Add Maple
← All help articles

Thematic Coding (Iterative)

This guide shows how to do thematic coding in AddMaple and refine it iteratively.
You can generate an initial code frame with AI, review assignments, add missing codes, and re-apply only what is new.

1
Thematic coding walkthrough

Where to find it

  1. Open a Text column.
  2. Click AI Coding / Tagging.
  3. Click Get started.
  4. Choose I want to analyze the text into themes or other categories.

Step 1: (Optional) filter first, then code

Before coding, you can apply filters (for example, one company, region, or segment).
AI coding will run on the currently filtered dataset, which is useful for targeted analysis.

Step 2: create your initial themes (choose one option)

Option A (Auto): Get codes with AI

  1. Click Get codes with AI.
  2. Set the number of themes (for example, 5 for broad themes, 20+ for finer detail).
  3. Add context in the instruction box to improve relevance.
  4. Click Generate with AI.
  5. Review and refine generated code titles, descriptions, and examples.
  6. Name your analysis column.

What "Generate with AI" does:
It generates a draft code frame (themes/codes, descriptions, and examples) from your text and instructions.
It does not apply codes to each response yet - that happens later when you click Apply Codes.

Option B (Manual): I have codes

  1. Click I have codes.
  2. Paste or type your existing code frame (one code per line).
  3. Click Continue.
  4. Review and refine the code list.
  5. Name your analysis column.

Step 3: apply thematic codes

For thematic coding, use Apply Multiple Codes per Record and set a maximum codes-per-record value.
Then click Apply Codes.

When processing completes, click View Chart to see how often each theme was applied.

Step 4: review row-level assignments

Use View text and codes to audit assignments in context:

  • Check which codes were applied to each response
  • Confirm highlighted text matches your intended meaning
  • Remove incorrect code assignments
  • Add missing code assignments manually

This lets you see exactly what happened and make targeted corrections, instead of accepting one final output as-is.

Edit assignments in a specific response

  1. In View text and codes, find the response you want to adjust.
  2. Click Edit next to the code(s) for that row.
  3. In the Edit Codes panel, choose a code, then drag across the text to apply it to the right excerpt.
  4. Remove or adjust incorrect highlights as needed.

Add a brand-new code while editing

  1. Click Edit for the response.
  2. In the code chooser (Select or create code), type your new code name.
  3. Press Enter (or select the create option), then drag over the relevant text to apply it.
  4. Save/close and confirm the new code now appears in your coded results.

Step 5: iterate with new codes

If you discover a missing theme:

  1. Add the new code in table review by clicking Edit and applying it to at least one response.
  2. Click Use AI to apply new codes.

AddMaple will scan for the newly added theme and apply it where relevant, while preserving existing coding work.

Explore and analyze coded themes

Once coded, your new thematic column behaves like any other column:

  • Compare theme frequency in charts and pivots
  • Pivot by demographics or segments
  • Filter to specific codes for focused review
  • Inspect excerpts/rows for evidence behind each theme

Related guides

Key points

  • Thematic coding is strongest as an iterative workflow, not a one-pass run.
  • Start broad, then refine code definitions and add missing themes.
  • Use row-level review plus AI re-application to scale refinement safely.