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Ancestry New Search & Family Tree Maker

Val

Val

LostCousins Star
I use the Ancestry Family Tree Maker software for the reason that it links with the Ancestry website and you can download the source and media automatically.

When I started using it several years ago it was always the old search that was offered. Recently the new search started to appear, but with the option to change to the old search. Now that has disappeared - so there is no way in which you can get to the Card Catalogue or to any other records which isn’t deemed a possible by Ancestry.

When asked this is the reply from Ancestry:

“Thank you for contacting Ancestry.com in regard to using the Old Search in Family Tree Maker 2012.

Unfortunately, your Family Tree Maker Websearch will now default to using the New Search feature. There is no way to change this in the program. However, you can go the long way around. By opening search.ancestry.com in the Websearch feature, and then choosing Old Search from there. However, we cannot guarantee that this will work. And even if it does work and cannot promise it will always work. Our website is changing to focus more on the New Search experience. We apologize for the inconvenience.”

What “excellent” customer focus…… Has anyone else suffered this problem and maybe found a solution?
 
I don't use Family Tree Maker, but if I need to switch to the Old search I go to Search All Records and click the Old Search link in the top right corner.
 
Yes I do that when I am in the website but from within the FTM software you now don't have the choice and have no way of getting to the 'all records' section were you can change to the old search.
I'm afraid it's another case of 'improvements' without talking to it's customers - or maybe I'm just being picky!
 
The "Web Search" tab is just a web browser. If you put the address of the old search in the address bar it will take you to the old search path. In fact type the address of ANY website into the address bar and it will take you there. The only thing it doesn't do is give you convenient buttons to go straight to the search page.

However there is even a solution to that. Look to the left of where it says "Address" there is a small white button with a down arrow. Click the arrow and add the old search page to your favourites using "Add to Favourites" give it a name like "Old Ancestry Search". Now you will notice it pops up as a personal favourite in the left hand box. Notice there are also boxes at the bottom of that column to allow you to manually add favourites and to delete ones you don't want any more too.

Hope this helps.
 
Thank you - very helpful - I hadn't thought of using that feature (which I have used in the past but not since I've reinstalled following a new laptop purchase). I've added the website as a favourite from within the "web search" facility.

Unfortunately it seems that if I select the new "personal favourite" it won't bring in the data to the bottom right section (for merging into FTM) - but if I select the Ancestry.co.uk from the Family History Sites section & change the address the http://home.ancestry.co.uk/?ftm=1 then it will bring the data into the bottom right section. From there I can then go to Search > All Records > and select the old search. A long way round but invaluable as it will then allow me to get to the Card Catalogue and link in the records I find.

Thanks for your help.
 
Well Ancestry aren't all that bad. Just had another reply from them which says the following (I've added my comments in brackets):

While you cannot access the old search form you can still access the card catalog (yes I know - should be catalogue). To do this initiate a search from FTM for someone and then left click on the link 'Start a new search' (this is next to the button Edit Search). This will take you to Ancestry's regular page. From there you can go to search and select the card catalog (and you can also select 'Go to Old Search' from the top right hand).

So there is a workaround.
 
More on Ancestry and New Search.

I have just had an email from Ancestry saying that they are going to stop the 'Old Search' in about 6 months time.

Quote: Ancestry.com is continuing our efforts to improve the search experience across Ancestry.com and will be making changes to our search functionality in the upcoming months. Some features will be added and some will be discontinued. As part of the 2% of our subscribers that use the old search function on the site, we know that you are passionate about the search experience on Ancestry.com and we are reaching out to you to get input on potential improvements.....They sent me a survey to complete.
They then go on to say: ' We expect to discontinue the old search function as a separate experience within the next 6 months.........'

If anyone else has any thoughts about what is good on the old search, and not so good on the new search then perhaps you could e-mail them and let them know, maybe they will take our views into account!
 
Thanks for the link to the questionnaire about the old search on Ancestry in your latest news letter Peter. :) The first thing i did was go and fill it in. I want the Old Search back!!
 
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