Family Historian User Group

Hi all.
Today for the first time I'm getting a message when using hints on FH from FMP

"We will soon be discontinuing support for Internet Explorer...
This means that certain features will stop working. We recommend switching to an up-to-date browser. For example, Microsoft Edge "

I have Microsoft Edge loaded on my laptop but cannot see anyway to link it to the hints display. There is an OK button, will it transfer automatically if I click that?
Any help will be appreciated.
Thanks
Mike Davies

If you're using FH7, the default configuration is to open web pages in an external window in your default browser.

So, you need to make something other than IE your default browser (this is a good thing to do for all sorts of reasons, as IE is becoming unsupported all over the place).

Edge is the option Microsoft would like you to take (because it's their replacement for IE) but many of us prefer to use Chrome or Firefox (depending on how we use our browsers).

Although you haven't posted a screenshot, so I can't be absolutely sure, I think you're being prompted to change your default browser and selecting Yes will make Edge your default. If you do so, you might want to check that everything you usually do in IE is possible in Edge.

Presumably if you are using the Internal Browser (the Web Search Window, it's called in v6), then you'll get that message in v7 as well - I certainly do in v6, so if you are using that Internal Browser (which is permanently stuck to IE), then you'll need to switch to the External Web Browser and set your default as Helen advises.

I'm sure our more specialist contributors are well aware of this, but it was only recently that I picked up that current Edge is a completely different product to the one launched back in 2015. Legacy Edge was much more of an updated IE, but "new" Edge is based on the same open source core technology as Chrome. They are essentially the same product for their core function of rendering mainstream web pages.

New Edge seems to get very positive reviews for having significantly easier to configure security and privacy options than Chrome, and being much less of a resource hog on the average PC.

At the end of the day, it probably comes down to which corporate we distrust the least with our personal data...

Thanks All for your replies, I've experimented and decided to click the button and use Edge as the default browser for this, as it opens in the Focus Window which is convenient for dragging and dropping into the property box. When I select the external browser button it is defaulting to Google Chrome. Can this be changed to any other such as Firefox?
Thanks,
Mike

Yes, every browser has an option to make it your default browser. Just look in the settings/options.
OR
Windows lets you set the default browser via Start > Settings > Apps > Default Apps > Web browser

Thanks Mike, something new learnt today about Windows 10. It seems it takes me years to learn about a system and then everything changes and I have to start again. Thank goodness for people like you and this group.
All the best to everyone.
Mike D

Help please. I am also getting the message to switch to Edge when activating FMP hints but my browser is already defaulted to Edge but I' m still getting the message. Is it anything to do where the Family Historian .exe file is situation on MS Explorer? I'm confused! I operate Windows 10. Thanks for any help coming my way! AncestorAddict

The FH internal Web Search Window does not use your default browser as explained in the FHUG Knowledge Base advice for Internet Data Matches. Microsoft forces the use of Internet Explorer.
You must use Internet > Internet Data Matches... and ensure Location to Display Matches is set to External Web Browser to invoke your default browser.

Hi Mike, Thank you so much for your assistance, I've now set external web browser as my default browser. I've now just go to work out how I can split the window and so I can see my individual record at the same time as the hint - as the hints are now appearing in full screen!

AncestorAddict

Windows Snap is one feature that might help you

I have tried all that has been suggested. If I use an external browser (Edge and set as preferred browser) then the message does not appear but the suggested internet data matches does not update when a suggestion is marked as accepted. If I go back to the Web search option the support for IE is back. My normal default browser is Chrome.

As you're using V6, it's extremely unlikly that the internal browser will be updated, so you will have to continue using an external browser, and refreshing the matches manually (by clicking on the number of matches and choosing refresh).

Thanks for the reply. I am using V7 not V6. Since for my needs I have almost all the BMD, Census and Probate records I shall probably not be using the feature much. I shall wait until the 26th July to see what happens? P.S. I have never used Internet Explorer nor is it installed on this computer.

Internet Expolorer is always installed on your PC; it's embedded in some of the plumbing (which is why it's the only option at present for the internal browser).

If you're using V7, you just have to wait a few weeks for the internal browser to be updated to Edge within FH in the next release -- I tested in a week or so back.

(If you update your profile to show you're using V7, that would be very helpful -- thanks. Click on your name top right, then Profile, then edit profile).

For info. Although it hasn't been formally announced on the Calico Pie Website, the latest version of of FH7 (Version 7.0.6) has been generally available since around 3 June from https://www.family-historian.co.uk/install7 . This update 'reinstates' the internal browser functionality on standard Windows installations, by inviting the user to download and install the Microsoft Edge WebView 2 Runtime Installer during the install. (Note: Linux & MacOS users should ignore the prompt to install the Runtime and stick with with the external browser option as it has no effect under 'Wine').

Unfortunately the lack of a formal notification/updated Change Log entry (to date) means it's not clear what other fixes were included in Version 7.0.6.

mjashby wrote: ↑13 Jun 2021 15:59 For info. Although it hasn't been formally announced on the Calico Pie Website, the latest version of of FH7 (Version 7.0.6) has been generally available since around 3 June from https://www.family-historian.co.uk/install7 .

Unfortunately the lack of a formal notification/updated Change Log entry (to date) means it's not clear what other fixes were included in Version 7.0.6.

That's because -- like all the other patch releases for V7 so far -- it's a 'soft release'. I'm sure the change log will be made available when it's formally announced. Those of us who were asked to test it prior to release have seen the relevant change log to know what we were testing.

Does it say it fixes the problem that is described in BEWARE MoveNextSpecial skips Citation Metafields (19447) as promised?
I ask because I've not been invited to test it.

I must admit, I get a bit confused by the CP approach to in-version upgrades.

Version 7.0.6 has been made the default download version, but with no update log. However, 7.0.4 was a soft release but only available to those to whom CP e-mailed a link and invited download. It was later pulled when found to contain a major bug.

My interpretation is that they are more confident about 7.0.6, but not so confident that they announce what it fixes!

tatewise wrote: ↑13 Jun 2021 17:18 Does it say it fixes the problem that is described in BEWARE MoveNextSpecial skips Citation Metafields (19447) as promised?
I ask because I've not been invited to test it.

• Fixed an error with the “MoveNextSpecial” method for item pointers (Family Historian’s Lua API).

I guess somebody else was asked to test.

Mark1834 wrote: ↑13 Jun 2021 17:49 My interpretation is that they are more confident about 7.0.6, but not so confident that they announce what it fixes!

Or support are on holiday? Never ship on a Friday or when the team is going to be away.

Sorry for the delay in replying to your helpful hints on this topic but I have not used FH for a few months. The problem is now is that I can only use an external web browser although my default browser is Microsoft Edge. I am using version 6.2 of FH. The attached document may explain better!

Looking at other comments, it does seem there is no fix and I need to upgrade to V7. But if I do this will the problem go away?

Any assistance would be much appreciated

A lot of people do use the external browser rather than the in-built one (personally I prefer working this way). You can continue to use FH v6 in this way. Should you upgrade to V7 then this has Edge as its internal browser if you want to go back to that way of working. AFAIK there is no way to change the internal browser to use Edge instead of IE as it is coded into FH.

Yes, if you move V7 (the latest patch version), you can continue to use an internal browser (which will be Edge).

In V6, you have no alternative but to use an external browser.

PS I believe that if you're on a Mac, you get the option to install the internal browser or to use an external browser (if you hate all things Microsoft, for example).

Thanks for your help.

Jean