FamilyTree application Updated at FamilySearch Labs

The FamilyTree application has been updated at the FamilySearch Labs
website. They have added several new functions.

http://www.familysearchlabs.org/

There is now a Records Tab, which is the same thing as the Combined
Records option in newFamilySearch. It displays a list of all the
combined records on one scrollable screen. It has the ability to
remove records which have been combined in error and put them into a
new folder or move them to another folder. You can even drag a name
from the combined records list and drop it into a folder shown on the left
side of the screen. To be able to move records from folder to folder you
must first open each of the folders that you want to move records between.
Not all of these new features are active yet.

They have updated the Temple tab which shows a list of the names you
have reserved or printed cards for Temple ordinances. It does not
organize these names into families however. You can sort the names by
several different fields including by Surname. It shows the status of
all reserved names and names that cards have been printed for. You
can also click on a name and see spouse and parents and have the
option to go to a folder or pedigree view of the person.

There is now a summary view with ordinances in the folders area. This
has replaced the details view. There is now no details view, I will be
sending feedback to ask about that, I think we need that details view.
I use the details view in newFamilySearch all the time.

You must have a newFamilySeach account to use FamilyTree and changes
made in FamilyTree are made in newFamilySerach. Changes you can now
make include, selecting default data in the summary view. They are looking for feedback to identify errors and learn what functions people like and what
changes people would like to see added.

Dear Gary,

While I have not been active in my position as moderator, I have read and enjoyed a number of your posts. I am a family History consultant and trainer at the South Davis family history center in Bountiful, Utah.

I was able to work on the Beta test of Family tree and I really like what I saw. I have since been in to the the family tree program in the Labs site and it appears to be the same program only it actually accesses the live files. Obviously missing is the method of adding and changing names and relationships.

Can you tell me how these two programs will relate in the future?

The ancestry insider made a comment about family tree may be released soon. While his comments are not Gospel, I do enjoy his blog.

It appears to me that some of the functions of family tree are simpler to use, but is it going to replace New famiilysearch or work with it?

Just Curious,

Charles E. Burgoyne

FamilyTree is the name of the application at new.famiysearch.org but everyone calls it newFamilySearch. It is my understanding that new.familysearch.org is just a temporary web location for the FamilyTree program until it is ready to be added to the main FamilySearch.org web site. The version of FamilyTree that is under development over at FamilySearch Labs is a newer version of the program now on new.familyseach.org. The reason it does not have all of the functions of the newFamilySearch version of the program is because it is still being developed and all of those functions have not yet been added. I have not heard any official word, but from what I have read on the blogs and heard, it is my understanding that the version of FamilyTree at FamilySearch Labs will someday replace the current version that people call newFamilySearch and when it is completed it will be put onto the main FamilySearch web site and the new.familysearch.org site will go away. If there is someone that reads these forums from FamilySearch that knows something official concerning this matter maybe they will post something here to confirm if that is correct or not.

The hope is that this newer version will be more scalable than the current version. It is my understanding that the older version requires a larger server load because each page is created on the server then fed to the user. The newer version loads the page application to the user and the users computer creates the page views and the application just exchanges data from the servers rather than loading a new web page from the server for each mouse click. I read this somewhere, but I don't remember the source of that information.

I have also been a beta tester for the new version of FamilyTree. My experience is that there is still a lot of work to do on the new application before it is ready for a prime time release. The Records view and the Temple view still are very slow loading. I think the work needed is in the way the software accesses the data. This data is all text so the file sizes of these pieces of data are very small and should load very fast, but for some reason it is taking a long time to load.

GarysTurn wrote:This data is all text so the file sizes of these pieces of data are very small and should load very fast, but for some reason it is taking a long time to load.

In persuing perfection it might have come to needing to go through presentation layer, the business logic layer and the data access layer. Even the data access layer could be split into several different layers depending on cross-technology used and data normalization could have been taken to the extreme.
I am just kidding as for guessing, I have no ideas where their bottleneck is. Lets hope they have a successful optimization stage

Gary, I always enjoy reading your valuable information when it comes to FamilySearch and all things related.