Version Notice: This article covers creating autoother options with decorators. The autoother options as underscores method is still supported, but not preferred. For information on using autoothers with tables, see Autoother in table rows.
An autoother refers to an "Other (specify)" option that gives respondents the opportunity to write in a response not provided in the question's answer set.
To create an autoother, place autoother: y
as an element decorator next to the option.
Try it!
Details
- If a respondent selects an
autoother
option, an entry in the accompanying text field is required. - When an autoother is part of a list, the text field created is shown on the first instance of the list being used. The text entered will then appear in subsequent uses of the same list. If no text was specified, the
autoother
option will not appear in further uses of that list. - You can apply any tag that sets parameters for a regular text field to an autoother option. These parameters define the type of input, data storage, and field appearance.
Examples
Customizing with individual tags
Place autoother parameters as individual tags on a question immediately after the autoother option.
1. These autoother parameters are applied as a tags.
type: radio
1. Here's an option.
2. Here's another option.
97. Other {autoother: y}
autoother placeholder: Please write here.
autoother size: 12
You can also place individual tags on the set defaults
widget to define all autoothers for an entire survey.
Customizing with element decorators
Parameters can be placed inside an decorator. If you have multiple parameters, separate them with semicolons or commas.
1. These autoother parameters are placed after the autoother decorator. type: radio 1. This is an option. 2. So is this. 97. Other {autoother: y; placeholder: Please specify; required: n}
Note, the final parameter does not use a semicolon/comma.
Common parameters
The following parameters can be used as tags or decorators to customize autoothers.
Parameter | When used as a tag | Description |
datatype |
autoother datatype |
Use datatype to ensure respondents provide valid input for open-ended questions, such as accepting only integers. |
desc |
autoother desc |
Use desc to provide a specific description for the autoother option in reports. |
error |
autoother error |
Use Note, if another parameter with a validation is used, such as |
firstq |
autoother firstq |
Allows users to "save" an autoother option to show at a later question. The question ID entered here represents the first place this autoother is shown. The input format is 'QX', with the leading 'Q'. |
autoother maxlength or autoother minlength
|
Use Similarly, use |
|
|
|
Use placeholder to display a message in the autoother text field, for example "Specify". |
|
|
Use |
|
|
Use |
|
Use |
|
required |
autoother required |
With required: n , all autoother validation is disabled. |
size |
autoother size |
Use |
Tip! Starting in r9.0+, autoothers in questions with either randomize: y
or the order
tag will be anchored in their list positions by default. To change this, use the anchor autoother: n
tag directly on a question or in the survey's set defaults
.
In earlier versions, autoothers are not anchored automatically. You can apply the anchor autoother: y
tag directly to a question or the survey's set defaults
, or add the anchor: y
decorator after the autoother
decorator.
Additional examples
Global autoother parameters
Instead of adding autoother parameters for each question or table, you can apply them at the beginning of the survey by using the set defaults
widget. Parameters set here will apply to the entire survey unless overridden later.
Below is a list of common parameters often used with set defaults
.
set defaults
autoother placeholder: Specify
autoother size: 10
Save autoother for later question
Since an autoother option will be displayed the first time a list is used, and must be selected in order to be seen again later in the survey, it may occasionally be necessary to exclude it from a list's initial usage. In Q4 below, the parameter firstq
is used to "save" the autoother option's first appearance for Q4A.
In Q4, exclusion syntax could also be used in the optsfrom
listcall to remove the autoother from the HOW list so that it can still be used in Q4A.
Autoother options in sheets
Autoother options may also be included in survey spreadsheets in r8.1+. Simply add an option with underscores, such as 'Other ________', in the sheet's "text" column.
For example, consider the following sheet, "attractions."
id | text |
---|---|
1 | The beach |
2 | Lakes |
3 | National parks |
4 | State parks |
5 | Museums (science/history) |
6 | Historic sites |
7 | Zoos or aquariums |
8 | Adventure parks (ziplines, etc.) |
9 | Theatres |
10 | Art exhibits |
97 | Other 1 ______________ |
971 | Other 2 ______________ |
Next, call in the sheet options (e.g., optsfrom: surveyid.sheetname
), and the system will create text fields for the autoother options. Parameters can be included locally as tags or on a set defaults
widget.
11. When travelling, what types of attractions do you like to visit?
type: checkbox
randomize: y
optsfrom: surveyid.attractions
autoother placeholder: Please specify
autoother size: 12
Autoother piping
Autoother options may also be piped into follow-up questions and lists by referencing the question where they were selected. Please select "other' in the example below.
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