This month the producers of Heredis released an English-language version of the genealogy powerhouse. I had a chance to use the new English-language version this week and can report that it is a very good genealogy program.

Installation of Heredis was as easy as any other modern Windows program: click on the icon, sit back, and watch. I was prompted for my name and serial number but nothing else. Once installed, I simply clicked on the Heredis icon to launch the program. The first time I launched the program, I was asked if I wanted to manually start a new database or to import a GEDCOM file. I elected to import an existing GEDCOM file of about three thousand people. The import process only required a minute or two, and I was then looking at Heredis’ main screen.

Because of this newsletter, I have the opportunity to use a lot of genealogy programs. After a while, many of them begin to look the same: an on-screen pedigree chart and/or a data entry screen with the normal fields of name, birth, marriage, and death, along with fields for the names of parents, spouses and children. Different genealogy programs present this information in different formats, yet many of them are similar to each other. However, Heredis has a very different "look and feel" from other genealogy programs I have used. It took a few minutes to get used to the Heredis method, but once I became familiar with this method of navigation and data entry, I liked it. Heredis’ default is neither a pedigree chart nor a data entry form. Instead, the program calls the main screen a "modular workspace."

Describing a "modular workspace" can be a bit confusing. If possible, you should look at a screenshot at www.myheredis.com/zoom.asp?url=pictures/ImgPC/GeneralRucastle.jpg. You will note that the program runs inside a normal Microsoft Window. This Window displays a workspace that is divided into different sections, which I will refer to as "frames." One window can contain one or more frames, with each frame displaying a different view of the data.

The first time I ran the program, the workspace contained one large frame showing the name and vital information of the first individual in the database, along with the names and vital information for his parents, spouses, and children. Even the parents’ occupations were displayed. The display used a liberal amount of color and bold fonts to display various data items.

To the left a second frame focused on the same person (No. 1 in the database) but listed more information as plain text. This text frame has room for more information, such as military service and places of evidence. A third frame contained links to grandparents, aunts and uncles, parents, brothers and sisters, nephews and nieces, as well as cousins. Clicking on any of those links produced a list of the people selected. Then clicking on any name in a list moved the newly-selected individual to the primary person of focus in all the frames.

Of all the genealogy programs I have seen, I do not recall any other that packs as much information onto the screen as Heredis does. Even better, the information displayed is never confusing. The program’s designers have succeeded in displaying a lot of information in a simple and logical manner.

I have described the workspace as it appears the first time the program is launched. However, Heredis allows for a lot of flexibility in the display of these frames. I have described only the first three frames as they are the only ones displayed the first time the program is launched. However, the third frame can also be used to display pedigree charts, ahnentafels (lists of ancestors), descendant lists, calendars (including Gregorian, Julian, Hebrew and French Republican calendars), and multimedia files. Even better, the frames can be moved, resized, or even hidden. You can maximize a frame until it fills the entire screen or shrink it to occupy only a tiny space. However you resize and move the screens, the last positions are saved when you exit the program. The next time you launch Heredis, you pick up right where you left off the last time.

Looking at the first frame I described, the one that focuses on the individual along with his or her parents, spouses, and children, Heredis also displays a Navigation square: this square functions like a compass, leading you to the person you are interested in. Symbols are displayed for father, mother, spouses, children, brothers, and sisters. A simple click on the corresponding symbol moves the individual concerned to the primary person position.

I am very impressed with Heredis’ display of information and ease of navigation. As I mentioned before, it is unlike any other genealogy program I have seen. In this case, that difference is a good thing.

There is more to this program than data display and navigation, however. The program features excellent management of source citations. The user can record almost any fact that concerns the life of the person displayed on the screen. There is room for free-text source notes as well as dedicated fields for such things as whether or not the person could sign his or her own name. The program actually has three choices for that: can sign, cannot sign, and sign perhaps. The program also allows the user to assign yellow "sticky notes," to individuals. This is where you keep your notes that are not yet ready to be entered as "facts" into the database, such as, "possibly the child of…" or perhaps, "I need to check this in the 1820 census records." Sticky notes remain in your database and can be viewed on screen. However, they do not print on the normal reports.

The French always demonstrate savoir-faire when it comes to family relationships, and that style shows in Heredis. The program does not refer to marriages or to unmarried couples. Instead, it simply uses the term "union." A union may signify a marriage, but this is not automatically assumed. A date and place of marriage and of divorce may be recorded as an event, but the Heredis database treats these events as separate information, not as supporting data for a "union." The same approach applies to children in Heredis: a child may be listed as a legitimate child, a natural child, a recognized child, a child found, an adopted child, an adulterous child, or a still-born child. If that isn’t enough, a final entry simply says, "relationship unknown." Whatever the relationship assigned to the child, all children are considered to be full-fledged members of the family and are displayed that way on the screen and (optionally) in printed reports.

Heredis also has almost all the features found in the more advanced genealogy programs. Information may be marked as "sensitive" so that it does not normally print on the various reports. The program has data fields to record the mailing address of living individuals as well as their telephone number, FAX number, e-mail address, and personal Web page. It can also generate mailing lists and has the option of including or not including street address, postal code, town, e-mail address, FAX number, telephone number, or Web page. Of course, one would expect a genealogy program from Europe to be "internationalized," and Heredis is no exception. It never says "city and state" but rather town and county/region. It never says ZIP code, instead using the term "postal code." Finally, there is room for long telephone numbers, including country code, rather than the ten-digit maximum found in some U.S.-produced genealogy programs. Dates may be printed in European or American formats. For instance, Americans would refer to this year’s Christmas date as 12/25/01 whereas Europeans would write it 25/12/2001. Heredis will display dates in the format you specify.

Describing the reports available in Heredis would fill an entire newsletter article by itself. I will only briefly mention the major ones. Of course, this program produces all the normal pedigree charts and lists. Heredis also produces many lists, including ascendants list (ancestors list), descendants list, union list, alphabetical list of individuals, list of events, list of anniversaries, list of addresses, list of sources, and more. The program also keeps extremely detailed statistics about the data you enter. All statistics in your genealogy files may be illustrated using pie charts, bar charts or columns. Want to know the average lifespan of your ancestors? Heredis will display that for you, both as raw numbers and in chart form. Heredis also produces fan charts and wheel charts. I was not able to find a register report, however. (A register report generates genealogy books in a rigid format, including all text notes as well as dates and places.)

Heredis also produces a phratry tree (no, that is not a typo error). The male phratry tree will display the male direct ancestors of the primary person (his father, then his father's father, then his paternal grand-father...) as well as their spouses, and the brothers and sisters of each ancestor in order of birth. The female phratry tree will display the female direct ancestors of the primary person (his mother, then his mother's mother, then his maternal grand-mother...) as well as their spouses, and the brothers and sisters of each ancestor in order of birth.

Simpler reports may be printed or saved as ASCII text files. The more complex reports are generated as RTF files that are automatically loaded into your favorite word processor. You can then use your word processor to further modify the reports and to print on any Windows-compatible printer. If you do not have a separate word processor, Heredis will use Windows’ included WordPad word processor. Heredis also can create HTML files, which you then upload to your personal Web site. You can publish your genealogy on the Internet, thus allowing anyone in the entire world to see the results of your research. Heredis will also automatically launch your favorite Web browser and access genealogy Web sites listed in its database.

Finally, Heredis has a lot of multimedia capability. You can create your own personalized presentation, modify the appearance and contents of every box, and even add illustrations. Several templates, or "models," are included with the program, and the producers promise that new models will be available for download from their Web site.

The above words only list a few of the features of this genealogy powerhouse. If you would like to experiment further, you can download a free demo version of Heredis and use it on your own computer. The demo version actually is the full version except for one significant difference: the demo version is limited to fifty individuals who may be entered into the database. Actually, you may import and open larger files with more than fifty individuals. You could even import thousands of individuals into the demo version of Heredis and then examine the data on the screen. However, files containing more than fifty individuals cannot be printed or modified.

Any file which you may have created using the demo version will be fully compatible with the complete version of the program once this has been installed. Also, there is no time limit to the demo version.

As I mentioned earlier, the English version of Heredis is brand new, being introduced this month. The producers are offering an introductory price of $39.00 (U.S. funds). At some time in the future, the price will probably revert back to its normal list price of $69.00. You can order the program safely, using a secure order form on Heredis’ Web site. You may also order by mail, telephone, or FAX.

I expect we all will hear more about Heredis in the coming months. This program is a serious competitor to several well-established genealogy programs. For more information about the English-language version of Heredis, to download the demo version, or to safely order the program online, go to: www.myheredis.com.

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