Work with attribute values


You can create attribute values when you are classifying a specific source or node.  For example, you could open the properties for the node Mary and create attribute values (age=22 and occupation=teacher).

When an attribute has a finite list of possible values, you can define these values when you create the attribute. For example, the attribute sector may have industry, agriculture and retail as the possible attribute values.

What do you want to do?


 


Add attribute values

By default, an attribute has only two values—'Unassigned' and 'Not Applicable', you can add additional attribute values.

  1. In List View, select the attribute—click the show icon ui_expand_nodes.gif to see the attributes for a classification.

  2. On the Home tab, in the Item group, click the Properties image.

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The Attribute Properties dialog box opens.

  1. Click the Values tab.

  2. Click Add and enter the value. The value must be compatible with the attribute's data type. For example, if the data type is 'text' then you can enter alphanumeric characters.

  3. (Optional) Enter a description of the value.

  4. (Optional) Click the Default check box to make this the default attribute value for all sources and nodes assigned to the classification.

  5. Click OK.

NOTE You can also add attribute values when you classify a node or classify a source.

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Import attribute values

You can import a list of attribute values from a text (.txt) file. For example, if your classification includes the attribute Country of Origin, you can save time by importing a list of countries. The text file must contain a single column of attribute values.

To import the values for a selected attribute:

  1. In List View, select the attribute—to see the attributes for a classification, click the show icon ui_expand_nodes.gif.

  2. On the External Data tab, in the Import group, click Attribute Values.

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The Import Attribute Values dialog box opens.

  1. Under Import from, click Browse and then select the text file that contains the data you want to import.

  2. Click the Open button.

  3. Click OK. To see the values you have imported, open the attribute properties and click the Values tab.

NOTE NVivo tries to detect the file encoding used in the file. If you cannot import the data correctly, try using a different file encoding.

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Reorder attribute values

You can set the order that attribute values are displayed in charts and reports. For example, you may want your chart or report to display attributes in the following order

NOTE The order of 'text' values is also significant if you want to find or query items where a specific attribute is greater or less than a selected value.

To order attribute values:

  1. In List View, select the attribute—click the show icon ui_expand_nodes.gif to see the attributes for a classification.

  2. On the Home tab, in the Item group, click the Properties image.

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The Attribute Properties dialog box opens.

  1. Click the Values tab.

  2. Select an attribute value and use the Move Up and Move Down buttons to change the order.

  3. Click OK.

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Set the default attribute value

When you create a new attribute, the default value is set to 'Unassigned'—you can select another value for the default.

When nodes or sources are assigned to a classification, the default attribute values are automatically applied.

To set the default attribute value:

  1. In List View, select the attribute—click the show icon ui_expand_nodes.gif to see the attributes for a classification.

  2. On the Home tab, in the Item group, click the Properties image.

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The Attribute Properties dialog box opens.

  1. Click the Values tab.

  2. Select the check box for the attribute value that you want to use as the default.

  3. Click OK.

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Set the color for an attribute value

You can set the color for an attribute value. This a useful way to distinguish the value in coding stripes and visualizations. For example, you could display urban locations in red and rural locations in green.

To set the color for an attribute value:

  1. In List View, select the attribute—click the show icon ui_expand_nodes.gif to see the attributes for a classification.

  2. On the Home tab, in the Item group, click the Properties image.

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The Attribute Properties dialog box opens.

  1. Click the Values tab.

  2. For each value that you want to color, select your preferred color from the Color list.

  3. Click OK.

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Rename an attribute value

  1. In List View, select the attribute—click the show icon ui_expand_nodes.gif to see the attributes for a classification.

  2. On the Home tab, in the Item group, click the Properties image.

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The Attribute Properties dialog box opens.

  1. In the Value column, change the name of the attribute value.

  2. Click OK.

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'Unassigned' and 'Not applicable' are system defined values that are automatically created for all attributes. You can change these labels to suit your project or language requirements.

  1. Click the File tab, point to Info, and then click Project Properties.

The Project Properties dialog box opens.

  1. Click the Labels tab.

  2. Enter labels you would prefer to display for the system defined attribute values 'Unassigned' and 'Not Applicable'.

  3. Click OK.

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  1. In List View, select the attribute—click the show icon ui_expand_nodes.gif to see the attributes for a classification.

  2. On the Home tab, in the Item group, click the Properties image.

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The Attribute Properties dialog box opens.

  1. Click the Values tab.

  2. Select the attribute value you want to delete.

  3. Click the Remove button.

  4. Click OK.

  5. If the attribute value has been assigned to items in your project, the Delete Attribute Value dialog box opens.

  1. Click OK.

NOTE  You cannot remove the system defined values 'Unassigned' and 'Not Applicable'.

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