FHSWIN - Family History System for Windows

---

FHSWIN.pdf - a 25 page Adobe PDF document describing FHSWIN including screen captures of FHS forms.
DOWNLOAD - program and support files for FHSWIN
FHSW32 - 32-bit version of FHSWIN

---

This is to inform you of progress that has been made developing a "new" version of the Family History System, called FHSWIN, which is designed to run in the Windows environment. I am also making available programs that have been "completed" so far for those who may be interested in trying them out. Before describing how the new software works though, I should first let you know what you won't find here...yet:

• the family file format hasn't changed. While I have promised a redesign of the FHS family file format, and that may be a part of the final version of "FHSWIN", I have made no efforts in that direction at this time. FHSWIN does incorporate recent changes to the family file format that are part of the Sept 97 update, including support for longer place names;
• the features available at this time include most reports, charts and some of the utility functions. FHSWIN provides for entering and updating all of the information in an FHS family file except the EVENT record that was introduced in the Sept 97 update. The reports and charts that are now available are exactly like the same reports in the Sept 97 update of FHS. This includes the requirement that reports be printed in a single "fixed width" font such as "Courier New" or "MS Line Draw". The reports have not been redesigned to allow using proportional fonts or to permit changing font settings within a report. On the other hand, if you liked the variety of output that was previously offered by FHS, you may be encouraged to know that none of the reports or charts have been (or will be) "left out" in the conversion, and you will be able to take advantage of the Windows drivers for printing them.
• the software uses the same "support files" as the Sept 97 update...these include the .CFG (configuration file), .FDF (file definition file), .TDF (table definition file), .MDF (message definition file) and .RDF (report definition file) files. There are currently no utilities for updating these within FHSWIN, but you still have the utilities in the Sept 97 update to accomplish that.
• Notes:
  • The .SDF (screen definition file) of the Sept 97 update is not used...the "screen formats" or "forms" are not customizable. Also, FHSWIN doesn't use the FHSINIT.DAT file of the Sept 97 update but has its own FHSWINIT.DAT file for certain tabular data.
  • Although a printer definition file is used by the new update, it is only for page parameters (page width, length, margins, etc.), identificatoin of font and chart symbols. The "printer codes" are no longer needed because the programs rely upon Windows printer drivers for printer control.
  • The support files are placed in the directory where FHSWIN is installed. To avoid overlaying any changes that you have made to the files for the Sept 97 update of FHS, FHSWIN should be installed in a different directory from the previous versions of FHS. You could copy the support files from the FAMILY directory to the FHSWIN directory if you want FHSWIN to pick up the changes that you have made to those files.

The operation of FHSWIN is somewhat similar to previous versions in that producing a report requires three steps:

1. Identify the records that are to be included in the report (by creating a "work" file or by selecting records during a search process)
2. Enter the desired report/chart option settings
3. "Print" the report to Screen, Printer or File

The difference in FHSWIN is that these operations are controlled using mouse selected "buttons" and "selection lists" instead of special keyboard function keys. Although updating report settings and data entry will still require the use of the keyboard, the only "special function" keys are the Enter, ESCape and Tab keys. At this time, no attempt has been made to continue the use of the program function keys or to provide "Alt+character key" shortcuts to menu options.

The description of the operation of FHSWIN will be done by looking at the different "forms" that make up the visible part of the "user interface". The "Header" or "Title" portion of each form contains a line describing the form. In some cases the text is fixed, but in the case of form FHSWRPGM the line describes the program that will print the report or chart. The descriptions of the forms will concentrate upon the part of the form that is below the title.

There are currently 23 forms:

• FHSWMAIN - the "Main Menu", the first form displayed and the one from which other FHSWIN programs are invoked
• Support for the "Update Family File" option consists of several different forms, including:
  • FHSWUPDT - the form for displaying/updating individual name records
  • FHSWSPSE - the form for displaying/updating marriage or spouse records
  • FHSWCHLD - the form for displaying/selecting children of an individual, a family (marriage), or parents (This form is "resizable" to allow viewing more information without scrolling for those with larger monitors)
  • FHSWMISC - a form for displaying/updating "Miscellaneous Records" of Education, Occupation (Work), Military or Medical information
  • FHSWNOTE - a form for displaying/updating comments or notes
  • FHSWPARE - a form for displaying information about parents
  • FHSWADRS - a form for displaying/updating address information
• FHSWLIST - a form for producing quick lists of names on the screen; (These lists can be used as "pick lists" for entering name record ID numbers into data fields)
• FHSWRELW - the form that controls the creation of relationship (ancestor/ descendant/ relative) work files
• FHSWNDWK - the form that controls the creation of Node Work files (for producing horizontal box charts)
• FHSWSLCT - the form that controls the selection of records from a family file for processing by programs that are not based upon a relationship or node work file
• FHSWRPT - the form that provides the interface to a report/chart printing program
• FHSWTTFL - the form that displays a Surname Table for producing a Tiny Tafel report or file
• FHSWUTIL - the form that provides the interface to a utility program
• FHSWDCLC - the form that provides the interface to the Date Calculator
• FHSWRCLC - the form that provides the interface to the Relationship Calculator
• FHSWVIEW - a form for viewing output from report programs (This form is "resizable" and "maximizable" to allow viewing more information with less scrolling for those with larger monitors)
• FHSWFFDF - a form for making changes to the family file setup table
• FHSWPRNT - a form for making changes to the printer/page setup table
• FHSWFILE - a form used to locate a file by "browsing"
• FHSWINDX - a form used to create Index Files for processing family records in sorted sequence
• FHSWMSG - a form for showing FHS messages and receiving (single key) responses
• FHSWMSGD - a form for showing messages that request field (multiple keystroke) input

While the use of independent "forms", instead of a single large form, may seem at times to "clutter" the screen with multiple objects for this one application, you can move the forms around to locations that you prefer and these locations will be "remembered" so that the forms will reappear in predictable locations.