FHSWIN - Family History System for Windows

FHSWIN - Family History System for Windows

FHSWIN.pdf - a 25 page Adobe PDF document describing FHSWIN including screen captures of FHS forms. (This doesn't include very recent enhancements such as the Main Menu "About" option and support for the EVENT record, but does provide a convenient "hand held" format for becoming familiar with most of the information in the following items.)
FHSW Description - a web format description of the operation and screen FORMS used in FHSWIN.

FHSW16 - program and support files for an early version of FHSWIN prepared for Windows 95 (a 16-bit software environment). It hasn't been updated since 2009 and doesn't include many of the features listed below.
FHSW32 - a "32-bit" version of FHSWIN that runs in Windows XP and later versions. This version of FHSWIN has all modifications made since returning to work on it in 2018.
Note: Since I returned to working on "FHSWIN" in 2018, I have used FHSW2018 to denote the developing version for Windows. This will probably continue for the future until I reach what I might consider a "Final" development update. The following description deals more with what users of the DOS version might find interesting. The documentation items at the top of this page will give a better idea of what the new version is like.
This is to inform you of progress that has been made developing a "new" version of the Family History System, called FHSWIN, which is designed to run in the Windows environment. I am also making available programs that have been "completed" so far for those who may be interested in trying them out. Before describing how the new software works though, I should first let you know some things that you will, and won't, find there:

the family file format hasn't changed. While I have promised a redesign of the FHS family file format, I have made no efforts in that direction at this time. FHSWIN does incorporate recent (1997) changes to the family file format that are part of the Sept 97 update, including support for longer place names;
the features available at this time include most reports, charts and utility functions of the DOS version. FHSWIN provides for entering and updating all of the information in an FHS family file, including the EVENT record. The reports and charts that are now available are exactly like the same reports in the Sept 97 update of FHS (with a few minor enhancements). This includes the requirement that reports be printed in a single "fixed width" font such as "Courier New" or "MS Line Draw". The reports have NOT been redesigned to allow using proportional fonts or to permit changing font settings within a report. On the other hand, if you liked the variety of output that was previously offered by FHS, you may be encouraged to know that none of the reports or charts have been (or will be) "left out" in the conversion, and you will be able to take advantage of the Windows drivers for printing them.
the software uses the same "support files" as the Sept 97 update...these include the .CFG (configuration file), .FDF (file definition file), .TDF (table definition file), .MDF (message definition file) and .RDF (report definition file) files. There are currently no utilities for updating these within FHSWIN, but you still have the utilities in the Sept 97 update to accomplish that if you wanted to.
There is little support for the "Customization" feature of the DOS version of FHS beyond updating the .CFG file and displaying the contents of the Table (.TDF) and Message (.MDF) files.
Notes:

The .SDF (screen definition file) of the Sept 97 update is not used...the "screen formats" or "forms" are not customizable. Also, FHSWIN doesn't use the FHSINIT.DAT file of the Sept 97 update but has its own FHSWINIT.DAT file for certain tabular data.
There have been recent changes to the .TDF and .RDF to support adding an option for including a "Relative Sequence Number" in the Relative Reports. If the new .TDF and .RDF files are replaced by the older ones, that option will not be available. The new .TDF and .RDF file can be used with the DOS program, though that will not add support for the option to the DOS programs.
Although a printer definition file is used by the new update, it is only for page parameters (page width, length, margins, etc.), identificatoin of font and chart symbols. The "printer codes" are no longer needed because the programs rely upon Windows printer drivers for printer control.
The support files are placed in the directory/folder where FHSWIN is installed. To avoid overlaying any changes that you have made to the files for the Sept 97 update of FHS, FHSWIN should be installed in a different directory/folder from the previous versions of FHS. You could copy the support files from the FAMILY (DOS Program) directory to the FHSWIN directory if you want FHSWIN to pick up the changes that you have made to those files.