Version 7.0.15

• Clarified that FORM.MEDI describe the original medium, not the derived medium, when used with derived files.

• Clarified the meaning of the WWW structure, which previously only mentioned its payload datatype.

• Clarified PLAC to both define "jurisdiction" and document its meaning in the absence of a PLAC.FORM.

• Clarified what the term "principal date" means in different contexts in the definition of g7:DATE.

• Updated NICK to no longer suggest that some names are "improper" and to document the diversity of views in what a "nickname" is.

• Removed confusing reference to superstructures in the meaning of a documented extension tag.

• Added ABNF for more datatypes and updated DIGIT's capitalization for compatibility with more ABNF toolchains.

• Various typo corrections.

Version 7.0.14

• Recommend that NO XYZ only be used where XYZ is permitted (its meaning is undefined elsewhere).

• Recommend that a given INDI have at most one FAMC pointing to a given FAM (having more than one has unclear meaning); and likewise that a given FAM have at most one CHIL pointing to a given INDI (having more than one indicates nonsensical birth order).

• Refactor presentation of local files to better match related RFCs and only make implementable constraints, and to use its own <FilePath> datatype instead of <Special>. This does not change FILE payloads, only how they are specified to better support automated tooling.

• Refactor the enumeration tags CENS, EVEN, FACT, NCHI, and RESI to have different URIs, removing a previous parsing ambiguity. This changes neither the set of tags permitted in any enumeration set nor those tags' meaning, only how they are specified to better support automated tooling.

• Deprecate extension-defined substructures using stdTag in a way incompatible with any standard definition of that tag. The now-deprecated use was common in 5.5.1 and is permitted in 7.0, but can prevent extension structures from being adopted as-is as new standard structures in future versions of the specification.

• Clarify that the "applies to" and "status" columns of g7:enumset-ord-STAT are recommendations, not restrictions.

• Clarify that AGE values may be larger than any calendar supports. This was always permitted; that fact is now called out more clearly.

• Clarify that records cannot be relocated standard structures. This was always incompatible with the definition of relocated standard structures; that fact is now called out more clearly.

• Various typo corrections.

Version 7.0.13

• Deprecated ADR1, ADR2, and ADR3 which convey no information not already in ADDR.

• Fix ABNF for g7:type-Age datatype to agree with standard text that said the payload is optional.

• Update the label of BURI to "depositing remains" match its definition.

• Update the definition of CREM to better describe cremation.

• Recommend that MEDI.CALN describe the medium directly found at that call number rather than a medium from which it was derived.

• Add URIs for CONT, HEAD, and TRLR.

• Note that CONC is reserved because it was part of previous versions.

• Various typo corrections.

Version 7.0.12

• Remove contradictory constraints on BCE by removing it from dateRestrict

• Clarify an ambiguity with the TIME substructure under DateValues that are not single dates, either because they are ranges or approximate.

• Clarify the meaning of the PROVEN value of g7:enumset-FAMC-STAT to more accurately match common usage and to document common differences in meaning.

• Replace incomplete ABNF for MediaType with a reference to their definition in IETF standards and IANA registries

• Document a common use case for UID

• Document a known difference between the formal and expected meaning of an event with a DATE AFT ... substructure

• Note that 7.0's INIL is the same as 5.3's WAC

• Add Simon Orde to the contributors list; he participated in the development of 7.0.0 but was accidentally omitted from the contributors list when 7.0.0 was released.

• Various typo corrections.

Version 7.0.11

• Correct error in g7:NOTE-TRAN cardinality.

  Since 7.0.0, g7:NOTE-TRAN was listed with {0:1} in g7:NOTE but {0:M} in g7:record-SNOTE and defined in a way that assumed {0:M}. It has now been updated to {0:M} in g7:NOTE-TRAN too.

• Correct error in g7:type-Enum definition.

  Since 7.0.0, g7:type-Enum was listed as having the same payload as Tag, but g7:QUAY used enumeration values that did not match that. The definition of g7:type-Enum has now been updated to permit integers, like g7:QUAY uses.

• Clarify that the same tag can be used for multiple URIs in the schema provided the meanings are non-overlapping. Recommend tags only be reused for closely related concepts, similar to how standard tags are.

• Recommend that g7:type-Date#exact should use UTC time because it is used in places where exact machine-generated timestamps are expected.

• Split shared rows in date definition table and reorder rows to be more logically organized.

• Update ABNF to use [ X ] instead of X / "" to indicate X is optional. Both are legal ABNF, but some ABNF toolchains appear not to support the X / "" notation.

• Various typo corrections.

Version 7.0.10

• Collect information about structure types and present it explicitly in the document, including how tags define structure types, the limitations structure types impose on their structures, and what extensions can change. This information was all present in the text before, but in a diffuse and not very accessible way.

• Half of 5.5.1's description of g7:NATI was inadvertently lost in 7.0; it has now been restored.

• Clarify that presentation order is not significant, and sort events and attributes alphabetically in the spec for easier reference.

• Clarify that documented extension tag URIs needn't be URLs.

• Clarifying text and recommendations about using g7:SDATE, g7:ord-STAT, g7:PHRASE,

• Changes anticipating a coming extension registry:

  • Add URIs for sets of enumeration values. This has changes some fragment identifiers in the HTML version of the spec and could cause hotlinks to the specific sections discussing enumeration sets to change.

  • Many updates to the YAML format served at https://gedcom.io/terms/v7/record-INDI and at the other URIs in the specification.

• Various typo corrections

Version 7.0.9

• Undo 7.0.8's reversion of undocumented and unexplained use of {0:M} cardinality for name parts, as it has been used by some applications. Added note explaining that repeated name parts may have meaning to the user.

• Improve text on name pieces being included in name payloads to use "recommended" instead of "should" for greater clarity, and note that not all substrings of the payload need to be included in a name piece

• Permit removing structures that contain no data

• Various typo corrections

Version 7.0.8

• Revert undocumented and unexplained use of {0:M} cardinality for name parts in 7.0.0 through 7.0.7

• Note that days per month is defined by calendar; is bounded; and may be checked to validate date entry.

• Add a registry for known EXID.TYPE values

• Clarify relationship between PEDI SEALING and SLGC

• Clarify that only INDI.FAMC need a matching FAM.CHIL; FAMC under events do not.

• Clarify that one implication of "The Personal Name payload shall be seen as the primary name representation, with name pieces as optional auxiliary information" is that "all name parts in PERSONAL_NAME_PIECES should appear within the <PersonalName> payload."

• Correct typo where ABNF used NamePersonal instead of PersonalName

• Various grammar and spelling corrections

Version 7.0.7

Version 7.07

• Update the DateValue and DatePeriod ABNF to match the textual statement that these can be empty.

• Update recommendations for sources

  • As with 5.5.1, SOURCE_RECORDs are recommended.
  • Note that unstructured citations can be placed in the SOURCE_RECORD's TITL substructure.
  • Remove extraneous SOUR @VOID@ from example of NOTE vs SNOTE.
  • Change recommendation of SOUR @VOID@ from storing the formatted citation in a NOTE (which conflicts with the usual meaning of notes) to storing it in a PAGE (which aligns with PAGE's definition).

• Various spelling and grammar corrections.

• Internal updates to the repository organization and processing system to better handle the size of the specification. These should be entirely invisible in the rendered HTML and PDF documents.

Version 7.0.6

• Deprecate EXID without a TYPE. EXID is defined in terms of its TYPE, and an EXID without a TYPE is not meaningful. EXID.TYPE will have cardinality {1:1}, not {0:1}, in the next major release.

• Add media type specification for GEDZIP.

• Add term definitions for 5.5.1-compatibility EXID.TYPE values AFN, RFN, and RIN.

• Clarifications about LANG

  • Clarify that LANG is the primary language, not sole language, of a payload. For example, LANG en can be used when most of the text is in English, even if some parts are not.
  • A documented extension tag can be used where LANG is not defined.
  • Provide guidance on special language tags
    • und can be used if a superstructure's LANG does not apply here and what does apply is not known.
    • mul can be used if there is no single primary language, but is unlikely to provide practical functionality beyond und.
    • zxx can be used for ASCII art and other non-language text, and can improve accessibility for screen readers.

• Clarify that empty payloads are encoded as missing LineVals and empty LineVals are not been permitted; this has been true since 7.0.0 but was easily overlooked in the previous text.

• Note cases where the same couple might be the partners in multiple FAM records.

• Fix wording of ADR1, ADR2, and ADR3 to no longer refer to CONT or line values.

• Acknowledge that SNOTE has an identifier structure, which NOTE does not, and change recommendation to suggest using SNOTE if a NOTE needs an identifier.

• Update contact information on the title page.

• Various spelling and grammar corrections.