How To Set Answers in Multi-Selection Questions

Overview

SurveyToGo provides multiple ways to programmatically select answers in survey questions.

When working with Multi-Selection questions, it is important to understand the difference between SetAnswer() and dblSetSpecificAnswer(), as they behave differently when modifying existing selections.

Using SetAnswer()

The SetAnswer() function is used to set one or more answers for a question.

Parameters

SetAnswer(questionIndex, answerIndexes)

• questionIndex – The target question.

• answerIndexes – One or more answer indexes to select.

Examples

Select answer 1 in Question 3:

SetAnswer(3, 1);

This works for both Single Choice and Multi-Selection questions.

Select answers 4, 6, and 8 in a Multi-Selection question:

SetAnswer(3, 4, 6, 8);

Important Behavior

Each time SetAnswer() is called, any existing selections are cleared before the new answers are applied.

For example:

SetAnswer(3, 4, 6, 8);

SetAnswer(3, 1);

You might expect Question 3 to contain:

1, 4, 6, 8

However, the actual result is:

1

This occurs because the second call resets all previous selections before applying answer 1.

Using dblSetSpecificAnswer()

When you need to add or remove individual selections without affecting existing answers, use dblSetSpecificAnswer().

Parameters

dblSetSpecificAnswer(questionIndex, answerIndex, isSelected)

• questionIndex – The target question.

• answerIndex – The answer to modify.

• isSelected – true to select the answer, false to deselect it.

Examples

Select answer 4 in Question 3:

dblSetSpecificAnswer(3, 4, true);

Deselect answer 4:

dblSetSpecificAnswer(3, 4, false);

Select answers 7 and 6:

dblSetSpecificAnswer(3, 7, true);

dblSetSpecificAnswer(3, 6, true);

Result:

6, 7

Any previously selected answers remain selected.

When to Use Each Function

Use SetAnswer()

Use SetAnswer() when you want to completely replace the current answer selection.

Examples:

• Setting default answers.

• Overwriting previous selections.

• Initializing a question with known values.

Use dblSetSpecificAnswer()

Use dblSetSpecificAnswer() when you want to modify individual selections while preserving existing answers.

Examples:

• Dynamically adding answers.

• Removing specific answers.

• Building selections incrementally during runtime.

• Updating answer selections without resetting the entire question.

Summary

• SetAnswer() replaces the entire answer set each time it is called.

• dblSetSpecificAnswer() adds or removes individual answers without affecting existing selections.

• For dynamic Multi-Selection logic, dblSetSpecificAnswer() is generally the preferred approach because it allows precise control over answer selection.