importTxt: Import grid data from a text file.
In OpenRepGrid: Tools to analyse repertory grid data

Description Usage Arguments Details Value Author(s) See Also Examples

Import grid data from a text file. If you do not have a grid program at hand you can define a grid using a standard text editor and by saving it as a .txt file. The .txt file has to be in a fixed format. There are three mandatory blocks each starting and ending with a predefined tag in uppercase letters. The first block starts with ELEMENTS and ends with END ELEMENTS and contains one element in each line. The other mandatory blocks contain the constructs and ratings (see below). In the block containing the constructs the left and right pole are seperated by a colon (:). To define missing values use NA like in the example below. One optional block contains the range of the rating scale used defined by two numbers. The order of the blocks is arbitrary. All text not contained within the blocks is discarded and can thus be used for comments.

1	importTxt(file, dir, min, max)

`file`	A vector of filenames including the full path if file is not in current working directory. File can also be a complete URL. The file suffix has to be `.txt`. If no file is supplied a selection pop up menu is opened to select the files.
`dir`	Alternative way to supply the directory where the file is located (default `NULL`).
`min`	Optional argument (`numeric`, default `NULL`) for minimum rating value in grid.
`max`	Optional argument (`numeric`, default `NULL`) for maximum rating value in grid.

---------------- .txt file -----------------

anything not contained within the tags will be discarded

ELEMENTS

element 1

element 2

element 3

END ELEMENTS

CONSTRUCTS

left pole 1 : right pole 1

left pole 2 : right pole 2

left pole 3 : right pole 3

left pole 4 : right pole 4

END CONSTRUCTS

RATINGS

1 3 2

4 1 1

1 4 4

3 1 1

END RATINGS

RANGE

1 4

END RANGE

---------------- end of file ----------------

Note that the maximum and minimum value has to be defined using the min and max arguments if no RANGE block is contained in the data file. Otherwise the scaling range is inferred from the available data and a warning is issued as the range may be erroneous. This may effect other functions that depend on knowing the correct range and it is thus strongly recommended to set the scale range correctly.

A single repgrid object in case one file and a list of repgrid objects in case multiple files are imported.

Mark Heckmann

importGridcor, importGridstat, importScivesco, importGridsuite, importTxt

## Not run: 

# using the pop-up selection menu
rg <- importTxt()   

# supposing that the data file sample.txt is in the current directory
file <- "sample.txt"
rg <- importTxt(file)

# specifying a directory (arbitrary example directory)
dir <- "/Users/markheckmann/data"
rg <- importTxt(file, dir)

# using a full path
rg <- importTxt("/Users/markheckmann/data/sample.txt")

# load Gridsuite data from URL
rg <- importTxt("http://www.openrepgrid.uni-bremen.de/data/sample.txt")

# importing more than one .txt file via R code
files <- c("sample.txt", "sample_2.txt")
rg <- importTxt(files)

## End(Not run)