SurveyToGo: How To Add Validation Rules

Guide to adding validation rules—validation runs on forward navigation; if invalid, shows error message; supports simple to complex script conditions.

Aug 4, 2026
Knowledge

Title

Answer

How To Add Validation Rules

Overview

SurveyToGo provides comprehensive support for validation rules, allowing you to enforce everything from simple response checks to complex business logic.

A validation rule is a script attached to a question that is evaluated whenever the interviewer attempts to move to the next question. If the validation condition is met, SurveyToGo proceeds to any configured jump logic and then continues with the interview. If the condition is not met, the respondent is presented with a custom validation message and cannot proceed until the issue is resolved.

This article explains how to:

Add a new validation rule to a question
Configure the validation condition
Define a custom validation message
Set the validation strength as either Hard or Soft

Adding a Validation Rule

To add a validation rule, open the question and navigate to the Rules tab. Click the option to create a new validation rule instance and begin configuring its settings.

Configuring the Validation Rule Condition

After creating the validation rule, define the condition that determines whether the respondent can proceed to the next question.

For example, suppose the current question asks:

How many of your children like chocolate?

Earlier in the survey, Question 2 asks:

How many children do you have?

In this scenario, the answer to the current question should never be greater than the answer provided in Question 2. For example, if a respondent states that they have 3 children, it would be invalid for them to answer that 5 children like chocolate.

A validation rule can be used to prevent this type of inconsistent response by checking that the current answer does not exceed the number of children previously reported.

Configuring the Validation Rule Message

Once the validation condition has been defined, configure the message that will be displayed when the validation fails.

Click the Message column to enter a custom error message and choose its display format. This message should clearly explain the issue and guide the interviewer or respondent to provide a valid response.

For example:

The number of children who like chocolate cannot exceed the total number of children. Please review your answer and try again.

This message will prompt if the answer would be greater than the answer of question 2 and will not allow continuing, as the validation rule says.

Step 4: Configuring the Validation strength (Hard or Soft).

Validation rule can be resulted in two outcomes: Hard or Soft. With hard warning user is warned and is unable to continue without changing their answer. With soft warning, user is warned, but still can continue to the next question without changing their answer.

Important Note: When adding a validation rule in an expression question do not use Answer(CurrQues) as the answer value is not yet available at the stage when the rule is executed due to the order of actions within an expression question execution.

URL Name

SurveyToGo-How-To-Add-Validation-Rules