
New GDS website
After many years with our website, we have taken a new step in order to improve the GDS website. Don’t forget to sit back,
Welcome to the web of the general family documentation system GDS
Create your family tree, and keep all your documents and photos in one place
A complete program to create your family tree, adding people, photographs and documents and relating all family information in one place. The GDS is a tool supported by more than 30 years of development, more than 200 versions and revisions and thousands of users around the world.
Create your Family tree
By adding all the information of the people in your family, and relating them to each other, you will maintain a global network.
Álbum de fotos
idocuments
A thematic and chronological tree allows you to have thousands of images and files related to each other and to the people in your database.
Create your Family tree
You will be able to print or show various graphics with the content of genealogical or documentary information. Try the large dimension graphics.
Import and export GEDCOM
The GDS is 100% compliant with the de facto standard for genealogy data exchange.
Welcome to our Youtube channel
In this channel you will learn to use the GDS from A to Z. With this channel I want to reach the maximum number of users and give you tutorials or recommendations that will go from the basic user level of GDS to becoming an expert.
"First of all I have to congratulate you on the evolution that the program has undergone. It's great, it's very pleasant to work with it and the improvements it makes are very good. Keep it up, it's very good, congratulations."
"First of all I have to congratulate you on the evolution that the program has undergone. It's great, it's very pleasant to work with it and the improvements it makes are very good. Keep it up, it's very good, congratulations."
"I have been practicing with your program and at the same time I have created a database with some familiar people to practice and see all the advantages of it, it is truly excellent, the simplicity of learning to handle it, the advantage of being able to place photos, files attachments in Word, voice etc. they do it simply great. That's my second congratulations today for that wonderful program."
"First of all, let me congratulate you for the conception and development of the General Family Documentation System software, it is a true contribution for those of us who develop family traditions with passion. Likewise, congratulations for your new Website."
"Just to tell you that I am introducing new photographs and it is great that the new version can create thematic albums. It is very practical. Thank you. Good idea."
"I have been passing my information to the GDS since last week, it is great to see the results and see how wonderful this program is. My admiration for so much dedication and perseverance to have such good results with this wonder. It is definitely the best program in Spanish and English."
"I congratulate you for such a wonderful program; I am truly satisfied with the results I am obtaining."
"I would like to personally thank you for the service you offer to GDS users, both in solving problems, as was the case, and in the progressive updating and improvement of the program. I am happy to have chosen the GDS as my Database genealogy."
Everything you can do with the GDS
Family Data base
Add all the people in your family as you investigate and create relationships between them.
Thematic photo and document album
Add photos and documents and classify them by thematic areas of your choice. Assign people and events to each photo.
Big Family graph
Imagine seeing your tree of ancestors and descendants with hundreds of people represented in a large mural.
GEDCOM import/export
Thanks to the GEDCOM standard, you will be able to bring back all that information that you have been collecting for years, in a single click.
Export your data base to a web
Create a website with all the information of your family and navigate through it. The GDS will export all the necessary HTML files.
Work with two last names
GDS is the only product that allows you to work with the format of two surnames and adapts to many cultures.
Unique features
Julian anf Gregorian Calendars
For the most expert, the GDS contemplates these two calendars, the current Gregorian, and the one prior to the year 1582.
Calculate complex family relationships
Even without common ancestors, the GDS finds family relationships based on conjugal unions.
Calculation of endogamies
Calculation of all relationship circuits between two people. From this the coefficients of relationship and inbreeding are calculated.
beyond family
Grandes bases
de datos
Users and user groups use the GDS for the creation of large genealogies extracted from the archives available since the fourteenth century in entire towns.
World Sovereogn houses
The GDS is the tool used to create the largest database of sovereign houses in the world, with more than 67,500 people.
Almacen de fotos
y documentos
Beyond people, the GDS is used as a repository for any interrelated digitized information (such as photos and documents)
Sovereign houses Database
This database, owned by Mr. Armand de Fluvià i Escorsa was created in 1945 and has been fed incessantly to reach more than 64,000 people. It is made up of the genealogical information of the noble characters, kings or belonging to the nobility from all over the world. From the first documented sovereigns to the present day. It covers the entire geography of the Earth and all the political currents that have existed and exist.
Latest news from GDSystem

After many years with our website, we have taken a new step in order to improve the GDS website. Don’t forget to sit back,

We announce the release of Version 8.0.32 of the GDS with some interesting improvements. For the first time, the definition of the Type of

We already have more than 300 subscribers and more than 300 hours of viewing on our GDS YouTube channel. In all our videos we
Frequent questions
Access the menu File – Assign or change the Data Directory (Folder) – I am lost – Search for a GDS Database on the computer. Let GDS find all your Databases, double click on the one you see is yours. Once that name is indicated in the Choice Panel, click OK.
The GDS works on two well-differentiated parts:
A) The Program itself. B) The Database.
A) The program is installed using the installer that can be found on the web www.gdsystem.net. The installation of GDS must always be done from the installer. It is not correct to copy it from its previous location, since this action does not guarantee its operation, because the installer not only copies the files, but also registers certain components in the Operating System. The program is installed in C:\Program Files (x86)\GDS along with other files in the System Directory.
B) The Database is the set of files that GDS creates and maintains as the user enters people, relationships, documents, photographs, etc. This Database is contained in the Data Directory, which is freely chosen by the user and is expressed in the lower left corner when GDS is operational and has nothing to do with the Programs Directory (x86) expressed in A), up. This folder cannot be under C:\Program Files (x86)
Restoration of the situation when for any reason the GDS operation must be started on a computer:
Situación de arranque:
– Debe tener una copia de TODOS los archivos contenidos en el Directorio de Datos (Véase apartado B) arriba)
– Debe tener una copia del instalador de GDS de su versión. If you don’t have it, just download it from www.gdsystem.net. You should pay attention to the version you had installed. Tenga presente que si tenía una versión anterior a la Versión 8.0 y descarga esta versión, el sistema funcionará pero no le dejará actualizar, debiendo adquirir la migración a la Versión 8.0
Acciones:
1) Cree un Directorio (Carpeta) en el lugar que desee. For example, C:\Mytree. This Directory will be the new Data Directory and does not necessarily have to have the same name as before. Esta carpeta no puede estar bajo C:\Archivos de Programa (x86)
2) Copie TODOS los archivos que se mencionan en el apartado C) a este Directorio, o copie directamente la carpeta completa, copiándola directamente sin hacer el paso 1).
3) Install GDS with the installer repeatedly mentioned above.
4) Start GDS normally. Responda unas sencillas preguntas.
5) Cuando le diga que indique su Directorio de Datos, asigne el Directorio de Datos mencionado en 1)
Assigning photos to people is done at the time you assign a rectangle of the photo to a person in the Database. Thus, a photograph can be associated with all the people who appear in it. Dicho de otro modo, una fotografía se coloca en el álbum de fotos de todas las personas contenidas en ella, con la condición de asignar un rectángulo (el que encuadra su cara, por ejemplo) a cada persona.
Modo de asignar un rectángulo a una persona:
A) Hacer el display de la fotografía.
B) En la barra de iconos, hacer clic sobre el icono Actualizar. Aparecerán a la derecha de la fotografía unos controles.
C) Entre los controles que aparecen a la derecha de la fotografía, hacer clic sobre el que dice Definir rectángulos. A box will appear at the top right of the photo with the options to Insert, Delete and Exit. La Opción Insertar estará activada.
D) Moviendo el ratón por la fotografía aparecerá una mano con un dedo señalando. Move the mouse to the top left corner of the rectangle you want to define. Press the left button and keep it pressed, move the mouse until the rectangle you want to describe is drawn (for example, the face of the person to be assigned).
E) Release the button. Three controls will immediately appear at the top right of the photo. If the person you want to identify is in the Database, click on the Database control. Si, por el contrario, solamente quiere describirse el contenido del rectángulo, hacer clic sobre Texto Descriptivo.
F) Si se ha pulsado sobre Base de Datos el sistema le llevará a la búsqueda de la persona. Una vez identificada, el GDS asignará automáticamente esta persona a esta fotografía.
G) Pueden repetirse los pasos D) a F) tantas veces como se desee.
H) Salir de la actualización.
The descendant tree relates a person to any of their ancestors.
In order for the GDS to perform the descendant tree, it must have calculated the ancestors of a person.
Therefore, to create a descendant tree, proceed as follows:
A) From a person’s panel, search for their ancestors by any of the two procedures (List of Ancestors or Chart of Sides). This operation causes the GDS to calculate all the ancestors of this person.
B) From any of these reports, or simply because any person who is an ancestor of this person is accessed, the Descendant Tree control appears available. By clicking on it, the corresponding descendant tree is obtained from this person to the initial person.
C) Esta última operación puede realizarse tantas veces se desee desde cualquier persona antepasado de la primera.
Para realizar árboles troncales hacia otra persona, simplemente repita la operación expresada en A).
By registering a GDS Database you are entitled to use it on your desktop and laptop. Al copiar la Base de Datos al nuevo ordenador tenga presente que GDS debe estar instalado en el mismo para poder utilizar la Base de Datos, así como haber asignado la carpeta correspondiente como Directorio de Datos.
Debe tener presente las siguientes recomendaciones al utilizar el GDS en más de un ordenador con la misma Base de Datos:
Always update one of them at a time. If you don’t do this, when you copy from one computer to another, any data you changed on the second computer will be lost.
To install on the second computer, proceed as follows:
1) Copie todo el contenido de su Base de Datos desde el primero al segundo.
2) Instale el GDS en el segundo.
3) Arranque el GDS en el segundo y asigne el Directorio de su Base de Datos recién creada.
With your PAF program, you can export to a GEDCOM file. A partir de este
archivo, puede Ud. importar en el GDS.
The GEDCOM language is a standard language for importing and exporting genealogy files between genealogy programs. However, by its very construction, it does not guarantee that all data is exportable/importable, so it may be that some data contained in the PAF file does not appear in GDS. In any case, the experiences so far have shown that a very good exchange takes place.
Keep in mind that the PAF program (Like all Genealogy programs, except GDS), only deals with one surname, so the two surnames of the people are only placed in one field.
When importing to GDS, this situation is automatically detected and it will ask you if you want it to try to discriminate the last names and place the second in the corresponding field of the second name of the GDS. This transformation is carried out with an internal algorithm that cannot be perfect, so you must review the names entered a posteriori in order to ensure that the discrimination has been correct.
– View the photo.
– Click the Update icon on the icon bar, or Right-click on the photo. A dropdown will appear.
– Click on Delete and agree to delete it.
Normally it is not necessary to uninstall GDS. The new GDS will simply be written over the old one. If the Database has changed format for the new Version, the conversion will be done automatically.
Each new GDS revision is compatible with the previous one. When the Version changes, if the Database format changes to the new Version, the system detects it and converts it automatically. In this case, the Database converted to the new Version can no longer be used with the previous Version.
Please note that any database that has been converted to a new version will need to be registered again. Registration is done from the program itself at the time you request it. See the price at the time of doing it.
Once a Database has been registered, you can copy it to another computer. You agree that GDS will be used in this database by only one user at a time.
However, if two Databases are maintained, care must be taken not to add or update data simultaneously, since, if they do, subsequent synchronization will be impossible. Our recommendation is that you keep the data in one of them and periodically copy it to the other. In other words, always maintain a master and a slave Database.
There are two methods for assigning a photo to a person panel:
First method:
The procedure is as follows:
Requisito: Que exista una fotografía en la que haya un rectángulo asignado a la persona a la que quiere asignar esta fotografía (Para asignar un rectángulo a una persona vea la pregunta ¿Cómo se asigna una fotografía al álbum de una persona.
Por ejemplo, puede ser una fotografía en la que haya varias personas asignadas (Varios rectángulos asignados a personas de la Base de Datos), y una de estas personas es la persona a la que quiere asignar la fotografía.
– Open the photo.
– Move the mouse to a place that corresponds to the person you want to assign this photo to. On the screen you will see the name of the corresponding person….
– Press the right mouse button…. aparecerá un panel desplegable…
– Una de las opciones del desplegable es Asignar al panel persona. Left click on this option…. answer the questions.
Second method:
This method is even faster:
Requirement. El mismo que arriba.
Vaya a la persona… Pulse en Fotos en el panel de ésta….. Aparecerá el cuadro de las fotos de esta persona…. Verá que hay una opción que dice Asigna foto a panel persona….Acciónelo…Simplemente sin pulsar el botón acceda hasta que se haga azul la foto elegida….. y pulse el botón izquierdo.
Otro truco:
De una fotografía en la que hay varias personas, deseamos que la cara de una de ellas esté en el panel de esta persona:
Para ello tenga lo presente: De cualquier fotografía puede Ud. extraer un rectángulo, creando una nueva fotografía que es parte de la anterior y en la que se le copian todas sus propiedades.
Por lo tanto, para hacer lo que desea se hace en dos pasos:
Step 1: Extract a rectangle from a photograph.
– Open the photo.
– Press the right mouse button…. aparecerá un panel desplegable…
– Una de las opciones del desplegable es Extraer un rectángulo. Left click on this option….
– A hand with a pointer will appear…. mueva el ratón hasta el ángulo superior izquierdo del rectángulo que quiera extraer (Sobre la cara de la persona a la izquierda)… pulse el botón izquierdo SIN SOLTARLO… mueva el ratón izquierdo hasta el ángulo inferior derecho del rectángulo que quiera extraer (Bajo la cara de la persona a la derecha)… suelte el botón del ratón…
– Le aparecerá un extracto de la foto anterior… This is a copy and the previous photo is not modified. You will notice that this photo contains the same title, the same date and correctly identifies the person.
Step 2: Assign to the panel of the person… Use the method first exposed at the beginning of this section.
At the moment of finishing updating the data of a photo, GDS detects if there are photos with an identical date. In that case, the photo album with the same date appears automatically.
Simply left-click on the photo you want to move, and without releasing the mouse button, move it to where you want it to be by releasing the button below. Al momento el álbum queda reordenado.
Para salir, simplemente pulse sobre Aplicar, o cierre el panel.
There are two cases:
– That in the list of siblings all have a date of birth.
In this case the siblings are sorted automatically when they are entered. However, if once entered there is a change in the date of birth of one or more of them, the system keeps them out of order until the GDS is started again and the verification of all the sibling lists is carried out. If it finds any unordered list, it automatically sorts it.
In any case, the user can carry out the verification from the menu Tools…Analysis of link chains of people.
– Case in which one or some of the siblings on the list of siblings does not have a date of birth assigned.
In this case, a question mark appears to the right of the list. By pressing this symbol you can sort them properly.
The GDS Database license will allow you to change computers without paying again. Likewise, you will be able to transfer your Database to the new computer without having to purchase a new license. In addition, since GDS is constantly being revised, you can download the successive revisions of the program and install them on your computer, as long as it is the same Version.
GDS is in continuous development. Like any complex and live computer program, it has the possibility that there is a bug that has not yet been detected. On an ongoing basis, and each time a bug is found, both internally and from user input, we try to reproduce the problem and then fix it. Periodically we post on this website the new revision of GDS that corrects all the errors found, as well as the improvements that we are adding to the system.
Therefore, we recommend doing the following in the event that the system announces a problem:
A) – Check that the version you have installed corresponds to the latest version available on the Web. To do this, note that when starting GDS, it indicates the version and revision (For example, Revision 8.0.00). If the revision you have installed is less than the one available, proceed to download the new revision for free and install it. This operation does not change your registration or your Database, which remains unchanged. The system you install is compatible with the previous one and it is possible that the error that has occurred to you has been corrected.
B) – If your version matches the one available on the Web, simply follow the GDS directions for sending Marshall System ® the error indication. We will do our best to correct it and we will tell you when the course of action is resolved.
The quality of GDS is based on the invaluable help that we continually receive from our users. Just think that if there is an error, we at Marshall System ® would greatly appreciate it if you let us know. We are proud to be able to respond quickly to it, thank you and apologize for the inconvenience.
Simply remove the duplicate person from the Database. If there is data that you want to keep and move to the original person, you will need to copy it from one to the other.
If you had already assigned links to the person, when you delete the person, the system will ask you if you agree to delete these links. The other people are not disturbed.
GDS does not keep a copy of your data. If you suffer a computer failure and for any reason lose the Database that you have been creating over time, we will not be able to help you reproduce it.
Sin embargo, si pierde el programa, no tiene más importancia que el descargarla desde nuestra Web.
Es por ello que recomendamos que realice copias regulares de su Base de Datos. To do this, use any safeguard procedure available to you.
Normalmente solamente deberá guardar todos los archivos contenidos en el Directorio de Datos.
Puede realizar la copia de seguridad directamente desde GDS al cerrar el programa, ya que le aparece la posibilidad de hacerlo en la propia ventana de cierre.
Act as follows:
A) Go to the File menu… Export… Create a partial database… A window will appear to fill in the necessary data.
B) Assign the output folder. That is, the folder where you want a new database to be created. If that folder already exists, it must be empty.
C) Optionally type a description of the new database.
D) Under Select people, assign all people.
E) Indicate all the information to be exported. In particular, if you have photos, point out all photos.
F) Execute by clicking on Export.
This action will create a new database in the folder pointed to in B) above. The new database will have eliminated the empty spaces, but, be careful, it will have changed all the control numbers of the people.
A) Go to the Tools menu… Massive changes of names, surnames and places…
B) Select the people you want to change. Normally you will say all people.
C) Click on Reduce names and surnames all uppercase
D) Press Execute