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Morpho User Guide
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Adding Data to a Data Package |
New Data Table Wizard There are two alternate ways to add a data table to a data package in Morpho. One way is to click on "or click here to finish this wizard and add a new data table now..." at the end of the Data package Wizard, shown below.
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Alternatively, after creating a data package, you can select "Create/Import New Data Table" under the Data menu at the top of the window, shown below.
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Either way you will see the New Data Table Wizard, which is described below. Throughout the New Data Package Wizard, items in red are required. The first screen of the New Data Table Wizard is shown below.
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Begin by choosing one of the three options to tell the wizard what you would like to do. Each of these is described below.
Depending on which of these first three options you choose, you will see different subsequent screens and provide different information throughout the New Data Table Wizard. Each of these three alternate paths is described below.
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If "CREATE" is selected in the screen pictured above, you will create a new data table that is empty, where you can type the data in later, and you will also create documentation (metadata) for the table. Clicking "Next" will bring you to the screen pictured below, where you indicate the format of your data.
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If the data is in a simple delimited text format, then choose the first option. You will then see the additional prompts shown below. Indicate if the data attributes are arranged in rows or columns. Then choose one or more delimiters used in the formatting to indicate where the end of fields occur.
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Click "Next" when finished describing the file format. You will then see a screen which asks you to describe the data table, also known as an "entity", pictured below.
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Begin by typing the name of the table, which is required. Add a description of the entity (table) if desired. This will be helpful in informing future viewers of the data package about the contents of the table, and will also serve to document the overall meaning of the table as well, and therefore adding a description is recommended. Next, you define the attributes of the data table in a number of ways. Only one attribute is required to be defined, but it is highly recommended that ALL attributes be defined. Click "Add" to define one of the attributes. You will then see the screen pictured below.
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Begin by naming the attribute (which is often simply a column in the data table), and providing a label for the attribute (which should be shorter than the name of the attribute). In the "Definition" field, provide a precise and descriptive definition of the attribute. This is probably the most important part of defining the attribute because it is where you provide information so that future viewers or users of the data can understand what the attribute means or represents.
Next, choose the type of measurement scale for the attribute's data in the "Category" section. Each measurement scale is described below. The unordered, or nominal, scale places values into named categories. The different values within a set are unordered. Most text fields should be classified as nominal. Examples of unordered, or nominal, scales include gender (Male/Female) and marital status (single/married/divorced). The ordered, or ordinal, scale places values in a set order. All ordinal values are also nominal. Ordinal data show a particular value's position relative to other values, such as "low, medium, high, etc." The ordinal scale does not indicate the distance between each item. Examples of ordered, or ordinal, scales include level of agreement (Strongly agree, Agree, Disagree, Strongly disagree), or age class (Adult, Sub-adult, Juvenile). The relative, or interval, scale uses equal-sized units of measurement between values on a scale. It therefore allows the comparison of the differences between two values on the scale. With interval data, the allowable values start from an arbitrary point (not a meaningful zero), and so there is no concept of 'zero' of the measured quantity. Consequently, ratios of interval values are not meaningful. This is the main difference between the relative (interval) scale and the absolute (ratio) scale. For example, using the relative (interval) scale, one can not infer that someone with a value of 80 on an ecology test knows twice as much ecology as someone who scores 40 on the test, or that an object at 40 degrees C has twice the kinetic energy as an object at 20 degrees C. All interval values are also ordered and therefore are ordinal scale values as well. Example of relative, or interval, scales include the celsius temperature scale and the fahrenheit temperature scale. The ratio scale is an interval scale with a meaningful zero point. The ratio scale begins at a true zero point that represents an absolute lack of the quality being measured. Thus, ratios of values are meaningful. For example, an object that is at elevation of 100 meters above sea level is twice as high as an object that is at an elevation of 50 meters above sea level (where sea level is the zero point). Also, an object at 300 degrees Kelvin has three times the kinetic energy of an object at 100 degrees Kelvin (where absolute zero (no motion) defines the zero point of the Kelvin scale). Interval values can often be converted to ratio values in order to make ratio comparisons legitimate. For example, an object at 40 degrees C is 313.15 degrees Kelvin, an object at 20 degrees C is 293.15 degrees Kelvin, and so the first object has approximately 1.07 times more kinetic energy (note the wrong answer you would have gotten had you taken the ratio of the values in Celsius). Examples of absolute, or ratio, scales include elevation, height, and the Kelvin temperature scale. Date and time values in the Gregorian calendar are very strange to use in calculations in that they have properties of both interval and ratio scales. They also have some properties that do not conform to the interval scale because of the adjustments that are made to time to account for the variations in the period of the Earth around the sun (e.g. leap years). While the Gregorian calendar has a meaningful zero point, it would be difficult to say that a value taken on midnight January 1, 1000 is twice as old as a value taken on midnight January 1, 2000 because the scale has many irregularities in length in practice. However, over short intervals the scale has equidistant points based on the SI second, and so can be considered interval for some purposes, especially with respect to measuring the timing of short-term ecological events. Date and time values can be represented using several distinct notations, and so we have distinct documentation needs in terms of specifying the format of the value representation. Because of these pragmatic issues, Date-Time has been separated into its own measurement scale. Examples of date-time values are '2003-05-05', '1999/10/10', and '2001-10-10T14:23:20.3'.
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It is important to keep in mind that a given type of data may fall under more than one of these categories because the categories are nested (i.e. ordinal data are also nominal, interval data are also ordinal and nominal, and ratio data are also interval, ordinal, and nominal). This may make choosing one category confusing, so remember to pick the category as low in the list as you can that still accurately describes the attribute's data.
Choosing one of these five choices will bring about additional prompts, allowing you to describe the categories themselves, units, number types, and other details. You will encounter different screens depending on which category is chosen, and each of these screens is described and shown below.
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If "Unordered" is chosen, you will be first prompted to choose the unordered categories are enumerated values belonging to a predefined list, or if they are text values (that are either free-form or that match a pattern). If you choose "Enumerated values", you will be prompted to choose if the location of the enumerated values. If you choose "Codes are defined here", you will see the screen pictured below. Click "Add" to add a code and its definition. For example, in your data table there may be values such as "M" and "F", which stand for male and female, respectively. Therefore M and F would go under "Code", and Male and Female would go under "Definition" in the table at the bottom of the screen.
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Alternatively, you can choose to have the enumerated values (codes and their definitions) imported from elsewhere, in which case you will see the screen pictured below. At the right of the screen there is a button labeled "locate" which allows you to tell the New Data Table Wizard where the enumerated codes list is located.
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Clicking the "locate" button brings you to the screen pictured below. To import the codes later, choose the first option, "Import the definitions table into Morpho later", and click "OK" at the bottom of the window.
Alternatively, if the codes and their definitions are already contained in the data table you imported in the New Data Table Wizard, then choose the second option, "The definitions table has already been included in this package". An example of what you will see when this second option is chosen is pictured below for a sample data table. Choose the two columns which contain the codes and their definitions by clicking the check boxes at the top of those columns, and then click "OK" at the bottom of the window. You will be returned to the screen pictured above and the selected codes and definitions will be displayed in the "Definitions" table.
Note the check-box at the bottom of the screen. Check this box if your columns of data contain free-text, such as notes for example, in addition to the defined codes you provide in the "Definitions" table. Click "OK" when finished defining the attribute or column.
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Another possibility is that the data in the attribute or column are unordered, but they are text values. In this case, choose "Unordered" from the "Category" list, and choose "Text values (free-form or matching a pattern)" from the drop-down menu next to "Choose". Next, define the text values, and provide the name of their source, if applicable. You can also define the pattern of the text values by clicking "Add" at the bottom of the screen, and typing the pattern into the "Pattern(s)" table. You can then delete any patterns you would like using the "Delete" button. Click "OK" when finished.
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If "Ordered" is chosen as the category, then the same prompts and choices that were just described for the "Unordered" category will be shown. Go through the same steps that were just described, or click here to jump to that section.
If "Relative" is chosen as the category, then you will be presented with a different set of prompts than the ones described above. You will see the screen pictured below. Begin by choosing the type of measurement from the first drop-down list. Next, choose the appropriate unit in the drop-down list to the right.
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You also have the option of defining a new unit by clicking the "Define new unit" button located at the right of the screen. To define a new unit, click on the button that says "Define new unit". You will then see the screen pictured below. There are two categories the unit can belong too.
One option button is for choosing an existing unit type. When this option is selected you can use the drop-down list to choose a unit type.
When you choose an existing type of unit from the drop-down list, the idea is to construct your new unit by defining the units it is comprised of, and the power of each component unit in the new unit. As an example, consider the new unit to be of the type "Speed". You would begin by choosing "Speed" under the Unit Type drop-down list. You would then click "Add" and choose "Length" from the drop-down list found under "Unit". The power of that unit would be 1. You would click "Add" again and choose "Time" from the drop-down list under "Unit", and the power of that unit would be -1. Putting those two units together according to the indicated powers gives you a new unit of length/time.
Next, you name the new unit. You also will specify the SI unit that corresponds to the new unit you have defined. If known, you can provide the conversion factor in the next field that would convert your unit to the SI unit. You can also provide a description of the new unit in the final field. Click "OK" at the bottom of the window when you are done defining your new unit.
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After choosing or defining the unit, indicate the precision of the chosen or defined unit in the data by typing in the field next to "Precision". Next, choose the number type of the data from the drop-down list. See the next paragraph for further explanation in choosing a number type. Finally, you can indicate the bounds of the values in the attribute or column at the bottom of the screen. Click "Add" to do this, and type in the indicated information. Use "Delete" to remove a set of bounds you entered.
The four number types provided in the drop-down list are not discrete classes – some overlap, so choosing the appropriate number type can be confusing. Remember to choose the type that most specifically and accurately describes the data in the attribute or column you are defining.
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Choosing "Absolute" as the data category will take you through the same set of choices and prompts as was just described above when "Relative" was chosen. Click here to read a description of this.
The fifth choice under "Category" is "Date-Time". If you choose this category, you will see the screen pictured below.
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Type the format of the date and/or time in the field next to "Format", using the examples given to the right of the field as a guide (although formats other than those shown in the examples may be used). Next, provide the precision of the date and/or time format. You may also indicate the upper and/or lower bounds of the date and/or time using the "Bounds" table at the bottom of the screen. Click "Add" to do this, and click "Delete" if you wish to remove a set of bounds you previously entered.
After choosing one of the five choices for "Category" that have been described here, and after filling out all of the required information and any additional information you wish to include at the bottom of the window, click "OK". You have just added a description of ONE of the attributes or columns of the data. You should then see the information displayed in the list of attribute descriptions in the screen pictured below. To describe another attribute or column, click "Add" again, and go through this process again for the new attribute you wish to define. After defining multiple attributes, you can delete the descriptions, or change the order of the descriptions, using the buttons to the left of the screen.
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After you have added all of the attribute documentation you would like to, click "Next" at the bottom of the screen. You will then see the final screen of the New Data Table Wizard, pictured below.
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Click "Finish" to finish the documentation of the data table, or click on "or click here to finish this wizard and add a new data table now..." to finish adding documentation of the data table and to add documentation for another data table using the New Data Table Wizard again. After clicking "Finish", you will then be presented with a data package that shows an empty data table, documentation for the attributes or columns of data that you just added using the New Data Table Wizard, and any documentation you had added previously using the New Data Package Wizard. You can now type the data directly into the columns in the empty data table, or paste the data into the data table from elsewhere.
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On the first screen of the New Data Table Wizard, you are given three choices under "What do you want to do?". If "IMPORT" is selected, you will then see additional prompts, shown in the screen below.
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Under "How do you want to enter the documentation for the data ", there are two options. Automatic is where the documentation for the data table is automatically extracted from the table itself by Morpho, and is shown to you for review and editing, if necessary. Manual is where the documentation is entered manually by you in the wizard. After choosing one of these two options, tell the Wizard the location of the data file that you would like to import by clicking on "locate...". You will be shown a map of your computer and can indicate where the data file is. Click "Next" after choosing the file location.
If you chose to document the data manually, then you will follow the steps that were outlined previously under the "Create" section above (start here). If you chose to document the data automatically, then clicking "Next" will bring the screen pictured below into view. The screen includes some sample data shown for illustration purposes. Your data might look quite different.
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Begin by entering the name and a brief description of the data table. Indicate which row you would like the importation of data to start at (for example, you can skip some blank rows that may occur at the top of your data table by starting at a later row). If the first row that you start at contains the column labels, then click the box in the middle of the screen. Click "Next". You will then see the screen pictured below.
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Select one or more of the delimiters listed at the top of the screen. Choosing different delimiters will change the layout of your data. The data should be laid out correctly when the correct delimiter or combination of delimiters is chosen. You may also indicate that consecutive delimiters be counted as one by checking the box. Clicking "Next" will begin the process of verifying the documentation that Morpho has automatically generated for each of the columns in the data table. The screen pictured below is an example of what you might see.
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Another example is shown below. Note that Morpho automatically placed the codes in the table under "Code", but you have to provide the definition of the codes. You must also provide definitions of the columns (Morpho does not do this automatically). Examine all of the other areas of documentation, making sure that the category, units, and all other documentation is correct. You may also add to the documentation or change anything that is in error by typing in the fields shown or choosing selections from the drop-down menus. Click "Next" at the bottom of the screen. Each screen provides the documentation for one of the attributes or columns of data. Continue in this way until all of the attributes or columns have been documented.
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When all of the columns of data have been documented, you will see the final, finish screen, pictured here.
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On the first screen of the New Data Table Wizard, you are given three choices under "What do you want to do?". If "DESCRIBE" is chosen, the data set itself will not be included in the data package, but you will provide documentation for it. This is useful for documenting the data for yourself, as well as for telling others about the data if the data package is made viewable by others, without sharing the data set itself.
If "DESCRIBE" is selected, then additional prompts will appear on the screen, pictured below. To have the documentation for the data extracted automatically from an existing data file (without the actual data being extracted) for your review, then choose "AUTOMATIC". You will then tell the Wizard where the data file is. Instructions for what to do next if you choose AUTOMATIC have already been provided above (click here).
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To manually enter the documentation for the data in the Wizard, choose "MANUAL". You will then be prompted, as shown on the screen pictured below, to indicate where the data set resides. If the data are not currently available, then choose "Not available".
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If the data are available online, then choose "Online URL", and type in the file name and URL in the spaces provided, as shown in the screen pictured below.
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If the data are archived, such as on a disk or a hardcopy, then choose "Archived", and provide the medium the data file is found in or on, as well as the name or title of the data file, in the spaces provided (pictured below).
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After finishing making selections and filling out fields on the first screen of the New Data Table Wizard, click "Next" at the bottom of the screen to continue. Instructions for what to do next if you choose MANUAL have already been provided above (click here).
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Importing and Documenting Other Data Types Although the New Data Table Wizard is designed for importing and documenting tabular data, it can also be used to import and document other types of data (e.g., a Microsoft Excel file or an image file). To do this choose "IMPORT" (or "DESCRIBE" if you do not want to include the file but do want to create documentation) on the Data Location screen, pictured above. Choose "MANUAL" documentation entry (since there is no data table from which Morpho can automatically extract the data). Indicate where the data file is located, and then click "Next" at the bottom of the screen. On the file format screen, choose the third option, "Non-text or proprietary formatted file that is externally defined", and select the format of your file. Continue on in the New Data Table Wizard, filling out the applicable documentation fields (such as name and description) and ignoring or filling in "none" for fields that don't apply to the file. See the Frequently Asked Questions section of the user guide for more information on importing an Excel file into Morpho and adding an image to a data package.
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Once you have either created or imported a data table or multiple data tables in Morpho, you can then edit and manipulate those data tables. Under the "Data" menu there are a number of tools to help you do this. They are shown in the screen below. You can also access this same set of tools by right-clicking on the desired row or column.
In general, the ways you can manipulate a data table are (each described further below):
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Sorting
To sort the rows of a data table, select the column which you would like to sort by, and click "Sort by Selected Column". For example, in the sample data set pictured above, the second column, "site", was selected, and then "Sort by Selected Column" was selected from the "Data" menu. The results are pictured below. Notice that the data in the second column are now sorted, and the data in the other columns have also moved so that all of the rows are the same as they were, only moved.
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Inserting and Deleting Rows and Columns The next six items under the "Data" menu allow you to insert new rows or columns, either before or after the row or column that is selected in the table, as well as delete selected rows or columns. This is analogous to the functions found in Microsoft Excel.
In addition to manipulating the rows and columns, you can directly edit the documentation that you previously entered in the New Data Table Wizard, or add documentation, about the columns. After selecting the column for which you would like to edit the documentation, look under the "Data" menu, and select "Edit Column Documentation". You will then see a screen, pictured below for the second column of the sample data set, where the current documentation for the column is displayed. This screen works just like it did in the New Data Table Wizard (click here to revisit this section). You can edit or add to the documentation shown in this screen, and click OK when finished.
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Cut, Copy and Paste
Cut, copy, and paste, which can be accessed under the "Edit" menu (pictured below) work in Morpho just like they do in Microsoft applications like Word and Excel. Shortcut keys on your keyboard can also be used just like in Microsoft applications (Ctrl+X cuts, Ctrl+V pastes, and Ctrl+C copies). You can relocate or delete rows and columns using these tools.
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Another option is to paste data into a data table in Morpho from elsewhere, so that you don't have to type it in. This is easy to do, and generally involves using the "Paste" command in Morpho. Click here to read more about pasting data into a data table.
If you change your mind about any of the changes you have made to one or more tables in your data package, you can undo these changes (as long as you have not saved the data package since making the changes). Under the "Edit" menu, choosing "Revert Entity to Saved Version " will cause all changes that have been made on the table that is displayed since the last time you saved the data package to be reversed. Choosing "Revert All Entities to Saved Version " causes all changes that have been made to all of the tables in the data package since the last time you saved the data package to be reversed. The location of these two tools is shown in the screen above.
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The next section of the Morpho User Guide describes editing a data package.
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