Menu Bar - Mainmenu: File, Edit, View, Tools, Window, Options, Help

The Menu Bar of Ancestris gives you access to all available actions via 7 menus.

File Menu. Groups all the actions to handle genealogy files.
Edit Menu. Groups all the actions to make global changes to your genealogical data.
View Menu. Groups all the actions to access the genealogical views.
Tools Menu. Groups all the actions to explore, manipulate and analyse genealogical data.
Window Menu. Groups all the actions to handle Ancestris windows.
Options Menu. Groups the main actions to customize Ancestris.
Help Menu. Groups all the actions to get help and to help Ancestris.

To easily find the actions you are looking for, here is the organisation we chose for the menus.

This menu regroups all the actions to handle genealogy files.

Create, open, close, save, import, merge, export, change its properties, add to favourites
Exit the application

In Ancestris, a genealogy file is a Gedcom file.

Each of these actions is described below.

When the action has its own description page - it is bold - click on it to get all the details about it.

Create a new genealogy

Starts a wizard to help you create a new genealogy from scratch.

Open <Default File> (check Preferences)

Opens the default genealogy file. This file can be set in the Preferences, menu Options/Preferences, Files tab.

This option is only available when a default file has been defined in the Preferences. Otherwise, it is greyed out.

Open a genealogy

Opens an existing genealogy, from a Gedcom file.

If the Gedcom file comes from a different software, Ancestris will automatically detect it and start the import process.

Import

Migrates to Ancestris a genealogy created by a different genealogy software.

Currently we can only import Gedcom files.

This action is available to help you choose the original software, when the automatic detection of the Open a genealogy menu action would not detect it correctly.

Merge genealogies

Merges two genealogies together. This simply adds two different Gedcom files together without analysing potential duplicates.

Open repositories references

Opens a list of official repositories contact details and internet links. The list is open as part of a Gedcom file.

It allows you to quickly visit their respective sites, as well as drag-n-drop the repositories you need to your own genealogy.

Modify genealogy properties

This opens a window to edit the properties of the Gedcom file : description, language and author.

This action is only available if you have a Gedcom file currently open.

Modify place jurisdictions

This opens a window to edit the place jurisdictions of the Gedcom file i.e. the way a place is stored in terms of place structure (e.g. city, zip code, region, country).

This action is only available if you have a Gedcom file currently open.

Manage medias files

This opens a window to adjust the media file links to the genealogy information they are related to.

This action is only available if you have a Gedcom file currently open.

Convert Gedcom format

This opens a window to modify the Gedcom norm or its encoding.

This action is only available if you have a Gedcom file currently open.

Add to Favorites

Adds the selected Gedcom file to your Favorite links. This window can be accessed from the Menu / Window / Favourites.

This action is only available if you have a Gedcom file currently open.

Save

Saves the selected Gedcom file.

If other Gedcom files are open, they will not be saved.

For security reasons, Ancestris keeps a number of backup copies : this number can be changed on Options / Preferences / Files, Number of backup copies.

This function is only available if the selected Gedcom file was changed and not yet saved.

Save as

Saves all or part of a file under another name.

In particular, you can use this action to extract a branch or part of your genealogy and save it in an independent Gedcom file.

Export

Exports a genealogy to other genealogy sites, such as Geneanet, Geneweb or CousinsGenWeb.

It is important to note that since Ancestris saves the content of your genealogy directly in a Gedcom format, the Ancestris Gedcom file is directly usable by all genealogy software worldwide.

Geneanet is a French genealogical data repository. The Geneanet export includes the ability to guide you in the process and opens the Geneanet upload page.

The other export actions are French specific and only available as additional plugins to install.

Close

Closes the selected Gedcom file, without exiting Ancestris.

Exit

Exits Ancestris.

This menu regroups all the actions to make global changes to your genealogical data.

Undo / Redo
Cut / Copy / Paste
Find / Replace / Delete
Generate Sosa or D'Aboville numbering
Change ID numbers
Mark special individuals
See modifications history

This menu regroups all the actions to access the genealogical views.

These views show specific aspects of your genealogy and some let you edit your genealogy as well (e.g. editors, dynamic tree).

This menu regroups all the actions to explore, manipulate and analyse genealogical data.

Genealogical Search among Ancestris users,
Consult registers records and use them to enrich your genealogy
Miscellaneous utilities (date calculation, calculator)
Verify data (anomalies, duplicates)
Analyse data (common ancestors, lists and reports)
Publish locally on disk or on the Internet
Print the active view

This menu regroups all the actions to handle Ancestris windows.

Access to special windows
Handling windows : open, close, float, dock, clone, set to full screen

This menu regroups the main actions to customize Ancestris.

Preferences
Save display settings
Configure tools bar
Update Ancestris
Manage Plugins

This menu regroups all the actions to get help and to help Ancestris.

All the documentation
Contact Ancestris support team
Make a donation
Ancestris website
About Ancestris

Like the menu bar in many software programs, each menu in the Ancestris menu bar can be opened in two ways.

or by clicking on it
or by typing the key combination: <Alt> + the underlined letter in the name of the corresponding menu. For example, to open the Tools menu, type <Alt>+t.

Each action of the menu has:

an icon illustrating the action, when this icon exists
the name of the action
a keyboard shortcut to launch this action without going through the menu, when it exists

Here is an example with the File menu

Similarly, each action can be initiated in several ways:

either by clicking on it in the menu
or when the menu is opened by typing the key combination: <Alt> + the underlined letter in the action name
or when the menu is closed by typing the keyboard shortcut of the action (Ctrl-N or Ctrl-S in the example above)

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