Managing custom variable definition files
What custom variable definition files are...
Analyzing case documents in Wintrack using the Analyze Case Document command means to define and calculate variables. The Analyze Case Document dialog provides a list of predefined variables you can choose from, allowing for easy point and click type data analysis. However, if you are not satisfied with the results produced by these predefined variables, you can become a power user of Wintrack and write your own custom variable definition files and apply them to case documents using the same Analyze Case Document command. This requires that you familiarize yourself with the basic concepts behind path data analysis and that you learn the statement syntax of custom variable definition files, but it will greatly expand the power and flexibility of Wintrack. Like macros and custom setup files, custom variable definition files are editable plain text (ASCII) files which you create and maintain using Windows™ NotePad or any word processing program that can save documents as plain text. You cannot edit variable definition files as documents within Wintrack.
Custom variables require custom setup files...
To evaluate variables, Wintrack needs information about the arena in which the trials were run. The size of the arena must be known for proper calibration. Moreover, variables may refer to objects or fields present in the arena, such as the goal. If you merely pick predefined variables from the list in the Analyze Case Document dialog, the required information can be specified using the dialog box of the Arena Properties command which lets you select one of three predefined arena types. In fact, Wintrack will always force you to select one of the three predefined arena types, before processing predefined variables. As a power user of Wintrack, however, you use custom setup files to define any type of arena you want, containing any number and kind of fields. Therefore, custom variable definition files always refer to calibrations and fields defined in a custom setup file. Before processing a custom variable definition file, the Analyze Case Document command will force you to load a custom setup file.
Profile, trial, case, and surface variables...
Custom variable files are built from a set of statements which you combine to define up to 4096 different variables per file. If the results are numerical and output to a scrollsheet, variables are always represented by columns. The rows in a scrollsheet may have different meanings, depending on the type of variable you define. You can create five types of variables:
- Profile variables give a numerical analysis of single data points in a case's trials with scrollsheet rows representing data points.
- Trial variables give a numerical analysis of single trials in a case with scrollsheet rows representing trials.
- Case variables give a numerical analysis of ranges or combinations of trials with scrollsheet rows representing cases.
- Surface variables give a numerical analysis of rectangular tiles inside the arena with scrollsheet rows representing tiles in space.
- Bullets graphically describe single
data points by attaching bullets of varying colors and sizes to the
path when a case document is displayed on screen or printed. Bullet
analysis does not produce numerical output or scrollsheets. You can
think of bullets as a graphical counterpart of profile variables.
Note that the predefined variables picked from the list of the Analyze Case Document dialog can be used either as trial or as case variables. However, Wintrack has no predefined profile variables, surface variables or bullets. These latter three types of variables, as well as variables referring to events or supplemental data can only be defined in custom variable definition files. Except for custom defined case variables, whose trial ranges must be defined in advance, the Analyze Case Document command leaves you the choice of either analyzing all trials in a case document or only a selection of trials.
Additional information...
- See Analyze Case Document command to learn how to analyze case documents using the custom variable definition files you have created.
- There is a step by step description of how to build a custom variable definition file.
- The Flowchart of advanced data analysis gives a synopsis of data and variable types.
- Managing custom setup files provides general information on these files.
