RootsMagic

RootsMagic has the reputation of being one of the most user-friendly genealogy programs ^[1] ^[2] ^[3] even though it has a robust feature set surpassing its competition. It has evolved from one of the earliest and most successful genealogy programs  the well-respected Family Origins program  into an application on the cutting edge of new technologies, including integration with on-line internet resources (e.g. FamilySearch^[4]), portability (being able to operate the software from removable media e.g. a thumb drive, CD or DVD) and incorporating DNA results.

The program provides 6 main navigation views: Pedigree, Family, Decendants, People List, WebSearch, and Timeline, plus an optional sidebar for easier navigation. The RootsMagic edit screen displays all Facts, Events, Names, DNA tests and more for each person. Notes, Sources, and Media are supported for every piece of information entered.

It also provides "Evidence Explained" based Source Entry, To-Do lists and Research Logs for every Person and Family, hundreds of Reports, dozens of Tools for cleaning / maintaining your file, and the ability to install and run the full program and databases from a flash drive.

RootsMagic is produced by RootsMagic, Inc. (previously known as FormalSoft, Inc.^[5]), a software development company founded by Bruce Buzbee^[6] in 1987.

Features^[7]

Free Version Available

RootsMagic Essentials^[8]

Data Entry & Sourcing

Automatic Date Format
Automatic Duplicate Check
CountyCheck  confirm & correct the existence of a county, state, or country for any date
Online maps of county boundaries for any date
Easy Navigation
Supports International Character Sets
Over 60 pre-defined Fact Types
Unlimited Custom Facts
Notes for all Fact Types
DNA Data
Assign Source to Media Files
Date Calculation
LDS Options
Privacy Option
Open Multiple Databases
Open Multiple Copies of the Same Database
Drag-and-Drop people between Databases
Automatic Age Display
Relationship Options
Rating System for Sources
DNA Results Recording - Y-STR and mtDNA

Notes and Formatting

Add Notes to any Fact, Person, Family, Role, Place, Place Details
Notes can be Shown in Reports, Books, Web Pages, etc.
Privatize Notes
Note Formatting (bold, italics, underlining)
Spell Checking
Thesaurus

Source Documentation

SourceWizard Creates and Formats Source Citations^[9]
Hundreds of SourceWizard Templates
Reuse Existing Sources
Source Hints
Standard Quality Designations^[10]
Copy Sources
Memorize Source for Reuse
Add Source to Multiple People
Merge Duplicate Sources
Record Repositories
Global Source for Gedcom Imports

Management Tools

Import/Export - Gedcom Files
Import from other software native file formats:
- Family Origins (ver. 4 and later)
- Family Tree Maker (ver. 16 and earlier)
- Legacy (ver 2 and later)^[11]
- PAF (2.x and later)^[12]
- Full Gedcom Support
Easily Track Multiple Relationships
Create Named Groups of People
Find People by Name, Married Name, Date, Place, Note Contents, and more
Color Coding
Problem Detection
Manual and Automatic / Intelligent Merging
Multimedia Support
Research Manager
Correspondence Lists
Multiple Relationships (adoptive-foster)
Relationship Calculator
Query/Search for Individuals
Counting Unlinked Trees
Soundex Calculator
Track Medical Conditions
Address Book
Multiple databases open
Create Shareable CD with Read-Only Version of RootsMagic

MultiMedia

Scan Photos
Attach Photos, Videos, Audio to Person, Place, Source or Event
Attach Documents (Word, PDF, XLS, etc.) to Person, Place, Source or Event
Photo Editor
Tag Media for use With Multiple People, Families, Sources, etc.

Views

Family
Pedigree
Descendants
Timeline
People List
Web Search

Reports and Charts

Address Lists and Labels for Mailing
Ancestor & Descendant Charts
Ancestor & Descendant Narrative Reports
Ancestor Pedigree Reports
Ahnentafel
Narrative reports (register (NEHGS), indented descendancy, Henry descendancy, and D'Aboville descendancy)
Wall Charts^[13]
Custom Reports^[14]
Correspondence List
Photo Tree
Duplicate List
Place List (Events which Occurred in each Place)
Repository List
Source List
Problem List
Kinship List
Missing Information List
Multimedia List
To-Do Lists
On This Day List
Timeline (Chronology) List
Statistics and Surname Lists
Timeline Files
To-Do Lists
Place Reports (people & events)
Print Address Lists
Birthday and Anniversary Lists
Save Reports to PDF, RTF
Direct email of Reports
Print Books
Print Blank Forms
Customize Printing Options

RootsMagic Publisher

Make Shareable CDs™ to give to others, with custom menu and a read-only version of RootsMagic
Create complete books with narrative, notes, charts, photos, source bibliography, index, and more.
Create cover and title pages, copyright, dedication, acknowledgement, preface pages
Table of contents
Free-form text pages
Customize index format and number of columns

Online Integration

Search the Web with WebSearch
Create Web Site in Many Formats and Use Style Sheets
Privatize People on Web Site

Help & Support

Extensive Built-In Help
Video Tutorials
Printed Materials
Online Resources

Supported Operating Systems

Windows 7
Windows Vista
Windows XP

Customization

RootsMagic supports standard features of customization, e.g. defining the contents and format of sentences for fact types when used in narrative reports as well as more extensive customizations. Custom Reports can be created easily. Other items which can be customized include the date format, locations of associated files (database, media, reports, etc.), functions on the tool bar, LDS support, default views, people list view and many more.

Some people augment the capabilities of RootsMagic with functions they create, for example the pedigree chart generated for the Cloud DNA Project from a RootsMagic database and the Y-STR results chart pinned to it.

The RootsMagic Forums are the primary place where discussion of the features of RootsMagic and customization of it occur, but there is also the SQLite Tools for RootsMagic wiki which focuses on directly accessing the SQLite database to create unique queries and to perform other special functions.

DNA Data

Y-STR

Inserting Y-STR values

Y-STR data can be entered in the formats of all the major DNA testing companies.

mtDNA

Inserting mtDNA values

mtDNA data can be entered on this screen.

Supports major testing companies

Web sites using RootsMagic

DNA Projects

One Name Studies ^[15]

User Groups

There are many local local area user groups set up by users of RootsMagic where one can receive help and ideas. Some of these groups are:

Arizona, Phoenix - Phoenix FHC RootsMagic User Group
Arizona, Prescott - Prescott RootsMagic User Group
Arizona, Tucson - Pima County Genealogy Club RootsMagic User Group
Arizona, Tucson - Tucson Family History Center
California, Burbank - RootsMagic User Group of the Southern California Genealogical SCGS website
California, Ojai - RootsMagic Forum
California, San Diego - San Diego Genealogical Society: RootsMagic User Group
California, San Francisco Bay Area RootsMagic User Group
California, Victorville - Hi-Desert Genealogical Society
Canada, Ontario, Cobourg / Port Hope - RootsMagic Wizards Guild
Colorado, Denver - Colorado Genealogical Society Computer Interest Group
Colorado, Grand Junction - Grand Junction RootsMagic User Group
Colorado, Longmont - Longmont RootsMagic User Group
Florida, Bradenton - Manasota Genealogical Society RootsMagic SIG
Florida, Largo - Pinellas Genealogy Society RootsMagic Users Group
Florida, Lee County - Lee County Genealogical Society, Inc.
Florida - Palm Harbor RootsMagic User Group
Florida - West Pasco County Genealogical Society
Idaho, Blackfoot
Idaho, Nampa - Nampa Idaho RootsMagic User Group
Idaho, Rexburg - Rexburg Idaho RootsMagic User Group
Illinois, Chicago - North Chicago Suburbs User Group
Iowa, Indianola - RootsMagic Central Iowa User Group
Iowa / Illinois - Genealogy SIG of the Quad-Cities Computer Society
Kansas City
Maine, Kennebec County
Michigan, Davison - Davison "RootsMagic" Genealogy Society
Minnesota, St. Cloud - Central Minnesota User Group
North Carolina, Charlotte Area - Carolinas RootsMagic Users Group
Ohio, Akron - RootsMagic Users Group
Ohio, Cincinnati / Dayton
Ohio, Cleveland - NEOCAG (North East Ohio Computer Aided Genealogy)
Ohio, Columbus Area - Central Ohio Rootsmagic User Group
Oregon, Corvallis
Oregon, Eugene - RootsMagic User Group
Oregon, Portland
Pennsylvania, Lansdale
Texas, College Station / Bryan - RootsMagic Users Group
Texas - RootsMagic Users Network
Utah, Hurricane - RootsMagic User Group for Southern Utah
Utah, Logan - LFHC RootsMagic Users Group
Utah, Provo - Utah Valley Technology and Genealogy Group (UVTAGG) formerly UVPAFUG (RootsMagic SIG)
Utah, St. George - Washington County PAF User Group
Virginia, Fairfax / Northern Virginia RootsMagic Users Group
Washington, Longview - Olympia RootsMagic User's Group
Washington, Olympia area - Olympia RootsMagic User's Group
Washington, Spokane - RootsMagic Users Group
Washington, Tri-Cities - RootsMagic Users Group

References

External links

[1] Best Genealogy Product of 2011: RootsMagic 5

[2] Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter - RootsMagic 5 Software Released

[3] Quotes & Reviews

[4] Winner of the FamilySearch award for "Easiest to Sync"

[5] FormalSoft, Inc. Changes Name to RootsMagic, Inc.

[6] Bruce Buzbee

[7] RootsMagic Features

[8] RootsMagic Essentials

[9] SourceWizard

[10] Citation Quality

[11] Legacy Family Tree

[12] PAF

[13] RootsMagic Chart and Map Printing

[14] Custom Reports

[15] Guild of One Name Studies

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