Creating Externals

An external is a type of 'source' in NVivo—it represents material that cannot be imported (websites, books, paper-based references and so on).

It is a good idea to store these files together in a specific location. You can set a default location for external files in Application Options.

To create a new external:

  1. In Navigation View, click the Sources button.

The sources folders are displayed.

  1. Click the Externals folder. If you have created other external folders, you can select one of those.

  2. Click the New toolbar button.

  3. Click the External in This Folder option.

The New External dialog box is displayed.

  1. Enter a name in the Name field.

  2. If required, enter a description of the source in the Description field.

  3. Click the External tab and define the required options

    Option

    Description

     

    Type

    Select the item that is represented by the external. This might be

    • File link: an electronic file that can be opened or played on your computer. For example, a video or audio file.

    • Web link: a web URL

    • Other: items that cannot be accessed on a computer such as newspaper articles or books.  

    File path

    If the external represents an electronic file that can be opened on your computer, click the Browse button and locate the file.

    Location description

    If the external represents an item that cannot be accessed by computer, define the physical location— top shelf, my desk, filing cabinet.

    Contents

    Select or enter the content type that the external represents.

    If you define a new type, it is applied when you click OK—it is then available for all externals in the project.

    You cannot edit the content type once you have created the external.

    Unit

    Select or enter the paragraph headings that you want to appear in the external. For example, if the external represents a book, you may want it divided into chapters.

    The unit changes depending on content type you selected in the Contents list.

    If you created a new content type then you will need to create a new unit type.

    Start range

    Enter the number at which you want the paragraph headings to start.

    End range

    Enter the number at which you want the paragraph headings to end.

     

  4. Click OK.

The external is displayed in Detail View and you can add notes and summaries as required.

Click in List View:

  1. Select the destination folder.

  2. Click in the ListView.

  3. On the Project menu, click NewExternal.

Right-click:

  1. Select the destination folder.

  2. Right-click in the ListView.

  3. Click the NewExternal option.

Opening the Linked File

To open a file that is linked to an external:

  1. Click the external in List View or open it inDetail View.

  2. On the Project menu, click Open External File.

The file is opened in the associated application.

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