The EpiData Data Manager will gradually replace the existing EpiData Entry software as development goes on.
Why change to EpiData Manager ? Since release of first EpiData software in 1999 many aspects have changed. The main reasons for development of the new strategy are: • New users are increasingly ”graphicly” oriented and focused on mouse usage. ◦ not understanding the well known qes-chk-rec principle • There is a need for multiplatform development (Linux, Mac, Windows, PDA …..) • Font management is changing to UTF-8 to avoid nationalisation problems • We wish to implement GCP (Good Clinical Practice) required for many medical data projects. This demands encryption and logging of editing at a very detailed level. • There should be a common ”engine” for all EpiData software, such that handling of data and metadata (labels etc.) are based on the same internal routines. • When doing data entry it should not be immediately easy to change rules or structure for data entry personnel. Therefore a dedicated EpiData EntryClient will be developed – serving only data entry.
How will a project manager see the new strategy ? The work process is more clearly divided into what the manager does and what the data entry persons do. The EpiData Manager is a tool for the project person, which: • Defines data structures, adds metadata (labels and definitions), documents data and exports for analysis. • Updates data with new fields, changed formats for fields (e.g. More decimals) and is used for control of data. • There is a choice of using computers with either Linux, Mac or Windows
A short introduction document is found next to where the test application can be downloaded. See http://www.epidata.dk/testing.php
Apart from fixing many bugs, the new version now includes an editor, a revised interface and allows for pasting from a qes file or the editor.
Next phase is to add checks and develop the Entry Client.
For the planning please comment on the new release, which includes an editor. Also we should have a discussion on which are the "core" check commands that almost everyone uses and which are enhanced.
regards Jens Lauritsen EpiData Association
Is it possible to try the new version without the trial version overwriting/deleting your " old" epidata program?
Jannik Helweg-Larsen
2010/1/22 epidata-list@lists.umanitoba.ca:
The EpiData Data Manager will gradually replace the existing EpiData Entry software as development goes on.
Why change to EpiData Manager ? Since release of first EpiData software in 1999 many aspects have changed. The main reasons for development of the new strategy are: • New users are increasingly ”graphicly” oriented and focused on mouse usage. ◦ not understanding the well known qes-chk-rec principle • There is a need for multiplatform development (Linux, Mac, Windows, PDA …..) • Font management is changing to UTF-8 to avoid nationalisation problems • We wish to implement GCP (Good Clinical Practice) required for many medical data projects. This demands encryption and logging of editing at a very detailed level. • There should be a common ”engine” for all EpiData software, such that handling of data and metadata (labels etc.) are based on the same internal routines. • When doing data entry it should not be immediately easy to change rules or structure for data entry personnel. Therefore a dedicated EpiData EntryClient will be developed – serving only data entry.
How will a project manager see the new strategy ? The work process is more clearly divided into what the manager does and what the data entry persons do. The EpiData Manager is a tool for the project person, which: • Defines data structures, adds metadata (labels and definitions), documents data and exports for analysis. • Updates data with new fields, changed formats for fields (e.g. More decimals) and is used for control of data. • There is a choice of using computers with either Linux, Mac or Windows
A short introduction document is found next to where the test application can be downloaded. See http://www.epidata.dk/testing.php
Apart from fixing many bugs, the new version now includes an editor, a revised interface and allows for pasting from a qes file or the editor.
Next phase is to add checks and develop the Entry Client.
For the planning please comment on the new release, which includes an editor. Also we should have a discussion on which are the "core" check commands that almost everyone uses and which are enhanced.
regards Jens Lauritsen EpiData Association _______________________________________________ EpiData-list mailing list EpiData-list@lists.umanitoba.ca http://lists.umanitoba.ca/mailman/listinfo/epidata-list
epidata-list@lists.umanitoba.ca wrote:
Is it possible to try the new version without the trial version overwriting/deleting your " old" epidata program?
In short - yes! The new EpiData Manager program is an independent application that does not overwrite any of the old programs.
If you wish, you can place the program in a separate folder anywhere you like. The download on the website is not an installation file, it is merely a zip-file containing the executable program.
But, as with all other "testing" application please be aware that we do not guarantee that data are kept intact. Please only use copies of data instead of live data.
With kind regards, Torsten Bonde Christiansen. EpiData software developer.
My immediate reaction: - <F2> <Shift-F2> etc are really great and will make the form creation go much more quickly than using the mouse - I like the tagging in the editor and visual indicator showing where a field starts and ends - editor does not mind that a file is open in Manager (good!), but each should recognize when a file has been changed by the other
- do Labels need to be treated the same as Fields in recxml? All they really need is location (colour, font eventually?) - paste from Qes identifies labels well, but does not place a label following a field on the same screen line as the field e.g. v10 temperature ##.# C will place the 'C' on the line following v10 - it is hard to place labels on the same line as a field using the mouse - need 'snap' for labels as well (and have them obey font changes) - vertical align might support the snap settings also
- placement of screen elements will be a challenge and this is a great start! I wonder if recxml format should allow for the following: * within <name>, the ability to show the name or not (seems to be 'show' now) * 5 elements for each field: name label that precedes the entry field entry field label that follows the entry field extended explanation of the field (accessed by the help key) * with each of the first 4 elements to be placed horizontally, using <align>, relative to the screen border (for name) or entry field (for name and labels)
No crashes or unexpected behaviour on my PC. My MacBook is coming next week and I look forward to trying it out.
Jamie Hockin
The EpiData Data Manager will gradually replace the existing EpiData Entry software as development goes on.
Why change to EpiData Manager ? Since release of first EpiData software in 1999 many aspects have changed. The main reasons for development of the new strategy are: • New users are increasingly ”graphicly” oriented and focused on mouse usage. ◦ not understanding the well known qes-chk-rec principle • There is a need for multiplatform development (Linux, Mac, Windows, PDA …..) • Font management is changing to UTF-8 to avoid nationalisation problems • We wish to implement GCP (Good Clinical Practice) required for many medical data projects. This demands encryption and logging of editing at a very detailed level. • There should be a common ”engine” for all EpiData software, such that handling of data and metadata (labels etc.) are based on the same internal routines. • When doing data entry it should not be immediately easy to change rules or structure for data entry personnel. Therefore a dedicated EpiData EntryClient will be developed – serving only data entry.
How will a project manager see the new strategy ? The work process is more clearly divided into what the manager does and what the data entry persons do. The EpiData Manager is a tool for the project person, which: • Defines data structures, adds metadata (labels and definitions), documents data and exports for analysis. • Updates data with new fields, changed formats for fields (e.g. More decimals) and is used for control of data. • There is a choice of using computers with either Linux, Mac or Windows
A short introduction document is found next to where the test application can be downloaded. See http://www.epidata.dk/testing.php
Apart from fixing many bugs, the new version now includes an editor, a revised interface and allows for pasting from a qes file or the editor.
Next phase is to add checks and develop the Entry Client.
For the planning please comment on the new release, which includes an editor. Also we should have a discussion on which are the "core" check commands that almost everyone uses and which are enhanced.
regards Jens Lauritsen EpiData Association
Good to see comments from users yesterday. I wish to comment on one of them, which is the conversion from EpiData Entry (qes/chk/rec) to Epidata Manager (recxml).
It is of utmost importance that the basic way of working is NOT changed. But also that we most do some changes to accomplish new possibilities such as MAC/Linux versions or GCP compliance.
Jamie Hockin writes:
- editor does not mind that a file is open in Manager (good!), but each
should recognize when a file has been changed by the other
Let me expand on this issue. The decision just now is: a. reading of QES files directly and/or pasting from the editor or clipboard onto the data form (with subsequent saving in files) is supported. (and errors in relation to this fixed).
b. The data form contains definitions for the structure and metadata (labels etc) of a file. These definitions can be shown at any time in the "view structure" form, which is activated by the right most button in the toolbar, when a data form is shown. (Will get a function key).
c. If any change is made on the data form, then the "view structure" is updated.
e. Any change in the editor will NOT result in changes in other places, such as the data form. Unless the user actively "pastes" these onto the data form.
To support the current users - the editor has an easy way of creating data forms by pasting contents onto a data form. This pasting is the same as when we previously first saved a qes file, then created a rec file, and if we changed the qes file, we would have to go into "enter data" before the rec file changed. With the new manager we skip 2 steps in this. Steps which often gave me trouble when teaching.
We will implement (later) a conversion from the data form to a text based representation, e.g. "Data form to qes" or "data form to rec file" - but this is going to be a "one-way" route in the same manner as we can "import a qes or rec file". Import/Export must be possible, but if we limit ourselves to a 1:1 correspondance btw. data form (recxml) and old data file (rec+qes) it will create other problems.
Jamies other suggestions of having labels before and after the entry fields or possibility to define help notes in each field are good ones for implementation later. Previously it was not that easy to define such aspects and if we find an easy way of implementing this more users will be encouraged to change to the new principles.
Please give more comments, also on the choice of which current chk file commands we should maintain as "core checks" and which ones are for the more experienced.
regards Jens Lauritsen EpiData Association
One can edit the .recxml file in the editor (for example, to tweek / fix screen positioning). Clearly, this is NOT recommended for the casual user. Editors such as PFE will warn when an open file has been changed. I don't know how easy this would be or whether it would be platform independent. It would be a feature for the future only. An advanced user would be aware of the problem of editing the same file in two places.
Great work so far!! I like what I have seen.
Jamie
- editor does not mind that a file is open in Manager (good!), but each
should recognize when a file has been changed by the other
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