What is the easiest way to Archive Reunion

[kswils]

Can you put reunion on dvd and have the photos stay with the family files? My photos default to the multimedia folder in reunion so you should just be able to go into finder and burn "reunion files" right? This breaks the link to iphoto because you are off the machine but you have to break the link to iphoto to burn a disc of your records.

KJW

[kswils]

Re: What is the easiest way to Archive Reunion

Can you put reunion on dvd and have the photos stay with the family files? My photos default to the multimedia folder in reunion so you should just be able to go into finder and burn "reunion files" right? This breaks the link to iphoto because you are off the machine but you have to break the link to iphoto to burn a disc of your records.

KJW

Newbie and this must be a real stupid question because nobody has responded. Let me try and put it another way. I just want to burn a disc of family files to be able to give to my sisters so they can have all the work I have done and use it on their PC's. I want the disc to have all the photos in each family file. When I quit Reunion to burn the disc through the finder the photos become question marks. I assume because I broke the link with iphoto when I closed Reunion to burn the files. Please tell me if Im doing this totally wrong and where I'm screwing up. Just trying to keep all photos with the burned disc.
Thanks KJW

[baddorfdeb]

Re: What is the easiest way to Archive Reunion

You'll have to make a web type presentation, and burn THAT to your dvd. Reunion's family files are only readable to Reunion software itself - and that doesn't run on a PC, and it's not freeware anyway so you can't just transfer it.
But if you create a web report, then ANY machine can run the html files in its own browser. The files don't have to live on the web - they can be copied to a dvd and run from that. I haven't run Reunion in a while, and don't have it on my computer here, so somebody else please chime in with the exact name of the web report that I'm describing here?

[kswils]

Re: What is the easiest way to Archive Reunion

baddorfdeb

Thanks for the help....Brings up a basic question....How do you protect all your work in this program if you have an HD crash for what ever reason? I know we all run a backup drives to hold our files but if that backup drive is involved in the HD crash it seems there has to be a reliable way to save all of the reunion information and multimedia off the computer so you know it's safe.
Example: We can archive all the iphoto libraries on discs so that our pictures are stored away safely. How do you keep safe all that work in Reunion when your Mac goes out?

KJW

[alan]

Re: What is the easiest way to Archive Reunion

Hi,

.".How do you protect all your work in this program if you have an HD crash for what ever reason? I know we all run a backup drives to hold our files but if that backup drive is involved in the HD crash it seems there has to be a reliable way to save all of the reunion information and multimedia off the computer so you know it's safe.
Example: We can archive all the iphoto libraries on discs so that our pictures are stored away safely. How do you keep safe all that work in Reunion when your Mac goes out?"

I gave up long time ago burning CDs as a backup. Now I can use USB drives which are very convenient.
I also think the best and easiest way is to use an external harddrive (Firewire and/or USB). I have two both big enough to hold all my essential and personal files, photos, ancestry records etc. which I use to sync about every 2 - 3 days, even daily, if I've added more info. In addition I have my old MacBook Pro on which I also keep my files on and also sync that very frequently. I even use my old iPod (Photo 3rd gen. - 60GB) to keep my ancestry records on - that has proved very useful in showing family members, on their TVs in the past, although its old technology now but still works. As well, I kept all my photos on it till I ran out of space, now they're all backed up on my ext. drives.

Nearly forgot - I also keep records and photos on my iPad (3rd gen -64GB) and more recently I acquired a Seagate Wireless Plus (1TB) to act as a backup disk which has more than sufficient space to store records/photos and it works very well to have movies on and wi-fi to the iPad and then air-play to my TV.

Another way is to buy an Airport Time Capsule (2TB) and use Time Machine. That way
it will back up your hard drive so in the event your computer dies, it can be re-installed.

Alan

[Wayne Till]

Re: What is the easiest way to Archive Reunion

Newbie and this must be a real stupid question because nobody has responded. Let me try and put it another way. I just want to burn a disc of family files to be able to give to my sisters so they can have all the work I have done and use it on their PC's. I want the disc to have all the photos in each family file. When I quit Reunion to burn the disc through the finder the photos become question marks. I assume because I broke the link with iphoto when I closed Reunion to burn the files. Please tell me if Im doing this totally wrong and where I'm screwing up. Just trying to keep all photos with the burned disc.
Thanks KJW

My recommendation:

1. create web family cards (now called a web project) including multimedia
2. export a gedcom selecting line length 80 and including multimedia and sources
3. Put them in a folder and burn it to a CD/DVD

You might also include the Pictures folder in your Reunion folder to make sure they get full-sized photos instead of thumbnail-sized photos.

I recommend that your photos be in JPG format and that you use a consistent naming strategy, e.g. Smith_John_B.jpg to allow your relatives to easily identify which photo goes with whom.

[Marian Parsons]

Re: What is the easiest way to Archive Reunion

I keep all of my pictures, census and other documentation in folders within my Reunion folder. I also have a lot of my tombstone pictures in iPhoto. I export pictures from iPhoto into the folder within Reunion that I have for cemetery pictures and the link remains. I have not tried to burn a CD with Reunion information but I have had some linkage problems and this seems to be the best way to handle the problem.

Marian Parsons

[kswils]

Re: What is the easiest way to Archive Reunion

Thanks all for the input. I was down a few days with apple and tech problems....All fixed.

Wayne, I tried creating the web family cards because I had never heard of that before. It does work except for the folder that comes out is very confusing to figure out when you open it. Files inside are named with numbers and letters and it is hit and miss to find what you are looking for. Once you find the index you can get to the names of people you're looking for and all the family card info is there plus the correct jpg's seem to be there with the page as well. I tried changing names on the folders to ID them but, then they would open to a "can't find the files" error. Any suggestions for renaming the folders so you can keep them functioning and ID the family you are starting with?

Attached is a link to archiving methods that I found really useful. Opinions on what is a strong way to do it and why others aren't as good. It is interesting to read.....Maybe a little long.

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-6031

[Wayne Till]

Re: What is the easiest way to Archive Reunion

"Wayne, I tried creating the web family cards because I had never heard of that before. It does work except for the folder that comes out is very confusing to figure out when you open it. Files inside are named with numbers and letters and it is hit and miss to find what you are looking for. Once you find the index you can get to the names of people you're looking for and all the family card info is there plus the correct jpg's seem to be there with the page as well. I tried changing names on the folders to ID them but, then they would open to a "can't find the files" error. Any suggestions for renaming the folders so you can keep them functioning and ID the family you are starting with?"

Find the file named - wc_toc.htm
Duplicate it
Rename the duplicate something like !OPEN.htm
(The exclamation point at the beginning of the file name will move it to the top of the list)
Leave the remaining items and folders with their names as generated by Reunion

When the recipient clicks on !Open.htm it will take them to the start of the web folder, and they will be able to navigate from there.

Wayne

[kmgenealogy]

Re: What is the easiest way to Archive Reunion

...
Find the file named - wc_toc.htm
Duplicate it
Rename the duplicate something like !OPEN.htm
(The exclamation point at the beginning of the file name will move it to the top of the list)
Leave the remaining items and folders with their names as generated by Reunion...Wayne

Wayne, is there some reason to duplicate wc_toc.htm? I don't. I just rename it, with a space at the beginning so it will move to the top of the list. Mine works fine. However, if there is a good reason to duplicate the file before renaming it, I should probably know.

[ttl]

Re: What is the easiest way to Archive Reunion

Wayne, is there some reason to duplicate wc_toc.htm? I don't. I just rename it, with a space at the beginning so it will move to the top of the list. Mine works fine. However, if there is a good reason to duplicate the file before renaming it, I should probably know.

In case Wayne doesn't find your question right away, the answer is that the renamed index file will direct the browser to the subsequent pages properly, but those pages will not be able to navigate back to the index because they won't know the new name.

Using the duplicate file with the edited name (I like " Start Here.html"), the browser will start at the duplicate index, navigate to the outlying pages, and then they will direct things back to the REAL index page if links (not the back button) are used. Once you're at the real index page, the initial start page will never be visited again.

[ttl]

Re: What is the easiest way to Archive Reunion

I like " Start Here.html"

Upon further reflection, although the name would work well on my Mac, I'm not sure how well Windows deals with a space at the beginning of a file name. A hyphen might be better. (Or an exclamation point!)

[kmgenealogy]

Re: What is the easiest way to Archive Reunion

Tim, thanks for the explanation and suggestions. That makes sense. I'll "change my ways"!

[kswils]

Re: What is the easiest way to Archive Reunion

Thanks guys for the answers. This name changing is easy enough to do but I can't say I understand it. Have not had a chance to do it yet probably later today. I would like to go back and enter a bunch more jpegs in the program first.
I have a pc here so I can change names and send the file from my mac to the pc to see how it works.

KJW

[Wayne Till]

Re: What is the easiest way to Archive Reunion

Wayne, is there some reason to duplicate wc_toc.htm? I don't. I just rename it, with a space at the beginning so it will move to the top of the list. Mine works fine. However, if there is a good reason to duplicate the file before renaming it, I should probably know.

One good reason is that for less savvy users, !Open.htm (or something similar) is easier to understand than obscure filenames such as wc_toc.htm