "Codes such as {individual} and {individual/him/her} and {individual's} and {spouse/her/him} and {couple} should use he, she, him, her, his, they as specified as appropriate after the actual name has been used once." GedSite and FH use different methods for pronoun substitution and so the result you described is not going to be available. GedSite uses a method borrowed from my Second Site program and it has been very successful.

[Coolgarra]

I have created a site using GEDSITE from my Family Historian file. It isn't perfect yet, but regular updates are happening. I am very happy with it so far.

Please note that I have not yet completely migrated from TMG to Family Historian yet, as I have a lot of cleaning up to do in TMG first. So, you will see plenty of duplicate photos etc, which will be sorted once I have migrated permanently.

http://www.chriswright.id.au

Chris

[tatewise]

Chris, that looks good, so would you mind if I added your website to our links:index|> Member Web Sites so others can see what is possible with GedSite?

[Coolgarra]

Thanks Mike! No problem at all.