Features

Charted Roots provides a complete genealogical toolkit within Obsidian. From basic family tree visualization to advanced evidence tracking and world-building tools, every feature is designed to work seamlessly with your existing vault.

Canvas Tree Generation

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Generate beautiful family tree visualizations directly on Obsidian Canvas.

• Automated genealogical layout using specialized algorithms with no overlapping nodes
• Multiple tree types: Ancestor trees, descendant trees, and full family trees with configurable generation limits
• Layout algorithms: Standard, Compact (50% tighter spacing), Timeline (chronological), Hourglass (focused lineage)
• Interactive preview with pan, zoom, and exploration before generation
• Export options: PNG, SVG, and PDF formats
• Multi-family detection for disconnected family groups
• Regenerate canvases with updated data via right-click context menu

Interactive Family Chart View

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A persistent visualization panel for real-time exploration and editing.

• Direct relationship editing within the chart with full undo/redo support
• Bidirectional sync: Chart edits update frontmatter; file changes refresh the chart
• Multiple color schemes: Gender-based, Generation-based, Collection-based, or Monochrome
• High-quality export to PNG, SVG, PDF, or ODT with customizable filenames

Import & Export

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Full multi-format support for genealogical data exchange.

GEDCOM 5.5.1

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• Full round-trip import/export with UUID preservation
• Validation and privacy protection
• PEDI tag parsing for step/adoptive parents

GEDCOM X

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• JSON format with FamilySearch compatibility
• Lineage type parsing

Gramps XML

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• Import/export for Gramps genealogy software
• .gpkg package imports with bundled media extraction

CSV/TSV

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• Spreadsheet workflows with auto-detected column mapping

Excalidraw Export

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• Export canvases for manual annotation and hand-drawn styling

Privacy Features

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• Privacy-aware exports with optional anonymization of living persons
• Full entity export for people, events, sources, places, and custom relationships

Geographic Features

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Interactive mapping powered by Leaflet.js.

Interactive Map View

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• Color-coded markers (green for birth, red for death)
• Marker clustering for dense data
• Migration path visualization
• Heat maps and time-slider animation
• Mini-map overview

Custom Image Maps

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• Support for fictional worlds with pixel or geographic coordinate systems
• 4-step map creation wizard
• Draggable place markers with automatic persistence
• Place marker context menu for editing and deletion

Location Tools

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• Geocoding lookup via Nominatim (OpenStreetMap)
• Place-based filtering for tree generation by birth/death/marriage locations
• Migration visualizations with D3-based network and arc diagrams

Data Management

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Robust tools to keep your genealogical data clean and consistent.

Bidirectional Sync

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• Automatic reciprocal relationship maintenance
• Dual storage: Wikilinks (readability) + cr_id references (robust tracking)

Duplicate Detection & Merging

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• Smart duplicate detection using fuzzy name matching and date proximity
• Merge wizard with field-level conflict resolution
• Automatic relationship reconciliation

Staging Workflow

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• Dedicated Staging Manager with batch cards and file previews
• Duplicate detection before promotion

Data Quality Tools

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• Quality scores with 15+ issue types
• Batch normalization
• 14-step post-import cleanup wizard covering dates, genders, relationships, places, sources, and property migrations

Family Creation Wizard

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• 5-step workflow for interconnected family groups
• Automatic bidirectional linking

Schema Validation

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• User-defined schemas with required properties
• Type validation and custom rules

Evidence & Source Tracking

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Professional genealogical research tools following the Genealogical Proof Standard.

Source Management

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• Structured genealogical metadata
• Source quality classification: Primary, Secondary, or Derivative
• Fact-level source tracking for specific life events

Research Tools

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• Proof summary notes for documenting reasoning chains
• Research level property (0-6 scale based on GPS methodology)
• Research gaps report with priority ranking
• Source conflict detection and tracking

Media & Citations

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• Source media gallery with search, filtering, and lightbox viewer
• Citation generator supporting Chicago, Evidence Explained, MLA, and Turabian formats
• Canvas research indicators showing source counts, coverage %, and conflict warnings

Organization & Analysis

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Powerful tools for organizing and analyzing genealogical data.

Collections & Groups

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• Auto-detected family groups
• User-defined collections

Reference Numbering

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• Ahnentafel, d’Aboville, Henry, and Generation systems

Lineage Tracking

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• Patrilineal, matrilineal, or all descendants

Relationship Calculator

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• Find connections with proper genealogical terms (e.g., “2nd cousin once removed”)
• Relationship history with timestamps and one-click undo

Custom Relationships

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• Extended relationships beyond family: godparent, guardian, mentor, apprentice
• Colored canvas edges for relationship types

Step & Adoptive Parents

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• Dedicated fields with distinct line styles on canvas trees

World Building

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Tools designed for fiction writers and world-builders.

Fictional Date Systems

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• Custom calendars and eras
• Built-in support for Middle-earth, Westeros, Star Wars, or custom systems
• Calendarium integration

Universe Notes

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• First-class entities for organizing fictional worlds
• Metadata, linked calendars, maps, and validation schemas

Organization Notes

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• Track non-genealogical hierarchies
• Noble houses, guilds, corporations, military units, religious orders

Events & Timelines

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• Document life events with person/family/place timelines
• Visual exports with group/faction filtering

Statistics & Reports

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Comprehensive analytics and report generation.

Statistics Dashboard

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• Vault statistics and entity counts
• Completeness metrics
• Gender distribution and date ranges

Data Quality Analysis

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• Severity-coded alerts
• Drill-down lists for issue resolution

Top Lists

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• Surnames, locations, occupations, sources
• Drill-down functionality

Extended Statistics

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• Longevity analysis
• Family size patterns
• Marriage patterns
• Migration flows
• Timeline density

Report Types (17+)

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Export as PDF or ODT:

• Pedigree charts
• Descendant charts
• Hourglass charts
• Fan charts
• Family group sheets
• Individual summaries
• Ahnentafel reports
• Gaps reports
• Register reports
• Source summaries
• Timeline reports
• Place summaries
• Media inventories
• Universe overviews
• Collection overviews

Integration & Compatibility

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Designed to work with the Obsidian ecosystem.

• Calendarium integration for fictional date systems
• Type customization with full type managers
• Property aliases to map custom property names
• Value aliases for mapping custom property values
• Obsidian Bases integration with ready-to-use templates
• Style Settings plugin support for color customization
• Context menu actions for right-click operations
• YAML-first data compatible with Dataview, Bases, and other tools