> (1)  I simply cannot make the "-everyone" tag work.  No matter what  
> size the Gedcom file, it blows up with the error:
>
> Can't call method "name" on an undefined value at C:/Perl/site/lib/ 
> HTML/Timeline.pm line 280, <GEN0> line 22085.

To get -everyone to work, try running something like this:

timeline.pl -gedcom whatever.ged -everyone -root "<your_name>"

That is is to say, you always have to specify *someone* with -root (at  
least right now).

> (2) I simply cannot get -ancestors to work.  If I specify a root  
> name at the end of the timeline, i.e. me, and run with the - 
> ancestors tag, it appears to work.  But when I load the html I get a  
> dialog that says "Javascript application
> Caught Exception: TypeError: v1 has no properties"
>
> If I look at the output file, there is no data. No entries for the  
> timeline scale.

Strange. . . -ancestors works for me.  Since you've offered, sure,  
please send me your GEDCOM file.

> (3a) Lack of a horizontal slider. Makes it difficult to see the  
> whole display.  In some cases, one simply cannot expand the window  
> enough.

Try dragging the timeline from side to side like you're in Google  
Maps.  Also, check out the following timeline for inspiration on  
horizontal movement:

http://simile.mit.edu/timeline/examples/religions/jewish-history.html

Notice that there are two bands that move at different speeds and that  
you can click dates (1000 AD, 1500 AD, etc.) to skip around in the  
timeline.

> (3b) I am not yet sure, but it seems as if duplicate names are a  
> problem.  If I specify a root name where more than one person has  
> that name, even if one is Jr. and the other is Sr. it fails as in  
> #2.  If names are identical, that's one thing.  But it should handle  
> suffixes, I would think.  But for identical names, perhaps an  
> additional qualifier, such as birth date, etc, might be a good  
> solution.

Um, regarding handling duplicate names, I might need to punt to  
someone who is more familiar with Gedcom.pm.  But please let me know  
which names cause the error when you send your GEDCOM file.

> (3c) Related to 3A, the beginning of the timeline does not start  
> with the oldest entry in the tree, i.e. The root person, in my  
> examples.  Instead the left-most date seems to be derived from the  
> oldest date in the Gedcom.  Sort of understandable I guess, as I  
> might presume the scale is laid out before the entities are placed  
> upon it.  But it would be nice to truncate the blank space to the  
> left of the first entry.

If you are concerned about blank space on one side your timeline, try  
editing timeline.html to change the date on which the timeline is  
centered, adjusting the date below as appropriate:

var d = Timeline.DateTime.parseGregorianDateTime("1685")

> (3d) Similarly, for entries placed on the right edge of the scale,  
> i.e. my Granddaughter's birth in April 2008, the right scale stops  
> at 2010.  Fine, except that the text denoting the items placed in  
> 2008 is cut off.  A bit more smarts in placing labels would be  
> welcome.

Same deal here.  I will note that if there is more control over where  
exactly events are placed, I haven't discovered it yet.

> (3e) Even in the case of unique names, I get the same failure as #2  
> for some names as root person, without obvious reason.

Please list these names as well.

> All these points aside, I really must congratulate you on a good  
> job, even if still a work in progress.  But then all software is a  
> work in progress, isn't it...

Thanks.  And credit to Ron Savage, too, of course.  I discovered  
Simile Timeline a while ago but only recently had the idea to plot my  
family's lifetimes with it.  I'm sorry if I've hijacked the perl- 
gedcom mailing list, but it's been nice to find some other people who  
like this idea as well. :)

Phil