GRAMPS is packed full of features I have not needed - but it is fast and not bloated and I might need some more than I use at the moment one day (‘merge’ has proved a lifesaver) so that is not a complaint. However, with so many features and documentation that it has been accepted leaves quite a lot to be desired in places (in other places it is very good) I apologise if I have missed some features that, to me, seem quite basic.
One is a screen view that is similar to the Family Lines Graph limited to three generations only, legible on screen and scrollable left to right if overflowing. The disadvantages of Family Lines Graph report for some purposes is: (i) it is a little tricky to set up (powerful software means lots of options!); (ii) it does not automatically select the active person (I find it tedious to find the right one); (iii) it is slow to appear on screen (at least 10 seconds each time and it will often be several attempts before the result suits me); (iv) large families won’t fit legibly on a single screen; (v) the option is for the number of descendants (or ancestors) not the number (I’d like 3) of generations; (vi) it seems it won’t cover one direction only (10 seems to be the minimum number for both descendants and ancestors, whatever the setting for the other).
I struggle with visualising the options for “His granddaughter” and “Her cousin (presumably first and not removed) Tom”. For this I would find useful a comprehensive “one-screen” view covering only three generations that could be switched to and from instantly under the Charts option, with the active person remaining the focus. An example might help, assuming the “His” in “His granddaughter” is “Gpa” and already active in Pedigree View:
There are about twice as many people in that example as I can normally fit on one screen and it does display relationships that I find do not normally stand out in GRAMPS - but usually do with other software. It would be nice if clicking on a grandchild would switch the focus to that child (and if on Gma3 to Gpa’s third wife etc), but there would be no need for the grandchildren to appear as more than just their names.
If this already exists I’d appreciate advice how to access such a facility. If it does not I’d appreciate feedback whether others would have any use for it (I agree there is no point in volunteers spending their time developing such merely for my benefit).
I admit I hadn’t (though I did scan through gramplets). There is already so much as standard that I have not really gone looking for add-ons. I agree it looks promising (assuming the middle two rows are spouse plus an only child - I was looking for all the first generation children of all the first generation children of one individual). BUT there’s a big snag:
a test with about 7000 people took 10 minutes.
I have more than 7,000 people in one tree and I was really hoping for rather an opposite - something that would be as quick (or nearly) as switching between say Fan Chart and Pedigree!
That warning only applies if you are attempting to display all generations , but by default only 3 Ancestor generations and 10 Descendants generations are shown and you can adjust those numbers as needed.
You’re using the Gramps All in one installer which already has those prerequisites ( PyGoocanvas and Goocanvas.) and the Expert user bit is for other operating systems where you have to install all the other bits yourself. Give it a try
From the Charts category view select the Graph View icon or select View > Graph View from the menu.
Clicking “Charts” in the Navigator either takes me to Pedigree View or, if already there, seems to do nothing.
If I click View in the menu at the top “Graph View” does not appear.
That’s poor - and not only me. It’s not helpful that in the quote the Charts icon is shown (which was easy, even for me!, to find) and not the “Graph View icon” where knowing what it looks like might help me track it down.
If you have already looked at the list of addons offered up for installation, make sure you uncheck the Do not ask about previously notified addons in Preferences. This will re-display the list of addons not yet installed.
I’d read this page earlier and did not notice download instructions there, which is partly why I was quite happy to concede defeat. Spurred on by you I think I even tried clicking on the “these” of “these instructions”, but of course that is not part of the link. It was only when copying the whole sentence to explain to you another issue that I noticed what I copied contained a link. In that green block I can see four links moderately well, and the “Plugin Manager” one with a little difficulty but “instructions” seems exactly the same colour as the text immediately surrounding it. Presumably my eyesight, but I can see the other links there (just), I am not colour blind and I am wearing glasses in front of my PC, which I can see clearly.
However, I did get there, eventually. (I found out about Do not ask about previously notified addons by trial and error just before I saw your kind tip.)
S U C C E S S
The result is (a) quick and (b) almost exactly what I asked for (or that, plus a little!)
Many thanks for sticking with me. I feel it has been painful for a relatively minor result but the lessons I have learned may come in useful quite often in future.
P.S. This view is already proving very useful in ways I had not foreseen.
