Matrix tool "broken" in new release

[KRobin]

I queried FTDNA about this issue. Here is the answer I received:

Thank you for contacting FamilyTreeDNA. We appreciate your feedback and apologize for the trouble you experience with the Matrix tool. Unfortunately, we were only able to accomplish so much during the update that took place in July and

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[KRobin]

I have now. I also wanted to see if anyone else has encountered this problem or has perhaps found a solution. So far I've found only one post in all the forums that objects to this change. He received no reply.

[KRobin]

Since the latest FTDNA release this year (2021), the Matrix tool has been "un-improved." First, the order that matches are selected for the matrix no longer corresponds with the order that these names appear in the matrix box. I've been unable to figure out what determines this re-ordering....

[KRobin]

Yes. The title of the post is incorrect -- can it be changed? The loss of the empty subgroups in the table is not a crisis, but it is annoying since I've been using that "feature" for years. Thank you for your replies to my messages.

[KRobin]

You are correct. The empty subgroup is not deleted but it no longer appears on the table. Here is a partial table created on 4 Apr 2021 at 8 pm. I removed the kit numbers. The dark orange "title" no long appears on the tables.
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[KRobin]

I know this is the opposite of what most folks complain about. But I use empty subgroups as headers for sub-subgroups in my Y-DNA project. For example, I have members who don't match anyone else, but can be characterized by their country of origin. So the "header" might be: "Smiths from...

[KRobin]

I have downloaded complete Family Finder and Chromosome Browser files from a kit I was asked to help with. I no longer have access to this kit but I am still helping with the project. Is it possible to generate "in common with" results with just the Chromosome Browser file and a spreadsheet...

[KRobin]

Thank for your thorough responses. Unfortunately, some of the avenues you've suggested are no longer available to me. Neither the atFTDNA nor the Ancestry DNA accounts are mine. But I was asked by the owner to investigate the results. The logon information was freely given to me and I never violated...

[KRobin]

This question came up regarding a "female" match with an adoptee. No Y-DNA, no tree for match, no reply to requests for more information. Through other research avenues we were able to determine the identity of the female match and who her father was. The adoptee just received her Ancestry...

[KRobin]

Can someone submit DNA for the FF test and claim it is female when it is actually male? Do the posted FF results indicate the actual gender of the tester vs. the declared gender. Thanks!

[KRobin]

I've got 3 related problems with Family Finder matches. First, there are some that have the same a name, email address, but different chromosomes, so they must be separate individuals. Not huge problems in FF files, but if you want to use Matrix, all one sees is the identical names, with no way of determining...

[KRobin]

@KATM: Thank you. I figured it must be something like that. But I wasn't aware of that option and didn't find the documentation you pointed out. I find it a little odd that I can download the matching chromosomes for these same folks -- so far as I can tell -- and use them in the chromosome browser...

[KRobin]

I have a total of 4814 autosomal matches (FamilyFinder). But when I go to the Shared Origins tab in myOrigins, only 2553 are listed. Some of the missing are in the 1st to 3rd cousin range, specifically #s 6, 7, and 8 on the matches page. I've tried different filters -- it always goes back to 2553. When...