MacFamilyTree:

Where Can I Add »Marriage« As An Event?

Family Events vs. Person Events

This is a very frequent question we receive and it comes in different shapes and sizes:

»Where can I add the event 'Marriage' to a person? Such an entry does not show in the list of events available in the 'Events'list's drop-down menu.«

»I want to add and edit all types of events from a central point in MacFamilyTree. Currently, I have to switch back and forth between the 'Events' lists for a person and the 'Family Events' list. This is not very comfortable.«

»There is no 'Marriage' under 'Events'. Please fix this!«

It is important to understand that marriages are »Family Events«. A marriage implies that there is or has been a partnership of some kind, formed by two individuals. Therefore, family events have their own dedicated section in the family editor.

Other events like »Birth« or »Immigration« do certainly affect the family of a newborn or the children who travel to their new home country with or without the rest of their family. Yet, essentially, such »Person Events« do not require a family or vice-versa. That is why these events will be found in the »Events« section of each person's editor.

This distinction is not a deliberate one we came up with, but it is required by the GEDCOM standard. Under 'Family Events' you will find quite a number of different event types:

Finding The »Family Events« List

Switch MacFamilyTree's main view to the editor for the couple, you want to marry or create a new family with the partners who are about to be married. In this Family Editor, look for a tab labeled »Family Events« in the space below the »Children« list:

In Contrast: »Events« For A Person

Person Events are available from the Person Editor for each person. Look for a pane with its tab labeled »Events«, in the lower portion of the editor:

What if… The Family Events Have Gone Missing?!

Should the Family Events list not be visible in your Family Editor, right below the »Children« list, this may have at least three reasons. However, there's one simple solution I will outline further below:

You may have accidentally removed the »Family Events« pane by clicking on the small dark »x« (Close) button in the pane tab:
Maybe, you rearranged MacFamilyTree's user interface by dragging and removing some of the tabs or panes in the Family Editor. On this occasion, Family Events may have been moved to a different location in your Family Editor or, again, their pane may have been closed.

Lastly, what also can happen is that the Family Events pane is simply hidden behind one of the other tabs in the same subview. In my sample image here, you can see that instead of »Family Events« it shows the pane »Notes« in the foreground:

To make the Family Events pane reappear, and this applies to all panes which somehow seem to have vanished, please open the »Pane Settings« dialogue:

»Pane Settings« can be found in the bottom-right corner of MacFamilyTree's main window. The checkmarks in front of the items show that a pane is available. If an item you want to use is unchecked, single-click with your mouse to re-enable it. The corresponding pane will then reappear in the current view you are in: