Change Log (Updates)

This page documents the changes that have been made from version to version of the product. For the Windows conversion program, you can check your current version by clicking on Help -> About. On Android, press the Menu button and select Info.

Some Android enhancements are closely tied to changes made in the Windows program. When this occurs, you might find that the Android program will not open your existing database file due to changes it expects to see. When this happens, it is necessary to download the latest version of the Windows program from this site, install the update, re-convert your genealogy data, and copy the new file to the Android device. We will attempt to avoid this situation as much as possible!

Windows Program

These updates are not automated. It will be necessary for you to download the latest version and install it. Your registration key will not be lost in this process, even if you uninstall the current version first.

Download the Latest Update

 

V4.3.3 (Feb 2012)

  • Support for improved photo display on Android device (with Android app 2.1.1)

V4.3.2 (Feb 2012)

  • Use file name as photo caption for GEDCOM records without a specific TITL tag.
  • New option to ignore invalid GEDCOM lines instead of handling them as a fatal error.

V4.3.0 (Dec 2011)

  • Direct copy of the database file to your Dropbox folder.
  • Larger photo option for large tablets.
  • Better support for TMG custom name structures.
  • Support GEDCOM cause-of-death (CAUS) tag.

 

V4.2.6 (Aug 2011)

  • Fix minor GEDCOM import bugs

 

V4.2.5 (Mar 2011)

  • Fix crash or hang when writing database file. (V4.2.5)
  • Fix TMG internal photo conversion. (V4.2.4)
  • Fix conversion of non-ASCII characters (fix for 4.2.0 bug). (V4.2.3)
  • Generate version 3 database for new Android V1.7.0 features.
  • Store correct individual IDs for TMG databases.
  • Support user-defined "REFN" IDs
  • Support "private," "excluded," or "sensitive" data markers for TMG and Legacy.
  • Support TMG dataset IDs.

 

V4.1.5 (Feb 2011)

  • Fix for random "SQLite Disk I/O Error" failures caused by interference from certain anti-virus software.
  • Photos were not being converted from GEDCOM file if the file was encoded as UTF-8 and the file path contained non-English characters.

 

V4.1.4 (Jan 2011)

  • Data from GEDCOM files and other programs using ANSI character encoding are now correctly converted for Android (UTF-8), regardless of nationality. In addition to Western European characters, this has been tested with the Cyryllic alphabet.
  • Photo searches for Legacy Family Tree databases has been improved.

 

V4.1.3 (Jan 2011)

  • Fix "buffer overrun" error commonly encountered with GEDCOM files downloaded from Ancestry.com.
  • Convert text formatting codes used by Legacy and Master Genealogist (bold, italics, etc.). Requires V1.5.5 of the Android app for proper viewing (to be released mid-January).

 

V4.1.2 (Dec 2010)

A minor update affecting only users with GEDCOM files, and particularly if you have file or directory names containing accented characters.

  • Fix problem creating the database file and/or converting photos when converting an ANSI-formatted GEDCOM file and there are accented characters in the file path.

 

V4.1.0 (Dec 2010)

This is a significant new release that requires an update to V1.5.0 or later of the Android application. You must re-convert your PC data and transfer the new ".gedstar" database files to your device in order to have the new features.

  • Restructuring of the output database to achieve significant performance increases on the Android device in conjunction with Android app V1.5.0.
  • Fix for locating image files in the default directory when using Legacy 7.0.
  • Fix for usage of name components in Legacy databases.

 

Android Application

Updates to the Android application should be installed on your device automatically, or you will be prompted to install them, if you installed the application from the Android Market.

V2.1.1 (Feb 2012)

  • Optimized photo display sizing on all devices (requires converter V4.3.3).

V2.1.0 (Jan 2012)

  • Improved photo display on large tablets.
  • Export to Evernote in addition to Catch Notes.
  • Additional information in list of Research Tasks.
  • Fix when searching by given name only.

V2.0.3 (Jan 2012)

  • Fix crash (Force Close) when selecting a new person from the list or Favorites..

V2.0.2 (Jan 2012)

  • Fix bug with displaying multiple photos for a person when launched from the person's details screen.

V2.0.1 (Dec 2011)

  • Fix problem with launching from Dropbox that started with Dropbox app 2.0.

V2.0.0 (Dec 2011)

  • Updated to use features of Android V3 (Honeycomb) and V4 (Ice Cream Sandwich), but maintaining compatibility with earlier versions.
  • Improved screen layouts for large-screen tablets to take advantage of the increased screen space by displaying more information at once.
  • Pictures display at larger size on large tablets (requires V4.2.7 of Windows program).
  • Calculated age displayed in list of events where possible.
  • Long press on forward or back buttons pops up a list of recently-viewed people.

V1.7.3 (Aug 2011)

  • Add tag "#gedstarpro" to exported Catch notes.
  • Minor fixes to prevent certain Force Close errors.

V1.7.2 (Jun 2011)

  • Fix Dropbox/Google Docs support for file names containing spaces.

 

V1.7.1 (May 2011)

  • Changes to support launching from Dropbox or Google Docs with file copy.
  • Minor bug fixes.

 

V1.7.0 (Mar 2011)

  • New V3 database support (requires V4.2.0 Windows program).
  • Export a person's event details to a Catch Note for editing, photo attachment, uploading. Requires installation of (free) Catch Notes app.
  • All resource "master lists" searchable by name (sources, photos, etc.).
  • Search by individual ID or by user-defined REFN ID.
  • Hide or show "private" memos and events (TMG and Legacy features).
  • Online help pages (requires Internet connection).
  • Improved file management; can delete file from within app.

 

V1.6.1 (Jan 2011)

  • Add settable limit on the number of generations to go back during a relationship search. This may help prevent out-of-memory errors.
  • Add support for network distribution of product information and alert bulletins.
  • Fix minor bugs from previous releases.

 

V1.6.0 (Jan 2011)

  • Relationship calculator (accessed from the menu).
  • Lookups accessed from the Search key.
  • Displays character formatting and some HTML features in memos, notes, etc.
  • New preference settings for various display options.

 

V1.5.4 (Dec 2010)

  • Individual IDs and reference numbers can be enabled or disabled via Settings options.
  • Display locations on map (success depends on place name format and mapping application).
  • Fix bugs causing Force Close errors.
  • Restore support for QVGA (240x320) screens.
  • Remove support for older database format entirely to improve reliability.

 

V1.5.0 (Dec 2010)

  • In conjunction with Windows application V4.1.0, achieves a significant performance improvement, especially noticeable for those with very large databases (10s of thousands of individuals).
  • Descendant Tree View added as a 4th tab on the main screen.
  • List of images (photos) with ability to advance through the entire list while viewing.
  • Made some adjustments for viewing in landscape mode, but portrait mode is still greatly preferred.
  • Fixed crash that could occur with non-alphabetic characters in the database name.

V1.4.0 (Nov 2010)

  • Favorites feature allowing saving of selected individuals to easily select them for viewing. These favorites are maintained separately for each database, and are retained when copying a new version of the database to the device.

V1.3.0 (Nov 2010)

  • Tree View showing pedigree to 3 generations (grandparents).
  • Significant performance improvement when going back and forth between people and when switching views. Uses caching techniques to reduce database queries.
  • Tabbed-look interface for ease of switching among the 3 main views.
  • Removed Search button from toolbar to make room for more tabs. Search is still available from the menu.
  • Fixed crash caused when SD card cannot be accessed. (Note that this is usually a result of not disconnecting the device from your computer before running the Android app)

V1.2.0 (Nov 2010)

  • Multiple photos for a given item can be displayed (*)
  • Research Log (To-Do List) for Legacy and TMG (*)
  • Western European character set fully supported (*)
  • Action of Back button when on the main screen settable by user preference in the Settings menu. You can either have the app exit (normal Android behavior) or you can have it switch between the Person and Family views (in this case, you need to press Home to get back to the Launcher).
  • Fixed miscellaneous bugs that caused a few crashes.

V1.01 (Oct 2010)

  • Master lists for Sources and Repositories (menu selections).
  • Miscellaneous stability fixes for occasional crashes in the initial release.