By Dale Farris, Vice President
Golden Triangle PC Club
August 2004

RootsMagic is the easiest to use family tree software available for Windows XP, 95, 98, ME, NT, and 2000, yet is also one of the most powerful. Now version 2 makes the best even better, with powerful wall charting, full publishing capabilities, the easiest merge feature available, and much more.

General Operations

Although RootsMagic is the easiest to use genealogy software available, it is also one of the most powerful.

The Main Screen

RootsMagic has three main views: the Pedigree View, the Family View, and the Descendants View. You switch between the three views by simply clicking on the tab for the desired view. All three views are fully navigatible using either the mouse or arrow keys. Double clicking on a person's name brings up the data entry screen for that person. You can even open multiple databases side by side.

The Edit Screen
The RootsMagic edit screen lets you add an unlimited number of facts for every person (i.e. birth, death, marriage, occupation, religion, description, etc). If you want to add a fact type that isn't in RootsMagic' predefined list, you can simply create your own fact types. RootsMagic also allows notes and unlimited source citations for every fact. Tabs on the top of the edit screen allow you to enter notes, sources, photos, addresses, and to-do list items for each person.

The RootsMagic Explorer
The RootsMagic Explorer is the heart of the RootsMagic search system. The Explorer makes it easy to find and edit anyone in your file. Quickly search by surname or given names, or perform sophisticated searches easily. Even find women by their married names. And you can easily edit any person in the search list with the click of a single button.

Sources - Documenting Your Family History
RootsMagic provides a powerful source list which lets you add, edit, delete, and print the sources of your information. Simply add the source once, then when you add a fact to a person and want to document where that information came from, you simply point to the source in the source list. And best of all, the RootsMagic SourceWizard will help you write properly formatted sources regardless of your expertise.

Printing Reports
RootsMagic offers a large selection of printouts, all available from a single report dialog. Pedigree charts, family group sheets, wall charts, 7 styles of narrative reports (where RootsMagic writes the sentences for you), numerous lists, mailing labels, calendars, relationship charts, individual summaries, photo tree, and blank charts. And if that isn't enough, RootsMagic even provides a custom report generator, so you can create your own specialized lists.

Publish Your Family History
Publishing your family history has never been easier. The RootsMagic Publisher lets you combine multiple reports and charts into a single document, and will automatically create a table of contents and full index for the book. You can include photos, notes, sources and other text in your book. You can even add cover and title pages, copyright page, dedication, and more. Send your book directly to your printer, or save it to a PDF file to burn on a CD or email to family members.

Create Spectacular Wall Charts
RootsMagic lets you create beautiful full color ancestor, descendant, and hourglass wall charts. You have full control over the positioning, size, colors, fonts, and other aspects of every object in the chart. With simple mouse control you can resize an individual’s box, or drag it to another location on the canvas without breaking the family links. You can change colors of individual boxes, or change the font or color of the text in the boxes. You can even customize your chart by adding additional text, pictures, or shapes to the chart, and you can change the background image or color.

Merging Duplicate Records
RootsMagic provides the most powerful and easy to use merge capabilities available. RootsMagic will automatically look for duplicate individuals and display them in a list with the most likely matches listed first. Simply click a button to merge the duplicate pair, or mark them as "not a match" so that they won't show up in any future merge sessions. Plus, RootsMagic features SmartMerge technology to let you quickly merge all those "for certain" duplicates.

Website Generator
RootsMagic can generate professional looking web sites automatically from your data, in narrative format, pedigree chart format, family group sheet format, or a combination pedigree / family group sheet format.

New and Improved Features

General Features
Runs under Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, and XP
Three navigation views: Pedigree, Family, Descendants
Open multiple databases on screen at the same time
Drag and drop people between databases
Open multiple copies (and views) of the same database
Add unlimited people, facts/events, notes, sources, and more
60 predefined fact types (birth, marriage, death, occupation, religion, etc)
Create your own user defined fact types
Easily track multiple relationships, such as adoptions, foster parents, etc Integrated backup and restore help safeguard your data

Easy to Learn and Use
Work from pedigree, family, or descendants view (or switch back and forth)
Family members are automatically linked as you add them
Automatically checks for duplicates as you add people
Just double click on a person's name to edit that person
RootsMagic Explorer lets you easily find and edit anyone in your family tree
Customize the tool bar to include the functions you use most
Easy to use Explorer-like help system

Publish Your Family History
RootsMagic Publisher lets you create complete books with narrative, notes, charts, photos, source bibliography, index, and more
Include cover page
Include title page
Include table of contents
Include copyright page
Include dedication page
Include acknowledgements page
Include preface
Include free form text pages
Customize your index format and number of columns
Print to printer, Adobe Acrobat (PDF), or export to your word processor (RTF)
Customize headers, footers, margins, fonts for any printout

Spectacular Wall Charts
Ancestor Wall Charts in any orientation (left to right, bottom to top, etc)
Descendant Wall Charts in any orientation (top to bottom, left to right, etc)
Hourglass Charts (combined ancestors and descendants) in any orientation (top to bottom, left to right, etc)
Timeline Charts
Drag and drop to resize and move individual boxes
Add a background image or color
Print charts up to 57 feet wide
Print charts on regular size paper and tape together, or print on large format printer
Export charts to JPG, EMF, and other graphic formats
Add freeform text, photos, and shapes to your charts

Reports
Pedigree Charts (standard and cascading)
Family Group Sheets
Narrative reports (modified register, indented descendancy, Henry descendancy, D'Aboville descendancy, and ancestor)
Register format (NEHGS) descendant report
Ancestor box charts
Descendant box charts Individual summary prints everything you know about a person
Calendars with birthdays and anniversaries
Custom report designer
Relationship chart shows exactly how two people are related
Scrapbook of pictures for people, families, sources, and places
Blank pedigree charts, family group sheets, research logs, correspondence logs, and cemetery records forms
Address labels for mailings
Dozens of lists

Multimedia
Attach photographs, sound clips, video clips and documents to any person, family, place, source, or event
Scan photos directly into RootsMagic
Photo editor lets you adjust sharpness, brightness, contrast, and crop, rotate, and zoom images Include photos in your books, group sheets, and other printouts
Copy photos from your scrapbook directly to the clipboard

Documenting Your Family History
SourceWizard automatically writes proper sources for you
More SourceWizard templates (newspaper clipping, diary or journal, military service file, marriage license, website, diploma, personal knowledge)
Add notes and stories/notes to any fact or person
Easy to use source list tracks all your documentation (certificates, census, books, etc)
Enter each source only once, then reuse it elsewhere
Add a global source to each person when importing a GEDCOM file
Track repositories where the sources are found
Print your documentation (notes and sources) in your reports, summaries, and forms

Internet Features
Automatically create a website including photos, notes, sources, index, surname list, GEDCOM file, email, etc
Six types of websites: pedigree charts, group sheets, combo pedigree chart / group sheet, descendant narrative, ancestor narrative, alphabetical narrative Add your own links to your home page "Privatize" living persons in your website
Automatically check for updates to your software Family Reunion Planner

Tools
Correspondence Log lets you keep track of all your incoming and outgoing correspondence
Bookmark any individuals in your database History list lets you backtrack through last 200 people visited
Back button moves back to previously visited people
Spell Checker checks the current notes, or all notes
Global search and replace for notes, sources, names, places, etc.
Color code groups of individuals in your database
Counts the number of separate trees in your database
"To do" list lets you keep track of research you still need to do for any person or family
Date calculator
Pop up calendar when entering dates
Relationship calculator shows you the relationship between any two people
Soundex calculator (including alternate methods)
Powerful merge capabilities, including SmartMerge and ShareMerge
Prioritized merge list
Mark possible duplicates as "not a match"
Interactive problem list
Edit problem person or family directly from problem list
Mark possible problems as "not a problem"
Search by name, record number, dates, places, notes, and many other types of data
Place list lets you enter place history for each place
Place list lets you enter the latitude and longitude for each place

Compatibility
Full GEDCOM 5.5 support so you can exchange data with other programs
GEDCOM import option to combine into current database or create a new database
Full LDS support, including full TempleReady support, automatic ordinance updating, selection of qualified ordinances, and the ability to view and edit all ordinance information from a single screen
LDS support can be turned on or off

Recommendation

RootsMagic is one of the more easy to use genealogy programs now on the market. Adding family members is very intuitive and the multiple navigation views and search features make it easy to keep track of where individuals fit into the family tree. Version 2 adds new charts and reports, including hourglass, timeline, and wall charts, the NEHGS register report, and ancestor and descendant box charts.

Sources can be created once and reused multiple times, and a Source Wizard is also available to help novice researchers include the necessary information in the proper format.

Excellent research planning and tracking tools in RootsMagic include a correspondence log, interactive problem list, missing information list, and "to do" lists for specific individuals, families, or the entire database. Full multimedia scrapbook and family history book publishing capabilities round out the complete genealogy package.

Most of the features in this comprehensive program are of course not unique in today's market of genealogy software programs, but RootsMagic 2 shines in bringing these many tools and features together in a program that is easy to use right out of the box. The company also makes available Web based support in the form of FAQs, message boards, and mailing lists, all of which involve the company's CEO and software author, Mr. Bruce Buzbee.

Anyone new to genealogy software will want to give serious consideration to RootsMagic 2 as their first application to use in their work to track the history of their family.

The RootsMagic Family

In addition to RootsMagic, the company also sells other family history products, including Family Reunion Organizer, Family History CD, GenSmarts, AniMap Plus, Personal Historian, and Pocket Genealogist.

Price

$29.95 retail price
$19.95 upgrade price from v. 1
$39.95 bundle - software plus book, "Getting the Most Out of RootsMagic"

System Configuration Requirements

Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, and XP

Contact

Bruce Buzbee, President
RootsMagic
P.O. Box 495
Springville, Utah 84663
801-489-3102
877-766-8762
www.rootsmagic.com