Family Tree Maker 2008 Tip - Index of Names

Family Tree Maker 2008 has had a complete program rebuild from the ground up giving the program a strong foundation for the next generation of FTM.

Because it is a completely new program, and not just an add-on upgrade to the old version, some things are done differently, and you may find it awkward at first trying to navigate in the new interface. So, I thought I would share some tips and tricks I have discovered as I have used the FTM2008.


Index of Names
To view the Index of Names, go to the People Work space (one of the seven work spaces available on the top bar) and click on the Family Tab.

Having the index always open is an efficient way to navigate to different people in your tree. Hover your cursor over anyone in the list and a pop-up window provides the full name, birth, marriage and death dates so you can more easily select between individuals with similar names. Clicking on an individual immediately changes the screen to that individual 's Pedigree and Facts.

The Index of Names is always on display on the Family Tab, but you can close or collapse the Index panel if you need to make the Family Screen fit better on your monitor or even if you just prefer less panels open on your screen.

To close the Index of Names, look at the top right side of the Index panel for the almost invisible vertical ..... ^..... When you hover over these 8 tiny dots with an arrow in the middle, it displays "Open / Close the left panel". Just click on the arrow to close the Index panel. If the Index panel is closed, simply click on the 8 tiny dots to open the Index panel again.


Index of Names Top Bar
The top bar of the Index of Names states the word Index: followed by the number of names in the Index. On the right side of that same bar is an icon of a house. Click on the house to go immediately to the Home Person.

Next to the house icon is an icon with three vertical bars. These bars means that an additional column can be displayed. You have a choice to add either the Birth date, Marriage Date or Date of Death. You can choose to show dates (for clarification) in the index or not show dates (to take up less screen space) and easily toggle back and forth between the two by clicking on the three vertical bars icon.


Family Tree Maker 2008