GedGraph

Generate genealogical charts from GEDCOM files using GraphViz.

Features

• Pedigree Charts: Visualize ancestors of an individual
• Relationship Charts: Find and visualize relationships between two individuals
• Hourglass Charts: Show ancestors and descendants or split by parental lines
• Bowtie Charts: Horizontal hourglass layout with left-right orientation
• Smart Path Finding: Automatically finds the shortest relationship path using breadth-first search
• Relationship Prioritization: Prefers blood relationships via male line, then female line, then half-blood relationships
• Multiple Path Detection: Identifies when multiple equally short paths exist
• Spouse Visualization: Shows spouses/partners alongside the direct bloodline
• Marriage Status Indicators: Solid lines for married couples, dashed lines for unmarried couples
• Flexible Date Handling: Uses birth/death dates with fallback to baptism/burial dates
• Enhanced Name Formatting: Supports GEDCOM name components (prefix, title, given, surname, suffix)
• GraphViz Output: Generates DOT files that can be rendered to various image formats

Installation

# Create and activate virtual environment
python -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: .venv\Scripts\activate

# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

Usage

Pedigree Chart

Generate a pedigree chart showing ancestors of an individual:

python gedgraph.py pedigree family.ged @I10@ -o output.dot

Options:

• -g, --generations: Number of generations to include (default: 4)

Example:

python gedgraph.py pedigree family.ged @I10@ -g 5 -o pedigree.dot

Relationship Chart

Find and visualize the relationship between two individuals:

python gedgraph.py relationship family.ged @I10@ @I20@ -o output.dot

Options:

• -d, --max-depth: Maximum search depth (default: 50)

Example:

python gedgraph.py relationship family.ged @I1@ @I50@ -d 15 -o relationship.dot

Hourglass Chart

Visualize ancestors and descendants or split by parental lines:

# Ancestors above, descendants below
python gedgraph.py hourglass family.ged @I10@ -v descendants -o hourglass.dot

# Father's line above, mother's line below
python gedgraph.py hourglass family.ged @I10@ -v ancestor-split -o hourglass.dot

Options:

• -g, --generations: Number of generations in each direction (default: 4)
• -v, --variant: Chart variant - ancestor-split or descendants (default: ancestor-split)

Bowtie Chart

Horizontal hourglass layout with left-right orientation:

# Ancestors left, descendants right
python gedgraph.py bowtie family.ged @I10@ -v descendants -o bowtie.dot

# Father's line left, mother's line right
python gedgraph.py bowtie family.ged @I10@ -v ancestor-split -o bowtie.dot

Options:

• -g, --generations: Number of generations in each direction (default: 4)
• -v, --variant: Chart variant - ancestor-split or descendants (default: ancestor-split)

Rendering DOT Files

Convert DOT files to images using GraphViz:

# PNG
dot -Tpng output.dot -o output.png

# PDF
dot -Tpdf output.dot -o output.pdf

# SVG
dot -Tsvg output.dot -o output.svg

Relationship Path Sorting

When multiple equally short paths exist between two individuals, GedGraph prioritizes them in this order:

1. Full blood relationships via male line
2. Full blood relationships via female line
3. Half-blood relationships via male line
4. Half-blood relationships via female line

The tool will generate charts for all paths of equal shortest length.

Example Output

The generated DOT files include:

• Comments: Generation distance, path length, and relationship description
• Color Coding:
  • Start individual (coral)
  • End individual (light blue)
  • Direct bloodline (light green)
  • Spouses/partners (light yellow)
• Labels: Names with birth/death years in (YYYY - YYYY) format
• Relationship Lines:
  • Solid arrows for parent-child relationships
  • Solid lines for married couples
  • Dashed lines for unmarried couples
• Horizontal Alignment: Spouses are positioned next to their partners using rank constraints

Error Handling

GedGraph will exit with an error if:

• The GEDCOM file doesn't exist
• An individual ID is not found in the GEDCOM file
• No relationship exists between two individuals (for relationship charts)

Development

See DEVELOPER.md for development setup and architecture details.

License

MIT