(Windows) Building Fan charts

(Windows) Building Fan charts 150 150 Heredis Help Knowledgebase

Trees of ancestors can be printed in the shape of a fan, with the primary character as the origin.

The number of generations represented on a fan chart can be up to 12 of ancestors (including the character at the base of the tree) .

These charts can be printed according to their dimensions on a single page or on several pages to be assembled. If they are printed on multiple pages, an assembling link-up zone between the pages makes editing easier.
Click the button and then click the thumbnail representing the Fan chart.

or Select the Charts menu – Ancestors Tree Charts – Fan Charts.

Choose the presentation of the chart

Formatting the contents of the boxes

The content of the boxes is defined in the left part of the setup screen.
It can then be modified by clicking on once the fan chart is created.

  • Choose the styles of the fields for the tree chart (should one or more given names be included, should the dates specify the day of the week…).

  • Specify the formatting of the text: font, size, colors.

  • Apply the limitations on the persons to be displayed (marked, confidential…). See the article The different data fields to learn all about this marking.
  • Specify whether you want, in each box of the tree chart, succinct or more detailed information by clicking on the buttons 4 lines or 6 lines. Heredis manages, depending on the generation, the maximum amount of information that can be edited.

  • Set the width of the printed line and specify whether you want to display the Ahnentafel number of persons.

Graphic formatting

The right part of the setup screen includes the different tools to use to give the desired shape to the fan tree chart.

  • Select a tree theme from the Templates drop-down menu and observe in the preview window the change made by each new layout you choose (number of generations, angle, colors…).

  • Indicate the number of generations to be treated (up to 12), Heredis specifies the number of persons contained in the tree chart according to the number of generations chosen.
  • Choose the angle of the fan (between 180° and 300°).
    Choose the shape of the fan (up to 300°).

  • Move the slider to specify the number of different quarters to color if you chose the By quarters. The number of quarters can range from 4 to 16.
  • Choose the color settings. Select the options:
    Males / Females to color the different boxes according to the sex of the person,
    By generations to apply a different color to each,
    By quarters to materialize the 4, 8 or 16 chosen quarters.
  • Select the Gradient Fill check box to choose the two extreme colors for generations or quarters coloring.
    or Click in each of the preview areas (generation, quarter…) to specify a fill color.

Click OK to draw the tree according to the choices you specified.

Save your modified theme

When you have made personal changes to a template, your formatting is preserved until the next personal edit you make in the tree chart.

You will be able to try the different themes but also return to Lastest layout in the Templates drop-down menu.

Save the created template by clicking next to the template choice and give your template a name.

Change the tree chart layout

Change the title of the tree chart

The title of the tree chart is an editable text box. Heredis offers a title containing the name of the main person. Double-click the title to open the word processor and make your content or text formatting changes.

Change the formatting in the tree chart

In tree charts of fan ancestors, it is possible to make modifications, either to the whole tree or to a selection of boxes.

Select boxes

Click a box to select it. To extend the selection to other boxes, maintain Ctrl key and click, or Shift key and click, on the other boxes you select for a personal multiselection.
Type Ctrl A to select the entire tree.
Use the right click to do a genealogical multiselection. Click on the first selected box and choose from Select menu the following options: Select Ancestors – Select Descendants – Select Generation – Select All (the entire tree) Select Females Only – Select Males Only.

Use the Search list and double-click one of the people in the tree chart to select their box.
To unselect one of the boxes, maintain Ctrl key and click or Shift key and click the box.

See the article (Windows) Apply a selection to a tree for more details.

Apply a change

It is possible to change the color of the selected box(es). Click the color pad in the Boxes panel and specify the new color to apply to the selected boxes.


Restore the fan tree chart according to the colors of the template by clicking on the Default button: each of the selected boxes will take the color defined by the template.
To return to the general settings of the tree chart, click the button or select the Display menu – Graphical preferences and change the number of generations, the template used, or any content or coloring options.
The new settings will apply as soon as you click OK to rebuild the fan tree chart.

See Finding your way around a tree for display and move functions in the tree chart.

See (Windows) Print or export as PDF the tree chart for layout and printing features.