Lesson 11 - Custom case analysis of data

As you were shown in previous lessons, you can select times from Wintrack's list of predefined variables and process them either as trial or case variables. Just as trial variables, also case variables can be defined in a more flexible way using custom variable definition files. Using file drag and drop, this lesson demonstrates the use and of such a file and quickly explains its syntax.

Running the analysis...

1. Select Close All from Wintrack's Window menu to close all open documents. Do not save documents if you are asked to do so. Load the custom setup file POOL2.WSP which you find in the WINTRACK directory of your hard disk.
2. Next, you must open your WINTRACK folder, so you can examine its content. You may achieve this using Windows™ Explorer. Arrange the folder window and the Wintrack program window on your screen in such a way that the folder window is in the foreground without completely covering the Wintrack program window.
3. In the WINTRACK folder, select the sample files SWIM1.WTR through SWIM4.WTR. Drag the selected files to the Wintrack program window and drop them onto any part of it. A menu pops up from which you should select the option Analyze…
4. The Open Case Document dialog pops up. Select the option minimize and click Ok.
5. Next, the Analyze Case Document dialog pops up:
   • In the dialog field labeled Variable definition, select the option from custom file.
   • Press the button which is associated to the option from custom file in order to open a Windows™ standard File Open dialog box. Pick the file CASE1.VDF in the WINTRACK directory and click Ok.
   • Leave the dialog field labeled Report set to merge.
   • Leave the dialog field labeled Range set to all.
   • Click Ok to close the dialog box and start the analysis.
6. Wintrack analyses the selected variables for all dropped case documents and successively adds the results to a newly created scrollsheet.

   The resulting scrollsheet has 7 columns and four rows, one for each case document processed. The first is labeled name and for every line indicates the name of the case to which the results apply. The second column lists respective case numbers which indicate the order in which the cases were processed. Columns three to seven show the results for swim path length as daily averages for each of the 5 days of the experiment (A-E). These variables are defined in the custom variable definition file CASE1.VDF which we are going to inspect now.

The syntax of the custom variable definition file...

1. Run Windows™ NotePad and open the file CASE1.VDF. The structure of the file is similar to the one you have seen before. However, it also contains a new statement:

   Case variables, example 1
   
   [variables]
   
   Matrix Data=Path
   Include Rule=All
   Collapse Tgt=a1 Mode=Sum
   
   Extract Tgt=v1 Sce=a1 Mode=Ave Range=1-6
   Extract Tgt=v2 Sce=a1 Mode=Ave Range=7-12
   Extract Tgt=v3 Sce=a1 Mode=Ave Range=13-18
   Extract Tgt=v4 Sce=a1 Mode=Ave Range=19-24
   Extract Tgt=v5 Sce=a1 Mode=Ave Range=25-30
   
   Tabulate Sce=v1 Name=pathA Fmat=2 Cmnt=[m]
   Tabulate Sce=v2 Name=pathB Fmat=2 Cmnt=[m]
   Tabulate Sce=v3 Name=pathC Fmat=2 Cmnt=[m]
   Tabulate Sce=v4 Name=pathD Fmat=2 Cmnt=[m]
   Tabulate Sce=v5 Name=pathE Fmat=2 Cmnt=[m]
   
   [end] 

   • All text above [variables] is free commentary. Between [variables] and [end] are the statements which define the sequence of analysis. You should be familiar with the Matrix, Include and Collapse statements now.
   • The Extract statement is new. It is only used if case variables are to be created. It extracts a single data value out of a data array that has been created by a Collapse statement and whose elements represent trials. Thus, the data source of the Extract statement is an array (Sce=a1) and its target one of the 100 temporary data values that Wintrack can store (Tgt=v1, for example). Mode=Ave specifies that the average is to be taken of a range of array elements and Range specifies which range of element is to be considered.
2. When you are done studying the text, terminate Windows™ NotePad and return to Wintrack. There, close all open documents by selecting Close All from the Window menu. Do not save documents if you are asked to do so.

Lesson 12 - Surface analysis of data will introduce surface variables and surface documents, a further possibility of graphical data analysis in Wintrack.