*AT A GUESS* and it is only a guess -- the Ethel file you opened was an earlier version of the Ethel file you wanted. This would explain why data you thought was there isn't. I just discovered that I've got one PAF filename with a space in it "His name.paf", and a second one "Hisname.paf". No clue how that happened or why. I just know it caused me grief last week when I opened Hisname but needed His name. :( Yes, when you add people from one database into another, the RINs of those people change. The RIN is nothing more than a sequence marker for who you added /to THIS database/ first. Cheryl Genbug6607@aol.com wrote: > Here is a step by step account of what I did and this is in response to > Bill's letter too. > First I made a new folder for the gedcom I had received, I called it my > Harper family. > Next I imported that gedcom into the new folder, called My Harper family. > Then I arranged them side by side in windows to look at both of them, but I > found it hard to see the connections that way, so I exited both windows > and then imported the Harper gedcom into my Ethel data file. then I set > about checking for duplicates and made a list of them and started merging > duplicates.. At that point the duplicates list gave both his (Harper) RINs and > my Ethel RINS so it looked alright except that my Ethel RIN numbers had all > been changed from those i originally had. (Is that normal?) That's when I > checked back to see how different the numbers were I found many of my people > missing, for instance i had my father's line back to the immigrant > ancestor but now it went back just 3 generations; I then searched randomly for > other names i knew should be there& they weren't. > Since then, i've looked at the list of files that i can find when I click > on the"file" menu and there was one there for Ethel but not the one i had > merged into.(It was an earlier one) i could open that Ethel folder and > everything in it was OK except it does not include my most recent work. I > have that on the backup I made just before I started on this. but now i'm > afraid to restore it for fear I"ll do more damage. > > any thoughts now? > > Puzzled, Ethel > > > In a message dated 2/6/2011 9:21:21 P.M. Central Standard Time, > lemow@email.com writes: > > > Ethel, > It sounds to me like you imported the GEDCOM file into a new file and then > saved it with the name of your old file. But to be sure please give us a > step by step sequence of how you think you did it including any warnings > you may have gotten. When you say you merged it into your old file you leave > us wondering just what you did to merge it. You can not merge two data > files. You have to import one into the other. > Lynn > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Genbug6607@aol.com > To: paf-5-users@rootsweb.com > Sent: Sun, Feb 6, 2011 6:44 pm > Subject: Re: [PAF-5] mergeing > > > First into a new file and then merged it into my existing file. Ethel > > > n a message dated 2/5/2011 9:05:14 P.M. Central Standard Time, > emow@email.com writes: > > thel, > id you import the GEDCOM into your existing file or a new file? > ynn > > > > ----Original Message----- > rom: Genbug6607@aol.com > o: paf-5-users@rootsweb.com > ent: Sat, Feb 5, 2011 6:22 pm > ubject: Re: [PAF-5] mergeing > > his is about merging but not the problem being discussed here. i just > rged a gedcom into my database and it appears that I have lost all of my > ople who were not related to those I merged. Of course , I made a > ackup > fore I began and will use it, but i can't understand why this would > ppen. I don't recall it happening before. Where did i go wrong? > thel in Nebraska > > a message dated 2/5/2011 6:59:44 A.M. Central Standard Time, > a1935@yahoo.ca writes: > ook under Options. There are check boxes that list what you might want > o > erge. > ultimedia is in the list. If you do not check some of them, then you > uld loose that topic. > hould have included that step before. :-( > ea > -- On Fri, 2/4/11, Earl Park<parkj052@hawaii.rr.com> wrote: > From: Earl Park<parkj052@hawaii.rr.com> > ubject: Re: [PAF-5] mergeing > o: paf-5-users@rootsweb.com > eceived: Friday, February 4, 2011, 6:08 PM > eant to ask, if I have a image and > ther things like notes will it merge > hem also? > Thanks for the great tip. > arl > > ---- Original Message ----- > rom: "Bea"<bea1935@yahoo.ca> > o:<paf-5-users@rootsweb.com> > ent: Friday, February 04, 2011 2:45 AM > ubject: Re: [PAF-5] mergeing > > ince you say the two sources are not identical, you have > o edit them until > hey match. > 1) Under Edit, click on Sources > 2) Look for the sources that are mismatched. If you began > he titles > ifferently, correct the titles so they appear the same and > hey will show > p one affter the other. > 3) Then edit the one that is least correct (spaces and > uncutation count in > rrors) > 4) Once done then try out the merge sources again. > 5) If you have trouble finding the cause of a mismatch, try > aking a copy > nd paste of each line in the good source and paste it into > he bad one in > ts proper place. The problems often occur because of a > isplaced space or > omma. > Bea > > --- On Fri, 2/4/11, Earl Park<parkj052@hawaii.rr.com> > rote: >> From: Earl Park<parkj052@hawaii.rr.com> > Subject: [PAF-5] mergeing > To: paf-5-users@rootsweb.com > Received: Friday, February 4, 2011, 4:18 AM > Aloha All, > > Is there a way to merge two different sources into one > ike > we do with > individuals? > > I made a mistake and created a same second source with > > slightly different > name when I already had that one. > > I see where there is a item under the "Tools" dropdown > enu > "Merge Duplicate > Sources and Citations" I have clicked on it and it > did something but not > what I wanted to do. What it did I have no clue what > ever it did it did it > 31 times, ha... > > Any thoughts.... > Thanks > Earl