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.
The autoother text field is created by adding three or more underscores, with the number of underscores determining the size of the text field.
Try it!
Note: This article covers the manual method of creating autoother options with underscores. The newer autoother options with decorators method is preferred. For information on using autoothers with tables, see Autoother in table rows.
Details
- If a respondent selects an
autootheroption, 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
autootheroption 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.
- Autoothers can also be created with decorators.
Examples
Customizing with individual tags
Place autoother parameters as individual tags on a question immediately after the autoother option.
1. Which is your favorite room in your house?
type: radio
1. Living room
2. Kitchen
3. Bathroom
4. Bedroom
97. ______
autoother placeholder: Specify
autoother postfix: room
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 element decorator. The first word in the decorator should include 'autoother', such as 'autoother placeholder' in Q1 below. All parameters that follow should omit the word 'autoother'. If you include multiple parameters, separate them with semicolons or commas.
1. Which is your favorite room in your house?
type: radio
1. Living room
2. Kitchen
3. Bathroom
4. Bedroom
97. _______ {autoother placeholder: Specify; postfix: room}
Note, the final parameter does not need 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 an open-ended option, 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 |
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|
|
Use placeholder to display a message in the autoother text field; for example, "Specify". |
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|
Use |
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|
Use |
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|
Use |
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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 Q5 below, the parameter firstq is used to "save" the autoother option's first appearance for Q5A.
In Q5, 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 Q5A.
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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