Documentation
Explanations per topic, step by step.
Getting started
Installing StambeamYou install Stambeam like any other program on your Windows computer. After that it works without internet and without an account.Moving your tree to StambeamIs your tree already in another program? Then you bring it over with a file. Nothing changes until you say so.The tourStambeam has a short tour that shows what you can find where. You can stop it at any time and do it again later.Reporting a problemDoes something not work, do you miss something or do you have a question? Report it from Stambeam. You see exactly what is sent along and nothing leaves until you click Send.
Your tree
People and familiesYou record people on the person card and link them to their parents, partners and children. Every change is saved at once and can be undone.Sources and recordsA source shows where a piece of information comes from, such as a record, a book or a website. That way you still know later why you believed something.SearchingWith one search field you find people, events, sources and notes. For harder questions you build a query with conditions.Catching mistakesStambeam checks your data while you enter it. That way you notice a child who seems to be born after the death of their mother before the mistake stays in your research.
Branches
What is a branch?A branch is a copy of your tree in which you can try something without touching the real tree. Think of it as scrap paper for your research.Exploring a hunchDo you have an idea you are not sure about yet? Try it in a branch. If it goes wrong, you throw the branch away and nothing has happened.Merge or throw awayTried something in a branch? Then you choose: you like it and it goes into the main line, or you throw it away.Going back in timeStambeam remembers every change. You can go back a step, look at an earlier state, or put the whole tree back to an earlier moment.
View and share
Viewing the family treeThe family tree draws the ancestors and descendants of the selected person, in different ways. You choose what you want to see.Timeline and mapThe timeline shows who lived when and what was happening in the world then. The map shows where your family lived.Reports and exportFrom your tree you make reports to read or print, or a website, a book or tables to share.
AI
Turning on AIAI is optional and off by default. While it is off, Stambeam works exactly as without AI: no AI menu, no network traffic and no key is read.Choosing an AI connectionStambeam has no AI of its own. You use your own account with a provider, or a program on your computer. The same privacy rules apply to every connection.Having records read (transcription)Old handwriting is hard to read. AI can write out a scan of a record for you. The result is an aid to check, never a source.The assistantThe assistant answers questions about the program, such as “Where do I find the map?”. Below the answer are buttons that take you straight to the place.What goes to the AI?You always see first what will be sent. Living people are never sent in a recognisable way.
Working together
Setting up a hubWith a hub you work on the same tree on more computers and share it with family. You run the hub yourself, at home or on a server. Stambeam never runs a server for you.Inviting people and giving accessYou decide who sees which part of your tree and whether that person may only read or also edit. Living people are shielded by default.The phone appWith the Stambeam app for Android you quickly look something up or record something on the go, for example in a cemetery or an archive. The app works together with your hub.