HyperRESEARCH uses the number of characters from the start of the file to mark where a code reference starts and ends. What this means is that if you add or remove characters, all code references after the change will be shifted. (For example, if you add five characters to the start of the file, all the code references in the file will be moved five characters. If you add ten characters halfway through the file, the code references in the first half will be unchanged, but those in the second half will be moved ten characters.)

Because of this, we strongly recommend that you make any necessary changes or edits before you begin coding a text source file. If you want to add general information (such as date and interviewer name) to a file after coding it, we suggest you add this information at the end, rather than the beginning. If you need to remove names or personal information, replace the deleted characters with an equal number of asterisks. This will ensure that your previously-completed coding is not disturbed by the change.