Single response

A Single Response question is a simple question that lets survey respondents provide one answer, either by choosing from a list of choices, by dragging a slider handle along a rating scale, or by entering a single numeric response (including dates and times).

Since you’re asking respondents to select only one response, the answer choices should be mutually exclusive.

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Adding a Single Response question

Here’s how to add a Single Response question to the survey flowchart:

1. Add a Single Response object to the flowchart. In Survey Editor (Legacy), drag it from the Toolbox, or double-click it. In Survey Editor (Beta), drag the Single card from the Add to survey toolbar, or click it to add it at the end

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Appearance

The way the question appears on screen depends on the Properties you’ve selected.

By default, a Single Response question will appear on a single page with the answers listed vertically on the screen. To tailor the presentation of a Single Response question, consider editing the Question Format and Controls question properties.

You can Preview the survey at any stage to see how the question appears and behaves in the context of the survey.

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Question formats

By default, any new Single Response question will be set to a Vertical Radio format.

You can change the Question Format via the Question Format property dropdown box. The available question formats are:

Format	Description
Vertical Radio	Radio buttons presented vertically on screen
Horizontal Radio	Answers presented horizontally across the screen
Rating	A single row of radio buttons with each answer’s text above its button, for example a 0 to 10 scale. See Rating format.
Slider	Drag a slider handle along a rating scale
Dropdown	Answers presented in dropdown list
Smile Badge	Drag a slider handle along a rating scale until the image matches the feelings in response to the question
Date Dropdown	Presents day, month, and year dropdowns
Date Picker	Presents a calendar for selecting a date
Time Dropdown	Presents hour and minute dropdowns
DateTimeDropdown	Presents day, month, year, hour, and minute dropdowns
Numeric	Presents a numeric input box
Time Picker	Presents hour and minute dropdowns. See Time Picker and Time Entry formats.
Time Entry	The same as Time Picker
Image	Respondents click one image. See Image format.
FileBank Upload	Allows the respondent to upload a file, which is then accessible in File Bank
File Upload	Allows the respondent to upload a file, which is stored with the survey rather than in File Bank. We recommend FileBank Upload instead. See File Upload format.

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Rating format

The Rating format shows the answers as one row of radio buttons, with each answer’s text above its button. It’s a quick way to ask for a score, such as a 0 to 10 likelihood to recommend.

To set up a rating question:

1. Add a Single Response object to the flowchart, then change its Question Format to Single Response - Rating
2. Enter one answer for each point on the scale. The Code is the value stored, and the Answer Text is the label shown above the button. For a 0 to 10 scale, enter answers with codes 0 to 10 and the same numbers as their text.
3. To label the ends of the scale, add the label to the first and last Answer Text, for example “0 - Not at all likely” and “10 - Extremely likely”. There are no separate anchor settings.

The respondent clicks one button. If the question is compulsory and they click Next without choosing, they’re asked to answer.

Things to know:

• On a narrow screen, a long scale scrolls sideways rather than wrapping.
• Don’t check Randomize or Rotate on a rating question: they shuffle the scale.
• The Rating format has no extra controls.
• The data is stored the same way as other single response formats: one number, the code of the chosen answer.

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Time Picker and Time Entry formats

The Single Response - Time Picker and Single Response - Time Entry formats work the same way: the respondent picks an hour (00 to 23) and a minute (00 to 59) from two dropdowns. Times use the 24-hour clock. They look and work the same as the Time Dropdown format.

To set it up, add a Single Response object, change its Question Format to Single Response - Time Picker (or Time Entry), and enter the Question Text. There are no answers to enter.

If the question is compulsory, the respondent must choose both an hour and a minute.

The dropdown labels can be changed with the hourPlaceholder and minutePlaceholder controls (Hour Placeholder and Minute Placeholder in Survey Editor (Beta)). They default to “Hour” and “Minute”.

The answer is stored as a time, for example Q1 = 14:05.

Things to know:

• There’s no AM/PM option, and you can’t limit the times respondents choose from
• If a respondent picks a time, then clears the hour or minute, the earlier time is still saved

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Image format

In the Single Response - Image format, each answer is an image, and the respondent clicks one of them.

To set it up:

1. Add a Single Response object to the flowchart, then change its Question Format to Single Response - Image
2. Upload the images to the survey’s Resources, or use images hosted elsewhere
3. Add one answer for each image. The Code is the value stored, and the Answer Text is the image’s description, used in the data.
4. For each answer, check Include Verbatim, then enter the image’s address in VerbatimText. Use a full address with no <img> tag. The address is changed to lower case, so file names with capital letters won’t load: rename those files first.
5. Optionally, use Code Group Label to show headings over groups of images
6. Save and preview the survey

The images are shown in a single row, enlarging slightly when the respondent hovers over one with the mouse. On a small screen, the whole row is shrunk to fit.

Known issues

• The respondent can’t see which image they’ve chosen: the image doesn’t change when they click it
• The question isn’t compulsory: respondents can click Next without choosing an image
• Images can only be chosen by clicking or tapping, not with the keyboard

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Other specifies

Other textboxes are frequently used in surveys to capture responses that don’t fall into one of the predefined answers. During a survey, when the respondent clicks on the “other” answer, a textbox automatically drops down for them to type in their response.

Here’s how to create an other textbox:

1. Add or select the question object in the survey flowchart (close the Quick Update box if it has popped up)
2. In the Properties Pane, click on the Answers tab
3. Click on the answer you want to make an other specify
4. Check the Include Verbatim property
5. Save the survey

Other specify textboxes have built-in validation that ensures a response is entered into the textbox when the other answer is selected. You can disable this validation by unchecking the Compulsory answer property.

While it’s not necessary to enter an instruction such as “specify” in the answer text, it’s good practice as a prompt to the survey respondent. As an alternative, you can enter the instruction into the Verbatim Text answer property which will only be visible to the respondent once they’ve clicked the answer.

There’s no limit to the number of other textboxes that can be included in a question.

If answer codes are randomized, consider setting the Sort Order for your “other” answer to a higher number so that they always appear underneath the predefined answers in the survey.

Only for vertical format

Other specifies can only be set up in Single Response questions with the Vertical question format selected.

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Not applicable

For Single Response questions with the Slider question format applied, you may want to add a “Not Applicable” or “Not Sure” button underneath the slider. The survey respondent is then able to select this option if they don’t feel that they can give an accurate rating on the slider scale itself.

Here’s how to create a “not applicable” option in a Slider question:

1. Add or select the question object in the survey flowchart
2. In the Answers tab, give the “not applicable” answer the code 99 — this is the answer code that the system requires to recognize that the answer should be excluded from the slider scale

You can choose whether to display the “not applicable” button to the right of the slider, or underneath it. This placement is determined by the notSureOnRight control.

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Autocoded responses

You can use Single Response questions to automatically enter a response without direct input from the respondent. These autocoded questions can be based on the respondent’s previous answers, system variables, or any other condition you specify.

Here’s how to create an autocoded question:

1. Add a Single Response question to the survey flowchart
2. Open the question’s menu
3. Select Action Command
4. In the Action Command dialogue box, select the required Command Type
5. Enter the action command syntax in the box, remembering to preface all question references with an @ symbol (e.g. @Q1). Where multiple commands are required, each command should be placed on a separate line, with a comma at the end of each line
6. Click OK

The action command is indicated in the flowchart by a yellow scroll icon next to the object in Survey Editor (Legacy), or an amber bolt icon on its card in Survey Editor (Beta).

To test the action command, you’ll need to preview the survey. Once you’re satisfied that the question is functioning as intended, you should check the Hide property so that the question won’t be visible to respondents.

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Multimedia

You can add images, video, and audio to the Question Text for all question formats.

For Vertical and Horizontal question formats, images can also be inserted into Answer Text.

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Data structure

For Single Response questions, you’ll find one column in your dataset. The Variable Type, however, is dependent on the Question Format.

For questions where an answer has Include Verbatim checked (e.g. other specify), an additional text string variable is automatically created with “_verbatim” appended to the variable name.

Question Format	Variable Type	Example Response
Vertical	Integer	Q1 = 3
Vertical (with Include Verbatim)	Text	Q1_verbatim = green
Horizontal	Integer	Q1 = 3
Rating	Integer	Q1 = 7
Slider	Integer	Q1 = 3
Dropdown	Integer	Q1 = 3
Smile Badge	Integer	Q1 = 3
Date Dropdown	Date	Q1 = 2021-02-03
Date Picker	Date	Q1 = 2021-02-03
Time Dropdown	Time	Q1 = 17:25:00
DateTime Dropdown	Date/Time	Q1 = 2021-02-03 12:15:00.000
Numeric	Decimal	Q1 = 3.140000000
Time Picker, Time Entry	Time	Q1 = 14:05
Image	Integer	Q1 = 3
FileBank Upload, File Upload	Text	Q1 = 3f2a9c1e-… (an id for the uploaded file), plus Q1FileData with the file’s name, size and type

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Randomize answers

By default, all answers are displayed in sequential order according to their Answer Code number. To avoid potential response bias due to an order effect in questions with a categorical scale, randomization of answers is recommended. Randomization shuffles the answers so they’re presented in a different, non-sequential order to each survey respondent. You can randomize blocks of answers and exclude individual answers from being randomized.

Here’s how to randomize all answers in a question:

1. Select the question object in the survey flowchart
2. In the Properties Pane, check the Randomize box
3. In Survey Editor (Legacy), click OK to confirm that you want to randomize answers. Survey Editor (Beta) doesn’t ask you to confirm.

When you check the Randomize box, the Sort Order for every answer will be automatically reset to 1, meaning that all answers will be included in the randomized block. If there are answers that you want to be excluded from the randomized block (e.g. for a “none” response that you want to always appear at the end of the answer list), you’ll need to alter the Sort Order for that answer individually.

Here’s how to manually edit the Sort Order of answers:

1. Select the question object in the survey flowchart
2. In the Properties Pane, click on the Answers tab
3. Select the answer that you want to exclude from the randomized block
4. Change the Sort Order to a higher value

Adding answers after randomization

If new answers are added to a question after the randomize property box has been checked, the Sort Order for these new answers will need to be edited manually if they’re to be included in the randomized block.

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Controls

The Controls property allows you to tailor the presentation of questions using optional keyword commands. To edit the default Controls:

1. Select the question object in the survey flowchart
2. In the Properties Pane, open the controls: in Survey Editor (Legacy), click the Edit button next to the Controls property; in Survey Editor (Beta), expand the Controls section
3. Edit the controls for the selected question format as required. In Survey Editor (Legacy), click OK to close the Controls dialog
4. Save and preview the survey

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Pipe answers from previous question

With piped text (also known as conditional text, or dynamic text), you can tailor the question or answer wording based on the respondent’s answer to a previous question. For example, if you asked the respondent to select their favorite color from a list, you can pipe their selected answer into a follow up question with the chosen color displayed in the question or answer text. Further, if the respondent gave an other specify response (a color that wasn’t on the predefined list), the color they typed into the specify field can also be displayed.

When piping text from one question to another, you can choose whether to display the answer or answer label.

Here’s how to pipe answer text:

1. Determine the question format of the source question, then copy the corresponding code from the table below
2. In the survey flowchart, select the object that you want to insert the text into
3. Paste the code into the question or answer, making sure to replace “Q1” with the variable name of the source question

Single Response Source Question Format	Code	What does the code do?
Vertical	@Q1_CurrentLabel	The answer label associated with Q1 will be inserted
Vertical (with Include Verbatim)	@Q1_verbatim	The other specify answer provided in Q1 will be inserted
Horizontal	@Q1_CurrentLabel	The answer label associated with Q1 will be inserted
Slider / Smile Badge	@Q1_CurrentLabel	The answer label associated with Q1 will be inserted
Slider / Smile Badge	@Q1	The answer code associated with Q1 will be inserted
Dropdown	@Q1_CurrentLabel	The answer label associated with Q1 will be inserted
Date Dropdown	@Q1	The answer to Q1 will be inserted (yyyy-mm-dd hh:mm:ss)
Date Picker	@Q1	The answer to Q1 will be inserted (yyyy-mm-dd hh:mm:ss)
Time Dropdown	@Q1	The answer to Q1 will be inserted (hh:mm)
DateTime Dropdown	@Q1	The answer to Q1 will be inserted (yyyy-mm-dd hh:mm:ss)
Numeric	@Q1	The answer to Q1 will be inserted

Source question must come first

When piping text, the source question must precede the question requiring the display of the piped text, and both questions must not be contained in the same page group.

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Display logic

Often in surveys, there are questions that aren’t applicable to a certain subset of respondents. Survey Shaper allows you to specify the display logic via filters so that only those who meet the filter criteria will be presented with the question.

Here’s how to create a question filter:

1. Select the question object in the survey flowchart
2. In either the Quick Update Box or Question Properties Tab, click on the Define Filter box
3. Enter the filter criteria by typing directly in the box (remember to preface all question references with ”@”), or by using the Filter Builder button on the far right of the property box in Survey Editor (Legacy), or Open rule builder in Survey Editor (Beta)
4. Save the survey — the filter description will now be visible in the survey flowchart (if filters are turned on in the flowchart display options)

Use parentheses for complex filters

For complicated filters, use parentheses (round brackets) to ensure that the syntax is being evaluated in the order intended.

All questions referred to in the filter need to precede the filtered question. Further, a filtered question can’t be placed on the same page as any questions used to define the filter.

If you have a block of questions requiring the same filter criteria, you may want to use a Skip object to skip over the block of questions, as multiple filters may negatively impact the speed of the survey.

Filters can also be applied to individual answers via the Code Filter property in the Answers Tab. As with question filters, you define the criteria based on who you want to be able to see the answer. The answer choice won’t be visible to anyone who doesn’t meet the filter criteria.

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Page groups

You can create page groups to display multiple questions on a single page.

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Smile Badge styles

There are 6 badge styles available in Survey Shaper:

• Face — this is the default style. The expression and colour of the face moves from sad to happy as the slider handle is dragged along the scale.
• Tearface — similar to the Face style, but the lower anchor features a tear.
• Fuel — a fuel gauge moves from empty to full as the slider handle is dragged along the scale.
• Brain Bulb — a light bulb in the form of a human brain that moves from small and dull to full and vibrant as the slider handle is dragged along the scale.
• Heart — a heart that moves from small to full as the slider handle is dragged along the scale.
• Weight — the expression and colour of the face moves from happy to sad as the slider handle is dragged further from the centre of the scale (in either direction).

Here’s how to change the badge style:

1. Select the question object in the survey flowchart
2. In the Properties Pane, open the controls: in Survey Editor (Legacy), click the Edit button next to the Controls property; in Survey Editor (Beta), expand the Controls section
3. Select the badge style from the Badge dropdown
4. Save and preview the question

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File Upload format

The Single Response - File Upload format looks and works the same as FileBank Upload: the respondent chooses a file, then clicks Upload. The difference is where the file goes. File Upload stores the file with the survey’s data, not in File Bank, so you can’t download it from File Bank.

Use FileBank Upload for new surveys

Files uploaded with FileBank Upload are easy to find and download from File Bank (see Download file upload files). Use File Upload only if you’ve been asked to.

To set it up, add a Single Response object, change its Question Format to Single Response - File Upload, and enter the Question Text. There are no answers to enter.

Both upload formats have these controls:

Control	Default	What it does
allowedExtensions	.jpg,.png,.jpeg	The file types respondents can upload (Allowed Extensions in Survey Editor (Beta)). Separate them with commas, no spaces.
maxFileSize	10485760 (10 MB)	The largest file respondents can upload, in bytes (Max File Size (Bytes)). Older questions with no controls set allow 1 MB.

What the respondent does:

• They click Browse (or drag a file onto the box), then click Upload. Choosing a file isn’t enough: if they don’t click Upload, nothing is saved.
• They can upload one file. A preview is shown for JPG and PNG images.
• Clicking the X next to the file removes it from their answer
• If the question is compulsory, they can’t continue until a file is uploaded

The answer is stored as an id for the uploaded file, plus a FileData variable (for example Q1FileData) with the file’s name, size and type. To filter, check whether the question was answered.

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File upload file type limits

A FileBank Upload question will by default allow the respondent to upload an image file (.jpg, .png, .jpeg). To change this limit, in the Properties Pane, open the controls: in Survey Editor (Legacy), click the Edit button next to the Controls property; in Survey Editor (Beta), expand the Controls section and update the Allowed Extensions control. Separate each file extension with a comma (no spaces).

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Download file upload files

When a survey containing a FileBank Upload question is published, a folder will be created in File Bank. To access File Bank, click on the application card on the HumanListening home page.

The folder will be labelled with the Survey Name, and there’ll be sub folders for each FileBank Upload question in that survey, labelled with the Variable Name. The newest files are shown first.

Here’s how to download files:

• One file — click the ellipsis icon (⋮) on the file’s row and select Download
• Several files — tick the files (or click Select All), then click Download in the toolbar. The files download as a single zip file.

The downloaded file will be labelled with the respondent’s SurveyEntryGUID and variable name.

See File Bank for more about working with files.