Assign Numbers

Use Assign numbers when a column is categorical (for example, an opinion scale like Strongly disagree to Strongly agree) and you want to analyze it numerically.

Once numbers are assigned, you can use views like Mean and Box Plot, and include the column in numeric workflows such as Numeric Factors.

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Assign numbers walkthrough

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When to use this

Assign numbers is useful when:

• Categories have a clear order (low to high, negative to positive).
• You want averages or distribution-style numeric views.
• You need consistent coding across related columns.

Example mapping:

• Strongly disagree = 1
• Disagree = 2
• Neutral = 3
• Agree = 4
• Strongly agree = 5

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Where to find it

1. Open the column in a chart view.
2. In the legend controls, click Assign numbers.
3. Edit the values for each visible category.
4. Click Save to apply changes.

You can also use Reset to 1..N to quickly restore sequential values in the current category order.

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How it works

• AddMaple stores an assigned number for each visible category label.
• Hidden categories are not included in the editor.
• Assigned numbers follow your current category structure, so clean or reorder categories first if needed.

For columns that are already detected as numeric opinion scales, values are usually assigned automatically based on the detected order.

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Viewing numeric outputs after assigning numbers

After assigning values:

1. Keep the column selected (or pivot by another column to compare groups).
2. Switch from distribution view to stats view:
   • In many charts this control appears as Box/Dot Plot | Bins (choose Box/Dot Plot), or
   • In some layouts it appears as Key Stats | Ranges (choose Key Stats).
3. If shown, in Box Plot | Mean, choose:
   • Mean to see average values
   • Box Plot to see distribution and median/quartiles
4. (Optional) turn on Show numbers on chart for clearer labels.

For more chart details, see Box Plots and Mean Dot Plots.

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Best practices

• Use evenly spaced values when possible (e.g., 1-5).
• Keep direction consistent (higher should always mean "more positive" or "more of the trait").
• Apply the same mapping across similar columns to make comparisons valid.

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Related guides

• For creating a single numeric sentiment metric from text: Single Sentiment Score from Text
• For combining mapped variables into one composite score: Numeric Factors
• For chart interpretation: Box Plots and Mean Dot Plots

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Key points

• Assign numbers converts ordered categories into usable numeric values.
• This unlocks mean and box-plot style analysis for categorical opinion-scale data.
• Save your mapping before interpreting results.

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