FamilyTreeMaker 2009 Improvements

Russell Hannig on the Ancestry.com Blog has just posted about Family Tree Maker 2009 Release with a list of the improvements over FTM 2008.

The list of items added into FTM 2009 includes:

Genealogy Reports

* Register and Ahnentafel simplified reports*
* Data Errors report*

Charts

* Hourglass Chart*
* Horizontal Hourglass Chart*
* Bow Tie Chart*
* 180-Degree Fan Chart*
* Family Tree Chart*

Publishing Functionality

* Ability to show siblings within charts*
* Single-page PDF export from charts*
* Ability to add boxes in charts to a “Marked Box” category and modify box settings for these boxes*

Improved Data Manipulation Tools

* Streamlined data entry from any workspace using a full-featured edit person window*
* Ability to set spouse order (Person menu)*
* Ability to order media items for an individual*
* Find Individual tool (Edit menu)*
* Find Duplicate Individuals tool (Edit menu)*
* Ability to update multiple facts at one time (From Manage Facts or Fact options): change fact types, move description to place or place to description, mark as private*
* Insert foreign language characters into text fields*

Improvements within Research Tools

* Ability to ignore hints*
* Option to delete existing facts in individual and Web merge*
* Inclusion of married names, AKAs, and titles in index*

Improvements to Import

* OLE objects (PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, RTF) from previous FTM versions*
* Import previously ignored hints lists*

Improvements to Places

* Track and print your ancestors’ migration paths on interactive maps*
* Places toolbar that allows for researching place names not currently in the file and pinpointing places such as libraries, churches, and courthouses*


COMING SOON

In addition, we are currently working on new features that will be available as part of Family Tree Maker 2009—as soon as they become available:

* Book Building
* Better Ancestry Member Tree Integration
* Improved Relationship Calculator
* Source templates based on Evidence Explained by source expert, Elizabeth Shown Mills
* And many others…

Those improvements look promising - we'll see if they satisfy all of our wants and needs over time. I'm disappointed that the Book Building and Source Templates won't be in the initial FTM 2009 release.

According to this post on the Ancestry.com blog, registered users of FamilyTreeMaker 2008 will be offered a free upgrade to FTM 2009. That's encouraging. I look forward to my invitation to upgrade to FTM 2009! That should be good for another set of Genea-Musings posts, eh?

My sense is that the FamilyTreeMaker team at TGN are making an effort to be sensitive to customers wants, needs and requests, and are adding capabilities as fast as they can proof them. There is a lot more competition now with Legacy Family Tree and RootsMagic than there was even a year ago. Customer satisfaction should be a primary concern of all software companies!