Configuring Numeric, Single Choice, Open Ended and Multi-Selection Grid Questions

Overview

This How To describes configuring the following question types in the Questions Node:

• Numeric Grid
• Single Choice Grid
• Open Ended Grid
• Multi-Selection Grid

Numeric Grid

Numeric Grid questions are the same as numeric questions but have multiple topics that each can have a numeric input as an answer, for example:
"How many glasses of water do you drink in each one of the following day periods?" (Give day periods as topics)

Single Choice Grid

Single Choice Grid Questions are used for allowing a single selection of an answer from a pre-defined set of answers, for each topic out of a pre-defined set of topics, for example:
"Which of the following food types you consume regularly ?" (Give food types as topics)

Open Ended Grid

Open-ended Grid Questions are used for allowing an open-ended text input as an answer from the respondent for each one of the pre-defined topics, for example:
"Please provide the following information:" (Topics representing information subjects)

Multi-Selection Grid

Multiple Selection Grid questions allow respondents to select one or more answers from a predefined list of answer options for each topic in a predefined list of topics.

For example, the question:

When do you perform the following activities?

uses the activities as the topics, while the available time periods (such as Morning, Afternoon, and Evening) serve as the answer options that can be selected for each activity.

 

Question Node

The Question Node is located within the Survey Tree.

• Each question has a set of tabs
• Each tab is used for different configurations.

The View Tab

In the View tab, you can configure the basic components of a question, such as its body text and its answers.

Question Type & General Settings

In the main panel, you can set the question type, its textual color, and formatting.

In the bottom panel, you can Clear the questions content, add a new question of the same type right after the current one and quickly navigate between questions.

The Question Tab

Under the questions tab, within the View tab, you can define the Questions Body Text and the surveyors instructions if any.

Defining The Questions Text

The text written in the questions tab box is the body text that will be displayed to the surveyor.

The surveyor instruction box, allows you to configure textual instructions for the surveyor that will be formatted differently than the body text.

Examples:

Numeric Grid

"How many glasses of water do you drink in each one of the following day periods?"

Single Choice Grid

"Which of the following food types do you consume regularly?"

Multi-Selection Grid

"When do you perform the following activities?"

Surveyors instruction Text: 

"SURVEYOR: MULTIPLE SELECTIONS FOR EACH ACTIVITY ALLOWED"

The Answers Tab

The answers tab allows you to define the questions answers, set their visual rendering, edit and configure them.

• Rendering Mode – Allows you to set your answers visual rendering in different ways:
  Text box / Rating bar / Slider
• Lower Limit – Sets the minimum numeric value optional.
• Upper Limit – Sets the maximum numeric value optional.
• Allow only integers – Allows to input only integer values.
• Show scan button – Sets this question to behave as a QR scanner, scanning only numeric QR codes as the answer of this question.
• Topics total should not exceed – Defines the maximum sum of the numeric input of all topics cannot exceed.
• Topics must equal to total – Defines the value that the sum of all topics must be equal to.
• Show total – Displays the total value of numeric input within the topics.
• Total Text: – When Show total is used, you can edit the text to be presented with the total amount.
• Remain Text – When Show total and Topics must equal to total are used the Remain Text is presented, you can edit the text to be presented with the remaining of the total.
  (e.g. If "topics total" is set to 100, and user answered the first topic as "20" and the second topic as "10"- the remaining is 70)

 

Defining the Questions Answers    

Answers can be added in various ways, for example:

• Writing the answer's text in the given text field, and hitting 'Enter' or the 'Add' button.
• Defining an answer scale. (For more information about answer scales please refer to the Scripting Guide)
• Using the Multi-Add feature. (How To Add Multiple Answers and Update Them at once)

The index column represents the position order of the answer in the answers list which is given automatically by the system and is then used when referring to answers values with functions.

The 'Edit' button for the scale allows you to jump directly to the scale's editing mode.
The 'Edit' button for the answer allows you to edit its text.
The 'Properties' button allows you to configure the selected answers properties.

Rendering Modes

The Rendering panel allows you to choose how the answer options are displayed to the respondent.

 

The Topics Tab

The topics tab allows you to configure & set the topics of the grid question.
Its usability is similar to the Answers tab, besides the following options:

• 'Repeat Headers After' – If you configured some topics to be headers, this will define after how many topics the headers will appear again (used for headers that have a long list of topics underneath it)

• Alternating Row Colors – Sets the rows of the grids to be in alternating default grey colors
• Topic Percentage – Sets the amount of percentage out of 100% that the topic column will take out of the table (only in Table Layout rendering mode).
• Topic In line With Answer – Sets the answer text box to be in line with its topic.
  

The Rules Tab

In the rules tab you can define Entrance Rules, Validation Rules and Branching rules.

The Scripts Tab

In the Scripts tab you can define your questions Start Script, End Script and enter the advanced scripts for defining more complex functions.

 

The Variables Tab

The Variables Tab is used for configuring variable related properties of a question.

• Variable Name: is the name of the column representing this question when exporting.
• Missing Value: is the value that this question will get if it was not answered or skipped.
• Short ID: Is a short name that is used for ease of readability and is viewable in the Survey Tree next to the Question Index – Short IDs can also be used as a basis for variable names, please see: How to work with QRefs & Short IDs

Variable names can be referenced instead of Indexes by using the correct functions. (Basic Introduction to using VRef and VarName)

• NOTE: The Variable Name is grayed out in Grid Questions as it has no meaning – in the exported file, only the Topic Variable Names are displayed and given a value of the selected answer for each corresponding topic.\
• 'Export Answers as text' – The selected answers for each topic will be displayed as their text instead of their indexes.

The Advanced Tab

The advanced tab allows you to set & configure more advanced properties of a question.

Common usages of the Advanced tab:

• Hiding a question from the surveyor.
  
• Randomization of Answers/Topics.
  
• Allowing/Disallowing No Answer.
  
• Configuration of Answer Properties, Attachments and Image Properties.

Variables and Exporting Definitions

Numeric Grid

• • If I input 4 in topic 1, 1 in topic 2 and 3 in topic 3, this is how it should be exported. 

Open Ended Grid

• • Each topic has its own column when exporting, and its answer in the corresponding interview row.

Multi-Selection Grid

• • This picture represents how this question is exported.
    Please note the marked Topic X Answer combinations for each of the 5 topics & 5 answers available.
    The values under each variable are the answer index that was chosen, or the missing value if it was not chosen.

Common Functions

Used to retrieve the value for Numeric Grid questions

AnswerChoice(QuestionIndex, TopicIndex)

AnswerChoiceIter(QuestionIndex, TopicIndex, IterationIndex)

AnswerChoiceIdx(QuestionIndex, AnswerText)

ContainsSpecificRate(QuestionIndex, AnswerIndex, TopicIndex)

ContainsSpecificRate(QuestionIndex, AnswerIndex, TopicIndex, IterationIndex)

SumMulti(QuestionIndex);

Used to set the value for Numeric Grid Questions

SetAnswer(QuestionIndex, AnswerIndexesForAllTopicSeperatedWithCommas)

 

Used to retrieve the value for Single Choice Grid questions
These are some common functions used with this type of question:

AnswerChoice(QuestionIndex, TopicIndex)

AnswerChoiceIter(QuestionIndex, TopicIndex, IterationIndex)

AnswerChoiceIdx(QuestionIndex, AnswerText)

AnsweredChoice(QuestionIndex, TopicIndex)

AnsweredChoiceIter(QuestionIndex, TopicIndex, IterationIndex)

Used to set the value for Single Choice Grid questions

SetAnswer(QuestionIndex, AnswerIndexesForAllTopicSeperatedWithCommas)

 

Used to retrieve the value for Open Ended Grid questions

AnswerChoice(QuestionIndex, TopicIndex)

AnswerChoiceIter(QuestionIndex, TopicIndex, IterationIndex)

Used to set the value for Open Ended Grid questions

SetAnswer(QuestionIndex, AnswerIndexesForAllTopicSeperatedWithCommas)

 

Used to retrieve the value for Multi-selection questions

These are some common functions used with this type of question:

ContainsChoice(QuestionIndex, TopicIndex, inValue)

ContainsChoiceIter(QuestionIndex, TopicIndex, inValue, IterationIndex);

ContainsChoiceOneOf(QuestionIndex, TopicIndex, inValue);

ContainsChoiceIterOneOf(QuestionIndex, TopicIndex, IterationIndex, inValue);

NumOfSelectedChoicesChoice(QuestionIndex, TopicIndex);

NumOfSelectedChoicesChoiceIter(QuestionIndex, TopicIndex, IterationIndex);

AnswerChoiceSelection(QuestionIndex, TopicIndex, selectionIndex);

AnswerChoiceSelectionIter(QuestionIndex, TopicIndex, selectionIndex, IterationIndex);

GetAnswersChoice(QuestionIndex, TopicIndex);

GetAnswersChoice(QuestionIndex, TopicIndex, TrueForRandomizeFalseForNot);

GetAnswersChoiceIter(QuestionIndex, TopicIndex, IterationIndex);

GetAnswersChoiceIter(int QuestionIndex, TopicIndex, IterationIndex, TrueForRandomizeFalseForNot);

Used to set the value for Multiselection questions

SetAnswerChoice(QuestionIndex, inTopic, inValues);

SetAnswerChoiceIter(QuestionIndex, inTopic, IterationIndex, inValues);