Skip to main content

Gigatrees - First impressions

 I just started playing with Gigatrees (v 5.4.2) by Tim Forsythe. www.gigatrees.com

To quote the Gigatrees website:

"Gigatrees was designed by and for genealogists to create feature-rich, easy-to-navigate family trees. However, it can also be used by non-genealogists to create responsive websites and blogs. Gigatrees is also completely free."

I was looking for a program to publish my family tree (Pedigree, etc.) as a website. I had tried various programs, Roots Magic and others, and found the results to be limited and, frankly, a bit amateurish in appearance.

I downloaded Gigatrees and have been please with the results. BUT NOTE, its not for the casual user with no experience with computers. More on that later.

But first, below are some screen shots of the preliminary results after about a day of work:


Home screen

Home screen with sidebar expanded



Pedigree (or "Tree" as it is called)


People sheet (a lot not shown including a fan chart and timelines)


Collections


Now: On to those first impressions:

PROS:

  • Impressive functionality, but I have just scratched the surface. There are DNA, Location, Census and other functions available. 
  • GEDCOM compatible - uses your GEDCOM to build the site.
  • Very "professional" looking results.
  • Multiple themes available.
  • Updatable. If you make changes, just reload your GEDCOM. All the customizations are already saved in the user config file. 
  • It's FREE
CONS:
  • Not for the computer illiterate. You need to edit an .xml file to set it up and to make custom changes. Basic knowledge of XML is not required but it is helpful.
  • Documentation is sparse. Although there is some documentation accessible via the website and the blog, it is a bit spotty. I had to brush up on my XML and do a bit of trial and error. For example, there are multiple themes available. The default is theme.b.  I had to infer there was a theme.a and a theme.c (and maybe more) and I had to re-run (essentially recompile) the program to see what they looked like. This is not a complaint, after all, its free!
  • Some functions need to be put on a full webserver to work. It does generate stand-alone .html, but for many of the functions to work you need to be on a hosted webserver.
CONCLUSIONS:

I LIKE IT. I'm going to invest more time to learn the program, engage a hosting service, get a domain name and publish my site.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Rearicks - Hans Conrad

The Rearicks The name Rearick is of German origin, and has been spelled many different ways in historical records. In the early years of America’s history names were often spelled phonetically, creating many variations in the spelling, especially with non-English language names. The most common spellings were Rarick (earlier generations) and Rearick (later generations), but other spellings include Roerich, Rorig, Rarich, and Rohric (among others). In spite of the variations in spelling, the Rearick line can be best described with one word:   PIONEER. Four generations of the Rearick clan struck out on their own, building new lives in previously unsettled lands. From New Jersey, to New York, to Kansas, they made their way to the current “frontier” of their generation, and built a new life from scratch. Hans Conrad (Conrad) Rarick 1723-1790 The patriarch of the family is Hans Conrad Rearick, also known as Conrad Rarick, Sr. (This monograph will use Hans Conrad to differentiate ...
2 comments
Read more

Clarence Seeber's WWI discharge papers

Just arrived from the State archives in Topeka, my grandfathers WWI discharge papers! Transcribed:                                                                                                          26769                        Honorable Discharge from The United States Army         ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Movie "Lincoln" and the Seeber/Wallace family

The opening scenes of the movie "Lincoln" depict the Battle of Jenkins Ferry. My 2nd Great Grandfather, James Byers Wallace fought in this battle. He was a private in Company F of the 29th Iowa Infantry. His brother George was a Sergeant in the 29th Iowa as well. The Union Army was covering its retreat over the Saline River at Jenkins Ferry, Arkansas in April of 1864. It rained for 18 hours straight, and the water was rapidly rising. The wagons and horses were mired in mud, and the combatants battled in 1 to 2 feet of mud and water in the middle of a heavily wooded swamp. Although hand to hand combat during this battle was rare (it was mostly a musketry battle), this scene appears to depict when the 2nd Kansas Colored Infantry and the 29th Iowa Infantry (I have used the official historical names of the units) rushed and captured a confederate artillery battery.
Post a Comment
Read more