At 11:59 PM 7/26/2002 -0400, you wrote: >1. Continuing your present system is TOTALLY dependent upon Bruce >maintaining the SAME record number system and database format within >RootsMate...for all SUBSEQUENT new additions. True. >2. Secondarily, as mentioned, it seems too constraining to depend upon NEVER >deleting an individual, or merging two individuals, or packing the database, >or experiencing corruption without an up-to-date backup. I have done all of these things with no problems, i.e. the records numbers have not changed after any of these events. >3. Another consideration would be the lack of portability. Should you later >desire to split your database or move/copy individuals to another database >via Gedcom (or DragNDrop) or even restoring a full backup to a new database >and then "pruning" will result in the dreaded record number changes that >will no longer correllate to your photo-naming convention. Same goes for any >intention of sharing a "portion" of your database/photos with others. If any of these situations would ever come up I had planned to restore a full backup and then prune as necessary. This will not affect any remaining record numbers, even after packing. Having done numerous tests I am convinced this is true with FO. The portability problem would show up in going to another genealogy application. Then one would have to accept the meaningless filenames or change them. (Granted, even in FO, moving individuals into another established database would also render the filenames meaningless if pictures were shared too.) In hindsight I should have used a more portable naming system but at the time the Bruce/FO situation seemed very stable. I have no close relatives who are 'into' genealogy so I didn't have to concern myself with portablility to any other software. I will try to make my next naming system ironclad. :-) Thanks for the response. Jim Wise

Hoping that more people will share their image file naming systems and plans for family books. Started a new FO 10 file this week using a GEDCOM and planning a Journal for the first time. Using an Outline plus multiple scrapbooks for each of Richard's children like a chapter. Considering an ancestor chart with photos for the oldest child in each household to show where each new "chapter" starts. More source documents are expected shortly, 1901 Canadian census images are available free on the Internet so the book-in-progress cannot be updated in a word processor without a lot of extra work. The goal is to have a single PDF file that could be printed at an office copy service. Cover and Table of Contents might have to be copied separately and added before binding. Many of the scanned images have names like 1901censusSurnameRich&Jane.jpg but file name alone doesn't tell which branch because descendants of brothers George and Richard are normally kept in two databases with pictures in multiple Windows folders by household. Book about George's line already has 150 pages, and Richard's family has more pictures available so I don't want to combine them into a single book or file. Previous FO 10 book was a single descendant report for a branch with only 17 images. GEDCOM to two other genealogy programs kept links to *individual* pictures but spacing of notes was best in FO because it had been planned during editing. Can't recall if multiple individual pictures or family scrapbook pictures were kept in the transfer but they didn't show in descendant reports. Elizabeth ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jim Wise" > In hindsight I should have used a more portable naming system but at the > time the Bruce/FO situation seemed very stable. I have no close relatives > who are 'into' genealogy so I didn't have to concern myself with > portablility to any other software. I will try to make my next naming > system ironclad. :-)