Hi Philo, I admire your patience and attachment to Ahnentafel numbers. I was unaware - although I used the early versions of PAF - that such early versions of PAF would allow the re-allocation of RIN numbers or have I just forgotten? Certainly the current version does not - and could only be achieved by using PAF Insight. Details of the PAF Insight program can be seen at www.ohanasoftware.com - I sincerely hope that this will not set you off reallocating your 50,000 RIN numbers!!! Following on from my previous post - I still think that any institutionalised reliance on the value of RIN numbers will ultimately end in tears. Although like yourself and many others that have posted - I also would pay close attention to RIN number checking as and when I have to do any merging, deleting, linking or unlinking maintenance - but the numbers at the time could be anything and different the next time I do maintenance - they do not mean anything to me. The "Custom ID" is I believe a much safer way of tagging your records for long term identification - and the custom ID can be selected to print on reports instead of the RIN. Further note on your use of the Ancestry book report (excellent report!) - for those that may not be aware, this report of course dynamically and automatically generates Ahnentafel numbers relative to the selected starting person for the report irrespective of the assigned RIN's. Regards, Stewart -----Original Message----- From: Philo Redfield [mailto:redfieldresearcher@yahoo.com] Sent: 24 June 2005 16:35 To: PAF-5-USERS-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [PAF-5] Rin Number and How I Use them as a Great AID Hello Group, I have been reading the discussion about RIN number for some time and now want to tell who and why I use RIN number. If is because PAF displays the RIN number that I use PAF. Other Genealogy program have a unique nubmer but they do not display the number. When I first started to do my data entry into PAF 2.3 in DOS years ago I created a 7 generation blank setup for my ancestors in Ahnentafel order. As I entered my direct ancestors into my database I used the RIN number associated with them the Ahnentafel order until I got past 7 generations. At that point I watched and moved the direct ancestors to the proper RIN Number when I reached about 30,000 names in the file to gave up this moving system. I am still using my original file after all these years and so my RIN numbers have remained the same. I create ancestors and descendants book printout to share either via E-Mail or printed form, listing the RIN number on the file. I ask that when people want to talk about any person on these reports that they tell me the RIN number of the person they want to discuss. My database is not at 51,600 names and with many names exactly the same and many living about the very same time period in the same places, I want to get to the exact person another research is working with. I also use the RIN number when I want to Unlink and Relink to a family. I know that using the RIN number I have the same person and will not make an error. I do not know how anyone can do editing in there database with out using the RIN number as the greatest tool that PAF has given us for a great aid. Do not worry about blank RIN numbers. When a new person is added to the database they will given the blank numbers until all RIN numbers have been used. I can see if you keep making GEDCOM files of your database and importing your file in a new name your RIN number will changed. Also making reference to RIN in Notes is only useful to the author and not others. A confidential tag could be placed before this NOTE, if this type of information is useful. Where can the program INSIGHT be obtained? I have not heard about this program before. I hope that my usage of the RIN Number will give some of you ideas of how they can be useful to you. Later, Philo Redfield RedfieldResearcher@yahoo.com __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ==== PAF-5-USERS Mailing List ==== PAF-5-USERS Mailing List Search http://searches2.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl?list=PAF-5-USERS

----- Original Message ----- From: "Stewart Millar" <sm999@tiscali.co.uk> > I was unaware - although I used the early versions of PAF - that such early > versions of PAF would allow the re-allocation of RIN numbers or have I just > forgotten? Certainly the current version does not - and could only be > achieved by using PAF Insight. > Actually that is not precisely true. There is a way, by using creative deletions, additions and merges, to re-allocate RINs within PAF, although it is tedious to do more than a few. Gary Templeman