The FamilyTreeFactory Files

FamilyTreeFactory is made up of the following files:

File	Function
FamilyTreeFactory.exe	Executable program file
FamilyTreeFactory.chm	Help file including What's This help
FamilyTreeFactory.lng	Output language file for output in various languages
FamilyTreeFactory.cts	Context sorting file for sorting multipart surnames in lists
FamilyTreeFactory.ini	Initialization file (contains Program Options, Gedcom Options and preset user-defined Treeview Options, if any)
FamilyTreeFactory.pdf	Manual in PDF format for printing
GnlgSmbl.ttf	"Genealog-Symbols" symbol font

In the ...\Manual\ subdirectory of the installation directory, you can find all files for the Manual in HTML format, which can be opened from the program and viewed in the system's standard browser. Its contents are identical with the manual in PDF format for printing out.

FamilyTreeFactory uses the following files:

File	Extension
Gedcom files	*.ged
Gedcom conversion log files	*-GCL.txt
Family files	*.fml
Safety backups from family files	*.fmb
Treeview files	*.trv
Free Placeable Objects files	*.fpo
Gedcom options files	*.gdo
Treeview options files	*.tvo
Temporary files	~$.

If the user saves profiles with Gedcom Options or Treeview Options, these profiles are saved in the application data directory as Gedcom options files *.gdo or Treeview options files *.tvo.

The following table gives you an overview of the contents of the most important files:

File content	*.ged	*.fml	*.trv	*.fpo	*.gdo	*.tvo
Personal Data	X	X
Treeview Options (presets for automatic creation and arrangement of graphics)		X	X			X
Treeview data for a particular graphic (among others, structural data about the arrangement of person boxes)			X
Free Text, Image and Geo Objects			X	X
Gedcom Options					X

Note 1: The presets for creating direct person indexes are saved in the treeview options. Indirect person indexes are Free Image Objects. Column/row numbers are Free Text Objects. Duplicate connection lines are Free Geo Objects.

To save a complete graphic with all of its arrangement characteristics, its

•	family file (*.fml) and

•	treeview file (*.trv)

must be saved. Treeview files are always linked to a particular family file. However, an unlimited number of treeview files may belong to a family file. This is because many different graphics can be created using the same personal data. The combination of the family file and the treeview file allow the graphic to be recreated exactly, as long as the data for the persons contained in the graphic are not changed.

Recommendation: Include all relatives in one single family file *.fml. Based on the personal data in this one family file you can create many different ancestor and descendant trees by selecting different primary persons, creating different trees and saving these trees as treeview files *.trv.

Warning: Do not create separate family files *.fml for each intended tree, which only save the persons included in the intended tree. Going this way many persons would be saved in several family files and the personal data maintenance would be complicated.

We recommend saving the converted FamilyTreeFactory records to a family file (*.fml) after opening Gedcom files (*.ged). For one, this means that the Gedcom file does not need to be converted and checked again when opening it the next time. In addition, you will need both the family file and a treeview file (*.trv) if you want to save a finished graphic with all of its arrangement characteristics. You only need to convert the original Gedcom file again if its contents (personal data) have been changed.

Note 2: The names of files and directories in different FamilyTreeFactory files are saved with relative paths. The moving of the files to another location as well as the synchronization of files on two computers are made easier by this.

- In family files *.fml, the name of the recently used treeview file '.trv is saved with a path relative to the family file.

- In the initialization file FamilyTreeFactory.ini, the names of the recently used family files *.fml and Gedcom files *.ged are saved with a path relative to the executable program file FamilyTreeFactory.exe.

- In the initialization file FamilyTreeFactory.ini, the names of the main directories für image and document files adjusted in the Program Options dialog, Directories tab, are saved with a path relative to the executable program file FamilyTreeFactory.exe.

- In the initialization file FamilyTreeFactory.ini, the names of the recently used diverse directories are saved with a path relative to the executable program file FamilyTreeFactory.exe.

Users who for example work with a desktop PC and a notebook must adjust the main directories for image files and document files and open a family file or import a Gedcom file only once on every computer. The assigned files are then found also after a synchronization between the two computers independently of perhaps different drive letters and primary directory names.

Users who install the FamilyTreeFactory on a removable storage device and also save the used files on this device, can work with the system on every computer independently of the assigned drive letter.