NCapture

NCapture is a free web-browser extension for Chrome that enables you to gather web content to import into NVivo. (Support for NCapture for Internet Explorer ceased in 2020, however you can still install the last version if required, see Installing NCapture for Internet Explorer.)

Most web pages can be captured as PDFs. You can also capture some pages from Facebook, Twitter and YouTube as datasets, videos and pictures. NCapture files (.nvcx) contain your captured content as well as the URLs, capture times and any additional information such as a descriptions, memos and coding that you specified at the time of capture.

Some captures from social media sites produce multiple files once imported into NVivo. For example, Facebook content can contain an NVivo dataset as well as pictures. See Social media data

When capturing from Facebook or Twitter for the first time you will need to authorize NCapture. Authorize NCapture

Depending on your version of NVivo, some types of captured content cannot be imported into your project. NCapture compatibility

Capturing content with NCapture

  1. In your browser, open the content that you want to capture.
  2. Click the NCapture button at the top of your browser.

a Select a capture type. Depending on the type of content that you are viewing you will see different capture options. Capture options

b Review and optionally change the file name.

c You can enter a short description or a memo:

  • The description becomes one of the file's properties within NVivo.
  • The memo you enter becomes a linked memo when the file is imported.

dOptionally, enter one or more codes ('nodes' in previous versions of NVivo) to code the content to. When you import the content into NVivo, the entire file is coded to these.

  • If you enter a code that does not exist in your project—or incorrectly type the name—a new code is created.
  • If coding to an existing code, enter the hierarchical code name—for example, economy\tourism.

e Click Capture. The captured content is saved as an NCapture file (.nvcx) which you can import into your NVivo project.

  • In NCapture for Chrome, the NCapture file is saved to Chrome's download location. By default this is your Downloads folder.
  • In NCapture for Chrome you can stop a capture from the capture progress page.
  • In NCapture for Internet Explorer, the default save location is an NCapture folder within your Documents folder. You can change the save location on the capture screen.
  • In NCapture for Internet Explorer you can stop a capture by clicking Stop.

Importing an NCapture file into NVivo

  1. On the Import tab in the ribbon, click NCapture.
  2. Select the capture files that you want to import.
  3. Click Import. The NCapture files are imported into the current folder location in your project.

By default, datasets from the same source location, taken at different times, are merged. You can turn this off by unchecking Merge matching social media datasets (including previously imported). Gather data over time

Once imported your files are automatically classified and the URL and access date added as attributes. PDFs and Facebook and Twitter datasets are assigned to the 'Reference' classification. YouTube videos and datasets are assigned to the 'YouTube' classification.

Capture options

Depending on the type of web page you are on you get different capture options.

NCapture compatibility

NVivo for Mac

NCapture is supported from NVivo version 10.1 onwards, with some exceptions:

  • NVivo 10 for Mac does not support Facebook or Twitter content captured as datasets. This can be captured as PDFs instead.
  • You cannot import YouTube videos or comments as datasets. These can be captured as PDFs instead.

NVivo for Windows

NCapture is supported from NVivo 10 onwards, with some exceptions:

  • You need to be running NVivo 10 SP2 or later to import YouTube videos or comments as datasets.
  • NVivo 11 Starter for Windows is not compatible with any NCapture content.