Label sets

General

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

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

  A label set must contain the same base language as the survey, else you will not be able to use it for any question of your survey.

You may find below a label set example to help you better grasp the concept. Click here if you want to go straight to the label set management functions of LimeSurvey.

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

Code	Label
1	Not useful at all
2	2
3	3
4	Somewhat useful
5	5
6	6
7	Very useful

You may find below a graphical example where three different smileys are used instead of label text:

Label sets - how to...

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

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

Click on 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 from scratch or import it from another source:

• New label set: The label set(s) have to 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 on browse and add the .lsl label set file. If you have previously created a label set, then LimeSurvey will not allow you import an 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 LimeSurvey website.

If you import a whole survey the label sets are imported too with the questions. Duplicate label sets are ignored.

Once the label was imported or created, click on the Save button located in the right upper part of the screen.

...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 option:

• 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 have to fill in a label code, an assessment value, and a label description. Then, press on the plus sign to add the new label. It's possible to use a graphic instead of or additionally to a label text. To do that, you have to use HTML-code to include the graphic you want, e.g.:

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

Read also our wiki on assessments. The column is ignored if you set all the values to 0.

To ease 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 ->).

For a short introduction on the HTML editor utilized by LimeSurvey, check the following page.

Quick add

Another possibility to quickly introduce labels is to use the Quick add... button. When you click it, a window will pop out. It works under the following form: Code ; Title.

You can either add or replace the current labels. If you click Replace, all the pre-existing labels will be replaced with the new ones will the Add options adds at the end of the pre-existing labels the newly created ones.

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:

However, the Assessment values cannot be edited/entered with this function - it has to be changed manually by either typing a numerical value or by using the corresponding arrows from each box.

  If you wish to translate labels by using the Quick add... function, you need to add the translation on the same line(s) separated with a semicolon.

...delete a label

In order to delete a label, click on the red trash button () located under the 'Action' column.

...rearrange a label

To rearrange the order of the labels, click on the green sign () located under the column called 'Position' and re-position the label as you prefer.

...add a new language

To add a new language, Create or import new label set(s) -> Languages -> type the desired language.

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.

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

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.

Examples

{{Box:Before reading further, take a look at our wiki on how to create surveys since the examples from below already assume that you have your survey created.}} For a better understanding of the label sets option, let's take a look together at the following examples

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

Assuming that the label set and survey are created:

• Go to the structure of the survey and create a questiongroup - About LimeSurvey

• Select from the Structure view the newly created question group (About LimeSurvey in our case) and take a look at group quick actions. Then, click on Add new question to group:

• Type in the code and the text of the question
• In order to use label sets as predefined answers, you have to select the right type of question that can make use of label sets. Below, the Array question type is selected:

Save the question to add it into your question group.

• The array question type asks for:

• • Subquestions

• • Set of answers

• Save & Preview the survey:

• • Add one or more subquestions:

• Now, click on edit the answers and look for the Predefined label sets... button

I want to add labels in another language

• In one of the examples from above we have created label set in Romanian.

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• Go to the settings of the survey and check whether you have already added that second language or not (Romanian in our case)

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• Create a new question (Array question type) and select Romanian

IMAGE - Romanian + array type

• The array question type asks for:

• • Subquestions

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• • Set of answers

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• Save & Preview the survey:

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I want to use emoticons instead of label text

In order to use emoticons, you have to use the HTML-editor when creating the labels.

• Create label set

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• Open the HTML-editor by clicking on the green pen and add graphics instead of text.

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• Create a question that can make use of label sets as predefined answers

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• Edit the answers to the question

• Add the answers

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• Save and Preview

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I want to import a label set and use it as a sub-question list

• Optional: Access [templates database], access Label set templates and download the one you wish to use - .lsl file format (Australian states in our example).
• Go to Configuration and click on Manage label sets button.
• Click on Create or import new label set(s) (in the upper-left side of the screen) -> Import label set(s)

• Now that the label set was uploaded, create a question that requires the usage of the subquestions.

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• Edit subquestions

• Load label set

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• Save and preview

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