How to create "Save As" Types

One of MagiCensus Deluxe features is our GEDCOM translator.   This means that we can convert GEDCOMs created by one software into a GEDCOM format used by another.  When  transferring information from MagiCensus back to other software, using the same GEDCOM format as the other software can make merging easier. 

Although GEDCOM files provide a way to exchange data between different programs, genealogy programs have slightly different GEDCOM formats. Most programs do not fully implement the GEDCOM format, which means you can lose data when you transfer your file between programs. MagiCensus and MagiTree can help with this, since it should never lose data which other programs have placed in GEDCOM files, and it can convert from one program's format to another program's format.

MagiCensus and MagiTree have a set of "save types" corresponding to a number of popular programs, so that you can easily save a GEDCOM file in a format tailored to another genealogy program. This minimizes the amount of data which gets lost. If  there is no "save type" for your program, you should use "Standard GEDCOM 5.5 format". However, most programs cannot handle the complete standard format, and so some data may be lost.

Currently we support the following GEDCOMs.
 

• Standard GEDCOM 5.5  *.ged
• Ancestral Quest 1.1 * .ged
• Family Historian 4  *.ged
• Family Origins *.ged
• FamilyTreeMaker 2008 *.ged
• Genbox *.ged
• Legacy 2.0 *.ged
• Legacy 4.0 *.ged
• Personal Ancestral File 3, 4, 5 *.ged
• RootsMagic 4 *.ged
• Temple Ready  *.ged
• The Master Genealogist v7 *.ged

If you have a software that is not on our list, then we can make a "Save As" GEDCOM type for you if you are willing to follow these simple steps.

1. Download master.ged attached at the end of this page. This file contains most of what is legal in GEDCOM 5.5, as well as some things which aren't legal but either were legal in previous versions of GEDCOM, or which are used by other popular programs.
2. Open up the software that you would like a "Save As" type for.
   
3. Import master.ged into your software. (available in the File Menu in most software) It will likely generate a number of errors. If it asks you how to handle specific cases, always choose the default options, or whatever is easiest for you to do if there are no defaults. If a log file is generated, make a note of the filename.
4. Save the file naming it master_(program name).***   (***should be filled in for you by the software)
   
5. Export the file, turning it back into a GEDCOM  (master_programname.ged)  If you have a choice of types or destinations, choose the one for sending to another person with your program. For example, if you have PAF 5.0, save as a PAF 5.0 GEDCOM file.
6. Email the new file created in step 5, the name and version of the software, and any log files created in step 2 by the other software to raelyn@themagikey.com