Node States

In the node dialog box, next to the label “State”, is a down-arrow which yields a pop-up menu of the node’s states. By choosing a state from the menu, it becomes the current state of the node dialog box. Its name will appear in the text edit box to the right of the pop-up menu, allowing you to modify it.

The states of a node constitute the domain of a categorical variable. They are not required to have names, but if one state is named then they all must be. It is highly recommended that a discrete node be given state names, for clarity and documentation purposes, although it is not necessary for discretized continuous nodes.

State Name: When you enter a new state name, Netica will check that it meets the restrictions of an IDname. Also, it must be different from the names of all other states of that node, although it may be the same as a state name for a different node in the net. If you need unrestricted labels, use state titles.

Adding/Removing: To add a new state right after the current state, click the New button, and to delete the current state, click the Delete button. All discrete nodes must have at least one state, but there is no upper limit to how many they can have. Adding or removing several states to a node at once is usually done more conveniently by using the Multi-Purpose Box, and adding or removing a state from several nodes at once is best done by right-clicking.

Multiple Nodes: Changing the states of a node, or many nodes at once, can be done quickly and easily by right-clicking on a node, or a group of selected nodes, and choosing Modify to do one of the following operations: Add State, Delete State, Rename State, and Set States (more info).

If you are adding a state to multiple nodes, and some of them already have a state of that name, they will simply be skipped. If the existing states have numeric values defined, and you enter a number, then you will be given the option of adding states with that numeric value, or states titled with the number.