FHS 97 - File Setup Enhancements
Work on the Family History System software began while I was still using DOS 1.1, hard drives were quite expensive, and the concept of "directories" for grouping files was still a novelty. As a result, the method for identifying files within the FHS programs involved the use of Drive Identifiers and simple dataset names. Even as personal systems became more sophisticated, this method seemed quite adequate...partly because all information for an FHS family file was entirely contained within three datasets (e.g. ROBBINS.NAM, ROBBINS.ADR, ROBBINS.OTH), making it not unreasonable to have multiple family files in the same FAMILY directory of a hard drive. But switching between family files required typing the prefix for the family file datasets three times, and an increasing number of users were asking about being able to place the family files in separate directories.The introduction of a File Setup Table in this update of the Family History System was intended to address both the need for easily switching between multiple family files that a user may be working with, and the desire to place family files in different directories. As the number of peripheral datasets (or "work" files) increased beyond the provisions of the original file name table, there was also a need to provide for customizing all of the default work file dataset names.
The new File Setup program divides the various files used in FHS into four groups:
A separate directory can be specified for each of the file groups, and a table is provided for default names for datasets in each of the Work, Transfer and Report groups. Further, when any of the auxiliary datasets are opened, the user is given an opportunity to alter the name of the dataset.
- The Family Group - consisting of the NAM, ADR, OTH and NDX datasets;
- The Work Group - consisting of the Ancestor, Descendant, Relative, Reference and Select file types;
- The Transfer Group - consisting of the GEDCOM and MailMerge file types; and
- The Report Group - Consisting of the Tiny Tafel and Report File types.
A Family File Setup consists of the names of the .NAM, .ADR and .OTH datasets and either a directory for the family group of datasets, or a drive identifier for each of the .NAM, .ADR or .OTH datasets. (This continued support for placing individual family file datasets on different diskettes.) Further, each family file setup is assigned an 8 character identifying code and a short descriptive label, and the user can identify which of the family file setups is to be the Default setup, used when an FHS work session begins. All file definition information is kept in a "Family File Defintion" file, FHSFILE.FDF. (Multiple FDF files can be created and the FDF file to be used in an FHS session can be selected prior to the beginning of the session using the DOS command: SET FHSFILE=xxxxxxx where xxxxxxx is the prefix of the desired FDF file.)
Within each report program, option F1 allows the user to select the Family File setup to be used from a list of identifying CODEs and Descriptions. (Pressing CTRL+F1 in a report program transfers control to the Family File Setup utility if it is necessary to make any modifications to the definitions.) In this way it is possible to switch among multiple family files with just a few keystrokes.