REDCap Setup Guide¶
This guide walks you through setting up REDCap at the University of Oldenburg and using rcol to manage your instruments.
Overview¶
Setting up a REDCap project involves these steps:
| Step | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Get an Account — Register for a REDCap account at the University of Oldenburg | Registration Guide |
| 2 | Create a Project — Request a new REDCap project from your administrator | Project Setup |
| 3 | Get API Access — Request API credentials to enable programmatic access | API Setup |
| 4 | Setup Python — Install Python and the required packages | Python Setup |
| 5 | Upload Instruments — Use rcol to upload instrument templates to your project | Upload Guide |
| 6 | Enable Surveys — Configure your instruments as participant surveys | Survey Mode |
Quick Start¶
If you already have a REDCap account with API access, you can quickly upload instruments:
from dotenv import load_dotenv
import os
import pandas as pd
from redcap import Project
from rcol.instruments import fal, ehi
# Load API key from .env file
load_dotenv()
RC_API_KEY = os.getenv("RC_API_KEY")
# Combine instruments
instruments = pd.concat([fal, ehi], ignore_index=True)
# Upload to REDCap
rc_project = Project("https://redcapdev.uol.de/api/", RC_API_KEY)
response = rc_project.import_metadata(instruments, import_format="df")
print(f"✅ Uploaded {response} fields")
Need Help?¶
If you encounter issues during setup:
- Check the Troubleshooting page
- Contact the REDCap administrator at your institution
- Open an issue on the rcol GitHub repository