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<div class="simplebox">This feature is available since LimeSurvey version 2.0.</div>
=Introduction=
 
To access this feature: '''Configuration''' -> '''Central Participant Database''':
 
 
<center>[[File:Central participants database.png]]</center>  


=Introduction=


This new feature allows the administrator to store the participant information to a central table that is independent of any token table. Its major advantages are:
This feature allows the administrator to store the participant information in a central table that is independent of any survey participants table. Its major advantages are:
* The central table acts as a backup so in case a user creates a new survey he would not have to go through the trouble of exporting its participants to a CSV file and then importing them back into a new survey.
* The central table acts as a backup. If a user creates a new survey, they will not have to export its participants to a CSV file and then import them back into a new survey.
* Users will only need to add the participants to the central table and then the same can be added to as many surveys as he wants.
* Users need only to add the participants to the central table. Then, the same participants can be added to as many surveys as the user wants.
* In case of multiple users , the owners can choose to share his participants with others and also set access rights for the shared users.
* In case multiple users have access to a LimeSurvey installation, its owner(s) can choose to share their participants with other users and also set access rights for the shared users.


Along with this, there is an advanced attribute control and several other features.
You may also find in your LimeSurvey installation an advanced [[Central Participant Database#Attributes|attribute control]] and several other features.


=The participants panel management tools=
=The participants panel management tools=
The following options are available:


<center>[[File:LimeSurvey2.05_ParticipantPanel_ru.jpg]]</center>
<center>[[File:LimeSurvey2.05_ParticipantPanel_ru.jpg]]</center>


1) Home


2) Information ( Summary of CPDB )


3) Display participant&rsquo;s grid
*[[Central Participant Database#Display CPDB participants|Display CPDB (Central Participant Database) participants]]
*[[Central Participant Database#Info|Info]]
*[[Central Participant Database#Import|Import]]
*[[Central Participant Database#Blacklist settings|Blacklist settings]]
*[[Central Participant Database#Attributes|Attributes]]
*[[Central Participant Database#Share panel|Share panel]]
*[[Central_Participant_Database#Export_participants|Export all participants]]


4) Import from CSV
== Display CPDB participants ==


5) Export all participants to CSV
This is the main component of this panel. The majority of options can be accessed from here, such as adding, deleting, exporting, adding participants to surveys, etc.


6) Blacklist control
Five options are available in the '''Action''' column for every participant listed in the table:
 
 
<center>[[File:LimeSurvey2.05_displayParticipant_ru.jpg]]</center>


7) Global participant&rsquo;s settings


8) Attribute control
*[[Central Participant Database#Edit participant|Edit this participant]]
*[[Central Participant Database#Delete participant|Delete this participant]]
*[[Central Participant Database#Share participant|Share this participant]]
*[[Central Participant Database#List active surveys|List active surveys]]
*[[Central Participant Database#Add participant to survey|Add participant to survey]]


9) Share panel


10) Panel summary
{{Box|Before accessing the options mentioned above, you must have users listed in your database. To create them, click the '''[[Central Participant Database#Add participant|Add new participant]]''' button, located in the upper-right part of the window.}}


==Home==
===Add participant===


Participant's Panel is a separate panel in the LimeSurvey administrator toolbar, so this icon takes the user back to the administrator panel.
Click the '''Add new participant''' button located in the upper-right part of the window: [[File:Add new participat CPDB.png]].


==Information==
A dialog box with the following basic attributes will then appear:


This screen shows the statistics of Central Database. This gives the summary of


1) Total participants in central table
<center>[[File:addParticipant.png]]</center>


2) Participants owned by you


3) Participants shared with you
*'''First name'''
*'''Last name'''
*'''E-mail'''
*'''Blacklist user'''
*'''Owner''': Any user of LimeSurvey defined in the [[Manage_users#User_management|user control management page]] can be an owner.


4) Participants you have shared
{{Box|'''Custom attributes''' can be added. For further details, see the [[Central Participant Database#Attributes|attributes]] and [[Central Participant Database#Examples|examples]] sections.}}


5) Blacklisted participants
===Edit participant===


6) Total attributes in the central table
To edit the basic and/or custom attributes of a participant, click the first button (from left to right) located in the '''Action''' column ([[File:Edit participant CPDB.png]]). A window with all the available attributes will be displayed.


==Display participant&rsquo;s grid==
<center>[[File:LimeSurvey2.05_addParticipant_ru.jpg]]</center>


This is the main asset of the Participant's Panel. This is where you can perform majority of central Panel's operations, such as adding, deleting , exporting, adding to survey etc.
You can easily delete one or multiple participants:
* If you want to delete one participant, go to the row where the respective participant is located and click the red bin button: [[File:Delete participant CPDB.png]].
* If you want to delete two or more participants, click the '''Selected participant(s)...''' button (under the last row, below the '''Action''' column) after you selected the corresponding entries: [[File:Select participants CPDB.png]]. Then, click the delete option.  


Below is the screenshot of the same.
When you delete the participant(s), three options are available to you:


<center>[[File:LimeSurvey2.05_displayParticipant_ru.jpg]]</center>


Explaination of the screenshot is given below
<center>[[File:LimeSurvey2.05_deleteParticipant_ru.jpg]]</center>


# jqGrid header
# Add participant
# Delete participant
# Reload grid
# Export to CSV ( Advanced )
# Advance search
# Navigation bar
# Share participant
# Add to survey
# Total count
# Hide/show grid
# Subgrid


===Add participant===
1) '''Delete only from the central panel''': The first option deletes the participant from the central participant database only. If the participant is in any survey participants table, they will not be removed.


You can easily add individual participant using the plus sign in the grid pager. For editing the added participant you can simply double click the participant and after editing you can press enter and any changes done will be saved to the server.
2) '''Delete from the central panel and associated surveys''': The second option deletes the participant from central panel and from the surveys where they have been added to, but their responses are not deleted.


<center>[[File:addParticipant.png]]</center>
3) '''Delete from central panel, associated surveys and all associated responses''': The third option deletes all traces of that participant from the system, including their responses.


===Delete participant===


You can easily mark a single participant to delete or you can choose all the participants in the grid to be deleted. There are three possible conditions when deleting a participant.
{{Alert|title=Attention|text=Please note that in all the three scenarios, the links created for the purpose of maintaining a participant's history are also deleted.}}


<center>[[File:deleteParticipant.png]]</center>
===Share participant===


The explanation of the three conditions is
This is another important feature of the '''Central Participant Database'''. You can share your participants with other users. You just have to select the participant(s) you want to share and click either the green right-arrow icon ([[File:Share participate CPDB.png]]) or the '''Selected participant(s)...''' button located in the bottom left part of the participants table. A modal box will open which will allow you to select the user with whom you want to share the respective participant(s). You can also set whether the user who shares your participant can edit those participants. If you set it to ''No'', they will get an access denied error when trying to edit the entries of the shared participant.


1) Delete Participant(s) from central participants panel only


2) Delete Participant(s) from central panel and token tables
<center>[[File:shareParticipant.png]]</center>


3) Delete Participant(s) from central panel,token tables and all associated responses
===List active surveys===


The first option deletes the participant from the central panel only, if the participant is in any token table, he/she will not be removed.
If you click the next icon ([[File:List active surveys CPDB.png]]), all the active surveys where the respective participant has been added to will be listed.


The second option deletes the participant from central as well all token tables, but his responses are not deleted.
===Add participant to survey===


The third option deletes all traces of that participant from the system including his responses.
Adding a participant to a survey can be done by clicking the last icon ([[File:Add participant to survey CPDB.png]]) from the '''Action''' column. If you wish to add more than one participant to a survey, mark them and select the '''Share''' option from the '''Selected participant(s)...''' dialog box (located in the bottom-left part of the central table).


In all the three options the links created for the purpose of maintaining history related to a particular participant are also deleted.


===Reload grid===
<center>[[File:addtoSurvey.png]]</center>


It simply reloads the grid from the server.


===Export to CSV===
<div class='simplebox'> [[File:help.png]] Please note that if you wish to add participants from the central database to a survey, the respective survey needs to contain a '''survey participants table'''! For further details, please continue reading the following [[Survey participants|wiki section]].</div>


When exporting to CSV you are presented with a dialog box asking you to mark the additional attributes which you want to import. There is also an option for filtering the attributes. It will display all the attributes in the central table (visible/non-visible).
The title of the dialog box will show you the number of participants that are going to be added to the respective survey. Besides that, there is also a checkbox, that if checked, it will take you to the survey participants table of the survey to which you are adding the participants to.


The export to CSV option works under either of the two conditions :
After clicking 'Next', you will be taken to the attribute map page.


1) Export filtered
The attribute map page contains four tables and uses an advanced drag-and-drop functionality:


2) Export All


It will export all or selected participants depending on your filtering criteria.
<center>[[File:attributemap.png]]</center>


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


It will export the file as central_'the current time stamp'.csv .
* The first table, ''Unmapped participant attributes'', shows all the attributes that are present in the central participant database. They are currently unmapped - not present in the survey participants table. These unmapped attributes can either be moved into the ''Token attributes to create'' table which creates new attributes in the survey participants table or they can be merged with the existing token attributes by dragging the unmapped attributes into the ''Existing token attributes'' table, besides the existing token attribute you wish to be merged with.  


===Advance search===
* The second table, ''Token attributes to create'', helps you copy unmapped participant attributes into the survey participants table, creating new columns. Drag the attribute(s) you wish to add to the survey participants table and drop them into the second table. In this way, new columns/attributes will be added to the survey participants table.


This is yet another major feature of the Central Panel. It is a powerful feature which not only filters through the participants but also through additional attributes (visible and non-visible). This feature is also integrated with the grid.
* The third table, ''Existing token attributes'', displays the current attributes existing in the survey participants table. Drop the unmapped attributes here if you wish to copy the data from the unmapped attributes into the one of the existing token attributes (see screenshot below)  


There are two levels of search that you can do.
* The fourth table, the ''Standard token fields'', displays the standard token fields that can be merged with unmapped participant attributes. The only standard token field from a survey participants table that can be edited is the '''Token''' one. This is important when you wish, for example, to easily copy token codes across different LimeSurvey installations.


1) Single search


2) Combined search
<center>[[File:Attributemaps test.png]]</center>


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


You can add a complex condition by using a plus sign next to the previous condition and remove a condition by using a minus sign in front of it.
<div class='simplebox'> [[File:help.png]] You can also overwrite the existing token attribute values from the survey participants table if a participant already exists. Use this option cautiously in order not to lose any important data on survey respondents.</div>


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


This not only filters the participants in the grid but also those in the database that are not yet loaded, so it is an extensive search.
After you have mapped all the attributes, you can click '''Continue'''. After processing the participants, a summary page will be displayed, telling you how many participants were successfully copied. If you have previously asked for redirection, you will be redirected to the survey participants table, otherwise you will be redirected to the CPDB main page.


===Navigation bar===


To decrease load time of the grid we have used pagination which allows the you to see the first X number of entries ( chosen by the you) and then load more if required. To control this we have pagination control option in the navigator bar.
<center>[[File:addtosurveysummary.png]]</center>


<center>[[File:navBar.png]]</center>
==Info==


Using the drop down menu you can select the number of entries to be loaded and with navigation buttons you can navigate sequentially and also use the text box to go to a certain page. Please note that the number of pages will reduce as you increase the number of entries that visible per page. Also the searching and sorting of grid are not dependent on the records visible in the grid at any particular time but are done on the whole central table.
Displays '''CPDB''' stats:


===Share participant===


This is another important feature of the Central Participants Database. You can share your participants with other users. You just have to select the participants you want to share and click on share. A modal box will open up which will allow you to select the user with whom you want to share.You can also set whether the user sharing your participant can edit those participants. If you set it no they will get an access denied error when trying to edit those shared entries.
<center>[[File:ParticipantPanel.png]]</center>
 
 
1) ''Total participants in central table'' : The total number of participants located in the central participant database.
 
2) ''Participants owned by you'' : Shows the total number of participants that have you as a owner. By default, <u>the new participants</u> entered into the central participant database <u>have as owner the user that firstly added them to it</u>.  


<center>[[File:shareParticipant.png]]</center>
3) ''Participants shared with you'' : The number of participants that were shared with you by other users.


===Add to survey===
4) ''Participants you have shared'' : The number of participants you shared with other users.


Add to survey can be done at three levels :
5) ''Blacklisted participants'' : The number of blacklisted participants.


1) all participants in current search
6) ''Total attributes in the central table'' : The total number of attributes that can be found in the central table.


2) all participants
==Import==


3) only the participant's that I have selected
If you wish to add participants via the import function, click the Import button that is located on the main toolbar of the '''Central participant database''' page: [[File:importCSV.png]]


As we know that the grid loads only the requested participants, thus ensuring minimum loading time for the user. So when you select a page on the grid (using multi-select or single select )that doesn't mean you have selected all the participants on the filtered participants from the database.So when exporting you are presented with the above mentioned three options which will be visible/invisible to you as per the present scenario.
The following options are available:


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


For example if you have not selected any row and haven't done any search it will not show you any option and will only offer you to add all the participants in the grid and so on...
[[File:Import CSV CPDB.png]]


<center>[[File:direct-all.png]]</center>


The title of the dialog box will show you the number of participants that are going to exported. Besides that, there is also a check box, that if checked, will take you to the token table of the survey to which you are adding the participants.
Please note the text from the box on '''CSV input format''':
{{Box|The file should be a standard CSV (comma delimited) file with optional double quotes around values (default for OpenOffice and Excel). The first line must contain the field names. The fields can be in any order.  
'''Mandatory field''': email
'''Optional fields''': firstname, lastname, blacklisted, language}}


After clicking next you will be taken to the attribute map page.
===Steps to import===


The attribute map page has three columns and uses advance drag and drop functionality. The first column shows all the attributes that are present in the central table. The second column gives space to the user to create new attributes. The third column shows the attributes in the token table to which the user is adding participants. The user is free to choose to either create a new attribute in the token table to copy new values to or map the values from the attribute in the central table to the token table.
1) Select a file to import and specify the settings associated with it.


<center>[[File:attributemap.png]]</center>
2) Map the attributes from the CSV file. Import the attribute data either into an existing attribute from the central participant database or into a new column by creating a new attribute. The newly created attribute will be of text box type - the format can be changed later.


After you have mapped all the attributes, you can click on continue and after processing the participants a summary page will show up that will tell you how many participants were successfully copied, after which if you have asked for redirection you will be redirected to the token table table or else you will be redirected to the central grid.


<center>[[File:addtosurveysummary.png]]</center>
<center>[[File:attributeMapCSV.png]]</center>


===Total count===


Number of participants out of total participants is displayed at the right of the navigator.
In the screenshot from above, a new attribute called "New Age" will be created. The data from attribute "Sex" was mapped and copied into the existent "Sex" attribute from the central participant database.


===Hide/Show grid===
3) Click continue, and wait for the process to be done. At the end, a short summary will be displayed.


Simply hide or show the grid.


===Subgrid===
<center>[[File:CSVsummary.png]]</center>


For editing of attributes in the system we have implemented the concept subgrid in the main grid that shows all the attributes in the system and also allows you to edit them. The main grid shows only the visible attributes, the rest of the attributes are available here and only fetched when required. The subgrid as the main grid allows inline editing of attributes and also sorting. It also shows the links to the surveys to which the participant is added to. In case the participant is not added to atleast one survey, this subgrid is not diplayed. When you expand the subgrid, all of the attributes in the system show up, but that doesn't means all the attribute values for that participant are saved in the database. Only when you add some value, that attribute value is saved for that particular participant.


<center>[[File:subgrid.png]]</center>
Clicking ''OK'' will redirect you to the participants screen, showing you the newly imported participants.


<center>[[File:editattribute.png]]</center>
==Blacklist settings==


==Import from CSV==
The '''Blacklist settings''' button is available on the main toolbar of the '''Central participant database''' page. Once you click it, the following page will be displayed.


This supports files with only *.csv extension. The rest of the settings are similar with what we have for "import CSV" under tokens. As in "add to survey" option we also have a drag and drop control over the attribute here. This feature scans all the headings in the CSV and shows them . You can map the attribute to an already existing central attribute or choose to create a new one.


Steps to import
<center>[[File:CPDB Blacklist settings panel.png]]</center>


1) Select a file to import and specify associated settings.


<center>[[File:importCSV.png]]</center>
The following ''Yes/No'' options are available:
*'''Blacklist all current surveys for participant once the global field is set''': If set to ''Yes'', the blacklisted participant(s) cannot be added to any survey.
*'''Blacklist participant for any new added survey once the global field is set''': If new surveys are created, the respective participant(s) cannot be added to them (if ''Yes'' is picked up). However, they can still be added to those surveys created earlier.
*'''Allow blacklisted participants to be added to a survey''': Even if a participant is blacklisted, they can still be added to a survey.
*'''Hide blacklisted participants''': Useful function when you would like to hide participant for a specific amount of time and then make them available for the rest of users with whom those blacklisted participants have been shared with.
*'''Delete globally blacklisted participants from the database''': If ''Yes'', the blacklisted participants will be deleted from the database.
*'''Allow participant to un-blacklist himself/herself''': If ''Yes'', participants can un-blacklist themselves without the help of a LimeSurvey user.


2) Map the attributes in the CSV to those in the central table or create a new attribute. New attributes created will be of text box type but can be changed later.
==Attributes==


<center>[[File:attributeMapCSV.png]]</center>
To access the '''Attributes management''' panel, click the '''Attributes''' button located on the main toolbar of CPDB main page: [[File:Attributes management icon.png]]


In the example screenshot I have created a new attribute age and mapped sex with the attribute in the central table.


3) Wait for it to process and show the summary.
<center>[[File:Add new attribute CPDB.png]]</center>


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


Clicking ok will redirect you to the display participants screen showing the newly imported participants.
The attribute management facilitates the addition of three types of attributes: ''text box, date, and drop-down list''. To add a new attribute, click t'''Add new attribute''' located in the upper-right part of the window:


== Export all==


This feature is for simplicity of the user. The user can click on it and can download all the participants that he has access to.
<center>[[File:addingattribute.png]]</center>


Please note that this only exports participant attributes that are shown in the main grid. If you want to export hidden attributes please use the export button on the bottom of the main grid.


== Global participant&rsquo;s settings==
When adding a new attribute, the following options are available:
*'''Defaultname''': It will be used by LimeSurvey to name the attribute in case no other English name is provided.
*'''Attribute type''': You can choose either of the attribute types and the associated user interface will be presented to you while editing.
*'''Should this attribute be visible on the panel?''': It can be ''Yes'' or ''No''. This function determines whether the attribute is visible in the CPDB table or not. This can be later edited from the '''Visible''' column that is located in the main attributes table.
*'''Languages''': If you would like LimeSurvey not to use the defaultname as the name of the attribute, type here the desired name. Please note that the attribute management has multilingual support. Click on the plus sign after you have selected the language. A new field will appear below the English/default language.


For security purposes the editing of user id is restricted, as it's the user id associated with the participant which decides the ownership of the participant. For this there setting in the main CPDB panel which can be changed only by the super administrator. If the setting is set to yes, you can edit the user name field in the display grid.
Once the changes are done, click '''Save'''.


<center>[[File:userideditable.png]]</center>
<div class='simplebox'>[[File:help.png]] We recommend tha you write the name of the attribute in the corresponding language box even if you use only one language (the base language). The reason for this is that when you map attributes and you wish to add them to different survey participants table, the '''defaultname''' of the attribute is not displayed in the respective panel - only the name you give in the corresponding language box is shown.</div>


When you double click on the row, you can see a drop down in the owner name field where the list of all users in the system are listed and you choose which one to give participant rights to.
In the attributes table, two actions are available (see the ''Action'' column):


<center>[[File:displayparticipantedit.png]]</center>
<center>[[File:Action table attribute management.png]]</center>


== Attribute control==
If you click the first icon, a dialog box will be displayed. It includes the basic settings of the selected attribute that can be edited according to your needs.


This is yet another advance feature of the Central Participants Database. The attribute control in the token system allows  to add only the attribute of text type, which reduces complexity, but when you have to add a large number of attribute values, it becomes very tiring to type the exact same value, for example 'male', repeatedly. To overcome this problem we have introduced three different attribute types :
To delete an attribute from the table, click on the red trash button, located next to the edit button. Clicking the delete button will not only delete the attribute, but also the associated values from the CPDB.


1) Drop down
== Share panel==


2) Text box
The share panel shows all the information related to the shared participants. Please note that this panel shows only the shared participants owned by that particular user.


3) Date picker


You can choose either of the attribute types and associated UI will be presented to you while editing. For drop down , you will need to add possible values. Also, the attribute control has multilingual support.
<center>[[File:sharepanel.png]]</center>


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


As you can see there are already two existing attributes in the system. You can set their visibility right here by using the  check box. The visibility will determine as to whether the attributes should be visible in the main grid or not.
This panel shows values like:


For adding a new attribute you just have to click on the plus sign and another row will pop up allowing you to put in basic details and saving the attribute.
1) ''Last name''


<center>[[File:addingattribute.png]]</center>
2) ''First name''
 
3) ''Email address''


You can save the attribute by using the save button or by pressing enter after entering the attribute name.
4) ''Shared by''


For deleting an attribute in the system just click on the delete button next to the edit button. Clicking the delete button will not only delete the attribute but also the associated values.
5) ''Owner''


For advanced editing, such as adding of drop down values and adding multilingual languages, you need to click on the edit button. On clicking the edit button you will see something like this.
6) ''Date added''


<center>[[File:attributeadvanceedit.png]]</center>
7) ''Can edit?''


For adding a new language you can click on the plus sign and a new tab will pop up and you can add the attribute name in that language there.
This information is for viewing/sorting purposes. Only the '''Can Edit''' field is editable for the user. The '''Can edit''' field allows you to determine whether to allow the respective participant to be editable by the user with whom that participant was shared with or not. Clicking on the check box will make an AJAX call and save the changes on the server.


You can also add drop down values by selecting the drop down attribute type.
==Export participants==


<center>[[File:commonsettings2.png]]</center>
The export function is located on the main toolbar of the '''Central participant database''' page: [[File:Export CPDB.png]]


You can edit the possible values of the drop down by clicking on the edit button or clicking on the value itself as it supports inline edit similar to what we have in the grid. Delete button is for deleting the specific value.
When exporting to CSV, you are presented with a dialog box that asks you to mark the attributes you wish to export.


<center>[[File:editcommonsetting.png]]</center>
You can export:


As you can see in the screenshots, the entire attribute properties can be edited here.
*'' '''None''' of the additional attributes''


== Share panel==
*'' '''All''' the additional attributes''


The share panel shows all the information related to the shared participant. Please note that this panel shows only the shared participants owned by that particular user.
*'' '''Certain''' additional attributes''


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


This panel shows values like
<center>[[File:LimeSurvey2.05_exporttoCSV_ru.jpg]]</center>


1) First Name


2) Last Name
The format of the exported file will be CSV.


3) E-Mail
===Export filtered participants===


4) Shared With
To export filtered participants, use first the [[Central Participant Database#Search filters|search filters]]. Then. click the checkbox located on the left side of the '''Action''' column (to select all the filtered participants). Then, click the '''Selected participant(s)...''' button located at the bottom-right side of the table and select the export function. In this way, only the '''filtered participants''' will be exported.


5) Owner
==Search filters==


6) Date Added
If you wish to filter the users from your database, use the search/dropdown boxes located below each column title:


7) Can Edit


All this information is for viewing/sorting purposes only and only the "Can Edit" field is editable for the user. The can edit field as explained earlier determines whether to allow the shared participant to be editable by the sharer or not.Just clicking on the check box will make an AJAX call and save the changes on the server.
<center>[[File:CPDB Filtered search.png]]</center>


== Panel summary==


Panel summary is same as information, only it is loaded when the CPDB panel is opened and it can be accessed again by using the information icon in the toolbar.
Enter information in the search fields or select from the dropdown lists (when possible) the participants you want to be listed after the filtering process.


=Additional information=
=Additional information=


Additional (technical) information is available at [[Central participants database (User panel) Development]].
Additional (technical) information is available in the [[Central participants database (User panel) Development]] wiki.

Latest revision as of 13:04, 24 November 2022

Other languages:

Introduction

To access this feature: Configuration -> Central Participant Database:



This feature allows the administrator to store the participant information in a central table that is independent of any survey participants table. Its major advantages are:

  • The central table acts as a backup. If a user creates a new survey, they will not have to export its participants to a CSV file and then import them back into a new survey.
  • Users need only to add the participants to the central table. Then, the same participants can be added to as many surveys as the user wants.
  • In case multiple users have access to a LimeSurvey installation, its owner(s) can choose to share their participants with other users and also set access rights for the shared users.

You may also find in your LimeSurvey installation an advanced attribute control and several other features.

The participants panel management tools

The following options are available:



Display CPDB participants

This is the main component of this panel. The majority of options can be accessed from here, such as adding, deleting, exporting, adding participants to surveys, etc.

Five options are available in the Action column for every participant listed in the table:




Before accessing the options mentioned above, you must have users listed in your database. To create them, click the Add new participant button, located in the upper-right part of the window.


Add participant

Click the Add new participant button located in the upper-right part of the window: .

A dialog box with the following basic attributes will then appear:



Custom attributes can be added. For further details, see the attributes and examples sections.


Edit participant

To edit the basic and/or custom attributes of a participant, click the first button (from left to right) located in the Action column (). A window with all the available attributes will be displayed.

You can easily delete one or multiple participants:

  • If you want to delete one participant, go to the row where the respective participant is located and click the red bin button: .
  • If you want to delete two or more participants, click the Selected participant(s)... button (under the last row, below the Action column) after you selected the corresponding entries: . Then, click the delete option.

When you delete the participant(s), three options are available to you:



1) Delete only from the central panel: The first option deletes the participant from the central participant database only. If the participant is in any survey participants table, they will not be removed.

2) Delete from the central panel and associated surveys: The second option deletes the participant from central panel and from the surveys where they have been added to, but their responses are not deleted.

3) Delete from central panel, associated surveys and all associated responses: The third option deletes all traces of that participant from the system, including their responses.


  Attention : Please note that in all the three scenarios, the links created for the purpose of maintaining a participant's history are also deleted.


Share participant

This is another important feature of the Central Participant Database. You can share your participants with other users. You just have to select the participant(s) you want to share and click either the green right-arrow icon () or the Selected participant(s)... button located in the bottom left part of the participants table. A modal box will open which will allow you to select the user with whom you want to share the respective participant(s). You can also set whether the user who shares your participant can edit those participants. If you set it to No, they will get an access denied error when trying to edit the entries of the shared participant.


List active surveys

If you click the next icon (), all the active surveys where the respective participant has been added to will be listed.

Add participant to survey

Adding a participant to a survey can be done by clicking the last icon () from the Action column. If you wish to add more than one participant to a survey, mark them and select the Share option from the Selected participant(s)... dialog box (located in the bottom-left part of the central table).



Please note that if you wish to add participants from the central database to a survey, the respective survey needs to contain a survey participants table! For further details, please continue reading the following wiki section.

The title of the dialog box will show you the number of participants that are going to be added to the respective survey. Besides that, there is also a checkbox, that if checked, it will take you to the survey participants table of the survey to which you are adding the participants to.

After clicking 'Next', you will be taken to the attribute map page.

The attribute map page contains four tables and uses an advanced drag-and-drop functionality:



  • The first table, Unmapped participant attributes, shows all the attributes that are present in the central participant database. They are currently unmapped - not present in the survey participants table. These unmapped attributes can either be moved into the Token attributes to create table which creates new attributes in the survey participants table or they can be merged with the existing token attributes by dragging the unmapped attributes into the Existing token attributes table, besides the existing token attribute you wish to be merged with.
  • The second table, Token attributes to create, helps you copy unmapped participant attributes into the survey participants table, creating new columns. Drag the attribute(s) you wish to add to the survey participants table and drop them into the second table. In this way, new columns/attributes will be added to the survey participants table.
  • The third table, Existing token attributes, displays the current attributes existing in the survey participants table. Drop the unmapped attributes here if you wish to copy the data from the unmapped attributes into the one of the existing token attributes (see screenshot below)
  • The fourth table, the Standard token fields, displays the standard token fields that can be merged with unmapped participant attributes. The only standard token field from a survey participants table that can be edited is the Token one. This is important when you wish, for example, to easily copy token codes across different LimeSurvey installations.



You can also overwrite the existing token attribute values from the survey participants table if a participant already exists. Use this option cautiously in order not to lose any important data on survey respondents.


After you have mapped all the attributes, you can click Continue. After processing the participants, a summary page will be displayed, telling you how many participants were successfully copied. If you have previously asked for redirection, you will be redirected to the survey participants table, otherwise you will be redirected to the CPDB main page.


Info

Displays CPDB stats:



1) Total participants in central table : The total number of participants located in the central participant database.

2) Participants owned by you : Shows the total number of participants that have you as a owner. By default, the new participants entered into the central participant database have as owner the user that firstly added them to it.

3) Participants shared with you : The number of participants that were shared with you by other users.

4) Participants you have shared : The number of participants you shared with other users.

5) Blacklisted participants : The number of blacklisted participants.

6) Total attributes in the central table : The total number of attributes that can be found in the central table.

Import

If you wish to add participants via the import function, click the Import button that is located on the main toolbar of the Central participant database page:

The following options are available:



Please note the text from the box on CSV input format:

The file should be a standard CSV (comma delimited) file with optional double quotes around values (default for OpenOffice and Excel). The first line must contain the field names. The fields can be in any order.

Mandatory field: email

Optional fields: firstname, lastname, blacklisted, language


Steps to import

1) Select a file to import and specify the settings associated with it.

2) Map the attributes from the CSV file. Import the attribute data either into an existing attribute from the central participant database or into a new column by creating a new attribute. The newly created attribute will be of text box type - the format can be changed later.



In the screenshot from above, a new attribute called "New Age" will be created. The data from attribute "Sex" was mapped and copied into the existent "Sex" attribute from the central participant database.

3) Click continue, and wait for the process to be done. At the end, a short summary will be displayed.



Clicking OK will redirect you to the participants screen, showing you the newly imported participants.

Blacklist settings

The Blacklist settings button is available on the main toolbar of the Central participant database page. Once you click it, the following page will be displayed.



The following Yes/No options are available:

  • Blacklist all current surveys for participant once the global field is set: If set to Yes, the blacklisted participant(s) cannot be added to any survey.
  • Blacklist participant for any new added survey once the global field is set: If new surveys are created, the respective participant(s) cannot be added to them (if Yes is picked up). However, they can still be added to those surveys created earlier.
  • Allow blacklisted participants to be added to a survey: Even if a participant is blacklisted, they can still be added to a survey.
  • Hide blacklisted participants: Useful function when you would like to hide participant for a specific amount of time and then make them available for the rest of users with whom those blacklisted participants have been shared with.
  • Delete globally blacklisted participants from the database: If Yes, the blacklisted participants will be deleted from the database.
  • Allow participant to un-blacklist himself/herself: If Yes, participants can un-blacklist themselves without the help of a LimeSurvey user.

Attributes

To access the Attributes management panel, click the Attributes button located on the main toolbar of CPDB main page:



The attribute management facilitates the addition of three types of attributes: text box, date, and drop-down list. To add a new attribute, click tAdd new attribute located in the upper-right part of the window:



When adding a new attribute, the following options are available:

  • Defaultname: It will be used by LimeSurvey to name the attribute in case no other English name is provided.
  • Attribute type: You can choose either of the attribute types and the associated user interface will be presented to you while editing.
  • Should this attribute be visible on the panel?: It can be Yes or No. This function determines whether the attribute is visible in the CPDB table or not. This can be later edited from the Visible column that is located in the main attributes table.
  • Languages: If you would like LimeSurvey not to use the defaultname as the name of the attribute, type here the desired name. Please note that the attribute management has multilingual support. Click on the plus sign after you have selected the language. A new field will appear below the English/default language.

Once the changes are done, click Save.

We recommend tha you write the name of the attribute in the corresponding language box even if you use only one language (the base language). The reason for this is that when you map attributes and you wish to add them to different survey participants table, the defaultname of the attribute is not displayed in the respective panel - only the name you give in the corresponding language box is shown.

In the attributes table, two actions are available (see the Action column):

If you click the first icon, a dialog box will be displayed. It includes the basic settings of the selected attribute that can be edited according to your needs.

To delete an attribute from the table, click on the red trash button, located next to the edit button. Clicking the delete button will not only delete the attribute, but also the associated values from the CPDB.

Share panel

The share panel shows all the information related to the shared participants. Please note that this panel shows only the shared participants owned by that particular user.



This panel shows values like:

1) Last name

2) First name

3) Email address

4) Shared by

5) Owner

6) Date added

7) Can edit?

This information is for viewing/sorting purposes. Only the Can Edit field is editable for the user. The Can edit field allows you to determine whether to allow the respective participant to be editable by the user with whom that participant was shared with or not. Clicking on the check box will make an AJAX call and save the changes on the server.

Export participants

The export function is located on the main toolbar of the Central participant database page:

When exporting to CSV, you are presented with a dialog box that asks you to mark the attributes you wish to export.

You can export:

  • None of the additional attributes
  • All the additional attributes
  • Certain additional attributes



The format of the exported file will be CSV.

Export filtered participants

To export filtered participants, use first the search filters. Then. click the checkbox located on the left side of the Action column (to select all the filtered participants). Then, click the Selected participant(s)... button located at the bottom-right side of the table and select the export function. In this way, only the filtered participants will be exported.

Search filters

If you wish to filter the users from your database, use the search/dropdown boxes located below each column title:



Enter information in the search fields or select from the dropdown lists (when possible) the participants you want to be listed after the filtering process.

Additional information

Additional (technical) information is available in the Central participants database (User panel) Development wiki.

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