3.4:Adding variables

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AmCAT Version
This page describes a feature in AmCAT 3.4
View other version: 3.3 - 3.4 - 3.5

After creating a new (empty) coding scheme, you can add variables to it. You do so in the codingschema editor.

Click on ‘Add field’ to add a new variable. If you want to change the order of the variables in the coding scheme, drag a variable to its intended position in the coding scheme. Doubleclick on a cell, for example the cell ‘New Field (0)’ above, to change its contents. Press ‘tab’ to jump to the next cell in the table.

In the codingschema editor:

• Label is the label of the variable that coders see in the annotator, for example ‘Topic’.

• If a variable is Required, coders cannot finish coding the article in the Annotator without entering a value for this variable.

• Fieldtype is the type of variable. AmCAT uses the following variable types:

- Text: coders can enter text freely

- Number: coders can enter numbers freely

- Codebook: coders can choose from predefined answer categories

- Yes/no: this type of variable appears as a box that coders can tick or leave empty

- Quality: a numerical variable with the values -1, -0.5, 0, 0.5 and 1.

• Codebook has to be defined when the variable type is codebook. A codebook in AmCAT is a list of answer categories or possible values for a variable. In the codebook column, you select which codebook to use for this particular variable.

• Clicking on the red garbage bin icon removes a variable from the list.

• Save, and your codingschema is done. You can always edit a codingschema later. Schemas for article codings and for sentence codings are created in the same way.