wgnupdt4.zip update archive
upd4read.txt text file explains the update and what has been changed/added.


This file supersedes wgnupdt3.zip.  It includes all update options found in wgnupdt3.zip.

It is very important that you take the time to read the read me files associated with the updates of this program.  You should be aware there are problems with running virtually every program in the PC/Windows world.  If you do not read the read me files there will be a time that you may encounter a problem that is described there, and there will be fixes for that that you will not know about.  Unfortunately every program has bugs.  I hope this update will take care of most of the problems that you may have experienced with the last update.

What was new in wgnupdt3.zip that wgnupdt4.zip also includes:

This update fixes the GEDCOM import problem that causes the program to crash whenever it encounters the problem that generates the message "Illegal Function Call".  The GEDCOM import option has actually been down-graded.  I was in the middle of an update to this section to make it more extensible when someone reported a show stopper bug somewhere else.  I mistakenly thought I was further along in the update of this section of the program than I actually was.  I created the update and placed it onto the internet before I should have.  I appologize.  The wingen.exe file found in the wgnupdt1.zip file has a useable GEDCOM import facility.  I basically removed my changes to this to complete this update.  Again, I am sorry.  I thought I had the problems worked out.

This update also includes the missing vbdb300.dll file.  Included in this are also many miscellaneous fixes.  One notable update is to the Individual Listing.  It is now possible to perform searches in other ways, not only by lastname, firstname, middle name.  It allows for searches based on any string sequence.  This means that if you have someone named "Tupper, Emily" you can type in "Emily" and the listing will be searched for her.  Also, you can search based on dates.  You can search for someone, say who was born on 02 Mar 1876.  The program will find the match and highlight it if that date of birth has been entered for a family member.  Additionally, you can now search next and search previous.  If another match is found it will become highlighted.  You can also choose to order the individual in Descending order rather then Ascending order only (see the help topic on the Individual Listing).  A problem related to having the child form open and then attempting to open the Records form has been fixed.  The problem with the Indivdiual Listing where the Listing had the Count Indicator visible and you attempted to minimize the listing caused an error that caused the program to crash.  This has been fixed.

NOTE:  Included in this file is the vbdb300.dll file that was missing from the previous updates.  The file in the previous release was misnamed by me.  It was my fault and I take full responsibility.  The file has been included here to make up for that.  If you are in need of the 95k of disk space that the vbdb30.dll file takes you can delete it from your Windows Genealogy 2.xxx directory.

A special note about VB based applications.  Unfortunately, Visual Basic based applications, with as little as one tiny error in the program code can cause the whole program to crash.  That is what was happening with the GEDCOM import problem.  The problem related to one single tiny program mistake that took the program down.  You should also realize that after any crash of any Visual Basic application you should restart your computer or you may experience unpredictable results.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:
Windows Genealogy 2.xxx requires at least a 386SX-25 with 4MB of RAM and 12MB disk space to install.  Although this is the case, it is recommended that you use at least a 386DX-33 with at least 8MB of RAM.  It will run in as little as 4MB of RAM but it is not recommended.  Windows Genealogy 2.xxx was tested in as little as 4MB of RAM and has been tested on a 386SX-25.  In situations such as this, it is obvious that it is not going to purr like the devil playing a violin.  You have to understand that even with a swapfile it will run slowly.  I believe this is the case with most programs running in only 4MB of RAM.

The recommended configuration is as follows:  

486DX-33 (or better) with 8MB RAM (or more) running on a 
200MB hard drive (or better) 
with at least 12MB disk space free (more if you want to do anything after the install <g>).
I highly recommend that you increase your video resolution to 1024x768 to truly take advantage of the program.

General Notes about Potential Problems:
If you get a message that the ctl3dv2.dll has not been installed properly you should remove the file called ctl3dv2.dll from your Windows Genealogy directory.  You can remove it either by deleting it or by renaming it.

If you get the message "Path not found" you probably have an older version of one of the custom controls that Windows Genealogy uses.  You can find out exactly which ones by first getting a directory listing of the *.vbx files (dir *.vbx) and then examine your system for an older version of these files.  You must keep the version of the file that I provided (or you can use a more recent one).  If you find a more recent one, then let me know and I'll examine the possibility of including it/them into the next Windows Genealogy update.

A SPECIAL NOTE about share.exe (or vshare.386).  Share.exe (or vshare.386) is required by the program if you are running Windows 3.1.  If you are running Work Group For Windows 3.11 or Windows 3.11 and you have vshare.386 loaded via your system.ini file you do not need share.exe.  If you do not have vshare.386 loaded you MUST install share.exe via your autoexec.bat file (or via your config.sys in version 6.xx of DOS).  There are instructions in the wingen.hlp file under installation that explains this in further detail.

Please read the installation topic in the wingen.hlp file for information about Windows 95 and Windows NT 3.51 (with or without the Windows 95 Preview Interface for Windows NT 3.51).

AS OF THIS UPDATE I AM TAKING THE PROGRAM OUT OF BETA and considering it to be a final release.  I am doing this because I feel it is stable enough to be released in this manner.  This is not to say that the program does not still contain errors.  I believe that most of the show stoppers have been removed.  I will, shortly after the official release of Windows 95, update to version 2.1 (no guarantees here).  Any individual that registers the program prior to the 2.1 release can register the program for $45.00 (the old registration fee).  This will include the benefits of having free updates to the next three official releases.  When Release 2.1 is finalized and placed on the internet it will fulfill the first official Update of the program.  This last statement is only of use to those who registered version 1.0 of the program.  It means that these individuals are still entitled to 2 additional free updates.  This notice also is placed here to indicate that after 2.1 of the program has been released there will be no longer the benefit of three free updates.  This means that if you purchase an update of greater then 2.1 you will not be entitled to the three free updates.  You may still be entitled to updates and maintentance releases free of charge but you are no longer entitled to the three free guaranteed updates.

------------------------------New in wgnupdt4.zip ---------------------------------------------

What's new in this update wgnupdt4.zip?

This update supercedes both the wgnupdt2.zip and wgnupdt3.zip files.  You may delete those files.  If you are downloading from the BBSs, from the internet, or other on-line service you can skip the download of those two files.

Many bugs, some minor and some real irritants, were fixed.

The Advanced Search dialog box has been incorporated to assist you in finding your family members.  This search goes beyond the last name, first name, middle name search of the past. It allows you to select qualifying family members that match criteria from any table within the data file.  You may save and restore the searches and you may choose to sort the search results on any of the key field information (such as birth date, last name, birth place, first name, and middle name).  You may also choose to search long search results by simply selecting the list (by clicking on it) and typing.  This feature is fully documented in the Advanced Search topic of the help file.

The Individual Listing now allows for a wild card type search.  In this implementation it allows you to enter a sub-string and the program will find it if the string exists in the list.

The Individual Listing now can optionally display the name of the parents on its status bar.  Before all it identified was the number of records in the data file.  By default it now displays the parents names to help you identify those individuals that have the same name.  A couple of minor bugs were fixed in the use of the search of the individual listing.

A popup box now can optionally be presented that also shows the parents names, the siblings names, and the children names for the family member selected in the Individual Listing.  This is not presented by default, because it is still a work in progress.

The tree on the Add/Edit form has been more debugged.  It now shows all of the marriages and all children born to those marriages.  You must be running in 1024x768 video resolution to see this.

It is now possible to enter a family member without forcing you to link that family member to another family member in the data file.  This means that you can select the "Add Unrelated Family Member" off of the "Actions" menu and the program will present the Add/Edit form without any connections to any other family group.  Later, if you find out how this child fits into the tree you can graft that child to the desired branch.

The vbdb300.dll has been updated by Microsoft and the updated file has been included in this update.

The help file has been updated to include more information and to document the new additions such as the "Advanced Search" dialog box.

The help outline has been enhanced to allow you to perform finds, just like you do with the Individual Listing.  You can find next and find previous as well.

The help outline's outline file has been updated to reflect the new topics (e.g., "Advanced Search" dialog box help topics).  Many other outline file topics have been updated.

The Wingen.mdb file has been updated to increase the places field length so no more errors are created when you enter a place name that is too long.  Checks on the length have been put in place to eleminate these errors.  Also, this file has had the inclusion of the Advanced Search table that holds the SQL statements used to perform the searches.

It is now possible to have the program automatically create a backup file whenever you open a data file.  You can set this by opening the Preferences form and checking the backup option on the main page of the form.

Windows 95 users can now dock toolbars.  The problems with the incompatability still exist, so these Windows 95 users alone will not have the program remember those docked statuses: The next time the program is loaded it will not restore to those docked locations.  This is *NOT* and issue for the Windows NT (even those with the Win95 interface for NT 3.51) or Windows 3.xx users (including WFW 3.11).  There were some optimizations for Windows 95 users, such as the ctl3dv2.dll file has been disabled in this environment because it is not necessary.

More tips have been added to the Tip of the Day to cover the use of the Advanced Search dialog and the other features.

The custom cursors are now loaded as an option not by default to save on system resources and to eleminate the possibility of problems and incompatabilities.

It is also now possible to graft a family member from one branch of the tree to another.  For instance, if you mistakenly entered family members as children of one couple and they really need to be entered as children of another, the program now allows you to drag the child (and that child's branch (if one exists)) onto a new branch of the whole family tree and to graft that branch onto the other branch.  There *are* limits to this.  For instance, you cannot graft a child onto *their* existing parents nor can you graft the child onto themselves.  You cannot graft a child onto a single person and you cannot graft a family member onto their children.

The trash can delete restrictions has been greatly relaxed to support these new graft/detach options.

The ability to detach/graft can now be accomplished by accessing menus.  YOu will select the source individual and then click the menu option you desire, scroll to find the target individual and then click on that target individual.  You'll be prompted for the action.

It is also now possible to detach a family member from the whole of the tree, thus orphaning that branch.  At a later time, you may, if you so choose, re-attach that child to the tree using the graft procedure.

It is now possible to detach a spouse from a family member (as long as they do not have any children).

Many of the forms have been better sized to fit on the 640x480 screens.

Several help file topics have been updated to reflect the current correct information on how to perform the actions.

The "Match Indicator" on several of the forms has been fixed to reflect the correct match results.  Most forms that allow lookups in fields usually have a match indicator box that will show up (be made visible) whenever the listings lookup form has been opened.  When a search is performed and a match is made the match indicator will be updated to show the word "Match".  If a match is not found it will reflect a blank indicator.  In most cases this has been fixed.


I sincerely hope you like this update.  As always I am very open to suggestions and comments and requests.  If you need to contact me I am available to answer questions through the alt.genealogy newsgroup on the internet.


Sincerely, 


Jim Blaich
Windows Genealogy 2.094 Author

