Genealogy for people who think differently


Navigating your database and the context diagram

The most intuitive way to navigate in iFamily is to double click through the people on the diagram. iFamily will not store a forward and back log as this soon becomes cyclic, but there is a drop down box in the toolbar which contains a list of all the people you have visited since opening your tree.

The easiest way to quickly navigate to a person removed from the current diagram is to use the index button in the toolbar.

When searching with the index, always hit enter to conduct the search once you have enterd data in a search field or altered the kinship value.

Double clicking a person in the index will promote them to the Focal Person.

Note: The descriptions of how the Left and Right Arrow keys work assume that you have the Children on the Left side of the screen and ancestors on the right side. In the Preferences panel you can change this option so that Children are on the right side of the screen.



Using Left Click...


...on a PersonChanges the Selected Person.
...Double Click on a PersonPromotes the person to be the Focal Person.
...on a Ghost BoxLeft Click on a Ghost Box for a Child, Spouse, Parent or Step Parent. Allows you to add a new child, spouse, parent or step parent. To add an Adopted or Foster parent first create a step parent and then click on the mid-point of the parent-child relationship and change it to Adopted or Foster.
...on a RelationshipLeft Click on the mid point of a parent-child relationship line. Allows you to change (or remove) a parent-child relationship. The options are Natural, Step, Adopted, Foster and Not Related. The button at the mid-point of the relationship line can be toggled on/off in the Preferences panel.
...on the bottom RH corner of a personLeft Click on the button in the bottom RH corner of a person's box displays the details for that person.
...and then IDisplays the People Index.
...and then RCreates a Source Reference between the Selected Person and the current Active Source.
...and then SDisplays the floating Scratch Pad - a place you can temporarily paste text while you are working on a number of people, sources or events. The menu option for the Scratch Pad is Window -> Scratch Pad.
...and then TDisplays the ToDo list for the Selected person.
...on a PictureDisplays the Picture Editor for that thumbnail image.
...and DragLeft Click on a person and drag the mouse to another person. Allows you to create a parent-child relationship or to change an existing one.
...to Drag the Horizontal SplitbarThe bottom edge of the Context Diagram may be dragged up and down to change the height of the Context Diagram.
Cmd + Left ClickPromotes a person to be the Focal Person.
Option + Left ClickAdds a person to the current Project View.
Control + Left ClickSame as right click. Displays a context sensitive pop-up menu.

Using Right Click (or Control + Left Click)...


...on a personDisplays a context sensitive pop-up menu for the Selected Person.
...on a Ghost BoxRight Click on a Ghost Box for a Child, Spouse or Parent allows you to attach an existing person. If another database is open then you can merge in a person (or a branch of people) from the other database.
...on the diagram backgroundDisplays a context sensitive pop-up menu for the diagram containing Save Diagram, ScratchPad, People Index and Preferences.

Using the Arrow Keys


Left ArrowChanges the Selected Person to be the child shown in the column to the left. If the currently selected person is the Focal Person then if one of the children is in the Ancestral View (green) then that child is selected, otherwise the first child is selected. If the currently selected person is in the leftmost column then he/she is promoted to be the Focal Person.
Right ArrowChanges the Selected Person to be the first parent in the column to the right (usually the father). If the current Selected Person is in the rightmost column then he/she is promoted to be the Focal Person.
Up ArrowChanges the Selected Person to be the person above.
Down ArrowChanges the Selected Person to be the person below.
Cmd + UpChanges the Focal Person to be the next older sibling of the current Focal Person.
Cmd + DownChanges the Focal Person to be the next younger sibling of the current Focal Person.
Option + Cmd + LeftSelects the next tab in the lower half of the main window.
Option + Cmd + RightSelects the previous (left) tab in the lower half of the main window.

Return to Tutorials

Index

iFamily index Sceengrab

Using the Command Key +


+ HHide iFamily for Mac.
+ MMinimise iFamily for Mac.
+ NCreate a new database.
+ OOpen an existing database.
+ PPrint screen.
+ QQuit from iFamily for Mac.
+ WClose a dialog or window.
+ SSave the iFamily database.
+ ZUndo the most recent change.
+ Shift + ZRedo the most recent Undo.
+ CommaDisplay the Preferences panel.

Using the Option + Cmd Keys +


+ IDisplay the People Index.
+ NDisplay the Events Names dialog.
+ PDisplay the Event Places Dialog.
+ SDisplay the Scratch Pad.
+ TDisplay the ToDo dialog for the Selected person.
+ Right ArrowSelect the next (right) pane in the lower half of the main window.
+ Left ArrowSelect the previous (left) pane in the lower half of the main window.

Using the Scroll Ball or Wheel...


...with the mouse over a personScrolls the information in each person's box from Name to Title/Occupation, Birth/Death, Marriages, Children, Migration, Religious, Burial/Cremation and Cause of Death.
...with the mouse over an imageScroll the other images for the person. You can stop and left click to display the Picture Add/Edit dialog for any picture.
...with the mouse over Focal PersonScroll when the mouse pointer is over bottom RH corner of Focal Person. Forward scroll promotes the next older sibling to be the Focal Person. Backward scroll promotes the next younger sibling. The keyboard shortcuts are Cmd+Up Arrow and Cmd + Down Arrow.

Using the Delete Keys


Forward Delete KeyAttempts to delete the Selected Person.
Backward Delete KeyDoes nothing.

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