Using the Trove API with Excel Spreadsheets

In the last post I explained the basics of using the Trove API by importing the results into the browser window. A more powerful way to use the results returned from the API is to import the results into an Excel spreadsheet. Excel has its limitations but it is one way that people who don’t have any programming skills can store and analyse results gained through the API.

There are two methods of importing the data into Excel:

1. In a blank workbook in Excel go to the Data tab. Click on the ‘From Web’ button in the ‘Get External Data’ section of the ribbon on the left hand side. Copy and paste your API call into the ‘Address’ window and click ‘Go’. You will see the same results that you saw in your browser window. Click the ‘Import’ button at the bottom of the window. A message will dome up saying “[t]he specified XML source does not refer to a schema…” Click ‘OK’. Specify which cell your table should start from and the data will load into your spreadsheet.

Analysis of #OzHA2013

A few weeks ago I attended the 2013 annual conference of the Australian Historical Association in Wollongong.  There were many tweets from the conference and a few blogposts were written.  Yet many sessions were not reported online.

In order to give a view of the whole conference, not just the sessions I attended, I have analysed the conference program and shared the results on my history blog, Stumbling Through the Past.  I also analysed the conference tweets in order to understand more about the live reporting of the conference using this medium.

This post explains the methodology underpinning my analysis.  I do this because I believe that it is important that researchers allow themselves to be accountable for their work by allowing others to check what they have done.  I also believe that it is important that researchers share their data where possible so that other researchers can use it to do their own analysis.

There is also a third reason for this post.  I hope it will help other people learn some simple but powerful techniques that they can use in their research.  This blog is aimed at people starting out in digital humanities so the explanations will be basic.