Version 2.0.1 | A specialized tool for genealogists to generate standardized, customizable filenames and metadata commands for genealogy documents.
The Genealogy Filename Generator is a static web application that helps genealogists organize their digital archives with standardized, meaningful filenames. It parses GEDCOM family tree files to provide intelligent, context-aware suggestions for file naming and metadata tagging using EXIFtool standards.
- 🎨 Customizable Sub-templates (NEW in v2.0) - Full control over date, place, and name formatting patterns
- ✨ Format Modifiers (NEW in v2.0) - Apply
:upper,:lower,:title,:abbrevtransformations to any field - ⚙️ Template Configuration UI (NEW in v2.0) - Visual editor with validation, hints, and real-time preview
- Standardized Filename Generation - Creates consistent, meaningful filenames following genealogy best practices
- GEDCOM File Support - Parses GEDCOM (.ged) files with support for 10,000+ individuals
- Intelligent Autocomplete - Context-aware suggestions for surnames, given names, places, and relationships
- EXIFtool Command Generation - Creates FHMWG-compliant metadata commands for your genealogy documents
- Multi-Person Documents - Support for documents with multiple people (e.g., marriage certificates)
- International Place Formats - Support for USA, Canada, UK, Germany, Australia, and generic formats
- Privacy-First - All processing happens in your browser; your GEDCOM data never leaves your computer
- Zero Setup - Single HTML file, no installation or build process required
Default Format (v2.0):
Birth_USA.Ohio.Medina-County.Wadsworth_1922.01.04_DOE.Jane.Alma_Birth-Certificate.jpg
Custom Format Examples (NEW - Fully Customizable):
# European date format: DD-MM-YYYY
Birth_USA.Ohio.Medina-County.Wadsworth_04-01-1922_DOE.Jane.Alma_Birth-Certificate.jpg
# Abbreviated place: City, State
Birth_Wadsworth, Ohio_1922.01.04_DOE.Jane.Alma_Birth-Certificate.jpg
# Given name first: Given SURNAME
Birth_USA.Ohio.Medina-County.Wadsworth_1922.01.04_Jane DOE_Birth-Certificate.jpg
Following the customizable pattern:
[Type]_[PLACE]_[DATE]_[NAME]_[info].ext
Where:
DATE = Your custom date sub-template (e.g., {YYYY}.{MM}.{DD} or {DD}-{MM}-{YYYY})
PLACE = Your custom place sub-template (e.g., {CITY}, {STATE} or {COUNTRY}.{STATE}.{CITY})
NAME = Your custom name sub-template (e.g., {SURNAME:upper}.{GIVEN} or {GIVEN} {SURNAME})
- Visit the Genealogy Filename Generator hosted version
- (Optional) Upload your GEDCOM file for intelligent autocomplete suggestions
- Fill in the form fields with your document details
- Copy the generated filename or EXIFtool command
No installation, no dependencies, no server setup required. Works entirely in your browser.
Prefer to download and run locally?
- Download
genealogy-filename-generator.htmlfrom the latest release - Open the file in any modern web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)
- (Optional) Upload your GEDCOM file for intelligent autocomplete suggestions
- Fill in the form fields with your document details
- Copy the generated filename or EXIFtool command
- Chrome 90+
- Firefox 88+
- Safari 14+
- Edge 90+
Internet Explorer is not supported (requires ES6+).
Version 2.0 introduces a revolutionary composable sub-template architecture that gives you complete control over filename formatting:
Customize how dates appear using placeholders:
{YYYY}- 4-digit year (2024){YY}- 2-digit year (24){MM}- Zero-padded month (03){M}- Month without padding (3){DD}- Zero-padded day (05){D}- Day without padding (5)
Examples:
{YYYY}.{MM}.{DD}→2024.03.05(default){DD}-{MM}-{YYYY}→05-03-2024(European){M}/{D}/{YY}→3/5/24(US short)
Control place hierarchy and formatting:
{COUNTRY}or{C}- Country name/abbreviation{STATE}or{S}- State/Province{COUNTY}or{CO}- County{CITY}or{CI}- City/Town
Examples:
{COUNTRY}.{STATE}.{COUNTY}.{CITY}→USA.Ohio.Medina-County.Wadsworth(default){CITY}, {STATE}→Wadsworth, Ohio{C}.{S}→USA.OH(abbreviated)
Format names exactly how you want:
{SURNAME}- Surname/family name{GIVEN}- Given/first name{MIDDLE}- Middle name
Examples:
{SURNAME:upper}.{GIVEN}→DOE.Jane(default){GIVEN} {SURNAME}→Jane DOE{SURNAME:upper}, {GIVEN} {MIDDLE:abbrev}→DOE, Jane A
Apply text transformations to any placeholder:
:upper- UPPERCASE:lower- lowercase:title- Title Case:abbrev- First letter only
Examples:
{SURNAME:upper}→SMITH{GIVEN:title}→John Doe{MIDDLE:abbrev}→J
- Visual editor in Settings section
- Real-time validation with helpful error messages
- Placeholder hints and tooltips
- "Reset to Defaults" button
- Auto-saves to Browser localStorage
Existing users will have their settings automatically migrated:
- Legacy "Name Format" dropdown → NAME sub-template
- All saved preferences preserved
- Default behavior unchanged (unless you customize)
- Parses GEDCOM 5.5 format files
- Extracts individuals, families, and relationships
- Builds relationship graph with confidence scores
- Provides family tree statistics and insights
- Chunked processing for UI responsiveness (5000 lines per chunk)
- Surname autocomplete from your GEDCOM data
- Given name suggestions based on selected surname
- Context-aware relationships - suggests parents, siblings, spouse, children
- Place suggestions from your family tree
- Event type suggestions - Birth, Marriage, Death, Census, etc.
Generates EXIFtool commands for embedding metadata into your files:
- FHMWG (Family History Metadata Working Group) compliant
- Essential genealogy metadata fields
- Customizable additional metadata (title, description, creator, copyright)
- File-type optimized (.jpg, .pdf, .tiff, etc.)
Choose from multiple place format options:
- USA: City, County, State, Country
- Canada: City, Province, Country
- UK: Town, County, Country
- Germany: City, State, Country
- Australia: Town, State, Country
- Generic: Flexible custom format
Comprehensive documentation is available in the docs/ directory:
- Project Overview - Project purpose, features, and architecture
- Architecture Documentation - Technical architecture and design decisions
- Development Guide - Setup and development instructions
- Component Inventory - UI components catalog
- State Management - State management patterns
- Git Workflow - Branching strategy and release process
- Technical Decisions - Architectural choices and rationale
- HTML5 - Document structure
- CSS3 - Custom styles
- JavaScript ES6+ - Application logic (vanilla, no frameworks)
- Bootstrap 5.3.0 - Responsive UI framework
- Bootstrap Icons 1.11.3 - Icon system
- Type: Single-Page Application (SPA)
- Deployment: Static file hosting
- Build Process: None (runs directly in browser)
- Dependencies: 2 external CDN resources (Bootstrap CSS & Icons)
- File Size: ~240KB total (including CDN resources)
- GEDCOM Processing: <10 seconds for 10,000+ individual files
- Filename Generation: <10ms
- Autocomplete Filtering: <50ms (debounced 300ms)
We welcome contributions! Please see CONTRIBUTING.md for:
- Code of conduct
- Development setup
- Coding standards
- Pull request process
- Issue reporting guidelines
See CHANGELOG.md for a complete history of changes, including:
- New features
- Bug fixes
- Breaking changes
- Technical improvements
This project follows Semantic Versioning:
- MAJOR: Breaking changes to filename format, GEDCOM parsing, or core functionality
- MINOR: New features added in backward-compatible manner
- PATCH: Backward-compatible bug fixes
- GEDCOM 5.5 - Family tree file format
- FHMWG - Family History Metadata Working Group standards
- EXIFtool - Metadata embedding tool compatibility
[License information to be added]
- Status: Functional, production-ready
- Current Version: 2.0.1
- Last Updated: 2025-12-17
- Latest Release: v2.0.1 - Documentation updates
For issues, questions, or contributions, please refer to:
- Issues - Report bugs or request features
- CONTRIBUTING.md - Contribution guidelines
- Documentation - Comprehensive project documentation
This project uses the BMAD (Business Model & Development) methodology for structured workflows, documentation generation, and quality assurance. See the bmad/ directory for development tooling.
Made with care for the genealogy community