gramps/data/man/en.rst

gramps(1)                3.4.0               gramps(1)



**NAME**
       gramps - Genealogical Research and Analysis Management Programming Sys‐
       tem.


**SYNOPSIS**
       **gramps** [**-?** | **--help**] [**--usage**] [**--version**]
       [**-l**] [**-L**] [**-u** | **--force-unlock**] [**-O** | **--open=** *DATABASE*
       [**-f** | **--format=** *FORMAT*]] [**-i** | **--import=** *FILE*
       [**-f** | **--format=** *FORMAT*]] [**-i** | **--import=** *...*]
       [**-e** | **--export=** *FILE* [**-f** | **--format=** *FORMAT*]]
       [**-a** | **--action=** *ACTION*] [*-p* | **--options=** *OPTION‐
       STRING*]] [*FILE*] [**--version**]


**DESCRIPTION**
       Gramps is a Free/OpenSource genealogy program. It is written in Python,
       using  the GTK+/GNOME interface.  Gramps should seem familiar to anyone
       who has used other genealogy programs before such as Family Tree  Maker
       (TM),   Personal Ancestral Files (TM), or the GNU Geneweb.  It supports
       importing of the ever popular GEDCOM format which is used world wide by
       almost all other genealogy software.


**OPTIONS**
       **gramps** *FILE*
          When *FILE* is given (without any flags) as a family tree name or
          as a family tree database directory, then it is opened and an
          interactive  session is started. If *FILE* is a file format under‐
          stood by Gramps, an empty family tree is created  whose name is
          based  on  the *FILE* name and the data is imported into it. The
          rest of the options is ignored. This way of launching is suit‐
          able for using gramps as a handler for genealogical data in e.g.
          web browsers. This invocation can accept any data format  native
          to gramps, see below.


       **-f** , **--format=** *FORMAT*
          Explicitly specify format of *FILE* given by preceding **-i** ,
          or **-e** option. If the **-f** option is not given for any
          *FILE* , the format of that file is guessed according to its extension
          or MIME-type.

          Formats  available for export are **gramps-xml** (guessed if *FILE*
          ends with **.gramps** ), **gedcom** (guessed if *FILE* ends with
          **.ged** ), or any file export available through the Gramps plugin 
          system.

          Formats available for import are **gramps-xml** , **gedcom** ,
          **gramps-pkg** (guessed if *FILE* ends with **.gpkg** ),
          and **geneweb** (guessed if *FILE* ends with **.gw** ).

          Formats available for export are **gramps-xml** , **gedcom** , 
          **gramps-pkg** , **wft** (guessed if *FILE* ends with **.wft** ), 
          **geneweb**.


       **-l**     
          Print a list of known family trees.
       
       
       **-L**     
          Print a detailed list of known family trees.


       **-u** , **--force-unlock**
          Unlock a locked database.


       **-O** , **--open=** *DATABASE*
          Open *DATABASE* which  must be an existing database directory or
          existing family tree name. If no action, import or export
          options are given on the command line then an interactive ses‐
          sion is started using that database.


       **-i** , **--import=** *FILE*
          Import data from *FILE* . If you haven't specified a database then
          a  temporary database is used; this is deleted when you exit
          gramps.

          When more than one input file is given, each has to be preceded
          by **-i** flag. The files are imported in the specified order, i.e.
          **-i** *FILE1* **-i** *FILE2* and **-i** *FILE2* **-i** *FILE1* 
          might produce different gramps IDs in the resulting database.


       **-a** , **--action=** *ACTION*
          Perform *ACTION* on the imported data. This is done after all
          imports are successfully completed. Currently available  actions
          are **summary** (same  as  Reports->View->Summary), **check** (same as
          Tools->Database Processing->Check and Repair), **report** (generates
          report),  and  tool  (runs a plugin tool).  Both **report** and **tool**
          need the *OPTIONSTRING* supplied by the **-p** flag).

          The *OPTIONSTRING* should satisfy the following conditions:
          It must not contain any  spaces. If some arguments need to
          include spaces, the string should be enclosed with quotation
          marks, i.e., follow the shell syntax. Option string is a list
          of  pairs  with name and value (separated by the equality sign).
          The name and value pairs must be separated by commas.

          Most of the report or tools options are specific for each report
          or tool. However, there are some common options.

          **name=name**
          This mandatory option determines which report or tool will be
          run. If the supplied name does not correspond to any  available
          report or tool, an error message will be printed followed by the
          list of available reports or tools (depending on the *ACTION* ).

          **show=all**
          This will produce the list of names for all options available
          for a given report or tool.

          **show=optionname**
          This will print the description of the functionality supplied by
          *optionname*, as well as what are the acceptable types and  values
          for this option.

          Use the above options to find out everything about a given
          report.


       When more than one output action is given, each has to be preceded  by
       **-a** flag. The actions are performed one by one, in the specified order.


       **-d** , **--debug=** *LOGGER_NAME*
          Enables debug logs for development and testing. Look at the
          source code for details

       **--version**
          Prints the version number of gramps and then exits




**Operation**
       If the first argument on the command line does not start with dash
       (i.e. no flag), gramps will attempt to open the file with the name
       given by the first argument and start interactive session, ignoring the
       rest of the command line arguments.


       If the  **-O** flag is given, then gramps will try opening the supplied
       database and then work with that data, as instructed by the further
       command line parameters.


       With or without the **-O** flag, there could be multiple imports, exports,
       and actions specified further on the command line by using **-i** , 
       **-e** , and **-a** flags.


       The order of **-i** , **-e** , or **-a** options does not matter. The actual order
       always is: all imports (if any) -> all actions (if any) -> all  exports
       (if any). But opening must always be first!


       If no **-O** or **-i** option is given, gramps will launch its main window and
       start the usual interactive session with the empty database, since
       there is no data to process, anyway.


       If no **-e**  or **-a** options are given, gramps will launch its main window
       and start the usual interactive session with the database resulted from
       all imports. This database resides in the **import_db.grdb** under
       **~/.gramps/import** directory.


       The error encountered during import, export, or action, will be  either
       dumped to stdout (if  these  are exceptions handled by gramps) or to
       *stderr* (if these are not handled). Use usual shell redirections of
       *stdout* and *stderr* to save messages and errors in files.


**EXAMPLES**
       To open an existing family tree and import an xml file into it, one
       may type:
          
          **gramps -O** *'My Family Tree'* **-i** *~/db3.gramps*

       The above changes the opened family tree, to do the  same, but import
       both in a temporary family tree and start an interactive session, one
       may type:
       
          **gramps -i** *'My Family Tree'* **-i** *~/db3.gramps*

       To import four databases (whose formats can be  determined from their
       names) and then check the resulting database for errors, one may type:
       
          **gramps -i** *file1.ged* **-i** *file2.tgz* **-i** *~/db3.gramps* 
          **-i** *file4.wft* **-a** *check*

       To explicitly specify the formats in the above  example,  append  file‐
       names with appropriate **-f** options:
          
          **gramps -i** *file1.ged* **-f** *gedcom* **-i** *file2.tgz* **-f** 
          *gramps-pkg* **-i** *~/db3.gramps* **-f** *gramps-xml* **-i** *file4.wft*
          **-f** *wft* **-a** *check*

       To record the database resulting from all imports, supply **-e** flag  (use
       **-f** if the filename does not allow gramps to guess the format):
       
          **gramps -i** *file1.ged* **-i** *file2.tgz* **-e** *~/new-package*
          **-f** *gramps-pkg*

       To import three databases and start interactive gramps session with the
       result:
          
          **gramps -i** *file1.ged* **-i** *file2.tgz* **-i** *~/db3.gramps*

       To run the Verify tool from the commandline and output the result to
       stdout:
       
          **gramps -O** *'My Family Tree'* **-a** *tool* **-p name=** *verify*

       Finally, to start normal interactive session type:
       
          **gramps**


**ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES**
       The program checks whether these environment variables are set:

       **LANG**  -  describe, which language to use: Ex.: for polish language this
       variable has to be set to pl_PL.UTF-8.

       **GRAMPSHOME** - if set, force Gramps to use  the  specified  directory  to
       keep program settings and databases there. By default, this variable is
       not set and gramps assumes that the folder with all databases and  pro‐
       file  settings  should  be  created  within  the  user  profile  folder
       (described by environment variable HOME for Linux  or  USERPROFILE  for
       Windows 2000/XP).


**CONCEPTS**
       Supports a python-based plugin system, allowing import and export writ‐
       ers, report generators, tools, and display filters to be added  without
       modification of the main program.

       In addition to generating direct printer output, report generators also
       target other systems, such as *LibreOffice.org* , *AbiWord* , *HTML*,  
       or *LaTeX* to allow the users to modify the format to suit their needs.


**KNOWN BUGS AND LIMITATIONS**
**FILES**

       *${PREFIX}/bin/gramps*
       
       *${PREFIX}/share/gramps*
       
       *${HOME}/.gramps*


**AUTHORS**
       Donald Allingham <don@gramps-project.org>
       http://gramps.sourceforge.net

       This man page was originally written by:
       Brandon L. Griffith <brandon@debian.org>
       for inclusion in the Debian GNU/Linux system.

       This man page is currently maintained by:
       Gramps project <xxx@gramps-project.org>


**DOCUMENTATION**
       The user documentation is available through standard web browser
       in the form of Gramps Manual.

       The developer documentation can be found on the 
       http://www.gramps-project.org/wiki/index.php?title=Portal:Developers 
       portal.



January 2013                 3.4.0               gramps(1)