Overview
The Interactive Pedigree User Item creates a box pedigree chart where the visitor can choose the subject of the chart.
The chart shows a subject and three to five generations of ancestors. A list above the subject shows the names of the subject's siblings. A list below the subject shows the names of the subject's partners and children. The user may refocus the chart to a new subject by clicking icons in the chart or by clicking the name of a sibling, partner, or child.
The chart is created solely in the browser via a script. After the page loads, switching to another person is instantaneous. When navigating within a chart, visitors may use their browser's back and forward buttons to retrace their steps.
The Interactive Pedigree chart is a Page Item. It creates its own page, and you may not add other User Items to it. If you add more than one Interactive Pedigree Chart to your site, GedSite will only create the first one it finds. A single Interactive Pedigree chart can display the pedigree of anyone in the site. You may add links to the chart that customize its contents, as described below.
Related Components
Several other components may be added to the site to leverage the capabilities of the Interactive Pedigree chart:
- The Pedigree Link Person Entry Item adds a link in the person entry for each person on the site. If the visitor clicks the link, it opens the Interactive Pedigree chart with the focus set to the subject of the person entry.
- The Pedigree Link User Item creates a link in the site's menus and/or on a Page. If the visitor clicks the link, it opens the Interactive Pedigree chart with the focus set to the person whose ID is selected in the User Item.
Usage
You may lead your visitors to the Interactive Pedigree several different ways. In all cases, the initial subject of the Interactive Pedigree chart is determined by a link, but the visitor may still refocus the chart to another person.
To refocus the chart, the visitor may click any of the "white arrow on green circle" icons to set the initial person to the person whose box contains that icon. As in other charts, clicking the person's name in a chart box will open the person entry for that person. However, clicking a name in the Siblings list or Partners & Children list refocuses the chart and does not open a person entry.
The refocus operation is fast. After the page loads, switching to another person is instantaneous.
After refocusing the chart, the user may use the browser's back and forward buttons to retrace their steps. This is very helpful because it allows the user to go back to a known starting point if they wander somewhere in the pedigree where the path back to a prior subject is not obvious.
By default, the chart will initially show 3 generations from a given starting person. The number of generations may be adjusted to show 4 or 5 generations, and the visitor can adjust the number of generations using a pull-down menu. Because the chart is interactive, it does not need to show a lot of generations at a time, and doing so would defeat one of the charts key advantages: its focus on a manageable subset of a larger tree.
If a parent is not known or not included in the site, the box for that parent is still visible as shown in the example above for the parents of Jonathan Graham and Mary Young. The chart can be refocused on Jonathan Graham or Mary Young, but that is useful only to show their siblings, partners, or children.
Edit Interactive Pedigree Chart
The Edit Interactive Pedigree Item window controls the properties of the Interactive Pedigree chart.
Shared Properties
Chart colors are determined by the Theme but can be changed by the user via the properties in the Theme.Chart section. Other stylesheet options are controlled via the subsections under the the Styles.Charts section.
Title
The Title property identifies the User Item in the User Items list.
Enabled
See Enabled in the Common Properties section of the User Items help page.
Subject
Specify the ID number of the initial subject of the chart in the Subject textbox. The initial subject is only used if the chart is opened directly from where it is added to the site, such as an entry in the menu bar. Any other links to the chart will specify the initial subject person.
Picklist
You may use the Picklist button to select the subject.
Generations
Use the Generations textbox to specify how many generations the chart should contain. The interactive capability of the chart reduces the need to show many generations. The allowable range is 3 to 5. The default is 3 generations.
The visitor may adjust the number of generations via a pull-down menu above the chart.
Width and Height
The Width and Height properties control the size of the boxes.
Use the text content properties to add content before the images on an Exhibit Gallery page.
Introduction
The Introduction property adds text content to top of the Interactive Pedigree page above the chart. Use the Edit > Open Editor... command (F7) to open an editor window that is suitable for editing multi-line text values.
Use the Introduction property to describe the chart, explain how it works, or provide some other information about the chart.