Current Bugs That Annoy Me and a Design Change Wish List
Last Updated: 2026-03-15
Applies to RootsMagic on Windows, x64 edition, v 11.0.4
Bugs
Fact Type selection dialog
In Edit Person window, click on the + button to add a fact. Enter some random text in the filter so that no facts are displayed. Hit the OK button A new fact is added but of type 0. A fact type of 0 is undefined. The Fact panel will show a somewhat random fact type but when it is saved, it will display as blank.
Suggestion: Don't populate Fact type list with a query every time. Its too slow as is to keep up with keyboard entry.
Data loss when entering Fact data
A common workflow will result in data loss: Open any database, or create new one. Open any person or create a new one. In the Edit Person window, click the + button to add any fact. In the new fact, add data to any or all of the fields (date, description, place, place detail, proof, primary, private). Without clicking the "check mark" button, add a Source, Media, Task, or fact Share. When done, use the Close button to exist the Edit Person window.
Reopen the Person and the new Fact. Notice that any data in date, description, place, place detail, proven, primary, private is lost.
Same problem when adding an Alt Name.
The data was saved in earlier post 7 versions.
Workaround:
- after entering data in the Fact or Name fields, click the Check Mark button.
- after entering a Source, Media, Task, or Share, use the < button to display the Fact/Name data before using the Close button.
- after entering a Source, Media, Task, or Share, click on a different Fact on the screen.
If in doubt, look at the main fact listing in the edit window. If the new fact is blank, nothing has been saved.
The 'Pop Under' window bug
The RootsMagic "pop-under" problem has existed since version 8. I have seen this problem on 3 different Windows computers, 2 of which had factory installs of the OS. They each had very different video subsystems and drivers. Messages about the issue appear at a steady rate in the support forums. No other applications show this behavior.
This may be an issue with the RM application framework that RM Inc can't control, but that's not clear.
The problem manifests when a RootsMagic window changes its z-order, displaying below other RM windows on the desktop. It is a bug because RM can't deal with restoring the window to the top. One needs an OS function to do that. I find that clicking the RM icon on the Windows Explorer task bar always works. For instance the "Add Citation" window will pop to the bottom. Clicking on any other RM window generates a beep and nothing else. One can't move the Add Citation window below others because it is a modal window that should always stay on top. The problem mostly (but not exclusively) occurs for me when rapidly switching between Chrome and RM in copy and pasting operations.
This the biggest software factor in slowing down my research.
Media Tab
Left and right side panel selections in Media Tab not always synchronized.
Workaround: If the left and right side are not synchronized- Right click the mouse on the left side image. This will display the context menu and synchronize the right side. Left click the mouse anywhere else on the window to dismiss the context menu.
Note editor
Assumes that typed text, e.g. <b>, is formatting code. Formatting codes should not be user enter-able in text mode. If formatting codes need to be visible, there should be a "show formatting codes" mode.
Without the separation of modes, there is a class of text that the user is not allowed to use.
Fact description
All characters after a "<" character are not displayed in person edit main
panel.
This is also true in DNA Label2 field. Probably others as well.
Merge Citations
Open the Sources tab from the main window.
Select any source.
Open the selected source's list of citations.
Select any citation.
Select the Merge citations command from the three dot menu.
A list of all of the citations belonging to the selected source is displayed.
As expected.
In the search box within the merge citations window, enter a broad search term,
such as the letter 'a'.
A much larger list of citations with with to merge is displayed, mostly from
other sources.
Can one merge citations when they are from different sources? If only citations from sources based on the same Source Template were shown, that would make sense.
Date entry
In RM preferences, one can choose “Use the system settings” for “Date entry”. However, if Windows short-date format is set to ISO (YYY-MM-DD), RM still does not recognize ISO 8601 dates on input.
UTCModDate in the PersonTable
Some RM code is still updating this as an integer giving only day level precision. Fix it so that the usual floating point number is inserted.
Design-Change Wish List
Features I wish were differently implemented.
Add new media => Paste into field "Filename"
If the path is enclosed with quotes, as from File Manager Copy as path command, the path is pasted numerous times and the add fails. Workaround is to remove the initial and ending quotes.
Groups and colors
Assign colors to group definitions so that members of a group are all highlighted with the assigned color.
Also define a conflict color when a person is in more than one group that has a color assigned. (Study how TMG does this. Much better.)
This should be the primary way of assigning a color to a person. (The transition could be implemented in parallel with current color model to avoid shock to old time users)
De-normalized data
Get rid of de-normalized birth and death columns in NameTable. Causes continual tech support questions when they get out of synch.
Data constraints
Add unique indexes that will enforce only one Primary for each fact/name. Add some referential integrity constraints in SQLite, especially foreign person fields of value 0.
Sort children
Use Birth Sort date for arranging children on screen and in reports.
Sort marriages
Use Marriage Sort date for arranging marriages on screen and in reports.
RMNOCASE transparency
Either give a spec for a standalone collation sequence, or use an off the shelf standard collation.
Find person hot key
add a hot key (keyboard shortcut), that will shift focus to the person index without filtering. Or some other way that will guarantee the full index is searched- name name or RIN.
Currently-
Control-F almost works, but the People List could be filtered.
Control-S is not bad, but it is not an index, which has advantages over search.
Share a Fact
Using the RootsMagic explorer can be time consuming. I generally display people's RIN and use that to find the person in the RootsMagic explorer. Why do I need to look at the screen, note and remember the RIN of the person I want to share to and then type it in. I should just be able to point to anyone on screen and have the fact shared to that person.
New Feature Wish List
Add additional sort options
Add a sort option to most views that allows sorting by UTCModDate or Primary key (order entered.)
Allow use of an external editor instead of the Note editor
Expose Primary Keys
Add an option so that when a control key is held and mouse hovers over a record, that record's primary database key is displayed. Cold be hidden for RM internal use and disclosed on case by case.
Allow command line options
I would like to specify the database to open on a command line.