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Coding Text

Coding is the process of applying codes to segments of your data. This is the core activity in qualitative analysis.

The Coding Workflow

graph LR
    A[Select Text] --> B[Choose Code]
    B --> C[Apply Code]
    C --> D[Segment Created]
    D --> E[Visible Highlight]

The Coding Screen

The coding screen has a streamlined toolbar with:

  • Media Type Tabs - Switch between Text, A/V, Image, and PDF sources
  • Search Box - Search within the current transcript
  • Show Details - Toggle the details panel to view segment information

Opening a Source

  1. Navigate to the Coding screen
  2. Select a source from the source list
  3. The document opens in the main viewer

Selecting Text

Basic Selection

  1. Click at the start of your desired text
  2. Drag to the end of the selection
  3. Release the mouse button

The selected text is highlighted.

Selection Tips

Tip: Precise Selections - Double-click to select a word - Triple-click to select a paragraph - Hold Shift and click to extend selection

Coding Screen - With Codes

The coding screen with document viewer and code panel.

Applying Codes

The fastest way to code:

  1. Select a code from the code list (it becomes "active")
  2. Select text in the document
  3. Press Q to apply the code

Info: Quick Mark

The Q key instantly applies the currently active code to your selection. This is the most efficient way to code.

Method 2: Right-Click Menu

  1. Select text in the document
  2. Right-click the selection
  3. Choose Apply Code
  4. Select a code from the submenu

Method 3: Code Panel

  1. Select text in the document
  2. Click a code in the code panel
  3. The code is applied

Viewing Coded Segments

Highlights

Coded segments appear as colored highlights matching the code's color:

  • Hover over a highlight to see the code name
  • Overlapping codes show as mixed colors
  • Click a highlight to select that segment

Segment List

View all segments for the current source:

  1. Click Show Details in the toolbar to reveal the details panel
  2. See a list of all coded segments for the selected code
  3. Click a segment to jump to it in the document

Removing Codes

Remove from Segment

  1. Click on a coded segment
  2. Right-click and select Remove Code
  3. Choose which code to remove (if multiple)

Remove All from Selection

  1. Select the coded text
  2. Press Delete or Backspace
  3. Confirm the removal

Multiple Codes

You can apply multiple codes to the same text:

  1. Code a segment with the first code
  2. Select the same (or overlapping) text
  3. Apply a second code

The segment will show a combined color and list all applied codes on hover.

Multiple Codes Applied

A text segment with multiple codes applied, showing combined highlighting.

Creating Codes While Coding

You can create new codes without leaving the coding screen:

  1. Press N to open the Create Code dialog
  2. Enter a code name
  3. Select a color from the palette
  4. Optionally add a description
  5. Click Create Code

Create Code Dialog

The Create Code dialog opened via the N key shortcut.

The new code is immediately available for use and can be applied to your current selection.

Tip: In-Vivo Coding

Press V to create a code from your selected text. The selection becomes the code name automatically.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Action Shortcut
Quick Mark Q
New Code N
In-Vivo Code V
Unmark U
Undo Cmd+Z / Ctrl+Z
Redo Cmd+Shift+Z / Ctrl+Y
Remove Code Delete

Segment Memos

Add notes to coded segments:

  1. Right-click on a coded segment
  2. Select Add Memo
  3. Enter your notes about this segment
  4. Click Save

View all memos in the Memos Panel:

Memos Panel

The Memos Panel showing all segment memos for the current source.

Best Practices

Consistent Boundaries - Include complete phrases or sentences - Avoid cutting words in half - Be consistent with punctuation inclusion

Granularity - Code meaningful units of meaning - Don't code too large (entire paragraphs) - Don't code too small (single words) unless meaningful

Overlap Strategy - Decide early if codes can overlap - Document your overlap rules - Be consistent throughout

Coding Audio/Video Sources

QualCoder supports coding time ranges in audio and video files. Instead of highlighting text, you mark start and end times on the media timeline and apply codes to those ranges.

AV Coding Workflow

graph LR
    A[Play Media] --> B[Mark Time Range]
    B --> C[Choose Code]
    C --> D[AV Segment Created]
    D --> E[Visible on Timeline]

Media Player

The media player for audio/video sources.

Applying Codes to Time Ranges

  1. Open an audio or video source in the Coding screen
  2. Play the media or scrub to the desired start position
  3. Mark the start time
  4. Continue to the end position and mark the end time
  5. Select a code and apply it

The coded segment stores: - Time range (start and end in milliseconds) - Transcript excerpt (if the source has a transcript) - Memo (optional notes about the segment)

Overlapping AV Segments

The same code cannot be applied to overlapping time ranges on the same source. Different codes can overlap freely, allowing you to layer multiple codes on the same section of media.

Transcripts and Speaker Detection

If your audio/video source has an associated transcript:

  • View transcript alongside the media player
  • Detect speakers automatically from common transcript formats (e.g., INTERVIEWER: Hello or John Smith: Welcome)
  • Suggest codes based on keyword matching between your codebook and the transcript

Tip: Transcript Formats QualCoder recognizes speaker labels in these formats: - UPPERCASE NAME: (e.g., INTERVIEWER: Hello) - Title Case Name: (e.g., John Smith: Hello) - [Speaker Name] (e.g., [Moderator] Hello)

Next Steps