Preface &app; is a genealogical application. &app; is an acronym for the Genealogical Research and Analysis Management Programming System. To put it shortly, it allows you to store, edit, and research genealogical data using your computer. Its functionality is somewhat common to other genealogical programs. However, &app; offers some unique features. Why GRAMPS? &app; was conceived under the concept that most genealogy programs were designed to provide the researcher the capability to input information related to a particular family tree. Most of these programs have allowed for the arranging and storing of information consistent with the GEDCOM standards. They usually provide means for displaying descendant or ancestral relationships by means of graphical displays, charts, or reports. These may be augmented with pictures or other media to enhance the data. Most provide for inputting data on unconnected individuals/families that may or may not have a relationship to the primary surname being researched. Various other enhancements may also be provided in the genealogical program that allows for different degrees of importing and exporting data from other programs and printing the data contained in the various reports. &app;, on the other hand, attempts to provide all of the common capabilities of these programs, but, more importantly, to provide an additional capability of integration not common to these programs. This is the ability to input any bits and pieces of information directly into &app; and rearrange/manipulate any/all data events in the entire data base (in any order or sequence) to assist the user in doing research, analysis and correlation with the potential of filling relationship gaps. In short, it is a tool that provides a way to input all your research into one place and do your analysis and correlation using the speed, power, and accuracy of your computer instead of pencils and unmanageable reams of paper. Typographical conventions In this book, we some words are marked with special typography: Applications Commands you type at the command line Filenames Replaceable text Labels for buttons and other portions of the graphical interface Menu selections look like this: Menu Submenu Menu Item Buttons you can click Anything you type in We also provide assorted bits of additional information in tips and notes, as follows. Tip Tips and bits of extra information will look like this. Note Notes will look like this. Finally, we have warnings, in cases where you should be careful: Example Warning This is what a warning looks like. If there's a chance you'll run into trouble, we'll warn you beforehand.