gramps/gramps2/doc/gramps-manual/C/custom.xml

<chapter id="gramps-settings"> 

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	  User Manual for Gramps - a GTK+/GNOME based genealogy program

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<!-- $Id$ -->

    <title>Settings</title> 
    
    <sect1 id="gramps-prefs">
    <title>Preferences</title> 

    <para>Most of the settings in &app;, are configured in the 
    <guilabel>Preferences</guilabel> dialog. To invoke it, choose
    <menuchoice><guimenu>Edit</guimenu>
    <guimenuitem>Preferences...</guimenuitem></menuchoice>. </para>

 	<!-- ==== Figure: Type-ahead find ==== -->
	<figure id="prefs-fig"> 
	<title>Preferences dialog</title> 
	<screenshot><mediaobject><imageobject><imagedata 
		fileref="figures/prefs.png" format="PNG"/></imageobject>
	<textobject> 
	<phrase>Shows Preferences dialog. </phrase>
	</textobject></mediaobject></screenshot></figure>
	<!-- ==== End of Figure ==== -->

      <para>The pane on the left displays the tree of available option
      categories. Selecting a tree node will display the corresponding
      options in the right side of the dialog. </para>
      
    <sect2 id="gramps-prefs-db"> 
      <title>Database</title> 
	<para> This category contains preferences relevant to the 
	database itself. It has the following subcategories: </para>

	<variablelist>
	<varlistentry><term><guilabel>General</guilabel></term>
	<listitem>
		<variablelist>
		<varlistentry><term><guilabel>Automatically
		load last database</guilabel></term>
		<listitem><para> Check this box to automatically load the
		last open database on startup. </para></listitem>
		</varlistentry>

		<varlistentry><term><guilabel>Family name guessing</guilabel></term>
		<listitem><para> This option affects the initial family name of a 
		child when he/she is added to the database. </para>
		
		<tip><para>This option only
		affects the initial family name guessed by &app; when the 
		<guilabel>Edit Person</guilabel> dialog is launched. You can modify
		that name the way you see fit. Set this option to the value that you 
		will most frequently use, as it will save you a lot of
		typing.</para></tip>
	
		<para>If <guilabel>None</guilabel> is selected, no guessing will be 
		attempted. Selecting <guilabel>Father's surname</guilabel> will use
		the family name of the father. Selecting <guilabel>Combination of 
		mother's and father's surname</guilabel> will use the father's name 
		followed by the mother's name. Finally, <guilabel>Icelandic 
		style</guilabel> will use the father's given name followed by the 
		&quot;sson&quot; suffix (e.g. the son of Edwin will be guessed as 
		Edwinsson).
		</para></listitem>
		</varlistentry>
		</variablelist>
	</listitem>
	</varlistentry>

	<varlistentry><term><guilabel>GRAMPS IDs</guilabel></term>
	<listitem><para> Enter ID prefixes for various kinds of database 
	entries into the corresponding text entry fields. 
	</para>
	
	<tip><para>The ID prefixes use formatting conventions common for
	C, Python, and other programming languages. For example, the %04d
	expands to an integer, prepended with zeros to have the total
	width of founr digits. If you would like IDs to be 1, 2, 3, etc,
	simply set the formatting parameter to %d.
	</para></tip>
	</listitem>
	</varlistentry>

	<varlistentry><term><guilabel>Researcher Information</guilabel></term>
	<listitem><para> Enter your personal information in the corresponding
	text entry fields. Although &app; requests information about you, 
	this information is used only so that &app; can create valid GEDCOM 
	output files. A valid GEDCOM file requires information about the file's 
	creator. If you choose, you may leave the information empty, however 
	none of your exported GEDCOM files will be valid. 
	</para>
	</listitem>
	</varlistentry>

	</variablelist>
    </sect2>

    <sect2 id="gramps-prefs-display"> 
      <title>Display</title> 
	<para> This category contains preferences relevant to  
	displaying database records and controls in &app;. 
	It has the following subcategories:</para>

	<variablelist>

	<varlistentry><term><guilabel>General</guilabel></term>
	<listitem>

		<variablelist>
		
		<varlistentry><term><guilabel>Default view</guilabel></term>
		<listitem><para> This determines which view will appear when
		you start &app;. Choose between Person and Family views. 
		</para></listitem>
		</varlistentry>

		<varlistentry><term><guilabel>Family view style</guilabel></term>
		<listitem><para> This selects between the two available styles
		of the Family view layout. The <guilabel>Left to right</guilabel>
		style is similar to the Family Tree Maker (tm), while the
		<guilabel>Top to bottom</guilabel> is similar to the Reunion. 
		</para></listitem>
		</varlistentry>

		<varlistentry><term><guilabel>Always display the LDS ordinance
		tabs</guilabel></term>
		<listitem><para> Check this box to have LDS ordinance tabs
		displayed. If you do not know what LDS is then you probably
		should not check it. </para></listitem></varlistentry>

		<varlistentry><term><guilabel>Display Tip of the
		Day</guilabel></term>
		<listitem><para> Check this box to have the <guilabel>Tip
		of the Day</guilabel> dialog appear on every startup.
		The tips are displayed randomly from the large collection
		of information bits on &app;.
		</para>
		
		<tip><para>The <guilabel>Tip of the Day</guilabel> is likely
		to be useful for new user of &app;.
		</para></tip>
		</listitem></varlistentry>
		
		</variablelist>

	</listitem>
	</varlistentry>

	<varlistentry><term><guilabel>Dates</guilabel></term>

	<listitem>
	<para> Select the display format for the dates
	from the available formats listed in this menu. 
	</para>
	
	<tip><para>Available date display formats are language-specific.
	Depending on whether or not there is a &app; date displayer 
	available for your language, you may or may not have a lot of
	choices.
	</para></tip>
	
	</listitem>
	</varlistentry>

	<varlistentry><term><guilabel>Toolbar and Statusbar</guilabel></term>
	<listitem>

		<variablelist>
	
		<varlistentry><term><guilabel>Toolbar</guilabel></term>
		<listitem><para> Select the desired appearance of the toolbar
		icons from the menu. Selecting <guilabel>GNOME
		Settings</guilabel> will use the overall settings selected
		for your GNOME desktop.
		</para></listitem>
		</varlistentry>

		<varlistentry><term><guilabel>Statusbar</guilabel></term>
		<listitem><para> Select the desired contents displayed in the 
		statusbar using the radio buttons. 
		</para></listitem>
		</varlistentry>

		</variablelist>

	</listitem>
	</varlistentry>

	</variablelist>
    </sect2>

    </sect1>
    
    <sect1 id="gramps-prefs-other">
    <title>Other settings</title>
    
    <para>Besides <guilabel>Preferences</guilabel> dialog, there are
    other settings available in &app;. For various reasons they have been
    made more readily accessible, as listed below.</para>
    
    <variablelist>
	<varlistentry>
	<term>Column Editor</term>
    <listitem>
    <para>The columns of the list views may be added, removed, or reordered
    in a <guilabel>Column Editor Dialog</guilabel>,	
    see <xref linkend="column-editor-fig"/>. Only checked columns will
    be shown in the view. To change their order, drag any column to its desired place inside
	the editor. Clicking <guibutton>OK</guibutton> will reflect the changes
	in the appropriate view. To invoke <guilabel>Column Editor Dialog</guilabel>,
	choose <menuchoice><guimenu>Edit</guimenu><guimenuitem>Column
	Editor...</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.
	</para>

	<tip>
	<para>The <guilabel>Column Editor</guilabel> is available
	and works in the same way for all list views.
    Specifically, it is available for People View, Family View (children list).
    Sources View, Places View, and Media View.</para> </tip>

	</listitem>
	</varlistentry>

	<varlistentry><term>Setting Home person</term>
	<listitem><para>The Home person is the person who becomes active
    when database opened, when <guibutton>Home</guibutton> button is clicked
    or the <guimenuitem>Home</guimenuitem> menu item is selected from
    either <guimenu>Go</guimenu> menu or the right-click context menu
    anywhere.</para>
    
    <para>To set Home person, make the desired person active and
    then choose <menuchoice><guimenu>Edit</guimenu><guimenuitem>Set Home
	person...</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.</para>
	</listitem>
	</varlistentry>


	<varlistentry><term>Adjusting viewing controls</term>
	<listitem><para>Whether the toolbar, the sidebar, or the filter (People View
    only) are displayed in the main window is adjusted through
    the <guimenu>View</guimenu> menu.
	</para></listitem>
	</varlistentry>

  	</variablelist>

    </sect1>
    
    <sect1 id="gramps-prefs-adv">
    <title>Advanced manipulation of settings</title>
    
    <warning><para>The contents of this section is outside the scope
    of interest of a general user of &app;. If you proceed with tweaking
    the options on the low level you may damage your &app; installation.
    Be careful. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
    </para></warning>
    
    <para>By default, &app; stores its settings using gconf2 system.
    All the settings used in this version of &app; are stored in
    subdirectories under <filename>/apps/gramps/</filename> in the 
    gconf2 namespace. Accessing the keys can be done either using 
    <command>gconftool-2</command> command line tool, or the
    <command>gconf-editor</command> GUI tool.
    </para>
    
    <para>All keys are documented, and the notification mechanisms
    are used as appropriate. Therefore, updating keys from outside
    of &app; should lead to updating &app; in real time, without
    necessarily restarting it.</para>
    </sect1>

  </chapter>