Alternative way of coding

[hohse]

When presenting OpenQDA at the DGPuK2024 and even before when discussing it with students, we got several hints to create one more way to code text: The idea would be to be able to "activate" a code and then every time a snipped of text gets selected/highlighted, this activated code gets applied to it. So for example, you activate a code called "place", and then go through a whole text document, highlight "places" and they get instantly coded accordingly.

[jankapunkt]

You mean, like the "text marker" from several text processors?

[hohse]

Yeah, that's one way to imagine it: The activated code would work like a text marker then.

[kadewe]

I like this idea, it speeds up the work. Especially in a first walk through a text, people use a code "Interesting quotes" as a first orientation. So I imagine ACTIVATING (UI) the CODE e.g. "Interesting quotes" and then just highlight all the interesting parts to code.
Needs to be discussed with UX, how to switch the code into ACTIVATED and not-ACTIVATED and how to show this to the users (e.g. activated code highlighted, others are dimmed and not clickable until you de-activate the activated code - or if you click on the non-activated codes it asks you you de-activate the activated code)

[matzefrey]

Another very practical and fast way of coding would be to assign shortcuts to codes. But I'm not sure if that is possible in a browser environment.

However, thanks a lot for creating this project! I'm really looking forward to use productively!

[kadewe]

Well, keyboard shortcuts are easily available in a browser https://hackernoon.com/add-keyboard-shortcuts-to-your-web-app-ba358016ff05 - but we need to think this through from an UX point of view:
(1) you select a text within the textview-pane.
(2a) you press some shortcut key and the selected text is coded with the corresponding code

• OR -
  (2b) you press the coding-shortcut key, the available shortcuts are displayed and you choose them with your up-down-keys or can search-filter them?

Let's start with (2a) - it is easier - you can assign up to ten shortcut keys (0-9) to your codes. Then you just can select some text, hit "2" and the text is coded with the assigned code.
UI-Problem: how do you assign the key? In the Code-menu. how do you show the shortcut key? Besides the code button.