I have set the Root Person to be myself, and I expect lots of other users do this too. As I add new people to my database I want to quickly see how we’re related - which can often lead me to the RootsMagic Explorer screen. Examples :
Set relationships > Change > RootsMagic Explorer
Relationship calculator > Select person 2 > RootsMagic Explorer
It would be very useful to have a button on the RootsMagic Explorer screen to select the Root Person. That would be much quicker than typing in the search box or scrolling down the name list.
First of all, Ctrl-H (Home) is a direct keyboard shortcut to that Root Person. Additionally, the History button in the lower left pane always has the Root Person (because RM defaults to opening up to that individual) and the Bookmarks button could also be set to “favorite” the Root Person (if those other methods didn’t work).
Second of all, You are innocently mistaking an association between “the” Root Person and the Set Relationships functionality. They are not related. Relationships are depicted in regard to a separate (and potentially varying) person, based on your choice in the Set Relationships dialog.
@steve.turner once you set the root person to yourself, the relationship BETWEEN you and a related family member is shown on the person’s page–left side -below the person’s name…
It will NOT however show the relationship between you and the spouse of a relative–nor your in-laws evidently-- you have to run a kinship list to see that…
The other problem is that every time you add someone, you have to
RESET/ REFRESH the root person BUT that is simply adding the people then either right click – under POSITION click on SET ROOT PERSON or CLICK on the PENCIL upper right corner and SET ROOT PERSON is the 2nd one…
No, setting the root person is not going to show the relationship for someone you just added. You have to add the person then do ‘Set Relationships’ which can be found on the palette menu and probably in other places also.
The Root Person is the default individual as root of a tree that RootsMagic will open to (when first started up) and can be revisited with the Ctrl-Y shortcut. It does nothing else at all.
Thank you kbens0n but I think you misunderstand my request. Yes Ctrl-H shortcut takes me to the Root Person on the main screen, and you can use History as you suggest - but that’s not what I’m trying to achieve.
What I’m suggesting is that in RootsMagic Explorer it would be a useful to be able to jump quickly to the Root (or Home) Person’s name listed on the left of the Explorer window if you want to use that person (who quite likely will be yourself) in Set Relationships or Relationship Calculator.
It would be useful because you need to regularly re-run Set Relationships as you add more people to your database and, secondly, because it would make using the Relationship Calculator a little easier when checking someone against the Root Person.
I’m making this feature request because, as it says in Help, the Root Person is the central focus of the database. It does more than you suggest in your 2nd post.
I’m sorry if I misunderstood. It’s still not clear to me what you mean by jump to the Root or Home person’s name. on the left of the Explorer menu. Are you referring to the upper left info panel that automatically changes info when different individuals are clicked upon?
When using Set Relationships or Relationship Calculator if you need to find the root person enter their RIN (record number) in the search box on the RM Explorer. If the Root Person is RIN #1 then enter 1 and it will go to them.
Instead of having to type into the search/filter box, or scroll in the name list, wouldn’t it be quicker just to click on a button to select the name of the Root Person?
So my question is why do you need such a button on the RootsMagic Explorer window. Wouldn’t it make far more sense to have it on the Relationship Calculator Window? So instead of clicking Person 1 or Person 2, you could select Root Person for one or the other. You could also have such a button on the Set Relationship window so you could either choose Root Person or use the regular button to navigate to a different individual.
Do you mean adding a Set root person button within the RootsMagic Explorer name index screens of Set Relationships and Relationship calculator, like this?
Doubt it. Not because it’s a bad idea… but, rather, real estate (room) and already designated purpose of the name index and the fact that there’s probably a dozen other actions upon any one individual (using the index screen). Just guessing. My first uploaded image might be more practical of a place for both Set root person and Set relationships buttons (they’d be right within clickability reach of the info panel of the index-selected person.
kbens0n, I’m sorry but I didn’t understand your latest post. We’re clearly not on the same wavelength so I think I’ll give up on this one. Thanks for your interest though.
The wavelength separation arose when you @kbens0n replied to @steve.turner’s reply to @kfunk’s but in the context that you had been exploring, not what @kfunk had suggested (button to select the Root Person in the Relationship Calculator and in the Set Relationships tool).
I’m on RM 7. I gave myself an Alt Name with AAAA preceding my name. That way if I want to create a relationship chart my name is at the top of the list.
The original feature request in this thread imminently sensible and I have wanted something similar for years, all the way back to the Family Origins days. However, I think a slightly different approach would be better.
Namely, it is correct that the Root person and the base person for Set Relationships do not have to be the same person. For example, they are not the same person in my database. I am the base person for Set Relationships but I am not the Root person.
So what is really needed is for RM to remember the most recently used base person for Set Relationships the same way it remembers the Root person. Then when you enter the Set Relationships dialog, the proper person would already be selected a very high percentage of the time. And for most users most of the time, the proper person would already be selected 100% of the time.
I would love this feature, and it would also meet the needs of the original poster to this thread. However, the suggestion to make the base person for a new Set Relationships be the same as the Root person would not meet my needs at all.
