FACSAID User's Guide

Contents

Introduction

This documentation covers the Java applet for accessing FACSAID, not the JSP access available on the Web site. It is a version of text available as help within the FACSAID access applet.

FACSAID is under development. There are bugs. Now is the time to suggest changes in the general operation of FACSAID, and to ignore specific errors and problems. For example, is there some required function that is not listed in the menus? Are some of the completed panels that are hard to use? Is there a better way to display the information? send your comments to joehager@info.nirc.com.

How to Operate FACSAID

FACSAID currently has two parts: a database and a client. The database contains information about FACS and interpretations of FACS scores in terms of affect. This information is provided by users. The database manager is DB2 and the database is in Salt Lake City. Thus, while you are using FACSAID, you always need to be connected to the Internet to access the data.

The client is what you use to view this panel and to access information in the database. It is a program written in Java. You can run the client in your Web browser when you connect to the FACSAID site. Everytime you connect to the FACSAID Web site, the latest client is downloaded to your computer. Version changes are being made about twice a week. Later, you can store the client program on your own computer, and load the client into your Web browser or an appletviewer from your own harddisk. This enables you to relax more security precautions and to load the program faster. Or, you can run it as a stand-alone application if you have a Java runtime and Client Application Enabler (this must be arranged).

When the program loads, you see the Main Panel. From the FACSAID Main Panel, access the functional panels in FACSAID by using the popup menus on the five text headings. There are text headings in the four corners and over the face on the Main Panel. Use your normal mouse actions for seeing popups. (On PCs, click on a topic using the 2nd (the right) mouse button.) From the popup menus, select the function you want and its panel will display. You must have used this technique to be viewing this text.

NOTE: Unless you are authorized, you cannot change the database -- you can only view the information. So, you cannot actually execute any of the functions under the System Maintenance menu item. You will get an error if you try.

NOTE: Unless you are using a browser that allows reading and writing files to your hard disk, you will not be able to use the File Transmission part of FACSAID. Loading the FACSAID program from your own hard disk or setting your browser to trust the FACSAID applet may enable you to set your browser's security to read and write files. However, currently, the FACSAID program is not signed, and only HotJava uses the signed, trusted security mechanism. Running FACSAID as an application avoids this problem, but you will need a Client Application Enabler on your computer, the Java Runtime Environment, and the FACSAID client program on your hard disk. More details on sending and receiving files will be available when the other functions are fully implemented.

How to Logon to FACSAID

For other than viewing the Help documents, you must logon to the system to access functions. Use the popup menu on the 'System Connections' menu item above the face and choose the 'Connect' menu option. Fill in your userid and password. The URL and Driver sections should be pre-set. Then, click on the Logon button. The other text sections on the Main Menu should now be enabled. At the end of your session, you can use the System Connection menu item 'Disconnect' to disconnect the database.

How to Write FACS Scores in FACSAID

You must use valid actions, prefixes, and suffixes when writing a FACS score. (A list of these is available under the Interactive Exploration menu item on the Main Panel.) Otherwise you will get errors.

There are two ways to write a FACS score in FACSAID: the Fixed format and the Plus format. The Fixed format was invented by Wally Friesen and is explained in the FACS Investigator's Guide. This format was used originally to punch Hollerith cards. Officially, this format is limited to ten AUs, etc. Maybe you have old data written in this format. Here is an example of a Fixed format score:
L 1BR 2A 4 5C 7B 10C

The Plus format is a more natural way to write a FACS score by separating AU elements with a plus sign. It is explained in the FACS Manual. Up to 20 Actions are acceptable in a Plus format score in FACSAID. Here is an example of a Plus format score:
L1B+R2A+4+5C+7B+L10C+R14

There is one rule about using these formats in FACSAID: Do not mix conventions in the same score. In other words, the following score will produce errors:
L1B+R2A 4 5C 7B+10C
Here are some things that are unimportant about scores in FACSAID: the order of actions and the case of prefixes and suffixes. The following score will be understood correctly by FACSAID: 10c+L1b+4+5c+r2a+7B Spacing around the plus sign (+) is also irrelevant.

How to See Valid AUs, Prefixes, and Suffixes

Popup the menu for the Interactive Exploration menu item on the Main Panel. Select the 'List Valid Actions', 'List Valid Prefixes', or 'List Valid Suffixes' to see a list of valid AUs, prefixes, or suffixes, respectively. A new panel will appear containing the list. You can keep or close these windows as needed.

NOTE: Currently, some of the actions, prefixes, and suffixes may not be fully explained, and may even be invalid. We are working to clarify these doubtful entries.

How to Find Affect Interpretations for Scores One at a Time

Popup the menu for the 'Interactive Exploration' menu item on the Main Panel. Select the 'Find Interpretions of Behaviors' menu item. You will see a panel with four sections. The first section allows you to enter a FACS score in the text entry field. The Plus format is easier to write, but a Fixed format score will be understood if you write it correctly.

The second section allows you to relax constraints in the search for an interpretation of the score you entered. Click on the checkbox for each of the constraints you want to relax. Here is the meaning of these constraints:

Any combination of boxes can be checked. It might be obvious what the 16 combinations of checked boxes mean in terms of selecting scores because the constraints relaxed are merely additive. However, there are some subleties to keep in mind. If you check the 'Disregard all co-occuring AUs' box, it does not matter whether the 'Disregard AUs 25, 26, or 27' and 'Disregard AUs 50 and above' boxes are checked or not if none of the AUs in the score are 25, 26, 27 or 50 and above. If any of these are in the score, you might also want to check the 'Disregard AUs 25, 26, or 27' or 'Disregard AUs 50 and above' boxes in order to obtain a more inclusive search. (Note that this behavior is different from the OS/2 prototype.) Also, keep in mind that if either or both of the 'Disregard AUs 25, 26, or 27' and/or 'Disregard AUs 50 and above' boxes are checked, any AUs 25, 26, 27, or 50 and above are ignored, respectively, in the score you enter in the entry field, as well as in the search that is invoked.

The third section contains the control buttons for the panel and information about the panel's actions. The buttons allow you to execute a query based on the selections you make above, reset the fields on the panel, and close the panel. The larger box shows the query that is used to select the interpretations. These queries are generated on-the-fly every time you click on the 'Find Interpretation' button and are the heart of the FACSAID client. You would have to write these queries yourself if you did not use the FACSAID client. The smaller entry field shows the base FACS score used for the query, sorted by AU and in Plus format. This base score should correspond to the score you entered in the top entry field in a straightforward way. Also in this section are aids to the progress of the query. The text above the larger box indicates when the query is executing and when it is complete. The 'Find Interpretation' button is disabled until the query completes. You can see a count of the number of return rows from the query when complete.

The fourth section contains the results of the query. Each line in the box in this section contains a FACS score in Plus format, the code for the interpretation, and a short description of the interpretation, if available. Use the scrollbar to scroll this box. If there are many items returned from the search, there may be a long delay your computer constructs this list. You can tell when the list is being constructed by observing the title for the list box. If there is no interpretation for the score and constraints you have specified, you will see a message to that effect in the list.

NOTE: Ignore the obvious extra codes in this line -- they will be eliminated in the final version.

If you make a mistake in writing the score or use an invalid AU, prefix, or suffix, an error message will popup when you click on the 'Find Interpretation' button.

How to Find What Behaviors Correspond to Interpretations

Popup the menu for the 'Interactive Exploration' menu item on the Main Panel. Select the 'Find Behaviors Associated with Concepts' menu item. You will see a panel with two sections. In the top section is a list of the interpretations in the database. Select one of these interpretations by clicking on it. Then, click on the 'Find Behaviors' button. The lower list will then fill with all the behaviors that are associated with this interpretation.

How to Find Interpretations for Scores in a File

NOTE: If you have your FACS data in a disk file and want to send it to be interpreted, you need to set your Brower to allow reading and writing files from your local hard disk. For security reasons, most Web browsers will not open a file on your local disk unless you load the Java program from your local disk (at least until signed applets are supported). You can also run the FACSAID client program as an application if you have the Java 1.1 runtime installed on your computer, the JRE, and a Client Application Enabler. In general, you will probably want to load the FACSAID client program from your own disk anyway for performance reasons. You still must be connected to the Internet to get the data.

There are two steps to sending a file containing FACS scores to FACSAID for interpretation: 1) indicate the columnar format of your source (input) and target (output) files, 2) indicate the names of the files, preview output, and transmit the file. Each step involves a separate panel.

Currently, only one method of sending a file for interpretation is available. Your client sends each line in your input file to FACSAID for an interpretation one at a time, waits for the interpretation, and then writes these returing lines to the file you specify. Additional methods might be supported later.

Step 1: Specify the Column Formats for Your Files

The first step, before sending your input file, is to make sure FACSAID knows where the FACS score and any ID columns are located in each line of your data. All the lines must have the same format in each file you send. Also, you should indicate what information you want written to your target file and in which columns you want each item. There are defaults for these settings that correspond to a typical description in the FACS manuals.

The menu item on the Main Panel for finding interpretions of data in a file is 'File Processing'. The popup menu for this item has two items. Select 'Set I/O Formatting Conventions' to complete Step 1. You will see a panel with checkboxes and choice boxes for setting up your file formats. (Note: default settings are apparent on this panel.)

For the source file (the file on your computer containing your FACS scores) set the choice boxes to indicate the beginning and end columns for the FACS score and any data identification within each line (e.g., subject number). For the target file (the file containing the interpretations from FACSAID), indicate each item of information that you want included by checking the box next to each item. Then, indicate the beginning and end columns in which you want each item to appear.

Check the box next to 'Include Score' to have the FACS score included in your target file. This score will be the same as the one in your source, with sorting and case standardized, and will be in Plus format.

Check the box next to 'Include ID' to include in the target file the identification columns thatyou indicated were present in the source file. If you want to add a digit to this identification column, check the box next to 'Add a Digit to ID' and select the digit to add (from 0 to 9). Use this feature to merge the output from FACSAID into your original source file using a sort order for the records. (You need to have a sort program on your computer to use this approach.)

Check the box next to 'Include Interpretation Code' to include the code for the interpretation in your target. These codes are defined by Wally Friesen and Paul Ekman and have the form dd.dddd where d is a character or digit.

Check the box next to 'Include Short Text' to include a brief verbal English description of what the code means. If you require more detail about this interpretation, use the 'Find Behaviors Associated with Concepts Panel', which includes a longer text.

The 'Include ID' and 'Include Interpretation Code' are checked by default because records returned would not seem very useful without at least this information.

For each item you check, indicate the beginning and ending columns for the items to appear on the output record. The program does not check whether your column assignments make sense; it simply truncates or pads with blanks returning information to fit into the specified columns.

When you are satisfied with your settings, click on the 'Accept Values Shown' button and the values will be used for your session. If you want to reset the entire panel to the default values, click on the 'Reset All' button. To close this panel, click on the 'Close Window' button.

NOTE: In the current version of the FACSAID client, your settings for columns are not saved from one session to the next.

Step 2: Transmit Your Input Data File

The popup menu item on the 'File Processing' menu for actually sending your data file is 'File Transmission Control'. When you select this item, you see a panel with three sections. The top section lists the files involved in the transmission. The middle section has buttons for controlling the panel. The bottom section has a list box for previewing your output.

To select a source (input) file, click on the 'Pick Source' button. You will see your computer system's standard dialog for opening files. Find the file with your data and end this dialog. The file you selected will appear in the top section of the panel.

To preview the appearance of your output, click on the 'Preview' button. Two lines of digits that indicate the column numbers will appear in the list box on the bottom section. The first five lines of your file will be sent to FACSAID and the results displayed under the column markers.

NOTE: No intelligence for detecting problems in your assignment of columns to each item of information is available, so you should use the Preview button to make sure you are getting what you expect in the output file. Remember, you can have both panels open so if you need to make changes in the formats, use the choice boxes to change your format(s), click on 'Accept Values Shown', and Preview again.

To select the target (output) file, click on the 'Pick Target' button. You will see your computer system's standard dialog for opening files. If the file you want already exists, select it and it will be overwritten. If it does not exist, enter a new name in the dialog. When you close the dialog the target file will appear in the top section.

When both a source and target file have been identified, the 'Transmit Files' button will be enabled. Click on this button when you are satisfied from your previews that you are getting what you want. Your file will sent and its scores interpreted, and the target file written.

How to Add Interpretation Information to the Database

Use the popup menu for the 'System Maintenance' text menu item on the Main Panel and select 'Add Interpretation Information' to add or alter a concept about behaviors. Only users with write privileges to the database can use this panel.

How to Add or Alter an Association between Behavior and Concept

Use the popup menu for the 'System Maintenance' text menu item on the Main Panel and select 'Alter Association Between Behavior and Interpretation' to add or alter an interpretation (prediction) about behaviors. Only users with write privileges to the database can use this panel.

How to Find FACS Scores that Have Not Been Interpreted

Use the popup menu for the 'System Maintenance' text menu item on the Main Panel and select 'Find Un-interpreted Behaviors' to view behaviors that have been submitted for interpretation, but have none, and to add an interpretation for these behaviors. Users can view un-interpreted behaviors, but only users with write privileges to the database add interpretations.

How to Add or Alter Action Codes, Prefixes, and Suffixes

Use the popup menu for the 'System Maintenance' text menu item on the Main Panel and select 'Add/Alter Action Codes', 'Add/Alter Prefix Codes', or 'Add/Alter Suffix Codes' to add or alter action units, prefixes, or suffixes, respectively. Each of these panels works similarly. Only users with write privileges to the database can use these panels.

© copyright 1998 Network Information Research Corporation