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Create nodes automatically

 

NVivo provides tools that help you to create nodes automatically—for example, you can run a query and make a new node from the results or auto code structured sources. You can also create nodes by importing:

  • Another NVivo project. You can choose to import the nodes with or without the coding.

  • A spreadsheet or a text file—for example, import a file containing respondents (nodes) and their demographic attributes

  • An Evernote export file containing tags

  • An NCapture file that contains content from the web as well as nodes to code to

What do you want to do?

 

Create nodes by auto coding

Depending on the type of sources you are working with, you can use auto coding techniques to automatically create nodes. For example,

  • If you are working with a dataset containing survey responses, you can make a node for each respondent or survey question—refer to Automatic coding in dataset sources.

  • If you have a dataset containing Facebook data, you can create nodes for each user who made a post or comment—refer to Automatic coding in dataset sources.

  • If you have a collection of question/answer interview documents—and the questions and answers are consistently formatted using paragraph styles—you can auto code to create a node for each question. Refer to Automatic coding in document sources.

  • If you are analyzing audio/video transcripts—and you have added a custom field for speaker—you can auto code to automatically create nodes for each speaker. Refer to Automatic coding in audio and video sources.

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Create nodes from the results of a Text Search, Coding or Compound query

When you setup a Text Search, Coding or Compound query you can choose to save the results as a new node. For example, you could

  • Run a Text Search query looking for the terms farming and cultivation and code all occurrences at a new node called agriculture.

  • Run a Coding query to find all content coded at wind power and solar power and gather it into a new node called alternative energy.

  • Run a Compound query to find content coded at carbon emissions that also contains the term Kyoto agreement and code it a new node called regulating carbon emissions.

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Create nodes from the results of a Word Frequency query

To create (and code at) a node from individual words in the results of a Word Frequency query:

  1. Create and run a Word Frequency query.

  2. In Detail View, select the word you want to create as a node.

  3. On the Create tab, in the Items group, click Create As Node.

The Select Location dialog box opens.

  1. Select the location for the new node—this might be a folder or a parent node.

The New Node dialog box opens.

  1. In the Name box, enter a name for the new node.

  2. (Optional) Define other node properties.

  3. Click OK.

Refer to Manage query results for more information about creating nodes from query results.

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Create nodes from a node matrix

You can create a node hierarchy based on the rows and columns in a node matrix. Refer to About node matrices for more information.

  1. In List View, select the node matrix.

  2. On the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, click Copy.

  1. Select the Nodes folder where you want to create the nodes.

  2. On the Home tab in the Clipboard group, click the Paste image.

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Create case nodes from sources

You can create nodes from selected sources. This can be useful when entire sources contain material that relates to particular people, places or other cases. For example, if you have sources containing interview transcripts (Student 01, Student 02, Student 03 etc), then you can create a node with a particular classification to represent each student and you can assign attribute values for Age, Gender and Grade.

TIP  Before you start, make sure a suitable node classification has been created in your project (for example, Student or Person), so you can assign the nodes to a classification as you create them. Refer to Create node classifications for more information.

  1. In List View, select the sources you want to use to create nodes.

  2. On the Create tab, in the Items group, click Create As, and then click Create As Case Nodes. The Select Location dialog box opens.

  3. Select the location where you want to create the nodes.

  4. In the Assign to Classification box, select a classification—for example, Person.

  5. Click OK.

Nodes are created based on the selected source names and the entire content of each source is coded at its node.  The classification is set and attributes are set to their default values. You can update the attribute values—for more information refer to Classify nodes (set attribute values to record information).

NOTE

  • You can create nodes that do not belong to a classification.

  • You can also create nodes for your sources when you are importing the source files—on the Import Internals dialog box, click the More button, and then select the Code sources at case nodes located under check box. The entire content of the source is coded to the node created for it.

  • When you create case nodes from your sources the entire content of the source is coded. The number of coding references created depends on the source type—refer to About Coding (Coding entire sources) for more information.

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Create case nodes by importing node classifications

You can create nodes by importing them from a text file or spreadsheet. For example, you can import a file containing respondents and their attributes and automatically create (and classify) the nodes.

To create nodes from an imported text file or spreadsheet:

  1. On the External Data tab, in the Import group, click Classifications Sheets.

The Import Classification Sheets Wizard opens.

  1. Click the Browse button to locate and select the text file or spreadsheet.

  2. Follow the instructions in the wizard. For more information about using the wizard, refer to  Using the Import Classification Sheet Wizard.

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Create nodes automatically when importing source materials

You can create nodes automatically and code the entire sources to the nodes when you import source materials. You can:

Import nodes from another NVivo project

You can import the node structure from another NVivo project. You can choose to import the nodes with or without the coded content.

Refer to Import items from another NVivo project more detailed instructions.

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