Version Notice: This article covers features in our r9/IS Pro platform. If you're looking for information on this topic related to r8, see Getting started with IntelliBuilder.
Editing and adding survey content can be accomplished in the Editor applet. The Editor applet has two editing modes: IntelliBuilder and SPL (survey programming language). This article gives an overview of the IntelliBuilder mode's user interface (UI) and features.
IntelliBuilder (IB) is a survey editing tool that enables users, including those without a programming background, to easily create, edit, preview, and review survey content without accessing the survey source code. This straightforward graphical interface is specifically designed for collaborative survey editing, supporting multiple users working together in a session. Additionally, IB allows users to leave comments for Survey Programmers (SPs), using a "Do-it-Together" model for programming assistance.
Tip! This article is the first article in a series. We suggest fully reading this article before continuing on to other IntelliBuilder topics.
Opening IntelliBuilder
To edit in IB, expand the Build navigation group, and click Editor.
Depending on your survey role, IB may be your only editing option. When this is the case, the IB editor will open automatically for you. However, if you also have survey permissions to edit in SPL mode, you may need to choose IntelliBuilder from the Editor Mode dropdown menu as shown below. Also, the mode you selected when creating the survey will be the mode you default to when the Editor applet opens each time.
Roles and rights
Users with the survey role Researcher, the "add-on" role IntelliBuilder Wording Editor, and the add-on role IntelliBuilder Editor have permissions to edit in IB mode. Users with the survey role Maker can access both SPL and IntelliBuilder modes. Here is a breakdown of the survey roles and their permissions for IB.
Survey role | Primary / Add-on | Survey rights | Permitted IB tasks |
---|---|---|---|
IntelliBuilder Wording Editor | Add-on |
Lite access, Review versions |
Can execute inline word editing, review versions in the IB format, and save versions. |
IntelliBuilder Editor | Add-on |
Basic and Advanced access, Review versions |
Basic/Advanced users can perform the same tasks as a Wording Editor, plus the following: |
Researcher | Primary |
Lite access, Review versions |
Can execute inline word editing, review versions in IB viewing mode, and save versions. |
Maker | Primary | Expert access, Review versions | Can perform the same tasks as Basic/Advanced users, plus the following:
|
If you do not have access to the Editor applet and you believe you should, please contact a Support agent via our chatbot or email help@intellisurvey.com. For more information on adding survey users with the Survey Users applet, please see Adding survey users.
Overview
Layout
The UI has several sections which serve different functions. A description of each of these sections can be found below this image. Note, a pane often appears to the right of the comments column with additional actions depending on the button clicked in the toolbar.
- Action toolbars – The top of the screen contains two toolbars. There are several dropdown menus, buttons, and kebab menus that can be used for tasks such as controlling how the survey is displayed, switching user modes, creating new survey content, commenting, importing a previously programmed survey, downloading a copy of the survey in Word format, and more.
- Main survey body – This section contains the main content of the survey, including questions, tables, quotas, and other major survey elements.
- Comments column – The comments column allows users to post and reply to comments, including the ability to create action items for resolution and "at-mentioning" other users or Support.
- Appendix – The Appendix contains standalone/external lists (a.k.a., "setlists") that can be used across multiple questions, and may also include other items such as uploaded spreadsheets, chapters, and default settings (added via SPL).
Collapsing and expanding
By default, surveys are displayed with all elements "expanded," showing the details of each survey element. In the case of questions and tables, this means the question text and ID, options (with IDs), and any added properties or features are shown. Users may click the double arrows pointing up to collapse all elements, and the double arrows pointing down to expand all elements.
Survey groups can also be collapsed or expanded by clicking the icon directly next to the group's name. The closing arrows icon collapses all elements in a group, and the opening arrows icon expands them.
Individual survey elements can be expanded and collapsed as well. Similar to the collapse all and expand all icons for all survey elements, click the upward facing arrow to collapse the survey element, and click the downward facing arrow to expand it.
Keyboard shortcuts
The typical formatting shortcut keys for bolding, italicizing, and underlining text are available to use in question text, options, and other displayed text. Additionally, IB has the following special keyboard shortcuts available.
Shortcut | Action | |
---|---|---|
PC | MAC | |
Alt+Shift+N | Ctrl+Option+N | Adds element to end of survey. |
Alt+Shift+S | Ctrl+Option+S | Saves element. |
Ctrl+Windows key+T | Ctrl+⌘+T | Goes to top of survey. |
Ctrl+Windows key+A | Ctrl+⌘+A | Goes to Appendix. |
Action toolbars
There is a dual toolbar at the top of the screen. The top toolbar consists mostly of high level actions, such as saving sessions, importing and exporting survey versions, etc. Meanwhile, the second toolbar contains options that are related to creating, editing, and reviewing the survey.
As previously discussed, the Editor Mode dropdown is where you can select the editing mode, IntelliBuilder or SPL. There is a refresh arrow immediately to the right, which can refresh the content on the screen.
Let's briefly review the remaining action buttons and menus.
Restart Session
If you would like to discard all unsaved changes, you can click the Restart Session button to return the last saved version of the survey.
Note: Restarting a session will undo any in-progress changes across all users.
Active users
For both SPL and IB editing, the user icons at the top of the editor indicate which users have been working on the project. If the icon is green, it means they are currently logged in.
Save Version
The Save Version button is found on the top-right of the dual-toolbar. This button is gray (deactivated) until there are new changes. Clicking this button saves a draft version of the survey code, and the button then returns to a deactivated state. Once the latest survey version (also called "session") is saved, you will have the option to publish the survey.
Download and import
To the right of Save Version you will find an option to download the survey with the "Word doc" icon. Clicking on this button gives you the choice to download the latest survey questionnaire in a Word document, with or without comments.
Next, there is a button to launch the File Importer modal where you can import files directly into the editor. Supported formats include IntelliSurvey SPL text files, Word documents exported from IB, and other survey software formats.
Note: The File Importer is a new tool and works best with Word documents exported from IntelliBuilder. If you encounter an error, we encourage you to try the Upload From File option, found in the Add Question modal/menu.
Actions menu
Following the import button, you can see the actions menu, which expands to show several action items.
Note: The View SPL and Email Change Log options are only available to IB experts, which at this time are survey Makers. If you need assistance with any of these options, reach out to an IntelliSurvey team member on your project, or email help@intellisurvey.com.
Session Activity
The Session Activity option opens the Session Activity pane on the right side of the screen next to the comments column. Here, you can review the session history for all changes made from collaborators while in IntelliBuilder editing mode. You can also review the survey version history, which includes all versions, regardless of editing mode.
View SPL
The View SPL option opens a modal to show the full SPL for the latest survey version. This code can be copied to your clipboard.
Add Question Class
You can add a customized standard question class to your survey by clicking the Add Question Class option. Once created and saved, this new question class will be accessible by opening the Add Questions modal and clicking on Customized Questions.
Jump to Appendix
Referring back to the general layout of IB, the Appendix is found at the end of the main survey content and contains all the standalone/external lists. This helpful Jump to Appendix option lets you navigate directly to the beginning of this section without scrolling through dozens or hundreds of survey elements.
Email Change Log
You can send yourself an email-friendly summary of all changes made from collaborators using IB mode. The email used will be the email address associated with your IntelliSurvey platform login. The changes will appear in your email body, not as a separate file. Red lines indicate removed or changed content, and green lines indicate new changes or additions.
Preview options
The view menu allows users to switch the display mode for all elements in the survey. By default, surveys will automatically be displayed in the summary view with all questions expanded.
Summary view
The Summary viewing mode (also called "Builder view") is the default viewing mode for IB. Each element is displayed with all of its features, options or list references, and question type. Any comments left by users will be shown in full.
Preview view
The Preview viewing mode is useful for viewing questions and tables as they would be displayed to the respondent. In this mode, you can also experiment with how a question or table functions. However, be aware this view ignores conditions related to display logic or piping from previous selections. In order to fully test how your survey content functions, we recommend using our Testmode tools.
Source view
The Source viewing mode allows "expert" users to view the source code generated from building various survey elements. While in source view, you can also directly edit an element's SPL.
Add Question
Clicking the Add Question button will insert a new section at the end of the main survey content where you can select a question type or add a question from a template.
This panel is also movable. You can customize the order of your survey content by dragging the panel to a new position.
Read Creating survey elements with IntelliBuilder for more information.
Keyword search
There is a search field immediately to the right of the Add Question button that allows users to filter out survey content.
The keyword matching supports alphanumeric characters, allows for partial word searches, and is case-insensitive. First, enter your text in the field. Then, to clear the search filter, either click the "X" on the right side of the search field or select the Clear search link found immediately below it.
Note, the keyword search feature does not search properties or any directives, e.g., "CONDITION", the text within a "DESC," or the contents of sheets.
Tip! If you would like to search the comments, you can export the comment history in the Comment Center, then search its content using the Excel file's search features.
Showing comments and the Comment Center
Comments can be added by clicking the word bubble icon to the right of any survey element in the comment column. IB defaults to displaying all comments, and the Show Comments toggle is set to "on," showing a dark blue color.
If there are comments to show, they will appear in the comments column on the right. Further actions can be taken such as collapsing threads, replying, editing, deleting, and resolving/unresolving comments.
If you would like to hide all comments, you can press the Show Comments toggle. Once hidden, the entire comment column will collapse to the right. Note, the Hide all Comments link, which is found immediately above any comment section, only controls the individual survey element.
Lastly, the Comment Center settings icon is found immediately next to the Show Comments toggle. Click this button to open the Comment Center. It will appear to the right of the comments column. To remove the Comment Center from the screen, click the "X" in the top right corner.
Read Communicating with IntelliBuilder for more details on using comments.
Next steps
IntelliBuilder is a new feature. Users should expect features and functions to change over time. As such, these articles should be considered a "work-in-progress," and users should check back periodically for updates. Additionally, we welcome your feedback to help make this editing tool the best in class.
We encourage users to continue reading our documentation. The following articles provide additional information on how to create and edit survey content, plus how to communicate with collaborators through IntelliBuilder:
- Survey elements overview for IntelliBuilder – This article focuses on the various types of elements that can be created in IntelliBuilder, common features that can be added to them, and the controls and functions that are available on individual elements once added to the survey.
- Creating survey elements with IntelliBuilder – This article focuses on the steps to create most survey elements, including how to use lists for question and table options. Elements that do not fit this pattern are covered in "Additional survey elements and features for IntelliBuilder" and "Conditioned survey elements and features for IntelliBuilder."
- Common properties for IntelliBuilder — Explore the most common properties to define the display and functionality of your survey elements.
- Attributes for IntelliBuilder — Learn more about the attributes within your survey elements that refine the display and functionality of the individual options.
- Creating and applying survey templates in IntelliBuilder – Survey templates offer programmers the ability to create a new survey from the template, copying its source code and many of its associated resources such as sheets, image files, deliverables, and data cuts. This article provides an overview of how to use survey templates in IB.
- Editing surveys with IntelliBuilder – This article focuses on the various ways collaborators may edit survey elements.
- Communicating through IntelliBuilder – This article focuses on the usage of comments in IntelliBuilder and how to hide, mark for resolution, or search for them via the Comments Center.
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