Editing 3.3:Create codingschemes

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'''Coding schemes''' or ''''Codingschemas'''' as they are called in AmCAT, consist of '''variables and their possible values''' that are used for '''coding articles''' manually on the article or sentence level, in the [[annotator]]. These two types of schemes ('''articleschemas''' and '''unitschemas''') look a bit different [[3.3:Annotator|in use]], but they are '''created in a similar way'''.

* Go to ‘'''Coding Schemas'''’ in the ‘Coding’ dropdown menu, and there click on ‘'''New schema'''’ to create a new coding scheme. 

[[File:Newschema.png|600px|thumb|right]]

* First, give the schema a '''name''' and a '''description''', and choose whether it is used for codings on the article or on the sentence level. The '''default''' is a '''unitschema''', for sentence level codings. If you want to make coding scheme for '''article level''' codings, '''tick the box''' for ‘'''Isarticleschema'''’.
  
* If you want to use a '''[[highlighter]]''', select both the  '''highlighter''' and the '''highlight language'''. 

* Click '''Submit''' to create a new, '''empty coding scheme'''.

The next step is to fill the scheme with '''variables''' and attach [[3.3:create codebooks|codebooks]] to these variables. To do so, select ‘'''Edit fields'''’ to start '''adding variables'''.

[[File:Editfields.png|400px|thumb|left]]














== Adding variables ==


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


[[File:Editschema.png|750px|thumb|center]]


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 '''[[3.3:create codebooks|codebook]]''' in AmCAT is a list of answer categories or possible values for a variable. In the '''codebook''' column, you select which '''[[3.3:create codebooks|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, using the '''edit fields''' and '''edit properties''' buttons.

If you have created both an article and a unitschema, you can link both to a '''[[3.3:create a codingjob|coding job]]'''.