The Family Historian Templates are Here!
- What are the Family Historian templates?
- Why should the new Family Historian templates only be used for new data?
- Where can the new Family Historian templates be downloaded?
- What are the differences between the Family Historian 7 and RootsMagic templates?
- Which versions of Family Historian may use the new templates?
What are the Family Historian Templates?
Simple Citations was originally created to work with RootsMagic, which was the first to include the use of templates to cite sources. This was (and still is) a very innovative feature that contributes greatly in helping family historians to document their genealogies. In fact, RootsMagic was a true innovator as no other software application permitted customized templates to be integrated into their program until 2021, when Family Historian added a template feature. Although the templates for both RootsMagic and Family Historian 7 are essentially the same (as the Simple Citations model appears to be quite robust), there are some minor difference; these will be discussed here.
Can RootsMagic Simple Citations Templates be Imported into Family Historian?
The short answer is yes. However, it is very important to note that importing existing Simple Citations files (and templates) from RootsMagic will NOT install that data into the new templates. As a result, it is highly recommended that users who are moving from RootsMagic to Family Historian should import their existing data into FH7 first and then download the templates designed specifically designed for Family Historian. The data that was imported into Family Historian should still output the correct information, even though that data was created with RootMagic. However, to fully convert RootsMagic files to be fully compatible with the Family Historian is a complex process and it is not advised unless you have considerable skills in manipulating code, you should not attempt to do so. If you do attempt it - BACKUP your entire file and only use a copy. It took me a considerable amount of time to convert my entire RootsMagic file after importing it. Again, it is a complex task and is not advised.
Why should the new Family Historian templates only be used for new data?
Not only is it a complex task to fully convert RootsMagic templates (see above) but the Family Historian templates are able to take advantage of long-wished-for features never available in RootsMagic. The only way to make use of these features in Family Historian was to make several internal changes to the new templates. These will make data entry a lot faster and more reliable.
Where can the new Family Historian templates be downloaded?
The Family Historian Templates may be downloaded here.
What are the differences between the Family Historian 7 and RootsMagic templates?
While the Simple Citations model has not changed, the Family Historian 7 templates greatly enhance the data entry process and takes advantages of features not available in RootsMagic. Full details may be found here.
Which versions of Family Historian may use the new templates?
The new Family Historian 7 Templates will currently only work with version 7 - pervious versions did not support templates.