The online process

Overview

Setup 

Once you get to the genealogy page you must be a logged in user. Separate login from the valley site, but I suggest you use the same username. Easier to remember.  One of the administrators will set you up to be the administrator of the family file for your part of the family line.  Send an email to the webmaster via the feedback link to make that request. Once you are authorized, you'll be able to edit that file. You can then authorize others in your family to edit the file.

 Getting started

 There is already a file for your ancestor on the site. The administrator has set that up. To get to your file once you are logged in on the site, hover the mouse over the left-most 'tree' menu and select your file. Now you are ready to begin.

Editing your GEDCOM file on the online genealogy page

Overview

We start with the premise that you have already registered on the genealogy page and have had the administrator give you full admin privileges on the file you are going to update.

The essence of the procedure is:

• Login on the genealogy page.
• From the Welcome Page menu, select the ancestor file to work on.
• An introductory sort of page appears with statistics and news.  Notice the instructions, particularly:  "To begin working with the data, choose one of the charts from the Charts menu, go to the Individual list, or search for a name or place."
• Details follow ....

Detailed Procedures

1.  Suggest choose one of the charts from the Charts menu, in particular the Descendancy chart.  From here on out we will work with the TEST file which is listed in the Welcome Page menu
1. If you have not already done so,
1. Login as user "johnny" with password "demo2005" (no quotes), and
2. choose "Play with this test file all you want" and begin to edit it.
3. You are now Johnny Jumpbuck, III.
2. Choose the descendancy chart.
3. To edit any individual, click the name in the block (such as Johnny Jumpbuck who should be the first one).
4. The Personal Facts and Details page opens and you have two areas within which to edit:
1. In the main form you see Edit choices for each data record.
2. To the right, look for the Options for Individual menu area.
1. Choose Edit | Quick Update -- that's your easiest way to do pretty broad editing.
2. A page opens that allows changing existing data or adding new records.
3. Notice the little trees with an overlaid question mark? Clicking on one of those will give you context sensitive help.
3. Whether working in the main form or from the quick update menu, here are the things you will be adding, generally:
1. Update a fact:  the genealogy trail is made up of facts. Click that box and you'll see many choices.  Those are the main events in a person's life.  Here is an example of adding a baptism record:
1. Select baptism from the Update a fact drop-down box.
2. Enter a date, I used 01 Jun 1901 --- notice the DD MMM YYYY format.
3. Enter a place -- I used Caddo Gap, AR.
4. That's it -- but before you click save, look at all of the pre-formatted choices like a spouse, child, marriage.
5. When done, click Save.
5. You're back at the main page. Notice that it also has a place to add a new fact. Same process.
6. Notice the red box in the main chart? That indicates that edits have been made.  Open any chart and notice the very bottom of the page where the opportunity exists to accept or reject changes. click accept/reject.
1. A page opens listing all files over which you have the authority to change. You can select one change at a time or all at once.
2. Now open the file again (descendancy chart, click on name).
3. Notice your changes are now there.
7. At any time, you can open another chart or list or report and come back to editing. Try getting the Individual Report (PDF reader or program required). Maybe open a new descendancy chart if you've added a spouse or a child.

Feel free to mess with the TEST file all you want. It's totally expendable.