{"id":88,"date":"2010-07-02T15:11:37","date_gmt":"2010-07-02T22:11:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tabithahart.net\/?p=88"},"modified":"2011-04-07T11:15:03","modified_gmt":"2011-04-07T18:15:03","slug":"getting-started-with-tams-analyzer-first-level-coding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tabithahart.net\/?p=88","title":{"rendered":"Getting started with TAMS Analyzer (first-level coding)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Getting started with TAMS Analyzer<\/p>\n

I\u2019m updating my notes on TAMS as I get better at it.\u00a0 This should help you get started with the first-level coding of your data.\u00a0 As I learn more I\u2019ll continue to share steps and tips.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Currently TAMS only works with data in rtf format, although I understand that the upcoming version will also accommodate pdf.\u00a0 In the meantime, you\u2019ll need to convert your data to rtf before you import it.\u00a0 (See user manual page 8.)<\/li>\n
  2. I recommend creating a basic init file<\/strong> right away. (See user manual pages 35 & 95.) This file will save you a lot of time as you code your data as it tells the program how to treat certain variables and\/or contextual data that you mark up in your texts.\u00a0 Note that you have to TELL the program which file to treat as the init file.\u00a0 Once you\u2019ve created it (call it \u201cinit file\u201d), go to the file list in the workbench.\u00a0 Highlight the init file in the list of files, and then click the \u201cinit file\u201d button.\u00a0 Now in the bottom left corner of the workbench you\u2019ll see \u201cInit file: name of the file you selected<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 This confirms that which file the system \u201csees\u201d as the init file.\u00a0 These are the codes I put in my init file:\n
      \n
    1. {!universal datatype=””}<\/li>\n
    2. {!context role}<\/li>\n
    3. {!context speaker}<\/li>\n
    4. {!button speaker}<\/li>\n
    5. {!button “{!end}”}<\/li>\n
    6. You can also do \u201cif\u201d coding, like {!if speaker=”Jane”=>role=”trainer”}<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n
    7. Now, consistent with the init file, you\u2019ll include some basic codes in each and every file you work with.\u00a0 Think of these as basic, structural codes that you\u2019ve already decided on, which are linked to the init file. \u00a0These are the particular ones that I\u2019m using:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      {!universal datatype=”Interview”} (or fieldnotes, or forum posts, etc.)
      \n{role}{\/role} (I code the role of the person in question, so it looks like this: {role}student{\/role})<\/strong><\/p>\n

      <\/strong>{speaker}{\/speaker} (I code the name of the speaker, so it looks like this: {speaker}John{\/speaker})<\/strong><\/p>\n

      <\/strong>The benefit of steps one and two above is that in my search results I now have columns for contextual information like the type of text (interview, fieldnotes, forum posts, etc.), the speaker in question (Jane, Bob, James, etc.) and their role (student, teacher, staff member, etc.)<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Other notes on the information above:\n
          \n
        1. The code {!button speaker} in my init file creates a short cut \u201cbutton\u201d on each of my files for the {speaker}{\/speaker} code.\u00a0 Clicking the \u201cspeaker\u201d button is a nice shortcut for me when I code the data, since I use this particular code a lot.<\/strong><\/li>\n
        2. The code <\/strong>{!button “{!end}”} in my init file creates a short cut \u201cbutton\u201d on each of my files for the {!end} code, which is a context code.\u00a0 Without the short cut button I\u2019d need to either type this in by hand or use the menu option Metatags>Structure>{!end}.\u00a0 This way, I can insert the {!end} tag with just one click.\u00a0 More about {!end} below.<\/li>\n
        3. In my project, I\u2019m using the context code {speaker}{\/speaker} because it\u2019s important to me to be able to link statements with a source (i.e. the person who said it).\u00a0 Given my large interview sample, having the capability to easily link statements\/data to people is great.\u00a0 When I\u2019m coding, I use the {speaker}{\/speaker} code each time somebody takes a turn.\u00a0 The corollary to this is that I need to tell TAMS when that person\u2019s turn of speech ends.\u00a0 To do this, I use the metatag {!end}.\u00a0 A passage of coded data would therefore look like this:\u00a0 {speaker}Barry{\/speaker} When are you going to turn in that assignment? {!end} {speaker}Ralph{\/speaker} I\u2019m not sure.\u00a0 Probably next week.\u00a0 {!end}<\/strong>\n
            \n
          1. TIP <\/strong>(1) be careful to mark all the speakers<\/span>, or you will think the wrong people are saying the things you are finding.<\/li>\n
          2. TIP <\/strong>(2) put in {!end} whenever the value of speaker changes<\/span>, or you will be misled as to who is speaking.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n
          3. Now we get to the regular data codes.\u00a0 As indicated above, TAMS uses squiggly brackets { } to denote coded data.\u00a0 The codes go on either side of the passage.\u00a0 The end code contains a slash: <\/strong>{code}piece of text here{\/code}.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            Code names can have numbers and underscore characters. No spaces permitted.<\/p>\n

            Passages of text can have multiple codes; codes can be nested and can overlap<\/p>\n

            Create a new code by entering its name into the field, then press \u201cnew\u201d<\/p>\n

            As you create codes you\u2019ll use the \u201cdefinition<\/strong>\u201d button to define them.<\/p>\n

            That sums up where I am right now in my first-level coding.\u00a0 I\u2019ll report back with more information as I progress.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            Getting started with TAMS Analyzer I\u2019m updating my notes on TAMS as I get better at it.\u00a0 This should help you get started with the first-level coding of your data.\u00a0 As I learn more I\u2019ll continue to share steps and tips. Currently TAMS only works with data in rtf format, although I understand that the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3,12],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tabithahart.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tabithahart.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tabithahart.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tabithahart.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tabithahart.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=88"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/tabithahart.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":90,"href":"https:\/\/tabithahart.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88\/revisions\/90"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tabithahart.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=88"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tabithahart.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=88"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tabithahart.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=88"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}