Survey elements overview for IntelliBuilder

Survey elements are the basic components of a survey and include items such as questions, tables, quotas, and other structural elements like lists and groups. Survey elements can be either respondent facing or hidden, and can include conditions that dictate whether they are shown to a respondent or not.

This article provides an overview of the survey elements, properties, and attributes available in IntelliBuilder (IB). It's important to note that, similar to other areas of the software, the IB features accessible in your survey are contingent upon your assigned survey role.

Survey element overview

Most elements created in IB are located within the main body of the screen, though some elements, such as lists, are housed in the Appendix. Each survey element, by default, is displayed in expanded view and has its own set of controls to move, edit, or change the display of the element. Users with access to the survey may also leave comments on individual elements as needed.

Although the display of elements will vary based on the element type, each survey element will have the following components.

1. Handle – Allows the user to drag an existing element to a new location in the survey. 
2. Element toolbar – Provides actions that can be performed on that specific element without effecting other elements in the survey body.
3. Survey element – Shows an expanded view of the survey element. Most survey elements will also contain directives (shown inside brackets and bold lettering) that list the survey element type or any properties and attributes that were included to define the element's appearance or functionality. These definitions are discussed in the next section.
4. Comments column – Displays any comments that have been made on that element. 

Terminology

There are a few key terms you should familiarize yourself with that will help you understand survey elements in IB.

Properties

Properties are additional features that can be included with a survey element that dictate how the element should be displayed or function. They can be used for functions such as pulling in options from a list, sheet, or previous question; randomizing the order of options (or rows); providing additional instructions or explanations (tooltips) for the respondent; or specifying conditions for when a question should be displayed to the respondent or not. Properties are the equivalent to tags in IntelliSurvey's survey programming language (SPL).

Attributes

Attributes are similar to properties, but are added features applied to individual options. Multiple attributes can be added to a single option to alter how it behaves or functions. Some attributes require the user to input additional information and will display a caution/warning icon next to them if not entered. Once the required information has been added, the icon will disappear, and the survey element can be saved. Attributes are the equivalent to element decorators in SPL.

Directives

Directives are enclosed in brackets and bold font. Directives include information from the properties and attributes used in the survey element, providing instructions on functionality and appearance, or may also specify the question type. These are commonly displayed in gray lettering, however, termination logic and validation instructions are shown in red lettering. 

Handle

Click on this dotted symbol and hold, and the cursor will become a small hand icon. Once "gripped," users can drag the element to a new location in the survey.

Element toolbar

Every element has a toolbar with an editing command (pencil icon), a Gear menu, and a collapse/expand option.

Pencil icon

Click the pencil icon to open editing mode. Here, you have the opportunity to add, delete, or edit almost anything in this particular survey element (advanced conditions and logic may need assistance from an IntelliSurvey programmer). If you decide you do not want to keep your changes, click the Cancel button, or click the X in the top right corner. When you are ready to commit your changes, press Apply.

Gear menu

The Gear menu has controls to change views/modes at the element level, and also to move, copy, or delete the element. 

There are three views possible: Builder, Preview, and Source. Builder (also called "Summary") is IB's default view. 

Builder view

In Builder view, you see the question ID, question text, directives (which include any properties and attributes to define the elements behavior), an option set (for closed-end questions/tables), and a collapse/expand arrow to minimize the space if needed.

Preview view

In Preview view, you are shown the question or table as it would be displayed to the respondent. In this view, 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.

Source view

Source view is accessible by "expert" users to view the source code generated from the survey elements. While in source view, you can also directly edit an element's SPL.

Moving elements

Selecting the Move option allows you to specify a new location in the survey for a question. First, specify the Question Target from the dropdown menu. This is similar to telling the software to look for an existing question serving as the location. Then, use the Move Widget dropdown to indicate whether the question being moved should be positioned before or after the target question. 

Copying elements

Selecting the Copy option makes a copy of the element, adding it immediately after the original element in the survey. If the question ID is numeric, such as '10', the copy is given the next consecutive numerical ID in the survey source. If, for instance, question ID 11 is available, it will be assigned that number; otherwise, it will be assigned the next available number. For alphanumeric or alphabetical question IDs, the copy is suffixed with an underscore and the next available number. For example, copying QAGE two times would result in QAGE_2 and QAGE_3. 

Deleting elements

The Delete option removes the element from the survey. Note, elements that are referenced later in the survey (e.g., used for condition logic or piping) cannot be deleted without first removing the reference.

Comments column

Comments are displayed by default in IB. If there is a comment, it is shown with a yellow background to the right of the survey element. You can click Hide all Comments to remove all comments for that specific element from view.

You can add a new comment by clicking the comment icon in the top right of the pane. Additionally, you can reply, edit, or delete a comment. See Communicating through IntelliBuilder for more information.

Adding survey elements

To add a new survey element, click the Add Question button at the top of the screen. This brings up the Add Question modal.

The Add Question menu provides a wide range of element types, including structural elements and hidden variables. This is where you would go to add any new questions, tables, groups to enclose and organize questions, lists of options, and more.

To select an element type, click anywhere on the icon or name. Then, fill out any required fields, and click Apply or Apply & Add New.

Detailed steps on how to create a survey element are covered in Creating survey elements with IntelliBuilder.

Element types

The available survey elements in IB are grouped into five main categories:

• Basic - These are the basic question types most commonly used, such as single select (type: radio), multi-select (type: checkbox), ranks, and drop downs (type: pulldown).
• Open End - These are questions that accept numeric or non-numeric entries, such as numbers (type: number), ZIP codes (type: uszip5), and short and long text entries (type: text and type: textbox).
• Table - This category includes various table types such as single select by row, single select by column, number open end, and "sum to 100%."
• Structural - This group contains non-question survey elements such as lists, groups, quotas, piped (dynamic) text, and free text to display on screen.
• Other - These are additional functions that are outside the typical elements found in the other categories. This category includes a wide range of options that help provide flexibility and customization. Examples include using customized questions (question classes), adding questions from saved templates, uploading survey questions from text files, and entering questions directly with SPL. 

Components of a survey element 

Once you begin to add a survey element, a full menu called the Element Editor will appear on screen. The Element Editor is used to input the necessary details to create a new element. To better understand its interface, let's look at a completed element and identify some of the various components of the editor. Please note that each element type requires different components. Depending on the element type selected, there may be more or less components available.

The following components are included in the Element Editor.

Label	Component name	Description
1	Adding element menu	The element dropdown menu displays the name of the element type being added, for instance "Multi Select." Next to this element name is a dropdown menu  that allows the user to alter the element type if need be. The options available here will match those from the Add Question menu.
2	Question ID	The survey element's ID. This field may show a slightly different label depending on the element type. Lists will have a "List ID", and so on. In the case of questions and tables, this ID will be assigned sequentially, using the next consecutive, available ID. Users may click here and alter the ID as needed. IDs should be alphanumeric and can include underscores. Periods and spaces are not permitted.
3	Question Text	The question text that will be asked to respondents should be entered in this line.
4	Properties menu	The Properties dropdown menu can be accessed by clicking Add New Property. The properties available for a given element depend on the type of element chosen. Properties must be added one at a time, and some will require additional input. If additional input is required, a pop-up/modal will appear will more fields and instructions. The pencil icon found next to the added property allows you to go back and edit the property at any time. For a list of common properties, see Common properties for IntelliBuilder.
5	Option ID	The option ID. This ID will be assigned sequentially, using the next consecutive, available ID. Users may click here and alter the ID as needed. IDs should be numeric. In the case of tables, there will also be a field for Row ID which follows the same process.
6	Option Text	This is where you may type or paste in the element's options. To add another option, either hit Enter or click the + icon to the left of the ID. Elements can contain both inline and external list options (e.g., an added list such as a setlist or a sheet), but option IDs cannot overlap and must be unique. In the case of tables, there will also be a field for Row Text which follows the same process.
7	Add attribute menu	Attributes are similar to properties, but used specifically for individual options. Each option can include multiple attributes. Some attributes may even exist as properties, such as Explain. Clicking the down arrow  to the right of an option pulls up the Add attribute menu. Attributes may be added one at a time. If an attribute requires additional input, and a modal will appear once the attribute is selected. For a list of common attributes, see Attributes for IntelliBuilder.
8	Back	Click the Back button to return to the question type selection screen. Reminder, you can change the element type if needed with the Adding element menu at the top of the modal.
9	Insert Piped Text	Click the Insert Piped Text link to insert a previous question's or variable's response into the Question Text field.
10	Cancel/Apply & Add New/Apply	Once an element is fully defined, users have the option to either click Apply to save the element and exit the menu, or click Apply & Add New to save the element and continue adding elements. At any time, you can click Cancel to discard the survey element.

Next steps

Now that you've covered the basics of survey elements in IntelliBuilder, to continue building your knowledge base and skills, consider exploring the next articles in this series:

• Creating survey elements with IntelliBuilder — Dive into a comprehensive guide on designing survey elements using 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.