4419567584
* doc/gramps-manual/C/preface.xml: update * doc/gramps-manual/C/usage.xml: update svn: r5535
355 lines
12 KiB
XML
355 lines
12 KiB
XML
<preface id="gramps-preface">
|
|
|
|
<!--
|
|
User Manual for Gramps - a GTK+/GNOME based genealogy program
|
|
|
|
Copyright (C) 2003-2005 Alexander Roitman
|
|
|
|
This document is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
|
|
it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
|
|
the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
|
|
(at your option) any later version.
|
|
|
|
This document is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
|
|
but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
|
|
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
|
|
GNU General Public License for more details.
|
|
|
|
You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
|
|
along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software
|
|
Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307 USA
|
|
-->
|
|
|
|
<!-- $Id$ -->
|
|
|
|
<title>Preface</title>
|
|
|
|
<para>GRAMPS is a software package designed for genealogical
|
|
research. Although similar to other genealogical programs, GRAMPS
|
|
offers some unique and powerful features, which we'll discuss
|
|
below. </para>
|
|
|
|
<para>GRAMPS is a Open Source Software package, which means you
|
|
are free to make copies and distribute it to anyone you like.
|
|
It's developed and maintained by a worldwide team of volunteers
|
|
whose goal is to make GRAMPS powerful, yet easy to use.</para>
|
|
|
|
<sect1 id="why-gramps">
|
|
<title>Why use GRAMPS?</title>
|
|
|
|
<para>Most genealogy programs allow you to enter information
|
|
about your ancestors and descendants. Typically, they can
|
|
display family relationships through charts, graphs, or
|
|
reports. Some allow you to include pictures or other media. Most
|
|
let you include information about people even if those people
|
|
are not related to the primary family you happen to be
|
|
researching. And they may include features that let you exchange
|
|
data with other programs and print different types of
|
|
reports. </para>
|
|
|
|
<para>GRAMPS has all these capabilities and more. Notably, it
|
|
allows you to integrate bits and pieces of data as they arise
|
|
from your research and to put them in one place — your
|
|
computer. You can then use your computer to manipulate,
|
|
correlate, and analyze your data, rather than messing with reams
|
|
of paper. </para>
|
|
|
|
</sect1>
|
|
|
|
<sect1 id="whats-new">
|
|
<title>What's new since 1.0.X</title>
|
|
|
|
<para>If you are new to GRAMPS, it may not be important for you
|
|
to know how GRAMPS version 2.0.0 (the object of this manual)
|
|
differs from previous versions of the software. You may
|
|
therefore elect to skip this section.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>However, if you are already familiar with GRAMPS and are
|
|
interested in the new aspects and features of version 2.0.0,
|
|
please read on.</para>
|
|
|
|
<variablelist>
|
|
|
|
<varlistentry><term>Berkeley database backend</term>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
|
|
<para>We've adopted the Berkeley database format (BSDDB) as
|
|
the default for GRAMPS. Berkeley is the most widely used
|
|
open source developer database in the world.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>This change allowed us to overcome issues of
|
|
performance and memory requirements that beset version
|
|
1.0.X. With the new back-end, database sizes of up to a
|
|
hundred thousand people no longer present a major
|
|
obstacle.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>The default extension for GRAMPS' BSDDB database files
|
|
is grdb. The new format is open and fully documented in the
|
|
developer's API reference distributed with the source code
|
|
of GRAMPS. </para>
|
|
|
|
<note id="default-format">
|
|
<title>Preferred format</title>
|
|
|
|
<para>The preferred and default format for &app; is the
|
|
new BSDDB format.</para>
|
|
</note>
|
|
|
|
<para>A consequence of the new database back-end is that the
|
|
"saving" function is no longer necessary (or even
|
|
possible). Now, once you approve changes, they are
|
|
immediately applied; this means that clicking
|
|
<guibutton>OK</guibutton> in the Person, Family, Source,
|
|
Place, Media object, or Event editor immediately records
|
|
changes in the database. </para>
|
|
|
|
<para>In previous versions, you could "quit without
|
|
saving." This option no longer exists per se; however,
|
|
in version 2.0.0, you can achieve the same effect if you
|
|
abandon or "cancel" all changes and then
|
|
quit.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>Also, it is now possible to undo recent
|
|
actions.</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</varlistentry>
|
|
|
|
<varlistentry><term>Other database back-ends</term>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
|
|
<para>Along with the BSDDB backend, we've incorporated
|
|
"in-memory" database handling for the GRAMPS XML
|
|
and GEDCOM formats. This means you can now open files in
|
|
those two formats and work with their data without having to
|
|
first create a new database and import data into it. Since
|
|
this approach requires GRAMPS to hold all the data in
|
|
memory, it is only useful for small databases (depending on
|
|
available memory size).</para>
|
|
|
|
<warning id="gedcom-editing">
|
|
<title>GEDCOM Editing</title>
|
|
|
|
<para>Please keep in mind that some information in a
|
|
GEDCOM file may be lost during import into GRAMPS. Simply
|
|
opening and viewing the file will not change it. However,
|
|
if any changes were made and they were not abandoned upon
|
|
exit, exiting GRAMPS will save the data, with the possible
|
|
data loss.</para>
|
|
</warning>
|
|
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</varlistentry>
|
|
|
|
<varlistentry>
|
|
<term>Desktop integration</term>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
|
|
<para>We've improved the way GRAMPS integrates with the GNOME
|
|
desktop interface common to many Linux distributions. All file
|
|
formats recognized by GRAMPS are now registered as mime types;
|
|
each has its own icon and has GRAMPS as its default
|
|
handler. Thus, if you double-click on any file having one of
|
|
these formats, GRAMPS will launch and open the file.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>We've also added support for GNOME's "recent
|
|
documents" function and have incorporated this function
|
|
within GRAMPS itself.</para>
|
|
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</varlistentry>
|
|
|
|
<varlistentry>
|
|
<term>Interface improvements</term>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
|
|
<para>We've made numerous changes in the interface. Most of
|
|
them are subtle and incremental improvements, and all of them
|
|
cannot be listed here. The most notable are:</para>
|
|
|
|
<itemizedlist>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>Removal of alphabetical tabs.</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>Ability to add/remove/rearrange columns in list views.</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>Removal of the Save function and addition of Undo.</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>Proper window management and removal of most modal windows.</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>Support for Tip of the Day.</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>Person-dependent context menus (right-click) in
|
|
Pedigree View, listing parents, children, spouses, and
|
|
siblings.</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>Addition of an Export wizard.</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>Built-in Find function in list views.</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>Addition of a Date selector dialog.</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>Name editor enhancements: patronymic names and
|
|
non-default grouping.</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>"Recent document" support (both within GRAMPS and
|
|
GNOME-wide)</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</itemizedlist>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</varlistentry>
|
|
|
|
<varlistentry>
|
|
<term>Import and Export</term>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>We've added import and export filters for the GeneWeb format.</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</varlistentry>
|
|
|
|
<varlistentry>
|
|
<term>Reports</term>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<itemizedlist>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>We've added a new report: Statistics Chart. </para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>We've changed the overall report framework. All
|
|
reports now remember the options you configure for
|
|
them.</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>It is possible to generate reports from the command
|
|
line, without launching the interactive GRAMPS
|
|
session.</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>The report API is much simpler now, making it easy to
|
|
write custom reports.</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>A single code instance may be used for a standalone
|
|
report, a book item, and a command-line report. </para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</itemizedlist>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</varlistentry>
|
|
|
|
<varlistentry>
|
|
<term>Internationalization</term>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>The approach for entering and displaying dates has
|
|
been completely reworked. The new framework allows for a
|
|
deeper localization of displayed dates than was ever
|
|
possible using the translatable strings.</para>
|
|
<para>The internationalization of names has also been
|
|
improved. Names can be grouped under a non-default
|
|
string. Patronymic names are supported, and it is easy to
|
|
program new ways to display names in the manner customary to
|
|
a given culture or language.</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</varlistentry>
|
|
</variablelist>
|
|
</sect1>
|
|
|
|
<sect1 id="typography">
|
|
<title>Typographical conventions</title>
|
|
<para>
|
|
|
|
In this book, some words are marked with special typography:
|
|
|
|
<itemizedlist>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<simpara>
|
|
<application>Applications</application>
|
|
</simpara>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<simpara>
|
|
<command>Commands</command> you type at the command line
|
|
</simpara>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<simpara>
|
|
<filename>Filenames</filename>
|
|
</simpara>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<simpara>
|
|
<replaceable>Replaceable text</replaceable>
|
|
</simpara>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<simpara>
|
|
<guilabel>Labels</guilabel> for buttons and other
|
|
portions of the graphical interface
|
|
</simpara>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<simpara>
|
|
Menu selections look like this:
|
|
<menuchoice>
|
|
<guimenu>Menu</guimenu>
|
|
<guisubmenu>Submenu</guisubmenu>
|
|
<guimenuitem>Menu Item</guimenuitem>
|
|
</menuchoice>
|
|
</simpara>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<simpara>
|
|
<guibutton>Buttons</guibutton> you can click
|
|
</simpara>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<simpara>
|
|
<userinput>Anything you type in</userinput>
|
|
</simpara>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</itemizedlist>
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>
|
|
|
|
The manual also provides assorted bits of additional information in
|
|
tips and notes, as follows.
|
|
|
|
<tip id="example-tip">
|
|
<title>Tip</title>
|
|
<para>
|
|
Tips and bits of extra information will look like
|
|
this.
|
|
</para>
|
|
</tip>
|
|
|
|
<note id="example-note">
|
|
<title>Note</title>
|
|
<para>
|
|
Notes will look like this.
|
|
</para>
|
|
</note>
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>
|
|
Finally, there are warnings, notifying you where you should be careful:
|
|
|
|
<warning id="example-warning">
|
|
<title>Example Warning</title>
|
|
<para>
|
|
This is what a warning looks like. If there's a chance
|
|
you'll run into trouble, you will be warned beforehand.
|
|
</para>
|
|
</warning>
|
|
</para>
|
|
</sect1>
|
|
|
|
</preface>
|