Flex DiscourseChart Analysis Tool (FDAT)

About FLEx DiscourseChart Analysis Tool ▾

About Flex DiscourseChart Analysis Tool

Flex DiscourseChart Analysis Tool (FDAT) is a specialized client-side web app for viewing, transforming, and exporting FieldWorks (FLEx) Discourse Chart XML exports. This app is part of the Field Linguistics Extension Tools collection.

Privacy: All conversions happen locally in your browser — your XML and language data never leave your device. There are no uploads or analytics. Preferences (like language order or view options) are stored only in your browser’s local storage. Using “Open in new window” or “Save as HTML” creates a local snapshot you can choose to save or share.

This tool is dedicated to Discourse Charts (Text Charts) and provides:

Display FLEx Text Charts as HTML tables with resizable columns (click and drag column borders in second header row)
Preserve formatting and interlinear structure from FLEx exports
Add custom prologues, epilogues, and HTML content before/after charts
Configure abbreviations, salience bands, free translations, and notes display
Control marker display order and visibility
Export charts with all formatting and customizations

For other FLEx XML export types (Lists, Phonology, Wordforms, etc.), use the FLEx XML Viewer.

Language Projects ▸

Settings for the language you are studying. These settings apply across multiple texts in the same language project.

Current Language

Language Name Ethnologue Code

Abbreviations List ▸

Include list Include abbreviations in output Position

Each abbreviation is fixed from the chart. Edit a Name and optional Description:

Manual abbreviations are saved and exported with the chart.

Text Chart Marker Display and Order Settings ▸

Control how specific TextChart Markers render in cells. Order here sets left-to-right order within the same cell. Styling and visibility only affect in-cell TextChart Markers; the Abbreviations list remains alphabetical.

Groups

Items can be assigned to a group using the "Group:" dropdown. Grouped items share ordering, visibility, and style within their group.

Text Genres ▸

Settings for text genres. These settings can be reused across different texts of the same genre.

Current Genre

Genre Name

Salience Bands (row color coding) ▸

Create a nested outline of bands. Each band has an automatic number (e.g., 1, 1.1, 1.1.2), a label, and a color. Assign a band to rows from the chart using the "Salience band…" button next to the row number.

Document Parts and Settings ▸

Settings specific to the current chart document.

Current Document

Document Name

Chart header and note ▸

Title element

Preface (HTML allowed)

Tip: You can include basic HTML like <p>, <div>, <em>, or links. If you don't know HTML, leave that to us — when “Auto-convert line breaks” is on, Enter makes a new paragraph and Shift+Enter inserts a line break.

Auto-convert line breaks (Enter = new paragraph, Shift+Enter = line break)

Additional HTML Document ▸

i.e. include your interlinear text with free translations (or include some other description or write-up to bundle with your chart).

Before Prologue

After Text Chart

Tip: The "After Text Chart" HTML will appear before Abbreviations when Abbreviations are placed at the end.

Print: Page breaks are inserted after the Before-Prologue HTML and before the After-Chart HTML.

Notes column options ▸

Behavior

Width

Leave blank for default. Units supported by CSS are accepted.

Free translations ▸

Display

Add/edit with the "Add Trans…" button next to row numbers in the preview. Buttons are not included in Export.

Inline style (when mode = Inline)

Font size Text color Row background

Epilogue ▸

Epilogue

Auto-convert line breaks (Enter = new paragraph, Shift+Enter = line break)

Salience Display Settings ▸

Control how salience bands are displayed in the current chart.

Show salience band colors Show legend Show salience column Limit color to salience cell only Opacity