LimeSurvey Manual - User contributions [en]

Setting conditions

2024-02-27T00:58:00Z

Joeyh278:

<languages /> <translate>

__TOC__

=Overview of Conditions in LimeSurvey= 


LimeSurvey has a very powerful logical branching feature. It can be accessed by clicking on the '''Set conditions''' button - [[File:conditions_icon.png]] - located on each [[Question toolbar options|question bar]].


In this chapter we will describe:
* what conditions you can find in LimeSurvey
* what you can and can't do with conditions
* what steps you need to learn to set up simple or more complex conditions


For step-by-step video instructions check out [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oexr0z-eo9U this tutorial] or download the condition sample survey: [[Media:LimeSurvey_Survey_Setting_Conditions.zip|LimeSurvey_Survey_Setting_Conditions.zip]].


{{Hint|Text=The conditions functionalities work like a GUI for [[ExpressionScript - Presentation|the expressions and equations that can be applied to questions]], allowing the users to easily increase the complexity of their surveys without getting into expressions and relevance equations. However, [[ExpressionScript - Presentation|the ExpressionScript]] must be studied/known to increase the range of options that is available within LimeSurvey.}}

==Hide/Show Branching Versus Jump Branching== 


You can design logical branching with LimeSurvey, which means that you can decide that some questions will be displayed only if some conditions are met like "Show question X if the answer to question Y was Z".


Our approach is to implement a '''Hide/Show Branching Logic''':
* you can define a condition or a set of conditions on each question of your survey - if the condition is met, the question will be then displayed:


<center>[[File:simple-condition-on-yes-question.png]]</center>


<div class='simplebox'> [[File:help.png]] Simply put:
* a question without a condition defined on it will always be displayed;
* a question with a condition defined on it will not be displayed unless the condition is met.</div>


This approach is different from the '''Jump Branching Logic''' that is sometimes implemented by other software. In the '''Jump Branching Logic''', the resulting action of a met condition would be to jump to another question (that is to say hide all questions in between). '''LimeSurvey doesn't implement this Jump Branching Logic''' method. Instead, if you wish to jump a series of questions, you should simply set the same condition on all the questions you do not wish to be displayed. For example, if the jump condition you want to set on Question2 is "Jump to Question5 if the answer to Question1 is 'Yes'", you can simply:
*set a condition on questions 2, 3 and 4 to only display "if the answer to Question1 was '''NOT''' 'Yes'"


LimeSurvey makes setting the same condition on multiple questions (and thus implementing '''Jump Branching Logic''') easy by allowing you to "copy" a condition from one question to a series of others. In the above example, you would begin by setting the condition on Question2, then from the same screen, you would copy that condition to Question3 and Question4.


<div class='simplebox'> [[File:help.png]] To find out more details on how you can copy conditions within LimeSurvey, please continue reading the following [[Setting conditions#How to copy conditions|wiki section]].</div>

==Supported Types of Conditions== 


Basically, a condition can compare values, returning either true or false.


The values that can be compared are '''answers to previous questions'''. For instance, if you answer 'Yes' to Question1, Question2 will then be showed to the survey respondent:


<center>[[File:Questions_example_set_conditions_y.png]]</center>


<hr width="50%" style="margin:auto">


At this point, it is important to understand what is considered an eligible question-entry for the condition editor.


A '''question-entry''' is either:
* a simple question (for all question types apart from Array questions)
** for instance: text questions, radio or dropdown lists, and even multiple choices questions
* or a row in Array questions (except for Array dual scale and Array multiple flexible questions)
** for instance: array with 5 radio buttons or array with label questions
* or either the left part or the right part of an Array dual scale question
* or each cell of an Array flexible question


{{Note|Check out the following [[Question types|link]] to find out more about the available question types in LimeSurvey.}}


* '''constant values'''
** for instance: "If you answered more than 18 years to the question below"


<center>[[File:simple-condition-on-numerical-question.png]]</center>


* '''Participants' profile data:''' To use data from the survey participants table, "Anonymized responses" must be set to '''NO'''. This option can be found in survey [[Participant settings|participant settings]] panel.


<center>[[File:simple-condition-on-token.png]]</center>


<hr width="50%" style="margin:auto">


Several comparison operators are supported - from the simple "equals" to the advanced "regular expression":
* The basic ones refer to the "equal" and "not equal to" operations
* The ''greater/less than'' operator family is also available, and is usually used when using numeric question-entries
** Please note that comparisons on numeric fields make use of the numeric order. For instance, 2 < 10
** If you're using a question entry whose type is text, the condition could be evaluated as "2" > "10" (string order)!
** Numeric questions, as well as text questions (when they have the 'numbers_only' attribute set), will use the numeric order for comparisons
* An advanced comparison operator using regular expressions is also available (don't panic! If you don't know what this means, then you don't need it)
** the pattern is '''not''' to be enclosed in '/' characters
** for instance: '''[a-zA-Z]$'''

==How can I combine conditions?== 


You can '''build complex conditions''' by '''combining simple conditions''' with the '''AND '''and '''OR '''logical operators.


<center>[[File:simple-conditions-combination.png]]</center>


However, it is important to understand that '''LimeSurvey automatically determines which logical operator to apply'''. This means that the use of the '''OR '''or '''AND '''operators is determined '''according to the context''' of the condition. In the above example, there is only one scenario. This means that LimeSurvey makes use of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boolean_algebra Boolean algebra], which means that operator '''or''' is "computed" first.


We'll talk more about complex conditions [[Setting_conditions#The usage of scenarios - Using ORed conditions between different questions|later]]. Let's first focus together on the elementary ones.

=The conditions designer= 


First, you need to access the [[Question toolbar options#The question toolbar|conditions designer]]. To do that, click on the question you wish to apply the condition to:


<center>[[File:Question designer search question.png]]</center>


Now, look for the '''Set conditions''' button located on the top question bar:


<center>[[File:Question designer set conditions.png]]</center>


Once accessed, the following page will be displayed:


<center>[[File:Question designer top.png]]</center>


The conditions designer panel can be divided into three sections:
* [[Setting conditions#The conditions designer toolbar|The conditions designer toolbar]]
* [[Setting conditions#Overview of the existent conditions|The current existent question conditions]]
* [[Setting conditions#Add/Edit conditions|Add/edit condition menu]]

==The conditions designer toolbar== 


You may find on the toolbar the following options:


<center>[[File:Show conditions designer toolbar.png]]</center>


*'''Show conditions for this question''': Click on this button to get a quick overview of the current existent conditions that are applied to your question.


*'''Add and edit conditions''': It represents the default page that opens automatically once you click the '''Set conditions''' button. It is divided in two parts: (1) a table displaying all the existent conditions and scenarios, and (2) the [[Setting conditions#Add/Edit conditions|add/edit conditions menu]].


*'''Copy conditions''': Sometimes, you wish to apply the same condition to X questions in order to get questionY displayed at the end. For this, click on '''Copy conditions'''. A new window will open displaying the current existent conditions added to your question (let's call it question3). To add them to question5, check the desired conditions you wish to be copied, select question5, and click on the '''Copy conditions''' button located on the bottom left part of the panel. For further information, please continue reading the following [[Setting conditions#How to copy conditions|wiki section]].


*'''Save and close''': Once you are done with the changes, click '''Save and close''' to get your conditions saved.


*'''Move to question''': In order not to leave the conditions designer panel while moving to another question, use the following option to select from the dropdown list the next question you wish to apply conditions to. Please note that the dropdown list displays the questions that are displayed in the survey before and after the current question.


*'''Close''': If you wish to exit the panel without performing any changes, you can either go straight to the settings/structure tab and select the desired option or click '''Close''', which is located in the upper right of the screen.

==Overview of the existent conditions== 


This section displays a table that contains all the existent scenarios and conditions of a question. Certain actions can be performed from here:


<center>[[FIle:Show conditions for this questions pic.png]]</center>


*In the top right part, three actions are available:
**Quick-add conditions - it fastens the process of adding conditions (read [[Setting conditions#Add/Edit conditions|below]] to learn about all the options)
**Renumber scenarios - if clicked, the scenarios will be renumbered with incremental numbers beginning from one. Please note that this option is displayed only if two or more scenarios are applied to your question.
**Delete all conditions - you can delete via this action all the current existent conditions and scenarios applied to your question.


<center>[[FIle:Conditions designer quickadd and delete.png]]</center>


*Besides the id number of each scenario there are three buttons that allow you to perform the following actions:
**Delete scenario
**Change scenario number
**Add condition to this scenario - click on this button to add another condition to the desired scenario


<center>[[FIle:Conditions Designer table scenarios.png]]</center>


*Two actions can be performed on each condition:
**Delete condition
**Edit condition - if clicked, you will be able to edit the condition from the [[Setting conditions#Add/Edit conditions|conditions menu]]


<center>[[FIle:Conditions Designer table conditions.png]]</center>

==Add/Edit conditions== 


The bottom part of the screen is allocated to the Add/edit conditions menu:


<center>[[File:Add_edit_condition_q.png]]</center>


<div class='simplebox'> You can also edit the condition from the same location if you pressed before on the green pencil that corresponds to the question you wish to be edited (see the [[Setting conditions#Overview of the existent conditions|conditions and scenarios table]]).</div>


To understand how the conditions feature works in LimeSurvey, we will first present the elementary conditions.


<div class='simplebox'>[[File:help.png]] '''Note''': For the moment '''don't modify the default scenario''' ([[File:default_scenario.png]]) that is automatically selected in the condition addition form. It will be covered later within this [[Setting conditions#The usage of scenarios - Using ORed conditions between different questions|wiki section]].</div>

===Definition of elementary conditions=== 


An elementary condition is simply a single condition '''without any OR or AND''' logical operators.


It is composed by:
* a left operand: the ''tested value''. You can choose the ''tested value'' type by selecting the appropriate tab in the condition editor. It can either be a previous question or a [[Survey participants|survey participant]] attribute.


<center>[[File:edit-conditions-testedvalueTab.png]]</center>


If you select a question-entry (from the '''Previous questions''' tab) and if this question uses predefined answers, then the corresponding predefined answers are displayed under the '''Predefined''' tab of the comparison value selection.


<div class='simplebox'> [[File:help.png]] Note that in order to use the Token your survey must:
*not use [[Participant settings|anonymous answers]]
*use a [[Survey participants|survey participants table]] and [[Participant settings|closed access]].</div>


* a ''comparison operator''. Choose the ''comparison operator'' you want to apply from the dropdown list (''less than'', ''less than or equal to'', ''equals'', ''not equal to'', ''greater than or equal to'', ''greater than'', ''[[ExpressionScript - Presentation|regular expression]]'').


* a right operand: the ''comparison value''. You can choose the ''comparison value'' type by selecting the appropriate tab in the condition editor. When you create a condition, you can select as the comparison value a predefined value (answer), a constant, a question, a survey participant attribute, or a regular expression:


<center>[[File:edit-conditions-comparisonvalueTab.png]]</center>

===Example of elementary conditions and how to create them=== 


* Show Question 'AAMN' '''if''' "the answer to Question 'Gender' is the predefined answer 'Male'"
** ''tested value'' = answer to Question 'Gender'
** ''comparison operator'' = equals
** ''comparison value'' = predefined answer code (the 'Male' answer in this case)


<center>[[File:edit-simple-condition-predefanswer.png]]</center>


* Show Question 'Alcohol' '''if''' "the answer to Question 'Age' is greater or equal than the numerical value '18'"
** ''tested value'' = answer to Question 'Age'
** ''comparison operator'' = greater than or equal to
** ''comparison value'' = the constant value '18'


<center>[[File:edit-simple-condition-constant.png]]</center>


{{Alert|title=Attention|text=When using a constant 'comparison value' for a date question, regardless of the date format set in your survey, you must use the YYYY-MM-DD date format.}}


* Show Question 'Alcohol' '''if''' "the answer to Question 'BirthDate' is greater than 2000-01-01'''"
** ''tested value'' = answer to Question 'BirthDate'
** ''comparison operator'' = Greater than or equal to
** ''comparison value'' = '2000-01-01' (the format in the constant field: 2000-01-01)


<center>[[File:Date time example condition.png]]</center>


* Show Question 'Alcohol' '''if''' "the the 'DrinkingHistory' [[Survey participants|participant's attribute]]" matches the 'Yes' string.
** ''tested value''= the 'DrinkingHistory' value taken from the [[Survey participants#Manage attributes|survey participants table]]
** ''comparison operator'' = equals
** ''comparison value'' = the constant value 'Yes'


<center>[[File:edit-simple-condition-leftToken.png]]</center>

=Conditions and scenarios in LimeSurvey= 

==Default condition combinations== 


As said earlier, LimeSurvey automatically decides which logical operator (AND or OR) should be applied between conditions depending on the 'context'.


Note also that '''the order in which you define your elementary conditions is not relevant''' as LimeSurvey will automatically reorder them according to its own logic.


Let's study this in detail. Two rules should be always remembered:
* [[Setting conditions#First rule: conditions having the same tested value are ORed together|First rule]]: conditions having the same ''tested value'' are ORed together
* [[Setting conditions#Second rule: conditions having different tested value are ANDed together|Second rule]]: conditions having different tested value are ANDed together

===First rule: conditions having the same ''tested value'' are ORed together=== 


When you have several conditions, they are '''ORed''' together if they share the same '''tested value'''. This is the case if the condition applies to several answers belonging to one single question. For example, a condition was applied below to three answers belonging to the same question - if answer to Question 'FavColour' equals 'green' '''OR''' answer to Question 'FavColour' equals 'red' '''OR''' answer to Question 'FavColour' equals 'blue', then Question 'BirthDate' will be displayed to the survey respondent:


<center>[[File:edit-conditions-naturalOr-edit.png]]


[[File:edit-conditions-naturalOr-result.png]]</center>


<div class='simplebox'>[[File:help.png]] Note: To select multiple predefined answers, don't forget to hold the Shift or Ctrl key while selecting the '''tested values'''.</div>

===Second rule: conditions having different ''tested value'' are ANDed together=== 


When you have several conditions, they are '''ANDed''' together if they don't share the same '''tested values'''. For example, you may see below the case for several conditions based on different previous questions - "If answer to Question 'Alcohol' equals 'Y' answer '''AND''' answer to Question 'Gender' equals 'F'", then Question 'Alcoholconsumption' will be displayed to the survey respondent:


<center>[[File:edit-conditions-naturalAND-editA.png]]


[[File:edit-conditions-naturalAND-editB.png]] </center>


<center>[[File:edit-conditions-naturalAND-result.png]]</center>

===The multiple options questions=== 


<div class='simplebox'>[[File:help.png]] '''Note:''' This paragraph applies to ''Multiple options'' and ''Multiple options with comments'' questions, and not to ''Array Multiple Flexible (number) with checkbox layout'' questions (in case of the latter, each checkbox is a separate question-entry and is not really handled as other multiple options question-types).</div>


The ''Multiple choice'' and ''Multiple choice with comments'' question types will be displayed in two flavors:
* a ''Group of checkboxes'' flavor which let you set conditions on all possible answers of the respective question;
* a set of ''Single checkbox'' entries which lets you set conditions on each checkbox individually.


<center>[[File:edit-conditions-MultipleOptions1.png]]</center>

====The group of checkboxes flavour==== 


Now, let's focus on an example to better understand the difference between the two flavours. Let's imagine that we wish to display the 'Pointchoice' Question only if the respondent checks at least one of the ''tested answers'' listed under the 'MultipleOrganizations' Question.


As mentioned above, the group of checkboxes flavor allows you to set conditions on all possible answers of the respective question. Therefore, only the options that refer to responsibilities are selected as '''comparison values''' below:


<center>[[File:edit-conditions-MultipleOptionsOR.png]]</center>


As we can observe, the conditions get ORed due to the ''Group of checkboxes'' flavour selected in the beginning.:


<center>[[File:edit-conditions-MultipleOptionsOR-result.png]]</center>

====ANDing conditions in multiple choice questions==== 


Now, let's focus on a similar example. However, we are looking this time only for the most active members to ask them further questions. To do this, we make use of the '''Single checkbox''' flavour which allows you to set conditions based on each checkbox individually.


In this example, question X will be displayed if ''A'' and ''B'' are checked:


<center>[[File:edit-conditions-MultipleOptionsAND2.png]]</center>


<center>[[File:edit-conditions-MultipleOptionsAND3.png]]</center>


Once done, you can observe that the two conditions are ANDed now.


<center>[[File:edit-conditions-MultipleOptionsAND-result.png]]</center>


This means that your question will not be displayed unless both tested values (the selected subquestions) are met.

==The usage of scenarios - Using ORed conditions between different questions== 


Now, you may argue that sometimes you need to have '''ORed''' conditions even when they are set on different questions (that is to say on different '''tested values'''). This is why we got scenarios!

===Definition of a scenario=== 


A scenario is simply '''a manual grouping of conditions''' in which some conditions are evaluated independently of other conditions from other scenarios. The complex condition resulting in this association of several scenarios will be met only if one scenario is met. In other words, scenarios are '''logical grouping of conditions''', respecting the above [[Setting conditions#Default condition combinations|rules]], and '''which are ORed together''' to build complex conditions.


Everything described above applies to the conditions located in every scenario. By default, all the new conditions are created inside the ''Default Scenario'', which uses number '1' as its identifier. When you create new conditions, you can choose whether they are added to the default scenario or not. To change the scenario, just use another identifier.

===Adding a question to another scenario=== 


When you create (or edit) a condition, you can modify the scenario in which the condition is stored by simply clicking on the add scenario button:


<center>[[File:edit-conditions-EditorView-Scenario.png]]</center>


As you can observe, the default scenario uses as identifier '1'. To add conditions to different scenarios, change the identifier by typing a different number in the box.


The number id of a scenario has no importance and different scenarios can have non-continuous ids.


<center>[[File:Conditions test ids.png]]</center>


You can change the number assigned to a scenario by clicking this Icon [[File:scenario_edit.png]] and assigning the new id to the scenario.


<center>[[File:edit_scenario_conditions.png]]</center>


<div class='simplebox'> [[File:help.png]] '''Note:''' As said above, scenario numbers have no impact in the way conditions are evaluated. However, modifying the scenario numbers are needed in order to:
* decide in which order the scenarios are displayed when using the printable version of a survey
* merge conditions from two scenarios (in order to merge scenario 10 with scenario 1, just renumber scenario 10, so that it is scenario 1).</div>

===Example: creating three scenarios=== 


To create three scenarios, you need at least three conditions and to add to each of them a different scenario id. Once done, the scenarios are going to be connected among themselves via the 'OR' operator. For example, it could look like this:


<center>[[File:edit-conditions-EditorView-Scenario2.png]]</center>

== AND vs OR in the same scenario== 


You may end up in certain cases with AND and OR logical operators in the same scenario:


<center>[[File:And vs OR example.png]]</center>


LimeSurvey will always apply first OR. For further details on this, you may check the following Wikipedia article on [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boolean_algebra Boolean algebra].


However. the order of operations can also be observed in the Relevance equation field. For the above example, the relevance equation is highlighted below:


<center>[[File:AND vs OR relevance eq.png]]</center>


As it can be observed, a set of extra parentheses is added for the OR logical operations in order to let the software know that it must be "computed" first.


<div class='simplebox'> [[File:help.png]] '''Help:''' For more information on relevance equations, check the [[ExpressionScript - Presentation]] and [[QS:Relevance|relevance equation]] wiki sections. </div>

=How to copy conditions= 


The copy conditions functionality can be used when you wish to apply the same set of conditions you applied to Question5 to Question10. In this way, you will not have to manually recreate the conditions you applied to the previous question(s).


To start copying conditions, you first have to select the question the condition(s) is/are applied to (Question 'LowQ' in our case). Then, select the conditions you wish to be copied and select the question you wish to have the conditions added to (Question 'Alcohol' in our case).


<center>[[File:Copy conditions panel.png]]</center>


<div class='simplebox'>[[FIle:help.png]] '''Note:''' Conditions can only be set based on questions that appear before the question on which the condition is set.</div>


Please pay attention to how the copy conditions functions work when you wish to copy and apply a set of conditions located under different scenarios to another question which uses the same or different scenario id numbers. To summarise the possible cases you might have, check the following example:


* you wish to copy Scenario 1 - Condition A, Scenario 1- Condition B, Scenario 7 - Condition C, and Scenario 7 - Condition D from QuestionX into QuestionY
*QuestionY already contains Scenario 1 - Condition A, Scenario - Condition C, Scenario 6 - Condition E, Scenario 8- Condition F.
*Once copied, the following conditions will be applied to QuestionY:
**Scenario 1: Condition A, Condition B, Condition C -> '''Condition A is not copied anymore as it already exists in QuestionY, only condition B being copied.'''
**Scenario 6: Condition E -> not affected
**Scenario 7: Condition C, Condition D -> '''a new scenario is created where the two conditions are added to it'''
**Scenario 8: Condition F -> not affected

=Reset conditions= 


To quickly reset all the survey conditions, click on one survey-related setting, look for '''Tools''' on the top toolbar, and click '''Reset conditions:'''


<center>[[File:Reset_conditions_location.png]]</center>


Next, confirm on the next page that you want to proceed and all the conditions will be deleted.

=Things to watch out for= 

==General considerations== 


There are a few basic rules you should keep in mind before setting conditions on a question:
*Once a single condition has been set for a question, that question '''will not be displayed''' unless that condition is met.
*Conditions can only be set based on questions that appear '''before''' the question on which the condition is set.
*If you change the order of questions in your survey after you create conditions, LimeSurvey does not warn you if the changed order will break any of your conditions. You should always put aside the creation of conditions until you are satisfied with the order of questions and groups in your survey.
*You can modify conditions even after a survey has been activated. This should be done with caution, as there is no "consistency checking" applied here.

==Conditions using the 'no answer' predefined answer== 


<center>[[File:noanswer_conditions.png]]</center>


Setting the following condition "Show question 'FavColour' if the answer to the question 'Gender' is 'no answer'" really means "show question 'FavColour' if question 'Gender' was displayed to the survey participant who did not submit answer".


{{Hint|Text=To have the no answer option displayed as a predefined answer, the question cannot be [[QS:Mandatory|mandatory]].}}

==Chained conditions== 


If you set conditions on a question that, itself, has conditions, you could end up with your survey behaving in ways you might not have predicted. For example, a typical side-effect is that if you hide all questions in a group with chained conditions, the group header will still be shown unless you correct these conditions as explained below.


<center>[[File:chained_conditions1.png]]</center>


<center>[[File:chained_conditions2_bad.png]]</center>


In the above example, the 'Alcohol' question is displayed if the respondent has previously answered to the 'AAMN' question 'No (N)'. However, the 'AAMN' question might not be displayed at the end if the respondent did not select to the previous question ('Gender') answer 'Male (M)'. In this scenario, no 'Alcohol' question will be displayed if 'Male (M)' was chosen previously.


To have the 'Alcohol' question displayed, you have to copy the conditions from the earlier question(s) to the one you're editing. To have the 'Alcohol' question displayed, you need to set up the following set of conditions:
* Show 'AAMN' if the answer to 'Gender' is 'Male (M)'
* Show 'Alcohol' if answer to 'Gender' is 'Male (M)' '''and''' if answer to 'AAMN' is No (N)'.


After correction, the correct set of conditions for 'Alcohol' should look like this:


<center>[[File:chained_conditions2_good.png]]</center>


So if you are designing a complicated survey with a large number of conditions, make sure you test the survey for as many different combinations of results as you can think of.


<div class='simplebox'>[[File:help.png]] To find out more on how you can copy conditions in LimeSurvey, please scroll up or click here to continue reading the dedicates [[Setting_conditions#How_to_copy_conditions|wiki section]].</div>

==Limitations and workarounds== 

===Progress-bar=== 


If you create a survey where many questions get skipped because of conditions, the progress bar either jumps over a set of questions or the survey ends at 50%.


To avoid such behavior, the questions that could be skipped should be arranged between the shown questions. In this way, only one or two questions get skipped per answer.


For example, based on Question1 (yes or no question), 14 questions (2A to 15A) will be displayed if the answer to Question1 is 'Yes', or 2B to 15B if the answer to Question1 was 'No'.


If you arrange the questions in one group and arrange them like 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, and so on, you will get a nearly correct progress bar, while arranging the questions like 2A, 3A, 4A, [...], 2B, 3B, 4B, ... you will get a progress bar from 0 to 50% or from 50% to 100%, depending on the answer to the first question.

=== Setting a constant comparison value for a "Date" Question Type=== 


You have to use the internal representation of Date values (which is '''YYYY-MM-DD''') to define your constant comparison value.

=== Setting conditions for "Other" Options in the Multiple Options Question Type=== 


In the multiple options question type, you can use the "Other" provided in the question type as a valid choice but you cannot set conditions on it. For example, Question No 1 says "Which color do you prefer to use?" Answer checkbox choices are Blue, Black and Other. If the participant chooses Blue, you can set a condition. If the participant chooses Black, you can set a different condition. '''However, if the participant chooses "Other" and types in something in the text box, there is NO way a condition can be set.''' LimeSurvey does not recognize if the participant chose the "Other" condition. This is NOT a bug but a limitation.


There is no real field recorded for the 'other' checkbox for this question type. Thus, the only way to know if the user has answered the 'other' part of the question or not would be to check if the value of the text written in the other input field is empty or not.


However, due to the specific way Multiple choice questions are handled, testing the 'other' text input field has never been implemented.


As a workaround, add an explicit answer option called 'Other' and do not use the built-in 'other' option of these question types. Then add an additional short text question which will be displayed if this 'Other' checkbox was clicked.

===How to use parentheses for the boolean expressions?=== 


'''''You can't!'''''


If you want to design something like:


''(condition1 OR condition2)'' AND ''(condition3 OR condition4)'',


you'll have to set up:


''(condition1 AND condition3)'' OR


''(condition1 AND condition4)'' OR


''(condition2 AND condition3)'' OR


''(condition2 AND condition4)''
</translate>

Assessments

2024-02-27T00:52:50Z

Joeyh278:

<languages /> <translate>

__TOC__


<div class="simplebox">[[File:help.png]] '''Hint:''' You can create more sophisticated assessments and reports using the [[ExpressionScript - Presentation|ExpressionScript]]. It lets you access all variable types and easily generate tailored reports at any point in the survey (not only at the end). Using the new ''Equation'' question type, LimeSurvey can automatically save your assessment calculations and/or report to the database.</div>

=Introduction= 


LimeSurvey contains a feature that allows survey administrators to create survey "''assessments''" for survey participants - even for multilingual surveys. Assessments are rules which evaluate the responses to a survey immediately after it is submitted, displaying text blocks to the survey participant (based on that evaluation).


In order to use LimeSurvey's assessment feature, from the '''Survey menu''' click the '''Assessments''' tab.


<center>[[File:Assessments - location.png]]</center>


You can then ''activate'' the assessment mode.


<center>[[File:LS3 - enable assessments.png]]</center>


<div class="simplebox">[[File:help.png]] To create and edit assessments in the older versions of LimeSurvey (e.g., 2.x), access the survey settings and enable the assessment mode from the '''Notification & data management''' tab. Additional fields where you can introduce assessment values will be displayed when editing answers.</div>

=How Do Assessments Work?= 


The following is an example that will hopefully help you better understand how '''assessment mode''' is designed to work.


Imagine you have two questions in your survey, the first question asks if the user smokes: "Do you smoke?". The question has 3 possible answers, "Yes, more than 10 per day" with a value of "10", "Yes, but less than 10 per day" with a value of "5", and "No, I don't smoke at all" with an assessment value of "1".


The second question "Do you exercise?" has three possible answers: "Yes, I exercise for at least half an hour three times a week" with a value of "1", "Yes, I exercise occasionally " with a value of "5" and "No, I do not exercise" with an answer code/value of "10".


If we were to add the totals of the values for each possible answer at the end of the survey, we would get a good indication of the general health of the respondent. Someone who smokes and doesn't ever do any exercises will score 10 points for each answer, getting a total score of 20 when we add the two values. Someone who doesn't smoke and exercise will score 1 for each answer, obtaining, in the end, a total score of 2.


{{Box|A sample survey demonstrating the use of assessments is available for download. You can import this survey into your own LimeSurvey installation via the [[Surveys_-_introduction#Import_a_survey|import function]]: [[File:Limesurvey_sample_survey_Assessment.lss]].}}

=Assessments= 


Assessments page:


<center>[[File:Assessments panel 1.png]]</center>


To create new assessments rules complete the fields located below the '''Assessment rules''' table. The following options are available:


*'''Scope:''' You can choose either ''Total'' or ''Group''. The first will create an assessment based on the sum of all the submitted answers in the entire survey. The latter will create an assessment based on the sum of all the submitted answers from a question group;
*'''Group:''' The dropdown list allows you to choose the question group you wish to assess.


{{Box|If you selected ''Total'' before, then the '''Group''' field will not influence the assessment of the survey answers - important when the '''{PERC}''' placeholder is used.}}
*'''Minimum:''' The minimum score to which this assessment will apply.
*'''Maximum:''' The maximum score of answers to which this assessment will apply;


{{Box|Let's take again the example presented [[Assessments#How do assessments work|above]]. If a participant scored between 1 (minimum) and 10 (maximum), then the assessment feature would display a message telling the respondent that he or she has a good health condition. If he or she scored between 11 (minimum) and 20 (maximum), then the assessment feature would display on the last page a message related to the not-so-good health condition of the participant.}}
*'''Heading:''' The heading of the assessment that will appear if the assessment is going to be displayed;
*'''Message:''' The text message of the assessment - displayed at the end of the survey to the participants. You can use placeholders such as '''{PERC}''' and/or '''{TOTAL}''' to emphasize the scores of each survey question group or the total survey score. Click the green pencil button to access the HTML-editor and enhance the final message of the assessment by adding colours, tables, images, etc.


You can create as many assessments as you like, and you can create more than one assessment to display for a given score.


After adding some assessments, the possible assessments actions will be displayed under the '''Actions''' column in the '''Assessments rules''' table. From there, you can either edit or delete an assessment rule:


<center>[[File:Assessments panel 2.png]]</center>


<div class="simplebox">[[File:help.png]] It is important to note that if you use assessments, you must ensure that you have not enabled the '''autoload the URL''' option. If it is enabled, no end page with the text of the assessment rule will be displayed anymore and LimeSurvey will automatically load the URL field from the [[Presentation]]. You can disable it from the same tab.</div>

==How Question Types Are Evaluated== 


There are certain [[question types]] which can not be assessed or have to be assessed in a special way. Some of the questions cannot be used with the assessment feature. However, they can be replaced with question types that can be used with this feature. For example, a 5-point choice question can be replaced with a simple list (radio) question type.


The following question types '''can always be assessed''':
*Array dual scale
*Array
*Array by column
*List (Dropdown)
*List (Radio)
*List with comment
*Multiple options
*Multiple options with comments


<hr width="50%" style="margin:auto">


The following list contains question types that '''cannot be assessed''':
* 5 point choice
* Array (5 point choice)
* Array (10 point choice)
* Array (Increase, Same, Decrease)
* Array (Text)
* Array (Yes/No/Uncertain)
* Array (Numbers)
* Text display
* Date
* Gender
* Huge free text
* Language switch
* Long free text
* Multiple numerical input
* Numerical input
* Ranking
* Short free text
* Yes/No

==Set Assessment Values For Each Answer/Label== 


If enabled, the assessment mode will add an additional field between the answer code and answer option name for all the questions to be assessed.


<center>[[File:Assesment_value_set.png]]</center>


You can also use label sets as answers options for your set of questions. Just click the '''Predefined label sets...''' button located under the answers matrix and select your predefined label set.


If you decide to use label sets, assessment values can be added to all your labels from the moment they are first created. This allows the survey administrator to quickly use predefined label sets with assessment values as answers for multiple sets of questions.


<center>[[File:Labels table.png]]</center>


This process is less time-consuming and more practical. You can create a plan in the early stages of your survey to use only one set of label sets with predefined assessment values for multiple questions. This way, you will not have to manually add assessment values to all the answers of the questions used in your survey to be assessed.


{{Note|To find out more about the label sets and their usage, read the following [[Label sets|wiki section]].}}

==Assessment Placeholders== 


When using assessments the following placeholders are available:
* '''{PERC}''': Displays the score of a question group. '''It can be used only in the message field of the assessment rule!'''
* '''{TOTAL}''': Displays the total score. '''It can be used only in the message field of the assessment rule!'''
* '''{ASSESSMENT_CURRENT_TOTAL}''': This placeholder can be used within a survey to display the current total score. Keep in mind that the score is only updated when the respondent clicks the "Next" button. Therefore, it is useless in an ''all-in-one'' survey. Also, its use requires the existence of at least one assessment rule. Otherwise, the placeholder will not display any value.


If your survey is '''not''' anonymous, the following placeholders are available.
* '''{TOKEN:EMAIL}''': Displays the email of the respondent from the survey participants table
* '''{TOKEN:FIRSTNAME}''': Displays the first name of the respondent from the survey participants table
* '''{TOKEN:LASTNAME}''': Displays the last name of the respondent from the survey participants table
* '''{TOKEN}''': Displays the token code of the respondent from the survey participants table

=Tips & Tricks= 

== Save Assessment Value in Data == 


To save assessment value in data and have it in an export : you can create a [[Question_type_-_Equation]] and put '''{ASSESSMENT_CURRENT_TOTAL}''' in the equation setting.

== Use {ASSESSMENT_CURRENT_TOTAL} Without Assessment Message == 


If you choose not to add an assessment message, then no assessment message is shown.

=How to Disable the Assessment Mode= 


To deactivate assessment mode, go to the '''Survey menu''' and click the '''Data management''' tab. The '''Notification and data management''' panel will be displayed. Click the '''Enable assessment mode''' option and disabled it for the respective survey.


<center>[[File:Disable assessment mode - picture.png]]</center>

=Examples= 

==How To Use the Assessment Mode== 


Let's recreate the [[Assessments#How do assessments work|example presented above]] to better understand the steps you have to pursue in order to correctly use the assessment feature.


{{Note|If you are unsure of how to create a survey, refer to the [[Quick start guide#Create a survey|quick start guide.]]}}


1) [[Surveys_-_introduction#Create_a_new_survey|Create the survey]]


2) [[Assessments#Introduction|Activate the assessments]]. Go to the settings menu of the survey and click the '''Assessments''' tab. Once there, activate the feature:


<center>[[File:LS3 - enable assessments.png]]</center>


3) [[Question_groups_-_introduction|Create a question group]] and [[Questions - introduction|start adding the questions]]. Your survey structure should look like this:


<center>[[File:Example assessment - question group.png]]</center>


{{Alert|title=Attention|text=Do not forget to check whether the questions are the types that can be assessed! Otherwise, no assessment value field will be displayed in the edit answer options panel.}}


4) [[Adding_answers_or_subquestions|Add answers]] for each question created above. While adding/editing the answers, complete also the assessment value field for each answer:


<center>[[File:Example assessment - edit answers.png]]</center>


5) Now that you know the assessment values, access the '''Assessments''' panel and start [[Assessments#Assessments|adding assessment rules]]. Two rules were created for this example:


<center>[[File:Assessments_example_-_assessment_rules.png]]</center>


The text message of the first assessment rule (''You should start exercising!'') will be displayed if the respondent scores between 1 and 10 points. The text message of the second assessment rule (''Well, that's what I call being healthy!'') will be shown if the respondent scores between 11 and 21 points.


6) Now, preview the survey and see if the assessment mode is active. At the end of the survey, a text message will be displayed based on the score obtained by the respondent.


<div class="simplebox">[[File:help.png]] '''Note:''' The score is not displayed in this example! If you would like to have it displayed in your assessment, create more assessment rules (for each possible scenario) or use assessment placeholders.</div>


<center>[[File:Assessment results.png]]</center>

==How To Use the Assessment Placeholders== 


As mentioned in [[Assessments#Assessment placeholders|the previous subsection]], three assessment-related placeholders can be used: '''{PERC}''', '''{TOTAL}''', and '''{ASSESSMENT_CURRENT_TOTAL}'''.


In the previous example, the following result was obtained: ''"Well, that's what I call being healthy!"''. However, no score was displayed.


There are different ways to have the score displayed. You can either create 6 assessment rules to emphasize each possible score/result or use assessment placeholders. The below example explains the latter option.


[[Assessments#Assessment placeholders|As mentioned above]], '''{PERC}''' and '''{TOTAL}''' can be used in the message text box of the assessment rule to emphasize the score of the current group and the total score, respectively. Let's take a look at the following two screenshots to understand their usage.


<center>[[File:Example perc - assessments - part 1.png]]</center>


In the first screenshot, {PERC} and {TOTAL} were added into the message text box of the assessment rule.


<center>[[File:Example perc - assessments - part 2.png]]</center>


In the second screenshot, you can see how the assessment rule looks to correctly use both placeholders. Because '''{PERC}''' is used, the '''scope''' of the assessment rule must be switched from ''Total'' to ''Group'' to correctly display the score of the question group selected from the '''Question group''' dropdown list:


<center>[[File:Example assessment - right question group.png]]</center>


After completing the survey and depending on their answers, the participants should receive the following assessment message at the end:


<center>[[File:Assessment results - perc and total.png]]</center>


<hr width="50%" style="margin:auto">


'''{ASSESSMENT_CURRENT_TOTAL}''' can be used only inside a survey. You can use it after each question or question group from a quiz. This way you could show each participant his or her current quiz/survey score. To use it, you could add, for example, at the beginning of every question or question group a message like: "You have accumulated till now '''{ASSESSMENT_CURRENT_TOTAL}''' points".


<div class="simplebox">[[File:help.png]] '''Hint:''' Check the [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5OOzDoPjIU following YouTube video] to see other situations where you can use placeholders.</div>

=Video tutorial= 


To understand the basics of the LimeSurvey assessments feature, watch the following [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeb93vAe7R4 video].

</translate>

Label sets

2024-02-26T04:14:47Z

Joeyh278:

<languages />
<translate>

__TOC__

=General= 


Label sets are list templates where each list has a set of codes with labels and can be used in most question types either as answers or as subquestions. Please bear in mind that LimeSurvey's label sets are merely copied to the particular question as subquestions or answers. Therefore, if you change a label set after you have 'used' it in a questionnaire, the changes will not propagate to the questions from the questionnaire where the respective label set is utilized.

This new usage of label sets gives much more flexibility for future development and makes the structure of a question more logical.


{{Alert|title=Attention|text=A label set must contain the same base language as the survey, or you will not be able to use it for any question of your survey.}}


Below is a label set example to help you better grasp the concept. [[Label sets#Label sets - how to...|Click here]] if you want to go straight to the label set management functions of LimeSurvey.


If you want to define a custom 7-point scale, a label set provides this function. In the example below, a very simple custom label set with the code/label pairs ('''the label is what appears in the actual questions''').


{|class=wikitable
|'''Code'''||'''Label'''
|-
|1||Not useful at all
|-
|2||2
|-
|3||3
|-
|4||Somewhat useful
|-
|5||5
|-
|6||6
|-
|7||Very useful
|}


Below is a graphical example where three different smileys are used instead of label text:


<center>[[File:3xSmiley-Question.gif]]</center>

=Label sets - how to...= 


Click '''Manage label sets''' in the '''Configuration''' menu to edit, create, delete, import, and/or export label sets.


<center>[[File:labels.png]]</center>

==...create or import new label set(s)== 


Click the '''Create or import new label set(s)''' button located in the upper-left corner of the page. You can either create a new label set or import it from [https://www.limesurvey.org/index.php/downloads/category/19-templates another source]:


*'''New label set:''' Label sets must be manually created.
**'''Set Name:''' Each new label set has to be given a name.
**'''Languages:''' Every label set must be specified for the language it's used for. You can choose as many languages from the menu as you want.


*'''Import label set(s):''' In order to import a label set, click browse and add the '''.lsl''' label set file. If you have previously created a label set, then LimeSurvey will not allow you import a similar external label set unless you turn off the ''Don't import if label set already exists'' option. '''Some useful label sets are available on the [https://www.limesurvey.org/index.php/downloads/category/19-templates LimeSurvey website]'''.


Once the label has been imported or created, click the Save button located in the right-upper part of the screen.


<center>[[File:Save_Close.jpg]]</center>


{{Note|If you import a whole survey, the label sets are imported too (with the questions). Duplicated label sets are ignored.}}

==...edit, delete, or export a label set== 


Each label set located in the '''Label sets''' list has a corresponding menu that contains the following four options:


<center>[[File:Edit menu labels.png|150px]]</center>


*'''View labels:''' Allows the user to view the existing labels located in the respective label set.
*'''Edit label set:''' The user can rename the label set and/or add/remove languages.
*'''Export label set:''' Export label set to a .lsl file.
*'''Delete label set:''' A window will pop up in order to confirm whether you want to delete the respective label set or not.

=Labels - how to...= 

==...add a label== 


You must fill in a label code, an assessment value, and a label description.


<center>[[File:Labels table.png]]</center>


Then, click the plus sign [[File:Add label.png]] to add the new label. It's possible to use a graphic instead of (or in addition to) a label text. To do that, you must use HTML-code to include the graphic you want, e.g.:


<syntaxhighlight lang="html4strict">
<img border="0" src="http://www.yourdomain.at/pics/pic.gif">
</syntaxhighlight>


{{Note|Read also our wiki on [[Assessments|assessments]]. The column is ignored if you set all the values to 0.}}


To help with the editing process of the HTML-code, use the embedded HTML editor of LimeSurvey, which is located at the end of the label-text box (click on the green pen button ->[[File: HTML editor.png|0.85px]]).


<center>[[File:Labels HTML editor.png]]</center>


{{Note|For a short introduction on the HTML editor utilized by LimeSurvey, check [[First_login_-_your_user_preferences#Your_account_preferences#Your_personal_settings#HTML_editor_mode|the following page]].}}

===Quick add=== 


Another way to add labels is to use the '''Quick add...''' button. When you click it, a window be displayed. It works under the following form: '''Code ; Title'''.


<center>[[File:QuickAddCodeLabel.png|0.8px]]</center>


You can either replace or add labels. If you click '''Replace''', all the preexisting labels will be deleted and replaced by the ones entered by you. If you click '''Add''', the new labels will be added into the label set (the preexisting ones not being affected).


<center>[[File:QuickAddResultsCodeandTitle.png|0.8px]]</center>


The '''Code''' is automatically added if new entrances are created. Therefore, you can type in only the title of the labels which will automatically be assigned a code:


<center>[[File:QuickAddLabel.png|0.8px]]</center>


<center>[[File:QuickAddLabelResults.png|0.8px]]</center>


The ''assessment values'' cannot be edited/entered via this option - it has to be changed manually from the list of labels.


{{Alert|title=Attention|text=If you wish to translate labels by using the '''Quick add...''' function, you need to add the translation on the same line(s) and be separated by a semicolon.}}

==...delete a label== 


To delete a label, click the red trash button ([[File:Delete label.png|0.85px]]) located under the 'Action' column.

==...rearrange a label== 


To rearrange the order of the labels, click the green sign ([[File:Reorder labels.png|0.85px]]) located under the column called 'Position' and re-position the label.

==...add a new language== 


To add a new language: '''Create or import new label set(s)''' -> '''Languages''' -> select the languages you wish to add.


To start translating the labels into another language, select the language in which you would like to translate the labels to from the upper part of the matrix.


[[File:Labels switch language.png]]


[[File:Labels 4lang ro.png]]


Every label needs a code, an assessment value, and a description (as mentioned above). While the label description can be edited for all language options, label codes and assessment values can be edited only from the first language option that is located on the languages toolbar of the matrix. The order of the languages is alphabetical and cannot be changed.


In our case, the language from where the label codes and assessment values can be changed is English. Only the label description can be edited when the Romanian tab is selected - which represents the corresponding Romanian label translation of the English label.


Once you are done with the changes, do not forget to click on the 'Save changes' button located in the upper-right part of the screen.


[[File:Save_changes_close.png]]

=Examples= 


{{Box|''Before reading further, take a look at our [[Surveys - introduction|wiki on how to create surveys]] since it is already assumed in the examples from below that you have already created your survey.''}}


For a better understanding of the label sets option, let's take a look at the following examples:
*[[Label_sets#I_want_to_use_a_label_set_as_an_answer_list_for_one_question| I want to use a label set as an answer list for one question]];
*[[Label sets#I want to use labels in another language as answers|I want to use labels in another language as answers]];
*[[Label sets#I want to use emoticons instead of label text|I want to use emoticons instead of label text]];
*[[Label sets#I want to import a label set and use it as a subquestion list|I want to import a label set and use it as a subquestion list]].


{{Box|The screenshots used below are from LimeSurvey 3.0, the interface being slightly different from the last LimeSurvey 2.xx release.}}

==I want to use a label set as an answer list for one question== 


<div class='simplebox'>[[File:help.png]] All the label sets that are displayed under '''Configuration''' -> '''Label sets''' are called ''predefined label sets''. They can be used either as subquestions or as answers.</div>


'''Assuming that the [[Label sets#General|label set]] and [[Surveys - introduction|survey]] are created:'''
*Go to the structure of the survey and create a [[Creating a question group|question group]] - ''About LimeSurvey''.


<center>[[File:CreateQuestionGroup.png]]</center>


*Click the Structure tab and then on the newly created question group (''About LimeSurvey'' in our case). Look for group quick actions and choose '''Add new question to group''':


<center>[[File:AddNewQuestiontoGroup.png]]</center>


*Type in the code and text of the question.
*To use a label set as a set of answers, pick the right type of question that can make use of label sets. The ''array'' question type is selected in our example:


<center>[[File:ArrayQuestionTypeLabelSets.png]]</center>


*Save the question to add it into your question group.
*Once created, you will have to add subquestions and answers:


<center>[[File:EditSubquestionsandAnswerOptions.png]]</center>


<div class='simplebox'>[[File:help.png]] Please note that not all question types ask for subquestions and/or answers!</div>


*Add at least one subquestion:


<center>[[File:ArraySubquestions.png]]</center>


*Add answer options. '''Predefined label sets...''' option will be used:


<center>[[File:EditAnswerOptions.png]]</center>


*Select the label set you want to use:


<center>[[File:AvailableLabelSetsEnglish.png|0.7px]]</center>


The result should look like this:


<center>[[File:EditAnswerOptionsResults.png]]</center>


*Save & preview the question:


<center>[[File:LabelSetsFinal.png]]</center>

==I want to use labels in another language as answers== 


{{Box|Before reading this example:
#Create a label set and select the other languages you would like to use in your survey. For further details, read our wiki on [[Label sets#...add a new language|how to translate a label set in other languages.]]
#Edit your survey ('''Settings''' -> '''General Settings''') by adding the additional languages you want to translate to. For more details on how to create a survey, read [[Surveys - introduction|the following wiki]].}}
'''Assuming that the [[Label sets#General|label set]] and [[Surveys - introduction|survey]] are created:'''
*Create a question that can make use of label sets (e.g. ''array'' question type):
{{Alert|title=Attention|text=Do not forget to select the language you want to translate to from the languages toolbar!}}
*Because the ''array'' question type is selected, both the subquestions and answers need to be translated.


<center>[[File:EditSubquestionsandAnswerOptions.png]]</center>


*Translate the subquestions. Do not forget to select the right language tab for translation:


<center>[[File:ExampleAddLanguageSubquestions.png]]</center>


*Translate the answers. However, because we use predefined label sets, select the right language tab to add the translated label set as answer options:


<center>[[File:AvailableLabelSetsRomanian.png]]</center>


<center>[[File:ExampleEditAnswerOptionsRomanian.png]]</center>


*Save & Preview the survey:


<center>[[File:PreviewAddRomanianLabels.png]]</center>

==I want to use emoticons instead of label text== 


{{Box|To use emoticons (or any other graphics) , you have to use the embedded HTML editor when creating labels.}}
'''Assuming that the [[Surveys - introduction|survey]] is created:'''
*[[Label sets#...add a label|Create a label set and access it]]. Instead of writing in the ''Title'' column, open the HTML editor by clicking on the green pen and add graphics instead of text:


<center>[[File:GreenPenButtonHTMLLabels.png]]</center>


<center>[[File:InlineMode1.PNG]]</center>


The HTML editor offers you a more comprehensive view on how different options can be used to enhance your survey. It is not necessary to have HTML knowledge because the toolbar is self-explaining (for further details you can either hover the mouse over the options or click on that option for more details). By using such an editor, you can also add (for example) smileys, images and/or videos that are either hosted online or on your server.
In this example. three smileys have been added:


<center>[[File:SmileysLabelsExample.png]]</center>


*Create a question that can make use of label sets as predefined answers (e.g. ''array'' question type):


<center>[[File:New Question Label Sets Emoticons.png]]</center>


*Edit the subquestions and the answer options


<center>[[File:EditSubquestionsandAnswerOptions.png]]</center>


*Set predefined labels as answer options.


<center>[[File:SmileysLabelsExample.png|SmileysLabelsExample.png]]</center>


*Save and preview the question:


<center>[[File:Preview Label Set Emoticons.png]]</center>

==I want to import a label set and use it as a subquestion list== 


'''Assuming that the [[Surveys - introduction|survey]] is created:'''
{{Box|''Optional'': Access [https://www.limesurvey.org/index.php/downloads/category/19-templates '''LimeSurvey templates database'''] and download the one you wish to use - .lsl file format (''Australian states'' in our example).}}
*Go to '''Configuration''' and click '''Manage label sets''' button.
*Click '''Create or import new label set(s)''' (in the upper-left side of the screen) -> '''Import label set(s)'''. '''Browse''' your computer and select the .lsl file (the label set format).
<center>[[File:ImportaNewLabel.png]]</center>
* Now that the label set was uploaded, create a question that requires the usage of subquestions (''array'' question types).
* Edit subquestions.
<center>[[File:EditSubquestionsandAnswerOptions.png]]</center>
* Load the imported label set:
<center>[[File:Australia Code Label.png]]</center>
<center>[[File:Australia Label Set.png]]</center>
* Save and preview.
<center>[[File:Australia Save and Preview.png]]</center>

</translate>

Questions - introduction

2024-02-26T03:58:48Z

Joeyh278: make sentence clearer

<languages /> <translate>


__TOC__


{{Alert|title=Attention|text=Please note that the explanations and screenshots from this wiki section are based on LimeSurvey 3.}}

=Introduction= 


Once you have [[Question groups - introduction#create a question group|created your question groups]], you can start adding questions within each group. There are multiple ways through which you can do that. Two solutions are presented below:


* You may add questions from the [[Survey structure|survey structure menu]];


<center>[[File:Survey structure - add new question.png]]</center>


* Access a question group and look for the ''add question'' quick action button;


<center>[[File:Question group - add a new question.png]]</center>

=Field descriptions= 


When adding a question, you will be asked about the '''question code''', '''question''' and '''help''' texts, and the general question options:


<center>[[File:Add a question - 1.png]]</center>


*'''Question code:''' It represents the ID, number or code for the question that is used for quick identification. This field is normally not displayed to people taking the survey unless specified in the [[Presentation]] panel - '''Show question number and/or code'''. It is especially useful if you wish to use the [[Assessments|LimeSurvey assessments feature]] and/or the [[ExpressionScript - Presentation|ExpressionScript]].


<div class="simplebox">[[File:help.png]] '''Note:''' The question '''code''' must be unique across the same survey, must start with a letter, and can only contain alphanumeric characters. If you ever try to export your data to SPSS or R, you will discover that the "qcode" becomes the value label, so you have to make the code unique. For the time being, LimeSurvey will support legacy code values, but the [[Show logic file|Show logic file]] button will color-code such questions so that you know you should change their names.</div>
*'''Question:''' This is the actual question being asked. There is no real limit to the length of the question here, however if you want to explain how to fill out the question, leave that for the "Help" field. HTML-code can be used, e.g., for including images:


<syntaxhighlight lang="html" enclose="pre">
<img src="http://www.yourdomain.com/yourpics/pic.jpg">
</syntaxhighlight>


<div class="simplebox">[[File:help.png]] '''Hint:''' You can also use the HTML WYSIWYG editor, which offers a GUI to perform the most important tasks such as using different fonts or sizes, including images, etc. To find out more about it, read the following [[First_login_-_your_user_preferences#HTML_editor_mode|wiki section]].</div>


*'''Help:''' This is an optional field. It is useful if a question needs some explanation or you want to explain how it should be answered. When you put text in this field, a "question mark" icon appears on the survey entry screens with the help text right beside it.


<div class="simplebox">[[File:help.png]] '''Note:''' The '''General options''' tab is accessed by default when you wish to add/edit a question (on the right side of the panel). The most important attributes can be found here such as the question type, question theme, as well as the mandatory attribute. However, you can edit your question further by making use of all the other attributes located under the rest of the tabs (see the below screenshot). To find out more about the multitude ways of designing questions in LimeSurvey, please continue reading the following [[Question types|wiki section]].</div>


<center>[[File:Add question - 2.png]]</center>

=General options= 


Different tabs are displayed on the right part of the screen. The most basic and important one is the '''General options''' tab. The following question settings can be changed from here:


*'''Question type:''' This determines the type of response the survey allows. View the [[Question types|question types]] section for a description on the various available options.
*'''Question group''': To change the question group of a question, select from the dropdown list the desired group.
*'''Validation:''' This feature is available in all text- and numeric- type questions. You can use standard [[Using regular expressions|regular expressions]] in this field to validate the responses to the question, and if the responses don't validate against this expression, the user will be prompted to try again before he or she can progress further.


*'''Other?:''' This option can be used only with certain question types. If enabled, the question will include as a possible answer an extra "other" option/answer box, which can be selected by the survey participant if he or she is not satisfied with the predefined answer options.
*'''Mandatory?:''' This setting allows you to require survey participants to answer all the mandatory questions before they can move on to the next question. Note that for ranking question, all items have to be ranked.


*'''Condition''': This is the ExpressionScript equation that specifies the question conditions. If it evaluates to true (1), the question will be displayed to the survey participant; otherwise it is hidden and since it is irrelevant, data for that question is NULLed in the database. Details about how to use this option can be found in the [[ExpressionScript - Presentation|ExpressionScript]] wiki section.


*'''Encrypted''': This setting is only available for some question types and determines if the saved response data is encrypted in the database. This gives an additional layer of security if your database gets hacked. However, it has some minor drawbacks, as you will not be able to search for partial texts in the response view and encrypting/decrypting also requires additional server resources.


*'''Save as default values''': This setting allows you to save the settings of the current question type as default settings for new questions. If you set it to 'On', it will save the default values, then automatically reset to 'Off' after you saved.


*'''Clear default values''': With this setting, you can reset any default values saved by the function 'Save as default values' and revert to system default values. If you set it to 'On', it will reset the default values, then automatically reset to 'Off' after you saves.


<div class="simplebox">[[File:help.png]] '''Note:''' As it can be observed in the above screenshot, many other options can be used besides the general options tab to customize your question. These more advanced question settings are different for each question type! Therefore, please consult the documentation for your particular [[Question types|question type]].</div>

=Importing a question= 


The following steps demonstrate how to import a question into a survey.


(1) From within a survey, click the '''Structure''' tab.


(2) From the ''Create question'' page, click '''Import a question''' at the top of the page.


[[File:ImportQuestion.png]]


The ''Import a question'' options will be displayed.


<center>[[File:Import a question 2.png]]</center>


(3) Click '''Browse''' and select the .lsq file (which is the LimeSurvey question-type format).


(4) Select the '''Destination question group''' that you want to add the imported question into.


(5) Choose whether or not you would like to '''Automatically rename the question code if it already exits'''. If the question code already exists, enable this option to use another question code. You can also have two questions that use the same question code. However, some issues might appear if you use more complex LimeSurvey options such as the [[ExpressionScript - Presentation|ExpressionScript]] or when you work with the exported data in R or SPSS (qcode becoming a value label).


<div class="simplebox">[[File:help.png]] '''Hint:''' To check if the question codes are unique across your survey, use the [[Show logic file]] LimeSurvey function to highlight the similar question codes.</div>


(6) Choose whether or not to '''Convert resource links'''. This option is usually used together with the [[ExpressionScript - Presentation|ExpressionScript]] to create advanced question types. If you use them together, complex branching, assessments, validation, and/or tailoring can be done.


(7) Click '''Import''' located on the upper right part of the screen.


The ''Question import summary'' will be displayed.


<center>[[File:Import a question 3.png]]</center>

=Information from survey participants table= 


<div class="simplebox">[[File:help.png]] Please note that the token tables are called now survey participants tables.</div>


You can insert information or text from the survey participants table into your question so that it can show context related information. For LimeSurvey to do this, the survey needs to be set as [[Participant settings#Participant settings panel|not anonymous]] (i.e: tracked) and it needs to have a [[Survey participants|survey participants table]] created.


The following placeholders can be used within a question:


{|
|{TOKEN:FIRSTNAME}||inserts the value from the "firstname" field located in the survey participants table
|-
|{TOKEN:LASTNAME}||inserts the value from the "lastname" field located in the survey participants table
|-
|{TOKEN:EMAIL}||inserts the value from the "email" field located in the survey participants table
|-
|{TOKEN:ATTRIBUTE_1}||inserts the value from the "attribute_1" field located in the survey participants table
|-
|{TOKEN:ATTRIBUTE_2}||inserts the value from the "attribute_2" field located in the survey participants table
|}


To use any of the placeholders from above, you must type it/them as written above in the question field text. For example:


''Hello {TOKEN:FIRSTNAME}. We sent an email to you using this address {TOKEN:EMAIL}.''


<syntaxhighlight lang="php" enclose="pre">


If you wish to further customize your questions, use the [[ExpressionScript - Presentation|ExpressionScript]]. For example, if you wish to make use of the tailoring technique, type in:


<syntaxhighlight lang="php">What do you as a {TOKEN:ATTRIBUTE_1} think about your {if(TOKEN:ATTRIBUTE_1=='worker','bosses','workers')}?</syntaxhighlight>


<hr width="50%" style="margin:auto">


You may also use JavaScript to achieve further question customization. First, you have to allow JavaScript to be used when setting up questions. This can be achieved by deactivating the XSS filter from the [[Global settings|global settings]] of your LimeSurvey installation. However, deactivating this option is not always a good idea - read the following [[Optional settings|wiki section]] for further information. Question tailoring via JavaScript:


<syntaxhighlight lang="php">Hello {TOKEN:FIRSTNAME}. We sent an email to you using this address {TOKEN:EMAIL}. Is this correct?
What do you as a {TOKEN:ATTRIBUTE_1} think about your
<script type="text/javascript" language="Javascript">;
var job='{TOKEN:ATTRIBUTE_1}';
if (job=='worker') {
document.write ('bosses')
} else {
document.write('workers')
}
</script>
?
</syntaxhighlight>

=Information from previous answers= 


LimeSurvey allows survey administrators to insert an answer(s) from the previous question(s) into the text of a question:
*You can refer to answers on the same page and even dynamically update tailored messages as responses change on the page.
*You can use question code naming - for more details, see the [[ExpressionScript - Presentation|ExpressionScript]] documentation.


A wizard has been integrated in the WYSIWYG HTML editor (FCKeditor), so that you can easily insert previous question/answer codes. This plugin is called ''LimeReplacementFields''.


In order to use this feature in the FCKeditor:


(1) Click the "lime between brackets" icon.


(2) Select a question from the select box.


<center>[[File:Editor_replacementfields_button.png]]</center>


Only answers from previous pages are displayed.


<div class="simplebox">[[File:help.png]] '''LimeReplacementFields notice:''' When you want to delete a reference to a {name} tag, please select all characters from the opening bracket to the closing bracket and press delete: DO NOT erase it character by character with the delete or backspace key, otherwise the field will appear again.</div>

=Styling questions= 


It is possible to edit the question layout/design with CSS using [[Theme editor|the theme editor]].

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Manage user groups

2024-02-25T17:06:08Z

Joeyh278: remove extra period

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=General= 


The ''User groups'' functionality was added so that group administration users could be put into individual groups. '''However, this option is limited in functionality at the moment'''. There are no real permissions bound to a group. Groups serve more as a macro or textual convenience to work with groups of administration users.

=User group management= 


If you click the '''Create/edit user groups''' button located in the '''Configuration''' dialog, you will be taken to the '''user group''' management page.


<center>[[File:usergroup.png]]</center>


<center>[[File:UserGroupsListEmpty.png]]</center>

==Create user groups== 


To add a user group, click the '''Add new user group''' button located on the upper-left corner of the window. Type in the name and the description of the user group and click '''Save''':


<center>[[File:AddNewUserGroup.png]]</center>


Now, you can add users to the newly created user group by selecting the desired user from the dropdown list and clicking the '''Add user''' button.


<center>[[File:Adduserstoausergroup.png|0.75px]]</center>


{{Hint|Text=You can see in the example below that the owner/creator of the user group is automatically added to his/her own user group..}}


<center>[[File:UserGroupMembersList.png]]</center>


Click '''Close''' (upper-right part of the window) to go back to the user groups list. You can observe the newly added group in the list. The following details are provided in the table:


<center>[[File:UserGroupsList.png]]</center>


*''User group ID'' : It shows a unique ID that is automatically assigned to each user group.
*''Name'' : The name of the user group.
*''Description'' : The description of the user group.
*''Owner'' : The owner/creator of the user group. The owner cannot be changed. If this is necessary, you have to delete the group and create another one.
*''Members'' : It shows the number of the members of the user group;
*''Action'' : The last column shows a set of actions that are available for each user group from the user groups list. The following user group actions are presented below: '''view users''', '''edit user group''', '''email user group''', and '''delete user group'''.


<center>[[File:UserGroupsListActions.png]]</center>

==View user group members== 


If you click the green table, a more detailed view of the members of the user group will be shown.

==Edit user group== 


Clicking the green pen allows you to edit the '''name''' and the '''description''' of the respective user group.

==Email user group== 


The green mail symbol allows the group administrator to send mass emails to the members of that user group. Its functionality includes:
*'''Send me a copy''': If ticked, an email will be sent to the owner of the user group/the one who created the user group.
*'''Subject''': Type in the desired subject of your email.
*'''Message''': Type in the desired message you wish to send to the members of the user group.


<center>[[File:EmailToAllMembers.png]]</center>


Then, click the '''Send''' button located under the ''Message'' text box.

==Delete user group== 


To delete a user group, click the red wastebin button that is located on the line with the user group that you wish to delete and hit OK.

=Grant survey permissions to a user group= 


A '''user group''' can be used to offer [[Manage users#Set permissions for a single survey|specific survey permissions]], like editing the questions, activating the survey, and/or viewing the responses among others. Adding a '''user group''' behaves like a macro function that simply adds all the current members of the '''user group''' with the same privileges at that same time to the '''Survey'''.


To change the survey permissions, go to the '''Settings''' menu of your survey. Click on '''Survey permissions''' and choose the user group that should be granted survey permissions:


<center>[[File:LimeSurveySurveyPermissions.jpg]]</center>
<center>[[File:LimeSurveyPermissionRightsUserGroup.png]]</center>


Select in the next step the permissions that you allocate to the members of that user group. Do not forget to click the double-right arrowhead to get an extended view of the permissions matrix.


<center>[[File:UserGroupSurveyPermissions.png]]</center>


After you have finished editing the survey permissions, click the '''Save''' button, which is located in the upper right part of the screen.
Some examples are provided [[Manage user groups#Examples|below]] in order to help you get a better understanding of the Limesurvey's survey permissions system.


{{Note| If you want to grant survey permissions only to a user, [[Manage_users#Set_permissions_for_a_single_survey|read the following wiki]].}}

=Things to watch out for= 


Some limitations of the user group functionality are presented below:


*Changes to a '''user group''' (after it was added in the '''survey''') will not cause changes to the '''survey permissions'''. For example, if new users are added to a '''user group''' that has been already granted survey permissions, the respective new users won't have the same survey permissions as the rest of the user group members. For this to happen, the updated user group has to be granted survey permissions again so that the new user group members can receive the same permissions as the rest of the user group members.
*If you delete a user from a user group with survey permissions, the respective user will <u>not</u> lose the user group survey permissions. To remove his or her permission rights, delete the account from the survey permissions table.


Because the user group functions are still experimental, we kindly ask you to pay attention to any inconsistencies you may find while using LimeSurvey and report them via the [https://bugs.limesurvey.org/ bugs tracker] (recommended) or the [https://www.limesurvey.org/customer-support/contact-us ticket system].


<center>[[File:Deleteusersurveypermissions.png]]</center>

=Examples= 
Some examples are provided below to help you better understand how a LimeSurvey user group works:

==Informing members of a user group that they have received certain survey permissions== 
*Log in.
*Go to the user groups list and click the green mail sign (located on the last column of the table).
*Type the subject and the text body of the email.
*Send it.

==Granting certain permissions to a user group== 
*Log in as admin (or as a user that has the 'Survey security' and 'Survey content' permission).
*Create a user group.
*Add users to the user group.
*Go to the '''Survey permissions''' page of the survey.
*Add the user group and offer its members the survey permissions you wish them to have.

==Adding a user to a user group== 
As mentioned above, adding a '''user group''' behaves like a macro function that simply adds all the current members of the '''user group''', easing the process of granting survey permissions. However, if a new member is added to that user group, that member will not automatically receive the rights that were previously granted to the other members of the user group.
Therefore, you will have to repeat the steps shown in the example from above in order to grant him or her the same rights or you just add him or her separately, using the '''Add user''' function (from the 'Survey permission' panel).

==Removing permissions of a user no longer in a user group== 
Removing him from the group should leave him without any user group permissions. However, <u>this is not happening</u> due to the limitations of the user group functionalities! '''If you delete the user from the user group, he or she still remains with the user group survey permissions'''. Therefore, a workaround is to manually delete the account from the 'Survey permissions' table.


*Log in as administrator (or as a user with 'Survey security' permission).
*Go to the '''Survey permissions''' page, which can be accessed from the '''Settings''' of the survey.
*Delete the respective user from the 'Survey permissions' table.


<center>[[File:Delete user from survey group.png|1.5px]]</center>

==Removing all user group members with access to a survey== 


[[Manage user groups#Examples#I would like to remove all the user group members with access to one of my surveys|As mentioned above]], deleting a user from a group won't retrieve his survey permissions. '''The same goes for 'user groups''''. Deleting a user group won't retrieve the survey permissions that were previously granted to the members of the respective user group. At the moment, the only viable solution is to have them manually removed from the 'Survey permissions' table.

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Question groups - introduction

2024-02-25T17:00:53Z

Joeyh278: capitalize heading

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__TOC__


<div class="simplebox">[[File:help.png]] Please note that the below explanations and screenshots are based on LimeSurvey 3.</div>

=Create question group= 


Groups are a great way to organize your surveys by placing them into categories (groups). How you categorize your surveys/groups is completely up to you.


To add question groups to your survey:


(1) From the [[Survey structure|survey '''structure''']] tab of your survey click '''+Add question group'''.


[[File:Option 2 - create a question group.png]]


After you click ''Add question group'', the add question group panel will be displayed.


(2) Complete the required fields.


<center>[[File:Add question group panel.png]]</center>


''Add question group'' fields


*'''Title:''' Type in this box the name you wish to give to the question group;


*'''Description:''' This field allows you to publish an explanatory note for any set of questions. If you add a description, it will be presented along with the survey before commencing any of the questions in that group. If no text is added, then public participants will simply move straightaway to the survey questions. You can use the HTML editor to include images, formatted text, etc. to your liking;


*'''Randomization group:''' To start randomizing a question group, enter a string into the field such as ''randgroup1''. You will need to enter that same string in all question groups that you want to randomize and which will then appear in a random order when taking the survey. Only places <u>inside</u> the same group will be randomly switched!


*'''Relevance equation:''' You can set a "relevance equation" in this field for the group with the help of the [[ExpressionScript - Presentation|ExpressionScript]]. This is helpful for "looping" or other cases where you are repeating similar content multiple times. For example, say you want to ask the same set of follow-up questions for each child in a household and you have asked how many children are there via a question named ''numKids''. Then, for each group of follow-up questions you would have to use relevance equations (which would collect data about the third child) such as: '''numKids == 3''';


<div class="simplebox">[[File:help.png]] '''Note:''' An explanation and example for hiding question groups are available in the [[https://manual.limesurvey.org/ExpressionScript_examples#Hide_question_group_if_answer_from_previous_question_is_Yes_or_No|ExpressionScript examples wiki subsection]].</div>


<div class="simplebox">[[File:help.png]] '''Hint:''' Groups can be used to group questions in a survey. If you are going to have multiple groups, you should note that the survey questions will be displayed group by group by default (you can change that from your [[General settings|survey settings]]). To display the groups in a particular order using the group reordering feature. If you have only one group in your survey then the name of this group is irrelevant (except for the survey format).</div>


You can create as many groups as you like!

==Add question group toolbar== 


You will find the following options on the top toolbar:


<center>[[File:Add question group - toolbar.png]]</center>


* '''Display/Export''': This function is used to export your whole survey in different formats.
* '''Survey participants:''' Clicking this button will redirect the survey administrator to his/her [[Survey participants|survey participants table]].
* '''Responses:''' If the survey is active, the button becomes visible. It offers you access to the responses table.
* '''Import a group:''' Besides the two ways [[Question groups - introduction#Create question group|mentioned above]], new question groups can also be added via the [[Question groups - introduction#Import a question group|import group function]].

==Import a question group== 


You can also import a question group (.lsg file format) that was previously exported from a LimeSurvey survey.


(1) From the survey '''Structure''' tab, click '''+Add question group'''.


(2) Click '''Import a group''' on the top toolbar.


[[File:ImportQuestionGroup.png]]


(3) '''Browse''' your computer/server and upload the .lsg file that contains the question group you wish to import.


[[File:ImportQuestionGroupII.png]]

=Question group actions= 


After the creation of a survey, you can access the newly created group from the [[Survey structure|survey structure]] menu. The following page will be displayed:


<center>[[File:Question group - after its creation.png]]</center>


The page is divided into three sections:


*'''Question group toolbar:''' You will find the following options on the toolbar:
**''Preview survey/question group:'' Click one of the two buttons to either preview your whole survey or only the current question group. If additional languages were added to your survey, the survey/question group can be previewed in each language of the survey. Just click one of the two ''preview'' buttons and select the desired language.
**''Edit current question group:'' Click this button to edit the title, description, relevance equation, or randomization group of the current question group.
**''Check survey logic for current question group:'' This helps you see the possible errors that might exist within a question group - it is especially useful when the [[ExpressionScript - Presentation|ExpressionScript]] is used.
**''Delete current question group:'' To delete the current question group, click this button.
**''Export this question group:'' If you wish to export this question group to later import it into another LimeSurvey survey, click this button. The file will be exported in the .lsg format.


*'''Group summary:''' The main [[Question groups - introduction#Create question group|question group details are displayed]];


*'''Group quick actions:''' This allows you to quickly perform question-groups-related actions - in our case, the add new question to group option is displayed. To find out more about questions, read our [[Questions - introduction|introductory wiki section on question]].

=Preview question group= 


Once you have started to add questions into your group, you may want from time to time to preview how the respective question group looks. To do that, look for the '''question group''' button that can be accessed from the:


*[[Question groups - introduction#Preview question group - survey structure|survey structure menu]]
*[[Question groups - introduction#Preview question group - question group panel|question group panel]]
*[[Question groups - introduction#Preview question group - question panel|question panel]]


{{Note|When previewing a group, the relevance of this group is automatically forced to true.}}


{{Hint|Text=You can add [[URL_fields#Prefilling_a_survey_using_GET_parameters|GET params in URL]] to prefill questions.}}

==Preview question group - survey structure== 


Click the survey '''Structure''' tab, select the desired '''Question group''', and click '''preview question group''':


<center>[[File:Preview q group - survey structure.png]]</center>

==Preview question group - question group panel== 


You can preview the question group once you have finished editing it.


<center>[[File:Question group panel - preview.png]]</center>

==Preview question group - question panel== 


The question group to which questions belong can be previewed from the question panel - see the top bar:


<center>[[File:Preview question group - question panel.png]]</center>

=Reordering question groups= 


The question groups and questions can be reordered. For further details, read the [[Survey structure#Reordering questions and question groups|survey structure wiki subsection]].

=Example= 


The relevance equation offers many possibilities to further customize your survey. A simple example is presented below to show how some question groups can be hidden according to the answer provided by the respondent to a prior question (part of another question group). For example, if you want to find out more information about parents that have one child in comparison to those with two or more, using the relevance equation to hide certain questions/question groups is recommended.


Link .lss file: [[Media:Question_groups_simple_example.zip|Question_groups_simple_example.zip]] -> For instructions on how to import the file, refer to the following [[Surveys_-_introduction#Import_a_survey|wiki section]].


<center>[[File:Logic file question groups example.png]]</center>


The above file contains three question groups, each containing one question. Question group "1kid" is displayed only if the value introduced by the respondent to the question "numkids" is 1. Question group "2ormorekids" is displayed only if the answer to the question "numkids" is >1.


This is just a simple example to show how expressions can be used to further customize your survey. For more details, please read about the [[ExpressionScript - Presentation|ExpressionScript]] functionality.


<div class='simplebox'>[[File:help.png]] '''Notes:'''
*There are several ways to hide questions. One is to use [[Setting conditions|conditions]]. However, for more complex surveys, the [[ExpressionScript - Presentation|ExpressionScript]] has to be used.
*If you use expressions, don't forget to look for syntax errors with the help of the logic file.</div>

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