Replies: 9 comments 2 replies
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A few things to think about!
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Extensions could be just copied. But in a document after the conversion it should be mentioned. No regular programming staff, I think keeping it open source might be simplest. |
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See here: |
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2 of those have to be build first, most users will not do that, they want ready made. Lets see what others have to say about it. |
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That one is mine and it is maintained and up to date as spec clarifications get made.
Would love to hear more so I can fix it. The github repository is
True. But at least it's open source from someone who's active on the GEDCOM Steering Committee :) |
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I will do that :) :) :) |
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But you said “open source”. Authored and Maintained by FS would not be open source! It would go through the same process we are going through to create GEDCOM and require some staff (either paid or volunteer) to write, manage and support for correctness and to protect the FS name and its integrity! |
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Please understand, I'm not against having a sanctioned and installable converter to v7, I think that all applications should have the same converter and validator. I would love for these tools to be installed as part of each application. I would love for each application to start with the same basic GEDCOM! |
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What I want is that it be somewhere on gedcom.io, as that is where people look for help and tools and such. I realize there will be problems, lack of time is a big one. Now dozens of programs have to create "the same kind" of code. So if that could be created once and controlled bij GEDCOM itself, it might help a lot. And also, it might help the GEDCOM group in defining what should be in a new GEDCOM version. As they can see all extensions passing through that converter. At least thats what I hope for. But I wanted to bring it up now and start a discussion, so that it cannot be said later that it wasn’t thought through. |
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There are two separate things here.
IMHO, FamilySearch only needs to be responsible for the first of these. |
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A specification of how to convert 5.5.1 to 7.0 was published along with the initial 7.0.0 release: https://gedcom.io/migrate/. While not worded as an algorithm, I believe that it does address all conversion issues except the purely mechanical of removing CONC, changing HEAD.GEDC.VERS, and the like. That said, we've not spent much energy reviewing it; reports of any omissions, errors, or lack of clarity to it would most welcome. |
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Would it be usefull to have a GEDCOM converter on the GEDCOM-Tools page https://gedcom.io/tools/
By that I mean a program that can be run on that page itself, so an online Converter. (or run somewhere else on the Familysearch pages)
It should be able to convert all versions of GEDCOM into Version 7.0 and newer versions.
So only "upward" conversions.
As it is now, each and every genealogical program that excists, has to write (the same kind of) code to be able to convert older files into Version 7 or above. And as we all know, not all programs interpreted older GEDCOM versions the same way, even when there are specifications on this website.
There are lots of variations, extensions and so on.
By having this controlled online GEDCOM converter, there is 1 central place, powered by GEDCOM itself, to make sure files are correct.
Of course there will be a lot of problems to write code to be able to handle all variations of GEDCOM that are around. Maybe this will be a nice project to offer to some students??
Having this GEDCOM converter, controlled by the GEDCOM group, would also give the possibility to "see" what variations there are, what extensions are used and so on.
I saw a couple of times on the forums that people asked for information about what in fact was used in GEDCOMS, and how much of it. Which programs used which TAGs.
This would give an opportunity to grab all that information.
By providing a way to convert GEDCOMS in a controlled way in an upward direction, it might help to spread newer GEDCOM versions.
As now the task of being able to process all kind of older GEDCOM files, having to write code to be able to deal with all kind of problems coming from other programs, is taken away from the writers of genealogical programs.
They can simply point new users to this converter when they want to opload an older file, coming from another program, in that specific program of theirs. And that user will return with a GEDCOM file that perfectly matches a newer GEDCOM version.
So programs can concentrate on building code to process a perfect GEDCOM 7.0 or above. And does not have to deal with all kind of trouble in older files or files coming from another program.
This might help to minimize differences in between outputs.
People will argue there is of course the problem of privacy.
But we can also say, that all online programs, or websites, where you can upload your GEDCOM, will have that same problem.
And there are still many people/programs using older GEDCOM versions.
It could help with the privacy problem, if the code of that converter was public and open source.
Just a thought.
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