TNG 12 is almost here! This major upgrade includes dozens of enhancements, fixes and new features. Here’s a summary of the most significant changes:

• DNA: Jeff Robison’s DNA mod has been incorporated, providing several significant enhancements to the previous method of tracking DNA tests.
• Mod Manager: Rick Bisbee, Ken Roy and others have added significant improvements to this utility that allows users to easily install or remove code modifications and add-ons.
• Translations: TNG has now been translated into Chinese, as well as 20 other languages. Google Translate tools have also been added to the online help pages and the installation guide to allow users to view those resources in their own language.
• New Designs: Three new templates have been added, and improvements have been made to several others. The template settings have also been moved to a more robust location, within the database.
• Media Enhancements: Many improvements have been made in the way TNG handles photos and other media. These include importing media linked to citations, creating thumbnails from some PDFs, being able to show thumbnails in a single horizontal row if desired, and showing captions on top of image previews.
• Libraries Upgraded: Third party libraries for jQuery, jQueryUI and PHP Mailer have been upgraded to the latest versions. The C3 and D3 charting libraries have also been added.
• New Visualizations: A First Names page (like the existing Surnames page) provides a different way to look at your data, and the new C3/D3 charting libraries allow for pie chart representations on those pages and on the Statistics page.
• Security: The reCaptcha mod has been incorporated, giving TNG site owners a way to fight spam from bots. A few other security updates will prevent unauthorized access in previously vulnerable areas.
• User Access: Registered site users can now be assigned to multiple trees. Admins and editors will still see only one tree at a time, but they can easily switch from one tree to another without logging in multiple times.
• New Tools: A “Refresh Living” utility will re-mark people as living or deceased, depending on dates entered or time elapsed from birth, while a “Make Private” tool will mark people as private if they have been deceased less than the configured number of years.
• Compatibility: Pro-active changes will make sure TNG remains compatible with the latest versions of PHP and MySQL.

You will be able to get the upgrade at a discount (starting at $15.99) by going back to your previous downloads page after the release is officially announced. If you’ve lost the URL or access info, send me a message at darrin@lythgoes.net and I’ll send it to you again. If you purchased TNG 11 or the v11 upgrade at any time in the six months prior to the upgrade release date, you’ll be eligible to get the upgrade for free. Information on that will be sent out to those affected.

If you purchased TNG through a third party (like the Guild of One-Name Studies), please contact them for information on upgrading your site.

Also take note that Simply Hosting does not install upgrades. A helpful 15-minute video will be available to walk you through the process, but there will also be an option to pay an extra $15 to have the upgrade installed for you. If you’re doing the upgrade yourself, take a minute to review the post here from the v10 release on helpful tips for a successful upgrade.