Gramps Version 4.2.0 Operating system OS X El Capitan on iMac 20
Make certain to backup your data before upgrading ANY software.
The final stable version in the 4.x.x series was 4.2.8 in February of 2018. (You can still download the 4.2.8 Mac Version.) There were dozens of fixes added since 4.2.0 was released in August of 2015.
The 5.1.3 version was released last August and is available from the Gramps-Project macOS download page. (An update is imminent – planned for July.)
Started badly. I began in 2012 with My Heritage (245), moved to Gramps (570 persons). In 2019 Macbook pro trashed. Replacement Chrome book a gramps nogo. LDS familysearch rebuild. 2021 trying to restore in iMac.
At 77yo finding it hard.
Ok. Is this an accurate restatement of your question:
You have been entering your family genealogical data in FamilySearch’s communal Tree since 2019 after losing a 570 person Gramps Tree due to a MacBook Pro unrecoverable system crash. Now, you want to transfer the FamilySearch data to Gramps on an iMac 20.
If you have the files from the crashed MacBook Pro, there are more possibilities … but all the options are painful. (Even if you do have those files, importing those older files mean reconstructing all the extra data you’ve entered into FamilySearch for the last couple of years.)
The really bad news: FamilySearch does not have a feature to export data. It has no option to generate a GEDCOM data transfer file. Instead, they rely on ‘partner’ products to scrape their tree data. Some of those partners have free evaluation versions that can do this data scraping and then export the data as a GEDCOM. As the linked article describes, the process is awkward and painful.
(Unfortunately, Gramps is not a Partner. We cannot form a partnership with FamilySearch because: 1) the project doesn’t exist as a corporate entity with the legal right to sign an agreement; and, 2) even if we do incorporate, the FamilySearch agreement isn’t compatible with our software’s GNU general public license.)
The good news:
The current Gramps v5.1.3 MacOS release is listed as compatible with Mac OS X Leopard (version 10.5) and newer. OS X El Capitan is version 10.11, so your system will be compatible. And the installation of Gramps on a Mac has become much more simple.
And, if you have the files from the 2019 MacBook, it should be straightforward to get Gramps 5.1.3 installed and those 570 people back into Gramps.
Restatement accurate. I have the files on the iMac 20, but I need a procedure to install Gramps v5.1.3 and import the data.
I suspected the familysearch position and plan to scrape the data as simply as possible.
btw thanks for your help!
You’re welcome to any help I can provide.
There are 3 distinctly different options for installing Gramps on a Mac:
The preferred is to download the macOS Intel 5.1.3 .dmg file and Double-click it to mount the disk (note: your browser may do this for you automatically).
Next drag the Gramps application to your application folder and double-click to launch it
Gramps can also be installed on macOS using the MacPorts framework or Homebrew package manager. But that’s a bit more involved.
You can point Gramps at the Data with couple path selections in the Family Tree tab of the Edit → Preferences. If you have Gramps .gpkg backup archives or .Gramps backup files, browse the Backup Path to the folder, close Preferences, create a new blank Tree and import a backup.
If you have database file folders (which have folders with long names, each containing a .db database & a few control files), it is fewer steps. Just browse the Database Path preferences setting to that folder, close Preferences and the Manage Family Tree dialog should show the Trees to be opened.
Most likely, your Media objects will all be in different folders than expected. Don’t try to correct all these by hand.Use the Media Verify add-on tool to search for the updated paths and correct where Gramps believes them to be located.
Finally, take advantage of the Web Connect pack add-on to simplify navigating to the profile you want to scrape from FamilySearch. With the add-on installed, right-clicking a Person in the People category view will offer a pop-up menu option to open browser window seeking matching profiles (or records) in FamilySearch.
Gramps 5.1.3 installed. Import data started. Explore Backups, random files. Elucidate: point gramps at the data; browse the Backup Path.
More to follow.
Gramps, by default, expects Backup files to be in a particular folder path. And database files to be subfolders in a second folder.
The paths Gramps ‘points’ to are labeled ‘backup path’ & ‘family tree database path’ in the Family Trees tab of Preferences
I generally prefer to copy the recovered file to the expected folders … rather than ‘point’ Gramps to new paths (by clicking the folder icon and ‘browsing’/wandering through the folder hierarchy). Not because Gramps has problems with the change. We humans just find it easier when things match the documentation.
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