2023 - Q1 Newsletter

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This edition will cover the following topics:

• 2023 - Q1 Newsletter
  • Scheduled Maintenance
    • Authentication Identity Provider (IdP) [UPDATE]
    • GedcomX-Java project updates
  • Upcoming Changes
    • PersonInfo attributes deprecated
    • Language Tags [UPDATE]

Scheduled Maintenance

Authentication Identity Provider (IdP) [UPDATE]

The FamilySearch authentication service has completed IdP integration with FaceBook, Google, and Apple. Support for partner integration with IdP with FamilySearch has been delayed but is still planned for Q2 2023. Please watch for a new Authentication Guide for how to leverage this new technology for your users.

GedcomX-Java project updates

A new version of GedcomX-Java has been released. Anyone using the previous version of GedcomX-Java is encouraged to upgrade to the newer version at your earliest convenience. This update includes the following changes:

• Java 9 support (Java 8 support has been removed)
• Some classes from gedcomx-rs-client and gedcomx-rs-rt-support have been moved to gedcomx-rt-support
• Some classes from familysearch-api-client have been moved to a new module named familysearch-api-rt-support
• The following models will be removed:
• gedcomx-rs-client
• gedcomx-rs-rt-support
• familysearch-api-client

Upcoming Changes

GedcomX PersonInfo attributes deprecated

The PersonInfo object (see https://www.familysearch.org/developers/docs/api/types/json_PersonInfo) associated with Person objects is now available in all environments. The two deprecated attributes (below) will be removed in April 2023.

• privateSpaceRestricted Boolean (DEPRECATED)
• readOnly Boolean (DEPRECATED)
• visibleToAll Boolean (NEW) – (READ/ONLY) set to TRUE if all FamilyTree users can view this Person
• canUserEdit Boolean (NEW) – (READ/ONLY) set to TRUE if the current authenticated user can write changes for this Person data to FamilyTree

Language Tags [UPDATE]

There is a change to the enforcement of required language tags previously announced in the Q2-2022 Newsletter. Rather than enforcing an accurate language tag for all text strings in April 2023, as was announced in the Q4-2022 Newsletter, the following changes to this timeline will occur:

• Starting April 2023, calls to the Ordinance Reservations endpoints will begin enforcing a matching language tag for the name being reserved. For example, the reservation for a name using Chinese characters without a Chinese language tag will be rejected. If the correct language is not supported using the calling application, the user may choose to use the Family Tree web UI or mobile app to select the correct language prior to submitting the reservation.
• Starting Q3 2023, other API endpoints will begin enforcing a matching language tag for the data being passed. Future newsletters will provide additional details regarding these updates.