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Copy entities across genealogies

This tool helps you copy genealogy individuals and complete family branches from one genealogy to another.

From a main entity, this tool can to copy it, attach it, or merge it to a different genealogy and bring along some or all the family tree linked to that main entity.

This main entity can be any entity type, an individual, a family, a note, a media, etc.

If media files are linked to the main entity and are to be copied as well to the receiving genealogy, Ancestris will offer to copy the media files as well and attach them properly to the newly copied media entities. 

This tool also lets you do this within the same genealogy although it makes less sense to do that.

This tool is also accessible when using Drag-n-Drop on an entity, and from the Context menu of an entity.

PICTURE

Pre-requisites

Both genealogies must be of the same Gedcom version and version 7 is necessary when using Associations.

Description

Usage

Across different genealogies

Here we consider the situation where both genealogies are different, which is the most common need.

  • Let's call "Source genealogy" the genealogy from which you want to extract information.
  • Let's call "Target genealogy" the genealogy into which the extracted information will be stored.

etc...

Copying Media files

Reminder: media files are regular image, videos, sound, etc. files that are linked to the Gedcom genealogy data using file addresses called file paths.
Each piece of genealogy data that needs to reference a Media uses a FILE property in Ancestris that stores the file path to the media file. This helps Ancestris find the file and display it. 

If some of the entities you copy across are Media entities, you will want the corresponding files to be stored among your other media files. 

  • For remote files, those using a web address, you may decide to leave the files remotely, or to download them. Either way, we suggest you to use the Ancestris Media manager after the entities are copied across. The media manager includes a tool to download remote files. In the tool described in this page, Ancestris will not alter their path and will copy them leaving the file path unchanged.
  • For local files, those using a local file path, Ancestris will make a copy of the media files and store them in a directory of your choice - the target directory - and modify the file path accordingly.

A number of questions may arise.

  • What if a file is not found?
  • Should the target directory underneath the Gedcom file directory (relative target directory) or not (absolute target directory) ?
  • Can the file path be simplified in case the source file path is a long complex structure?
  • Can different files be put in the same directory or vice-versa, can files within the same directory be put in different ones?
  • Can more than one target directory be defined?
  • What if a file path is relative and an absolute directory is provided? and vice-versa? 

 

First situation
  • The media files are accessible and found by Ancestris. They are located on your computer in some directories.
  • Ancestris will copy them to a directory structure that you will indicate.
  • As best practice, you will indicate the media directory underneath the directory where your Gedcom file is located. Ancestris will use relative file paths if you do that. 

The benefit of relative paths is that you maintain the links between your Gedcom file and the media files if you move the whole directory somewhere else or rename it. 

  • If you indicate a directory which is not underneath your Gedcom file, Ancestris will need to use absolute paths. This is not best practice.
  • Within that directory, Ancestris will maintain the same directory structure as in the Source genealogy.
  • If files are located within different directory structures in the source genealogy, Ancestris will create these structures within the directory you indicate so as all media files stay behind one single directory.

Within the same genealogy

Within the same ennealogy, etc.

Copying Media files

This possibility is not applicable within the same genealogy. It would not make sense.


Customization

There are no customization settings for this tool.

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