Sharing tree between two unlinked computers

Help
1

I am trying to access the family tree that my brother created. I have downloaded Gramps both independently and with the link he sent me, and his information does not appear either way. Any suggestions? We both have Windows 10 and I have tried both versions.

2

I suspect the Gramps community was stunned by this question and is having a difficult time deciding which misconception is the most important to address.

But here are the key points:

  1. Two computers running Gramps desktop applications are not designed to directly access the data in the same database across the net. Not simultaneously, not serially.

  2. If extremely meticulous, it is possible for different computers to acess the same database files iff they share the same LAN or Wifi subnet. The more common use is for the same users using different machines. (Like a Laptop for convenience and a desktop for more complex or computationally intense work.)

  3. The typical way relatives use the same data is by exchanging backup files. (In .gramps format if without media files. Or in .gpkg format if including archived media files too.) Typically, one person is sharing their research while the other is an Explorer. If both are researchers working independently but collaboratively, there are some (fussy) synchronization workflows.

  4. Gramps Web is for hosting Gramps database trees online for truly collaborative work. The access is via your favorite browser, not the Gramps desktop application. Setting up and administering a Gramps Web website is a technically challenging job with ongoing committments and hosting subscription expenses.

3

Thank you. that was very clear. Unfortunately, my brother and I do not share a house. We will have to do it some other way

Alison

4

Another option to consider is using Remote control software and install it on one of the computers or a third shared computer.

5

My approach to solve this issue is to generate a NarrativeWeb report.

The “main” computer is used for data entry with Gramps. This is the only computer allowed to access the Gramps DB, notably because SQLite in general does not provide features to lock the DB between multiple users. Additionally, inside Gramps, it is extremely difficult to determine which DB records should be locked for write access while a Gramps “object” is edited (a Gramps “composite object” corresponds to several DB records). For all these and other reasons, I consider Gramps as the entry tool, not the display/browsing tool. Regarding tree browsing, I consider Gramps is not really user-friendly for casual visitors. It is rather technically-oriented, meaning it facilitates management of the various “contributions” (notes, citations, …) for a person or family.

I configured a dedicated genealogical server on the computer using NarrativeWeb report as data source. Then my family can connect to this server to browse the tree. The pages offer a consolidated view for a person, family, place where all relevant information is collected and aggregated in a stand-alone exhaustive “article”.

For convenience, I added several modified (clickable) family lines graphs to show various parts of the “extended” family with links to person and family pages. This allows a more “intuitive” navigation.