Tree view, available in the full version of RootsMagic 12, is a People page view that displays a family tree branching from a starting person. Ancestors appear above the starting person and descendants appear below, making it easy to explore both directions of a family line from one place.
To open this view, click People in the main navigation, then click the Tree tab. Each person appears on a card with a name, lifespan, and picture or silhouette. Couples are connected side by side, with parents above and children below. Color bars on the cards show person color coding.
Working in Tree View
The starting person is the person from whom you began exploring the tree. The current person is the selected person, highlighted in blue, whose information appears in the sidebar. Clicking another person's card updates the sidebar without rebuilding the tree around that person. For example, you can select a spouse to read that person's Life Summary while keeping the same family layout.
•Click a person to make that person the current person.
•Double-click a person to open the Edit Person form.
•Right-click a card for commands such as Edit person, Add, Position, Jump to, Color coding, and AI Prompt Builder.
Showing and hiding relatives
Use the small arrows around the cards to control which branches are visible. These arrows are different from the plus button inside a card: arrows show relatives already in your database; the plus button starts adding a relative.
Above a person, an upward arrow opens the parents' branch. When the branch is open, the arrow on the connecting line points back toward the person; click it to hide that parent branch. Below a couple, the downward arrow shows their children. Click the upward-pointing arrow on that connection to hide the children again.
Sideways arrows beside a card show or hide siblings. For example, expanding the arrow to the right of a wife can reveal another child of her displayed parents. The connecting lines help you distinguish that sibling from a spouse. Expanding or collapsing a branch may also change which person is selected, so check the highlighted card and sidebar heading before using an editing command.
Hiding a branch does not delete people or unlink relationships. It only reduces the amount of the tree on screen. An arrow is available only where the current layout offers that expansion. A missing arrow is not proof that your research on that family is complete.
Moving around a large tree
The mini-map (overview map) in the lower-right corner shows the layout of the tree, including cards outside the visible area. Its blue rectangle marks the area currently in view. Click another part of the map to bring that area into the main display. This moves your view of the tree; it does not select the people represented by the small blocks.
For example, click the upper part of the overview map to inspect ancestors that are above the window. The sidebar continues to show the current person even when that person's card is off screen. Click the corresponding area of the map to return to that part of the tree.
Adding a relative
Click the plus button at the upper-right corner of the appropriate person's card. Choose Add spouse, Add parents, or Add child. Check which person's card you used before continuing so that you add the relationship to the intended person. To add someone who is already in your database, use the existing-person option in the relevant add dialog rather than creating a duplicate person.
Changing the starting person
Right-click the person you want to explore from, open Position, and choose Move to primary position. Use this command when you want to change the person you are exploring from, rather than just reading another person's information in the sidebar. The separate Set as root person command changes the database's root person; it is not a command for simply moving around the visible tree.
When to use Tree View
Use Tree View when you want to compare a person's ancestors and descendants at the same time, follow a branch while keeping the starting person in view, or add and edit close relatives as you explore. Use the other People views when their specialized layouts are a better fit for the task.
Pan, zoom, and choose a family
Drag an empty area of the tree to move the visible portion. Use the mouse wheel or the + and - zoom controls to change the scale. Zooming changes the display; it does not add or remove people from the database.
When a person has multiple spouses or multiple sets of parents, the card can display a family-selection icon. Hover over the icon to identify it, then click it and choose the spouse or parent set to display. Check the connecting lines before adding another relative.
Some branch expansions rebuild the display around the selected person or couple to avoid an overly complicated layout. If the arrangement changes, check the current selection and displayed family before editing. Use Family view to inspect one family at a time when the expanded tree becomes difficult to follow.
