Major Updates to the Family History System
The following list indicates the changes incorporated in the various versions of the basic Family History System. The version is identified by the date that appears on the title screen for the system. Some versions were distributed only to registered users who had reported problems. (Note: in the early days of FHS, every program change resulted in a change to the "version" date of the software's Title screen. Later, that date only changed for "major" updates to the software.)In the following list, which was developed over many years, I've left in references which now are only curiosities... such as the mention of moving to 360k diskettes for distributing the programs. I hope that you find them, as I do, merely amusing sidelites rather than offensive trivia.
- February 1985 - first version released for general use
- March 1985 - corrected error in ancestor chart program when producing charts for an individual with related ancestors;
- May 7, 1985 - corrected loop that occurred when attempting to select an individual from empty search or child list;
- May 1985 - corrected GWBASIC syntax error in descendant report program;
- changed report programs to permit giving 1-5 character file specification as the `printer' destination;
- changed default screen attributes for graphics adapter to avoid `colors' that do not show up on TANDY monochrome monitor;
- June 1985 - changed report programs to allow for versions of Basic that do not erase line 25 when the screen is cleared.
- September 1985 - Added Status fields for Birth/Death dates and Mother/Father ID numbers.
- Recognise adoptive relationships.
- Added page numbers to descendant report.
- Corrected error in report programs when "Forms Offset">0
- Added orientation/installation procedure (GO.BAT).
- Distribution diskette changed to 9 sector format.
- DOS 2.0 or later required for using distribution diskette.
- October 7, 1985 - Corrected "pointer" update error when deleting first line of comments display.
- Corrected un-cleared "?" characters in "Birth Date" field of ancestor charts.
- October 23, 1985 - corrected errors when adding/deleting "other" data records in file update program.
- November 1985 - Minor changes/corrections to Manual;
- Correct error (loss of free record chain) when ESCaping from the addition of address or "other" type information;
- correct errors in family group and descendant reports when marriage record exists but spouse is not known (spouse ID=0).
- December 1985 - added checks in report programs to assure that all files used "match";
- corrected problem with non-appearing cursor on Tandy 1000;
- removed "undocumented" program FAMLIST.BAS;
- changed all programs to recognize cursor control keys on Tandy 2000;
- added "margin" to printer parms of report programs to allow "centering" report on page;
- corrected error when updating mother ID status field;
- (after Dec 5 - added options to print descendant reports grouped by generation or families, and when grouped by families may be in a "chart" format.
- December 9, 1985 - Updated Section 5 of manual (descendant report description;
- use of printer destination to route report output to dataset);
- added line numbers to descendant report (in margins when MARGIN>=3).
- (after Dec 17 - corrected missing spouse death date, spouse mother dates in family group report.
- Dec 19 - corrected update of "offset" parm in family group prog.)
- (First set of enhancements available for registered users.
- December 25, 1985 - corrected error when producing descendant list for married individual with no children when margin=0
- January 1986 - corrected problem with "lost descendants" in descendant report program when using GWBASIC; update Appendix A.
- January 9, 1986 - changed ancestor chart program to correctly process death date status field.
- February 8, 1986 - Changed Chart program to place info about latest spouse of entry #1 in lower left corner;
- added line indicating which previous chart is being continued;
- Changed install procedure for hard disk (requires BASIC language files to be in main directory of the hard disk).
- February 1986 - Corrected problem when formatting invalid dates.
- March 1986 - Added Main Menu option F8 for executing DOS commands;
- (Search/Select/LIST program available for registered users)
- May 1986 - Added primary menu option F5 (weekday routine) to file maintenance program;
- changed FAMFILES, FAMSCRNA, FAMPRNTC to require diskette with FAMILY.DAT in default drive;
- Changed FAMSCRNA to check for invalid attributes and allow changing the error tone;
- compiled version of programs now available;
- (Export/Import option available for registered users.)
- June 1986 - Allow printing ID #'s in family grouped descendant report;
- Recognise delimiter (decimal '255') in printer table entries to truncate trailing zeroes;
- (option for creating MailMerge format address file for registered users.)
- Sept 1986 - Added Relative Report;
- May include Comments in Ancestor, Descendant & Relative reports;
- Allow ESCape from update of Spouse ID & marriage status;
- corrected CLEAR option of search options in file maintenance program.
- after Sept 27 - corrected problems in ancestor chart program: truncated chart ID's, missing name in header if chart 0-1 not printed
- December 1986 - Family Group Report program changed to allow report to include all information on file for an individual;
- report programs changed to allow for printers that don't recognize a form feed control;
- GENESIS files moved to diskette with compiled programs.
- January 1987 - Adds character insert mode when editing comments; corrects some errors.
- Add IBM ProPrinter, HP Laserjet+ to selectable printers.
- February 1987 - Add "Surname...Use:" field to name record, for use with indexed files/reports in extended system.
- March 1987 - Add "Marriage PLACE" field to file definition and most reports;
- put marriage date & place fields in entries for male ancestors on ancestor chart;
- add "Date Produced" to ancestor chart
- May 14, 1987 - Added POPUPS directory with DATECALC & TIMECALC utilities.
- June 6, 1987 - Corrected error in spouse of entry #1 on ancestor chart when ancestor in entry #1 appeared in earlier chart entry;
- Changed report programs to check for FAMILY.DAT on program diskette before attempting to change printer SETUP.
- (after June 10 - Corrected inconsistency in DATECALC routine)
- (after June 25 - added prompt for ending update of spouse status info.)
- (after July 18 - Corrected error in FAMGROUP program-extraneous comments in empty spouse record area)
- October 1987 - Added options for "batch" printing of family group reports;
- added Merged Family Group Report;
- use death dates of spouses to determine # years married;
- DATECALC can now convert between old and new "style" dates;
- corrected error in printing spouse of entry #1 on ancestor chart
- (after Nov 6 - Added Mother & Father ID's in parent view;
- corrected missing underscores in marriage term place of family group report;
- change all programs to run FAMINIT if COMMON variables haven't been initialized.)
- (after Jan 4 - Make corrections to bypass logic for batch printing of family group reports)
- (after Jan 12 - Change Chart program to always place marriage place on chart; move chart entries #9,11,13,15 down one line)
- (after Jan 15 - Add #children for each child in family group report)
- (after Mar 26 - Corrected error in file update program when deleting marriage records having information in place fields)
- September 1988 - Added PAF GEDCOM Export/Import Program
- Moved FAMVALID to public version of system
- Added ALLGEN Ancestor Map option to FAMCHART
- Corrected FAMRELAT, FAMCHART to handle>26 generations (up to 53);
- Allow dates to be entered in DD.MM.YYYY or YYYY MM DD formats;
- Add "FILE" as option for report destination;
- Add options for pausing at the top of page;
- Allow isolating comments within braces for optional printing;
- Add F3 key for restoring field data when entering Name records;
- Add printer setups for Epson LQ850 and Star NX 1000;
- Add alternate Color table using light background (ALT+F6);
- Change Warning msg when file is being Re-CREATEd;
- Allow starting print of relationship reports and merged group reports at page>1;
- Use Free Form address format in merged group report; allow use of relationship work file for selecting group reports to print;
- allow to save group report selection list in SELECT work file;
- allow to print line with relationship and lineage of subject of group report;
- removed WEEKDAY option from file update program (replaced by DATECALC);
- add BROWSE.COM for viewing manual
- (after Oct 25 - correct error in famgroup program...wouldn't print blank group report first time it was tried)
- (after 1/11/89 - correct errors in:
- FAMINIT (if file names not saved in FAMILY.DAT then not able to print relationship in group reports);
- FAMFILES (escape from table update left msg at bottom of screen);
- FAMGROUP (erroneous relationship when printing single report; "illegal function call" error when formatting bloodline with adoptive relationship)
- (after 1/14/89 corrected errors in PAFGEDCM: problems importing PAF 2.1 Format GEDCOM files when name record numbers are not in sequence, 1,2,3,...; burial, christening dates truncated; long death, marriage places not NOTEd correctly)
- March 1990 - Added "free format" ancestor/ descendant/ relative and family group reports;
- added menus for report options;
- optional name formats;
- allowed to set beginning page number of reports;
- revised Main Menu screen;
- allowed to set default format for date entry;
- create REFERENCE work file in report programs (for printing report indexes in registered version);
- print up to 9 blank group sheets at one time;
- GEDCOM program exports and imports either PAF 2.0 or PAF 2.1 format files;
- added export to ORGCHART file;
- validation program will reset mismatched header records;
- added ROYAL sample file;
- restored GENESIS sample file;
- Basic set of programs expanded to 3 diskettes.
- (after 4/26/90 - Corrected problems:
- FAMINIT "locked up" after saving change "to date format;
- PAFGEDCM processed dates incorrectly in 2.1 format)
- {after 4/30/90 - FAMCHART didn't process request for showing ID #'s or lineage numbers in 4 gen charts;
- {after 5/2/90 - PAFGEDCM will not produce DEAT DATE tag if year=9999;
- DATECALC: corrected handling of computing DATE2 when DIF is in years, months and days (e.g. 31 MAY + or -1 month);
- (after 5/07/90 - Corrected problem that some people had updating form size in Main Menu option F3-C)
- {after 5/21/90 - Corrected problems printing spouse information in free form descendant/relative reports;
- July 1990 - Added FAMDESCH program for printing Descendant Charts; GENESIS and ROYAL family files compressed with PKZIP;
- (after 09/07/90 - Added Ancestor MAP Options Menu: allow 1,2 or 3 data lines in ancestor Map, provide for place names, blank line between entries and non-continuous forms)
- (after 09/20/90 - Added option for selecting either COMMON or CIVIL Law Rules for creating Relationship Literals. COMMON Rules are the ones in which the child of a cousin is a 1C1R. In CIVIL Law rules, the child of a first cousin is a second cousin.)
- May 1991 - Documentation update; Documentation and Programs now placed in compressed (ZIP format) files reducing basic system to two 5 1/4" diskettes (or one 3 1/2" diskette)
- (after 01/20/92 - Added new program FAM4PRNT to provide interface to 4PRINT Utility for printing to HP Laserjet. Documented in file FAM4PRNT.DOC in MANUAL.ZIP
- April 1992 - Added new program FAMCHECK to support DATA Validation option F3-E-2
- Merged FAM4PRNT, FAMCHECK documentation into manual
- Added Index to Manual
- January 1993 - Added new program FAMGENCH for printing Generalized Box Charts
- Added new LifeLine format for Ancestor/ Descendant/ Relative reports
- Provided for saving default report/utility options in OPT files
- Provided alternate "long" address format
- Increased ID number fields on screen and in reports to 5 digits, allowing up to 32000 name records in family file
- Provided new "Page Format" options in report programs including support for printing on front and back of page
- Revised headings for many reports
- (after Jan 30 - Added new "Family Path" chart option to Generalized Box Chart program
- September 1997 - Programs rewritten for MS Basic 7.1.
- Provide Procedures for customizing software for other languages.
- Many other enhancements.