What’s New in Version 3.0

HyperRESEARCH version 3.0 offers new features and enhancements throughout the program. Major new features include code groups, enhanced support for collaborative research teams, and the ability to use a much wider variety of source files.

Source enhancements range from International Language (Unicode) support, to Styled Text sources, to integration with HyperTRANSCRIBE transcription files, to improved searching of source text.

You can merge multiple studies, enjoy easier case navigation, drag and drop coding, and virtually unlimited levels of hierarchical codes. Improvements in the Autocode feature, user interface enhancements, and more than 100 additional improvements and enhancements await your exploration.

New features: Source files

HyperRESEARCH 3.0 supports several new kinds of source files, as well as the ability to search all sources and to manage source files with the new Sources List window.

Sources in languages not using the Roman alphabet:

HyperRESEARCH now supports the Unicode text standard, so your source files can include text using different alphabets and non-alphabetic writing systems. Almost all written languages are supported by Unicode. (Currently, HyperRESEARCH supports languages written from left to right.)

Styled text files:

You can now use Rich Text (.rtf) and HyperTRANSCRIBE Document (.htd) formated files as sources for your studies These new source file types let you examine and code textual data that includes style information such as bold, italic, fonts and size changes. (Of course, plain text documents are still supported.) This feature is mainly intended to support styled text, and not all parts of the RTF specification are supported, so other items such as images, tables, or other layout features may not appear.

whatsnew_rtf

To work with these new file types, choose Sources » Open Text File and choose the file type you want to work with from the pop-up menu labeled Files of Type (on Windows) or Enable (on Mac OS X). For more information about text source files, see Coding Source Material in the HyperRESEARCH 3.0 Help file or User Guide.

HyperTRANSCRIBE source files:

HyperRESEARCH can now open transcription files you create in HyperTRANSCRIBE. Instead of exporting your transcriptions as text files, you can directly open them as source files.

To work with a HyperTRANSCRIBE file, choose Sources » Open Text File and choose “HyperTRANSCRIBE Files” from the Files of Type (Windows) or Enable (Mac) popup menu.

whatsnew_htsources

HyperRESEARCH displays the media file associated with the transcript in the Related Media pane above the text. Time codes are also supported, so you can click a time code in the transcript to go to that point in the audio or video.

Tip: To make a video larger, drag the horizontal bar that separates the Related Media pane from the text.

Related Media pane in text source window:

The Related Media pane allows you to have quick access to audio or video files that are related to a text source you’re coding. This feature is particularly useful when coding transcripts of audio or video. If you are coding a HyperTRANSCRIBE file, the Related Media pane automatically displays the media file. You can also manually display a related file, if you are coding a source file that isn’t a HyperTRANSCRIBE file.

To display a media file in the Related Media pane, first open your text source file, then click the arrow labeled Related Media at the top of the source window to show the media pane. Click the Media File button and select an audio or video file. You can use the controls to play portions of the file while coding the text.

Tip: To make a video larger, drag the horizontal bar that separates the Related Media pane from the text.

For more information about the Related Media pane, see the Text Source Window topic in the HyperRESEARCH 3.0 Help file or User Guide.

Source list management:

The new Sources List window provides a central overview of all source files used in your study. To use the Sources List, choose Sources » Sources List.

whatsnew_sourcelist

In the Sources List, you can see information about a source, add and remove source files, open a source file, or open the folder the source file's in to see other source files in the same folder. (For more information about the Sources List window, see the Sources List topic in the HyperRESEARCH 3.0 Help file or User Guide.)

Batch adding source files:

You can now add source files to your study without coding them. This lets you add your source files all at once, then open them from the list. (Opening a source file with the Sources menu and coding it still adds the source to your study. This new method of adding a source file simply increases your options.)

To add a single source file, open the Sources List window and choose Add New Source File from the Sources pop-up menu at the upper left corner of the window.

You can also add a folder full of source files with one action, by choosing Add New Sources from Folder from the Sources pop-up menu.

Source file search:

You can now easily search across all your study’s text source files, whether they have been coded already or not. To start, choose Sources » Search Text Sources.

whatsnew_sourcesearch

When you search for a word or phrase, a list of all occurrences in your source files is displayed, along with the text surrounding the word or phrase, and the number of times it occurs in that file.

For more information about searching, see the Search Sources Window topic in the HyperRESEARCH 3.0 Help file or User Guide.

Tilde (~) page separator in text source files:

The tilde character is no longer treated as a special page-separator character in text source files. This means that your files with tilde characters will no longer be split into multiple pages in the source window.

New features: Study files

HyperRESEARCH now supports the ability to merge study files automatically without needing to manually copy and paste cases.

Filtering name change:

The ability to work with a subset of codes or a subset of cases, temporarily hiding others, is now called “filtering” instead of “selecting”.

Automatically merging studies:

Collaborative teams working on the same study can use the Import feature to create a “master” study file that includes all the work done on the study. This all-inclusive study file can then be redistributed to the team, if desired, for further coding or for analysis.

whatsnew_mergestudies

To merge other studies into your current study file, choose File » Import Other Studies. The studies you choose are imported into your current study. Any codes, annotations, and source files that are used in cases you import are added to your current study, so it contains the complete material from all imported cases from each study file.

For more information about merging studies, see Working Collaboratively in the HyperRESEARCH 3.0 Help file or User Guide.

Easier case navigation:

The case name near the top of the study window is now a pop-up menu. To quickly switch to another case, choose the case name from the pop-up menu.

whatsnew_casenavigation

Deleting multiple cases:

You can now remove multiple cases at once, instead of going to each case and deleting it individually. This feature can be particularly useful in conjunction with the new Import Study feature.

To remove several cases at a time, choose Cases » Delete Multiple Cases, then select the cases you want to remove. (To select more than one case, click the first case you want to use, then use Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Windows) to select the additional cases.)

New Features: Coding

HyperRESEARCH 3.0 adds support for code groups (nested or hierarchical codes), drag and drop codes, and more versatile code naming.

Code Book name change:

The Code List Editor is now called the Code Book.

Code groups:

This powerful new feature lets you organize codes in groups and subgroups. Codes can be grouped together as a set, can be included in more than one group, and groups can be nested, with groups containing other groups.

_whatsnew_codegroups

For more information about code groups, see Creating and Organizing Codes in the HyperRESEARCH 3.0 Help file or User Guide.

Drag-and-drop coding:

Dragging individual codes (or code groups) to a source selection now provides an easier, more visual way to code sources.

To code using the drag and drop method, first select your source material in the source window. Then click the code in the Code Book and drag it to the selection. The cursor changes to indicate the drag and drop in progress. When you release the mouse button, the section is coded with the code you dragged.

Tip: To code a selection with multiple codes, you can either drag and drop a code group, or select multiple codes in the Code Book. To select more than one code, click the first code you want to use, then use Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Windows) to select the additional codes.

Accented characters in code names:

You can now use a wider variety of characters in code names. In addition to letters, numbers, and basic punctuation marks, you can now use the following characters:

  • ampersand &
  • exclamation point !
  • question mark ?
  • percent sign %
  • plus sign +
  • equals sign =
  • slash /
  • backquote `
  • tilde ~
  • A-ring å, Å
  • slashed O ø, Ø
  • A or O with umlaut: ä, Ä, ö, Ö

This provides greater expressive flexibility in code naming, plus the ability to correctly spell code words in several languages other than English.

Autocode improvements:

Autocode has been enhanced with an improved, easier-to-use interface. All source files are now included automatically. (You can still control which sources are used in an Autocode search by removing the ones you don’t want to use.)

Renaming a code now removes the old code from the Code Book:

In previous versions, when you chose Rename from the Edit Code popup menu to change a code’s name, the old and new names both appeared in the code list. This has changed so that renaming a code now removes the old name from the Code Book.

New features: Appearance and user interface

There are a number of improvements and enhancements designed to make HyperRESEARCH easier to use.

Improved appearance with easier-to-read fonts:

Windows throughout HyperRESEARCH have been updated, and the text in some windows has been enlarged.

Improved code fans:

The appearance of the shadowed fans that appear in the source window to mark coded text has been improved, making overlapping codes much clearer.

whatsnew_codefans

A problem that sometimes caused the code fans to disappear in large source files has been corrected.

Contextual menus and action menus:

Contextual menus (accessed with Control-click on Mac or Right-click on Windows) have been enhanced throughout HyperRESEARCH. An Action pop-up menu (marked with a gear symbol) has been added to the study window. Both these menu types provide quick access to commonly-used actions from within a window.

Welcome screen:

A new and improved welcome screen gives you quick access to most-used features, including recently-used studies, help, and feedback. To see the Welcome screen, choose Help » Welcome to HyperRESEARCH.

One-step minimizing:

On Windows systems, minimizing the menu now minimizes all windows into a single icon.

List dialog box improvements:

Most selection dialog boxes are now resizable. The type-to-select capability has also been improved, so you can now type the first few characters of the item you’re looking for, and in most lists, the item will automatically be selected for you.

Other changes and features

This version of HyperRESEARCH includes more than 100 improvements and enhancements.

Zero-footprint installation:

When you install HyperRESEARCH, you have the option to create a zero-footprint installation on a removable drive such as an external hard drive, USB stick, or other portable device. You can bring your removable drive to any computer and run HyperRESEARCH without leaving any preference files or other files on that computer. This option is useful if you need to use HyperRESEARCH on public lab computers or other computers where you don’t want to leave tracks or extra files behind. If you keep your source files and study file on the same portable drive, you can work on any computer.

To create such an installation, simply use the “Attached Removable Drive” option in the Installer.

New code proximity functions:

HyperRESEARCH now includes two new functions to use for cross-analysis and code or case filtering: PrecededBy and FollowedBy. For more information about using these functions, see Code Proximity Functions in the HyperRESEARCH 3.0 Help file or User Guide.

Create a picture of your setup:

To create a file with a picture of your screen, setup, and all windows, choose File » Export Screenshot.

Send feedback to Researchware:

You can send your feedback, questions, and feature requests directly to Researchware, Inc. Simply choose Help » Send Feedback and enter an email message with your comments.

Improved robustness:

Improved error-checking has been added throughout the program, along with clearer messages and more specific dialog boxes.

Filtering name change:

The ability to work with a subset of codes or a subset of cases, temporarily hiding others, is now called “filtering” instead of “selecting”. (For more information about filtering, see the topics Filtering Cases and Filtering and Sorting Code References in the HyperRESEARCH 3.0 Help file or User Guide.)

Theory Builder name change:

The Hypothesis Tester is now called the Theory Builder. (For more information about the Theory Builder, see Testing Theories in the HyperRESEARCH 3.0 Help file or User Guide.)

Updating from version 2.0 and later

If you’ve used an earlier version of HyperRESEARCH (2.0 or later), you can continue to use your existing files in this new version. Simply open the study file from within HyperRESEARCH 3.0 and resume working.

Converting study files from versions before 2.7:

When you open a study file that was last saved in version 2.0–2.6, HyperRESEARCH automatically converts the file to the version 3.0 format.

First, it makes a backup copy of the original file. (The backup copy has the same name as the original, with the phrase “-v2.6backup” added to the name.) This is a precaution to ensure that if there’s any problem converting the file, you still have the original file available. Once you're confident that your study is working in the new version, you can throw away the backup file.

Updating from versions before 2.0

If you have study files that were created in a version earlier than 2.0, please contact support@researchware.com for help converting them to use in the new version.