Structure of the Matrix Card

The data in the Matrix table arranged in the horizontal row refer to individual species, those in
the vertical row to an individual morphological characteristic or habitat description. Each cell of the Matrix table contains a check box that displays the presence (marked) or absence (unmarked) of a specific characteristic. The names of the characteristics are labelled on the header of a column, each in the form of a brief description.

Sorting or Records

Within a single column records may be sorted by clicking on the header to align the checks in ascending or descending order. That way species can be sorted by their names or by the presence or absence of one or multiple characteristics. The header of the currently sorted column is displayed in a blue colour (figure 2). ..........

Grouping of Records

Lines may be combined in groups, according to the names of species or the presence or absence of
characteristics. The procedure of grouping is achieved by simply clicking on the desired header and dragging it into the Grouping Line on top of the Matrix. After releasing the mouse button the header will be inserted and displayed in a green colour (figure 3). Building groups divides the Matrix in sections, containing concordant and non-concordant criteria.

Records can be grouped and sorted simultaneously, according to the user's requirements.

Modification of the Matrix

The program allows you to modify all entries in the Matrix table and to add or remove checks. As soon as entries are changed, the affected boxes are highlighted and displayed in red (figure 4). All further calculations are run with this modified table.

The changes can be cancelled, set as standard, and even stored on the PC. Saved Matrix-files may be exported and transferred to other PCs to allow other users to load and apply these modified settings.