After two years spent studying Elizabeth Shown Mills' Evidence Explained, our group needed a break. We decided that there is no better way to discover all that The Master Genealogist (TMG) can do than to explore its powerful custom report writer. If you would like to participate in the Tri-Valley TMG User Group's adventures as we examine the best ways to input data to make full use of TMG's wide range of reporting possibilities, please feel free to comment and share your ideas.

The Tri-Valley TMG User Group is associated with the Livermore-Amador Genealogical Society (L-AGS), and we meet in Pleasanton, California. Information on our meetings - location, date, time, and topic - is always available on the home page of the L-AGS web site. Our three-hour meetings are actually hands-on workshops in which up to fifteen computers are connected to a digital projector allowing customized personal assistance to attendees. In the past, the group has systematically studied Lee Hoffman's Getting the Most out of The Master Genealogist, Terry Reigel's A Primer for The Master Genealogist, and Elizabeth Shown Mills' Evidence Explained.

For further details on the reports we create, please visit our website. The section dealing with TMG reports begins at the page, "Exploring TMG's Report Menu."

Start following our new blog, "The Continuing Adventures of the TV-TMG User Group." This will detail our 2014 project.

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Customizing Your TMG Workspace - A Summary

At our last meeting, we investigated customizing our personal TMG workspace. There are many possibilities. What windows do you want to see? What information should each contain? Do you want lines or not? What colors do you like? What fonts? What toolbar style do you find most comfortable? Would a custom toolbar help you work more efficiently? With so much to consider, it became obvious that a cheat-sheet summary might be helpful. Try this: "Customizing Your TMG Workspace - A Summary."

Patrick sent everyone a link to the topic, "My New Favorite Layout," on the Wholly Genes Support Forum. Check it out! If you fall in love with one of these layouts, try to recreate it. It would be a good exercise. Here is my usual layout. Blues and greens are my favorite colors; for some reason, I love this font; I like small toolbar buttons; and I have a custom toolbar that includes my most frequently used reports.