Creating and applying survey templates in IntelliBuilder (r9)

Survey templates are used to create new surveys with pre-existing resources and content. Survey templates are an efficient way to create multiple surveys that have a similar structure and require similar resources.

Surveys created using a survey template will have the source code (SPL), sheets, and deliverables copied over from the template, among other things. A complete list of what is copied from a survey template can be found in Creating and applying survey templates.

This article focuses on applying a pre-existing survey template to a survey being created and edited in IntelliBuilder (IB).

Creating a survey template

To create a survey template, follow the same process as creating a regular survey. Start at the Survey Navigator screen and click New Survey. Once the survey is created and opened, go to the Configuration applet, and check the Survey Template option under Advanced Options. Finally, click Save to apply the changes.

Creating a new survey

There are a few ways to create a survey from a saved template. First, you can use all of the options covered in Using a survey template. However, if you are programming in IB, you can also apply a template from directly within the editor using the Add Question menu.

To get started, when creating your new survey on the Survey Navigator screen, choose IntelliBuilder in the Create survey via menu.

Alternatively, if you were given a direct link to a survey, you may see the survey open in the SPL editor instead of IB. If this occurs, simply click on Editor Mode in the top-left part of the action bar, and select IntelliBuilder from the dropdown menu. Note, the last mode you used to edit the survey will be the mode you return to the next time you open the Editor applet.

Once you have opened the survey in IB editing mode, you are ready to apply a survey template.

Applying a survey template

To apply a survey template, you will first need to create a new survey element. Click the Add Question button in the toolbar. This opens the Add Question menu and places it in the next available position in the survey.

You can also use the handle in the upper-left corner of the modal to click, drag, and move the question selector to a different location at any time.

Next, click on Add From Template, found in the far-right column. 

A table with all survey templates available to you will appear. Select the template you wish to use by clicking on it, then press Save.

The templated survey's content will be presented in a table, and all of the survey's questions are selected by default. You can deselect entire chapters (question groups), for example the screening section, and you can also expand chapters to deselect specific questions. Once your question selection is complete, click Save.

The IB screen will refresh and show all the survey elements on the screen. You can then follow the standard editing process for IB. Read Editing survey elements in IntelliBuilder for more information.

Internal memos

Starting in r9.3, you can use the internal memo widget to leave comments or additional instructions directly within a survey template. The comments will be seen by anyone using the survey template in IB but will not be displayed in the live survey. To add an internal memo widget to your survey while in IB, select the Memo option in the Add Question menu.

Syntax example

internal memo: BRANDNAME
text: Replace [BRAND] with the brands for the current project.

IB preview example

If the templated survey you are using has a memo, it will be displayed with a yellow toolbar. Using the syntax example above, you can see the memo 'BRANDNAME' in the following image.

'mark' html tags

If your survey template includes a memo, there is a possibility you will also notice yellow highlighted text near it. Text enclosed within HTML tags <mark></mark> in the survey's SPL will be highlighted in IntelliBuilder, as shown in the image above. The highlighted portions indicate which text needs to be replaced with content specific to the new survey. In this example, the memo prompts to replace the brands list for the current project. Then, we clearly see the brands highlighted on the screen. 

Example 1

setlist: BRANDS
randomize: y
1. <mark>brand</mark>
2. <mark>brand</mark>
3. <mark>brand</mark>
...

10. How familiar are you with the following hotels?
desc: Familiarity with brands
scale: y
type: radio_table
1. Have not heard of
2. Only heard of
3. Considered, but never stayed there
4. Used to stay, but don't any more
5. Stay sometimes
6. Often stay
rowsfrom: BRANDS

Example 2

SPL	IntelliBuilder
1. <mark>Question 1</mark> type: radio scale: y 1. Very unsatisfied 2. Unsatisfied 3. Neutral 4. Satisfied 5. Very satisfied

Further template considerations

Creating a new survey using a template always uses the latest published version of the selected template. 

Survey templates can be updated at any time. Surveys created from a template are not "linked" to the original template. If the template is edited after a survey has been created, the survey will not be updated to match.