Heredis 2021
Heredis benefits from regular annual updates, some useful tools and a free mobile app, plus it’s easy to publish your family tree online to share with your relations
User Interface
Heredis manages to cram a lot into its three-paned window. Key views are spread across five tabs, including a new Graphs option that provides a dynamic ancestor wheel you can also export as a chart. Everything feels within easy reach, and although accessing some features requires you to open pop-up windows, the interface remains fairly logical whatever you’re doing.
Media Management
Heredis’ tools sit in the middle of those on test. You can attach photos to most elements including individual places and families, plus apply basic fixes with rudimentary photo-correction tools. You can also frame individual faces, which creates separate headshots that can be selected as profile pictures.
Charts And Reports
The software’s charting options are quite limited compared with its rivals – just six basic types (including four different ancestor styles) in addition to the wheel chart accessible from the main screen. That said, it does provide a preview of your chart that updates in real time. In addition, there are plenty of reports, plus a Books feature with patronymic and genealogical dictionary options that produces documents you can edit in a word processor.
Mapping Tools
Select the History tab from the main view and you’ll immediately be shown a map with markers pinpointing the current person and their immediate family’s events on it. Select an individual on the right and you’ll get to trace their movements in sequence.
Also, a places index allows you to double-click entries to fix geocoding (with a search function and map view to pinpoint streets) and attach photos. Places can be grouped using ‘variants’, but you can’t merge close duplicates.
However, the ability to drag-anddrop places from the search pane into events is a handy timesaver.
Online And Mobile Integration
You can link people in your tree to individuals on FamilySearch, but it’s not a quick process and there’s no way to share data between the two. There are no direct integrations with other websites, and the Online Archives tool that lets you search a limited selection of sites can only take screen captures of site results to link into your research as images.
On the upside, there is an easy-to-use, slickly presented but secure way of sharing your tree online, while a free app allows you to sync, access and update your research on the go.
‘Dragging-and-dropping places into events is a handy timesaver’