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Creating Archive PDF Files |
  
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Creating Archive PDF Files |
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The term archive PDF files is used here for PDF files in which all research results for a family are summarized. Such files are excellently suitable for archiving and for passing on to interested persons. The PDF format has gained acceptance for the documentation worldwide and can be processed by computers of every kind.
In principle, the internal construction of an archive PDF file consists of a base document and attached files. The base document should be a big graphic with an ancestor tree, a descendant tree or a relatives tree and with an integrated card index; the person boxes in the graphic and the file cards are linked mutually for a comfortable navigation. A card index without a graphic is also suitable as base document. All additional documents are attached as files. Attached person related documents (document files) are linked with the card index so that they can be opened out of the card index.
All person related documents (document files) must have been assigned to the persons in the Personal Data dialog, Documents tab. During the export of the archive PDF file, in the Export Card Index As PDF File dialog the checkboxes Documents and Attach document files and build links to them must be marked.
Additional files of arbitrary formats, which cannot be assigned to certain persons, can be attached manually during the export in the PDF Options dialog in the area File Attachments. These files are not linked internally; however, in a suitable PDF reader they can be shown in a list and opened from there.
To the various design options the following hints and tips are given:
| • | Also small descendant and ancestor trees including only three generations are suitable as person related documents. Or a small grandparents' descendant tree including 5 generations. The closer relationship can be shown with that. Such trees can be exported as a PDF file first of all and then assigned to the persons as a document. |
| • | Beside a big graphic contained in the base document additional big graphics can be attached manually for other primary persons or with other tree structures. |
| • | Also the family file *.fml and a Gedcom file *.ged with the basic personal data should be attached to the archive PDF file. |
| • | For scanning documents: Many scanners can create PDF files directly. This format has to be preferred to the usual image file formats because no extra viewers are required for opening. |
| • | With a suitable program you can summarize single PDF files to a multi-page document and assign only one single document to the persons respectively. |
| • | If necessary, use the possibilities of the protection of data privacy in the FamilyTreeFactory if an archive PDF file shall be passed on to interested persons. |
| • | Archive PDF files are less suitable for the printout; you should at least restrict the printout to certain pages. |
Note: Under Windows 98 and ME document files can not be attached and linked automatically. In addition under Windows 98 and ME only one single file can be attached manually; however, several files can be summarized in a ZIP archive. |
Warning: For the names of document files to be attached to archive PDF files, only characters of the ASCII character set should be used. It can hardly be foreseen under which operating system, under which locale and with which PDF reader the archive PDF files are looked at later.
If from a card index document files with unicode characters in the name are attached to archive PDF files automatically, the names are substituted by the ASCII name Unicode_Sub.* automatically. Because this document files are listed and linked on the file cards of the document files using their original file name and their title (see section Export Card Index), the usage of an uniform ASCII file name does not affect the overview. The names of the original document files on the disk are not changed.
If files are attached manually in the PDF Options dialog and if the names contain unicode characters, a message will point to the problem. |