Getting StartedThis chapter provides the most basic information on starting &app;
and obtaining help. Please procede to the following chapters for more
information.To Start GRAMPSYou can start &app; in the following ways:Applications menuThe method of starting &app; from the menus may vary from
distribution to distribution. On default GNOME desktop,
choose OtherGramps. Command lineTo start &app; from a command line, type
gramps, then press Enter.If you would like &app; to open a specific database or to
import a specific file on startup, you can supply the filename
as a command line argument:grampsfilename.grdbwhere filename.grdb is the name
of the file you want to open. The command line provides many more ways
to start &app; and perform different tasks. The detailed reference to the
command line options is found in the .
Running GRAMPS for the first time
The first time you run the program, GRAMPS will display its
Getting Started dialogs. Follow the directions guiding you through
Researcher information, Numerical date
formats, Alternate calendar support,
and LDS extensions sections. Most of the dialogs
are self-explanatory and will not be covered here.
Enter your personal information in the corresponding
text entry fields. Although &app; requests information about you,
this information is used only so that &app; can create valid GEDCOM
output files. A valid GEDCOM file requires information about the file's
creator. If you choose, you may leave the information empty, however
all the GEDCOM files you export will not be valid.
This information can be entered at any time in the
Preferences dialog, under the
Database/Researcher Information category.
Choosing a database on startupIf &app; is started without any
database to open, the following window will appear prompting you to
choose what database to open. If you would like to open an existing database, check the top radio
button and click the OK button. You will then be asked to
specify the name of your existing database. If you would like to start
creating your brand new database from scratch right away, choose new
database. Selecting file
Unlike the version 1.0.X of &app;, this version does not require selecting directory
for the database. Please select filename, as you would in any other application.
Obtaining Help At any time, the following items are available for immediate aid
from the Help menu: User manual Choose this item to read the text of this manual
in the help browser. FAQ Use this item to read Frequently Asked Questions
about &app; in the browser. GRAMPS home page Select this item to open home page of &app; in your
default web browser. GRAMPS mailing lists Choose this item to direct your web browser
to the &app; mailing list archives. Report a bug Use this item to file a bug report against &app;
with the bug tracking system. Show plugin status Use this item to display the status of loaded
plugins. Open example database Select this item to load the example database shipped
with &app;. This database is composed of fictitious people and serves as
a useful example for learning how to work with &app;.