Question type - Multiple choice
From LimeSurvey Manual
Short description
This question type can collect input of multiple selections through checkboxes.
Core settings
Mandatory
Description
This option allows the survey administrators to request their respondents to answer certain survey questions. If the mandatory questions are not answered, the respondents will not be able to proceed further. If you have a question with multiple subquestions, and you require only certain subquestions to be answered, use the minimum answer attribute located under the Logic tab.
Available options
- On - Question must be answered before the participant can proceed to the next page - the answer option 'No answer' is never shown.
- Soft - If the question is not answered, a warning is shown when trying to proceed to the next page - however, the participant can choose to ignore the warning and proceed. Note that the 'No answer' option is still shown (if activated in survey presentation settings)
- Off (default) - Question can be left unanswered
Option 'Other' (other)
Description
This option is used by multiple choice-type questions and gives you the ability to ask for a selection that is not part of the enumerated answer list.
Available options
- On
- Off (default)
These Core Settings are available in Version 1.92 and beyond
Condition (previously "Relevance equation")
Description
If the result value of the condition is "1" or "true", the question is "relevant" in the survey context, i.e. it is shown to the survey participant. If not, the question is hidden. Any survey question allows you to specify a relevance equation. This function is the successor of conditions and supports much more complex conditional logic.
Syntax Highlighting
Whenever you save the condition, it is evaluated and syntax-highlighted. Any errors will be color coded so that you can quickly detect and fix them.
Valid values
- Any condition that makes use of the ExpressionScript syntax, without surrounding curly braces.
Examples
Here are good examples of syntax highlighting.
Advanced settings
Hide tip (hide_tip)
Description
Most questions will usually include a tip that says "Please choose one of the following options" or a hint text on how to fill out the question. This attribute allows you to turn off or on this tips/hints.
These tips/hints include validation criteria messages (such as min/max number of answers, min/max/equals sum value). If hide_tip is enabled, these messages will be hidden. However, if the user enters invalid data, the tips will appear. They will be coloured in red, getting changed to green once the validation criteria are met.
Available options
- On - the tips/hints are hidden;
- Off (default).
Label for 'Other:' option (other_replace_text)
Description
Short text string to replace the text "Other" as label for the "other" option.
Example
Entering a value of "Alternative:" for this attribute would result in the word "Alternative:" being used instead of "Other".
Display columns (display_columns)
Description
This setting allows you to display the answer options in more than one column. Add this attribute and a value indicating the number of columns you wish the question to use. It is recommended to limit the number of columns to the number of answers.
Valid values
- Any positive integer value greater than 0
Examples
- If you have 3 answers options and you want to show these horizontally, set this option to "3" instead of vertically.
- If you have 6 answers options and you want to show these in two columns (3 per column), then set this option to '2'.
Randomization group name (random_group)
Description
It places the questions into a specified randomization group, all questions included in the specified group being displayed in a random order to the survey respondents.
You can find a sample survey using randomization group name in ExpressionScript sample survey.
Valid values
Just enter any string you like (for example: 'group1'). All question which have set the same string within the randomization group name box will have their place in the survey randomized (=randomly exchanged among each other).
Preview
To preview the questions use the preview survey instead of the preview question group function, as the second has been reported to not show the questions in a randomized order.
Random answer order (random_order)
Description
This attribute causes LimeSurvey to ignore the existing order of answer options/subquestions, and instead it orders them randomly. This option permits the survey creator to diminish the survey bias. Please note that if a question has subquestions, the order of subquestions will be randomized, not the order of the answer options.
Available options
- Yes - Randomize when participant enters survey
- No (default)
Description
If enabled, the question will always be hidden - it will not be displayed to the survey participants. This function can be used in the following scenarios:
- If you wish to prefill a question with a URL and you want not to have it displayed on the screen. This overrides any conditions used within the survey because the respective question will not even be embedded on the page.
- If you wish to store or calculate a value on the fly via the ExpressionScript - Presentation.
Available options
- On
- Off (default)
Minimum answers (min_answers)
Description
This function can be used to ensure that a user selects at least a certain number of answers in a multiple choice question.
Valid values
- Any integer value above 0
- Any number
- Any SGQA code
- Any question code (variable name)
- Any equation, using ExpressionScript syntax, without surrounding curly braces.
Example
If set to X (a random number), the users can submit the survey form if they select at least X checkboxes. If this option is utilised for ranking questions, this ensures that at least three items are ranked before allowing the respondent to submit the answers/survey.
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These Advanced Settings are available in Version 1.92 and beyond
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