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Eyre History - F.A.Q.

Some web browsers don't implement all of the web standards as they should so not all styles or layouts used on this site will render properly in all browsers all of the time. For example some browsers and in particular old versions of Internet Explorer make a hash of things such as the code used for the multi level navigation system. Houses and Surnames menu items should show submenus when the mouse is placed over the menu item. If this does not work you can either choose an alternate style from the layout selector at the bottom of the navigation column on the Layout page or download a more more up-to-date and standards compliant browser.

What's a Gedcom?

Gedcoms are a means of transferring genealogical data stored in family history programs. All modern family history programs store data that the user has inputted in some format. If two researchers researching the same line use the same program then they may use the programs normal backup format to exchange info. If however they are using different family history programs they may exchange info in Gedcom format. Whilst using Gedcoms is far easier than having to enter all the info again in another program it may lose some of the info that would have been transfrerred had both users used the same program and used its own file exchange format. The main details such as who, where, when and relationships should all be exchanged properly by Gedcom the problem appears more in the exchange of source info, references notes etc that are more program specific.

There have been plans in the pipeline for quite a few years now for a different method of storing and exchanging Genealogical Data called XML but I wouldn't worry about it for a while yet as progress seems to be fairly slow and when it is finally adopted I expect that Gedcoms and XML will run side ny side for quite a few years.

The pages of EyreHistory that contain genealogical content of branches have been created from programs that create web pages from Gedcoms that have been submitted by fellow researchers.

What's this layout thing?

The site has been created so that the user can choose from a variety of style sheets. These style sheets allow users to view the site with different colours, font sizes, colour schemes, themes etc. This is particularly usefull for those with visiual impairments as large fonts and highly contrasting colour schemes may be selected to make the site easier to read. To change to a different colour scheme or layout choose from the list in the drop down list under layout in the navigation column on the Layout page. This works by setting a cookie (a small text file) on your computer which records your chosen layout. Each page that you view then asks your computer what value your cookie has stored in it. It then replies with the value you had for the last page and displays the page in that style.

The cookie only states the name of the style you prefer, is not passed anywhere else (I don't suppose anyone else would be interested in the slightest which style you prefer to view EyreHistory in) and is deleted when your browser is closed down.

You can check the cookie yourself by selecting Tools > Internet Options > in General tab, under Browsing history, click Settings, view files and then order by type (Cookies) until you find one set from www.eyrehistory.net. You should find it contains a short word such as grey, blue, news which is all that is needed for your computer to remind the website how you prefer to view the site.

This all happens without you having to do anything, but requires that you have cookies and javascript enabled on your computer.

Why does the site have varying styles for different branches?

The site can be broken down into two types of page

  • The main entry level pages of the site (giving background info etc)
  • Pages displaying details on individuals within branches

The main pages are displayed according to which style sheet the user has chosen from the layout option

The pages containing info on individuals within the branches are generated automatically by running a Gedcom file through a program. Dan started using one program, when I took over I started using another. As I don't have Gedcoms for all the branches I can't create pages that look the same for all branches. I'm currently working on creating my own Gedcom parsing program to create pages for the site to increase the proportion of the site that is controlled by style sheets.

Why does a printed page look different to the screen version?

Different sylesheets are used for printing and browsing. Whilst it is important to have certain items such as a navigation menu for you to browse the site they tend to waste paper and ink if printed out so separate stylesheets have been created to limit wasteage.

I clicked on a search link and cannot find the individual/place I was searching for

The search bar on many pages of this site mimics a Google search and by default limits the search to within the Eyre History website. Every so often Google reindexes web sites to make sure that it returns useful pages to the searcher. The site is a work in progress and as such quite regularly gets updates to certain branches. There will naturally be a delay between any update and Google (and other search engines) reindexing the site, during which a link may not lead you to what you had hoped. A suggested work around is to make a note of the branch and look within that branches index of individuals.