Can I export my tree to build a website?

[Keith Wilson]

Originally posted by TopDog

Hello all,
Having just joined the iFamilyfortiger community I wondered if it is possible to export my tree to make a website for relatives abroad to view? I was thinking of rootschat http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.ph ... 130.0.html for one but do not know of anymore and the technicalities of doing so.
Here's hoping ....

[Keith Wilson]

Hi Roger

Firstly - publishing family tree information on a web site can cause problems when you publish information that other people consider to be sensitive. This can include information about people who are still living and also about people who are no longer living.

iFamily for Tiger does not generate HTML format web pages, however you can generate various reports directly as Portable Document Format (PDF) files - which can be read on any PC or Mac computer. The textual reports can mostly be generated as Rich Text Format (RTF) files and these can be converted to PDF by opening them in a word processor and then - in your word processor use File -> Print and then select PDF as the destination. The PDF files can be emailed to and read on any other computer (PC or Mac).

If you want to create a really nice web site then I suggest that you investigate using The Next Generation (TNG) by Darrin Lythgoe which is also mentioned elsewhere on this iFamily web site.

Keith

[Keith Wilson]

Originally posted by TopDog

Thanks for your quick reply Keith. I have had a look at the TNG site and it looks encouraging. I shall investigate further.

[Keith Wilson]

The iFamily HTML web pages will look something like the attached sample. Because of improvements made by Apple in OS X 10.5 the performance when generating them is fine on Leopard, however, for large databases the performance on Tiger may not be acceptable unless you are willing to take a short break. After generation of the HTML files, the Index file is displayed and you can test it all and preview it without leaving iFamily.

Each web page looks similar to the attached sample - a Context Diagram followed by textual data extracted from the database. As you change the Kinship (adds more people) or change the JPEG Quality then iFamily automatically recalculates and advises you of the new file size that will be generated. The value of 0.3 Mb in the attached sample is for the 8 web pages plus the index file.

Uploading to a web site is currently the user's responsibility and we will not be offering any hosting arrangement on the iFamily web site.

Keith

[Keith Wilson]

Originally posted by jillaine smith

Roger,

An alternative-- and one that takes care of concerns about sharing information about living people (by not doing so) -- is uploading your GEDCOM to WorldConnect at RootsWeb. It's not as pretty as TNG, but it allows a fair amount of control about what is and is not displayed (or downloadable) -- using the Advanced Setup -- and better yet, it becomes part of a larger, searchable collection of family trees by other people. I have had several distant cousins find me because I've placed my database there. And you can easily update it by simply replacing the old copy with a new one. It also serves as a marvelous backup for your information-- this saved me more than once when my home computer died. I was able to download a recently updated GEDCOM from Worlconnect and I lost very little of my data.

You can see one of mine here:
http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET& db=jss_pdb

And you can search the larger collection of trees here:
http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi

-- Jillaine
p.s. it's free, you can put up as many GEDCOMs as you like, and requires no knowledge of HTML, and takes about 5-10 minutes to upload, depending on the size of your file.

[Keith Wilson]

Hi Jillaine

The Next Generation (TNG) is also a good solution for a web based genealogy system, however both WC and TNG can cost time and effort to set up and maintain and may involve a monthly or annual subscription.

On the other hand the iFamily web page solution is simple and may be more cost effective. The web pages can emailed to others or may be saved on a CD for distribution personally or by post. They can be read on any computer whether it be a Mac, PC. Linux, Unix, ...

The iFamily web pages can satisfy a need for anyone who already has available web space, on their own server or a .mac account or as a freebie from their ISP.

For an example of the first attempt at iFamily web pages click here

Keith

[Keith Wilson]

Originally posted by colindun

I've recently started posting some of my family history online using the www.spanglefish.com web site system. It doesn't let you upload GED files, and all editing is manual and done online, so it's not suitable for putting full family histories online, but for highlighting specific parts of a family it's great. It's also excellent for other web purposes.

You can see my site here - www.spanglefish.com/dunn/index.asp?pageid=22443

The forthcoming HTML export that iFamily offers looks like an excellent entry-level process for getting full family histories online, and a good deal easier to configure than TNG. In fairness, TNG looks like a superb tool for adding every conceivable bell and whistle, but for the majority of family history researchers (me, anyway) it's overkill, and the iFamily approach looks really interesting.

Colin

P.S. It's my company which had developed and hosts the www.Spanglefish.com system. Just to make it clear that I am biased )
However, the system is free, and has grown to over 4,000 happy users around the world in less than 2 years, so we must be getting something right. Bias aside, it's well worth your trying if you want and easy to manage web site for almost any purpose.

[Keith Wilson]

Originally posted by gmerrall

Most of my relatives are English and I've been using genesreunited.co.uk. The gedcom import works really well and you can hide living people. The whole site interface is a bit clunky though. I've also tried ancestry.com as well.

Cheers,
Graeme