This time around, nothing as major as the database changes in MacFamilyTree 6.0.3 to improve performance, however the media loading performance has been improved, and some of the changes are due to the database changes.

Changes/Updates:
* Assigning labels to families or media fixed
* Media loading performance improved
* Database migration fixes
* Other bugfixes

It’s a free update for existing MacFamilyTree 6 users and the udpate or trial can be downloaded here (Synium Software)

More importantly, there are, and I quote, “major database changes” which were implemented to increase performance. This probably means that once your genealogy database is updated/upgraded, you won’t be able to use it in an older version of MacFamilyTree. There are also some interface fixes, and improved image handling within MacFamilyTree.

Changes/Updates:
* Major database changes for increased performance
* Fixes for the Apple Aperture image picker
* Several user interface bugs fixed
* Images can now be rotated directly in MacFamilyTree
* Fixes and performance improvements for nearly all charts

Mac OS X 10.5 or 10.6 are required, and this is a free update for existing MacFamilyTree 6 users.

Changes/Updates:
* In line with a primary objective of PAWriter to produce for publication genealogical books and articles, the following changes to RTF reports were made:

RTF Reports
* RTF files can be opened by a number of word processing and desktop publishing programs. By default, RTF files will launch Nisus Writer Pro ($79 download at the Nisus store web page). Nisus Writer Pro is a fully functional desktop publishing program for MacOS X. Macworld awarded Nisus Writer Pro four and a half mice (out of five) in December 2009, and William Porter said in their review that “Nisus Writer Pro competes with [MS] Word better than any word processor I’ve seen in a very long time.” Nisus Writer Pro was also the winner of the Reader’s Choice Awards of 2010 for word processors, with Pages ’09 and MS Word 2008 as first and second runners-up.

Indexes in RTF Reports
* Register, Ahnentafel, Lineage and Dictionary reports in RTF each include an index in a separate section at the end of the report. The index appears in two columns. An entry in an index refers to the entry number in the main text (not the page number). This index may be deleted and an automatic index inserted by Nisus Writer Pro which refers to page numbers and includes entries for married women under their married surnames.
* The same replacement of the index can be done in MS Word; however there is a flaw in MS Word which requires global replacement of the two character combination : (backslash colon) by just a single : (colon) when all nonprinting characters are shown, before the new index is inserted with nonprinting characters not shown.
* None of the programs listed below can automatically generate page-numbered indexes.

Opening RTF Reports in Other Programs
* Other word processors which can open RTF files include Pages, TextEdit and Tex-Edit. Quick Look properly displays RTF files. Preview cannot open RTF files. AppleWorks opens RTF files but unfortunately displays certain nonprinting characters, and this display can’t be suppressed. BBEdit and TextWrangler display just the internal RTF code.

Pagination in RTF Reports
* Pages are alternately left and right pages as would appear in normal book format. When saved as PDF and the PDF opened in Preview, you can choose to PDF Display Two Pages from the View menu to view two pages in book format, providing the window is wide enough. If printed, you should choose Layout Two-Sided Long-Edge binding from the Print dialog (assuming your printer has duplex printing capability).

Double Periods in RTF Reports
* Double periods may occasionally occur in RTF reports. This can occur when a given name or a suffix ending in a period appears at the end of a paragraph. In general double periods always should be globally replaced by single periods.

Footnote Numbers in RTF Reports
* Notes may be entered for a person in PAWriter, and they are refered to in RTF reports as “exposition” because they contain background information, documentation, evidence, and other substantiation for the conclusions drawn about a person’s life events, as well as clarification, explanation, elucidation, explication, interpretation, appraisal, assessment and/or other commentary relevant to the person’s life.
* An exposition on a person may contain footnotes. In HTML and MML reports, footnote numbers appear as simple superscripted numbers. In RTF reports, footnote numbers appear as superscripted numbers enclosed in square brackets, as is the standard practice in the New England Historic and Genealogical Society publications. (The generation numbers appearing before people’s names do not include the brackets.)

Colors in RTF Reports
* Various headings in RTF reports appear in color: major headings which might appear in a table of contents appear in red, and some other headings appear in blue to make them easy to spot. (In Nisus Writer Pro, you can change all colors to black if you choose Select All from the Edit menu and then choose Text Color Black from the Format menu.)

Splitting RTF Registers
* When you choose to create an RTF register with two or more generations, you will be asked if you wish to split the report into two reports at a selected generation. Some RTF registers may be quite lengthy, and this capability provides for producing two shorter registers, each of which might become a different volume of a book.

It can be downloaded here.

I’m not sure of where to download this – I discovered it when I opened up my MacFamilyTree 5.7.7 install and it was asking to update automatically. You could probably get the download information from Synium Software’s contact page or just run your auto-update feature within MacFamilyTree.

Changes in 5.7.8
* Many fixes in the Kinship Report
* Fixed an issue migrating older databases
* Smaller user interface fixes
* Improved auto update

I figured the update to 5.7.7 back at the beginning of July was the last 5.7 series update, but I was wrong. They even improved the auto update in 5.7.8 as well as user interface fixes, which could mean future 5.7.x releases for those who haven’t upgraded to MacFamilyTree 6 yet.

This is a massive update. In addition to some bug fixes, it’s centered around one major new feature. It’s a format that is being called the “Address Book” format, and GEDitCOM II 1.5 Build 2 is required to use this format. In order for the new format to work, new features were added to GEDitCOM. You can down load the new format at GEDitCOM.com/interfaces.

The “Address Book” is not just something that tracks somebody’s name and other information. It literally adds in a format to add and edit events centered around specific residences. This extends to adding and editing information on multimedia objects that are tied to a residence. You can also search for, and find, all individuals that lived at a specific residence, or have a specific residence tied to them.

For a full list, see the Changes below.

Changes:

* A new user interface format called “Address Book” is available on the formats download page. This format turns GEDitCOM II into an address book. Its main purpose is to enter and edit residence events. In addition it displays and can edit notes on multimedia objects for each residence and for the main individual, can export vCards, can create an Address Book report, and can find all individuals in your files that have residences.

* Several new scripts are available for download:
– “Address Book” – create an address book report for all individuals that have documented residences.
– “Export vCards” – export all or selected records to a standard .vcf file that can be imported into applications like Apple’s Address Book application. It is most useful when the exported individuals have document residence information.
– “Find Special Events” script – finds all records having a selected type of event.
– “Fix FamilySearch Download” – some GEDCOM files downloaded from familysearch.org have minor issues with GEDCOM data. This script cleans up some known problems.
– The prior “Descendants Outline” script (to Report, to Pages, or to Word) had a bug and the fixed scripts have been posted.
– The prior “Create Web Site” script is improved in the way in handles multimedia objects linked to more than one record.

* Several enhancement to scripting options were added, including some used in the above new scripts:
– New local string for key command to retrieve translation of string into current language for the current format.
– The user input command now automatically selects the initial text for easier user editing.
– Application has a new scriptMessage property that can read messages sent to scripts when run from a format (see ScriptMessage below).
– The display command can specify sorting alone to sort the current list in the index window.
– New message visible property of the application determines if the panel that is displayed while scripts are running is visible or hidden. When hidden, it will reappear if needed to show a message to the user.
– The date text command has a new optional parameter to specify the format of the date created by the command.
– New object form property can read and set the FORM field for multimedia object records.

* Fixes and additions to the user interface formatting system:
– New reverse option in expressions will reverse a comma-separated list. It is most useful for place names to show the highest part (e.g., country) first rather then the smallest part (town). It can be useful when sorting by places.
– Some text fields used to draw with unneeded blank space below them and that space is now removed (this fix was in an upgrade previously posted 17 July 2010).
– Expression cells did not correctly set color and size of text, but now work correctly.
– New ScriptMessage property can send a message to a script that is run by a ScriptLink property.
– Added Swedish to the “Default Format”

Other changes/updates:
* When you change column sorting in the index window, the previously selected records remain now selected.
* Your choice for “Check Spelling as you Type” now applies to all text fields and is remembered for new windows and even the next time your run GEDitCOM II.
* You can control click on cells in a family tree for a menu of options such as open the record or show ancestors and descendants.
* The search for “GEDCOM Text” was broken and is now restored (this fix was in an upgrade previously posted 17 July 2010).
* A crash was possible when going to next record while current record is still rendering html content. It appears to be fixed.
* Reports that linked to email address did not correctly start your preferred email program, but now work correctly.
* Fixed problem where trees would sometimes print without the lines connecting the cells.
* Fixed problem printing formats with wide display, such as the “Pedigree Format.” It now prints on multiple pages in width direction if needed.