HELP: Advanced Features

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CONTENTS

General

The "advanced features" of this site are intended both to assist viewers in locating individuals they may be researching and in gaining a sense of how these individuals relate to others in the data-set.

These features are implemented by means of a Java applet. They are based on indices to the set of Detail Records which are contained in the site's HTML pages and can be displayed in the central frame of the main-screen. These indices permit family relationships among the individuals to be charted and various search-lists constructed.
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The Six "Views" of the Data-Base

The advanced features of this site are available through a special window that is put up in response to the viewer clicking on the "Search" button on the main screen.

At any one time, this Advanced Features window holds one of the following Views:

Full Name Search
A searchable list of all individuals (except those with "irregular" surnames, such as those beginning with a question mark, etc.) in the data set, ordered alphabetically by "last-name, given-names".
Surname Search
A searchable list of all valid surnames in the data-set, in alphabetic order.
Soundex Search
A searchable list of all valid surnames, in the data-set preceeded by their soundex code, in soundex code order.
Family Group
A list of a specific individual's family group. It includes the identity, if appropriate information is contaned in the data-set, of all of the individual's parents, grandparents, spouses, and children.
Ancestor Chart
A chart showing all the ancestors of a specific individual (up to a maximum number of generations related to the viewer's screen resolution, but generally greater than nine).
Descendant Chart
A chart showing all the descendant of a specific individual (again, up to a maximum number of generations).

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Distinguishing Individuals By Means Of Life-Span Dates

In many families, certain given names are so common that is frequently difficult to distinguish among individuals who may span many generations.

To make identification easier in these cases, birth and death "life-span" years in the form "(bbbb - dddd)" will appear after the names of all individuals. These life-span dates are based on the dates given in the source-GEDCOM. In cases where the GEDCOM contains explicit birth or death dates in one form or another (e.g ranges, later-than dates, etc.), these are used. In cases where birth dates are not given in the GEDCOM, estimates for these birth dates have been calculated. Estimates for missing death dates are never used.

The following codes in the life-span fields describe the source and accuracy of the associated life-span date:


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Moving Among the Views and To the Detail-Record

At any time in any of the views, you may switch to another view by using the "Views" item on the Advanced Features window's menu. When you switch views, the individual who was selected in the view you are leaving will be used as the focal point in constructing the view you are going to. note: in the Surname and Soundex lists, the first individual of those corresponding to the selected entry is considered to be the selected individual

In the case of switching to the Full-Name, Surname, or Soundex search-lists, this means that you will be positioned at the entry in that list corresponding to the previously selected individual.

In the case of switching to the Family Group, Ancestor Chart, or Descendant Chart, this means that the View will be constructed with the previously selected individual as the root (e.g. the "ancestors" of that previously selected individual).

You may also, at any time in any of the views, close the Advanced Features window and bring up the Detail Record of the selected individual in the central frame of the main screen. NOTE: on later returning to the Advanced Features window, you will find that the window has been restored to the state at which you had left it. It will not reflect any jumps you may have taken among the set of Detail Records on the main screen.

Each of the views also has a double-click default. In any view, double-clicking on an entry will first select that entry and then:

From View Switches To
Full NameDisplay Record
SurnameFull Name
SoundexFull Name
FamilyFull Name
AncestorDescendant
DescendantAncestor

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Navigating in the Ancestor and Descendant Charts

Both the Ancestor and Descendant Charts have similar navigation facilities: NOTE: In all the above, the key entries are case-sensitive.
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Searching Within the Full Name, Surname, and Soundex Lists

Each of the three Searchable Lists contains a Text-Box which can be used to locate specific entries within its associated list. This search facility works generally the same in each case:
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Printing from the Lists and Charts

Any of the Views can be printed. This is a multi-step process:
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