Editing surveys with IntelliBuilder

The following article focuses on how to edit and rearrange survey elements in IntelliBuilder. For information on creating new survey elements with IntelliBuilder, see Creating survey elements with IntelliBuilder.

New users should consider reviewing the Survey elements overview article before continuing.

The "Do It Together" model for editing with IntelliBuilder

Though it is possible for any user with IntelliBuilder editing privileges to create most of their survey's content from scratch, most of our end users elect to implement a "Do It Together" model for survey programming. In this model, our Survey Programmers (SPs) code the initial version of the survey, then client end users can review and edit the survey in IntelliBuilder.

The following video demonstrates how the "Do It Together" model may be useful for you and your teammates.

Whether you create and edit the survey from scratch yourself, or elect to use the "Do It Together" model, the content below will help you learn how to edit surveys with IntelliBuilder.

Editing survey elements

Users can edit survey elements in four different ways, depending on the complexity of editing required and which user modes are available to them:

• For simple text edits, click directly on the element text while in either the Builder or Preview view modes.
• For edits to element text or functionality, including question and option IDs, question type, or properties, use the Element Editor, accessed via the Edit icon.
• Expert users can use Source view to edit the SPL for individual elements as needed.
• For more complex edits, such as defining or adding advanced features to a survey element or editing multiple elements at one time, use the Edit applet (limited to Expert users).

Each of these methods will be covered below. Note that elements which include the Editable By property can only be edited or copied by Survey Creators (SCs) with the specified role. If the Editable By property is set to 'Advanced,' then both Advanced and Expert users can edit or copy the element.

Simple text edits

Simple text edits to a survey element do not require usage of the Element Editor and can be accomplished while the survey is in either Builder or Preview viewing modes. Any text that is editable will be highlighted when hovered over.

Click on the highlighted text, then edit as need be. Users can also use simple formatting keyboard shortcuts to bold (Ctrl-B), underline (Ctrl-U), or italicize (Ctrl-I) as needed. 

Like newly created elements, edited elements will display a yellow pencil icon next to them. Edits of this nature will be listed as "inline edited" in the Session History grid. Once all edits are completed, click Save New Version to save them. The Edit icon will return to its normal light blue outline.

Editing element features and functionality 

If edits are required beyond simple text edits, users should utilize the Element Editor. The Element Editor is accessed by clicking the Edit icon.

The Element Editor functions the same whether creating a new element or editing it, allowing users to add, remove, or alter any components of the survey element, including the question type. SCs should note that altering the question type can lead to the removal of certain properties or attributes, depending on the compatibility of the features across question types. As such, these features may need to be reapplied or redefined after switching element types.

The Apply button will become active once any changes have been made. After reviewing the edits, click Save New Version to commit all changes to the current version of the survey. Changes made from the Element Editor will be listed as "updated" in the Session History grid.

SPL edits

Expert users may edit the SPL for individual elements by switching them to Source view, either via an element's Gear menu or the View menu. Once in Source view, the element's code will turn yellow when clicked upon, and any of the SPL shown can be edited; additional code may also be added as needed. Similar to inline editing, SCs should click outside of the element once finished so that the system will recognize edits have been made, then click Save New Version to make sure the changes are saved to that survey version.

Complex edits via Survey Editor

Expert users also have the ability to directly edit a survey's source code by toggling from IntelliBuilder to the Survey Edit applet. In the header banner of both the Survey Dashboard and IntelliBuilder, Expert users will see the Editor Mode button. Clicking this button will allow a user to switch from IntelliBuilder mode to Survey Source mode.

After electing to switch edit modes, a modal will appear, asking for confirmation before switching modes, and alerting the user of any recent IntelliBuilder session activity. Any other active IntelliBuilder users will be temporarily kicked out of the survey while source code changes are being made. As such, it is recommended that SCs who need to make edits in the source code let other users know ahead of time that they plan to do so. Any unmerged changes will be saved as a draft when switching edit modes.

Other active users will receive a notification that a fellow user has discarded the session by switching edit modes.

Upon switching to the Edit applet, if there were any unmerged changes, a confirmation modal will appear, asking the SC whether they want to open the draft or not. Clicking Yes will load the unmerged edits, while clicking No will discard them.

Once completing and saving any edits, users may return to IntelliBuilder by clicking Editor Mode > IntelliBuilder in the Edit applet's header. 

Using comments for editing assistance 

At times revisions required for a survey element may be either too complex to accomplish via IntelliBuilder or might seem "too advanced" for a user's comfort level with IntelliBuilder. Or maybe a user has made changes to a survey element, such as adding display logic to a question, and they just want someone else to verify the edits are correct. In these situations, comments can be extremely useful to contact PMs or Support for assistance.

Comments can be used not just to ask for assistance, but to also have a stored log of discussions about edits and revisions, or to create action items. For information on using the comments feature, see Communicating through IntelliBuilder.

Rearranging survey elements

Survey elements do not need to be added to the survey in the order they will be displayed and can be rearranged as needed. Although SCs can always rearrange elements in the Edit applet, IntelliBuilder offers two ways for users to rearrange the elements themselves – either by dragging and dropping the element into a new location via the element's "handle" icon, or via the Move option under the element's Gear menu.

Via drag and drop 

To move an element via drag and drop, click on the element's "handle," located above the Gear menu icon. The cursor will change into a hand when you hover over the handle, and clicking and holding the handle will make the hand look like it's gripping the icon. While holding, drag the element up or down the screen to the desired location and drop the element in that spot by releasing.

Once an element has been moved to a new location, both that element and the element that immediately follows in it in the new element order will be considered "edited" and the edit icons will appear yellow. The edit icons will change back to their "unedited" state/color once all changes have been merged. Although both elements are treated as if they were edited, only the moved element will be noted in the Session History grid.

Via move action 

The second method for moving an element to a new location in the survey is by selecting Move from the Gear menu. The Move widget modal will appear, allowing the user to specify where they want the element to be moved. Select either Before or After from the Move Widget menu, then select which question to go before or after from the Question Target menu. Press Save when complete, and the element will be moved to the new location.