EFS Survey

Globalpark

Enterprise Feedback Suite

EFS Survey 8.0

Version:

Date:

1.1

07.06.2011

© 2011 – Globalpark AG, Globalpark UK Ltd., Globalpark Inc., USA, Globalpark ÖsterreichGmbH

The information contained in this publication is the property of Globalpark AG and itssubsidiaries. Passing on and reproduction of this publication or any parts of it is only per-mitted with the express written approval of Globalpark AG or its subsidiaries.

This publication is issued without any guarantee whatsoever. Information contained hereincan be changed without prior notification. In addition Globalpark accepts no guarantee asto the exactness or completeness of the information, text, graphics, links and other itemsin this publication. This publication is a preliminary version, which is not subject to anyvalid licence agreement or other agreements with Globalpark. The software products offe-red by Globalpark AG, its subsidiaries and/or its distributors may contain software compo-nents of other software manufacturers. All products may show country-specific differences.

Globalpark, Enterprise Feedback Suite, EFS, EFS Survey, EFS Panel, EFS Employee andEFS Leadership, other Globalpark products and services mentioned in the text and theircorresponding logos are trademarks and can be registered trademarks of Globalpark AGand/or its subsidiaries in Germany and other countries worldwide. All other names of pro-ducts and services are trademarks of their respective companies.

Germany:

Globalpark AG (headquarters)Kalscheurener Straße 19a50354 Cologne-Huerth

Great Britain:

Globalpark UK LTD.19-21 Great Tower Street, 1st FloorLondon, EC3R 5AR

United States of America:

Globalpark, Inc.299 Broadway, 19th FloorNew York, NY 10007

Austria:

Globalpark Österreich GmbHWassergasse 251030 Wien

Contents

Contents

0 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

0.1 About this Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

1 Navigating in EFS Survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

1.1 EFS Survey as a Web Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231.1.1 Technical Requirements for Using the Admin Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231.1.2 Worth Knowing when Working with a Web Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

1.2 The Login Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241.2.1 Logging In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241.2.2 Security Criteria for Account Names and Passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261.2.3 Security Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

1.3 The Start Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

1.4 Screen Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

1.5 The Online Help Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

1.6 The Integrated Feedback System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

2 Introduction: The First Survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

2.1 Creating an Anonymous Project (Step 1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

2.2 Entering Questions (Step 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 372.2.1 Creating the First Questionnaire Page of Your Survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392.2.2 Creating a Question with a Single Response List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 432.2.3 Creating a Question with a Multiple Response List and “Other” Field . . . . . 442.2.4 Creating a Matrix Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 462.2.5 Creating the Final Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 482.2.6 Creating a Layout with the Standard Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

2.3 Activating the Project (Step 3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

2.4 Inviting the Participants (Step 4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

2.5 Monitoring the Survey (Step 5) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

2.6 Exporting Data (Step 6) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

3 Creating and Managing Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

3.1 Project Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 553.1.1 Anonymous Surveys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 563.1.2 Personalized Surveys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 563.1.3 Employee Surveys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 563.1.4 Panel Surveys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 563.1.5 Master Data Surveys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 563.1.6 Forum Discussions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

3.2 Creating Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 573.2.1 Creating Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 583.2.2 Copying Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

3

Contents

3.2.3 Exporting and Importing Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 603.2.4 Changing the Project Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

3.3 Compiling Surveys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

3.4 Linking Different Projects: External Survey Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

3.5 Managing Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 633.5.1 The Project List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 633.5.2 Modifying Display Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 643.5.3 Searching for Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 643.5.4 Finding the Most Recently Edited Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 653.5.5 Marking Important Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 653.5.6 Organizing Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 653.5.7 Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 673.5.8 Granting Access Rights to Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

3.6 Opening a Project and Getting an Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 683.6.1 Project Information in Detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

3.7 Determining Framework Data for a Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 713.7.1 Configuring Survey Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 723.7.2 Overview of Survey Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 723.7.3 Changing the URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 773.7.4 Defining the Field Period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 783.7.5 Automatically Submitting Questionnaire Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 793.7.6 Showing and Hiding Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 793.7.7 Checking for JavaScript and Flash before the Start of the Survey . . . . . . . . 803.7.8 Determining Participant Hostnames and IP Addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 813.7.9 Letting All Panelists Participate in a Survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 823.7.10 Allowing Repeated Participation in a Master Data or Panel Survey . . . . . . . . 833.7.11 Defining Login Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 833.7.12 Setting the Session Validity Period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 883.7.13 Using URL Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 893.7.14 Using User-Defined Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 913.7.15 Editing Survey Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 923.7.16 Managing Survey Messages in the Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 983.7.17 Setting Up the Right Character Set for Your Survey Language . . . . . . . . . . . 1003.7.18 Permitting only a Limited Number of Participations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1033.7.19 Controlling the Survey Display on the Panel Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1053.7.20 Highlighting Surveys in the Project List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

3.8 Automating Frequently Required Work Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1083.8.1 Managing Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1093.8.2 Creating Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1093.8.3 Creating a New Macro and Selecting Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1103.8.4 Configuring Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1113.8.5 Macro Actions in Detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1133.8.6 Granting Access Rights to Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1153.8.7 Using Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1153.8.8 Checking the Application of Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

4 Questionnaire Structure: Pages, Questions, Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

4.1 The Structure of the Questionnaire Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

4.2 Planning the Structure of the Questionnaire (Routing) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

4

Contents

4.2.1 The Routing Plan in the Editor’s Questionnaire View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1224.2.2 Orientation Aids within the Questionnaire Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1254.2.3 Finding Questions and Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

4.3 Working with the Alternative Drag&Drop Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1274.3.1 Using the Drag&Drop Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1284.3.2 Undoing Moves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

4.4 Creating and Editing Questionnaire Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1304.4.1 Overview of Page Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

4.5 Standard Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1314.5.1 Overview of the Properties of Standard Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1324.5.2 Defining Page-Specific JavaScript Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1334.5.3 Automatically Submitting a Completed Questionnaire Page . . . . . . . . . . . . 1334.5.4 Automatically Submitting a Page after a Defined Period of Time . . . . . . . . . 1344.5.5 Hiding the Submit Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1344.5.6 Inserting a Cancel Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1344.5.7 Assigning a Differing Character Set to a Specific Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1354.5.8 Customizing a Specific Page with JavaScript or CSS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1354.5.9 Creating a Static Start Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1364.5.10 Editing Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

4.6 Mixed-External Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

4.7 Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1434.7.1 Example: Routing Selected Participants into a Questionnaire Branch . . . . 1434.7.2 Possible Filter Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1474.7.3 Defining Conditions for Filters and Other Dynamic Features . . . . . . . . . . . 1484.7.4 Viewing the Filters of a Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1534.7.5 Testing Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1544.7.6 Identifying Structural Problems in a Condition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1564.7.7 Entering Condition Code Directly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1564.7.8 Using LUA for Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158

4.8 Random Selection of Questionnaire Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1594.8.1 Repeating the Random Selection on Re-load . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1604.8.2 Selecting m out of n Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1604.8.3 Filters in “Random Select” Branches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160

4.9 Random Rotation of Survey Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

4.10 Creating and Editing Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1614.10.1 Creating a New Question and Selecting the Question Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1614.10.2 Editing Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1634.10.3 Showing and Hiding Question Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1644.10.4 Overview of the Functions in the Question View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166

4.11 The Preview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1704.11.1 Viewing Runtime Error Messages in Preview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1704.11.2 Displaying Items Hidden in the Preview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1714.11.3 Jumping to Other Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171

5 Question Types and Advanced Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

5.1 Question Types with a Single Response List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1755.1.1 Single Response List (Vertical) (Type 111) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1755.1.2 Single Response List (Horizontal) (Types 112, 113) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

5

Contents

5.1.3 Closed Response List (Type 131) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1775.1.4 Example: Using Self-Programmed JavaScript Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1785.1.5 Open Response List (Type 132) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1805.1.6 Ranking Question (Type 411) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180

5.2 Question Types with a Multiple Response List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1835.2.1 Multiple Response List (Vertical) (Type 121) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1835.2.2 Multiple Response List (Horizontal) (Type 122) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185

5.3 Question Types for Open-Ended Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1855.3.1 Text Field (Single Row) (Type 141) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1855.3.2 Text Field (Multiple Rows) (Type 142) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1865.3.3 Text Field Matrix (Vertical / Horizontal) (Type 143, 144) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187

5.4 Matrix Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1895.4.1 Standard Matrix 1 (Type 311) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1895.4.2 Other Standard and Scale Matrices (Types 312, 313, 321, 322) . . . . . . . . . . . 1915.4.3 Semantic Differential (Type 340) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1915.4.4 Double-Scale Matrix (Type 351) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1945.4.5 Select Matrix (Type 361, 364) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1955.4.6 Checkbox Matrix (Type 362) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1965.4.7 Text Field Matrix (Type 363) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1975.4.8 Archiving Scales in the Scale Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198

5.5 Sliders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2005.5.1 Tips & Tricks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202

5.6 User-Defined Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203

5.7 Text and HTML Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206

5.8 Multimedia Question Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2085.8.1 Multimedia (Type 999) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2085.8.2 Single and Multiple Response Lists with Images (511, 521) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2105.8.3 Multiple Response List (Horizontally Ordered Images) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215

5.9 Structuring Answer Options Clearly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2165.9.1 Grouping Answer Options Using Inside Titles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2165.9.2 Combining Inside Titles and Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216

5.10 Using “Other” Text Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2175.10.1 Combining Answer Options and “Other” Text Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2175.10.2 Adding Text Entry Fields in Surrounding Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217

5.11 Randomly Changing the Sequence of Questions, Answers and Scale Items . . . . . . . . . . 2185.11.1 Randomly Switching the Position of Questions on a Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2195.11.2 Randomly Switching Answer Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2195.11.3 Randomly Switching Scale Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2195.11.4 Randomly Switching the Position of Answer Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2205.11.5 Mirroring Answer Options on the Centerline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226

5.12 Enforcing Answers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2275.12.1 Demanding Questions to be Answered . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2285.12.2 Enforcing Answers to Individual Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2295.12.3 Forcing a Text Field Entry for Combination Fields and dac . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230

5.13 Making Checkboxes Exclusive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230

5.14 Validating the Plausibility of Answers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2315.14.1 Plausibility Checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2315.14.2 Planning the Use of Plausibility Checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232

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5.14.3 Example: Plausibility Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2335.14.4 Predefined Plausibility Checks (Plausibility Check Types) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2365.14.5 Including Data from Participant Administration and from the User and Master Data

Tables in Plausibility Checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2395.14.6 PHP Plausibility Checks and JavaScript Plausibility Checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2395.14.7 Adjusting the Plausibility Check Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2405.14.8 The Pro Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2415.14.9 The OPST Meta Language (OML) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242

5.15 Validating Open-Ended Answers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2475.15.1 Considerations before Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2475.15.2 Choosing the Entry Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248

5.16 Hiding Questions and Answer Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2495.16.1 Hiding Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2495.16.2 Hiding Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250

5.17 Integrating Multimedia Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2515.17.1 Incorporating Multimedia Elements in the Questionnaire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2525.17.2 The Media Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2555.17.3 Managing Multimedia Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2575.17.4 Using Directories to Manage Multimedia Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2585.17.5 Downloading the Content of the Media Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2595.17.6 Protecting Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259

6 Working Effectively with the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265

6.1 Importing Questions from a Template Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2676.1.1 Formatting Questions for Import . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2676.1.2 Performing a Question Import . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268

6.2 Importing Answer Options as Batch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269

6.3 Importing Pages into Another Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2726.3.1 Invoking the Page Import . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2736.3.2 Performing a Page Import . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273

6.4 Storing Frequently Used Questions in the Question Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2756.4.1 The Question Library Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2766.4.2 Working with the Question Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276

6.5 Referencing Questions from Several Places . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279

6.6 Editing Questionnaires Externally . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2806.6.1 Exporting, Editing and Importing Text Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2816.6.2 Editing Externally with MS Excel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2836.6.3 Translating Externally with SDLX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2856.6.4 Using the Version Control Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286

6.7 Editing Page, Question and Trigger Names Externally . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287

6.8 Search and Replace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288

7 Dynamic Elements in the Questionnaire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291

7.1 Using Wildcards to Output Predefined Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2937.1.1 Defining and Managing Wildcards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2937.1.2 Using Wildcards in the Questionnaire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2957.1.3 Example: Using Wildcards to Incorporate Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295

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7.2 Using Wildcards to Output Dynamic Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2977.2.1 Inserting Wildcards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297

7.3 Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2997.3.1 Creating Dynamic Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3017.3.2 Creating Static Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3067.3.3 Incorporating Static and Dynamic Lists into Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3087.3.4 Configuring the Output of the List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3107.3.5 In Detail: Extended Random Selection of List Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3127.3.6 Outputting Lists in the Questionnaire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3137.3.7 Tips and Tricks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314

7.4 Loops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3147.4.1 Creating and Configuring a Loop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3167.4.2 Creating a Looped Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3177.4.3 Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3197.4.4 Filtering on Loop Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3217.4.5 EFS Features with Limited or No Functionality in Loop Projects . . . . . . . . 3227.4.6 Exporting and Evaluating Loop Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323

7.5 Initiating Actions with Triggers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3257.5.1 Example: Using a Trigger for Sending Feedback Mails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3257.5.2 Triggers in Detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3297.5.3 The Mail Trigger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3327.5.4 The Page Trigger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3337.5.5 The Logout Trigger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3347.5.6 The Sample Trigger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3347.5.7 The Reinvitation Trigger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3357.5.8 The Variable Split Trigger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3367.5.9 The Recoding Trigger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3387.5.10 The Random Trigger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3427.5.11 The List Trigger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3437.5.12 The Bonus Trigger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3457.5.13 Panel Group Trigger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346

7.6 Transferring Answers from Another Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346

8 Layout – Designing Surveys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349

8.1 Which Layout Options are There? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351

8.2 General Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 352

8.3 The Standard Editor: Changing the Standard Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3538.3.1 The Standard Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3548.3.2 Inserting Logos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3558.3.3 Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3558.3.4 Form Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3588.3.5 Changing Spaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3638.3.6 Progress Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3648.3.7 Configuring Plausibility Checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 366

8.4 The Pro Editor: Advanced Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3688.4.1 Page Structure and Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3688.4.2 Using Templates to Edit the Page Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3708.4.3 Editing CSS Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3728.4.4 Debugging Layouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373

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8.4.5 Uploading Layout Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3738.4.6 Wildcards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3748.4.7 Checking and Correcting the Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374

8.5 Functions for Advanced Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3758.5.1 Creating a Page with a Deviating Border Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3758.5.2 Creating a Question with a Deviating Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3758.5.3 Editing the Layout of Special Question Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3758.5.4 Re-Defining Question Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3768.5.5 Modifying the Progress Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3778.5.6 Modifying the Plausibility Check Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3788.5.7 Detecting Specific Browsers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3798.5.8 Making Surveys Appear in a Frameset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3798.5.9 Creating Language-dependent Survey Layouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380

8.6 How are Survey Layouts Generated? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3818.6.1 Technical Background Information on the Template System . . . . . . . . . . . 381

8.7 Saving and Re-Using Layouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3828.7.1 Saving Settings as a Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3828.7.2 Loading Saved Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382

8.8 Exporting and Importing Layouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382

9 Testing Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385

9.1 Checking the Completion Status of a Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387

9.2 Using Simulated Test Sessions to Identify Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3889.2.1 Producing Test Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3909.2.2 Interpreting Test Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3919.2.3 Deleting Test Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393

9.3 Checking Conditions for Logical Consistency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394

9.4 Checking Media Links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394

9.5 Skipping Checks During Testing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 396

9.6 Changing the Language During Testing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397

9.7 Switching to Language Editor During Testing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397

9.8 Checking Filters, Quotas and Triggers in the Course of the Survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3989.8.1 Viewing Runtime Error Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3989.8.2 Subscribing to Notification Mail for Runtime Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399

9.9 Managing the To-Dos of the Project Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399

9.10 Capturing Pretest Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4019.10.1 Activating the Pretest Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4029.10.2 Changing the Labels of the Pretest Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4029.10.3 Viewing and Managing Pretest Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 402

10 Recruiting and Inviting Participants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405

10.1 Recruiting and Inviting Participants to Anonymous Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40710.1.1 Inviting Participants Via a Link . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40710.1.2 Inviting Participants via QR Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40710.1.3 Inviting Participants Via a Pop-up Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40810.1.4 Inviting the Nth Visitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 410

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10.1.5 Restricting Access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411

10.2 Managing Participants in Personalized Surveys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41110.2.1 Editing Participant Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41210.2.2 The List of Participants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41910.2.3 Display and Search Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42110.2.4 Search Functions in Detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42110.2.5 Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42210.2.6 Adding Participants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42310.2.7 Importing Participants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42410.2.8 Formatting of the Import File in Detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42810.2.9 Changing Participant Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42910.2.10 Bulk Editing Participant Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42910.2.11 Downloading Participant Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43110.2.12 Allowing Duplicate Participation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43210.2.13 Selecting Participants via Their E-Mail Addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43210.2.14 Dispatching Reminders and Deactivating Accounts Automatically . . . . . . . . 43210.2.15 Sending E-Mails to Participants of Personalized Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43310.2.16 Testing Personalized Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43410.2.17 Walking Participants through the Questionnaire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 436

10.3 Drawing Samples for Panel and Master Data Surveys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43710.3.1 Example: Drawing a Sample . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43710.3.2 Managing Samples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44010.3.3 Editing a Sample . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44110.3.4 Limiting the Basic Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44110.3.5 Controlling the Attribute Distribution Within the Sample . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44310.3.6 Checking the Composition of the Sample . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44810.3.7 Viewing and Managing the Participants of a Sample . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44810.3.8 Inviting and Reminding Sample Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45010.3.9 Managing Personalized Links for External Survey Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45010.3.10 Testing Panel Surveys and Master Data Surveys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45110.3.11 Viewing and Managing Participants Who Were Added Automatically to the Survey

45210.3.12 Tips & Tricks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 452

10.4 Defining the Distribution of Specific Characteristics in a Participant Group with Quotas 45310.4.1 Work Steps for Creating a Quota . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45410.4.2 Basics: The Quota Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45410.4.3 Basics: Internal and External Quotas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45510.4.4 Basics: Quota Timetable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45510.4.5 Basics: The Most Important Quota Processes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45610.4.6 Managing Quotas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45710.4.7 Configuration Options for the Quota Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45810.4.8 Selecting a Suitable Point in the Questionnaire for Checking Internal Quotas 46010.4.9 Screening out Unsuitable Respondents by Quota . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46110.4.10 Viewing the Quota Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46210.4.11 Using Quota Data for Routing and Evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46310.4.12 Reactivating Participants when Increasing Size of an External Quota . . . . . 46410.4.13 Recalculating Quotas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 464

11 Writing and Sending E-Mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 465

11.1 Example: Sending Invitation Mails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 467

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11.2 The EFS Mail Form in Detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47011.2.1 Using Mail Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47011.2.2 Configuring Advanced Mail Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47011.2.3 Editing Mail Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47411.2.4 Additional Functions for Personalizing E-Mail Texts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47711.2.5 Setting the Dispatch Date, Dispatch Period and Status of E-Mails . . . . . . . . 48011.2.6 Checking Finished E-Mails and Saving Them as Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . 481

11.3 Using Ready-made Mail Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48311.3.1 Managing Mail Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48311.3.2 Properties of Mail Templates in Detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 484

11.4 Defining Senders’ Addresses for Mail Dispatch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48611.4.1 Managing Sender Addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 486

11.5 The Mail Dispatch Process in EFS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48711.5.1 Limiting the Mail Volume per Mail Interval . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48811.5.2 Defining the Number of Repeats for Dispatch Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48811.5.3 Using Installation-specific Mail Headers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48811.5.4 Controlling Dispatch Processes and Intervening in Processes . . . . . . . . . . . 488

11.6 Viewing Archived Mails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48911.6.1 Viewing Project-specific Dispatch Processes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48911.6.2 Viewing Project-specific Dispatch Processes Installation-wide . . . . . . . . . . . 491

12 Reporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 493

12.1 Field Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 495

12.2 Reporting and Statistic Tools for Individual Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 496

12.3 Field Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49712.3.1 Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49812.3.2 The Field Report in Detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49812.3.3 Disposition Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50112.3.4 Allocating Code 20 to either Gross or Net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50312.3.5 Restricting the Field Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50412.3.6 Splitting the Field Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50412.3.7 Exporting the Field Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50512.3.8 Setting a Variable Page Marker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 505

12.4 Online Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50612.4.1 Restricting the Online Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50712.4.2 Splitting the Online Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 507

12.5 Open-ended Answers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50712.5.1 Restricting the Open-Ended Answers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 507

12.6 Editing Individual Participant Records Online . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50712.6.1 Access Restrictions for Accessing Data Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50812.6.2 Overview of Data Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50812.6.3 Viewing Individual Data Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50912.6.4 Editing Individual Data Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50912.6.5 Deleting Individual Data Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 510

12.7 Deleting Result Data Selectively . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 510

12.8 Protecting the Results of Selected Questions from Unauthorized Viewing . . . . . . . . . . . 51112.8.1 “protect_questions” ACL Right . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51112.8.2 Marking Questions as “Protected” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 511

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12.8.3 Effects of Protection on the Result Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 513

12.9 Enabling Customers to View Survey Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 513

12.10 Creating Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 514

12.11 Importing Data from Other Sources for Evaluation in EFS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51512.11.1 Performing a Project Data Import . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51612.11.2 Formatting of the Import File in Detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 516

13 Export . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 519

13.1 General Tips and Tricks on Exporting Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 522

13.2 Detailed Description of Result, Master and Address Data Export . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52213.2.1 Selecting the Appropriate File Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52213.2.2 Compressing Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52513.2.3 Selecting an Export Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52613.2.4 Restricting Export to Individual Panel Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52613.2.5 Selecting the Language and Charset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52613.2.6 User-Defined Missing Values in Exported Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52713.2.7 Removing Line Breaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52713.2.8 Replacing Codes with Labels in Excel Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52713.2.9 Restricting the Range of Exported Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52713.2.10 Excel Export with Long Variable Names and Meta Information . . . . . . . . . . 528

13.3 Exporting Participant and Status Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 528

13.4 Exporting Answers to Open Questions for Quantum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 529

13.5 Special Functions for SAS Export . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53013.5.1 Notes on SAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53013.5.2 Making Default Settings for the Further Processing of the SAS Files . . . . . . 53013.5.3 Exporting and Opening SAS Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 530

13.6 Special Functions for Fixed Format Export . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53113.6.1 Adjusting Column Widths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53113.6.2 Downloading the Export Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 531

13.7 Special Features for the Evaluation in SPSS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53113.7.1 Excursion: Merging Records in SPSS (Matching) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 532

13.8 What do the Exported Result Data Reveal? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53313.8.1 Overview of Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53313.8.2 Overview of Variable Preallocations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 536

13.9 EFS Survey Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53713.9.1 Overview of the Various Variable Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53713.9.2 Maximum Available Number of Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53813.9.3 Generating and Editing Project Variables and Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53813.9.4 Preset and User-Defined Names for Project Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53913.9.5 Viewing and Editing User-Defined Variable Names in the Questionnaire Editor

53913.9.6 Options for Centralized Editing of Variable Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 539

13.10 Defining Export Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54113.10.1 Overview of Existing Export Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54113.10.2 Viewing User-defined Templates and Sorting Their Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . 54113.10.3 Creating a User-defined Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54313.10.4 Downloading and Uploading Export Templates and Editing Them Externally 54313.10.5 Editing a User-defined Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 544

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13.11 Data Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54413.11.1 Activating Automatic Data Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54513.11.2 Triggering Data Cleaning for the Entire Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54513.11.3 Viewing Details and Editing Records Manually . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54613.11.4 Identifying Cleaned Data in the Export Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 549

13.12 Quality Correction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54913.12.1 Triggering Quality Correction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54913.12.2 Viewing the Quality Index in the Export Data Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 550

13.13 RelevantID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55013.13.1 The RelevantID Checking Algorithms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55113.13.2 Check Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55213.13.3 Configuring the RelevantID Check for a Survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 553

14 Documenting and Archiving Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 555

14.1 Printing the Questionnaire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55714.1.1 Preparing the Print Version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55714.1.2 Displaying Additional Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 558

14.2 Looking up Variables and Encodings in the Codebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55914.2.1 Viewing the Codebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55914.2.2 Displaying Additional Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56114.2.3 Selecting the Language of Text Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56114.2.4 Editing Variable Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56214.2.5 Printing and Exporting Codebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 562

14.3 Checking Changes of the Project Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 562

14.4 Logging Changes to the Questionnaire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 563

14.5 Archiving Survey Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56314.5.1 Archiving Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56414.5.2 Viewing, Downloading and Deleting Archived Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56414.5.3 Reactivating Archived Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 565

15 Multilingual Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 567

15.1 Tips for Your Project Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57115.1.1 Tips for Project Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57115.1.2 Recommendations on Project Creation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 572

15.2 Specifying and Editing General Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57215.2.1 Overview of Existing Languages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57315.2.2 Uniquely Characterizing Languages with a Language Identifier . . . . . . . . . 57415.2.3 Creating Languages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57415.2.4 Copying Language Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57415.2.5 Setting the Active Default Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57515.2.6 Setting the Output Language Via a Language Selection Variable . . . . . . . . . 57615.2.7 Tracing Changes Made in Language Administration via the Log . . . . . . . . . 578

15.3 Centrally Editing Text Elements and Logos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57815.3.1 Overview of the Translation Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57815.3.2 The Text Element Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57915.3.3 Editing Survey Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58215.3.4 Logos and Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 583

15.4 Setting Up a Language Selection Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 585

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Contents

15.5 E-Mail Dispatch from Participant Administration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 586

15.6 Export . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58715.6.1 Exporting Result Data for Evaluation in SPSS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58715.6.2 Exporting Result Data for Open-ended Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 587

15.7 Evaluation of Multilingual Surveys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58715.7.1 Narrowing the Field Report, Online Statistics and Open-Ended Answers by

Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58715.7.2 Selecting the Language for Online Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58815.7.3 Selecting the Print Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 588

15.8 Tips, Tricks and FAQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58815.8.1 How can I incorporate language-specific variations into the questionnaire? 58815.8.2 How can I preview multilingual questionnaires? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58815.8.3 Language mix in the preview? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58915.8.4 Be careful when comparing strings in plausibility checks! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58915.8.5 Using wildcards in multilingual projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58915.8.6 How can I create multilingual buttons? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58915.8.7 Can I create language-specific layouts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58915.8.8 Is it possible to transfer text elements from one language to another? . . . . . 59015.8.9 Can I access the ID of the current language from the questionnaire or from

templates? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 590

16 Administrating Staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 591

16.1 The EFS Rights System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59316.1.1 Controlling the Access Options of Staff via Team Affiliation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59316.1.2 Configuring Access Options Precisely Using ACL and Object Rights . . . . . . 59416.1.3 Overview of ACL Rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59516.1.4 Importing and Exporting Rights Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 605

16.2 Creating and Managing Teams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60516.2.1 List of Teams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60516.2.2 Statuses of Team Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60616.2.3 Creating Teams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60616.2.4 Editing Teams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60716.2.5 Viewing and Changing the ACL Rights of a Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61016.2.6 Granting Read Rights to a Specific Team to Other Teams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 610

16.3 Setting up and Managing Staff Accounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61016.3.1 Staff List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61016.3.2 Creating Staff Accounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61216.3.3 Importing Staff Accounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61316.3.4 Temporal Limitation of Validity on Staff Accounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61416.3.5 Changing Staff Account Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61516.3.6 Sending a Link for Resetting the Password by E-mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61516.3.7 Checking Staff Accounts for Brute Force Suspension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61516.3.8 Delegating the Administration of Staff Accounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 617

16.4 Changing Own Account Data and Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61716.4.1 Tweaking Your Own Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 617

17 Maintaining an EFS Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 623

17.1 Limiting the Server Load . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62517.1.1 Setting the Threshold for the Server Load . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 625

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Contents

17.1.2 Editing the Message for Rejected Participants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62617.1.3 Viewing the Number of Rejected Participants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 626

17.2 Limiting the Number of Respondents Participating Simultaneously . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62617.2.1 Participation Limits in Detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62617.2.2 System-wide Activation and Deactivation of Participation Limits . . . . . . . . 62717.2.3 Project-specific Activation and Deactivation of Participation Limits . . . . . . 62717.2.4 Editing the Rejection Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62717.2.5 Viewing the Number of Rejected Participants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 627

17.3 Monitoring the Status of the Installation in the Platform Cockpit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62817.3.1 Cockpit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62817.3.2 Database Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62917.3.3 Login Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63017.3.4 Admin Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63117.3.5 OSPE Watchdog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63217.3.6 Interview Count . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63417.3.7 Installation Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 634

17.4 Subscribing to the Daily Database Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63417.4.1 The Content of the Database Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 635

18 Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 639

18.1 Technical Requirements for Using EFS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64118.1.1 Admin Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64118.1.2 Questionnaire Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64118.1.3 Portal Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 642

18.2 Accessibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64218.2.1 Navigating via the Keyboard in a Questionnaire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64218.2.2 Readability of EFS Questionnaires in Screen Readers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64218.2.3 Clickable Areas of Various Question Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 642

18.3 Session, Session IDs and Cookies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 643

18.4 Firefox Plugins for Working in EFS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 644

18.5 Overview of the Question Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 645

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 651

15

Contents

16

0 Introduction

0.1 About this Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

17

0.1 About this Manual

0 Introduction

EFS Survey is Globalpark’s web-based software solution for organizing, implementingand evaluating online questionnaires. Its range of functionalities, however, extends farbeyond the mere creation and publication of web-based questionnaires: EFS Survey isan efficient project management software application for online feedback processeswhich allows you to process survey projects of all levels of complexity – quickly andeffectively.

0.1 About this Manual

This manual can be used both by users of EFS Survey and by users of other productsof the Enterprise Feedback Suite.

� If you are working with EFS Survey, the manual provides a complete documenta-tion of the functionalities.

� Users of EFS Panel and EFS Employee find all those functionalities in this manualthat are identical for all products of the Enterprise Feedback Suite, such as ques-tionnaire editor and staff administration. Features and tools that have been deve-loped specifically for EFS Panel or EFS Employee are presented in dedicatedmanuals, which are available for download in the customer center.

� The Enterprise Feedback Suite contains a range of functional extensions andaccessory tools some of which are included in the standard version and otherswhich you may optionally lease. For most of these extensions, separate supplemen-tary manuals are available:

– Flash question types: Included in the standard version of EFS Survey . A dedi-cated manual is available from the customer center.

– Reporting for EFS Survey: Included in the standard version of EFS Survey. Amanual is available from the customer center. Additionally, from release 8.0,EFS Reporting + will be optionally available. EFS Reporting + is Globalpark’snew complete solution for the evaluation of results of EFS Survey andEFS Panel projects. If you are interested, please contact your Globalpark salesrepresentative for further information.

– EFS Qualitative Analysis: Globalpark’s optionally available new solution for theevaluation of qualitative data. The manual is available from the customer cen-ter. If you are interested, please contact your Globalpark sales representativefor further information.

– EFS Translator Interface: Separate area of EFS that supports the translation ofquestionnaires, particularly in large multilingual projects. Translators can login to EFS Translator Interface and access all translation functions of EFS fortheir work. Optionally leasable, for more detailed information please contact

In EFS 8.0, a layout overhaul of the entire admin area underscores the moderniza-tion of the Enterprise Feedback Suite. The completely revamped layout provides amaximum of clarity and consistency and will make working with it a pleasant expe-rience for you.

An overview on all novelties in EFS 8.0 is available from the customer center athttp://my.globalpark.com.

19

0 Introduction

your Globalpark sales representative. A manual for translators is available fromcustomer center.

– EFS Conjoint Extension: Optionally leasable functional extension. A manual isavailable in the customer center.

– EFS Mobile Extension: Optionally leasable functional extension. Supports thedelivery of online questionnaires on mobile devices. An introduction is avai-lable from customer center. For more detailed information please contact yourGlobalpark sales representative.

– EFS SMS Extension: Optionally leasable functional extension, enabling you tosend SMS messages. An introduction is available from customer center. Formore detailed information please contact your Globalpark sales representative.

– EFS Survey Status: Optionally leasable accessory tool. In the customer center,you can download a manual for project managers and a dedicated manual forcustomers to whom you might provide this platform.

– EFS Secure Exchange: Optionally leasable accessory tool. A manual is availablein the customer center.

– EFS Web Services: Optionally leasable supplementary service. An English lan-guage introduction is available from the customer center.

– Action Planner: Optionally leasable tool for EFS Employee, which is used formanaging follow-up processes of employee surveys. A manual is available fromthe customer center.

Versioning

The products of the Enterprise Feedback Suite are developed in parallel. Therefore, thenumbering of the releases is identical for all products. If differences between releasesare mentioned in the manual, the version numbering will always be as follows: “EFSmajor version.minor version” (e.g. EFS 8.0).

Organization of the manual

The structure of the manual is such that at the beginning of each text unit, an overviewwill explain the purpose of a function and thus make the functionality understandable.This is followed by a brief and concise description of how you can implement therespective functionality. Only after that will all options be explained in a detail section.

All the functions you can click on, such as modules, menu items, tabs and links, arehighlighted by a corresponding format in the text.

Notes are marked by text boxes with a gray background.

With the exception of the Flash question types and the traditional EFS Surveyreporting, which are included in the standard version of EFS Survey, the accessorytools are available as options. If you are interested in these solutions, please contactyour Globalpark sales representative for further information.

Globalpark customers can download the most recent version of the EFS Surveymanual from the customer center http://my.globalpark.com.

Notes are enclosed in text boxes such as this one.

20

1 Navigating in EFS Survey

1.1 EFS Survey as a Web Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

1.2 The Login Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

1.3 The Start Page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

1.4 Screen Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

1.5 The Online Help Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

1.6 The Integrated Feedback System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

21

1.1 EFS Survey as a Web Application


1.1 EFS Survey as a Web Application

EFS Survey is an advanced Web application that can be operated from anywhere withany commercially available browser. Therefore, the user does not necessarily need toinstall a software on their computer, but can create, change or monitor surveys via anyInternet access. The use of commercially available browsers as human interfaces hasthe invaluable advantage that virtually everyone worldwide who is familiar with theInternet will be able to operate EFS Survey. Globalpark strictly follows the platformconcept, i.e. all functionalities required to successfully conduct electronic, Internet-based survey research are available in one place. You will find the tools for both sendingmails and creating surveys as well as for processing results in a single place. This faci-litates smooth performance of personalized surveys and, in anonymous surveys, allowsyou to draw on-the-fly samples for future surveys and initiate feedback loops withrespondents.

1.1.1 Technical Requirements for Using the Admin Area

To allow usage of the admin area, the following prerequisites should be met:

� Minimum resolution of 1024x768

� JavaScript enabled

� The cookie set by the admin area must be accepted.

� In the admin area of EFS 8.0, the following browsers are supported:

– Firefox 3.6 for Windows

– IE 7.0 and 8.0 for Windows. Please note: Internet Explorer is known for prema-turely aborting processes that take longer (e.g. copying projects, export). Wetherefore recommend that you use Firefox.

� If you access the admin area via proxy server, e.g. from inside a company network,the access should not be restricted by time limitations.

� Furthermore, intermediary proxy servers should not manipulate any requests.

1.1.2 Worth Knowing when Working with a Web Application

Using EFS Survey functions instead of browser functions

To navigate in the admin area of EFS Survey, there are menus, buttons, links andbreadcrumb navigation at your disposal. Using browser buttons (forward, backward,refresh) when working with a web application is not recommended: information onwork processes already carried out could be unintentionally lost or work steps be exe-cuted twice, due to the fact that browser functions are carried out without a callbackto the server.

Saving at the end of every work process

Your entries will be sent to the web server and saved, only after you have expresslyconfirmed with the Save button. If you make a selection or an entry in a menu, butthen leave the menu without pressing Save, your data will not be saved.

23


An exception is a range of newly introduced features based on AJAX technology, inclu-ding in particular, the Drag&Drop questionnaire editor (Chapter 4.3, p. 127): Changesdo not need to be expressly saved with these features.

Navigating in the admin area with the keyboard

You can use different keyboard combinations in the admin area of EFS Survey. Hereare the most important rules in brief:

� Forms are sent with <ALT>+<s>.

� With the tab button <Tab> you can jump from function field to function fieldincluding menu items and buttons. With a function that is defined by selecting aradio button or an option in a drop-down list, the cursor will jump to the first radiobutton, the next <Tab> click will switch you to the next function. With functionsin multiple response lists, <Tab> will direct you from one checkbox to the next.

� With <Shift>+<Tab> you can navigate backwards.

� With the up/down arrow buttons you can switch in functions with a simpleresponse list from one radio button or element of a drop-down list to the next.

� In select boxes you can navigate by typing the first letter of the desired term andthen, if required, with the help of the arrow buttons jump forward or backward.

� You can open the online help and logout with the help of access keys. In Firefox,online help is opened with <Alt>+<Shift>+<h> and logout is initiated with<Alt>+<Shift>+<l>. In Internet Explorer <Alt>+<h>+<Return> is used to accessonline help and <Alt>+<l>+<Return> for logout.

1.2 The Login Process

1.2.1 Logging In

The application’s administration area is protected by a personal login. You will usuallyfind this at the following URL: http://wwww.your-domain.com/www/. You can only login with a valid account name and the corresponding password.

Chapter 18.2.1, p. 642 lists the keyboard combinations which can be used by respon-dents in the questionnaire.

24


Figure 1.1 EFS login

Changing the password regularly

Changing your password regularly protects your account from unauthorized access.

� The security criteria for passwords are explained in Chapter 1.2.2, p. 26.

� On initial login you are automatically prompted to change the password (see Chap-ter 1.2.2, p. 26) and to provide a security question (see Chapter 1.2.3, p. 27).

� Passwords expire every 28 days. The time remaining is displayed in a notice barafter each login. If you log in after the expiry date you will be asked on the screento change the password.

� You can change your password anytime in the Staff->Own account->Passwordmenu.

Requesting forgotten data

If you have forgotten your password or account name you can access automated helpfunctions. On inputting a false password or account name you will be asked on thelogin screen to click a special link. Then follow the on-screen instructions.

The admin area login is protected by the ACL right “area_www”. You and your staffneed write rights in order to log in.

25


Figure 1.2 Asking for help if you forget your password

Renewing expired accounts

Staff accounts in EFS installations always have an expiration date after which they willbe automatically deactivated. This date is usually the same as the expiration date of therenting contract. If your account has expired, please get in touch with your Globalparksales contact or with Globalpark Support.

1.2.2 Security Criteria for Account Names and Passwords

The following security criteria apply for account names and passwords:

� The password must be changed after the first login and then expires every 28 days.If the user logs in after the expiry date the screen requests that the password bechanged.

� Alternating upper and lower case is permissible for account names.

� Alternating upper and lower case is not permissible for passwords.

� The password must have a minimum of 6 characters.

� The password must contain characters from at least two of the following fourgroups: a-z, A-Z, 0-9, other keyboard ASCII characters.

� The password may not contain any spaces.

Please note: EFS Survey has brute force protection, i.e. only a limited number offalse password entries is possible. Thereafter the staff member account is deactiva-ted for a specified period (by default suspension occurs after the sixth false entry andthe waiting time is 30 minutes). Therefore please use the help offered on the loginscreen if you have forgotten your password. Further information regarding bruteforce protection can be found in Chapter 16.3.7, p. 615.

26


� A dictionary check can be optionally activated, i.e. a check is made as to whetherthe password will withstand a dictionary attack. On new installations this check isdisabled by default.

� When changing password after the first login or on expiry of one month the samepassword may not be used again.

Whether a password meets default security criteria is checked during entry and dyna-mically displayed.

Figure 1.3 Password security display on monthly password change

1.2.3 Security Question

The function for sending a forgotten password is protected by a security question.

� This security question is defined at the first login: You can select the desired ques-tion from a list of suggestions or enter it yourself, and must enter the answeryourself.

� You can subsequently edit the security question in the Staff->Own account menu.

The admin area can optionally be operated in High Security Mode. In addition toEFS standard security features, supplementary protective measures that meetadvanced requirements for web application security are activated in this operationmode. These include, in particular, stricter security criteria for the passwords ofstaff members. A special documentation providing detailed information on the HighSecurity Mode is available for download from our customer center.

27


Figure 1.4 Entering security question on initial login

1.3 The Start Page

After logging in, you will see the start page providing an overview of the projects inprogress:

� In EFS Survey installations, a list of the projects that were last edited in the adminarea will be displayed at the top of the screen. Via this list, you can switch directlyto where you are currently working in EFS Survey. Below, you will find a tablecontaining the projects that are currently in the field.

� In EFS Panel installations, the topmost section, titled “Panel status” will show anoverview of the number of panel members and their respective status. Below,there’s a shortcut to the panel website: if you have selected a standard panelistaccount for your staff account, you can log in directly using this panelist’s data(Chapter 16.17). At the bottom, as in EFS Survey installations, you will find a tablecontaining the projects that were last edited in the admin area and a list of theprojects that are currently in the field.

See Chapter 16.4, p. 617, for further information on how to change the settings foryour own account.

The information for the start page is held in cache memory for performancereasons. It is displayed with an approximately 15 minute time lag from the actualstatus of the installation.

28

1.4 Screen Layout

1.4 Screen Layout

Navigation bar

In the navigation bar at the top of the screen, you will find basic functions that will beconstantly displayed while you work in the admin area:

� Links to the various main modules. In EFS Survey installations, these are theStatus, Projects, Staff and Options modules. EFS Panel installations with panelshave the Panel, Projects, Website, Staff and Options modules.

� Links you can use to change the language, to invoke the online help and the feed-back form (Chapter 1.6, p. 30), or to log out.

Login data

On the left hand side below the menu the display shows the account you are logged onwith and which other users are active. Clock time is also displayed.

� Login: The name of the logged-in staff member

� Users online

– user(s) online: Number of staff members logged in the admin area.

– For EFS Panel installations only: user(s) online: The number of panelistslogged onto the panel website .

– respondent(s) online: Number of survey participants.

– The numbers are calculated in 30 second intervals and include users who per-formed an operation within the last 10 minutes.

� Date (GMT): Server time. EFS Survey installations always use GMT (GreenwichMean Time)/UTC (Universal Time Coordinated) and this setting cannot be altered.

� Local date: Date and time setting you may select for your account. See Table 16.15,p. 617.

� For EFS Panel installations only: Panel date. Date and time set for panel installa-tion.

� The login to the customer center is located below the login data. As a Globalparkcustomer, this link allows you to switch directly from the admin area to the cus-tomer center.

Modules and menus

The various EFS Survey functions are presented in a hierarchical structure: Functionsthat are required for the same work process will be grouped under the respective com-mon heading.

The main work areas, such as project and staff administration, are grouped together inthe above-mentioned modules, which can be found in the navigation bar.

To navigate within the modules, use the menus which are always located on the left-hand side of the screen. They are subdivided into main menus and submenus.

Content area

The actual work is performed in the central content area in the middle of the screen.Clicking on tabs allows you to switch between different subtopics and then triggeractions or make entries using dialogs, icons, pop-up windows or links.

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Standard dialogs

The layout of the user dialogs follows a consistent pattern:

� The Submit button is always located in the bottom right corner.

� Checkboxes you can tick and drop-down lists from which you can select optionsare also be placed in the right-hand part of the screen.

1.5 The Online Help Feature

By clicking the Help link, which is constantly present on the right-hand side of thenavigation bar while working in the admin area, you can open the online help. It con-tains the EFS Survey manual as well as the manuals for EFS Panel and EFS Employee.

� On the Download tab, the manuals are available in PDF format, just as in the cus-tomer center.

� Via the Search tab, you can search a specific manual or all three manuals.

� On other tabs, you can access the manuals inside the Help window.

1.6 The Integrated Feedback System

Globalpark’s aim is to develop products that are optimally tailored to the specific appli-cation needs of its customers: from individual surveys as part of an academic researchproject to employee surveys at large companies. All users of Enterprise Feedback Suiteare invited to contribute their ideas. Via a feedback form, which can be called up fromanywhere within the admin area, you may submit comments that will be forwarded tothe Globalpark staff.

Documentation for optionally available tools is available in the customer center athttp://my.globalpark.com.

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1.6 The Integrated Feedback System

Figure 1.5 The feedback form

To offer your praise, criticism, or suggestions regarding specific functions you are cur-rently working with, please proceed as follows:

� Open the pop-up window containing the feedback form by clicking on theFeedback link in the upper right-hand corner.

� Information regarding the context of your comment, such as installation, menu,or currently executed action, is gathered automatically; i. e. you do not have toenter this information in detail.

� If you are willing to answer further questions, please activate the respective check-box.

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32

2 Introduction: The First Survey

2.1 Creating an Anonymous Project (Step 1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

2.2 Entering Questions (Step 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

2.3 Activating the Project (Step 3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

2.4 Inviting the Participants (Step 4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

2.5 Monitoring the Survey (Step 5) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

2.6 Exporting Data (Step 6). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

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This chapter offers a practically oriented introduction to working with EFS Survey:

� Creating a small sample project, you will go through all the work steps required tosuccessfully conduct an online survey. In doing so, you will learn about the mostimportant functions of the software.

� References to detailed descriptions later on in the manual give you an insight intothe versatility and power of the software.

Figure 2.1 Sequence of operations necessary to set up a survey

Considerations before starting

Before you begin drafting a questionnaire, you should consider the following issues:

� Which decisions are to be supported by the survey?

� Which information is to be collected from the target group?

� Which target group is to be addressed in the survey?

� Which technical equipment is available to the target group?

� How can the target population be motivated to give answers with a good quality?

Detail planning of a questionnaire requires making further decisions:

� First you have to determine subject and target group of the survey. In the demosurvey created in this Chapter Internet users will be asked to evaluate a specificwebsite. You have to select an appropriate survey type. As we do not have any dataof the participants in our demo survey we choose to conduct an anonymous sur-vey.

� In order to create a questionnaire you need to be familiar with the different ques-tion types and tools of EFS:

– which question type is best suited for a specific question?

– which page of the questionnaire should contain which questions, sub titles andmultimedia elements?

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– where to put a specific filter (i.e. which pages should only be visible to specificparticipants)?

– Which questions and answer items should only be visible to specific partici-pants?

2.1 Creating an Anonymous Project (Step 1)

Enter the Projects module.

� The menu of this module offers access to important sub menus such as Createproject or Project import.

� In the content area you will find the Project list. It provides information about theproject type and the status of the projects. To deactivate or end projects, changerights or delete a project, use either the icons in the “Actions” column, or thecheckboxes and the drop-down list below the table.

Figure 2.2 The menu of the module “Projects” and the list of projects

To create an anonymous survey, please proceed as follows:

1. Click on the Create project menu item.

2. The entry dialog for new projects is opened.

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2.2 Entering Questions (Step 2)

Figure 2.3 Creating a project

3. Enter the following project details:

– project type: anonymous survey

– title, description, author and co-authors

– staff teams which are allowed to have access to the project

– survey messages (e.g. button labels, login messages and system messages): adefault set can be selected in various languages. Additionally users can definetheir own sets. Please select “Standard survey messages for English language(en_GB)”.

4. In the “Advanced options” section, keep the default settings unchanged.

5. Confirm your entries by clicking on the Create button.

6. The message “Project has been created successfully.” will be displayed on a greenbar. Click on the To project link in the message.


The Survey menu is opened. It is the central starting point for editing your project. Onthe left side of the screen, you can find all relevant submenus.

Chapter 3.1, p. 55, introduces the various survey types you can realize using EFSSurvey, EFS Panel and EFS Employee.

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Figure 2.4 The “Survey menu”

To create the questionnaire, click on the Questionnaire editor menu item. The ques-tionnaire editor is opened.

Figure 2.5 The questionnaire editor

For your sample project only the final page has been created automatically so far. Youwill soon create all other pages yourself.

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The three levels of the questionnaire editor

Before we are going to work with the questionnaire editor we should have a close lookat its structure. As you can see in the following chart the questionnaire editor has threelevels: the questionnaire view, the page view and the question view.

Figure 2.6 The three levels of the questionnaire editor

� You’re presently on level 1, the questionnaire view. It shows a list of the differentpages of the questionnaire.

� If you click on a page title in the questionnaire view you get to level 2, the pageview. The questions on a questionnaire page are listed.

� If you click on a question title in the page view you get to level 3, the question view.You will see the text elements and all other relevant settings for a specific question.

2.2.1 Creating the First Questionnaire Page of Your Survey

At the beginning of the survey you want to welcome the participants. Therefore thefirst page does not contain any questions but a welcome text.

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1. Steps to create the first questionnaire page:

You have already entered the questionnaire view via the Questionnaire editor menuitem. Cick on the Create new page or filter tab.

Figure 2.7 Creating the start page of the project

1. Enter “Start” as a title of the page. Select the page type “Standard”.

2. Confirm with Create.

3. The new page is created and displayed in the automatically opened questionnaireview.

2. Steps to create the first question

1. Click on the title of the first page “Start” in the questionnaire view.

2. You get to the page view where you find an entry form to create new questions onthis page.

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Figure 2.8 Adding the title of the first question

3. The title of the first question has been automatically preset with the page title“Start”. Keep this title.

4. You have to choose an appropriate question type. Click the Show availablequestion types icon. (As soon as you have familiarized yourself with the questiontypes of EFS Survey, you can use the drop-down list instead: Selecting a group ofquestions opens a list of the corresponding question types with schemas.)

5. A list of all question types with schemata is shown.

Figure 2.9 Extract of the detail view of the EFS Survey question types

6. For the welcome text you do not need any question elements, just normal text anda little bit of HTML. Therefore, select the question type Text and HTML code (998).

7. Confirm with Create. You get to the third level of the questionnaire editor, thequestion view, where you will see an entry form to enter texts.

Detailed explanations on the question types are given in Chapter 5, p. 175.

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Figure 2.10 The question “Start” in the questionnaire editor

8. Enter the text. You can either add HTML tags yourself or use the formatting fea-tures.

9. Confirm with Save.

10. Click on the Preview question tab. In a pop-up window, you can see the questionfrom a future respondent’s point of view.

11. Click on the Questionnaire tab to get back to the questionnaire view.

Figure 2.11 Actions to edit a questionnaire page in the structure view

12. The icons in the “Actions” column offer a variety of options to edit the newly-created standard page: Preview, Create new page or filter, Copy, Search / replace,Edit page, Page tree import under page “X” and Delete.

13. Click on the Preview icon to view the complete starting page.

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2.2.2 Creating a Question with a Single Response List

On the next page you will create a question with a Single response list. This means thatthe respondent can only give one answer.

Steps:

1. In order to create the next page, click on the Create new page or filter.

2. Enter “Internet use” as a page title.

3. Create a new question on the page, take care to select the question type Singleresponse list (vertical) (111) in the drop-down list.

Figure 2.12 Adding the question title and choosing the question type


5. The question view is opened.

If you want to change the text of the Forward button, click on Back to survey menu.Open the Project properties menu. In the Survey messages submenu you can editthe text of the buttons and other important survey messages.

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Figure 2.13 Question view of a single response question

6. Enter the question text and the texts of the answer categories.

7. In order to delete the fifth answer category, click in the checkbox in the “Delete”column.

8. Save your entries.

9. Click on the Preview question tab to view the question you have just created.

2.2.3 Creating a Question with a Multiple Response List and “Other” Field

The respondent can give more than one answer to the following question. He can alsoenter a text.

With the question preview you can only see the specific question. Whereas in thepage preview which you have used in Chapter 2.2.1, p. 39 the whole page is shown.

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Steps:

1. Create a standard page with the title “Attention”.

2. Create a question with the question type Multiple response list (vertical) (121).

3. Enter the question text, the fill-in instruction and the first three answer categories(items). Activate the checkbox “Delete” for the answer categories which you do notneed.

Figure 2.14 Question view of a multiple response question


5. In the “New” row, enter the text “others” into the text field in the column “Itemtext”. A number for the new item is created automatically. Select “Answer category+ text” in the drop-down list.

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Figure 2.15 Adding an answer category with additional text field

6. Save again.

7. The answer category with text area is created. Optionally you can change width andmaximum length of the text.

Figure 2.16 The completed multiple response question with additional text field

2.2.4 Creating a Matrix Question

Matrix questions are used when a detailed evaluation of various aspects of an issue isrequired.

Steps:

1. Create a standard page with the title “Evaluation”.

2. Create a question of the question type Standard matrix (311).

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3. Enter the question text and the items.

Figure 2.17 Opening the section “Scale options” in the question view of a standard matrix


5. To edit the scale items, open the section “Scale options” by clicking on the Arrowicon.

6. The entry dialog for the answer scale is opened.

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Figure 2.18 Editing the scale items

7. Enter the four items from 1=“I strongly agree” to 4=“I absolutely disagree”.

8. Define the fifth scale item “No answer” as a missing value.

9. Save your changes and check the result in the preview.

2.2.5 Creating the Final Page

On the last page of the survey, you want to thank the participants for taking part inyour survey. Afterwards the participants will close the survey window via a button.

Steps:

1. Click on the title of the final page in the questionnaire view and create a questionof the question type Text and HTML code (998). As you have learned in Chapter2.2.1, p. 39, you can format the text yourself.

2. Insert a “Close window” button: Place the cursor in the entry field and select theoption “Insert ’Close window’ button” in the drop down list “Insert code automati-cally”. The following HTML code will be added automatically:

<br><div align=center><input type=”button” onClick=”window.close()” value=”Close window”></div><br>


2.2.6 Creating a Layout with the Standard Editor

The Layout menu contains numerous functions for designing the questionnaire.

If the left margin with the item texts is too small, change the number of pixels inthe line “Width of the left column with the question texts (in pixel)”.

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2.3 Activating the Project (Step 3)

Choosing a layout

If there are already layouts available on the EFS Survey installation you use, you canintegrate them in your questionnaire in the Layout templates menu. Choose the lay-out you need and click on the Select layout button to implement it in your question-naire.

Editing standard layout

The Standard editor allows you to design the survey’s layout without any knowledge ofHTML and CSS.

� On the Logos tab you can upload the logos and the background image of yourproject. In order to upload a logo, please proceed as follows:

– Determine where you want to position the logo.

– Choose the file on your local pc with Browse,

– Click on Upload logo.

� On the Format tab you can format numerous elements of a questionnaire page forthe whole project. The tab contains an interactive scheme of a questionnaire pagewith all standard elements. If you choose an element, a popup window is opened,and you can change the layout of the element. As soon as you close the window byclicking on Accept & close window the changes will be integrated into your ques-tionnaire.

� On the Form elements tab you can replace the HTML buttons by graphical formelements. After selecting the graphical form elements and clicking on the buttonSave you can choose from several sets of form elements and you can upload yourown images.

� On the Progress bar tab you can activate the progress bar. After saving the selec-tion you can choose among several designs or change the text above the bar.

2.3 Activating the Project (Step 3)

Activating the project

Now your questionnaire is complete. Before starting your survey, the basic settings ofthe project have to be adjusted in the Survey menu:

� Determine begin and end of the survey. Confirm with Save.

� In the line “Status”, you can see that the project has been created but it has not yetbeen activated. Click on Activate and the status will be changed into “Active”.

Detailed instructions on how to use this and other functions of the standard editorare provided in Chapter 8, p. 351. It also explains the extensive design options offe-red to advanced users with knowledge of HTML by the Pro editor.

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Figure 2.19 Determining the field time and activating the survey

Testing the project

Before entering into the field, you have to test the questionnaire. Change to the Surveymenu and check the survey from the point of view of a participant via the link in theline “URL”. Go through the questionnaire and try whether filtering, hiding conditionsand plausibility checks really work.

Compiling the project

All data created e.g. by tests in productive mode must be deleted before the start of thesurvey. Click on the Compile menu item. Select “Delete all survey data” and click onCompile survey. Now the database is newly created and all test data deleted.

Figure 2.20 Compiling the survey

2.4 Inviting the Participants (Step 4)

As you have finished creating your online questionnaire you can now invite partici-pants. Your demo survey is an anonymous survey which means that you do not know

Chapter 9, p. 387, provides an overview of tools for automated tests.

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2.5 Monitoring the Survey (Step 5)

the participants’ data beforehand. In order to gain participants you have to directpotential participants to your survey

� by integrating a link to the survey in a website.

� by publishing a link to the survey in a newsletter.

� by integrating a pop-up window in a website.

You can find the link of the survey in the Survey menu in the line “URL” (see Figure2.19).

2.5 Monitoring the Survey (Step 5)

In the Statistics menu, accessible via the Survey menu, you can monitor your survey.It contains three main sections that can be opened by selecting the respective menuitems: the Field report, the Online statistics and the Open-ended answers.

� The Field report provides information about the number of participants and thebreak-off rate.

� At any time during the survey the Online statistics provides an overview of the datathat has been collected so far. You can either get the data regarding specific ques-tions or you can get the data concerning the whole survey.

� Open-ended answers lists the answers to open-ended questions.

2.6 Exporting Data (Step 6)

After the end of the survey you can export the collected data. Under Survey menu->Export you can find a variety of options to define format and data volume.

If you are conducting a personalized survey in which participants are known inadvance, you can use EFS Survey’s participant administration to distribute personalinvitation mails. See Chapter 10.2, p. 411, for further information.

Explanations of the EFS Survey export options are given in Chapter 13, p. 521.

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52

3 Creating and Managing Projects

3.1 Project Types. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

3.2 Creating Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

3.3 Compiling Surveys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

3.4 Linking Different Projects: External Survey Start . . . . . . . 63

3.5 Managing Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

3.6 Opening a Project and Getting an Overview . . . . . . . . . . . 68

3.7 Determining Framework Data for a Project . . . . . . . . . . . 71

3.8 Automating Frequently Required Work Steps . . . . . . . . . . 108

53

3.1 Project Types


The Enterprise Feedback Suite is designed as a universal feedback managementplatform. It provides solutions for all data collection scenarios which are of importancefor modern Enterprise Feedback Management. Depending on your requirements, youcan select the desired method or even combine various methods.

� Surveying is the most important feedback collection method. Surveys serve mainlyfor the collection of quantitative data. In all solutions provided by EFS, surveys arerealized as individual projects. The creation, conduction and evaluation of theseseparate projects is very much at the heart of the basic platform EFS Survey.Therefore, they are also the key topics of this manuals.

� In panels, a pool of persons is repeatedly invited to systematic surveys. Globalpark’sEFS Panel is optimized for running panels on the Internet. The conduction of theindividual panel surveys and their panel-specific properties are covered by thismanual. The design and administration of the platform which is used to organizethe surveying, on the other hand, is the main topic of “EFS Panel 8.0”.

� In recent years, qualitative feedback collection methods have gained importance.EFS Panel comprises several qualitative collection methods, thus enabling you toturn your online panel into an Insight Community. One of the most frequently-used methods is the forum discussion. It is is organized in separate projects, quitesimilar to the familiar survey projects. In the following, you will find a brief intro-duction. For detailed explanations and information on other qualitative methods,as e.g. blogs and chats, please see “EFS Panel 8.0”.

This chapter focuses on how projects are created and conducted.

� The various projects types that can be realized with EFS are presented in Chapter3.1, p. 55.

� Chapter 3.2, p. 57 details the various ways to create a project: creating manually,by copying or by transferring from one installation to another via export andimport.

� In Chapter 3.3, p. 62, you learn how to clean the database of a survey - usuallybefore the project is started.

� The project list, where you can manage and open your surveys and forumdiscussions, is described in Chapter 3.5.1, p. 63.

� Chapter 3.6, p. 68 will introduce you to the basic properties of EFS projects, suchas field period and project status.

� EFS offers you a great degree of flexibility when it comes to adapting a project tospecific needs. The corresponding configuration features are detailed in Chapter3.7, p. 71.

� Frequently required work processes can be automatized in EFS. Chapter 3.8,p. 108 tells you how to do so.

3.1 Project Types

In EFS, feedback collection is organized in individual projects. The features and pro-cesses required in these projects depend strongly on the data collection method andthe target group chosen. Therefore, the various EFS solutions support quite differentproject types.

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� Anonymous survey (AN)

� Personalized survey (PE)

� Only on EFS Employee platforms: Employee survey (ES)

� Only on EFS Panel installations: Panel survey (PA)

� Only on EFS Panel installations: Master data survey (MD)

� Only on EFS Panel installations: Forum discussions (FD)

3.1.1 Anonymous Surveys

Anonymous surveys (abbreviation: AN) are accessible for all who know the respectivesurvey Internet address. This is usually conducted by means of advertising efforts suchas banners or hyperlinks on existing websites.

3.1.2 Personalized Surveys

Personalized surveys (abbreviation: PE) are only accessible for persons included in thesurvey sample. In a personalized survey, you can precisely define who you wish toinclude as participants in your online survey. You may either enter participants manu-ally or import the list of participants into EFS in an Excel sheet (CSV file). There arevarious options of how to restrict access to the survey. For example, by means of apassword sent to the participants per e-mail, or via a personalized link or definable IPaddresses. The respective passwords for participants can be either generated withinEFS Survey or imported into the system.

3.1.3 Employee Surveys

The project type “Employee survey” (abbreviation: ES) is used only on EFS Employeeinstallations. It satisfies particularly strict data protection guidelines and allows accessto the optionally available additional tool Org Processor.

3.1.4 Panel Surveys

Panel surveys (abbreviation: PA) are answered by persons registered as participantswithin your panel. In order to perform panel surveys you must generate groups in thePanel module. Samples are then drawn from these groups for the survey project ofyour panel.

3.1.5 Master Data Surveys

The project type “Master data survey” (abbreviation: MD) is also closely connectedwith the panel. Master data are basic information collected on panel members at thebeginning of panel membership. In addition to socio-demographic details, such asincome and occupation, you can collect as much information as required, depending

The “employee survey” project type can only be used on EFS Employee installatons.Features and tools that have been developed specifically for this project type arepresented in the “EFS Employee” manuals, which are available for download in thecustomer center.

Panel surveys, master data surveys and forum discussions are only available on EFSPanel installations.

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3.2 Creating Projects

on the interests of the panel operator. The master data survey is usually the first surveyto be completed by each panelist, following registration.

3.1.6 Forum Discussions

The forum discussion (abbreviation: FD) is one of the most frequently used qualitativefeedback collection methods. It is strongly used, in particular, in Insight Communities.From EFS 8.0, a dedicated project type “Forum discussion” is available. In analogy tothe familiar survey projects, you can create forum discussions as separate projects andorganize them via the Projects menu.

The new features in brief:

� Forum discussions are integrated into the project list and the field overview.

� Optionally, you can create forum discussions via the familiar Create project menu.

� If you open a forum discussion from within the project list, the contents will bepresented in a navigation structure corresponding to the familiar EFS surveyprojects.

� Possible project statuses are “active” and “inactive”.

� In contrast to quantitative projects, forum discussions have no project ID, noauthor and no project directory. Therefore, these data cannot be retrieved by thesearch features in project list and field overview. Furthermore, forum discussionscannot be sorted into folders.

� Please mind that only the most important features of project list and field overvieware supported for forum discussions. In particular, the actions in the project listare not available for forum discussions, furthermore neither archiving nor importand export can be used.

� Access to the qualitative projects in the admin area is controlled via the EFS rightssystem, as usual. If you want to enable your staff members to open a forum discus-sion from the project list, you have to assign read rights for “board_admin” undread rights for the forum. If you want them to create qualitative projects themsel-ves, please assign read rights for “cr_project”, read rights for “board_admin” andread rights for the referenced forum.

� The forum discussions can be displayed along with quantitative surveys on thepanelists’ personal homepages (“EFS Panel 8.0”, Chapter 19.4.33).

For more details on the forums of EFS Panel, please see the manual “EFS Panel 8.0”,Chapter 14.6.


There are three different ways of creating new projects:

� You can create a new project (see Chapter 3.2.1, p. 58).

� You can copy an existing project (see Chapter 3.2.2, p. 59).

You can decide for yourself whether you want to use the new display options forforum discussions described below. If you wish to use them, open the dialog Editsettings for all current forum topics and tick the checkbox “Treat as qualitativeproject”. If you subsequently create your forum topics from within the project list,this option will be enabled automatically.

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� You can export and import a project from one EFS installation to another (seeChapter 3.2.3, p. 60).

3.2.1 Creating Projects

1. Click on the Projects module in the navigation bar.

2. Click on Create project. The entry form for creating a new project will open.

Figure 3.1 Creating a project

3. In it, specify the project type for the survey by selecting a project type from the“Project type” select box. (Exception on Panel installations: If you select “forumdiscussion”, the dialog shown above will be replaced automatically by the list ofrequired forum topic properties.)

4. Type a name into the “Title” field.

5. If required, enter a description of the present project in the “Description” field (e.g.content and use of the project).

6. In the “Author” field, enter the name of the project author.

The number, size and complexity of the projects on an installation affects the per-formance.

- If a project is finished, make sure that all necessary data and project documenta-tion have been downloaded and stored properly. Then, archive the project (seeChapter 14.5, p. 563). To simplify this task, EFS lists all projects whose field timehas ended more than 6 weeks ago once per month, thus enabling you to keep yourinstallation clean with minimum effort.

- If a project is not needed anymore, it is recommended to delete it from the archive.In many cases, old projects must be deleted for reasons of privacy protection, too.

- When preparing a survey, please respect existing limits and guiding values, as e.g.the maximum numbers for variables (Chapter 13.9.2, p. 538), pages (Chapter 4.4,p. 130) and questions (Chapter 4.5, p. 131).

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7. Specify additional persons participating in the project in the “Staff” field, asrequired.

8. Specify which staff teams are to receive access to the project. To do so, choose theteam from the “Which teams shall receive full access?” select box (see Chapter3.5.8, p. 68).

9. Apply the following survey messages for this project: A set of survey messages thatalready exists in the library is uploaded (see Chapter 3.7.16, p. 98).

10. In the “Advanced options” area, you can make further adjustments to the settings:

– EFS features a runtime check for checking the conditions of LUA filters, quo-tas and triggers in the course of the survey (see Chapter 9.8, p. 398). Option-ally, you can subscribe to e-mail notifications which are sent whenever aparticipant causes this kind of error. To do so, enter a list of staff members tobe notified in the field “Notification on errors during survey processing”. Eachrow should contain only one address.

– You can have an e-mail notification sent to you before the end of the fieldperiod of a survey. To do so, enter a list of the staff members who are to receivean e-mail in the “Notification before end of survey” field. In each row thereshould be only one address. The mails will be sent seven days before the end ofthe project. Then select the desired mail template. You can choose from mailtemplates of the “Notification before end of survey” type. If you do not select atemplate resp. if you cannot select one due to missing rights, a mail withdefault text will be used.

– Put the project in folder: The project is moved into the corresponding folder ofthe project list (see Chapter 3.5.6, p. 65).

– After creating the project directly apply layout: A layout that already exists asa template is uploaded (see Chapter 8.7.1, p. 382).

– Which status is to be applied after creating the project? You can choose bet-ween the statuses “survey compiled”, “active” and “inactive. An overview of allthe statuses can be found in Table 3.1.

11. Clicking on the Create button will create the new project. A green bar containingthe To project link will display a message indicating that the operation was suc-cessful. The project can now be located in the project list under the title you ente-red.

3.2.2 Copying Projects

You can create copies of projects at any time. Contents of questionnaires, layout set-tings and general project attributes will also be copied. Result data which already exist,generated reports or sample definitions (e.g. contents of participant administration inpersonalized projects) will not be copied.

1. Open the Projects module.

2. Select the project you wish to copy from the project list and click on the Copy icon.

The teams, in which you are a member, are displayed in a select box, and your ownprimary team is pre-selected.

Your own primary team always gets read and write rights on the newly createdproject automatically. If you belong to a team with write rights to the ACL right“groupadmin”, you can assign all teams in the installation of the “Admingroup” typewith read and write rights to the project.

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3. The familiar entry dialog for creating projects (Figure 3.1) is opened, preset withthe data of the source project.

4. In the “Project type” select box, choose the project type for the survey copy. Pleasemind the restrictions mentioned in Chapter 3.2.4, p. 62.

5. Enter the project title, description, author and staff members, as described inChapter 3.2.1, p. 58, and specify the access for the team in the “Which teams shallreceive full access” select box.

6. Click on Create to create a copy of the selected project.

3.2.3 Exporting and Importing Projects

Projects can be exported and subsequently re-read into the system via an import inter-face. In addition to the basic questionnaire structure, you can optionally export thefollowing data:

� all existing subdirectories: /images, /cimages, /layout, /templates, /css

� all images of the overall media library

� user-defined container templates

� reports: Reports created with EFS Survey reporting, including already-generatedreports.

Before you start

Please note:

� The XML format used is a mere exchange format, e.g. it can be used only for trans-ferring projects to another EFS Survey installation or for archiving question-naires.

� Projects can only be imported to target installations which have the same EFSversion or a higher, newer version than the source installation of the project. It isnot possible to downgrade projects via export/import, e.g. by importing a 8.0 pro-ject to a 7.0 installation.

� In EFS 7.0 and higher installations, you can only import projects that have beencreated with version 4.0 or higher. Any projects created before version 4.0 cannotbe imported anymore.

� The project type of the source project as well as any possible extensions used in thisproject should also be available in the destination installation. For example, a pro-ject of the „employee survey“ type can only be imported without data loss into anEFS installation that supports this project type. Likewise, a project with conjointblock can only be imported into an EFS installation where the EFS ConjointExtension has been activated.

� The file size for importing data is limited: the installation-specific threshold valueis displayed in the import dialog. Before importing, please ensure that your filedoes not exceed the threshold. If your file is too big, please contact GlobalparkSupport.

� It is not possible to export or import forum discussions.

Exporting a project

In order to save a project on the local server, please proceed as follows:

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1. Starting from the Projects module, open the appropriate project and go to theExport menu.

Figure 3.2

2. Select the “Project” export option and confirm with Continue.

3. Define if and which additional data should be included in the export.

4. Save the file locally on a volume of your computer as an XML file with the fileextension “gpx”.

Importing a project

To import a project which was exported as described above into the same or into ano-ther EFS installation in the EFS-specific XML format, please proceed as follows:

1. Switch to the Projects module again and click on the Project import menu item.

Figure 3.3 Importing a project

2. Click on Browse.

3. Choose the .gpx file from the local drive or from the network and click on the Openbutton. The file you selected will appear in the “Source” field.

4. Specify the project type you wish to assign to the imported project by selecting aproject type from the “Project type” drop-down list. Please mind the restrictionsmentioned in Chapter 3.2.4, p. 62.

5. Enter a project title into the “Title” field.

6. Specify which staff teams are to receive access to the project by choosing therespective teams from the “Which teams shall receive full access” select box.

7. Click on Send file to import the selected project.

8. If the import was successful, the following message will appear: “Project will beimported!”. You can select and edit the project in the project list.

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3.2.4 Changing the Project Type

The EFS project type may be changed retrospectively, i.e. you can change e.g. an ano-nymous survey into a personalized survey and vice versa. But due to various restric-tions, changing the project type is usually only sensible if the project has only just beencreated or if you have copied an old project in order to reuse the questionnaire.

The following restrictions apply:

� All result data already available will be deleted in the process.

� Reports which have been configured and/or generated in Reporting will be deletedirrevocably.

� If a personalized project is converted to an anonymous project, all settings andcontents of participant administration are lost.

� If an employee survey is converted into another project type, the project configu-ration plus all settings and contents of participant administration and Org Proces-sor are lost.

� Only on EFS Panel installations: With panel surveys and master data surveys,changing the project type is not possible, as these types differ greatly from thosecreated with EFS Survey (e.g. with regard to directory structure and sessionmanagement).

� Only on EFS Panel installations: With forum discussions, a change is not possibleeither.

To change the project type, open the Survey menu and click on the Change link in the“Project type” field. This brings you to the dialog shown in Figure 3.1 where you canchange the project type.

3.3 Compiling Surveys

After creating a survey, it must be compiled before you can activate it. After a warningmessage you will be prompted to confirm the compile command with yes. Once youhave executed this function the survey will be activated.

The compilation module developed by Globalpark allows you to make changes to yoursurvey, e.g. add items, even during the field phase. However, as the MySQL table of theEFS Survey database connection will be newly created, you have various options tochoose from as to how the program shall deal with existing survey data.

The following options are available:

� Maintain survey data: all existing survey data will be kept.

� Delete all survey data: all data will be irretrievably lost.

� Delete all test data: all entries made by registered testers will be deleted.

If you have deleted different question types, the pertinent variables for the respectivequestion types will be maintained in the database. EFS Survey’s compilation modulenow immediately detects that the database contains superfluous variable fields andoffers you the option of deleting these data during compilation. However, keeping red-undant variable fields in the database usually causes no problems.

Runtime compilation

EFS Survey automatically performs soft compilation without data loss, if the surveyengine detects that data were added during the field phase without subsequent compi-lation. However, for performance reasons, it is recommended that you perform manual

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3.4 Linking Different Projects: External Survey Start

compilation after making changes to your project, as deleted variables will be kept aftereach runtime compilation.

3.4 Linking Different Projects: External Survey Start

3.5 Managing Projects

3.5.1 The Project List

The project list gives you an overview of all of the projects you have access to.

Figure 3.4 The project list

You will find the following information on every project in the table:

� Project title

� Author (except for forum discussions)

� Project ID (except for forum discussions)

� Type: Project type, see Chapter 3.1, p. 55

� Status: The current state of your survey project each with information on the dateof the last update. An overview of the project statuses can be found in Table 3.1.

� Created: The date on which the project was created.

� Start: Date on which the survey started in the field. See Chapter 3.7.4, p. 78.

� Traffic-light icon: Signifies whether external participants can have access to thesurvey. If the project is in the field, then a green arrow pointing upwards is visible.If the project is not active, then a red arrow pointing downwards is visible.

In the customer center in the Manuals-> External survey start menu, you candownload a manual dedicated to “External survey start”.

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� Actions: An explanation of the possible actions can be found in Chapter 3.5.7, p. 67to 3.5.8, p. 68.

� Via the icons and checkboxes in the “Actions” column you can edit individualprojects or all projects. Chapter 3.5.7, p. 67 offers an overview on the actionsavailable.

A search function is available for browsing the project list, see Chapter 3.5.3, p. 64 fordetails).

Those projects which you edited most recently, and projects marked as important, arehighlighted, see Chapter 3.5.4, p. 65 and 3.5.5, p. 65. Additionally, the projects can besorted with the help of a folder system which is introduced in Chapter 3.5.6, p. 65.

3.5.2 Modifying Display Settings

You have various options for displaying the project list:

� With the help of the Show as list and the Show as tree buttons you can switchbetween a conventional list display and a folder tree.

� By clicking on Hide empty folders you can hide all folders that do not containprojects. By clicking on Show empty folders the initial state is restored.

� With Collapse all you can close all folders with the exception of the default folder,so that only the hierarchy and not the content is visible. With Expand all you canopen all folders.

� By clicking on the Show column x icons you can display the columns “Author”,“Pages”, “Created” with the creation date for the project and “Start” with the dateof when the field phase started.

3.5.3 Searching for Projects

The following search options are available:

� You can search for project title, project title, project directory and author. Ifrequired, you can restrict the search to a combination of these data.

� There are further search functions hidden under the Expand icon in the title“Limit project list“. With the help of the drop-down list “Options” you can restrictthe display to show only projects created by a certain employee or set the projecttype and status of the sought after projects.

The table columns can be hidden or visible in order to achieve a better overview.Click on the Show column icons to make them visible, click on the Hide columnicons to hide them.

The project directory can be found in the URL of the survey that is displayed in theproject info. If the URL were for example http://your-domain.com/uc/websitecheck,then “websitecheck“ is the project directory and you can perform a targeted searchfor this word.

Instructions on how to change the survey URL can be found in Chapter 3.7.3, p. 77.

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Figure 3.5 Extended search options

3.5.4 Finding the Most Recently Edited Projects

If you are working with the tree display for the directory structure, you will find thefolder “Projects edited recently“ at the top of the list. This folder contains those pro-jects that you worked on during the last seven days. The list is sorted by the mostrecent edit date, and its scope is limited to a maximum of 20 projects.

You can hide this folder: go to the Staff->Own account->Preferences menu, open theProjects tab and deactivate the option “Show the “Projects edited recently” folder inproject list”.

3.5.5 Marking Important Projects

Important projects in the project list can be highlighted with a star icon to make themeasier to find (except forum discussions). To do so, switch to the project info for thedesired project, and click in the “Project marking” row on the here link. You can deac-tivate such a marking using the same option (see Figure 3.8).

3.5.6 Organizing Projects

With the help of folders you can sort, group together and manage projects (exceptforum discussions). You can for example order the projects by theme, customer or byresponsible employee.

� You can choose between the tree view and the standard list view.

� You can arrange the folders in up to three hierarchy levels.

� There are a number of display options at your disposal.

� Access to folders can be controlled through the rights system.

� The project list folder system is complemented by an archive folder system (Chap-ter 14.5, p. 563) that functions exactly the same, but is set up independently.

For the forum discussions which can be included in the project list from EFS 8.0,you can search or restrict the list only by project title and the available statuses “inthe field” and “inactive”. Projekt ID, project directory and author are not availablefor this project type.

You need write rights for “create_project_cat“ to create new folders or edit existingfolders.

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1. Creating a new folder

1. Click on the Create folder button. You need write rights for “create_project_cat”to see this button.

2. Enter the name of the folder and a description.

3. Select the appropriate main folder. By default, this is set to the “Default” folder.

Figure 3.6 Creating a folder

4. When the new folder is positioned directly under the “Default” folder, you candefine the access rights for particular teams.

5. Confirm by clicking on Create.

2. Editing folders

Find the desired folder in the project list and click on the Further actions icon. (Youneed write rights for “create_project_cat” to see this icon.) The following editing opti-ons will appear in a popup window:

� Delete folder: This link appears only when the folder is empty and is used to deletethe folder.

� Edit folder: Through this link you can edit the properties of the folder.

� Create subfolder: Opens a form that creates a subfolder.

3. Moving folders

It is possible to move folders, including their projects and subfolders, to another posi-tion in the hierarchy.

To achieve this, use the Edit folder button to open the dialog shown in Figure 3.6. Inthe drop-down list “Put folder below”, select the new parent folder. Then, confirm withSave.

When moving folders, please mind that the folder structure is restricted to threelevels. Therefore, the list of potential target folders contains only folders belowwhich your folder and its subfolders fit.

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4. Ordering projects into folders

When sorting projects into other folders, you can choose between two possibilities:

� If you want to resort only one project, open the Project properties dialog shown inFigure 3.1 (via the Change link in the “Project type” field of the Survey menu). Inthe “Put the projects in folder” field, select the appropriate folder and confirm byclicking on Change.

� If you want to move several projects into the same target folder in one step, startby ticking the “Actions” checkboxes of these projects in the project list. Select theaction “Change folder” and confirm by clicking on Execute. In the following dia-log, you can check your selection. Then, select the appropriate target folder in thedrop-down list and confirm by clicking on Move.

5. Granting access rights to folders

Folders located directly under the “Default” folder can be assigned rights during crea-tion.

� If rights are not explicitly defined, then the settings for the Default folder will beassigned.

� Users with read rights for a folder can view the corresponding folder and its sub-folders.

� Users with write rights for a folder can edit and delete the corresponding folder andits subfolders.

� If a subfolder, whose main folder has been assigned access rights, is moved to a newmain folder with other access rules, then the access rights defined in the originalmain folder remain intact.

3.5.7 Actions

Using the icons in the column “Actions” and the Further actions icon, you can editspecific projects or access important menus directly. (Please mind: Editing options forforum discussions are currently still limited, if needed please use the familiar optionsin the Website module.)

� Jump to questionnaire editor: Allows to jump directly into the questionnaire viewof the questionnaire editor.

� Edit project data / -type: You can edit the project data and the type.

� Copy project: You can copy the entire project.

� Preview: Opens the questionnaire of the project in preview mode.

� For personalized projects and employee surveys: Participant administration.Allows to jump directly into the participant administration.

By clicking on Further actions you can open a popup window. This contains the follo-wing additional actions:

� Status changes: Activate, no further participations, Deactivate, End. By clickingon these links you can change the status of the project.

� To-dos: Release again, Export. By clicking on these links you can trigger the cor-responding action.

� Rights: You can assign access rights to a project to different teams.

Furthermore, various actions can be applied to selected projects or all. To do so, youselect the desired projects by ticking the checkboxes in the “Actions” column. Thenyou specify the desired action in the drop-down list and confirm by clicking Execute.

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� Change folder: Enables you to move the projects selected into a target folder to bedefined. See Chapter 3.5.6, p. 65.

� Delete projects: Allows to remove the projects selected. Please note that the dele-tion process cannot be reversed. Project and result data from deleted projects canno longer be reconstructed.

� Archive projects: Starts the archiving process, see Chapter 14.5, p. 563.

3.5.8 Granting Access Rights to Projects

You can define the access options for staff teams within a project.

1. In the row of the respective project, click on the Further actions icon.

2. In the layer, click on the Rights link.

Figure 3.7 Granting access rights to a project

3. In the entry form for rights administration, you can individually assign read andwrite rights to user teams. Your own primary team has read and write rights, whichcannot be changed.

4. Click on Change rights to accept your changes.

3.6 Opening a Project and Getting an Overview

When you are taken from the project list to a particular project, the Survey menuopens. It is the starting point for all work performed on a created project. Here you can,for example, specify the project properties, edit the layout of the survey and add newpages and questions in the questionnaire editor.

Opening the menu automatically displays the Project information in the content area.It provides you with:

� Information on the most important project data, such as project type, field periodand status, see Chapter 3.6.1, p. 69.

� Access to the Panel Partner Program (PPP): If you do not have a sufficient amountof participants or only need participants with specific characteristics, in this pro-gram you can send a request from the Globalpark Network to panel operators.Please note: Direct access to the Panel Partner Program is not automatically avai-lable on all installations but must be enabled by Globalpark Support.

� The option of using macros to automate work steps, see Chapter 3.8, p. 108.

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3.6 Opening a Project and Getting an Overview

Figure 3.8 Project information

3.6.1 Project Information in Detail

In the section “General information” you will find the following information and edi-ting options:

� Project type: The project type is displayed. Clicking on the Change link will openthe entry form shown in Figure 3.1, allowing you to change basic properties.

� Project ID: Each project on an EFS Survey installation can be identified by its ownunique ID.

� Project marking: Projects you have marked as “important” by clicking on the herelink will be highlighted with a star icon in the project list.

� Author

� Description

� Preview: Questionnaire preview

� URL

� Only in anonymous projects: QR code: Clicking on the Display link opens a pop-up window containing the QR code of the survey URL. See Chapter 10.1.2, p. 407.

� Start and end of survey

� Status: This row shows the current status of the project. An overview of the statuscan be found in Table 3.1.

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� To-do: This row contains a link for executing the project step that must be perfor-med next in the course of the survey. An overview of the To-dos can be found inTable 3.2.

� Can participants take part in this survey: In this row, you can see at a glance whe-ther external participants can access the survey.

– If the project is in the field, a green traffic-light icon will be displayed.

– If the remaining field period is ten days or less, the color of the traffic-lighticon will change from green to yellow, and a corresponding message will bedisplayed.

– If the project is not active, the traffic-light icon will be red.

� Maximum number of respondents active at the same time: This line will appear,when the installation-wide or project-specific participation limit is activated.Further information can be found in Chapter 17.2, p. 626.

� Participation counter: This line will be displayed, if the participation counterdescribed in Chapter 3.7.18, p. 103 is activated. It informs you about counter set-tings and the participation that is still required.

� Which teams may access the project: Via the Edit rights link, you can access thedialog described in chapter 3.5.8, p. 68 and specify which staff teams should haveaccess to the project.

By clicking on the Print preview button you can call up an optimized version for prin-ting.

Status and To-dos

The following tables give you an overview of the statuses and the arising to-dos. Chan-ges to project status are logged in the Documentation->Project change log menu, seeChapter 14.3, p. 562.

Status Meaning Participation pos-sible?

created The project has been created. No

survey compiled The first compilation occurs automatically during cre-ation of the project.

No

active The survey project has been activated, the current date is between the set start and end date of the sur-vey.

Yes

no further participa-tions

This status makes it possible to bring a “smooth” end to the field phase:• Participants, who are working with a questionnaire,

can complete the process of filling it out.• New participants will be rejected with an appropri-

ate message. This message can be found in the Table 3.15 in the field “The survey is in status ’no further participations’“.

The status can be triggered manually by clicking on the To do of the same name. This will happen auto-matically, when the activated participation counter reaches the preset quota of finished participants.

The process of filling out a questionnaire in progress can be finished, whereas it is no longer possible to begin a new one.

inactive The project has been deactivated. No

finished The project has been deactivated and then finished. No

Table 3.1 Project status

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3.7 Determining Framework Data for a Project


In the Project properties menu, you can edit properties which are relevant to theentire project:

� In the Survey options menu, you can activate and configure cross-project proper-ties and functions. The next chapter will explain how you can make changes. Table3.3 provides an overview of setting options. The functions will be explained indetail in the following subchapters.

� Survey messages can be changed in the Survey messages menu (see Chapter3.7.15, p. 92).

� The language administration for multilingual projects is located in the Surveylanguage menu (see Chapter 15.2, p. 572).

� In the Participation counter menu you can activate a counter which ensures thatthe survey will automatically be taken out of the field upon reaching a set numberof participants (see Chapter 3.7.18, p. 103).

� Only in personalized projects, panel and master data surveys: In the Variable dataimport menu, you can transfer the contents of variables from another project, e.g.for filtering, evaluation and other purposes. See Chapter 7.6, p. 346.

� Only in panel and master data surveys: In the Website settings menu, you can findVarious features for adapting the display of panel and master data surveys to thevarious language versions of the panel. See Chapter 3.7.19, p. 105 and 3.7.20,p. 106.

� Only in panel and master data surveys: In the Bonus points configuration menu,you can specify the amount of bonus points alloted to the panelists when theyreach the final page or intermediate final pages. See the manual “EFS Panel 8.0”,Chapter 10.2.2.

archived The project has been archived. No

To do Meaning

Activate The survey project will be set to the status “active”.

No further participa-tions

The survey project will be set to the status “no further participations”.

Deactivate External access to the survey project is canceled. The status changes to “inac-tive”.

Finish The survey project is finished. The status changes to “finished”.

Export Switch to the Export menu, in order to export the required data.

Archive The survey project is scheduled for archiving. Once a day, scheduled projects are archived during a low traffic period. See Chapter 14.5, p. 563.

Table 3.2 To dos

(cont.)Status Meaning Participation pos-sible?

Table 3.1 Project status

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3.7.1 Configuring Survey Options

1. Open the Projects->{Selected project}->Project properties menu. The Surveyoptions submenu will be automatically displayed in the content area.

Figure 3.9 An extract of the survey options dialog

2. Make changes as required. You can find explanations of the various feature in thefollowing chapters, the tables in Chapter 3.7.2, p. 72 offer an overview.

3. After making the changes, click on the Save button. The changes will be accepted.

3.7.2 Overview of Survey Settings

General options

The “General options” in the Survey options menu relate to the Internet location (i.e.the URL) of your survey, to an extended log for changes made to the questionnaire andto certain aspects concerning the behaviour of the survey.

Section Brief description Details

Only for anonymous, personalized and emplo-yee surveys: Survey URL

Via the lin Change link, you can access a dialog which allows to change the URL.

Chapter 3.7.3, p. 77

Beginning / end of the survey

A survey usually has a precisely defined duration. In market and social research, this period is termed as “field period”. This duration is defined in this section.


Log changes to questi-onnaire

If this option has been ticked, all changes to the questi-onnaire for which variables were added or removed will be documented.

Chapter 14.4, p. 563

Table 3.3 General options

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The questions are num-bered consecutively

This feature leads to an automatic consecutive numbe-ring of questions 1 to n. Question type 998 (Text and HTML code), 911, filters and rotation on page level will not be taken into considera-tion.

Answers cannot be changed

If users jump back and change answers, the modified answers will not be saved. The function prevents the use of the browser Back button to change answers.Please note that the function cannot be combined with a displayed Back button: If the Back button is displayed, the respondent expects with due right that a subsequent change of the values is possible.

Radio buttons for questi-ons with a single response list can be de-selected

This feature works only if JavaScript is enabled. Chapter 8.3.4, p. 358

Preventing usage of the right mouse button in a survey

This feature is primarily used to protect content: It deac-tivates the context menu in the entire questionnaire. Ple-ase mind: • Keyboard commands however will not be suppressed.• Using a question of the type “Text and HTML code”

(998, see Chapter 5.7, p. 206), you can realize the same behavior for a particular questionnaire page.

The feature can also be used to prevent the usage of the browser’s Back button. For this the survey must be ope-ned in a pop-up window, so that there is no menu bar.

Page is submitted auto-matically after comple-tion of all questions, if it contains only combinati-ons of the following question types...

The respondent does not need to click on the Submit button on pages which only contain the specified combi-nations of question types.


Should a Back button be displayed?

If this option has been activated, a real Back button will be shown which does not depend on the browser used by the respondent.


Show Back button on resumption?

This feature is available for personalized surveys, as soon as you have activated the “Show Back button?” function.If respondents resume the survey after an interruption, they can return to the questions they answered before interrupting the survey and change answers.


Should data be saved when the Back button is used?

This option will be displayed as soon as the function “Should a Back button be displayed?” has been activa-ted.


Show button for survey cancel?

Clicking on the Cancel button will close the window. Chapter 3.7.6, p. 79

Type of codes which will be generated

This function is only visible for personalized projects. Chapter 3.7.11, p. 83

Enable data cleaning Activates automatic data cleaning. Chapter 13.11, p. 544

(cont.)Section Brief description Details


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For all possible answers of the type “answer category + text”, com-pleteness checks (DACs) should also check whe-ther the related text field has been filled in

Chapter 5.12.3, p. 230

Name of ticket variable (external survey start)

Option for changing the name of the Get parameter used for the external survey start.

Special docu-mentation “External sur-vey start”

Name of ticket variable (when returning from an external survey)

Option for changing the name of the Get parameter transferred upon returning from an external survey.

Special docu-mentation “External sur-vey start”

Check whether the respondent has Java-Script activated and the Adobe Flash Player plu-gin is available?

This option must be activated if you want the variables “javascript” and “flash” to be filled.


Only on installations with EFS Mobile Extension: Dynamically switch output format of survey (HTML, XHTML-MP, WML) depending on browser used by the respondent?

This option has to be enabled if the survey is to be accessible from a mobile device. The output format will then be automatically adjusted to the browser used by the participant.

Only in panel surveys: At what point of time shall survey result data be transferred to master data variables?

This option allows you to specify the time when the mas-ter data transfer usually takes place: • Upon completion of the survey (manually): The trans-

fer has to be triggered manually by the moderator (menu Master data allocation->Execute master data transfer button).

• After each survey participation (immediately): The transfer takes place automatically upon completion of the interview, i.e. as soon as the panelists reach the final page and are assigned disposition code 31 or 32.

“EFS Panel 8.0”, Chapter 4.6.6.

All panelists can participate in the survey

This option opens the survey to all panelists, independent of their belonging to a sample for the survey.


Allow multiple participa-tions

Optionally, you may permit multiple participation. • The panelist’s result data record will be overwritten

when he or she participates again. • This option is recommended for master data surveys

only.

Chapter 3.7.10, p. 83

Maximum number of respondents active at the same time

This specifies the upper limit for the number of simulta-neous participants for this project. This entry however can only undercut an eventual installation-wide setting for the maximum number of participants per project, it cannot bypass it.




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Internal organization

In this area you can activate features which help you with the internal organizationand testing of your project.

Behavior on resumption Used to control the routing of the survey on resumption. The following options are available:• Display page last sent.• Send page last sent again and displays the next page.• Display page last viewed.• Display first page: The respondent will be redirected

to the first page after resuming the survey. This is advisable, for example, if your questionnaire is divided into different chapters that are accessed via an index page. In this case, the respondent is not to resume the survey from the last page sent, but from the index page.

By default the setting is “Display page last sent”.

Determine participant hostnames and IP addresses and store them in survey results

This option is used to activate the determination and storage of hostnames and IP addresses.• As of EFS 7.1, this option is deactivated in new

projects by default.• In order to change the setting or to view and export

hostnames and IP addresses, you need read rights for “ip_addresses”.

Please note: Certain network constellations may allow only restricted determination and storage of hostnames and IP addresses. Please note the corresponding information in Chapter 3.7.8, p. 81 and check the functionality before taking the project into the field.


Accounting organization Indicates to which client the project belongs and is used for billing purposes (i.e., interviews conducted within this project are booked to the given organisation). If the wrong organization is indicated, please contact the per-son responsible for the installation. If you hold the right “orgadmin”, you can alter the accounting organization in the Project properties menu.

Only in personalized pro-jects and employee sur-veys: Mail template for automatic reminders

If you use automated dispatch of reminders, the appro-priate mail template is selected in this field.

Chapter 10.2.14, p. 432


Debug mode (e.g. print internal question title

Shows the internal page and question titles in the ques-tionnaire for testing purposes. Question type 911 will not be taken into consideration.

Show to-do markers in the questionnaire

Ticking this checkbox will show the to-do marker icon in the questionnaire, and you can directly enter to-do notes from the questionnaire.

Chapter 9.9, p. 399

Show to-do markers in the editor

Enables the entry of to-do notes in the questionnaire view.

Chapter 9.9, p. 399

Show pretest icon in survey

Ticking this checkbox will show the pretest icon in the questionnaire, allowing testers to enter their comments.


Table 3.4 Features for internal organization



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Login options

Online surveys can be equipped with diverse access mechanisms. The “Login options”section defines the type of access to the survey in combination with the selected projecttype. You can find detailed explanations in Chapter 3.7.11, p. 83.

Relevant ID configuration

EFS supports an external validation of survey participants by the service providerRelevantView for a special charge. If this check has been enabled for an installation, theadditional section “Relevant ID configuration” is displayed in anonymous andpersonalized surveys, panel surveys, and master data surveys. See Chapter 13.13,p. 550 for a detailed explanation.

Show 'boss button' in survey

This button allows you to skip plausibility and complete-ness checks.

Chapter 9.5, p. 396

Language selection In multilingual projects this drop-down list appears in the questionnaire and makes it possible to switch directly into another language.

Chapter 9.6, p. 397

Activate inks to EFS Translator Interface

In the questionnaire and in the preview, links are activa-ted which enable you, your staff and translators (depen-ding of access rights) to jump directly into the respective editing pages of the Language editor or EFS Translator Interface.

Chapter 9.7, p. 397

Allow direct jumping to any page of the survey.

The drop-down list shown in the preview makes it pos-sible to navigate directly to specific questionnaire pages.

Chapter 4.11.3, p. 171

Algorithm for creating the external variable names

The external variable names can be uniformly labeled according to a predefined pattern.

Chapter 13.9.6, p. 539

How is disposition code 20 to be allocated in the field report?

For anonymous surveys, disposition code 20 will be set when the first page is invoked. Depending on the type of survey, it may make sense in an evaluation to allocate participants with this disposition code either into gross or net.

Chapter 12.3.4, p. 503


Cookies are used Only in anonymous surveys: Cookies are used in anony-mous surveys to make resumption possible and to make multiple participation more difficult.

Chapter 3.7.11, p. 83

Session validity period (in seconds)

In this field, you can set the session period for surveys.From EFS 7.0, the default value is • in anonymous surveys: 1,209,600 seconds, i.e. two

weeks.• in all other project types: 7,200 seconds, i.e. two

hours.

Chapter 3.7.12, p. 88

Table 3.5 Login options


Table 3.4 Features for internal organization

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User-defined variables

3.7.3 Changing the URL

You can change the URL of a survey if, for example, you want to adapt the URL to thename of your company. You can also use this feature to shorten the survey’s URL, if youwish to invite respondents via e-mail using the “Code” login type and want to avoid theproblem of 72-character wraps for URLs in e-mails. In this case, you can freely specifythe part of the URL following the directory specification “/uc/”.

Field Meaning

Relevant ID authentication code Authentication code of the installation. If you have ordered the feature, yet no value has been set, please get in touch with your Globalpark sales contact.

Activate Relevant ID verification for this survey

This checkbox must be ticked to activate the check for the current project.

Survey variable for saving the result of the geo IP validation

Select a user-defined variable.The variable must be of the “Integer” data type.

Survey variable for saving the confidence value

Select a user-defined variable.The variable must be of the “Integer” data type.

Save additional optional variable in

From EFS 8.0, RelevantID provides additional information which can be stored in user-defined variables as well. The following data are available:• FraudProfileScore: fraudprofilescore• City: city• Domain: domain• County: country• Region: region

Scope of geo IP verification The desired scope: You may select either country, region, or city.

Allowed geo IP values for partici-pants

International codes of the countries, regions, or cities from which participants are to be admitted.• Please contact Globalpark Support to receive an up-to-date list

of codes.• Please enter the allowed values is a comma-separated list.

Table 3.6 Relevant ID configuration

When using RelevantID, please pay special attention to your company’s applicableprivacy regulations and to the privacy regulations governing the respective survey.


URL parameters URL parameters are required for importing runtime envi-ronment variables.

Chapter 3.7.13, p. 89

User-defined variables User-defined variables are additional variables, in which, for example, trigger results are stored.

Chapter 3.7.14, p. 91

Table 3.7 User-defined variables

The URL can be changed for anonymous surveys, personalized surveys and emplo-yee surveys. The URLs of panel and master data surveys cannot be changed.

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Here is an example of what the URL could look like:

http://www.domain.com/uc/your_company

The “Replace URL in questions?” option will browse all entered questions for absolutepaths to the old URL. These references can have found their way into the survey, forexample, through user-defined questions or the HTML container. If the “Replace URLin questions?” option has been activated, all old URL paths will be replaced with thenew URL.

Figure 3.10 Changing the URL of the survey

3.7.4 Defining the Field Period

The field period can be specified down to the minute. This allows you to providerespondents with access to the survey only within a precisely defined time frame (asurvey must be active and the current server time must be between start and end of thesurvey). Please proceed as follows:

1. Click on the Project properties menu item. The Survey options menu will auto-matically be displayed.

Figure 3.11 Editing the field period

2. Set the precise date for the start of the survey.

3. Specify the precise date for the end of the survey.

4. Click on the Save button. The field period has now been defined.

The URL may not be changed once the field phase has begun. Otherwise externallyplaced links on the questionnaire or links in invitation mails already sent will notwork and participants can no longer access the questionnaire.

If you change the URL before the beginning of the field phase, make sure that thesechanges are also made to any mails you may have prepared (e.g. invitations).

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3.7.5 Automatically Submitting Questionnaire Pages

If you tick the checkbox in the “Page is submitted automatically after completion of allquestions” field, all questionnaire pages containing only single response and matrixquestions are automatically submitted when answering is fully completed. A similarfeature for individual pages will be presented in Chapter 4.5, p. 131.

This feature functions on all questionnaire pages which contain only combinations ofthe following question types: 111, 112, 113, 131, 411, 311, 312, 313, 321, 322, 340, 351und 511. On pages with multiple response questions and text entries it is not triggered,as it cannot be automatically recognized at what point the participant has completedtheir input.

There will be no check as to whether the questionnaire page contains HTML and imagetype elements. Please ensure therefore that such elements are not located at the endof the page: In this case, autosubmit would prevent the participant from seeing the textor the image.

The function assumes that JavaScript is enabled in the respondent’s browser.

3.7.6 Showing and Hiding Buttons

You can define which buttons should be displayed in the questionnaire.

� This Chapter introduces settings which refer to all pages of the questionnaire.

� Settings which refer only to a specific page are presented in Chapter 4.5, p. 131.

Displaying a Back button in the Form

Optionally, you can display a real Back button in the questionnaire.

� In contrast to clicking on the Back button of the browser, this button will reloadthe previous pages from the database. They contain the already-stored entries.

� The entries made on a page before returning to previous pages are not stored perdefault. But you can optionally activate a storage functionality, as explained in thenext section.

� If a participant leaves a page via the Back button, this page will be removed frompage history (“page_history” variable). See also Table 13.2.

� Filters, random blocks etc. will be taken into account.

� First and last pages do not have a Back button.

Make sure you enter the time for the field period in GMT (i.e. Greenwich MeanTime), a globally valid time unit. You must therefore convert the local mean timeinto the globally applicable unique time. To do so, use the specified current servertime.

Please note that it is risky to hide the Submit button when using the Autosubmitfunction (see next section). Example: If the respondent uses the Back button of thebrowser to go back and make a change, the Autosubmit function will not be reacti-vated. At the same time, however, there is no way to re-send the pages using theSubmit button.

You can change the button labels in the Project properites->Survey messagesmenu, see Chapter 3.7.15, p. 92.

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To activate the real Back button, tick the checkbox in the “Should a Back button bedisplayed?” field.

By default, the Back button is located to the left of the Submit button. You can changeits position in the pro editor by repositioning the variable $backbutton (refer also toChapter 8.4.1, p. 368).

Saving data when the Back button within the form is used

Optionally, you can specify that the entries made before going back to previous pagesbe saved. To do so, you must first enable and save the “Should a Back button be dis-played?” function. Only after that will the additional option labeled “Should data besaved when the back button is used?” be displayed, which likewise must also be enab-led.

Displaying the Back button on resumption

In personalized surveys you have the additional option of enabling respondents toreturn to the survey, even after an interruption. To do so, you must first activate andsave the “Should a Back button be displayed?” function. Only then will the additionaloption “Show Back button on resumption?” be offered, which you must then also acti-vate and save.

Disabling the browser Back button

Occasionally, it is desirable to prevent the respondents from using the Back button oftheir browser. To do so, the following is required:

� The survey must be opened in a separate window in which the menu bar of thebrowser is disabled. For an anonymous survey, you can create just such a pop-upwindow by using the Pop-up generator (see Chapter 10.1.3, p. 408).

� The context menu, which is normally invoked by pressing the right mouse button,must be disabled (see Table 3.3, p. 72).

Cancel button

Ticking the checkbox in the “Show button for survey cancel?” field will display a buttonthat allows the respondent to close the survey window and cancel the survey.

3.7.7 Checking for JavaScript and Flash before the Start of the Survey

You have the option of performing a check to see whether a participant’s browseraccepts JavaScript and the Adobe Flash Player plugin is available at the beginning ofthe survey. In the course of the survey, this information can then be used for filteringand evaluation purposes. This feature is helpful, for example, if the survey employsquestion types that work only with JavaScript or require even Flash. In this case, par-ticipants with unsuitable browsers can be identified right at the very beginning of theproject, and you can either reject them or present alternative questions to them.

If the session time is exceeded in an anonymous survey with activated Back button,the participant must start the survey anew.

Please note, that the activation of the saving function will affect the behavior of theplausichecks: Each plausibility check that the participant passes while going backwill be triggered, it will then test the entry and force a correction, if necessary. Thiswill not be the case if the saving function is not enabled: Because no data is beingsaved, there is no need to test for correctness.

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This function can be activated in the field labeled “Check whether the respondent hasJavaScript activated and the Adobe Flash Player plugin is available?”

You can access the results of the check as follows:

� JavaScript check:

– The “javascript” variable is available in the condition editor.

– If the check is deactivated, the value of the “javascript” variable is “-77”. IfJavaScript is switched off, it has a value of “0”. If the respondent’s browseraccepts JavaScript, the variable will contain the version number, e.g.jscript = “10” for JavaScript 1.0 or jscript = “15” for Javascript 1.5.

– The export data record contains the same information, with “jscript” as thelabel for SPSS export.

� Flash check:

– The “flash” variable is available in the condition editor.

– If the check is deactivated, the value of the “flash” variable is “-77”. If the Flashplugin is not available, it has a value of “0”. If the Flash plugin is available, thevariable will contain the version number, e.g. flash = “800” for Flash 8.0 orflash = “900” for Flash 9.0.

– The export data record contains the same information, with “flash” as the labelfor SPSS export.

3.7.8 Determining Participant Hostnames and IP Addresses

As of EFS 7.1, the determination of hostnames, IP addresses, and browser type, is pos-sible only to a certain extent. This is due to legal and technical reasons:

� More and more countries regard IP addresses as personal data, i.e. determinationand storage is only permitted and desirable in exceptional cases.

� Certain network constellations may allow only restricted determination and sto-rage of hostnames and IP addresses.

Rules for the determination and storage of hostnames and IP addresses

As the determination and storage of IP addresses is only desirable in exceptional cases,the following regulation applies as of EFS 7.1:

� In both anonymous and personalized projects, panel and master data surveys, it ispossible to configure whether hostnames and IP addresses are to be determined.

– If you hold the required read rights for “ip_addresses”, you can activate thecorresponding option “Determine participant hostnames and IP addresses andstore them in survey results” in the Projects->{Selected project}->Projectproperties menu. Hostnames and IP addresses will then be determined andstored. Staff members with read rights for “ip_addresses” may export thesedata or view them in the detail view.

When working on an EFS Panel installation, please note that the JavaScript andFlash checks in master data and panel surveys have not been available until therelease of EFS 6.0.

Please note: The check for JavaScript and Flash is performed once at the beginningof the survey. If the respondent switches JavaScript off in the course of the survey,this change will not be taken into account.

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– If this option is disabled, hostnames and IP addresses will not be determined.

– Default setting: As of EFS 7.1, this option is disabled in newly created projects.

– The browser type is always identified in these project types.

– If you hold the required read right for “ip_addresses”, you can also define whe-ther hostname lookup shall be generally enabled or disabled in projects newlycreated by you. You will find the corresponding option “Determine participanthostnames and IP addresses and store them in survey results” in the Staff->Own account->Preferences menu on the Projects tab. If you do not hold readrights for “ip_addresses”, this option is always disabled in projects newly crea-ted by you.

� Panel processes:

– In newly set-up panels, this function is usually disabled, i.e. hostnames and IPaddresses are not determined. If required, please get in touch with your Glo-balpark sales contact or with Globalpark Support to find out whether it is tech-nically feasible and desirable to enable this function.

– In old panels, hostname lookup is always performed, especially upon registra-tion.

� For reasons of privacy, employee surveys generally do not support the determina-tion and storage of hostname, IP address, and browser type.

Technical restrictions on the determination of hostnames and IP addresses

If the survey or the panel website is called up via upstream network devices - be it onthe participants’ end (e.g. from a company network) or on the side of the respectiveEFS installation (e.g. call-up of a survey on a balanced installation via SSL encryption)- the determination of hostnames and IP addresses may be subject to certain restric-tions.

If you need the participants’ hostnames and IP addresses, e.g. for secure authenticationin anonymous surveys or for evaluation purposes, please check whether these data aredetermined correctly before taking your project into the field. To do so, you may haveseveral test persons take the survey logging in from different networks: If the same IPaddress and hostname is stored for all test persons, there may be an upstream networkdevice preventing correct determination and storage.

3.7.9 Letting All Panelists Participate in a Survey

The Project properties menu for master data and panel surveys contains a checkboxlabeled “All panelists can participate in the survey (independent from being in a samplefor the survey)”. If this checkbox is ticked, the project has been activated and the appro-priate field period has been set, the link to the survey will be shown on the personalhomepages of all panelists, and all of them will be allowed to participate.

By default, this option is activated for master data surveys and deactivated for panelsurveys.

You can trace which panelists took the opportunity to participate with the help of theautomatically generated sample “internal”: This sample records all participants thattook part. If you send out e-mail invitations to a master data survey instead of simply

Please note that the functions described in this chapter are only available for panelsurveys and master data surveys on EFS Panel installations. They are not within thescope of EFS Survey.

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having the link displayed, you will also find all invited panelists in the “internal”sample and can keep track of who actually participates.

3.7.10 Allowing Repeated Participation in a Master Data or Panel Sur-vey

Master data and panel surveys can be configured so that multiple participation ofrespondents is possible.

� Surveys can be filled with previously collected data if required. This makes theactions required to process a re-registration easier.

� This option also applies to any panelists that do not exist at the start of the surveybut will be subsequently added to the sample (or automatically to the "internal"sample).

You can find the appropriate function in the Project properties menu of the respectiveproject in the field “Allow multiple participations in this survey”. Select one of thefollowing options:

� Do not allow multiple participations

� Allow multiple participations, prefill with values of last participation

� Allow multiple participation, do not prefill with participant’s last answers

3.7.11 Defining Login Options

There are many different ways of restricting access to Internet pages. Technically spea-king, surveys are just Internet pages, so you must define the type of access before sen-ding the survey into the field. By default, EFS Survey assumes that you wish to grantanyone connected to the Internet access to anonymous surveys. For personalized sur-veys, EFS Survey assumes you have provided the selected survey participants with anaccess code.

1. Login options for various project types


The panelists’ result data records will be overwritten when they participate again.Therefore, we recommend you use this option for master data surveys only.

Project type Login type Description

Personalized survey

E-mail and pass-word

Participants receive a link and a password – usually via e-mail. Clicking on this link will open a login window, into which the respondents must enter their e-mail address and pass-word.

Code A Code is a personalized survey password which is attached to a link. Clicking on the link will take the respondent directly to the survey, bypassing the login window (if the code is valid).

Password For this login procedure, respondents must enter their pass-word into a login form.

Table 3.8 Login options for various project types

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2. Specifying the access type

1. Switch to the Projects->{Selected project}->Project properties->Survey optionsmenu.

2. Select the type of access protection in the “Login type” row of the “Login options”section. Depending on the project type, different options are available, seeTable 3.8.

Figure 3.12 Editing login options (personalized survey)

Figure 3.13 Editing login options (personalized survey)

3. Only in anonymous projects:

– If you wish to limit access to the survey to certain IP addresses, type an IPaddress into the text field in the “IP” row. If you wish to allow access to the

Anonymous sur-vey

No restriction of access

Respondents click on a link http://www.mydomain.com/uc/survey/ or the link is opened in the pop-up window by Java-Script. Respondents can participate in the survey with no further verification of access.

IP The so-called referrer, an IP address which specifies the IP address last visited by the respondent, is checked. This login option ensures that the respondent is actually being referred from the website you wish to evaluate and has not found out about the survey from other sources.Please note: Certain network constellations may allow only restricted determination and storage of hostnames and IP addresses. Please note the corresponding information in Chapter 3.7.8, p. 81 and check the functionality before taking the project into the field.

Password The password specified here is a password shared by all par-ticipants of the survey. Any participant who has the password can participate in the survey (even more than once).

Panel survey, Master data sur-vey

Sample Panel and master data survey based on a drawn sample. Respondents usually receive the link to the survey on their personal homepage after logging in. Alternatively, a URL, such as http://www.mypanel.com/gto.php3?code#code# can be used, and #code# will be replaced with a personalized access code by the mail dispatch tool.

(cont.)Project Login type Description

Table 3.8 Login options for various project types

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survey only after entering a password, enter a password into the text field inthe “Password” row. If you wish to allow everybody to participate in your sur-vey, leave these fields blank.

– Tick the checkbox in the “Cookies are used” field if cookies are to be usedduring the survey.

4. Specify the validity period of the session (see Chapter 3.7.12, p. 88).

5. Confirm by clicking on Save.

3. Cookies

For anonymous surveys, you must specify whether you wish to set cookies or not. Acookie is a short text file stored on the respondent’s computer. In EFS Survey projects,the text file saves an internal survey title and the respondent’s session ID. The sessionID is an anonymous, unguessable number which is assigned when the respondent firstaccesses the survey and which ensures that the respondent can be recognized fromsubmitting one page to submitting the next page.

If the session ID has been stored on the respondent’s computer (in a cookie), EFSSurvey can recognize the respondent throughout Internet sessions and enableresumption of an anonymous survey.

As some Internet users do not permit the storage of cookies, the session ID can betransferred as a so-called GET parameter as an alternative / fallback, i.e. it is attachedto the survey URL, thus avoiding the storage of information on the respondent’s com-puter. Resumption without cookies set is only possible for personalized or panel sur-veys.

Summary:

� Although you have activated cookies, each respondent will individually decidewhether they wish to permit cookies or not. Respondents who do not accept thecookie can participate in anonymous surveys more than once.

� Deactivate cookies if you want to allow yourself or others to participate in the samesurvey more than once in succession. This is especially recommended if you wantto use EFS Survey as an input tool for CATI surveys and the telephone interviewerenters several interviews in succession / at once.

4. Authentication via e-mail and password / password only

Participants can login by means of e-mail and password or by password only. You cansend participants the access data via wildcards in serial mails, i.e. #u_email# for e-mailand #u_passwd# for password (see Chapter 10.2.15, p. 433 and Chapter 11.2.4, p. 477).

Some respondents have difficulties in correctly transferring the password to the loginform via the clipboard. Instruct respondents, as necessary, to check the password forinvoluntarily copied blank spaces or other special characters, should the login fail.

The project info of an anonymous project will contain the “participate again” link.Clicking on this link will delete a set cookie and thus enable multiple participationin / repeated test of the project. Do not pass this link on to “real” respondents as asurvey URL.

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5. Authentication per code

Alternatively, participants can directly log into the survey via a link which contains anaccess code specially assigned to the participant. You can send the URL with theattached access code per e-mail containing a wildcard. The advantage of this procedureis that participants no longer have to overcome a login form, they simply log into thesurvey by clicking on the link.

You can choose an 8- or 20-digit code as opposed to the default 16-digit code (seeSection “Access code options”, S. 86).

Setting up the survey URL for code access

1. To do so, select the general survey URL, e.g. http://your-domain.com/uc/mafo/8303/, which is also located in participant administration.

2. Attach a question mark to this URL: ?

3. And finally, the access code per wildcard: code=#code#

The finished URL you would send in a serial mail would look as follows:

http://your-domain.com/sc/mafo/8303/?code=#code#

In an invitation mail, the wildcard for the code would naturally be replaced.

Alternatively use the #code_complete# wildcard. In contrast, the #code_complete#wildcard replaces the entire URL.

Access code options

You can choose 8- or 20-digit codes instead of the default 16-digit access code for per-sonalized projects. The three code types use different combinations of letters and num-bers:

� 16-digit code: a-f and 0-9

� 20-digit code: a-f and 0-9

� 8-digit code: a-z and 0-9

Replacing the 16-digit code with an 8-digit code is particularly recommended if youwant participants to manually enter the access code. Manual entry can be desirable if,for example, you want to give participants time to decide whether they want to parti-cipate in the respective survey now or later on: If you are using a link in the invitationmail which already contains the access code, the participant will unintentionally log in

Passwords and codes can be automatically generated in Participant administration(see Chapter 10.2, p. 411).

Externally generated codes can be imported if required, via the Import codes inparticipant administration. For each imported code, a dummy account will be cre-ated. From EFS 7.1, e-mail addresses on the @3uu.eu domain are used for theseaccounts. These addresses are owned by Globalpark, mails sent to them are deletedautomatically.

Important note: Please make sure that the URL with the replaced code in the invi-tation mail does not wrap (most mail readers wrap after 72 characters). If the URLand code are together longer than 72 characters, truncate the URL, by shorteningthe section between /uc/ and ?code, using the “Change URL” function. If the URL isstill too long due to an extensive domain name, a so-called server alias must be setup by system administration.

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directly to the survey. If, instead you use either password and e-mail, password ormanual code entry for logging in, users can take their time in deciding whether theywant to take part now or later.

If you wish to use the function, please proceed as follows:

� First, ensure that the “Code” login type has been selected in the “Login options”section.

� Select the type of code you wish to generate in the “Type of codes which will begenerated” field of the “General options” section.

� The next time you add a new participant in participant administration or generatenew codes for existing participants, the codes will be generated as selected.

The code is usually set prior to importing participant data. Please note that if youchange code settings after importing participant data or after importing parts of parti-cipant data, the code type of participants already stored will not be automatically chan-ged retroactively. You can generate new codes of the desired type in participantadministration (also refer to Chapter 10.2.2, p. 419). However, you should only do so ifyou have not already sent the codes to the participants.

6. Authentication using the IP address

The so-called referrer, an IP address which specifies the IP address last visited by therespondent, is checked. This login option ensures that the respondent is actually beingreferred from the website you wish to evaluate and has not found out about the surveyfrom other sources.

You can combine either several addresses, or an address area, or both. The followingformatting rules apply:

� When listing addresses use commas as a separator.

� When entering IP addresses use a dash as a separator, e.g. “192.168.0.170-192.168.0.79”.

7. Designing login pages

Login pages are required for surveys with password protection. Future respondentsmust enter their access code on such survey gateway pages. Depending on the accessprotection you have selected, survey participants will be required to enter their e-mailaddress, password or code into predefined forms.

You can define the texts on this gateway page as well as feedback in the event of incor-rect entries in the Survey messages menu. See Table 3.14 for an overview of the exis-ting messages.

You can also edit the layout of the login page yourself. It is defined by the login.tpltemplate, which you can find in the Layout->Pro editor menu on the Structure tab.See Chapter 8.4, p. 368 for detailed information on working with the pro editor.

When entering passwords and codes, Internet users occasionally have difficulties indifferentiating between the characters “1” (the number one), and “l” (lowercase L),“0” (zero) and “O” (uppercase o). As only lowercase letters and numbers are used forboth codes, we recommend that you indicate this (e.g.: “Please note that the codecontains only lowercase numbers and letters”) on the code entry field or in the mes-sage displayed for a failed login attempt. You can adjust login messages in the Pro-ject properties->Survey messages menu.

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3.7.12 Setting the Session Validity Period

The session validity period, or “session time”, is the period between a participant’sindividual actions during which the software can recognize the participant and per-mits editing of a survey that has begun.

It is measured as the difference between those actions of participants that require aconnection between browser and web server, i.e. from the submission of a question-naire page to the submission of the next page, for example, or from the time partici-pants leave an uncompleted survey until they resume editing of the survey.

Survey behavior when exceeding the session time

The following happens when the session validity period is exceeded:

� Anonymous projects:

– The survey message “The session ID is invalid” is displayed, see Table 3.14.

– Clicking on the link to the survey will generate another participation: A seconddata set is created for the participant and he restarts the survey from the begin-ning.

� Personalized projects:

– The login screen is displayed. After entering their code or password, partici-pants can resume the survey where they left off. Clicking on the access linkalso allows participants to resume the survey.

� Only for EFS Panel: panel surveys:

– From EFS 7.0 on, the “Login message” survey message is displayed.

– In previous versions, the “Message on wrong login” was displayed and panelistswere logged out of the panel. After logging in again, panelists could resume thesurvey where they left off.

Tips for choosing an adequate session time

The following tips will help you to choose an adequate session time:

� Increasing the session time is recommendable if you have to assume that partici-pants will not complete the survey in one go.

� If a questionnaire page contains numerous or highly complex questions, makesure that the session time is sufficient for editing this page.

� If participants are redirected to another survey project with the help of an externalsurvey start and then jump back to the primary EFS Survey project, the time theytook to complete the external project is treated as if it were an individual question-naire page. The primary project’s session time should therefore be greater than thetime it takes participants to complete the entire external project.

� For anonymous surveys in which cookies are used, you can use the session validityperiod to influence how and when a participant can take part in a completed surveyagain (provided the participant has activated cookies). For example, if you do notwant the participant to repeat the survey within the next fortnight, set the validityperiod to two weeks.

� If URL parameters are used in an anonymous survey and a participant’s sessiontimes out, message will be displayed which points out that the number of URLparameters is not correct. You can find this message in the Project properties->

See Chapter 18.3, p. 643, for further information on sessions.

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Survey messages menu in the „Error message if number of URL parameters iswrong“ field.

Setting the session time

The session time can be set individually for each project in the “Session validity period”field. You can either enter the total value or a mathematical operation (e.g. “3600 * 24”for one day). The default session validity period is

� in anonymous surveys: 1,209,600 seconds, i.e. two weeks.

� in all other project types: 7,200 seconds, i.e. two hours,.

3.7.13 Using URL Parameters

EFS Survey creates the survey variables for you. The necessary variables will be gene-rated for each question. Additional variables are required in some cases. These variab-les (user-defined variables and URL parameters) are determined centrally in theProject properties menu.

URL parameters allow you to transfer variables from outside to a survey. These variab-les are automatically stored in the respondent’s records and can be used for filtering ordynamic output. The field report can be configured according to URL parameters.

Application example:

You want to start the same survey from 20 websites, but record from which websiteeach visitor reached the survey. Instead of creating 20 projects, you only have to createone and transfer this information to the survey using URL parameters.

For website 1, the URL could be:

http://www.your-domain.com/uc/surveys/?a=1





The parameter “a” at the end of the URL http://www.your-domain.com/uc/surveys/?a=3indicates from which website the participant logged in. The “?” indicates the occur-rence of parameters.

Notes

� URL parameters can be used in all project types.

� URL parameters as so-called GET parameters can be very easily manipulated byrespondents.

� Up to 26 URL parameters can be created for each project.

� The names of the respective variables in the export record / for filtering are p_0001to p_0026, and “a” to “z” upon transfer. #p_0001#, #p_0002# etc. are used as wild-cards for dynamic output of wildcard contents.

� The URL of a project with URL parameters is not automatically generated by thesystem.

– For anonymous projects, you need to create a new URL based on the URL spe-cified by the system under “Project info” and the number of desired URL para-meters, before passing on the URL to the website operator hosting the

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respective survey. For example, change http:/your-domain.com/uc/admin/4711/ into http://your-domain.com/uc/admin/4711/?a=23&b=12&c=5

– If URL parameters are used for a panel survey or master data survey, the linkspointing to the project, which are displayed to the panelists e.g. in the surveylist on the website, contain the URL parameters defined, but initially they donot transfer any values. You must define yourself in the appropriate templatewhich values should be transferred.

� If URL parameters are used in an anonymous survey and a participant’s sessiontimes out, message will be displayed which points out that the number of URLparameters is not correct. You can find this message in the Project properties->Survey messages menu in the „Error message if number of URL parameters iswrong“ field.

A URL with three parameters could look like this:

http://your-domain.com/uc/admin/4711/?a=23&b=12&c=5

The three parameters of this URL are as follows: a=23&b=12&c=5

If you are sending invitations to a survey with URL parameters per e-mail, you willneed to adapt the link in the invitation mail. It must contain the URL parameters.

Using the “&” character, attach the following URL parameters to the wildcard for thewhole URL which has already been assigned the access code per GET parameters:

#code_complete#&a=1&b=2

Creating URL parameters

URL parameters can be created in the “User-defined variables” section of the Surveyoptions menu. Select the number of variables from the drop-down list in the lineentitled “Number of URL parameters”.

Figure 3.14 Creating URL parameters

Then click on the Submit button. The URL parameters have now been defined.

Changing variable types and labeling

By clicking on the Labels and data type link in the “Number of URL parameters” row,you can change the type (see following section) and labeling of the URL parameter.Names are used for your own orientation as well as for labeling in the export record.

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Figure 3.15 Editing data type and labels of URL parameters

Overview on data types

3.7.14 Using User-Defined Variables

Apart from URL parameters, additional variables are often necessary, in which interimsurvey results can be stored. This is the case, for example, if survey contents are to belinked to form indexes using the formula trigger. These so-called user-defined variab-les can also be created in the Survey settings menu. Up to 255 user-defined variablescan be created for each project.

Creating user-defined variables

Similar to the URL parameters presented in the previous chapter, user-defined variab-les are created in the section with the same name of the Survey settings menu (seeFigure 3.14).

Select the number of variables from the drop-down list in the line entitled “Number ofuser-defined variables”. Then click on the Submit button. The user-defined variableshave now been defined.

Changing variable types and labeling

Click on the Labels and data type link to edit the properties of the user-defined variab-les. By default, user-defined variables have the “Big integer” variable type; possiblealternatives are “Text” and “Integer or floating point numbers” (see Table 3.9). User-defined variables can also be labeled for export at a later stage.

If, for example, texts are used instead of numbers in the URL parameter, you willneed to adjust the type. Otherwise, the URL parameter will be stored incorrectly.

Type Data typep Explanation Size

Big integer bigint Big whole numbers Threshold values:-9223372036854775808 to 9223372036854775807

Short text text Strings of numbers and let-ters with variable length

max. 255 characters

Integer or floating point numbers

float A whole number or floating point number.

10 characters

Table 3.9 Data types for URL parameters and user-defined variables

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The newly created user-defined variables (c_000n) are now available for questionnairescreening and will be exported along with the defined label.

3.7.15 Editing Survey Messages

In addition to the actual questionnaire texts, self-administered electronic surveysrequire further texts such as button labels, the labeling of progress bars and otheroptional elements, or error messages in case of incorrect participant entries or situa-tions not provided for in the survey process. In EFS all these texts are grouped underthe name Survey messages.

� All messages required by default are available in 29 languages. If you want to con-duct a project in one or more of these languages, simply select and upload thetranslated default version.

� You can adapt the survey messages to the specific requirements of your project.For example, you can address specific target groups using slang or more informallanguage.

� Survey messages can be stored in an installation-wide library and, if necessary, alsoused in other projects.

� Survey messages can be exported and imported into another EFS installation (ver-sion 7.0 and higher).

In the following, you will first learn how to define and edit the survey messages for yourproject and, if necessary, how to store them for further use elsewhere. After that youwill be introduced to the library.

1. Viewing survey messages of the project

You will find the survey messages of your project in the Projects->{Selected project}->Project properties->Survey messages menu.

� The entry dialog normally shows the survey messages that are currently definedfor the default language of the selected project. Please note: The button labels defi-ned in this menu are used both for HTML buttons and for graphical form elements.

� In multilingual projects, you define a different set of survey messages for eachlanguage: you can additionally display these messages with the function “Whichlanguage do you want to edit?”.

Tables 3.10 through 3.15 provide a detailed list of all survey messages.

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Figure 3.16 The upper part of the “Survey messages” tab

2. Editing survey messages of the project

There are the following options, depending on whether you want to edit individualmessages or the entire set:

� If you merely want to change individual messages, simply overwrite the existingtext and click on Save.

� If you want to replace the existing messages entirely with another set of messagesfrom the library, please proceed as follows: Specify the correct target language inthe field “Which language do you want to edit?”. Then, specify the desired set inthe field “Copy elements from survey messages library” and confirm by clicking onApply.

3. Storing survey messages of the project in the library

If you want to use the messages of your project in other projects, too, you can storethem in the library. Click on the button Save survey messages in library. In the sub-sequent dialog, enter name and description. You also have to specify the survey mes-sages of which project language you want to be stored. Click on Save. The messageswill be added to the Options->Survey messages menu where they will be availableindependent of the project.

Please refer to the notes in Chapter 3.7.17, p. 100 in particular for surveys usingother characters than those defined in US-ASCII.

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Overview of the survey messages

The tables below provide an overview of which message texts are available.

General messages

Message Meaning English default message

Title of the survey win-dow

Display own text in the browser window title.

Survey

Label for Submit button Labeling of the Submit button Continue

Label for Cancel button Labeling of the Cancel button Cancel

Label for Back button Labeling of the Back button Back

Label for the "Close win-dow" button within the help pop-up window

This button is used for the pop-up window which contains help texts.

Close window

Character set Which character set is to be used to display these messages?See Chapter 3.7.17, p. 100 for additional information on the choice of character sets.

UTF-8

Only on EFS Panel instal-lations: Entry into the panelist’s bonus points history

Text entered in the panelist’s account statement and in the bonus points history if bonus points are allocated on the final page or by a bonus trigger (Chap-ter 7.5.12, p. 345). Please note: If no text is defined, an English default text “Participa-tion in survey 'Project title'” will be used. This ensures traceability of the entries in the account statement.

<empty>

Text indicating progress Text displayed next to the pro-gress bar.The wildcard for the percentage is '%s'

You have already completed %s of the survey.

Special phrase for diffe-rent purposes

Used in some layouts to output special information

<empty>

Text for consecutive numbering of questions

Text used for consecutive num-bering of questions.The wildcard for the number is '%s'

Question %s:

Instruction for displaying images if image protec-tion is activated

With image protection activated, participants will see only the sil-houette and outline of the protec-ted image in the questionnaire, plus this instruction for display. See Chapter 5.17.6, p. 259.

In order to view the image, hold down the space bar, move your mouse pointer over the image and click.

Table 3.10 General

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Messages for completeness checks

Messages for type checks


Introductory text for incomplete question-naire processing

Text displayed if a DAC is trigge-red (Do-Answer-Check = the system checks whether a ques-tion was filled with this DAC). See Chapter 5.12, p. 227.

One or more questions are decisive for the outcome of the questionnaire.

Introductory text for incomplete questions marked with a weak DAC.

Text displayed if an ignorable DA is triggered. See Chapter 5.12.1, p. 228.

%s Note: the question '%s' is important for the rest of the question-naire. I don’t want to answer this question.

Instruction for incom-plete questionnaire pro-cessing

Text displayed if a normal DAC is triggered for a question.

Please fill in the following questions:

Error message for invalid answers to questions with exclusive answer categories

Table 3.11 Completeness check messages


Type check: Introductory text for type check

Introductory text. You have made invalid entries.

Type check: Incorrectly answered questions

Introduction to a list of the ques-tions that have been filled in incorrectly.

Please fill in the following questions correctly:

Type check: Error mes-sage for invalid entry (e-mail address)

Will be output if the entry is not a valid e-mail address.

Please enter a valid e-mail address.

Type check: Error mes-sage for invalid entry (integer)

Will be output if the entry is not an integer.

Please enter integers only.

Type check: Error mes-sage for invalid entry (float)

Will be output if the entry is not a floating point number.

Please enter floating point numbers only.

Type check: Error mes-sage for invalid entry (letters only)

Will be output if the entry does not contain letters only.

Please enter letters only.

Table 3.12 Messages for type checks

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Plausibility check phrases

Login messages

Type check: Error mes-sage for invalid entry (phone number)

Will be output if the entry does not correspond to one of the commonly used formats for phone numbers, i.e. the entry may begin with one or more + signs, but after that, a sequence of numbers is expected. You have the option of grouping these into blocks using brackets or alterna-tively interrupting them with blank spaces, hyphens or slas-hes. The regular expression is as fol-lows:/^((\d+\s*)?\+{1,3}\s*)?($\d+$|\d+)([\s-\/]?\d+)*$/

Please enter a valid phone number.


PHP plausibility check: introductory text

Text displayed if a PHP plausibi-lity check is triggered for a ques-tion


JavaScript plausibility check: introductory text

Text displayed if a PHP plausibi-lity check is triggered for a ques-tion


JavaScript plausibility check: title of the pop-up window

Display of own text in the title of the Javascript pop-up window.

Instruction

JavaScript plausibility check: label for Correct button

Text displayed in place of “Cor-rect” on the button

Correct

JavaScript plausibility check: Label for Ignore button

Text displayed in place of “Ignore” on the button

Ignore

Table 3.13 Plausibility check phrases


The participant is not accep-ted for the survey, as the quota is already full (status: filtered out).

Text displayed if a participant is to be excluded from the survey

<empty>

The time frame for the parti-cipant to complete the sur-vey has expired.

In all survey types except anony-mous projects: this message is shown to participants whose accounts were deactivated auto-matically at a predefined date. See Chapter 10.2.14, p. 432.

<empty>

Table 3.14 Login messages

(cont.)Message Meaning English default message

Table 3.12 Messages for type checks

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System messages

Login screen: additional text Optional additional text for the login screen.In standard configuration, this text will be inserted before the contents of the "Login message" field.

<empty>

Login message Message with different functions depending on the type of project.In personalized projects and employee surveys, the text is used in the login screen. • It is usually used for a prompt.• In standard configuration, this

text will be inserted above the text fields for the login data.

In panel surveys, this message contains the text shown when the session time is exceeded (see Chapter 3.7.12, p. 88).

Please enter your valid access data!

Message on wrong login Text displayed upon failed login attempt.

Access denied! Please try again.

The session ID is invalid (e.g. no activity for 30 minutes).

Text which is displayed when the session time is over.

<empty>

Login screen: description for account entry field

Text displayed next to the account entry field in the login screen.

User name:

Login screen: description for password entry field

Text displayed next to the pass-word entry field in the login screen.If you use a password for authen-tication, but forget to fill in this field, the default preallocation used is “Password”.

Password:

Login screen: description for code entry field

Text displayed next to the code entry field in the login screen.

Code:

Login screen: label for Sub-mit button

Label of the Submit button in the login screen.

Continue


The survey was not genera-ted yet.

The survey was not activated Displayed when the survey has either not been activated yet or has already been deactivated.

The desired survey is not active at present.

The survey is not yet in time frame.

Displayed when the beginning of the field period is still in the future.

The desired survey is not active at present.

Table 3.15 System messages


Table 3.14 Login messages

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Texts on the pretest comment window

The following survey messages define the labels in the pretest window, see Chapter9.10, p. 401.

3.7.16 Managing Survey Messages in the Library

Every EFS installation has a library where survey messages can be stored for use inother projects.

� As of EFS 7.0, this library contains translations of the default messages in 29 lan-guages. If you want to conduct a project in one or more of these languages, simplyselect and upload the translated default version.

� You can create further sets of messages or save them from a project to the library,as described above.

The survey is already over. Displayed when the end of the field period has already been exceeded.

Many thanks for your interest but the questionnaire has already been completed.

The survey is in status “no further participations”.

Displayed when the status “no further participations” is activa-ted and no further participants will be admitted to the survey. See Table 3.1.

Many thanks for your interest but the questionnaire has already been completed.

The participant has already completed the survey.

Displayed if the participant has already completed the survey.

You have already completed the survey.

Error message if number of URL parameters is wrong

Displayed if the browser of a par-ticipant sends a wrong URL para-meter or none at all.

The address which you have entered is not correct. Please check your entry for typing errors.

Text which is displayed if the system is overloaded.

Displayed if the system is over-loaded due to too many requests (see Chapter17.1, p. 625) or par-ticipation limit (see Chapter 17.2, p. 626).

There are too many people filling in the survey at present. Partici-pation is therefore not possible at the moment. Please try again later.

Only for project type Emplo-yee survey: essage which is displayed if download plat-form or Org processor login is deactivated.

Displayed if the download plat-form or the separate Org Proces-sor login of an employee survey have been deactivated. See EFS Employee project managers manual, Chapter 6.1.

This function is not available.


Pretest: Window title Pre-test commentary

Pretest: Window title Your commentary on this page:

Pretest: Contact info Contact information:

Pretest: label for Delete but-ton

Delete

Pretest: label fo Save button Save

Table 3.16 Texts on the pretest comment window


Table 3.15 System messages

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� Survey messages can be exported and imported into another installation (version7.0 and higher).

� You can compare two selected sets of survey messages.

Overview of the survey messages in an installation

In the Options->Survey messages menu, you will find an overview of all the surveymessages for which you hold read rights.

The following essential processes can be invoked via buttons:

� Create survey messages: After entering a name and a description, a new empty setof messages is created.

� Import survey messages: Allows you to import new survey messages in an Excelfile.

� Export all survey messages: Triggers the export of all existing messages.

Furthermore, you can export survey messages selected via the “Actions” checkbox andthe drop-down list.

You can edit individual sets using the “Actions” icons:

� For default sets only: Preview: Opens the dialog shown in Figure 3.16, where youcan view the default set. Please note that the default sets cannot be edited. If youwant to edit a default set, copy it and subsequently modify the copy.

� For user-defined sets only: Edit: Opens the edit dialog shown in Figure 3.16.

� Copy: You can copy a set of survey messages and then modify this copy as required.This is particularly recommended if you want to modify standard messages: thestandard texts themselves cannot be edited directly.

� For user-defined sets which were created by copying the standard messages:Recover: Resets the content to its original status, i.e. the texts of the standard mes-sage.

� For user-defined sets only: Rights: Opens the dialog where you can assign rightsfor the messages to the desired teams. The default sets are availabe to all users.

Comparing survey messages

You can compare two sets of survey messages. This may be useful, for example, if thereare two sets that are linguistically very similar, such as survey messages in Americanand British English. Please proceed as follows:

1. Open the Options->Survey messages->Comparison of survey messages menu.

2. Specify which sets are to be compared.

3. By clicking on Compare, you trigger the check.

4. The two sets will be listed in full, highlighting any divergent fields.

Transferring survey messages to another EFS installation

Survey messages can be exported and imported into another installation (version 7.0and higher).

Exporting survey messages

There are two options:

� To export one or several sets of survey messages, tick the checkboxes in the“Actions” column of the Options->Survey messages menu, select the action

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“Export”, and confirm by clicking on Execute. An Excel file containing the selectedmessage sets will be generated.

� If you want to export all existing messages, use the Export all survey messagesbutton.

Importing survey messages

In the target installation, go to the Options->Survey messages menu and click on theImport survey messages button. Via the import dialog, you can upload an Excel filewith the desired messages.

Defining default survey messages for an installation

As an administrator you can determine what default set of messages is to be used acrossthe installation when creating a new project. When administering an installationwhere English is predominantly used, this allows you to ensure, for example, that anEnglish message set is always imported.

To do so, navigate to the Options->System settings menu. In the “Default survey mes-sages” field you can select one of the available message sets and then save it withChange.

3.7.17 Setting Up the Right Character Set for Your Survey Language

The standard character set for EFS Survey: UTF-8

The EFS Survey admin area is coded in UTF-8. Similarly, for newly created projects theUTF-8 character set is set as default if you have not made any different preset for youraccount (see Table 16.16).

UTF-8 is a character set defined by the Unicode Consortium The character set will mostlikely become a standard in the future.

Using UTF-8 will significantly facilitate implementation of foreign language and mul-tilingual projects, in particular:

� UTF-8 encompasses all characters that there are, thus all literary languages can bereproduced.

� You can enter characters from any given language directly in the admin area usingthe keyboard.

� All of the entered data and settings will be saved internally and uniformly in UTF-8 - questionnaire texts, participant data, internal EFS Survey data, such as to-donotes or staff accounts.

� The answers of participants to open questions are coded uniformly in UTF-8, thusall open entries in multilingual surveys can be exported and viewed in one singlerecord.

� Survey and panel passwords can contain characters from all possible languages.

The Options->System settings menu is only accessible to members of the adminis-trator team or the system administrator team.

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Character sets that can be used in EFS Survey

You can set the character set of your projects yourself. Globalpark recommends the useof the UTF-8 in general, this is true in particular with surveys that otherwise wouldrequire several character sets.

The following table contains a complete selection of character sets.

Most modern operating systems can display UTF-8 correctly. Older operating sys-tems, such as Windows 95 or Windows NT do not support these character sets yet.

The internationalization of mail programs has not progressed as much as Internetbrowsers. Most modern programs can display UTF-8 correctly, occasionally howeverit can lead to complications. Internet-based mail programs in particular do not workreliably yet. If you are not certain whether the respondents have access to a modernmail program, you can assign in a UTF-8 project language-specific character sets forthe mail dispatch, e.g. you can code the e-mails in ISO-8859 and send them (seeChapter 11.2.2, p. 470).

Character set Description

ASCII (7-bit Charset) ASCII character set

UTF-8 International character set Standard character set of EFS Survey

UTF-16 UTF-16 (Unicode 2-Byte charset Little Endian).For systems having intel processors.

ISO 8859-1 West European Latin 1Covers the languages Albanian, Danish, German, English, Faroeic, Finnish, French, Galizic, Erse, Icelandic, Italian, Catalan, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese, Swedish and Spanish. A few characters, such as the Dutch “ij”, Ger-man quotation marks below and the Euro symbol are mis-sing.

ISO 8859-2 East European Latin 2Croatian, Polish, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Czech and Hungarian.

ISO 8859-3 South European Latin 3Esperanto, Galizic, Maltese and Turkish.

ISO 8859-4 Baltic Latin 4Estonian, Finnish, Greenlandic, Latvian and Lithuanian.

ISO 8859-5 Cyrillic Covers largely the languages Bulgarian, Macedonian, Russian, Serbian, Ukrainian and White Russian.

ISO 8859-6 Arabian Arabian. The direction of the text is from right to left.

ISO 8859-7 Greek Modern Greek.

ISO 8859-8 Hebrew Hebrew. The direction of the text is from right to left.

ISO-8859-9 Turkish Latin 5Turkish. Based on ISO 6659-1, contains Turkish charac-ters instead of Icelandic ones. Is also used for Kurdish.

ISO 8859-13 Baltic Latin 7Baltic languages. Replaces Latin 4 and Latin 6.

Table 3.17 Available character sets

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Conversion problems with Windows-specific characters

When you copy and paste from a Microsoft program, such as MS Word or MS Excel toan EFS questionnaire or into a mail form, that is coded in a character set other thanUTF-8, there may be conversion problems: If the text contains Windows-specific cha-racters that are not in the character set of the questionnaire, then these must be con-verted.

Windows-character sets contain characters that are Windows-specific and, forexample, do not exist in ISO-8859-1 (e.g. the so-called literary quotation marks orellipsis) - UTF-8 on the other hand contains all characters. If you transfer these cha-racters when a copying these characters into a questionnaire not coded in UTF-8, theymust be converted.

EFS is able to convert many Windows-specific characters correctly, however the con-version will still require checking. Characters, for which there is no match, will bedeleted completely from the questionnaire or mailtext, because they could not be sen-sibly converted (for example Chinese characters could not be displayed in a ISO-8859-1 coded questionnaire). Therefore warning messages are displayed in preview, produc-tive mode and mail preview, that ask you to make a check, as soon as you open a ques-

ISO -8859-15 West European Latin 9Extension of ISO-8859-1, in which a few seldom used symbols have been replaced with the Euro symbol, French and Finnish characters. Thus the languages French and Finnish have been covered completely.

KO18-R, Russian Russian and Bulgarian.

Simplified Chinese, PRC standard Chinese simplified

GB2312, EUC encoding, Simplified Chi-nese

Chinese simplified

GBK, Simplified Chinese Chinese simplified

CNS11643 (Plane 1-3), EUC encoding, Traditional Chinese

Traditional Chinese

Big5, Traditional Chinese Traditional Chinese. Used in Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Big5 with Hong Kong extensions, Traditi-onal Chinese

Traditional Chinese with extensions for the Cantonese dia-lect.

ISCII91 encoding of Indic scripts Indian scripts

JISX 0201, 0208 and 0212, EUC enco-ding Japanese

Japanese

JISX 0201, 0208 and 0212, EUC enco-ding Japanese

Japanese

Shift-JIS, Japanese Japanese

JIS X 0201, 0208, in ISO 2022 form, Japanese

Japanese

KS C 5601, EUC encoding, Korean Korean

ISO 2022 KR, Korean Korean

TIS620 Thai Thai

(cont.)Character set Description

Table 3.17 Available character sets

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tionnaire page or e-mail with characters that have been converted or cannot bedisplayed.

Figure 3.17 Warning message when calling up a questionnaire page that has characters that cannot be displayed

3.7.18 Permitting only a Limited Number of Participations

The participation counter takes a survey out of the field, as soon as a preset number ofsuccessful participations has been reached.

� From the moment of activation, the participation counter counts backwards fromthe preset value to “0”.

� It will count all of the participants that have filled out the questionnaire fully. Youalso have the option of counting screened-out participants, respectively quoted outparticipants or testers.

� Once the participation counter has reached a value of “0”, the project will be auto-matically set to project status 51 “no further participations” (see Chapter 3.6.1,p. 69). Newly arriving prospective participants will be denied access. In contrast,participants who are already active can fill out their questionnaire unhindered.(For this reason, depending on the circumstances, participant numbers mayexceed the defined limit.)

� If the participation counter is active in a project, then both the setting and thenumber of participants still to be admitted will be displayed in the project informa-tion dialog.

� A protocol of the changes to the value of the participation counter will be docu-mented in the project change log.

� The participation counter always counts from the current moment onward. It canbe activated or deactivated during the field phase; a change to its value is alsopossible during the field phase.

By default the participation counter is deactivated. Where a project with activated par-ticipation counter is copied or exported/imported, the counter is also deactivated inthe new project.

1. Participation counting in detail

In accordance with which rules does the counting take place?

From the moment of activation the participation counter counts backwards from thepreset value until “0”, and then triggers a status change from “active” to “no furtherparticipations”.

With the function “Search and replace”, see Chapter 6.8, p. 288,, you can quicklyfind frequently appearing special characters and remove them. Typical problematiccases are curved quotation marks, long dashes and three points (...).

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When counting it will only take into account further participation that takes placefrom the time of activation onward or from the time of a change to the counter valueonward. Participation that took place before activation or before a change to the coun-ter value will not be taken into account. A change to the number of participants inpersonalized and panel projects, caused e.g. by adding, deleting or reseting, likewisehas no effect on the participation counter.

So that a survey will be classified and counted as “completed regularly”, the respectiveparticipant must reach the final page of the project, which means it will have disposi-tion code 31 or 32. You also have the option of counting screened out and quoted outparticipants and testers. Participants, who were screened out or quoted out are identi-fiable through the disposition codes 36 and 37, which they were given for reaching acertain page with such a configuration.

How does a respondent experience a participation limit?

As soon as the participation counter has changed the project status to “no furtherparticipations”, newly arriving prospective participants will be denied access with themessage “No further participants can be admitted”.

In contrast, participants who are already active can fill out their questionnaire unhin-dered. In most usage scenarios, a sudden closure of their sessions in the middle of thequestionnaire would be counterproductive. For this reason, participant numbers mayexceed the defined limit, especially if many respondents participate at the same timein large surveys.)

2. Activating the participation counter

1. Switch to the Project->{Selected project}->Project properties->Participationcounter menu.

Figure 3.18 Configuring the participation counter

2. Enter into the text field “Number of additional necessary survey participations” thenumber of participants required from this point in time. The participation countercounts backwards from this value.

3. You also have the option of counting respondents with the tester status. To do thistick the corresponding checkbox.

4. You have the option of counting quoted and screened out participants (dispositioncode 36 and 37).

5. Complete the work process by clicking on Save.

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3. Deactivating the participation counter

1. Re-open the Project properties->Participation counter menu.

2. Enter the value “0” in the text field “Number of additional necessary survey parti-cipations”.


4. Editing the rejection message

The survey message that is displayed when the number of participants is too high canbe found in the Project properties->Survey messages menu. The title of the messageis “The survey is in status 'no further participations'”, a suitable message would be “Nofurther participants allowed.”

5. Informing respondents about the current state of the participation counter

The current value of the participation counter can be inserted into project-relatedmails with the wildcard #participants_left#.

3.7.19 Controlling the Survey Display on the Panel Website

Various features for adapting the display of panel and master data surveys to thevarious language versions of the panel have been enhanced in EFS 7.1 and relocated tothe Project properties->Website settings menu:

� As of EFS 7.1, a survey can be hidden in a specific language version, so that it doesnot appear on the personalized survey list on the panelists’ homepage.

� It is possible to group the surveys displayed in the survey list.

� Different survey names can be defined for display in different language versions.

� Multiple master data surveys may be activated at the same time. The website willautomatically show the appropriate survey for each language version. If severalmaster data surveys have been activated for the same language version, the surveywith the smallest project ID will be displayed.

The setting options in detail

In the overview table of the Project properties->Website settings menu, you canconfigure the following settings for each language version:

� Name of the survey displayed on the website: The label which is used in the surveylist on the panelists’ personalized homepage, among other things. If no languageversion-specific title is entered, the internal admin area project title will be used.Wildcard: {$s.survey_title}

� Survey description: Detailed description of the survey which can be used, forexample, in the survey list on the panelists’ personalized homepage. If no language

Please note that the functions described in this chapter are only available for paneland master data surveys on EFS Panel installations. They are not within the scopeof EFS Survey.

Please note: When exporting and importing projects, the language version-specificconfiguration will not be included as the language versions are usually different insource and target installations. When copying projects, on the other hand, the set-tings are included.

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version-specific text is entered, the description from the „Change project“ dialogwill be used. Wildcard: {$s.survey_description}

� Displayed user-defined label: Selected surveys can be highlighted with specificnotes or icons. See Chapter 3.7.20, p. 106. Wildcard: {$s.survey_extra_label}

� Sorting category: The surveys displayed in the survey list can be grouped byassigning them to one of ten predefined categories.

� Hide survey for language version: If this checkbox is ticked, the survey will notappear in the survey list on the panelists’ personalized homepage.

– By default, all projects are activated in all language versions.

– Please note that panelists can still participate in a hidden survey if they areprovided with a link to the survey: As usual, access to the survey depends onlyon the panelists’ sample membership.

Figure 3.19 Defining language version-specific settings

These new features replace a number of previous ones:

� So far, you could enter alternative survey names in fields “Project name on thepanelist’s personal homepage (Name of language version)” in the Projectproperties menu. These fields have been eliminated.

� In the past, master data surveys on multipanel installations were allocated to thevarious language versions via a drop-down list in the “Multipanel language selec-tion” section of the Project properties menu. This feature was dropped, too.

� The option “Do not show the following projects on the personal panel page”, whichwas used to hide projects in a specific language version, has been deleted as well.(Breadcrumb: Website->Panel websites->{Selected language version}->Configuration tab.)

3.7.20 Highlighting Surveys in the Project List

The project list on the personalized homepage provides the panelists with an overviewof the active panel and master data surveys. Usually, the titles are listed with thecorresponding field times and bonus points. As of EFS 7.1, you can highlight selectedsurveys additionally with specific notes or icons. This makes sense, for example, in thecase of new surveys, surveys with special incentives, or regular weekly surveys.

� There are three user-defined labels available which can be filled with differentcontent in each language version.

Please note that the functions described in this chapter are only available for paneland master data surveys on EFS Panel installations. They are not within the scopeof EFS Survey.

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� In each language version, one of these labels can be assigned to a survey.

� The user-defined labels are usually displayed along with the number of bonuspoints.

� Instead of entering a text, you can also use an image from the panel’s media library.

Figure 3.20 User-defined labels in the project list

The new system with three user-defined labels replaces the old solution with only twofixed gratification types, “Bonus points” and “Prize draw”.

� The “Bonus points” gratification type is still available per default. It can bedisplayed along with the new labels.

� The option “Prize draw” is no longer available per default since EFS 7.1. In contrastto the “Bonus points” option, it was never fully integrated into the incentivemanagement of EFS Panel, i.e. prize draws had to be executed manually (creatinga group, conducting a prize draw etc.). Of course, you may still conduct prize drawsfor gratification, if you wish to do so: Create a user-defined “Prize draw”gratification type, create groups containing the respective project or campaignparticipants, and conduct a prize draw among these participants.

� The mail wildcard #bonustype#, which was previously used to insert thegratification type into a mail, has been dropped in EFS 7.1 well.

Defining user-defined labels and assigning them to the surveys

If you wish to use the user-defined labels, please proceed as follows:

� First, you have to adapt the user-defined labels to the respective language version.To do so, open the Configuration tab of the appropriate language version in thewebsite editor. In the “Surveys” section (“EFS Panel 8.0”, Table 15.16) you canenter the desired labels. Alternatively, you may also reference an image from thepanel’s media library via an absolute link.

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Figure 3.21 Defining user-defined labels for a language version

� In the “Displayed gratification type” column of the Projects->{Selected project}->Project properties->Website settings menu, you can define which label should beused for a survey in a specific language version.

Figure 3.22 Selecting the desired label for a specific project

� If you panel was originally created in an EFS version < 7.1, you may have to modifythe project list template (labelled “func_survey_list” in the standard panel) inorder to display the user-defined label (wildcard: {$s.survey_extra_label}).

3.8 Automating Frequently Required Work Steps

Creating survey projects often involves performing identical steps: For example, witheach new project the following must be repeated: importing the standard companylayout, activating predefined survey messages, loading previously defined standardwildcards and creating participants. The actions required to end a project also repeatthemselves: The project must be deactivated, result data exported and the codebookand online statistics saved as data for documentation purposes.

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The macro function permits automation of such steps: Specific actions can be precon-figured by the user and executed again at a later time at the push of a button. Themacro function makes it possible not only to execute individual actions, but also tobundle several actions into a single macro. This does not only simplify working withEFS, but it also increases the uniformity of work processes.

3.8.1 Managing Macros

In the Options->Macros menu, you can find all macros of the installation which you’reauthorized to access.

Figure 3.23 Overview of existing macros

The following editing functions are available:

� Edit: By clicking on this icon, you can switch to the Macro settings tab for therespective macro.

� Edit actions: By clicking on this icon, you can switch to the Actions tab for therespective macro.

� Delete: By clicking on this icon, you can delete the macro.

� Rights: Clicking on this icon opens the dialog for rights administration. Here, youcan define, which teams will be allowed to execute the respective macro. Readrights permit execution of a macro, while write rights allow users to edit a macro.Please note that macros can only be executed in projects for which the user hasadditional write rights.

3.8.2 Creating Macros

Macros are created in the Options->Macros menu. The following work steps are neces-sary:

� Creating a new macro and selecting the actions to be executed.

� Configuring the actions by setting the appropriate parameters.

The macro administration is designed for up to 100 macros. If you and your staff usemacros a lot, take care to use meaningful names: The better the title, the easier it isto select the appropriate macro from a project.

Creating macros requires write rights for “create_macro”.

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3.8.3 Creating a New Macro and Selecting Actions

1. Click on the Create macro button. This will open the entry form shown.

Figure 3.24 The entry form for a new macro

2. Set the basic properties of the macro:

– Name

– Description

– Suppress output: If the checkbox is ticked and the macro activated, the outputof precise information on the process will be suppressed, and only a messageindicating success or failure will be output. It is recommended that you acti-vate the message output when first testing a macro, but switch it off after asuccessful test.

– Offer for projects of type: You can select the project types for which the macrois to be available.

3. The select boxes in the “Actions” area allow you to select preset actions.

– If you wish to select only individual actions, click on these actions in the “Avai-lable actions” field, and then click on the simple Arrow icon to move them intothe “Selected actions” field.

– If you wish to select all available actions, click on the larger arrow.

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Figure 3.25 Selecting the desired actions

4. After that, use the up and down arrows below the “Selected actions” select box tosort the actions in the desired order.

Figure 3.26 Specifying the order of the actions

5. Finally, confirm by clicking on Create.

3.8.4 Configuring Actions

After creating the macro, you will automatically be taken to the Actions tab, which isnow active. It allows you to edit or delete actions.

Figure 3.27 The selected actions

Configuring an action

Click on the name of an action or on the related Edit icon.

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Figure 3.28 Setting the parameters of the action

� In the “General” area of the entry form, you can enter a specific title for the actionand describe it.

� In the “Parameters” area, the specific parameter for the respective action must beset, in this example, the message set to be chosen.

After that, the setting must be saved by clicking on Save.

The action now has a completed configuration and will be marked accordingly in theoverview of the actions.

Figure 3.29 The configured action

Make the required settings for all actions accordingly.

Depending on the complexity of the action to be executed, you may have to makemore than one setting in the “Parameters” area. In the case of a result data export,for example, all the setting options described in Chapter 13, p. 521 will be available.

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Figure 3.30 Completed action configurations for a macro

Deleting an action

Clicking on the Delete icon allows you to remove an action.

3.8.5 Macro Actions in Detail

The following actions can be used in macros.

.mht-Dateien (Format MHTML: Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension HTML) areused to save Internet pages.They contain all the images and other elements of thesaved pages as embedded objects, so that the pages can be represented true to theoriginal and with functioning hyperlinks. .mht files can be opened in a browser.

Action Name Description

Activate autosubmit apply_autosubmit This action activates autosubmitting for single response questions.

Activate / deactivate data cleaning

toggle_data_cleaning

This action activates or deactivates automatic data cleaning during the survey.

Activate graphical form elements

apply_fe This action activates graphical form elements.

Apply data cleaning data_cleaning This action applies data cleaning to the survey data.

Apply predefined survey messages

apply_messageset This action allows to import a predefined set of survey messages.

Change project field period

set_project_time This action allows you to change the field period of the project. You can either specify a fixed date or select relative times that refer to the next weeks, the current month or the current year.

Change project sta-tus

set_project_status This action allows you to change the project status. This permits automation of the process of ending or activating the project.

Compile survey generate_survey This action generates a new survey. It is identical to the Compile menu item. You can choose whether result data are to be deleted while generating the sur-vey.

Create blank pages in the questionnaire

create_pages With this action you can create several blank pages at once in the questionnaire. The pages can also optio-nally be placed below filter pages.

Create block of pages

create_page_block With this action you can create a block of pages of type random rotation, random select or loop. You can also create subpages for the block.

Table 3.18 Overview of the available actions

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Data export export_data This action allows you to export result or address data from the current project. Setting the file type as well as further export options possible.

Delete all plausibility checks

delete_plausichecks This action will delete all plausibility checks in the selected project.

Delete all pretest comments

delete_pretest This action deletes all pretest comments of the cur-rent project.

Delete all type checks

delete_type_checks This action will delete all type checks that have been defined in the project's questionnaire. The questions will not be deleted.

Enable advanced completeness checks

toggle_hardcore_dacs

With this action you can configure all completeness checks (DACs) in the survey to check for every answer category of type "answer category + text" if the rela-ted text field has also been filled in by the respondent.

Enable/disable debugging features in the survey

toggle_debug This option activates or deactivates the debug fea-tures that can be used in a survey.

Enable deselectable radio buttons

apply_triple_state With this action you can configure all radio buttons in all single response questions of the survey to be dese-lectable. That means answers in single response questions can be deselected again by clicking the selected radio button again. This feature will only work for participants that have JavaScript enabled.

Export participant codes

export_participants This action allows you to export participant codes and disposition codes from the current project into a CSV file. You can select the disposition codes for which the participant codes will be exported. The #PID# wild-card in the file name will be replaced with the current project ID.

Export pretest com-ments

export_pretest This action exports all pretest comments of the survey into a Microsoft Excel file.

Export questionnaire as XML file

export_project This action exports the questionnaire as an XML file. You can select which subdirectories of the project directory will be exported. The #PID# wildcard in the file name will be replaced with the current project ID.

Import participant codes

import_codes This action allows you to import participant codes from a file into participant administration. Each row of the file is interpreted as one code. Therefore, the file should not contain a header. A participant is created for each code. The remaining participant data (e.g. name, password) are set automatically.

Import participants import_participants This action allows you to import participants from a CSV file into participant administration. The first row of the CSV file must contain the column headings. Based on the column headings, an automatic assign-ment to the participant data saved in participant administration is performed. Columns that have not been recognized are skipped. The following column names can be used: u_account, u_passwd, u_firstname, u_name, u_street, u_zip, u_city, u_phone, u_email, u_www, u_address, u_country, u_other_id.

Import wildcards import_placeholders This action allows you to import wildcards from ano-ther project.

(cont.)Action Name Description


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3.8.6 Granting Access Rights to Macros

In order to be able to define macros and to determine who will be allowed to executethem, a staff member must belong to a team that has write rights for “create_macro”.

You can use the Rights icon in the overview (described in Chapter 3.8.1, p. 109) toassign write or read rights for specific macros to individual teams.

3.8.7 Using Macros

1. The “Project info” dialog includes the “Execute automation macro” field in the“Special actions” section.

Figure 3.31 Selecting a macro to be applied

2. Select the macro you created, and then click on the Run selected automationpackage icon.

3. A popup window will provide an overview of the contents of this macro.

Load layout template apply_layout This action allows you to copy an existing layout into the current survey.

Run quality correc-tion

quality_corrector This action performs quality correction in the current project. It is identical to the function available under Statistics->Quality correction.

Save codebook as .mht file

create_codebook This action saves the codebook of the current project as an .mht file. The function internally selects the Codebook menu item and saves its output. The code-book display options can be configured here. In the file name, the #PID# wildcard will be replaced with the current project ID.

Save online statistics as .mht file

create_online_stats This action saves the online statistics of the current project as an .mht file. The function internally selects the Online statistics menu item and saves its output. The #PID# wildcard in the file name will be replaced with the ID of the current project.

Save open-ended answers as .mht file

create_online_report

This action saves the Open-ended answers of the cur-rent project as an .mht file. The function internally selects the Open-ended answers menu item and saves its output. The #PID# wildcard in the file name will be replaced with the ID of the current project.

Save questionnaire as .mht file

create_print This action allows you to save the questionnaire as an .mht file. The function internally selects the Print version menu item and saves its output. In the file name, the #PID# wildcard will automatically be replaced with the project ID.

(cont.)Action Name Description


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Figure 3.32 Overview of the contents of the selected macro

4. If you wish to start the macro, confirm by clicking on Execute.

5. The actions configured will now be executed. If this involves generating files, theresult display will provide a link you can use to download a zip file. Alternatively,you can have the file e-mailed to your address.

3.8.8 Checking the Application of Macros

The Macro log menu logs all macro executions.

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4 Questionnaire Structure: Pages, Questions, Routing

4.1 The Structure of the Questionnaire Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

4.2 Planning the Structure of the Questionnaire (Routing). . . . 121

4.3 Working with the Alternative Drag&Drop Editor . . . . . . . . 127

4.4 Creating and Editing Questionnaire Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

4.5 Standard Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

4.6 Mixed-External Pages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

4.7 Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

4.8 Random Selection of Questionnaire Pages . . . . . . . . . . . 159

4.9 Random Rotation of Survey Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

4.10 Creating and Editing Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

4.11 The Preview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

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4.1 The Structure of the Questionnaire Editor


4.1 The Structure of the Questionnaire Editor

Before you actually start working with the questionnaire editor, it is worthwhile to getan overview of its structure. As shown in the following diagram, the questionnaireeditor has three levels: the questionnaire, page and question views.

Figure 4.1 The three levels of the questionnaire editor

The questionnaire view

Selecting the Questionnaire editor menu item will take you to level 1, the question-naire view. It shows a list of the individual pages in the questionnaire.

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Figure 4.2 The pages of a project in the questionnaire view

Level 2: The page view

Clicking on a page title in the questionnaire view will take you to level 2, the page view.This shows the questions on an individual questionnaire page.

Figure 4.3 The individual questions on a questionnaire page in the page view

The questionnaire view represents the structure of your questionnaire. See Chapter4.2, p. 121, for further information on creating the structure or routing plan for aquestionnaire.

The functions of the questionnaire view will be introduced in Chapter 4.2.1, p. 122.

Creating a page is explained in Chapter 2.2.1, p. 39. The various page types will bedescribed in detail in Chapter 4.4.1, p. 130.

Creating a question will be explained in Chapter 4.10, p. 161.

The various question types will be described in detail in Chapter 5, p. 175.

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4.2 Planning the Structure of the Questionnaire (Routing)

Level 3: The question view

Clicking on one of the question titles will take you to level 3, the question view. Thisshows the text elements that have been entered for a particular question and otherquestion-specific settings.

Figure 4.4 The text elements and settings for an individual question in the question view


An online survey is a sequence of HTML pages. In contrast to written surveys, there isno need to determine a respondent’s way through the questionnaire at the start of sucha survey. For example, you can ask women other questions than men in a part of thesurvey. Or, if you are surveying visitors to your website, ask those respondents who

The various question types and their specific setting options will be described indetail in Chapter 5, p. 175.

There, you will also find information on the advanced functions which are providedin the question view of many question types.

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reveal themselves as buyers of your products other questions than those persons whoonly know your company from your website.

At the same time, you plan a specific order in which your questions are to be answered.This will, for example, help you to avoid so-called spillover effects which can result ifrespondents use an earlier question as the cognitive reference for subsequent questi-ons. An example of this would be asking a question about acceptance of the deathpenalty following questions on respondents’ knowledge of sexual offenders. In thiscase, the opinion expressed would be strongly influenced by the respondent’s attitudetowards sexual offenders and by (possibly current) reports on such crimes.

EFS enables you to realize all imaginable ways through the questionnaire. When deter-mining the way through the questionnaire, a process called “routing” in marketresearch jargon, you can utilize various pieces of external information. Each piece ofinformation that is known at a survey’s runtime can be used as a switch for the routing.You can imagine the EFS routing engine as a railway control center, which opens andcloses various routes. In contrast to railways, these routes do not require linear inter-connections; instead, jumps can be realized, just as if your train were able to suddenlyturn into an aircraft at a track switch and land at a totally different place in the railnetwork.

The following external information can be used to plan routing:

� Parameters that are attached to a URL. See Chapter 3.7.13, p. 89.

� Information read from a cookie. See Chapter 7.5.8, p. 336.

� Information on each respondent that can be loaded into a database on the EFSinstallation before the start of the survey. See Chapter 10.2, p. 411.

� Information from another survey, which EFS will retrieve as an external surveyaccording to a specific interface procedure. See Chapter 3.4, p. 63.

� Information from a panel that has been set up with EFS Panel.

� Information on questionnaires of your current project that have already been filledin, which you can use to close various survey routes or to exclude persons willingto respond from further surveys. See Chapter 10.4, p. 453.

You can use the following instruments to organize routing:

� Filters, which you use to realize internal branchings depending on the informationavailable to date. See Chapter 4.7, p. 143.

� Random rotation of survey pages. You can use a random algorithm to determine aspecific section of your survey, in which case all the survey pages intended for thissection will be displayed, but with their order randomly altered from one respon-dent to another. See Chapter 4.9, p. 161.

� Random selection of survey pages. You can instruct EFS to randomly select onepage from a set of survey pages. See Chapter 4.8, p. 159.

� You can display survey branches repeatedly. See Chapter 7.5.4, p. 333.

� You can permit jumps to any point in the survey. See Chapter 7.5.4, p. 333.

� You can have the survey terminate immediately if certain conditions you specifyare met. See Chapter 7.5.5, p. 334.

4.2.1 The Routing Plan in the Editor’s Questionnaire View

The structure of your questionnaire, its dramaturgy, as it were, is established on thetopmost level of the EFS questionnaire editor. There are various ways of assemblingthe structure of your questionnaire:

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� You can proceed step by step and create the pages without initially defining thequestions.

� You can proceed step by step and simultaneously define the individual questionson the survey pages.

� You can create the questionnaire or parts therefore in a word processor of yourchoice (e.g. Word) and then import it into EFS. See Chapter 6.1, p. 267.

The dramaturgy tools

The Editor’s questionnaire view provides you with the following tools for displayingand editing the page order (dramaturgy):

� Show subpages button: This display offers a good overview of complex routingstructures, especially if combined with Show questions (see below).

Figure 4.5 Showing all pages

� Hide subpages button: This version offers a quick overview, which makes it veryuseful especially when working on longer questionnaires.

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Figure 4.6 Showing the first page level only

� Show questions option in the View dialog: The questions will be shown, as well asthe question type and the related variables for each question.

Figure 4.7 Activating display of questions in the View layer

Figure 4.8 Questions displayed in the questionnaire view

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� Arrow icons for moving pages within a sequence (up and down arrows): You canuse these icons to change the order of the questionnaire pages.

� Arrow icons for moving pages into another branch (left and right arrows): You canuse these icons to move a page into or out of a branch of the questionnaire (forexample, to move it into a filter).

Figure 4.9 Moving pages

4.2.2 Orientation Aids within the Questionnaire Editor

Various icons and other small visual aids are used in the questionnaire editor to facili-tate orientation, particularly in questionnaires with complex routing.

Caution: If you delete the page on which the questionnaire branches – in most casesa filter page, a random select page or a random rotation page - the entire underlyingbranch will be deleted automatically. If you do not want to delete the entire branch,but only want to delete the branching page, you must first move the pages containedin the branch back to the main section of the questionnaire.

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Questionnaire view

Figure 4.10 The questionnaire view of a project with icons for programmed elements

In the questionnaire view, the positions of the following elements are marked withicons:

� mandatory questions and do-answer-checks (dac)

� plausibility checks

� hiding conditions

� triggers

� ActionScripts

� Smarty templates

� list elements

� Pages with an external survey start that serve the purpose of directing respondentseither to an external questionnaire or from an external questionnaire back to theoriginal survey.

� Only for EFS Panel installations: The assignment of bonus points for reaching finalpages.

By activating the Show filter conditions option in the View dialog you can additionallydisplay the filter conditions.

Only in installations with EFS Hybrid Extension: By activating the two options Editoffline / online variant and Show questions in the View dialog you can additionallydisplay the columns “Online” and “Offline”. Here you can specify which questions areto be included in the online version and in the standard version of the paper-pencilquestionnaire respectively.

Standard pages, mixed-external pages and final pages that do not contain any questi-ons or text elements yet can be easily recognized in the questionnaire view because oftheir red color. Filter pages, random pages and loops are displayed in red as long as theydo not contain subpages.

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4.3 Working with the Alternative Drag&Drop Editor

Page view

In the page view, the positions of page-level hiding conditions are marked.

Question view

In the question view, the source variables of filters, hiding conditions and lists aremarked with icons. Clicking on the icons allows you to open information windowsdisplaying the respective condition definition. An Edit link lets you switch to the filteror list editor to edit the respective definition.

4.2.3 Finding Questions and Variables

Locating a specific question or variable in a complex questionnaire without searchingthe codebook can be a tedious and time-consuming task. If you frequently face such atask, combine the following features:

� Switch to the Staff->Own account->Preferences menu, open the Behavior ofquestionnaire tab and activate the “Show search text field in questionnaire editor”option: a search field is displayed just above the questionnaire view, allowing youto search the contents of the questionnaire view.

� Open the View layer of the questionnaire view and activate the “Show questions”option. The questions and variables will be displayed in the questionnaire view.

� When you now enter a question or variable as the search term, the page and ques-tion containing that variable will be identified.


As an alternative to the normal questionnaire editor, a modern Drag&Drop question-naire editor can is available. The most important features in brief:

� Rules for moving are defined in a manner analogous to the way they are in thenormal editor. For example, you can only place questions on a page, you cannotplace a page on another page. You can only move type 998 or 999 questions to afinal page, you cannot place a page after a final page and cannot interleave morethan three loops within one another.

� If a routing page (e.g. filters, random rotation, random selected or loop) is moved,all pages in the levels beneath are also moved along with it.

� The Drag&Drop questionnaire editor has an undo function which can be used toreverse moves. See Chapter 4.3.2, p. 129.

� The complexity of the questionnaire affects both the performance of the question-naire view in the admin area and the performance experienced by participants.Therefore, it is recommended to plan the questionnaire in such a way that it doesnot need more than 10 functionally required levels. (I.e. levels which are requiredfor functional reasons, e.g. for filter branches. If you use more levels to justimprove the overview, it won’t affect the performance.)

� If two users are working simultaneously in Drag&Drop mode, the software ensuresthat their actions do not collide. If one of the users has made a change and thesecond user also tries to make a change on their screen which has not beenrefreshed, the software will prompt them to update their individual questionnaire.

� The conventional features of the questionnaire view are also available in theDrag&Drop questionnaire editor, the position and type of display have been merelyadapted to the other environment.

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� Only in installations with EFS Hybrid Extension: Please note that the option Editoffline / online variant is not available in the Drag&Drop questionnaire editor. Inconsequence, the columns “Online” and “Offline” can only be displayed and editedin the classic questionnaire editor.

4.3.1 Using the Drag&Drop Functions

Activating the Drag&Drop questionnaire editor

Figure 4.11 Activating the Drag&Drop questionnaire editor

Switch to the Questionnaire editor menu. Clicking on the To Drag&Dropquestionnaire editor link allows you to activate the alternative display.

Figure 4.12 The alternative Drag&Drop questionnaire editor

If you wish to sort not only pages, but also questions, display these with Showquestions and Show subpages.

Please note that you require JavaScript to use the Drag&Drop questionnaire editor.JavaScript must be activated for you to be able to work in the EFS admin area.

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Moving pages and questions

To change the position of a page or a question, click on the icon in front of the title,keep the mouse button pressed and drag the element to the desired position.

Figure 4.13 Grabbing the questionnaire page with the mouse

Place the mouse in the gap that opens and allow the page to “drop” as shown in thefigure below.

Figure 4.14 Dragging a questionnaire page to another position

4.3.2 Undoing Moves

If you have placed a page or question wrongly you can reverse your move with theUndo button. If you have mistakenly undone an action you can perform it again usingthe Redo button.

If you have placed a page or question incorrectly, you can reverse the action with thehelp of the Undo button. If you have mistakenly undone an action you can perform itagain using the Redo button.

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Figure 4.15 Reversing a move

4.4 Creating and Editing Questionnaire Pages

You have already learned how to create questionnaire pages from the introduction inChapter 2, p. 35. When creating the mock-up questionnaire, you created severalstandard pages which you filled with questions, you created a filter page to directselected participants to a special branch of the questionnaire, and you may havenoticed already that, upon reaching the final page, the participants are counted withdisposition code “31 = completed” in the field report.

� The following Chapter 4.4.1, p. 130 gives you a systematic overview of the pagetypes in EFS.

� In the following Chapters 4.5, p. 131 through 4.9, p. 161, the various page types arepresented in detail.

4.4.1 Overview of Page Types

The pages you see in the questionnaire view have different functions:

� Survey pages contain the actual questionnaire content.

� Routing pages control the course of the survey.

The undo function saves your moves provided you do not leave the page, refresh orload it again with Show questions/Show only pages.

A questionnaire can contain up to 300 pages.

Please mind: For each questionnaire page, a variable is created to store a timestamp. The maximum number of available variables is limited (Chapter 13.9.2,p. 538). Therefore, in large, complex projects, the page number or rather the num-ber of corresponding time stamp variables may affect the performance or the projectmay creach the maximum number of variables.

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4.5 Standard Pages

Survey pages

Routing pages

4.5 Standard Pages

You have already learned how to create standard pages from the introduction inChapter 2, p. 35.

� The following Chapters 4.5.1, p. 132 through 4.5.9, p. 136 give you an overview ofthe properties of standard pages.

� Chapter 4.5.10, p. 139 presents the functions for filling a standard page withquestions or creating features such as triggers or plausibility checks.

Page type Properties Details

Standard Contains one or more questions, plus a Submit button.Up to 255 questions per page are possible.The first page of a survey is normally also a standard page. In most cases, it contains hints on the survey.

See Chapter 4.5, p. 131

Mixed-external page

A page with a special border layout to freely place questions on a page.


Final page (inter-mediate final page)

A page with no “Submit” button. When this is reached, the ques-tionnaire is finished, and so-called finishing rules are triggered.

System final page

Is automatically set by the system when a survey is created. Cannot be removed. Is filled with content by the user. Does not contain a “Submit” button.

Table 4.1 Survey page types

Page type Properties Details

Filter A question “track switch”. Subsequent pages will only be dis-played if the filter condition is met. As filter conditions, you can choose any survey contents that have already been collected at this point in the survey or which were additionally loaded before the start of the survey.


Random selec-ted

Random selection of m from n questionnaire pages. From all n pages that are indented below this page, m pages will be selec-ted randomly and displayed. The other pages below this page will be ignored. By default m=1, i.e. only one page will be selec-ted.


Random rotation Random rotation of survey pages. All the pages placed under this condition will be displayed in random order.


Loop Looped questionnaire pages are filled with contents depending on the elements of a list and processed.


External survey start

A page referring to another survey. This page will invoke another survey on another EFS Survey platform or outside EFS Survey. Parameters can be transferred to the external survey so that the respondent can be referred back from the third-party provider to the EFS Survey questionnaire.


Table 4.2 Routing page types

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4.5.1 Overview of the Properties of Standard Pages

The properties of standard pages are configured on the Page properties tab. You willreach this tab either from the questionnaire view by clicking the Edit->Pageproperties icon or from the page view via the Change page properties->Pageproperties tab.

The table provides an overview. The page properties are explained in detail in thefollowing chapters.

A standard page can contain up to 255 questions.

The complexity of the question types used affects the performance. To optimize theexecution time of the questionnaire pages, please use the following guiding valuesfor orientation:

- Ordinary EFS question types: 50 questions

- Complex question types which require, for example, JavaScript or Flash: 25 ques-tions.

Property Explanation Details

Layout width and height

The breadth and the width of the layout can be modified for a particular page. If you want the layout on a certain page to be particularly narrow, you can, forexample, enter the number "100" (for 100 pixels) in this field. On the next page, the questionnaire’s layout will then revert to the standard width.

JavaScript code to be executed when the user clicks on the Submit button

Here you can insert JavaScript code which will be executed when the page is submitted, provided that JavaScript is enabled in the respondent’s browser.

Chapter 4.5.2, p. 133

Page is submitted automatically after completion of all questions

The page is submitted automatically as soon as the respondent has answered all of the questions.

Chapter 4.5.3, p. 133

Hide Submit button

This option allows you to hide the Submit button permanently or temporarily.

Chapter 4.5.5, p. 134

Send page automatically

The page will be sent automatically after a defined time span. Chapter 4.5.4, p. 134

Hide Back button

Add Cancel button

This option allows you to display a Cancel button. Chapter 4.5.6, p. 134

Check internal quotas

If you are using quotas, this option allows you to mark the page where the checking for internal quotas is to take place.

Chapter 10.4.8, p. 460

Set universal page marker to fill the variable rate within the field report

The so-called variable page marker allows you to determine, and show in the field report, how many people have completed the survey up to a specific questionnaire page X.

Chapter 12.3.8, p. 505

Table 4.3 Properties of standard pages

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4.5.2 Defining Page-Specific JavaScript Actions

You have the option of inserting JavaScript code which will be executed once the pageis sent. For this feature, it is required that JavaScript is enabled in the respondent’sbrowser.

Example: alert(‘Please read the question text carefully’);

In this case, for example, a small message window with the corresponding text will beoutput once the page has been sent.

Figure 4.16 JavaScript when sending the page

4.5.3 Automatically Submitting a Completed Questionnaire Page

If you check the box in the “Page is submitted automatically after completion of allquestions” field, the questionnaire page is submitted as soon as the respondent hasanswered all the questions in full. A comparable function relating to the entire ques-tionnaire is described in Chapter 3.7.5, p. 79.

This feature functions on all questionnaire pages which contain only combinations ofthe following question types: 111, 112, 113, 131, 411, 311, 312, 313, 321, 322, 340, 351und 511. On pages with multiple response questions and text entries it is not triggered,as it cannot be automatically recognized at what point the participant has completedtheir input.

Only on the first page in anonymous surveys: Create static start page

This option allows you to create a static start page. Static start pages are created only once - upon enabling this function - and not each time a survey is called up. This greatly enhances the performance of the survey.

Chapter 4.5.9, p. 136

Force a character set for this page

This option allows you to assign to the page a different character set other than the general character set of the survey or the character sets for the various language versions of a multilingual project.

Chapter 4.5.7, p. 135

Additional code for the head section of the page

This input field allows you to insert JavaScript and CSS directly in the head section (<head>) of the page.

Chapter 4.5.8, p. 135

Please mind: Only single quotation marks (') are permitted. If double quotationmarks are used, the feature won´t work.

(cont.)Property Explanation Details

Table 4.3 Properties of standard pages

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There will be no check as to whether the questionnaire page contains HTML and imagetype elements. Please ensure therefore that such elements are not located at the endof the page: In this case, autosubmit would prevent the participant from seeing the textor the image.


4.5.4 Automatically Submitting a Page after a Defined Period of Time

The “Send page automatically” function is often used in combination with the hidingof the Submit button described in the following Chapter. The following options areavailable in a drop-down list:

� Do not send automatically: This is the default setting.

� Send automatically after x seconds: The period of time lies between 0 seconds andtwo minutes and can be adjusted exactly to the second.


4.5.5 Hiding the Submit Button

You can use this function to hide the submit button temporarily or always. Thus onlythe question and answers will be output on the questionnaire page, the continue but-ton will appear not at all or only after a time.

You can choose from the following options:

� Always show Submit button: This is the default setting.

� Always hide Submit button: The Submit button will not appear on this page. Pleaseremember when using this setting to incorporate another form element that canbe used to trigger the Submit process or activate a function for automatic sending(see Chapters 4.5.3, p. 133 and 4.5.4, p. 134). The combination of hidden Submitbutton and automatic page down is useful, for example, with cover tests, in whichmedia is only shown briefly.

� Show after x seconds: You can choose periods from between one second and twominutes. This setting is advisable if you wish to make sure that the respondentslook closely at a picture or text.


4.5.6 Inserting a Cancel Button

This option allows you to insert an additional image on the respective page. If theparticipant clicks on this image, the survey window will be closed. Upload the approp-riate image via the media library.

Please note that it is risky to hide the Submit button when using the Autosubmitfunction (see next section). Example: If the respondent uses the Back button of thebrowser to go back and make a change, the Autosubmit function will not be reacti-vated. At the same time, however, there is no way to re-send the pages using theSubmit button.

Please note: You can only use this function if you have activated graphical formelements.

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This option does not work with all browsers for the following reason: JavaScript has asecurity setting that prevents windows from being closed via JavaScript if they werenot opened with JavaScript. EFS Survey is not opened using JavaScript, therefore it isalso not possible to close it using JavaScript. Many browsers, such as Internet Explorerdo not adhere to this security setting entirely, instead they display a confirmation win-dow which queries the surfer as to whether he would really like to close the window:With these browsers the Cancel button functions as expected - the respondent canclose it after confirming the window. With browsers that follow the security settingsclosely, such as Mozilla Firefox, the Cancel button will not work.

4.5.7 Assigning a Differing Character Set to a Specific Page

You can assign an individual questionnaire page a character set that differs from thegeneral character set of the survey or from the character sets for the language versionsof a multilingual project. This function can be employed, for example, if the start pageused by all participants of a multilingual survey where there is a language selectionquestion, is to be displayed in a different character set than the other various questi-onnaires.

If you specify a character set in the “Force a character set for this page”, the characterset of the survey will be overwritten with the specified character set for this one ques-tionnaire page, and for all existing language versions. By default, the “Don’t force acharacter set” option is preset.

4.5.8 Customizing a Specific Page with JavaScript or CSS

Sometimes it is necessary to create a different design for a particular questionnairepage or to implement a page-specific JavaScript function. Previously, this wouldusually be realized using a specific template (Chapter 8.5.1, p. 375) or an “if” constructin the main template. As of EFS 7.1, you may also insert JavaScript and CSS directlyin the head section (<head>) of the page.

� The respective function can be found in the field “Additional code for the headsection of the page” on the Page properties tab of the relevant page.

� This function is available for standard, mixed-external and final pages.

If you wish to use this function, you have two options:

� You can enter code directly in the input field.

� You can upload and reference files. Please proceed as follows:

– Upload the desired files via the Upload tab in the Pro editor menu to thedirectory “\layout”.

– Open the Page properties tab for the desired questionnaire page. The drop-down list in the field “Additional code for the head section of the page” containsall the files with the extensions .js and .css which you and other users importedinto the “\layout” directory.

– Choose the desired file: It will appear in the input field where it can be furtheredited.

You can test this function in productive mode, not in the preview: The preview isopened via JavaScript, therefore the browser specific behavior described cannot beobserved.

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4.5.9 Creating a Static Start Page

In EFS, a static start page is the first page of a survey that is not generated from thedatabase each time it is invoked, but which is created once and stored on the hard disk.

Background: When building the first page of a survey, particularly time-consumingtasks must be performed: The respondent is assigned a personal identification number(session ID), and an entry is made in the survey data table and in sample management.The system also checks whether the respondent has already participated in the survey.These tasks involve numerous database queries and entries which create a load on theserver. In particular for pop-up surveys on websites, on the other hand, only a fractionof people who see the pop-ups are prepared to participate in the survey; many respon-dents simply close the window, and the entries in the database are of no use. A surveywith a static start page generates as little load as possible on the survey server on thefirst page, which results in the pop-up being able to be displayed to numerous potentialparticipants without creating a big load on the server.

When should you use a static start page?

� If you are conducting a survey on a heavily frequented website, and you want toshow the pop-up on the first page to many or to all website visitors.

� If you are publishing the survey link in a newsletter, and simultaneous access of alarge number of people to the survey can be expected.

Properties of static start pages

� Static start pages are only available in anonymous projects.

� Most question types can be used on static start pages. Exceptions are sliders (ques-tion types 341 and 342) and Flash question types (question types 611, 621, 641 and661): These question types can not be placed on a static start page.

� All images, texts and triggers can be used on static start pages.

� The same graphical form elements can be used on the static start page as in therest of the questionnaire. Up to version 4.0, this was not possible: instead HTMLform elements were displayed.

� It is not possible to create language-specific static start pages, i.e. a multilingualsurvey can only have one static start page. You will find alternative suggestions tothis problem in the introduction to Chapter 15, p. 569.

� Plausibility checks and do-answer checks can not be used.

� Dynamic features, such as hiding conditions, item and question randomization, donot work on a static start page either.

� The first page of a conjoint block can not be a static start page.

� Contact data will be stored, and with a static start page, you can also use the fieldreport to reconstruct the number of people who saw the first page.

� You can use URL parameters in combination with static start pages.

� Changing static start page contents in the questionnaire editor will simultane-ously adjust the static start pages.

� If the survey is not accessible, for example because it has not been activated, thecorresponding error message would not be displayed on the static start page, butrather first on the next questionnaire page.

� The static start page is automatically deactivated, as soon as a project is taken outof the field (i.e. if it has project status “no further participations” or “inactive”, seeTable 3.1). In this way you can be sure that respondents that visit a finished project

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directly receive an appropriate message and are not greeted with a still active staticstart page that requests them to fill out the questionnaire.

Linking to a project with a static start page

Publish your project with the shortened URL syntax:

Correct: http://www.mydomain.com/uc/project/Incorrect: http://www.mydomain.com/uc/project/index.php3

The syntax for projects with URL parameters is:

Correct: http://www.mydomain.com/uc/project/?a=3&b=4Incorrect: http://www.mydomain.com/uc/project/index.php3?a=3&b=4

Creating links to SSL surveys

If you wish to create a link to the SSL version of your survey on the static start page,use the following URL:

http://www.mydomain.com/uc/project/?#static_hidden#”

The parameter #static_hidden# ensures that clicking on the SSL link will start thesurvey and not reload the static start page.

Creating a static start page

1. Navigate to the Questionnaire editor menu in your project (project type: anony-mous survey).

2. In the questionnaire view, click on the Edit page properties icon in the first page.

3. Click on the Page properties tab.

4. Tick the Create static start page checkbox and confirm by clicking on Change.

Please note: If you put a finished project with a static start page in to the field againor if you copy or import a project, the start page must be explicitly marked andgenerated as a static start page again.

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Figure 4.17 Creating a static start page

5. In the questionnaire view of the Drag&Drop editor, the static start page is markedby a dedicated icon. In the classic editor, an (S) will be displayed behind the pagename of the page. Both indicate that the static start page has been created and isin use.

Figure 4.18 Static start page in the Drag&Drop editor

6. Continue working with the project as usual. The static start page contents will beautomatically created and adjusted.

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4.5 Standard Pages

4.5.10 Editing Pages

In order to edit a page, click on the title of the page in the questionnaire view. This linkwill automatically take you to the page view which displays the individual questions ofa survey page. Chapter 4.10.1, p. 161 explains how to create and edit questions.

The functions in the page view

Figure 4.19 Page view

The table listing the questions that have already been created provides the followinginformation and editing options:

� coid: the container ID, i.e. the ID of the question component.

� q_id (ID of the question) and question ID (unique identifier based on q_id): bothare unique and will remain intact even when copied. They are used as follows:

– In the reporting, it allows you to define the questions that should be in anevaluation (see Chapter 12.10, p. 514).

– In the pro editor: you can create a specific design for each question using CSS.

� Question title: Clicking on the title will open the question view.

� Question type: see Chapter 4.10.1, p. 161.

� Move: Using the icons you can change the position of a question on the currentpage or move the question to an adjacent page.

� Randomization: The position of all or selected questions on the current page canbe randomly switched from EFS 5.2 and later. To do so in the desired question,activate the checkboxes in this column.

� Actions icons:

– Preview: Opens the page preview.

– Copy

– Copy question and insert into another page: Clicking on this icon will open adialog that allows you to rename the copied question and insert it into anotherpage in a targeted manner.

– Delete

In addition the following tabs are available in page view.

� The Questionnaire tab opens the questionnaire view, providing you with an over-view of all the pages created.

The information that a static start page is in use is also displayed in the overview ofthe Project checks->Project check menu.

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� The Change page properties tab opens the dialog described in Chapter 4.5, p. 131.

� Clicking on the Page preview tab opens a new window presenting a preview of yourdraft.

� The Change order tab allows you to change the order of the questions on a page.

– The “Conr” column shows the position of the question as a numeric value. If,for example, you have created two questions on one page, you can change theirorder by swapping the numbers “1” and “2”. After that, click on the Changebutton for your changes to be accepted.

– When making position changes, you can also have the sort numbers of allaffected questions automatically adjusted. To do so, use the new arrow icons.Clicking on an arrow icon will open a script prompt that allows you to enterthe new position of the respective question. After you have confirmed by cli-cking on OK, the position number will be changed automatically, and the sortnumbers of all subsequent questions affected by the change will also be auto-matically adjusted. Then click on Save. Make the next position change, clickon Save again, etc.

� The Trigger tab allows you to create the triggers described in Chapter 7.5, p. 325.

� The Plausibility check tab allows you to define a plausibility check in order tocheck the respondents’ answers for logical and formal errors. If the plausibilitycheck detects an error during the survey, the respondent will be alerted to the errorand asked to answer the question. (See Chapter 5.14, p. 231, for detailed informa-tion on plausibility checks.)

� In multilingual projects, the Text elements tab opens an entry form in which youcan edit the page’s text elements in the other project languages. See Chapter 15.3,p. 578, for details.

4.6 Mixed-External Pages

With the “mixed-external” page type you can largely determine the positioning of ques-tions on a page using HTML. This enables particularly flexible layout design. Forexample, you can output questions beside one another instead of one after the other.To accomplish this simply generate a table on the questionnaire page with HTML, thenadd the questions in the table cells by wildcard. This gives you precise control overquestion placement.

Example:

You have the following four questions on one questionnaire page.

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4.6 Mixed-External Pages

Figure 4.20 Page preview

Now, however, you want to output two questions per row side by side. This can berealized using a mixed-external page.

Creating a mixed-external page

To create a page of this type, proceed similarly to other page types: Questionnaireeditor->Create new page or filter->type: “Mixed-external page”

Figure 4.21 Mixed-external page created

Creating questions

After creating the mixed-external page, select it from the overview. Your first step nowis to create the desired questions, so that, referring to the example, the page view ofthe mixed-external page will look as shown below.

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Figure 4.22 Page view

The individual questions must be incorporated into the page’s HTML code via wild-cards. Wildcards for questions consist of the REPLACE_COID variable and the ques-tion ID. Therefore, the following wildcard must be used for the first question:#REPLACE_COID_3158#. An HTML input field for entering the HTML code is locatedbelow the questions.

Creating the page

The HTML code you enter into the HTML input field may look as displayed in thefollowing example. It will output the questions in a table with two rows in two cellseach. In addition, the table will be output with blue as its background color.

The HTML code:

001 <table cellspacing="50" cellpadding="1" border="0" bgcolor="#304570" width="800">002 <tr>003 <td width="450px" color="#F00100">#REPLACE_COID_3158#</td>004 <td width="450px">#REPLACE_COID_3159#</td>005 </tr>006 <tr>007 <td align="center"><IMG src="http://your-domain.com/dev/uc/admin/e97a/images/soccer.gif"></td>008 <td width="450px">#REPLACE_COID_3160#</td>009 </tr>010 <tr>011 <td width="450px">#REPLACE_COID_3162#</td>012 <td align="center"> </td>013 </tr>014 </table>

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4.7 Filter

Figure 4.23 Page preview: Mixed-external page

4.7 Filter

If you create a survey page of the “Standard” type, all participants in the survey willautomatically be routed to the next page as soon as they have answered and clicked onthe “Submit” button. Additional questions can be directed at participants, who haveprovided answers which you have specified or at those with specific properties saved inparticipant administration. Other respondents who do not meet the filter criterion willskip these questions.

4.7.1 Example: Routing Selected Participants into a Questionnaire Branch

The following figure shows the questionnaire view of a survey on the subject of leisurebehavior.

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Figure 4.24 Filter pages in the questionnaire view

On the standard page P2, the participants are asked to name their hobbies. Amongothers, they can select the option “Sports”. The following page, entitled “F1 Hobby:Sports” is a filter page which does not contain questions but will, according to theanswers given on P2, let the respondents pass through or re-route them:

� All those respondents who have selected sports will be routed to page P3, which ishierarchically subordinated to, and indented below, filter page F1. This page con-tains a question on the kind of sports.

� For the remaining participants, who do not work out and have accordingly notselected the option “Sports”, the question on P3 would be of no interest. Theserespondents will be routed directly “P4 Pets”.

To trace this example in practice, please proceed as follows:

1. After page 2, which is a question of the “Standard” type, create a new page 3 withthe “Filter” type. This page is entitled “F1 Hobby: Sports” because the filter willonly send the respondents on to P3 if they have selected the option “Sports”.

2. After its creation, the new filter page will appear in the questionnaire view. Cli-cking on the title will open the EFS condition editor.

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4.7 Filter

Figure 4.25 The condition editor

3. In the “Variables” drop-down list, select the variable which contains the informa-tion if the participants have selected the option “Sports”, when asked to name theirhobbies. In the example project, this is “v_1”.

4. In the “Condition” drop-down list, select “equal”.

5. As soon as you have selected a variable, its possible characteristics are displayed inthe “Code” field. In this case, these are “quoted” (1) und “not quoted” (0) (thequestion is a multiple response list). Select “quoted” (1). I.e. the value of “v_8”must equal 1 to activate the filter and route the participants into the filter branch.Thus, in this case, the filter definition is that the value of the selected variable mustbe equal to “1” for the filter to be activated.

Figure 4.26 Defining a filter condition

6. Save the filter condition.

If you are working on your first project, or if your project is quite complex, click onthe Codebook menu item: The codebook lists all variables, including their charac-teristics and labels. See Chapter 14.2, p. 559.

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Figure 4.27 The saved filter condition

7. The new filter condition is listed as current filter definition.

8. Click on the Back to questionnaire menu item to return to the questionnaire viewof your survey.

9. Create page P3. It should be indented below the filter.

– If you use the Create new page or filter icon in the row of the filter page F1, P3will be indented automatically.

– If you use the Create new page or filter tab, the new page will be placed on themain level. But you can drag it into the filter branch easily.

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4.7 Filter

Figure 4.28 Dragging a page into the filter branch

10. The following page P4 should be placed in the main level of the questionnaire.

4.7.2 Possible Filter Applications

Selecting different filters determines the type of routing. The filters themselves routerespondents from a main level to further sublevels. Depending on the answer, the “Fil-ter” page type will route the participant to the next page or cause them to skip pages.

Figure 4.29 Filter flowchart

The flowchart describes the following example situation:

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

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� Filter 1 is located on the main level of page 1. If the filter condition is met, or“true”, the pages on the sublevel of this filter will be displayed. In the example, thiswould be page 2. If the condition of filter 1 is not met, the respondent will be takendirectly to page 5 and then page 6, without any further action.

� Here, another filter (filter 2) containing a further condition has been set afterpage 2. If this condition is met, page 3 (on sublevel 2) will be displayed, followedby page 4 (sublevel 1). If the condition is not met, the respondent will be takendirectly to page 4.

The filtering in a survey can be constructed from any number of filters on any numberof levels. Nesting of the other page types with filters is also possible.

4.7.3 Defining Conditions for Filters and Other Dynamic Features

This chapter introduces you to the condition editor of EFS. It is used not only withfilters, but also with hiding conditions, triggers, and other dynamic functions.

� The first section walks you through the definition process for a condition.

� Afterwards, the various features and rules to be observed are presented.

1. Defining a condition

Please proceed as follows:

1. After you have created a new page of the “Filter” type, it will be displayed in thequestionnaire view. Click on the page title to open the condition editor.

Figure 4.30 Creating a condition

2. Creating a condition requires the following settings:

– Negation: You can negate the following condition by ticking the checkbox inthis column. Please note, the usual rules of logic apply to the use of brackets,see Section ”6. Using brackets”, p. 153: usually you will want to combine thenegation with brackets to guarantee meaningful results.

– Variables: The drop-down list is used to set the variable. An overview of thevariables that can be used is given in Section ”2. Variables available for filte-ring”, p. 150).

– Condition: In this column, a logical operator is selected. An overview of theoperators is given in Section ”3. Logical Operators”, p. 151.

– Code: This column is used to enter the corresponding answer value. Furtherinformation on this can be found in Section ”4. Selecting Codes”, p. 152.

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4.7 Filter

3. The condition will not be finally saved until you click on the Save button.

Figure 4.31 The saved condition

4. You can make a filter definition as complex as you wish by adding further conditi-ons and creating conjunctions between them. To do so, use the new empty condi-tion row that is displayed after the first condition has been saved: Fill in this rowas explained above.

5. Create conjunctions between the conditions: To do so, select AND or OR from the“Conjunction” drop-down list. See Section ”5. Conjunctions with AND and OR”,p. 152.

6. If required, you can change the processing order using brackets. See Section ”6.Using brackets”, p. 153.

7. Click on Save again. The next new condition row will be displayed enabling you toexpand your definition step-by-step by adding several conditions, if required.

The figure below shows a complex filter definition with conjunctions and brackets.

You can remove a superfluous condition by ticking the checkbox in the “Delete”column and then clicking on Save.

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Figure 4.32 Complex filter condition

2. Variables available for filtering

The following variables can be used as the starting basis for filtering:

� Project variables (v_000n)

� URL parameters (c_000n)

� User-defined variables (p_000n)

� System variables: quota, language, output_mode, javascript, flash, user_agent.(The availability depends on project type, project configuration, activated extensi-ons etc.)

� List element number

� Initial size of the list being used: Refers to the size of the list after checking theinclusion conditions for the individual elements (see Chapter 7.3.1, p. 301). Thepossibilities for further query specific restrictions described in Chapter 7.3.4,p. 310 have not been taken into account.

� Loop number: Number of times a loop runs. Initially, this filter option does notallocate to which list element each loop cycle will relate. The number refers to theposition of the cycle in the dynamically generated sequence.

� For personalized projects: Participant variables, see Table 10.4.

� For EFS Panel installations: Participant variables containing the data of the pane-lists, see Table 10.4.

� For EFS Panel installations: Master data variables (m_000n, md_000n)

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4.7 Filter

� For Employee surveys: Org Processor data, see EFS Employee project managersmanual 8.0, Chapter 2.4.1 for details.

– org_code_structureID (Primary Structure.OrgCodePreAllocation): Unit in thenamed structure to which the participants have been allocated. E.g.org_code_1 is the unit of the participants in the primary view (structure ID =1).

– org_allocation_structureID (Primary Structure.OrgCodeSelfAllocation): Unitin the named structure to which the participants have allocated themselves.E.g. org_allocation_1 is the self-allocated unit of the participants in the pri-mary view (structure ID = 1) (Please note that self-allocation requires specialprogramming.)

– org_function_structureID (Primary Structure.OrgFunction): Function of aparticipant in the named structure. E.g. org_function_1 is the function of theparticipant in the primary structure (Struktur-ID = 1).

3. Logical Operators

The following operators can be used:

The Codebook, which can be opened in a second window by clicking on the corres-ponding menu item, contains a detailed breakdown of the variables and codes forthe respective project.

Operator Symbol Meaning

greater > Greater than “answer value x”

greater equal >= Greater than or equal to “answer value x”

equal == Equal to “answer value x”

less equal >= Less than or equal to “answer value x”

less < Less than “answer value x”

unequal != Unequal (“answer value x” is excepted)

contains contains Used primarily for filtering via texts, see the following notes on coding when filtering via content from the participant adminis-tration. Produces all texts that contain the entered text ele-ment, for example when filtering for “cd” “abcde” will also be filtered out. Filtering is case sensitive, blank spaces will be regarded as an incorrect entry. Umlauts can be used.

contains any contains any Firstly, you can use this condition to check whether an entry contains one of several specified elements. Example: Entering “22” would fulfill the condition “contains any = 11,22,33”, whereas entering “123” or “122” would not. Secondly, you can use this condition to identify a specific element in an entry that consists of multiple elements, such as a phone number. Example: Entering “0229-1234” would fulfill the condition “contains any = 1234”, whereas entering “0229-12345” would not. Acceptable separators are comma, apostrophe, “-“ and “|”.

matches regex matches regex Regular expressions can be used in the filter condition. They must be enclosed in slashes.

For Employee surveys: in

For Employee surveys: in

The variable selected must contain the organizational unit named in the “code” field.

Table 4.4 Filter operators

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4. Selecting Codes

The condition editor helps you to select suitable codes.

� If the data type of the selected variable includes codes resp. characteristics, thesecodes resp. characteristics are automatically offered in the “Code” field. All youneed to do is select the appropriate code.

� For variables of data type “text”, you have to enter the code value for the conditionyourself. This may happen, for example, if a free entry field is used to query a staffnumber or a zip code, or if the condition refers to a participant variable of type“text”.

� For variables of data type “text”, the filtering is case sensitive. Blank spaces will beregarded as an incorrect entry. Umlauts can be used.

� If you wish to identify participants who did not enter anything in a specific textfield, leave the “code” field empty. If, for example, all participants who left the v_1text field empty are taken to an additional page below the filter, the condition couldbe “v_1 equal ”. (The condition “v_1 equal 0” would not work: Due to the predefi-ned code “0”, the software expects a number that is not equal to 0. If the respon-dent enters a text, PHP classifies this as 0.)

5. Conjunctions with AND and OR

A filter is designed to only route a participant to a subpage if they simultaneously meettwo conditions resulting from two different questions. To achieve this, you must set atleast two filter definitions and create an AND conjunction between them.

If you create an OR conjunction between the filter conditions, the subpage below thefilter will be shown to the respondent if they meet the condition resulting from onequestion or the other. You can place the filter page anywhere within the page layout aslong as the filter is created after the questions to which it refers.

For Employee surveys: in or below

For Employee surveys: in or below

The variable selected must contain either the variable named in the “code” field or one of its subunits.

Please note: Using filters on open answers is generally problematic. It is virtuallyimpossible to predict what participants will enter – on the other hand you can onlycorrectly formulate filter conditions if you know which data type is to be expectedas input, for example. You should therefore use plausibility checks (Chapter 5.14,p. 231) or type checks (Chapter 5.15, p. 247) to restrict input options from the out-set. If, for example, you ask for a percentage and then want to filter the value, anumbers-only check allows you to make sure that participants have not enteredtexts or negative numbers.

It is recommended to use not more than 100 AND/OR conjunctions.

Tip: Many filters that require a lot of effort when working with EFS standard filterdefinitions or alternative filter conditions can be realized more easily and more effi-ciently with LUA (Chapter 4.7.8, p. 158).

(cont.)Operator (cont.)Symbol Meaning

Table 4.4 Filter operators

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4.7 Filter

6. Using brackets

You can specify user-defined brackets in the condition editor. The usual rules of logicapply. This means, in particular:

Without brackets AND conjunctions will always take priority over OR conjunctions.

� For example, “v_1=1 AND v_2=0 OR v_3=1” will be processed as “(v_1=1 ANDv_2=0) OR v_3=1”.

� If you want the condition to be processed as “v_1=1 AND (v_2=0 OR v_3=1)”, youmust insert the corresponding brackets.

Without brackets, negation will always take priority over anything else. Therefore, inmost cases negation must be combined with brackets:

� If you want to negate v_1 > 0 explizitly, for example, the syntax is : !(v_1 > 0).

� Without brackets, the condition !v_1 > 0 would be processed as (!v_1) > 0. I.e. firstthe system would check if the variable has one of the two values 0, 1 permitted bybollean logic. Such a check is possible, but in context of the situation in the con-dition editor, it is usually not intended by the user. For variables with more cha-racteristics, the boolean check does not make any sense. In the second step, thecondition >0 is be applied to the result.

� I.e. when using negation in the condition editor, usually you will want to use bra-ckets to guarantee meaningful results. Alternatively, in many cases it is possible toreplace the negation by other operators and additional conjunctions.

If you have inserted incorrect, i.e. incomplete, brackets, an error message will be dis-played on saving, indicating that the filter as such has been saved, but not the brackets.This means:

� The condition editor will continue to display the brackets, giving you an opportu-nity to locate and correct the error.

� If you ignore the error message and leave the incorrect brackets unchanged, thedatabase will not consider the incorrect brackets when processing the data, butproceed according to the usual rules (with AND always taking priority over OR).

Please mind: brackets which do not fulfill the intention of the author, but establish alogically meaningful syntax, cannot be identified automatically.

4.7.4 Viewing the Filters of a Project

You can use the Filter list menu link to display an overview of all the filters in a specificproject. The display contains the respective variables and the questions the filter refersto as well as the defined characteristics.

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Figure 4.33 Filter list

4.7.5 Testing Filters

Before conducting a test survey, you can test the functionality of your filters. To do so,please proceed as follows:

1. Open the Questionnaire editor->Filter list menu.

2. In the “Test” column, you can invoke the function test separately for each filter byclicking on the test tube icon.

Figure 4.34 Conducting a filter test

3. In the filter test dialog, enter the variable characteristics for which the filter is tobe triggered resp. is not to be triggered into the text fields provided. (The numberof text fields depends on the number of filter variables.)

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4.7 Filter

Figure 4.35 Conducting a filter test

4. Then, click on Test to run the filter test.

Figure 4.36 Filter test result

5. Check in the newly-opened results section whether the filter is functioning asexpected.

6. After successful end of the test, change the filter’s test status in order to mark thosefilters that function correctly for your further work.

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Figure 4.37 Changing the filter status

7. After that, click on Change status to assign the respective new status to the filter.

4.7.6 Identifying Structural Problems in a Condition

The Show variable sources function in the condition editor helps to identify mistakesin the structure of the questionnaire.

� The ocher-colored pages contain variables which are used in the current condition.

� The page on which the condition is checked is displayed in blue.

� If you use a variable which is not filled yet when the condition is checked, it will behighlighted in red.

In the example shown below, the variable sources of filter F2 from Chapter 4.7.3, p. 148are displayed. It is obvious that P4, which contains the question related to v_11, hasmistakenly been moved to a wrong position in the questionnaire, and that the filtercannot work properly. The question on pets is now placed behind the filter branch - butthe answer is needed initially for the filter condition.

Figure 4.38 Viewing the variable sources for a filter page

4.7.7 Entering Condition Code Directly

EFS offers experienced users the option to write their own condition code. This isuseful, for example, if you want to combine different conditions.

1. Syntax

The following rules apply:

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4.7 Filter

� Please use only internal variable names (v_xxx). External or long variable namescannot be used.

� Conjunctions must be separated by brackets

2. Defining alternative conditions

If you wish to enter the condition code yourself, you need to create a page of the “Fil-ter” type as described above. A click on the page title will take you to the conditioneditor. There you will find the input field for the condition code on the Alternativefilter definition tab.

3. Example for using brackets

The condition “Item1=1 OR Item1=2 AND Item2=3 AND Item2=4” will be grouped byconjunctions using brackets. The problem here is to identify the conjunctions whichseparate the various groups. In this example there are two groups: The first is“Item1=1 OR Item1=2” and the second “Item2=3 AND Item2=4”. Therefore, the con-junction between the groups is the second “AND”.

This means that the two groups must be put in brackets and the group conjunctionmust be left open:

(Item1=1 OR Item1=2) AND (Item2=3 AND Item2=4)

If you wish to create an “OR” conjunction between the groups, the entire filter mustbe put in brackets. Without surrounding brackets, the filter might be triggered even ifnone of the criteria is met.

((Item1=1 OR Item1=2) OR (Item2=3 AND Item2=4))

4. Count function (count[x])

You can use the alternative condition editor to define filter, hiding and list conditions,which query how many completed interviews meet a specific condition so far. Forexample, a questionnaire page can be hidden once a question on it has been answeredin more than 50 completed interviews.

The corresponding function is only available in the alternate condition editor. It is asfollows:

count['condition definition']

The condition can be formulated according to the usual logical rules for filter definiti-ons. All survey variables and logical operators can be used. Please note the following:

� Unlike the usual filter conditions, the function does not refer to the behavior of theparticipant responding, but to the completed interviews of other participants.

� The condition must be enclosed in squared brackets and quotation marks.

Example

As soon as more than 10 survey participants have answered a question about a specificproduct A (e.g. v_1>0), all subsequent participants are to be redirected to a question-

Please note: Use of the count function may significantly affect the server’s perfor-mance. Therefore, please use it economically. Also, please check if your conditioncan be realized more easily and more efficiently with LUA (Chapter 4.7.8, p. 158).

When using the count function in list conditions, in particular, it is recommendedto use it not more than 50 times.

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naire page containing a question about another product B. The following functionmust be entered in the alternate filter editor:

count['v_1>0']=10

4.7.8 Using LUA for Conditions

From EFS 7.0 on, a new filter type is available: the LUA filter. LUA is a scripting langu-age which offers users with programming skills more freedom and convenience:

� Many filters that required a lot of effort when working with EFS standard filterdefinitions or alternative filter conditions in the past can now be realized moreeasily and more efficiently with LUA. There is, for example, a function which con-siderably simplifies the handling of system missings.

� Highly complex filter conditions can be mapped more easily.

Before you start

Please note:

� Various help features are available if you want to try out the LUA filters:

– A dedicated message system allows to identify errors that occur while the sur-vey is processed (see Chapter 9.8, p. 398).

– In the customer center, you can download a collection of examples of LUA filterdefinitions.

� You can switch from a standard filter definition to a LUA condition or to an alter-native filter condition without loss of information. Please bear in mind, though,that a return or a switch between LUA and alternative filter condition will requirea redefinition of the condition.

1. LUA in EFS

Detailed information on the LUA scripting language can be found on the official home-page at http://www.lua.org/

The LUA implemented in EFS differs from the standard scope of the scripting languagein some respects.

� The following modules have been disabled: debug, coroutine, package, io, os.

� The following functions have been disabled: rawequal, rawget, rawset, dofile, load,loadfile, require.

� The following functions are EFS specific:

– time (os.time): Standard function usually located in the disabled os module.

– date (os.time): Standard function usually located in the disabled os module.

– string.len: Determines the number of characters in a string (unicode) insteadof the number of bytes. Please note that the # operator has not been modifiedin this way, i.e. it still determines the number of bytes.

� Another EFS-specific feature is the module rex_pcre (see http://lrexlib.luaforge.net/manual.html). Please note that only the module pcre is available.

2. Defining LUA filter conditions

Locate the desired filter, open the condition editor and go to the LUA filter tab.

Above the input field, the available API functions are listed.

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4.8 Random Selection of Questionnaire Pages

Figure 4.39 Input field for the LUA filter definition

4.8 Random Selection of Questionnaire Pages

In this case, the participants will be routed randomly.

Figure 4.40 Logic with “Random selected”

Page 1 is located on the main level, followed by a page of the “Random selected” type.The sublevel of this page contains two pages (in this example, page 2 and page 3). Thesurvey is routed as follows: After completion of page 1, one of the subpages of the “Ran-dom selected” page will be randomly selected. In the example, either page 2 or page 3will be displayed. After the selected page has been sent, the respondent will continueon page 4. Again, any number of page levels and types can be nested here.

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4.8.1 Repeating the Random Selection on Re-load

You can specify whether the random selection is to be repeated when a page in the“Random selected” branch is reloaded:

Click on the Edit page icon located in the questionnaire view for the “Random selec-ted” page. In the drop-down list labeled “Behavior when reloading a page” you canchoose whether the random selection will be repeated or not.

The default setting is “Re-execute random selection”.

4.8.2 Selecting m out of n Pages

Optionally, you can present m out of n randomly selected pages to the respondents. Ina product test, for example, it is possible to select randomly five out of twenty pages onwhich different concepts are presented and present them to the respondents. It is stillpossible to use “m out of n” selection with complex structures containing nested “Ran-dom selected” pages and filter blocks.

Click on the Edit page icon located in the questionnaire view for the “Random selec-ted” page. You can enter in the field “Number of pages in random selection” how manypages of the “Random selected” block will be randomly selected and displayed.

By default, a value of 1 is set.

4.8.3 Filters in “Random Select” Branches

If a “Random select” branch contains a filter whose condition is not met, the randomselection will be repeated until

� a page without filters is found,

� a filter whose condition is met is found or

� all subpages have been tried without a filter being met.

To find out which pages of a random select block a participant has seen, check thecontent of the variable “rnd_pg_PGID” in the export file. See Table 13.2.

Please note: random selection is not a uniform distribution.

If a “Random select” branch contains a second “Random select” branch which inturn contains filters, the following complication may occur:

The first “Random select” process selects the second “Random select” branch fromthe various options. The random selection initiated by the second branch, in turn,finds a filter whose condition is not met. In this case, the entire “Random select”process will be aborted, and the survey will be continued on the main level.

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4.9 Random Rotation of Survey Pages

4.9 Random Rotation of Survey Pages

Figure 4.41 Logic with “Random rotation”

The page type “Random rotation” displays all subpages located on the sublevel of the“Random rotation” page in random order. Here again, any number of nestings is pos-sible.

4.10 Creating and Editing Questions

4.10.1 Creating a New Question and Selecting the Question Type

You can now create the individual questions that are to appear on the page you set up,step for step.

Choosing a title

Enter the desired title into the input field in the “Title” column. This should not be theexact wording of the question yet, but only a title for internal use that relates to thecontent of the question, e.g. “job”.

Selecting the question type or loading the question from the library

After that, you have two options for selecting the question type:

To find out in which order a participant has seen the pages of a random rotationblock, check the content of the variables “rnd_pg_PGID_NR” in the export file(Table 13.2).

If questionnaire pages contain only one question, the question title will frequentlybe identical to the page title. Therefore, you can have the system default the pagetitle as a suggested title for the first question on each page. To do so, go to the Staff->Own account->Preferences menu, open the Behavior of the questionnaire editortab and activate the option “When creating the first question on a page, automati-cally suggest the page title as the question title” (Chapter 16.4.1, p. 617).

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� You can use the drop-down list to specify the desired question type. The list ofquestion types is organized in groups for easier access. Click on a group to view thelist of corresponding question types. When scrolling over the question types sche-mata will be immediately displayed in the drop-down list. This makes it easy to findthe appropriate design. Then, create the question by clicking on Save.

Figure 4.42 Selecting the question type from the drop-down list

� Alternatively, you can invoke a list containing schemata of all question types viathe Detail view question types icon. Select the desired question type and thenconfirm by clicking on Create.

If you prefer working with the old drop-down list, you can deactivate the Ajax drop-down list. See Table 16.18.

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Figure 4.43 Selecting the question type from the detail view

� Instead of creating new questions, you can also draw on a question that has alreadybeen archived to the library. To do so, click on the Load a new question fromlibrary icon. See Chapter 6.4.2, p. 276, for further information on using the ques-tion library.

Changing question properties

You can change the title and type of a question retrospectively

� Changing the title: Switch to the question view. Enter the new title in the “Ques-tion title” field. If this field is not visible click on the More icon as described inChapter 4.10.3, p. 164 and display the field.

� Changing type: Switch to the question view, and click on the Change question typetab. In this dialog you can change the question title, number and type.

Deleting questions

Questions already created can be removed by clicking on the Delete icon.

4.10.2 Editing Questions

After creating a new question, you are automatically taken to the question view. If youwish to edit an existing question, simply click on its title in the page view.

The question types are described in detail from Chapter 5.1, p. 175, and a list of thevarious question types is located in the appendix to this manual in Chapter 18.5,p. 645.

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Figure 4.44 The question view of a question with a single response list (question type 111)

In the question view’s entry form, which can contain different input fields and func-tions depending on the question type, you can enter your question text with the relateditems and make question-specific settings.

4.10.3 Showing and Hiding Question Options

The “Question options” section of the question view has become very extensive, due toa corresponding increase in the number of setting options and specific features forindividual question types (see Chapter 4.10.4, p. 166). This is remedied using layers

You can use HTML to layout the question text, fill-in instruction, help text and ans-wer options or to insert images.

You should use the option to manually format individual questions with care. Whe-reever possible, use the layout features of standard and pro editor (see Chapter 8,p. 351) instead: it increases uniform appearance and reduces the maintenance effortin case of changes.

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that react dynamically: Thus, rarely used options can be shown and hidden as required.The saved settings will be valid for the entire project.

Showing and hiding setting options

1. Switch to the question view, and click on the More icon.

Figure 4.45 Showing additional options using the “More” icon

2. A layer containing the hidden options will open. As soon as you enable a feature, itwill be shown in the question view. Saving is not necessary. To close the layer, clickon the x icon.

Figure 4.46 Enabling and disabling options

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Configuring your own default settings

If you usually work with a constant set of question options, you can make these thedefault setting in the Staff->Own account->Preferences menu on the Display ofquestionnaire editor tab.

4.10.4 Overview of the Functions in the Question View

Depending on the question type, the entry form contains different functions; the tabsyou find in the question editor may also vary. The following tables give you an overviewof which feature you will normally find and can use with common question types suchas single or multiple response lists.

Question options

Please note: Older versions of Internet Explorer cannot display the pop-up windowscorrectly. If a window is positioned over a drop-down box, the box will shinethrough. Therefore, pop-up windows can be moved.

Feature Description Details

Question title This field contains the title of the question.

Question text In this field, you can enter the question text as it will appear on the website.

Fill-in instruction Here you can insert explanatory notes on answering the ques-tion, e.g. “Multiple answers possible”. If you do not need a fill-in instruction, please delete the standard text (“Here you exp-lain...”) from the corresponding input field.

Help text Individual questions give respondents the option of invoking a help pop-up window. Here, you can enter the help text that is to appear in the pop-up window later.

Mark question as “protected”

You can protect respondents’ answers to the current question against unauthorized viewing.


Hiding condition for this question

Depending on the answers the respondent has previously given, you can hide the question. To define the conditions, click on the Edit hiding condition link.


Activate horizon-tal / vertical flip-ping of answers

This function offers an alternative to randomization: The ques-tion’s items will be mirrored on the horizontal (vertical flipping) or the vertical (horizontal flipping) centerline.

See Chapter 5.11.5, p. 226

Mandatory (dac) If you tick the “Mandatory” checkbox, EFS Survey will automati-cally check to see whether the respondent has answered this question. If this is not the case, an appropriate message will be displayed. (The message is listed in Table 3.11.)Please note: In the case of matrix questions, selecting this func-tion will only ensure that at least any one item will be answered. You can force respondents to answer several items or all items by ticking the checkboxes in the “dac” column in the “Answer options” section of the entry form.


Alternate colors If this function is activated, answer options and inside titles will have alternating background colors (white and grey) to improve readability.

Table 4.5 Question options

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Dynamic answers

Answer options

Dynamic column text wrap after x answers

After the selected number of answer options has been reached the list wraps and a new column begins. This function is particu-larly well suited for use in combination with hiding conditions on item level or randomization, i.e. for situations in which “New column” (see Table 4.7) is too static.

Number of items visible

This field allows you to specify how many of the existing items are to be displayed: • With the default setting, “0”, all items will be displayed.• If you enter a number that is less than the actual number of

existing items, the selection will be made by counting off the existing items from the top.

Using this function is particularly recommended when combined with item randomization (see Table 4.7) because the randomiza-tion produces varying item combinations.If the function is used in combination with hiding conditions at the item level (see Chapter 5.16.2, p. 250), the output of the questionnaire page will be done by first considering the hiding conditions. Only after that will the number be limited.

Wrap item text If this option has been enabled, long answer texts will be wrap-ped automatically.This feature can be used with the question types 111, 112, 113, 121, 122 and 144.


Dynamic ans-wers

If the answers are to be dynamically read from a list, you can make the corresponding settings in this area.

see Chapter 7.3.3, p. 308

Table 4.6 The section “Dynamic answers”


No When creating the items, the numbering is automatically assig-ned by the system. You may change the numbering, but the changed numbering should be unique. If the numbering you assigned is not unique, an automatic, uni-que numbering will be assigned.

Table 4.7 Input fields and functions in the “Answer options” section of the entry form

(cont.)Feature Description Details

Table 4.5 Question options

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Code Serves to identify a characteristic for questions with a single response list and matrix questions. An overview of all encodings is provided in the codebook, see Chapter 14.2, p. 559.• You can edit the encoding. However, you should never do this

while the survey is in progress because otherwise, the enco-ded information will be lost or it will no longer be possible to assign it correctly. Filters and other functions that are based on codes can also be damaged.

• When defining codes in matrix questions, please note that code “0” is disabled for scale items, except for question types 351, 361 and 364. Code “0” is normally used for questions types 361 and 364 to generate the “Please select” scale cha-racteristic: This allows you to track whether participants have responded to the question.

New To create a new answer option, enter a new answer or item text into the “New” row. The sort number or the code (depending on the question type) will then be assigned automatically.

Arrow icons Used to re-sort the answer options.Clicking on the arrow icon in front of an answer option will open a script prompt. Enter the desired new position for the item. After you have confirmed by clicking on OK, the position number will be changed automatically, and the numbers of all subsequent items will be corrected accordingly. Then click on Save. Make the next position change, click on Save again, etc.

Answer text / Item text

Enter the answer options (answer categories or answer items) in this field. • By default there are five preset options. However, you can

expand or reduce the number as you wish. • If you need more than the pre-created options, simply enter in

the “New” row the text for the next option, select the type and Save.

• You can remove redundant items by ticking the option “Delete” and then Save.

Up to 100 answer options can be created for a single question. For some question types, less options are available, to guarantee an appealing design. Please mind advice given in Chapter 5, p. 175 regarding this matter. The answer text may have up to 10,000 characters. But please keep in mind that overlong texts may negatively affect the appearance of the question.

Type You can choose the type of new answer option in this field. The following options are available:• Answer category• Answer category + text (see Chapter 5.10, p. 217)• Inside title (see Chapter 5.9.1, p. 216)With 5xx-er questions, you can instead choose between image and HTML (see Chapter 5.8.2, p. 210)

Missing value This option allows you to create a separate answer category, such as the answer “Other”. This will, therefore, enable the respondent to indicate that none of the possible answers apply to them. Ticking the “Missing value” checkbox for an item marks the item as a “missing value” in the online statistics. (Caution: When exporting the data, e.g. as an SPSS file, any declaration as “Missing” must be performed again.)



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Tabs

Randomization The order of the selected answer options will be changed ran-domly so that the respondents will see different arrangements.The extension “Grouping” enables you to randomize item groups, see Chapter 5.11.4, p. 220.


New column This option allows you to show an answer category for your question in a separate column. This is especially suitable if you wish to offer an additional text field, separated from the answer categories.

dac By selecting this function, you can ensure that, for matrix ques-tions and questions with multiple response lists, individual items, several items or all items must be answered.


Delete The “Delete” option allows you to reduce the number of possible answers to the question as much as you wish.

All the modifications described above will only be performed if you click the Savebutton after entering them.


Questionnaire This function returns you to the overview of all the pages in your survey.

Page This function displays all the question titles of the page you are currently editing, instead of only one question as with “Preview question”.If you feel that the selected question type is not adequate, you can use the Change question type link to modify it according to your wishes.

Preview ques-tion

If you want to see a preview of the question, the Preview question link at the top of the screen allows you to do so. The window that opens will now only contain the current question, as opposed to the whole page as displayed in the Page preview.

Change question type

This function allows you to change a question type to another without having to create the whole question again.You can only change the existing question type to the ones dis-played in the drop-down list. Select the desired question type and click on Change.Please note that various special settings cannot be transferred when changing the question type. For example, hiding conditi-ons and type checks will be lost.

Scale library Selecting this function allows you to insert a previously created answer scale into the question.


Add to library This function allows you to copy a finished question into the question library.


Wildcards Clicking on this tab allows you to insert a previously created wildcard into a question or answer field in the entry form.


Table 4.8 Functions of the tabs in the question view



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4.11 The Preview

When creating and editing the questionnaire, it is helpful to be able to directly monitorthe impact the changes have on the questionnaire’s appearance. Via tabs and Previewicons, located at all important places in the admin area, you can preview the followingin a pop-up window:

� the respective question (“Preview question”)

� the respective questionnaire page (“Page preview”)

Figure 4.47 The “Preview” icon

Differences between preview mode and productive mode

The difference between the preview and the normal project run-through is that thedata collected are not saved to the database but to the so-called session table. This is adatabase table that will be cleared when you log out. This prevents contamination ofthe results tables with test data.

Thus, the preview does not support all of the features available for use in the productivemode.

� The progress bar is not calculated accurately.

� For triggers, you can decide yourself whether they should be executed in the pre-view. See Chapter 7.5.2, p. 329.

� Dynamic output of content via wildcards (see Chapter 7.2.1, p. 297) cannot be tes-ted in preview mode, as data generated in the preview cannot be allocated to aparticipant account and dataset.

In order to keep you informed on whether you are working in preview mode or pro-ductive mode, the preview shows a corresponding notice in the upper right corner.

Figure 4.48 The preview notice

4.11.1 Viewing Runtime Error Messages in Preview

EFS features a runtime check for checking the conditions of LUA filters and quotas inthe course of the survey. If an error occurs while testing in preview mode, an exclama-tion mark will be displayed in the preview note. Move your mouse pointer over thisicon to display the error message.

Before starting your project, be sure to also test it via the “normal” project URL,which is located in the project information dialog.

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4.11 The Preview

Figure 4.49 Error message in preview

4.11.2 Displaying Items Hidden in the Preview

If you click the icon for hiding conditions in the preview notice, hidden items will bedisplayed with a highlight color.

Figure 4.50 Making hidden items visible in the preview

4.11.3 Jumping to Other Pages

Instead of going through the whole questionnaire in the preview, you can navigatedirectly to individual pages. For this purpose, a “Select page” drop-down list can bedisplayed in the preview note, from which you can choose the desired target page. Thechange is performed automatically.

This function is activated respectively deactivated via the “Allow direct jumping to anypage of the survey” drop-down list in the Project properties menu. By selecting theappropriate options

� disabled

� display for all participants

� display for testers only

you can define which target groups should be able to use it and where.

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5 Question Types and Advanced Functions

5.1 Question Types with a Single Response List . . . . . . . . . . 175

5.2 Question Types with a Multiple Response List . . . . . . . . . 183

5.3 Question Types for Open-Ended Questions. . . . . . . . . . . . 185

5.4 Matrix Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189

5.5 Sliders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200

5.6 User-Defined Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203

5.7 Text and HTML Code. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206

5.8 Multimedia Question Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208

5.9 Structuring Answer Options Clearly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216

5.10 Using “Other” Text Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217

5.11 Randomly Changing the Sequence of Questions, Answers and Scale Items218

5.12 Enforcing Answers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227

5.13 Making Checkboxes Exclusive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230

5.14 Validating the Plausibility of Answers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231

5.15 Validating Open-Ended Answers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247

5.16 Hiding Questions and Answer Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249

5.17 Integrating Multimedia Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251

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5.1 Question Types with a Single Response List


This Chapter describes the question types of EFS in detail (Chapters 5.1, p. 175, to 5.7,p. 206). After that, you will be introduced to various additional functions which can beused with all or many question types, such as hiding conditions, plausibility checksand mandatory questions. The last chapter deals with incorporating multimedia ele-ments into a questionnaire (Chapter 5.17, p. 251).


Question types with a single response list are used to individually query one featurewith different attributes. The difference between the question types is in the presenta-tion of the feature. Most question types allow you to supplement the information gai-ned by following up with one or more open-ended questions. To improve visualpresentation, question type 111 allows you to insert inside titles.

5.1.1 Single Response List (Vertical) (Type 111)

This question type can be used to ask questions to which there is only one possiblecorrect answer. The following is an example from a master data query.

Figure 5.1 Question type 111 in the questionnaire

Elements

This question type has the following content elements:

� Question text

� Fill-in instruction

� Help text

� Answer categories 1-n

� Optional: Answer category with text entry field (see Chapter 5.10, p. 217)

� Optional: Inside titles 1-m (see Chapter 5.9.1, p. 216)

� Optional: Columns 1-o

A detailed documentation of the Flash question types is available from customercenter at http://my.globalpark.com.

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Entry dialog

The admin screen that was used to create this question looks as follows:

Figure 5.2 Question type 111 in the questionnaire editor

5.1.2 Single Response List (Horizontal) (Types 112, 113)

The main difference between question types 112/113 and question type 111, which wasdescribed in the preceding section, is in their layout:

� Question type 112 Single response list (horizontal): Answer categories and relatedradio buttons are arranged horizontally in one line.

� Question type 113 Single response list (scale above): The radio buttons are arran-ged horizontally, with the respective answers above them.

See Chapter 18.5, p. 645, for illustrations of these question types.

Please note that these two question types do not allow the creation of several columnsand the incorporation of inside titles and “Other” fields.

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5.1.3 Closed Response List (Type 131)

With questions with closed response lists, issues will be examined, for which there isonly one possible correct answer.

Figure 5.3 Closed response list in the questionnaire

Elements

The base elements are identical with the elements in the question type 111:

� Question text


� Help text



It is not possible to create inside titles or several columns.

Entry dialog and question options

The entry dialog for configuring a closed response list is on the whole identical withthe entry dialog for question type 111, as shown in Figure 5.2. However the type“Inside title” and the column “New column” are missing.

The question type-specific question options are also largely identical, only “Dynamiccolumn text wrap” and “Wrap item text” are missing. Characteristic for question type131 and the following question type 132 is that the select box can be placed within, infront of or behind a text. To do so simply enter the desired text in the “Text around theselect box” field and place the “%s” wildcard where you wish to insert the box into thetext. See Chapter 5.10.2, p. 217.

With question type 113, you have the option of modifying the area between the scaleand the answer block by inserting an additional template, e.g. to change the dis-tance. See Chapter 8.5.3, p. 375, for further explanations.

Caution: With a closed drop-down list of type 131, you should always use an answercategory called “Please select” with code “0”. This will help you to track, duringevaluation, whether or not a participant has answered the question.

The Mandatory function will only work in connection with question type 131 if ananswer category called “Please select” with code “0” exists (see Chapter 5.12,p. 227).

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5.1.4 Example: Using Self-Programmed JavaScript Events

The following example shows how self-programmed JavaScript events can be used tocustomize the behavior of question types.

The question you wish to create is of the type 131 with a drop down list and a text field.The text field is read-only per default. If the respondent selects the “Other” option, theread-only text field will change its color from gray to white and allow writing. If therespondent switches back to another option in the selection list, the text field will againbe displayed in gray and as read-only.

Figure 5.4 Question

Figure 5.5 Read-only text field for “Option 1”

Figure 5.6 Write protection disabled for “Other” option

To create this, please proceed as follows:

1. In the editor, create question of the type 131 “Closed response list”.

2. Add a text field to the question, and encode it as “999”.

Figure 5.7 Encoding the “Other” field

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3. On the same questionnaire page, create a question of the HTML type. Enter thefollowing HTML code:

001 <script type="text/javascript">002 029 </script>

4. Go back to the question of the type 131. Select the Special options tab, which isnow additionally displayed. Enter code that will invoke the function when a certainevent occurs. In this case, the event is “onchange”, and the command is:

001 onchange=“check_other(’v_1’,’v_3’);“

Figure 5.8 Invoking the function

5. Confirm by clicking on Create event.

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5.1.5 Open Response List (Type 132)

Open response lists are used for questions to which there is only one possible correctanswer. You have the option of setting any number of answer categories to be dis-played.

Figure 5.9 Open response list in the questionnaire

Elements

The base elements are identical with the elements in the question type 111:

� Question text


� Help text


It is not possible to use a combined “Answer category + text” fields, the creation ofinside titles or the creation of several columns.

Entry dialog and question options

The entry dialog for configuring a open response list is on the whole identical with theentry dialog for the question type 111 shown in Figure 5.2. However, it is not possibleto change the type of answer category: Only normal answer categories are possible.Moreover, the column “new column” is not there.

The question type-specific question options are also largely identical, only “Dynamiccolumn text wrap” and “Wrap item text” are missing. As with question type 131, youcan also place the select box within, in front of or behind the text, see Chapter 5.1.3,p. 177 or 5.10.2, p. 217.

5.1.6 Ranking Question (Type 411)

Ranking questions enable the respondents to sort answer options or images via drag &drop.

� The respondents can drag the answer option from the left column with the mouseinto the appropriate position in the right field.

� The answer options already placed in the right field can be sorted or dragged backinto the left field.

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Figure 5.10 Ranking question in the questionnaire

Elements


� Question text


� Help text

� Up to 18 answer options.

� HTML formatting cannot be used for the answer options of ranking questions.

� Instead of text you can also have the option of using images. Please note thatimages will be transformed by the software to the preset width and height. Accor-dingly the images should have a uniform format suitable for the settings for widthand height.

Question options

The following specific options are available for designing a question:

� Width / height (in pixels): You can edit the size of the answer options. To do so,enter the value in pixels.

� Animate movement of ranking items: If this question option is activated, the opti-ons will glide into place by themselves as soon as you let them fall into the right-hand field. If it is not activated, the respondent must place them exactly by himself.

� Label of “Rank”: In this field, you can enter a key word that later in an evaluation,for example in Online Statistics, will be used to describe the position. E.g. the label“Position” used in the following figure appears as “Position 1”, “Position 2” ...“Posi-tion 5” in the online statistics.

Please note: This question type requires that the respondents have JavaScript acti-vated. You can determine this by activating the JavaScript check with subsequentfiltering using the variable “javascript”, see Chapter 3.7.7, p. 80

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Entry dialog


Figure 5.11 Ranking question in the questionnaire editor

Layout

1. Arrow

If necessary, you can replace the arrow in the ranking question by another image fromEFS 7.0 on.

� The existing image file for the arrow is named “rank_arrow.gif” and stored in the/layout folder. (You can check this in the Layout->Pro Editor menu on the Upload

The usual features used in questions with a single response list of the type 111,randomization, dac, “always visible” and hiding conditions can be used. It is notpossible to use “answer category + text”, “new column”, hierarchical rotation and“wrap item text”.

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5.2 Question Types with a Multiple Response List

tab: By clicking on the Project resources tab, you can access the content of allfolders which are relevant for the layout.)

� Create your own image file in GIF format. It should have the name“rank_arrow.gif”.

� In the Layout->Pro editor menu on the Upload tab, upload your file into the \lay-out folder. It will replace the existing image.

2. Width of the ranking question

Depending on how you have defined the layout width of the questionnaire, the rankingquestion will be integrated into the overall layout differently.

� Total width in pixels: If the total width of the questionnaire layout is given in pixels,the frame for the ranking question type will likewise be displayed at this width.

� Total width in percent: If the total width of the questionnaire layout is given inpercent, the frame for the ranking question type will not be displayed at the respec-tive total width. Instead the width of the ranking question type will be calculatedfrom the preset width of the options, the place requirements of the destinationfield, the width of the arrow and the spaces, i.e. the ranking question type can benarrower or wider than other questions.

The setting of the layout width is handled by using the standard editor in the Layoutmenu on the Spaces tab in the field “Width of layouts”.

3. More substantial changes to the layout

More substantial changes to the layout of the ranking question type, such as forexample changing the colors of the elements, require adaptation of the CSS classes. Inthe Layout->Pro editor menu you will find the corresponding CSS classes - the namesof which all commence with “ranking” - in the “Cascading Style Sheets” template oralternatively via the CSS editor tab.

5.2 Question Types with a Multiple Response List

Questions which allow more than one answer are called questions with multipleresponse lists. In this case, one variable is created for each selection.

5.2.1 Multiple Response List (Vertical) (Type 121)

This question type can be used to ask questions to which there are several possiblecorrect answers. The following is an example from a study about the reading habits ofsubscribers to a specific magazine.

See Chapter 5.13, p. 230, for information on the additional feature of “exclusivecheckboxes”.

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Elements


� Question text


� Help text

� Items 1-n

� Optional: Items with text entry fields (see Chapter 5.10, p. 217)

� Optional: Inside titles 1-m (see Chapter 5.9.1, p. 216)

� Optional: Columns 1-o

Entry dialog


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5.3 Question Types for Open-Ended Questions


5.2.2 Multiple Response List (Horizontal) (Type 122)

The main difference between question types 122 and question type 121, which wasdescribed in the preceding chapter, is in their layout: Answer categories and relatedcheckboxes are arranged horizontally in one line.

Please note that this question type does not allow you to incorporate inside titles and“Other” fields.


5.3.1 Text Field (Single Row) (Type 141)

This question type can be used to ask questions to which the answer is to be enteredinto an open-ended text field. The following is an example from a master data query, inwhich the year of birth is to be entered.

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Figure 5.14 Single row text field in the questionnaire

Elements


� Question text


� Help text

� Text around the entry field

� Maximum width of the text field

� Maximum entry length. A maximum of 255 characters is permitted.

Positioning the entry field between surrounding text

You can place the entry field within, before or after a text (see Chapter 5.10.2, p. 217).To do so, enter the desired text into the “Text around the entry field” field, and placethe “%s” wildcard at the position in the text where the entry field is to be inserted.

Entry dialog


Figure 5.15 Single row text field in the questionnaire editor

5.3.2 Text Field (Multiple Rows) (Type 142)

This question type can be used to ask questions to which the answer is to be enteredinto an open-ended text field area. The following is an example from a cover test.Respondents are being asked to comment on a magazine cover.

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Figure 5.16 Text field with multiple rows in the questionnaire

Elements


� Question text


� Help text

� Text around the entry field, see Chapter 5.10.2, p. 217

� Number of columns (width of the text area)

� Number of rows (height of the text area

Entry dialog


Figure 5.17 Text field with multiple rows in the questionnaire editor

5.3.3 Text Field Matrix (Vertical / Horizontal) (Type 143, 144)

Vertical and horizontal text field matrices can be used to ask questions to which theanswer is to be entered into an open-ended text field area. The following is an exampleof a vertical text field matrix.

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Elements


� Question text


� Help text

� Texts around the entry fields 1-n. From EFS 7.1, you can position the entry fieldswithin, before or after the texts, see Chapter 5.10.2, p. 217. Please mind:

– Question type 143: If the space between the left part of the text and the entryfield is too big, use the “Width of the left column with the question texts (inpixels)” field to minimize it.

– Question type 144: If you want to move the entry field, the “Wrap item text”option should be deactivated. It is not possible to combine these two features.

Entry dialog


The maximum length of entries is 255 characters.

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5.4 Matrix Questions



Many tasks require assessment of issues. The space-saving format of so-called matrixquestions has proved suitable for these cases.

� The introduction in Chapter 2.2.4, p. 46 gives you a step-by-step explanation of thecreation process for matrix questions.

� In the following, the different types of matrix questions are presented.

� Chapter 5.4.8, p. 198 explains how to archive matrix scales.

5.4.1 Standard Matrix 1 (Type 311)

Standard matrix 1 is the classic matrix question. You already created a matrix of thistype in the introductory chapter 2.2.4, p. 46.

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Figure 5.20 Standard matrix (311) in the questionnaire

Elements


� Question text


� Help text

� Scale labels 1-m

� Dimension titles 1-n

� Optional: Inside titles 1-o (see Chapter 5.9.1, p. 216)


Question options

As with most other question types, normal matrix questions also provide the followingquestion options: “Mark question as protected”, hiding condition at question level,vertical and horizontal flip, mandatory (dac), “Number of items visible” and “Alternatecolors”. In the section “answer options”, the following options are available: “Answercategory + text”, “inside title”, type check, grouping, randomization, dac at item level,“Always visible” and hiding condition at item level.

In addition, the following question type-specific question options may be used whendesigning the matrix:

� Repeat scale headers every x rows: In the case of a matrix question with numerousanswer categories, the scale can be repeatedly displayed after x rows so that therespondent can still see the scale apportionment while scrolling, for example.

� Width of the left column with the question texts (in pixels): This feature allows youto specify the width of the left column.

Entry dialog

You can find an instruction for creating a standard matrix, including illustrations ofthe entry dialog, in Chapter 2.2.4, p. 46.

Please note: If “Mandatory (dac)” is activated for a matrix question of type 311 andcomparable matrix types, this function will only check whether an answer has beengiven to any item. If you want all items to be answered, you should use the dacfunction on item level (see Chapter 5.12.2, p. 229).

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Layout

With question type 311, you have the option of modifying the area between the scaleand the answer block by inserting an additional template. This allows you to changethe distance, for example. See Chapter 8.5.3, p. 375, for further explanations.

5.4.2 Other Standard and Scale Matrices (Types 312, 313, 321, 322)

EFS Survey provides three further question types which merely differ from questiontype 311 in their layout (see Chapter 18.5, p. 645, for illustrations of these questiontypes). The use of inside titles is not possible with these question types.

� Standard matrix 2, question type 312: The answers appear next to the respectiveradio buttons.

� Standard matrix 3, question type 313: This question type is a standard matrix mir-rored along its diagonal. The items are listed along the top, while the scale is onthe left.

� Scale matrix 1, question type 321: The questions appear above the answers which,in turn, appear next to the respective radio buttons.

� Scale matrix 2, question type 322: The questions appear above the answers which,in turn, appear above the respective radio buttons.

Using these alternatives is especially recommended when a matrix question becomesso long that the respondent has to scroll. That is because, with the question types 312,321 and 322, the text of the scale is displayed with each question and does not disappearfrom view during scrolling.

Available question options vary slightly from question type 311. Use of “Answer cate-gory + text” and inside titles is not possible. Also, some other 311 question optionssuch as, for example vertical flips are not available for some of these question types asthey do not make sense in the changed layout.

5.4.3 Semantic Differential (Type 340)

A special form of matrix question is the so-called semantic differential.

Figure 5.21 Semantic differential in the questionnaire

Elements


� Question text


� Help text

� Optional: Scale labels 1-m

� Optional: header left pole

� Optional: header right pole

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� Answer options 1-n left pole

� Answer options 1-n right pole

� Optional: Inside titles 1-o (see Chapter 5.9.1, p. 216)

Question options

The following specific options are available for designing a semantic differential:

� Width of the left column with the question texts (in pixels): This feature allows youto specify the width of the poles.

� Width of a scale property (in pixels): The width of the scale characteristics can bechanged.

� Show scale: After you have ticked the checkbox and clicked on Save, a scale will bedisplayed above the radio buttons. As usual with matrix questions, this scale isedited in the “Scale options” section.

� Title left / right pole: This feature allows you to insert headers above the answeroptions.

Figure 5.22 Semantic differential with activated question options in the questionnaire

Entry dialog

The following figure shows the entry dialog for the semantic differential.

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Figure 5.23 Semantic differential in the questionnaire editor

With question type 340, you have the option of modifying the area between thequestion and the answer block by inserting an additional template, e.g. to changethe distance. Further information on this can be found in Chapter 8.5.3, p. 375.

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5.4.4 Double-Scale Matrix (Type 351)

This form of question is often used to query both the importance and the degree ofcompletion. The following is an example from a study conducted to track the post-university careers of graduates.

Figure 5.24 Double-scale matrix in the questionnaire

Elements


� Question text


� Help text

� Column titles 1, 2

� Scale labels of the two columns 1-m

� Answer options 1-n

Question type-specific options


� Position of answer options: The answer options can be positioned to the left, rightor center.

� Insert separating line between scales: You can insert a line separating the scales.

Entry dialog

The double-scale matrix entry dialog is largely similar to the entry dialog for a standardmatrix. Only the “Scale options” section differs: In question type 351 both columns arelisted in this section and you open the individual scales with a link to Edit scale.

Please note: The separating line can only be inserted if the answer options are dis-played either left-aligned or right-aligned. If answer options are displayed betweenthe scales, then a separating line would not make sense and is therefore not possible.

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Figure 5.25 Opening the scale of a column

Figure 5.26 Editing the scale of a column

5.4.5 Select Matrix (Type 361, 364)

This question type can be used to ask questions for which different time states (e.g. forcertain university years) or different factual aspects (e.g. geographical limits, such ascontinents) are given. The time-based or factual differentiation is reflected in thecolumn. The question itself is documented in the row. The following is an examplefrom a survey conducted to assess lectures.

Figure 5.27 Select matrix (type 361) in the questionnaire

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There are two question types which allow you to create a select matrix:

� The figure above shows a normal select matrix (question type 361).

� Alternatively, you can create a vertical select matrix (question type 364), i.e. a mir-rored version of question type 361.

Elements


� Question text


� Help text

� Column titles 1-m

� Scale labels 1-n

� Answer options 1-o

Entry dialog

The select matrix entry dialog is largely similar to the entry dialog for a double-scalematrix described in Chapter 5.4.5, p. 195.

5.4.6 Checkbox Matrix (Type 362)

Using a checkbox matrix allows you to query facts, for which differing temporal states(e.g. before, during, following a course of study) or different factual aspects (e.g. deli-neated geographically, such as continents) are required. The temporal or factual diffe-rentiation is reflected in the column. The question itself is documented in the row.Below is an example from a survey in which the subsequent career of university gra-duates is polled.

Figure 5.28 Checkbox matrix in the questionnaire

Caution: If you are using the closed drop-down lists of the select matrix, you shouldset up one scale characteristic with the text “Please select” for each of the two ans-wer scales and assign code “0” to it. During evaluation, this will help you to trackwhether or not a participant has answered the question.

The Mandatory and dac functions only work with question type 361 and 364, if a“Please select” scale characteristic with code “0” exists. Under this condition, thedac function allows you to force respondents to answer an individual dimension. Acompleteness check for an individual item is not possible with this question type(also refer to Chapter 5.12, p. 227).

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Elements


� Question text


� Help text

� Column titles 1-n

� Answer options 1-m

There is no cell-specific information. There is no description text for the checkboxes.

Entry dialog

The checkbox matrix entry dialog is largely similar to the entry dialog for a standardscale matrix. Only the section “Scale options” differs slightly: the columns are createdin this section. Furthermore, you can tag the columns of the checkbox matrix as„exclusive“, see Chapter 5.13, p. 230.

Figure 5.29 Editing scale labels

5.4.7 Text Field Matrix (Type 363)

This complex question type allows you to collect a variety of information.

Figure 5.30 Text field matrix in the questionnaire

This question type is a combination of rows and columns, thus forming a matrix. Theinformation stored in the cells of this matrix is collected using text fields. This questiontype is therefore called “text field matrix”.

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Elements


� Question text


� Help text

� Column titles 1-n

� Answer options 1-m

� Cell text for each cell, i.e., with m rows and n columns, m x n cells. Each cell con-tains text which can be placed before the text field and text which can be placedafter the text field.

Entry dialog

There are some special features in the text field matrix entry dialog:

� In the “Scale options” section the columns are created as explained for the check-box matrix in the preceding Chapter.

� In the “Answer options” section you can separately specify the width and maximuminput length for each text field. The maximum length of entries is 255 characters.

� If you wish to specify text around the entry field click the Edit cell text link. Usingthe “%s” wildcard you can also specify as with other text field questions (see Chap-ter 5.10.2, p. 217) where the entry field is to appear.

5.4.8 Archiving Scales in the Scale Library

Matrix scales are frequently used several times: It may be that a specially developedscale is used several times in a survey or that a popular scheme such as, for example,school marks, crops up time and time again. The scale library available across theentire installation saves you the trouble of creating a scale repeatedly: You only needto create a frequently requested scaling scheme once in the scale library. From thereyou can import it into the matrix questions and then adapt it to the specific situation.

Imagine, for example, that in your survey you have evaluated the skills of ten well-known football players each in a matrix question. For the purpose of evaluation, youchoose the following scale:

'Football wizard – Good technique – Acceptable average – Useless – Don’t know'.

Instead of rebuilding this scheme for each of the ten matrix questions only create thescale once in the scale library and then import it into the corresponding matrix ques-tions.

Scale overview

Clicking on the Scale library menu item opens a list of scales already created.

There are two options to open the scale library:

� starting from the project, via the Projects->{Selected project}-> Questionnaireeditor->Scale library menu.

� in the Options->Scale library menu.

Various icons allow to open these scales for viewing or editing as well as to copy ordelete them.

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Creating a new scale in the scale library

1. If you wish to create a new scale, enter the name of the scale into the “New” fieldin the “New scale” area, located below the overview table of the existing scales.Additionally, enter a short description of the scale to be created, and specify thenumber of characteristics.

2. Confirm by clicking on the New button.

3. The dialog for creating a new scale will be opened. Under “Title”, you can enter, forexample, the five above-mentioned assessment criteria for your football players.

4. Click on the Update button and then click on the List of scales menu link.

From now on, you can use this scale when creating matrix questions.

Exporting a scale from a question into the scale library

As an alternative to creating a scale in the scale library, you can also export a scale froma question into the scale library.

1. In the question view, click on the [+] icon to open the “Scale options” section.

2. Click on the Export scale button.

3. A pop-up window will prompt you to enter the title under which the scale is to bestored in the scale library.

Figure 5.31 Entering the scale title

4. After you have clicked OK to confirm, the scale will be stored. You will receive amessage indicating that the operation was successful and can continue your work.

Inserting scales from the scale library into the questionnaire

All matrix questions containing a scale allow you to access the scale library:

1. To do so, click on the [+] icon in the question view to open the “Scale options”section.

2. Click on the Import scale button.

3. A pop-up window will open. In it you can select scales from the scale library usinga drop-down list.

Figure 5.32 Selecting a scale

Read rights for “show_scala” are necessary for accessing the scale library.

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5. The desired scale will be inserted into your matrix question, and you can continueediting the characteristics as desired.

5.5 Sliders

Question types 341 and 342 permit creation of horizontal and vertical sliders.

Figure 5.33 Sliders in the questionnaire

Before you start

Please note:

� This question type requires that the respondents have JavaScript activated. EFSaffords you the option of checking for JavaScript prior to the start of the question-naire and filtering out unsuitable respondents. “Slider options”

� Sliders can not be placed on a static start page.

� The coding of answers corresponds to the coding of a standard matrix (311).

� Variables are initially preset with the slider’s initial position code. If the start posi-tion of the slider is not predefined and the participant sees the slider but does notmove it, code “0” will be assigned. This is standard behavior of all question types.

� Which number of scale options can be reasonably displayed depends of the user-defined width of the slider bar.

� The labels of the scale options are transformed into graphics.

– Please mind that it may not be possible to convert characters of non-Europeanlanguages properly.

– It is not possible to insert images directly into the scale. But you can realize aslide show above the scale, see Chapter 5.5.1, p. 202.

� Four predefined layouts are available. The layouts cannot be edited.

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5.5 Sliders

Figure 5.34 Slider layouts

Elements


� Question text


� Help text

� Scale labels 1-m

� Dimension titles 1-n

� Display field for selected scale value

Entry dialog

The question view of slider question types is largely similar to the question view of amatrix question type. The additional options are summarized in a separate “Slider opti-ons” section. In the next Chapter you will find a detailed explanation.

Slider options

You select the slider layout and settings in “Slider options” section.

Figure 5.35 Slider options in the questionnaire editor

The following table lists the question type-specific options.

Function Meaning

Select slider bar You can choose between four different layouts. See Figure 5.34.

Slider bar width The width of the bar from zero position to maximum value can be specified in pixels.

Table 5.1 Slider options

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The figure shows the meaning of the settings options on an example.

Figure 5.36 Meaning of the settings options in an example

5.5.1 Tips & Tricks

Making scales start with “0”

Creating a scale that starts with “0” is a little bit tricky. As with most other EFS ques-tion types, the slider’s code “0” is a system missing value reserved for seen but notanswered questions. Therefore, the creation of an answer option encoded “0” is notpossible.

To bypass this issue, create an answer option which may have any code unequal “0”(e.g. code = “101” in a scale from “0” to “100”) and the number “1”, but is labelled “0”.

Show scale options Scale options can be optionally shown above or below the slider bar. They cannot be hidden.

Show scale lines Scale lines can be optionally shown above or below the slider bar. They cannot be hidden.

Show scale value The numerical code of the scale item selected by the participant can be optionally displayed in a box alongside the scale. Please mind that it is not possible to display the label.

Offset Using the offset setting both end points of the scale are moved inwards by a specified pixel value.

Pointer start position You can determine the initial position of the pointer yourself. The following options are available: • Initially hidden: The pointer only becomes visible when the par-

ticipant clicks on the bar.• the various scale options.

Slider properties You can choose between the following options:• analog: The slider continually follows the movement of the

mouse. If the mouse pointer remains stationary the slider moves to the next adjacent scale option.

• discrete: The slider jumps to the scale option at which the mouse remains stationary. It is not pulled along the bar as in the case of the analog display.

Saving of values is identical with both options.

(cont.)Function Meaning

Table 5.1 Slider options

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5.6 User-Defined Questions

Please mind that if you use such a scale, the display of the scale values in a box on theright hand must be deactivated: The box contains the code, which might cause misun-derstandings in this special case.

Mass import for large scales

If you use scales with numerous items you can upload these using the “Mass-importscales” function in the “Scale options” section.

Control slide show via slider

You can create a “slide show” using sliders:

� Upload the desired images to the media library.

� In the “Scale options” section create an item for each image and select the imagesas multimedia elements.

� Label the scale options with labels which match the images.

An image field is now inserted above the slider. Using the slider, respondents can navi-gate to an image which is then displayed.

Figure 5.37 Creating a slide show with the slider


You can supplement the typified standard question types with their predefined arran-gement of form elements by creating question types of your own. For this purpose, thequestion type 911 (“User-defined”) is available to advanced users with knowledge ofHTML. In this question type, the arrangement of the form elements can be laid out asrequired.

The user-defined question type 911 works according to the following principle: You tellthe database how many variables of which type your user-defined question requires.The database generates the variables and displays the available variable names in theentry form. You write the HTML code for the question yourself, using the variablenames preset by the system.

The following EFS Survey features are supported when using 911 variables:

� Plausibility checks. Please note: server side format checks (PHP) can only beapplied to variables of type “text” or “short text”.

� Depot questions

� Multilingual capability

� Output of variable contents via wildcards

Creating a user-defined question


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1. In the drop-down list of question types, select the question type 911 (“User-defi-ned”).

2. You will see a two-part form. The upper part of the form shows the variables crea-ted for this question. The “Edit HTML” section is where you enter the HTML codefor outputting your question.

Figure 5.38 User-defined question in the questionnaire editor

3. Add new variables as required, or tick the checkbox “Delete” to delete superfluousvariables. The example above will output a text field, with the data saved in the“v_40” variable.


Variable names and types

Creating a question of the type 911 will automatically create five variables. You can addmore variables by entering a label into the “New” row and selecting a type.

You can check the appearance of the user-defined question in the preview. However,for user-defined questions, in particular it is important to test in live operation whe-ther the data are also being saved as desired and included in the export dataset.

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� The “Item text” serves as an internal description of an individual variable in thequestion type 911. It will be output in the codebook and used to label the variablefor the SPSS export.

� As with all other question types, an external variable name may be entered.

� The “Variable type” defines how the variable is to be created in the database:

Use the following table for orientation when defining your variables:

Error sources

Questions of the type 911 should be carefully tested: Is the HTML code correct? Are thedata saved correctly? Possible errors:

� The variable definition does not match the use in the HTML code: For example, atext field has been defined as an “Integer” variable; the data will be saved incor-rectly.

� The variable names used in the HTML code do not match the system variablenames assigned to the question. The data will not be saved.

� The HTML code is incorrect, e.g. containing non-closed tables.

Converting standard questions to user-defined questions

It is very easy for you to convert standard questions to user-defined questions. Thisinvolves assuming the variable names, and you can modify the HTML code generatedwhen outputting the standard question.

Variable type Use

Integer Saves numbers up to 11-figure numbers (variable type “integer”). Threshold values: -2147483648 bis 2147483647

Short text Saves a short text up to 255 characters (variable type “varchar”).

Text Saves a text up to 65535 characters (variable type “blob”

Table 5.2 Overview of variables for question type 911

Form type Use

Question with radio buttons

One variable of the “Integer” type for the whole radio button group:<input type="radio" name="v_15" value="1" /> Characteristic 1<input type="radio" name="v_15" value="2" /> Characteristic 2<input type="radio" name="v_15" value="3" /> Characteristic 3

Question with checkboxes

One variable of the “Integer” type for each item:<input type="checkbox" name="v_13" value="1" /> Item 1<input type="checkbox" name="v_14" value="1" /> Item 2<input type="checkbox" name="v_15" value="1" /> Item 3

Single-row text field One variable of the “Short text” or “Text” type with the desired length for the text field. Make sure that the “maxlength” HTML attribute is not higher then the number of maximum characters that can be saved with the chosen vari-able type. Otherwise, the variable will be saved to the database in a truncated form.Example:v_363 is of the “short text” type and required to be 2 characters long.<input type="text" name="v_363" size="2" maxlength="2" />

Table 5.3 Variable definitions

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1. To convert a question, open the Change question type in the question view.

2. Select the question type 911.

3. Click on the Change button.

5.7 Text and HTML Code

The “Text and HTML code” question type (998) allows you to freely enter tet and, ifnecessary, HTML code. It is primarily used for inserting and layouting informationtexts. You may, however, also use it for images if the requirements regarding arrange-ment and layout go beyond the available multimedia question type (999) options, or inorder to output JavaScript functions. The “Text and HTML code” question type is notsuitable for generating questions, as no variables are available.

Figure 5.39 “Text and HTML code” question in the questionnaire

Entry dialog

The following figure shows the entry dialog.

Figure 5.40 “Text and HTML code” question in the questionnaire editor

Formatting options

The various formatting icons are located just above the input field.

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5.7 Text and HTML Code

Automatically insertable code

You can have HTML code inserted automatically for frequently used functions. To doso, select the desired function from the “Insert code automatically” drop-down list.Source codes can be selected for the following functions:

Icon Meaning

Format as question text Sets HTML tag <div class=questiontext></div>

Bold Sets HTML tag <b></b>

Italic Sets HTML tag <i></i>

Paragraph Sets HTML tag <p></p>

Break Sets HTML tag <br/>

Alignment: left / center / right

Sets HTML tag• <div align="left"></div>• <div align="center"></div>• <div align="right"></div>

Insert image After retrieval of the file name, the HTML tag <img src="http://www. your_domain.com/uc/ihr_team/images/example.gif" alt=""> is automati-cally inserted. You can insert the alternative label yourself.If you have stored the image in the media library in a subfolder, please note that the name of the folder must also be inserted in the path.

Table 5.4 Formatting styles

Command Code

Insert survey URL Inserts the survey URL, which usually takes the form http://www. your_domain.com/uc/your_team/.

Insert URL for layout images

Inserts the URL for images in the Layout directory: http://www.your_domain.com/uc/your_team/layout/ The file name of the desired image must still be added. To insert images from the media library, please use the Insert image icon or click on the Media library tab.

Insert “Close window” button

The code output generates a “Close window” button. This is frequently used on final pages.<br><div align=center><input type="button" onClick="window.close()" value="Close window"></div><br>Please note: A window can only be closed via JavaScript if it has also been opened via Java Script. • In Firefox—a browser strictly adhering to source code—the Close

window” button will thus not work if the questionnaire has been opened, for example, by clicking on a link.

• In the Internet Explorer, however, the button will also work if the questionnaire window has not been opened via JavaScript.

• When using EFS Mobile Extension, you should check whether the browsers used support JavaScript, before using this button.

Table 5.5 Automatically insertable code

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5.8 Multimedia Question Types

EFS offers several question types which have been optimized for integrating multime-dia elements into questionnaires:

� Question type “Multimedia” can be used to present multimedia content.

� With the question types 51, 521 and 522 you can create single and multipleresponse lists with images instead of item texts.

5.8.1 Multimedia (Type 999)

Question type “Multimedia” can be used to integrate multimedia elements. Besidesimages, you can use SVG graphics, flash and video formats as e.g. Real video or Quick-time.

To integrate multimedia elements into your questionnaire, you have to upload themto the media library first. The necessary steps are explained in Chapter 5.17.2, p. 255.

Inserting the multimedia elements into the questionnaire requires the following twosteps:

Protect page content This feature is used to protect content: It deactivates the context menu in the respective page. Please note: • This form of protection is always for the entire current page and not

merely to individual elements and never extends to the entire survey. If the survey participant presses the right mouse button, this will be inter-cepted, and an alert box will be displayed.

• Keyboard commands however will not be suppressed.• Using the project property “Disable right mouse button in survey”, you

can realize the same behavior for the entire questionnaire. See Table 3.3, p. 72.

Delete content of entry field

Deletes the entire HTML code of the question.

Select HTML code Marks the entire HTML code of the question.

A detailed introduction to HTML can be found, for example, at http://selfhtml.org.

The question types presented in this chapter are specifically suited for users whowant to design an attractive questionnaire easily and without HTML knowledge.

Users with HTML skills can employ other question types as e.g. “Text and HTMLcode” (998) or “User-defined” (911) to integrate multimedia elements. Furthermoremost EFS Survey question types allow the replacement of question texts or answercategories by images or combinations of text and images. See the explanations inChapter 5.17.1, p. 252.

Please note: BMP image are large, which means it takes a long time to load thequestionnaire pages. Furthermore, image protection cannot be used for BMPimages. Therefore, use JPG format instead if possible. A variety of programs areavailable to transform BMP files to JPG files.

(cont.)Command Code

Table 5.5 Automatically insertable code

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1. Selecting the multimedia element

2. Define properties of the multimedia element

Selecting the multimedia element

1. In the question view for type “999 - Multimedia” you can find a drop-down listentitled “Multimedia element“, containing all files stored in the media library forthis project. Select the required multimedia element. Alternatively you can openthe media list by clicking on the Binoculars icon. It displays thumbshots of allmultimedia elements (as far as possible), and you can select the required file easilyby clicking on the Add multimedia element icon.


Figure 5.41 Selection of a multimedia element

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Defining the properties of the multimedia element

Figure 5.42 Set properties of the multimedia element

3. In the following dialog you can define the settings of the selected multimedia ele-ment. In the example shown above, a JPG-formatted image, these are:

– Alignment: The options available are “Left” (image at the left-hand margin ofthe window), “Right” (right-hand margin of the window), “Center” (middle ofthe window).

– Alternative text: The text will be displayed if loading of images is deactivated inthe respondent’s browser. You can see the text when scrolling over the imagewith the mouse pointer, too.

– Width

– Height

– Protect image: Optionally, you can activate an image protection feature whichmakes storing or screenshotting of images considerably more difficult. InChapter 5.17.6, p. 259, this EFS 7.0 feature is introduced in detail.

4. As soon as you Save, the changes will be shown in the preview.

5.8.2 Single and Multiple Response Lists with Images (511, 521)

With the question types 511 and 521, you can create questions with single and multipleresponse lists using images instead of item texts. This way, you can comfortably createquestions in which the survey participants are shown, for example, images of productsor layouts for selection. You can determine whether the images will be either framedor overlaid with a graphic (e.g. a cross or a checkmark) when a respondent clicks onthem.

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Figure 5.43 Question type 511 in the questionnaire. The respondent has clicked on the upper image.

Before you start

Please note:

� These question types require that the respondents have JavaScript activated. If youperform a JavaScript check at the start of the survey as described in Chapter 3.7.7,p. 80, you can filter out unsuitable respondents.

� You can use images in GIF, PNG or JPEG format. If you wish to use the overlayfunction, the images cannot not be animated GIFs. The overlay images should bein PNG format.

� The alternative text only supports a limited selection of characters, for exampleAsian characters cannot be entered.

� You can create answer options via mass import with your own alternative text andcode for multimedia question types 511, 521 and 522; you must, however, uploadand choose the multimedia elements manually.

� Question types 511, 521 and 522 only have limited multilingual capability. You canenter translations for alternative texts and text items in the language editor. Howe-ver, you cannot use different images in the various languages. If you require thisfunctionality, you will have to do without features such as borders on highlightedimages or overlay images, and must rely on the basic HTML capability of the ans-wer option fields (see Chapter 5.17.1 2.c): For the respective items switch to the“Text” display type and manually insert - using IMG tags - the images from thedefault language into the input fields originally intended for alternative texts. Thenenter the IMG tags for the images in the other languages in the language editor.

Options specific to the question type


� Frame images on click: If the respondent selects an image, it will then be displayedwith a frame, as in the upper figure.

� Overlay images with a graphic: If the respondent chooses an image, then it will beoverlaid with a second graphic that for example shows the picture of a cross or atick.

� Overlaying in percent: Sets the strength of the overlay.

You can use your own overlay images. To do so, create images in PNG format witha color depth of 24 bits and a transparent background. Upload these images to themedia library according to the instructions given in Chapter 5.17.3, p. 257. Theywill then be available in the drop-down list of the “Overlay images with a graphic”field.

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Creating question

When creating a question, please proceed as follows:

1. Choose the question type “511 - Single response image” or the question type “521 -multiple response image”.

2. Enter the question text as usual.

3. In the “Answer options” area, you can insert images instead of answer categories.The drop-down lists of the “Image” column show all the files in the media library.Choose the desired image. Alternatively, you can click on the binoculars icon toopen the media list, which shows thumbnails of all images, and choose the desiredimage by clicking on the Insert image icon.

4. You can either tick the checkbox labeled “Frame images on click” or choose a gra-phic in the “Overlay images with a graphic” field or you can use both functions. Atleast one of these two functions must be activated.

Figure 5.44 Question type 511 with images instead of question texts

5. Then click on Save. After saving, you will be able to see thumbnails of the selectedimages next to the drop-down lists. When you scroll over them, you can see anenlarged version of the respective image.

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Additional functions: Integrating text items into image question types

The images of the 5xx-er question types can be combined with texts. You have thechoice of either outputting the text as a normal answer option or to transform it intoan image.

Transforming item texts into images

You can transform text you entered into images that behave just like “normal” imagesthat were uploaded using the media library. They can be directly clicked and, forexample, marked with overlay images.

1. To do so, enter the desired text into the question view in the “Alternative text” field.

2. Do not choose a multimedia element.

3. Set the field “Type” to “Image”.

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Figure 5.45 Transforming text into an image


5. An image will be generated for the questionnaire, which contains the entered text.

For the layout, you can additionally use the field “Background color for text as HTMLcolor” located in the section “Question options”. With this you can define the back-ground color. The color of the text is black; this is not modifiable.

Combining images and normal answer options

Alternatively you can integrate normal answer options between the images of the 5xx-er question types, which depending on the question type can be clicked via radio but-tons or checkboxes.

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1. Enter the desired name for the text item in the field “Alternative text”.

2. Select the type “Text”.

Figure 5.46 Choose “Text” as the display type


5.8.3 Multiple Response List (Horizontally Ordered Images)

With the question type 522 images are ordered next to each other.


The functional scope corresponds largely to the the other 5xx question types, see Chap-ter 5.8.2, p. 210. But please note:

� Unlike the question types 511 and 521 with the question type 522 it isn’t possibleto combine images with normal answer options with a checkbox. (You can find adescription of this feature in Chapter 5.8.2, p. 210, section “Combining images andnormal answer options”.)

Please note: When you combine text items and graphical elements in the 5xx-erquestion type, browser-specific errors may occur when using the back button(HTML button as well as the browser button) with the pre-selection.

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� Neither the dynamic column break nor the manual definition of column breaks areavailable for question type 522.

Entry dialog

The entry dialog corresponds largely to the dialog already known in other 5xx questiontypes, see Chapter 5.8.2, p. 210.

Dynamic customization of the display

An unusual feature of this question type is the dynamic adaptation of the display in thequestionnaire to the width of the browser window: When percentage details are ente-red for the maximum layout width (Layout->Spaces->“Width of the layout”), theimages in question type 522 will be automatically ordered in a grid, so that no horizon-tal scrolling in the browser is required. In this case every grid cell is as high as thehighest image and as wide as the widest image of the question. The wider the pictureis or the less the width of the window is, the more images that will be moved into thenext lines below. This dynamic line break only works, if the layout width is given in percent. This functionality isn't available when the layout width is given in pixels.

5.9 Structuring Answer Options Clearly

5.9.1 Grouping Answer Options Using Inside Titles

With the aid of inside titles, you can subdivide a long list of answer options, making iteasier for respondents to get an overview. The following is an example from a surveyon reading behavior.

Figure 5.48 Question type 111 with inside titles in the questionnaire


1. In the “New” row above the first item, enter an additional code and the desiredinside title.

2. Then, select “Inside title” from the drop-down list.

3. Click on Save.

You can subsequently adjust the order of answer categories and inside titles as requiredby changing the numbering and codes.

5.9.2 Combining Inside Titles and Columns

Combining inside titles and columns enables you to group a list of answer optionsaccording to specific criteria and to present the blocks next to each other. In order tocreate the arrangement of answer options shown, please proceed as follows:

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5.10 Using “Other” Text Fields

1. Create a question of the desired type, in the example this is type 121.

2. Follow the instructions given in Chapter 5.9.1, p. 216, to set up the inside title.

3. Sort the inside titles and answer categories in the desired order by numberingthem accordingly, and then Save your changes.

4. For all inside titles, tick the checkbox in the “New column” column of the table .

5. Save your work by clicking on Save.

5.10 Using “Other” Text Fields

5.10.1 Combining Answer Options and “Other” Text Fields


1. Create the question (question type 111, 121, 131 or 311) as usual.

2. Fill in the texts of the answer categories without open entry fields, tick the “Delete”checkbox for the redundant answer categories, and Save your changes.

3. Enter in the column “New” the desired text for the answer category with openentry field, e.g. “Other”.

4. In the drop-down list, select “Answer category + text”.

5. Then click again on Save.

6. The answer category with the text field will now be added.

7. Set the display width and the maximum length.

8. Then confirm by clicking on Save again.

5.10.2 Adding Text Entry Fields in Surrounding Text

When creating an answer category that contains both preset text and an entry field, youcan use the “%s” wildcard to specify whether the entry field will appear before the text,after the text or surrounded by text.

Figure 5.49 The movable entry field in the finished questionnaire

This function can be used when combining answer categories and text (question types111 and 121), with select boxes (question types 131 and 311) and also with variousquestion types with open entry field (question types 141, 142, 143 and 144). If you donot use the wildcard, the entry field or select box will automatically appear after theitem text.


The maximum length of entries is 255 characters.

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1. Create a question with an “Other” field as described in the previous Chapter.

Figure 5.50 Entering the wildcard for the position of the entry field in the questionnaire

2. Insert the “%s” wildcard at the position where the open entry field is to appear.


5.11 Randomly Changing the Sequence of Questions, Answers and Scale Items

The sequence of questions, answer options and scale elements in the questionnaire candistort survey data. This can be avoided in an online questionnaire by randomly chan-ging the position of the elements. In EFS Survey there are various functions availablefor this purpose:

� Randomization of questions: The positions of questions on a questionnaire pageare randomly switched. See Chapter 5.11.1, p. 219.

� Randomization of answer options: The positions of selected answer options arerandomly switched. See Chapter 5.11.2, p. 219.

� Randomization of scale items: The positions of selected scale items can also berandomly switched. See Chapter 5.11.3, p. 219.

� Randomization of answer groups: Answer options are arranged in groups. Theitems in such a group may randomly switch position or the position of groupsthemselves relative to one another may be randomly changed, as required. SeeChapter 5.11.4, p. 220.

� Mirroring the answer options on the centerline. See Chapter 5.11.5, p. 226.

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5.11.1 Randomly Switching the Position of Questions on a Page

The positions of all or selected questions on a questionnaire page can be randomlychanged so that respondents see differing arrangements.

This function is question-specific, i.e. you can specify separately for each question ona page whether it should change its position randomly. Unselected answers will keeptheir position.

If you wish to enable this function, switch to page view, and in the “Randomization”column tick the checkboxes for the questions to be randomized

Figure 5.51 Enabling randomization of questions

5.11.2 Randomly Switching Answer Options

Many question types permit the randomization of answer options. The order of theselected answer options will then be changed randomly so that the respondents will seedifferent arrangements of answers.

This function is item-specific, i.e. you can specify separately for each answer optionwhether it should change its position randomly. Unselected answer options will keeptheir position. This allows you, for example, to ensure that the text entry fields labeled“Other” or “No selection” to indicate a missing value will always be placed last.

If you wish to enable this function, switch to the question view, scroll to the “Answeroptions” section, and in the “Randomization” column, tick the checkboxes for the ans-wer options to be randomized.

5.11.3 Randomly Switching Scale Items

With matrix question types you can not only randomly change the positions of answeroptions but also the position of scale items.

This function is also item-specific, i.e. you can specify separately for each scale itemwhether it should change its position randomly. Unselected answer options will keeptheir position. This allows you, for example, to ensure that a field labeled “Missingvalue” or “No data” always remains at the same place on the scale.

To enable this function switch to question view and open the “Scale options” section.Most matrix question types have a “Randomization” column. Tick the checkboxesbeside the items to be switched. With question type 351 it is first necessary to open thedesired scale with Edit scale.

Randomization of scale items is implemented with all matrix type questions withthe exception of sliders 341 and 342 (In the case of slider it is not advised to swapscale items).

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5.11.4 Randomly Switching the Position of Answer Groups

EFS can do more than just the randomization of single answer options, you can alsomake item groups rotate within themselves or around each other by combining ran-domization and the grouping function, which is introduced below. The grouping func-tion permits for example:

� Randomization of elements within a group

� Randomization of the groups and items in a hierarchical level

� Randomization of all elements of a grouping hierarchy.

Grouping is supported by the question types 111, 121, 311, 511, 521 and 522.

Before you start

Please note:

� The group items are technically handled like normal answer items or answer cate-gories, i.e. they are characteristics of a variable (single response list) or variables(multiple response list). Because they are only used for structuring within EFS,they can be optionally displayed in the codebook, but they will not be displayed inthe questionnaire nor will they be displayed in the condition editor or in theexport.

� If you change the question type of a question with groupings, in certain circum-stances the grouping information will be lost. The transformation of a singleresponse question type into another single response question type or multipleresponse list into another multiple response type is possible. When changing thegroup of question types, for example, from single response list to multiple responselist, you must accept the loss of the grouping information.

� The random order generated will not be logged, i.e. the sequence that an actualparticipant viewed cannot be traced. Use of such information, for example, to filteror for evaluations is also not possible.

Combination possibilities with other EFS features

Alongside randomization, groupings can also be combined with the following EFS fea-tures:

� Filters, hiding conditions, triggers and plausibility checks: These functions, asusual, can be applied to the answers from a question with groupings, independentof the position of the respective answer items in the group structure. The groupitems and group structure are not available in the condition editor, because theyare merely used for structuring internally in EFS. However hiding conditions canbe used on group items: In this way the entire contents and the sub-structureunder the respective group item through will be hidden.

� Vertical and horizontal flipping: The respective elements, which are located on alevel of the group structure, will be mirrored at the center line of the respectivesub-structure.

� Inside titles: Inside titles can be grouped. If you would like rotate answer itemswhile keeping the inside title in its position, then you need only select “Randomi-zation” for the answer items.

� Column text wrap and dynamic column text wrap: Both work as you would expect.If by mistake both functions are activated, the dynamic text wrap will overwrite themanually set text wrap.

� Lists: Grouping questions can be used as source questions in lists. When doing sogroupings can be optionally applied to target questions. When creating a randomi-

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zation in the source question, the randomly generated item order can be added, i.e.when the list is output at later stages in the questionnaire, the items will remainin the order in which the respondent saw them in the source question. See Chapter7.3.1, p. 301 for further information.

� Loops: Grouping questions can be used as source questions for loops. When doingso, please mind that the group items must always be part of the list (inclusioncondition “always in list”) if you want to display the allocated answer options. If agroup item is not part of the list, its allocated answer options will be skipped in theloop.

1. Planning groupings

If you plan a complex grouping, in which groups are deeply nested in each other atseveral levels, it will be easier to accomplish, if at first you record the planned structureand prepare its implementation in the questionnaire editor.

Let’s assume you would like to depict the following structure:

When doing so the titles of the groups and subgroups (in italics) should not be dis-played to the groups (otherwise the use of inside titles would be required).

In the questionnaire editor this structure could for example be implemented as fol-lows:

The group structure can be up to four levels deep.

Root level 1st level 2nd level 3rd level

Root

wooden cupboards wooden cupboard 1

wooden cupboard 2

wooden cupboard 3

bookcases made out of wood

bookcase made out of oak

bookcase made out of beech

steel cabinets steel cabinet 1

cellar shelves made out of steel

cellar shelve made out of steel 1

cellar shelve made out of steel 2

Table 5.6 Structure to be depicted

Item Type

Selection in the drop-down list in the “group” field

Wooden cupboard 1 A Wooden cupboards



Bookcase made out of oak A Bookcases made out of wood

Table 5.7 Realization of groupings in the questionnaire editor

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Please pay attention when working in the questionnaire editor, that you set up the allanswer items first (including inside titles and text fields) and then create the groupitems. This keeps the question view clearly structured: the answer items are above, andthe group items underneath. Furthermore, the variables and encodings of the answeritems automatically form a continuous sequence (the variables and encodings of thegroup items are hidden in the condition editor and export data record).

2. Setting up answer and group items

The group items, that are internal carriers of grouping information in EFS, are set up,processed and deleted like normal answer items. They are marked in the question viewwith a G icon. To create this, please proceed as follows:

1. Set up all required answer items in the normal way, delete any eventual superflu-ous answer items.

2. Enter the title of the first group item in the row “New” above the top item.

3. In the field “type” use the drop down list to select “Group”.

Bookcase made out of beech A Bookcases made out of wood

Steel cabinet 1 A Steel cabinets

Cellar shelve made out of steel 1

A Cellar shelves made out of steel

Cellar shelve made out of steel 2

A Cellar shelves made out of steel

Wooden cupboards Grp No selection

Bookcases made out of wood Grp Wooden cupboards

Steel cabinets Grp No selection

Cellar shelves made out of steel

Grp Steel cabinets

(cont.)Item Type

Selection in the drop-down list in the “group” field

Table 5.7 Realization of groupings in the questionnaire editor

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Figure 5.52 Creating a group item

4. Click on Save.

5. Set up all of the other required group items.

3. Defining groupings

Grouping are defined after you have created all of the necessary answer and groupitems. The drop-down lists which you can find in the column “Group” of each item areused for this purpose: you simply select the group to which the item should be alloca-ted. The following rules apply:

� For answer and group items on the first hierarchical level, no larger group is set,i.e. the drop-down list remains in the position “Please select”.

� Select the corresponding next higher group in the drop-down list for answer andgroup items on lower hierarchical levels.

� One answer or group item cannot be subordinated to itself or its own subgroups.

Please note: You can customize the order of answer and group items afterwards bychanging the numbering as desired. You cannot change the internal variable names.

Furthermore, it isn’t possible to change the type of an item afterwards, i.e. if youwould like to create a group, but by mistake choose “Answer category”, you can onlycorrect it by deleting the item (or using it elsewhere) and creating a new one of thetype “Group” again.

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� Cross references are also not allowed (group A is a subgroup of group B and groupB is subgroup of A).

� The group structure can be up to four levels deep.

Figure 5.53 Defining groupings


1. Carry out the allocation.

2. Save the settings.

3. By clicking on the Group overview button, you can open a pop-up window whichshows you the groupings.

Figure 5.54 Checking settings in the group overview

If the “Group” column is hidden, use the Arrow icon in the “Input format” columnto unhide it.

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4. Viewing groupings in the codebook

The grouping information is contained in the codebook. In order to view it, activatethe checkbox “Show groups and group assignment of items and groups” and confirmby clicking on Save settings.

Figure 5.55 Grouping information in the codebook

5. Combination rules for groupings and randomization

By combining groupings and randomization, you can generate complex randomiza-tion constellations. The following constellations come into use quite frequently:

� Randomization of elements (answer items and subgroups) within a group: Activatethe checkbox “Randomization” for all elements of the group. The checkbox of thegroup item remains empty.

� Randomization of the answer items and groups on a hierarchical level: Activate thecheckbox “Randomization” for all answer and group items of the level. The check-box remains empty for answer items, which are within the groups to be rotated.

� Randomization of all elements in the hierarchy: Activate the checkbox “Randomi-zation” for all groups and answers items. The elements on one level of the groupstructure within a group, will exchange their positions respectively with eachother at random.

The group overview is static, i.e. when using randomization or flipping, these func-tions aren't listed in the group overview, instead the arrangement follows the num-bering in the questionnaire editor. Please use the page or questionnaire preview inorder to test randomization or flipping.

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5.11.5 Mirroring Answer Options on the Centerline

There are some item arrangements in which randomization cannot be used, e.g. if along list of answer options is subdivided by inside titles: In this case, randomizationwould destroy the topical context. Horizontal and vertical flipping was developed toprovide an alternative in such cases.

Vertical flipping

Vertical flipping mirrors the answer options on the horizontal centerline. The samplequestionnaire page shown in the following figure, on which the original order of ans-wer options is CBS, BBC, FOX, CNN arranged vertically, would appear in the orderCNN, FOX, BBC, CBS after flipping.

Figure 5.56 Vertical flipping mirrors the answer categories on the horizontal centerline.

This flipping function can be applied to almost all question types, but not with thequestion types of select box (131), text fields (141, 142), HTML (911), container ques-tion (921) and image (999).

Vertical flipping can even be applied to complex lists of answer categories with insidetitles. As explained above, it mirrors the answer categories on the horizontal center-line, and then inserts the inside titles at the appropriate places.

Horizontal flipping

Horizontal flipping mirrors the answer options on the vertical centerline, i.e. in theexample, the pole labeled “I like the atmosphere a lot” will appear on the right afterflipping, and the pole labeled “I don’t feel at ease here” will appear on the left.

Figure 5.57 Horizontal flipping mirrors the answer categories on the vertical centerline.

This can be applied to the question types of standard matrix (311, 312), scale matrix(321, 322) and semantic differential (340).

Before you start

When combining flipping with other EFS-Features, please note:

� It is possible to activate horizontal and vertical flipping simultaneously. Therespondents can then see the questionnaire in four different versions: no flipping,everything flipped, vertical flipping only, horizontal flipping only.

� An answer option which has been defined as a missing value is usually placed at theend of item lists. If you only define one answer option as missing, this setting willbe retained upon flipping and the relevant answer option will not be moved. Flip-ping cannot be combined with more than one missing value.

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5.12 Enforcing Answers

� Vertical flipping cannot be combined with the “new column” feature.

� If both flipping and randomization have been activated for a question, randomiza-tion will automatically be deactivated.

Activating the flipping functions

The flipping functions can be activated in the questionnaire editor. Select the questionyou wish to flip. Depending on the question type, you will find either the “Activatehorizontal flipping of answers” option, the “Activate vertical flipping of answers”option, both of these options or none of them. Tick the checkbox for the desired flip-ping function, and then save.

Figure 5.58 Activating flipping functions in the questionnaire editor

How is the questionnaire shown to the respondent?

When a respondent opens the questionnaire, dice are used to decide whether they willsee the questions of the project for which the flipping functions have been activated,flipped or not. This is done separately for vertical and horizontal flipping.

This decision is applied to the entire project. However, the respondent will only seethose questions flipped for which the flipping functions have been explicitly activated.

Flipping variables in result data

The result data record contains the variables “hflip” and “vflip” which indicate whetherflipping has been executed (see Table 13.2).


Often, answering a particular question is crucial or even necessary for the further sur-vey process. If participants are to be screened out by quota, for example, they have toanswer the question on which these quotas are based. In a product check, it only makessense to inquire about product details if the respondent is familiar with the product.EFS therefore provides functions that allow you to enforce the answering of a questionor a specific answer option:

� By defining questions as mandatory, you can explicitly demand or even enforcetheir answers. See Chapter 5.12.1, p. 228.

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� Using the item-specific Do Answer Check, you can also enforce the answering ofan item. See Chapter 5.12.2, p. 229.

5.12.1 Demanding Questions to be Answered

By defining questions as mandatory, you can explicitly demand or even enforce theiranswers. It is up to you to decide whether an answer shall be enforced or whether therespondent shall have the option to refuse answering.

Enforcing an answer

Normally, mandatory questions must be answered. If a respondent does not answer amandatory question, a corresponding message will be displayed and the question willbe marked so that it is found easily. The respondent cannot continue with the questi-onnaire until this question is answered.

Demanding an answer

As of EFS 7.0, there also mandatory questions which may be ignored. If a respondentdoes not answer such a question, the following will happen:

� He will be notified of the missing entry. As usual, the relevant question will behighlighted.

� The participants can go to the next page without answering the question. However,they first have to acknowledge the notification.

Figure 5.59 Activated ignorable DAC in the questionnaire

Before you start

Please note:

� For matrix questions with several items, the Do Answer Check function will onlycheck whether an answer has been given to any one item. If you want all items tobe answered, you should use the item-specific DAC function, which is introducedin the following section.

For the question types 131, 351, 361 and 364, the “Mandatory” or “dac” option canonly be used in connection with a “Please select” item for which code 0 has beenpreset. Please observe the details in Chapters 5.1.3, p. 177, and 5.4.5, p. 195.

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� For the question types 131, 351, 361 and 364, the “Mandatory” or “dac” option canonly be used in connection with a “Please select” item for which code 0 has beenpreset. Please observe the details in Chapters 5.1.3, p. 177, and 5.4.5, p. 195.

Specifying mandatory questions

In the case of most question types, the section “Question options” of the question viewcontains the field “Mandatory”. Via the drop-down list, you can specify whether thecurrent question shall be mandatory.

� No

� Yes: Normal mandatory question. Must be answered.

� Yes (can be ignored): Ignorable mandatory question. The participants can move onto the next page without answering after acknowledging the notification.

Editing messages

You can edit the messages to be displayed when a mandatory question is not answeredin the Project properties->Survey messages menu. See Table 3.11.

In the field “Introductory text for incomplete questionnaire processing”, you will findthe message that is used for normal mandatory questions.

The message for mandatory questions which may be ignored is in the field “Introduc-tory text for incomplete questions marked with a weak DAC.”

� The default text is: “<br/>%s Note: The question '%s' is important for therest of the questionnaire. I don’t want to answer this question.”

� The first wildcard %s indicates where the checkbox is to be inserted in the text.

� The second wildcard %s is filled in with the question text.

Automatically defining new questions as mandatory

If you want new questions to be always created as mandatory questions, select thedesired option in the Staff->Own account->Preferences menu on the Behavior ofquestionnaire editor tab in the field “When creating questions, mark directly as 'Man-datory question'”.

5.12.2 Enforcing Answers to Individual Items

You can also enforce the answering of one or several items. If a respondent omits anitem marked as a mandatory item, they will receive a message, as with a mandatoryquestion, and the unanswered item will additionally be displayed with a highlightcolor. The respondent cannot continue with the questionnaire until this item is ans-wered.

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Figure 5.60 Highlight colors for unanswered mandatory items

Specifying mandatory items

For many question types, the section “Answer options” of the question view includes acolumn entitled “dac”. You can tick the appropriate checkboxes in this column to makeindividual items mandatory or tick all the checkboxes to force respondents to answerall items.

Editing message

The message to be displayed when triggering an item-specific DAC can be edited in thefield “Introductory text for incomplete questionnaire processing” in the Projectproperties->Survey messages menu.

5.12.3 Forcing a Text Field Entry for Combination Fields and dac

In the standard configuration, answer categories of the “answer category + text” typeare only checked to verify whether the respondent has clicked on a radio button or acheckbox. However, you have the option of configuring the dac in such a way that therespondent must select the answer category containing the text field and fill in the textfield.

To do so, navigate into the Project properties->Survey options menu of the respectiveproject, tick the checkbox labeled “Completeness checks (DACs) that determine whe-ther a text field has been filled in should be carried out for all answers of the type‘answer category + text’ ” and then confirm by clicking on Save.

5.13 Making Checkboxes Exclusive

For questions with multiple response lists (types 121, 122, 362 and 521), individualcheckboxes can be made exclusive so that they behave like radio buttons. This may beadvisable, for example, with questions which offer an alternative such as “Cannot ans-wer”, “None of these” or “No, but ____” in addition to specific answer options.

For the question types 131, 351, 361 and 364, the “Mandatory” or “dac” option canonly be used in connection with a “Please select” item for which code 0 has beenpreset. Please observe the details in Chapters 5.1.3, p. 177, and 5.4.5, p. 195.

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5.14 Validating the Plausibility of Answers

Figure 5.61 The exclusive checkbox in the questionnaire

The exclusive checkbox displays the following behavior:

� Once the respondent ticks this checkbox, all other checkboxes are automaticallydisabled.

� If one of the remaining checkboxes is selected after the exclusive checkbox hasbeen ticked, the exclusive checkbox will be unticked.

� If the exclusive checkboxes are combined with a text field, unticking the checkboxwill hide the content that has been entered into the text field. If, subsequently, theexclusive checkbox is ticked again, the text field’s content will re-appear.

The check is executed both on the client-side and on the server-side. Thus, even ifJavaScript is disabled, the item marked as “exclusive” cannot be combined with otheritems.

The exclusiveness function for the desired answer option is activated via the “Exclu-sive” column in the “Answer options” section. Additionally, in the “Scale options” sec-tion of the checkbox matrix (362) you can tag the checkboxes of an entire matrixcolumn as “exclusive”.

Figure 5.62 The “Exclusive” column in the question view


5.14.1 Plausibility Checks

Internet surveys permit quality checks and data checks as early as during entry. Minorerrors and missing information can thus be noted immediately during entry. Therespondent will receive a short message indicating that they may have overlookedsomething. You will not have to ask follow-up questions afterwards but can correct theincorrect information immediately during entry instead. Checks for the correctness of

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answers are commonly referred to as “plausibility checks”. This term is also used inthis manual.

Why plausibility checks?

Plausibility checks are used to ensure a certain level of data quality. Sometimes,respondents will overlook a question or commit minor errors when setting an answer.Sometimes, questions are also answered incompletely, if the respondent for examplewants to get an overview of the questionnaire first or completes the questionnairewithout serious interest. The information given should be checked especially if bran-chings at later stages in the questionnaire are based on the answers to preceding ques-tions. Plausibility checks are advisable in the following cases:

� The answer to the question is taken up in later questions, either in a filter condi-tion or in a display of dynamic questions.

� Assuring fill-in instructions, such as “Select the three most important propertiesof products xy”.

� Answers to a specific question are of particular interest for the evaluation.

� The internal consistency of the data is of particular importance for the evaluation.

� The data being queried already exist in participant administration.

5.14.2 Planning the Use of Plausibility Checks

Be aware of which answers are important for the routing of the survey and which dataare central to the evaluation purpose. However, use plausibility checks with care. Forthe respondent, plausibility checks are, first and foremost, annoying and tiresomebecause their behavior is questioned and their progress through the survey is hinde-red. Too many plausibility checks will destroy the relationship of trust between you andthe respondent. Also, take into consideration that respondents may not yet have for-med an opinion on some questions. In such cases, you will often achieve better dataquality by allowing incomplete information than by forcing the respondent to give ananswer which might only be valid for the moment and not actually meant by therespondent.

Think about aspects such as the following:

� Which answers are indispensable for the routing of the survey?

� To which questions do you want to obtain answers from as many respondents aspossible?

� How would you react if your answer to a question were rejected as incorrect by asurvey system?

In addition to the psychological effects on the respondents, there are technical aspectsas well:

� On each questionnaire page, you can create as many plausibility checks asrequired. But plausibility checks require a lot of server resources, i.e. they affectthe performance of the questionnaire, similar to other checks and dynamic fea-tures. Therefore, it is recommended to use not more than 50 plausibility checksper page.

� The conditions of plausibility checks should refer only to variables which have adefined value. If condition variables are not filled at all or contain missings (e.g.because a question or answer option has been hidden or if a respondent hasn’tfilled an entry field) the checks can have unexpected or even wrong results.

–

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– Try to avoid complex plausibility check conditions or to substitute them bymultiple simple plausibility checks. This way it is easier to get an overview ofthe variables used in the plausibility check and to avoid unexpected results.

– Abstain from applying both hiding conditions and plausibility checks to thesame variables. A special feature allows to skip checks as soon as at least oneidem is hidden (see below “Execute check if one or more items are blindedout?”).

– If necessary, the pro editor (Chapter 5.14.8, p. 241) allows to define complexconditions.

5.14.3 Example: Plausibility Check

Let’s assume that you ask the participants of your survey to enter their year of birthinto an open entry field. You want to ensure that they enter only reasonable values:The values should be four-digit numbers inside a reasonable range, e.g. between 1900and 2000.

To realize this with a plausibility check, please proceed as follows:

1. In the questionnaire editor, choose the page on which you want to perform theplausibility check. Click on the title of that page. The page view will open.

2. Click on the Plausibility check tab.

Figure 5.63 Opening the plausibility check menu

3. The overview of plausibility checks is opened. No checks have been defined yet.

Figure 5.64 Creating a plausibility check

4. Click on the Create plausibility check button.

5. Enter the title.

6. Select the “Range check” check type. For detailed explanations on the check types,please see Chapter 5.14.4, p. 236.

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Figure 5.65 Selecting the check type

7. Confirm with Proceed.

8. The entry dialog is opened.

9. In the “User may ignore this check” field, the “No” option should be activated. Thismeans that the person completing the questionnaire must correct any incorrectentry. Otherwise, the next survey page will not be displayed.

10. In the “Systems to use for check” field, the “Client (JavaScript) AND Server (PHP)”option should be activated.

11. Do not change the setting of the field „Execute check if one or more items arehidden??“. In the current example situation, it does not matter as there are nohidden items.

12. In the following field, you can edit the message which is displayed if the checkcondition applies. Please replace the default message “An error occurred!” by “Ple-ase enter your year of birth as a four-digit number!”.

Figure 5.66 Editing the settings

If you do not enter a message, a client-side JavaScript check will not be triggered!

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13. Next, define the check condition itself: First, select the variable which you want tocheck.

14. Then, enter the range within which the values are to be valid. In the exampleshown, “1900” is the minimum, “2000” the maximum.

Figure 5.67 Defining the check condition

15. Click on the Save button.

16. To see the pop-up which will be displayed to the respondents, open the Pagepreview tab and enter an erroneous value to trigger the check. See Chapter 8.3.7,p. 366, for information on how to change the texts and appearance of the errorpop-up.

Figure 5.68 Plausibility check message in the questionnaire

17. The new check is listed in the overview.

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Figure 5.69 Overview of plausibility checks for a questionnaire page

5.14.4 Predefined Plausibility Checks (Plausibility Check Types)

The following plausibility check types are available by default.

Range check

The range check checks whether the number entered by the survey participant iswithin the number range you set. Otherwise, the plausibility check will be triggeredand report an error.

Type Parameter Properties

Range check Variable, “int” from, “int” to

Checks whether the value of the variable is a number between two values.

E-mail address check

Variable Checks whether the value of the variable is a valid e-mail address. It will be checked for characters used, for the “@” character and for the period before the domain address.

Standard check Freely definable Checks one or more variables using an operator.

Format check Variable, format Checks a variable using predefined regular expressi-ons (numbers only, letters only, etc.).

RegEx check Variable, regular expression

Checks a variable using a freely definable RegEx.

NoRegEx check Variable, regular expression

Checks a variable using a freely definable RegEx. Returns “true” if the expression was not successful.

OnlyNumbers check Variable Checks whether a variable contains only numbers, comma and period.

Range check old Variable, “int” from, “int” to

Checks whether the value of the variable is a number outside the range between two values.

Combination check Variable, “int” For questions with multiple response lists, checks whether the required number of checkboxes has been ticked.

Combination check (range)

Variable, “int” from, “int” to

For questions with multiple response lists, checks whether the number of checkboxes ticked is within a preset range.

Table 5.8 Plausibility check types

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For this, the preset limits are included in the permissible range of values. The checkalso works with negative numbers.

When entering the range check, please use the example described in Chapter 5.14.1,p. 231, above.

E-mail address check

The e-mail address check checks the variable to be set for a correctly entered e-mailaddress.

A correct e-mail-address consists of four parts.

Example: [email protected]

1. An individual user name (tester in the example).

2. The @ character.

3. A domain name (email in the example).

4. A country ID, separated from the domain name by a period (.de in the example).

The e-mail address check checks the four parts for the following form:

1. The individual user name: The individual user name may contain letters and num-bers as well as the characters “.”, “_” and “–”. Umlauts are not allowed.

2. The domain name: The domain name may contain letters, numbers and periods.Umlauts are not allowed. The domain name can be subdivided by any number ofperiods.

3. The country ID: The domain name may only contain letters, with a minimum of 2and a maximum of 6 letters allowed. Umlauts are not allowed.

Standard check

The standard check checks the variable to be set to see whether it meets a conditionset through the mathematical operators (= , < , > , <= , >= , !=).

1. Select the variable you want to check.

2. Select the mathematical operator you want to use to check the variable.

3. Enter the value of the variable for which the check is to be performed.

Format check

The format check checks the variable to be set to see whether it complies with a for-mat, also set by you.

You have the choice of the following formats:

� Checking to see whether the field contains no numbers.

� Checking to see whether the field contains only uppercase letters.

� Checking to see whether the field contains only lowercase letters.

� Checking to see whether the field contains only numbers with periods or commas.

If you set up a range check to do a JavaScript plausibility check or a combined PHPplausibility check, please note: JavaScript gives a value of “0” to an empty string(nothing entered). That is, if a respondent enters nothing, it will not be seen as anincorrect entry, rather it will be given a value of “0”, which is either permitted orprohibited depending on how each area is defined. In order to prevent this kind ofmisevaluation, please run a separate OnlyNumbers check (do not use AND conjunc-tions with the Range check) on the input field.

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� Checking to see whether the field contains only numbers with or without periods.

� Checking to see whether the field contains only numbers with or without commas.

To create the format check, please proceed as follows:


2. Select the format for which you want to check the variable you previously set.

RegEx check and NoRegEx check

The RegEx and NoRegEx checks check the variable to be set to see whether it complieswith a regular expression, also set by you.

Regular expressions are defined as follows:

� Regular expressions, or RegEx for short, are used to check strings. They are usedvery frequently, especially in the UNIX environment, and make it easier to checkstrings containing many conditions.

� There are to possible types of RegEx:

– RegEx check

– NoRegEx check

� If a RegEx check returns “true”, an error message is output. The logic of theNoRegEx check is exactly the other way around.

� RegEx checks are enclosed in “/”. Optionally, a so-called pattern modifier can beplaced at the end. Please note that RegEx checks in PHP and JS may show a diffe-ring behavior. For JS checks, the results might even differ among various brow-sers. Because of the complexity of regular expressions, we recommend testing thecheck in the system first.

� Examples:

– Zip code check => /^[0-9]{5}$/ (exactly 5 digits)

– Money field => /^[0-9]+ (EUR|USD)$/ (as many numbers as required + cur-rency, either EUR or USD)

� References: http://www.php.net/manual/en/ref.pcre.php

To create a RegEx check, please proceed as follows:


2. In the text field, specify the regular expression whose entry is to trigger the RegExcheck.

To create a NoRegEx check, please proceed as follows:


2. In the text field, specify the regular expression whose entry is not supposed totrigger the NoRegEx check. For all entries of other types in the field to be checked,the check will be triggered.

Complications can arise when, in a survey that is encoded in UTF-8 (see Chapter3.7.17, p. 100) RegEx checks with JavaScript or JavaScript and PHP are carried outin order to compare strings containing more than just numbers: JavaScript isunable to recognize umlauts or other special characters that are reproduced inUTF-8 as doublebyte character (thus takes up two characters).

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Range check old

In contrast to the range check explained above, the range check old checks the invalidrange of the variable to be set. This means that the value entered by the participantmust be outside the number range you set. Otherwise, the plausibility check will betriggered.

Combination check and combination check (range)

Two other plausibility checks are available for questions with multiple response lists(question types 121, 122, 362):

� The combination check allows you to check whether a respondent has ticked arequired number of checkboxes.

� The combination check (range) checks whether the number of checkboxes tickedis within a preset range.

5.14.5 Including Data from Participant Administration and from the User and Master Data Tables in Plausibility Checks

Introduction

You can access data from participant administration when defining plausibility checks.For EFS Panel installations, you can also access data from the user and master datatables. However, this is only possible for server-side plausibility checks (PHP), not forclient-side plausibility checks (JavaScript) or for plausibility checks covering both cli-ent and server (JavaScript and PHP).

An overview of the available variables is given in Table 10.4. These variables areaddressed via the respective variable name.

This allows you to combine a plausibility check condition that refers to a current userentry with a condition that refers to participant administration data, e.g. to check thelogic of a statement.

Furthermore, you can compare two variables directly by entering the second variableinstead of a characteristic in the second condition field.

In the example shown, the information on the respondent's gender was saved in parti-cipant administration in the “Group” field (variable: “u_group”): 1=female, 2=male. Inthe survey, respondents are asked to state their gender (v_11, code: 1=female, 2=male).The plausibility check defined in the figure, “v_11 !=u_group” will output an errormessage if the contents of “v_11” and “u_group” do not match.

5.14.6 PHP Plausibility Checks and JavaScript Plausibility Checks

EFS Survey allows you to create two types of plausibility checks: JavaScript plausibilitychecks and PHP plausibility checks. The difference between these two kinds of plausi-bility checks is in their execution positions.

� The JavaScript plausibility check is executed on the client side with no contact tothe server, and the error message is displayed in a pop-up window. This permitssmooth processing of the questionnaire.

� The PHP plausibility checks are executed on the server side.

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5.14.7 Adjusting the Plausibility Check Output

The appearance of a plausibility check error message can be edited in the Layout menuon the the Plausibility checks tab.

In the “Design of the plausibility check” section, you can design the plausibility checkmessages.

� For JavaScript checks, you can choose among three different design types.

� The font, font size and font color settings refer to the introductory text of PHPplausibility checks, DACs and mandatory questions.

Figure 5.70 Designing plausibility checks

The properties of the JavaScript plausibility check can be edited in the “Properties ofthe client-side plausibility check” section: You can change the title of the pop-up win-dow, adjust the introductory text and change the labels of the “Correct” and “Ignore”buttons. The texts are part of the survey messages, i.e. you can edit them via theProject properties->Survey messages menu as well (section “Plausibility check phra-ses”).

Figure 5.71 Editing the properties of JavaScript plausibility checks

In the “Properties of the server-side plausibility check” section, you can edit the layout,introductory text and behavior of PHP plausibility checks, DACs and mandatory ques-tions.

� The introductory text is part of the survey messages, i.e. you can edit it via theProject properties->Survey messages menu as well (section “Plausibility checkphrases”).

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� The settings for font, font size, font color and background color are used to high-light mandatory questions and DACs.

Figure 5.72 Editing the properties of PHP plausibility checks

5.14.8 The Pro Editor

As an alternative to using predefined plausibility check types as described above, thePro editor allows you to create your own plausibility checks or enhance predefinedplausibility checks using the OML syntax.

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Figure 5.73 Defining your own plausibility checks in the Pro editor

Defining OML plausibility checks

Create a pre-defined check as described in Chapter 5.14.1, p. 231. Define and save acondition, then switch to the newly-displayed Pro editor tab.

� The settings can be edited in the Pro editor, too.

� The text entry field allows you to enter the desired check in the OML notation,which is introduced in the following chapter.

� A drop-down list allows to generate sample code for an integer format check andfor an “other” field.

5.14.9 The OPST Meta Language (OML)

Plausibility checks allow you to check the information entered by the respondent forformal and logical errors. They are realized using the OPST Meta Language (OML). Inother words, OML is a kind of “programming language” used to formulate special que-ries in EFS.

Example:

if (v_15>100)print "Are you really over 100 years old? Please correct your entries.";

1. How do OML plausibility checks work?

OML commands are internally converted to PHP code and evaluated after a question-naire page has been submitted.

If you create plausibility checks in the questionnaire editor, your entry will be exami-ned for syntax errors as well as impermissible words. Errors will be reported back byEFS. A logical check will not be performed.

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This means that a condition such as

if ((v_15>100) and (v_15<100))print "Are you really over 100 years old? Please correct your entries.";

can never be met, but this is ignored. The OML statements are not automaticallyupdated, i.e. if you delete variables to which they refer from the questionnaire, errorswill occur.

You can access all the variables of the questionnaire. The codebook contains a list of allthe variables that are currently defined in your project.

2. The syntax of OML plausibility checks

Plausibility checks consist of one or more “if” conditions and a “print” command:

if (v_231 > 5000000) print “Nice income! :-)”

Conjunctions between IF conditions are created using AND or OR. The individual con-ditions must be enclosed in brackets, as must the entire IF block. Multiple IF conditi-ons must be separated by a semicolon:

if ((v_15 = 3) and (v_231 > 5000000))print "Well, that income seems a bit high for a student.";

3. Operators

The following operators are permissible:

The following comparison operators are permissible:

Operator Meaning

+ Add

- Subtract

/ Divide

* Multiply

% Modulo

Table 5.9 Plausibility check operators - 1

Operator Meaning

= a = b (exact match)

> a > b

>= a >= b

< a < b

<= a <= b

!= a does not equal b

Table 5.10 Plausibility check operators - 2

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4. Special functions

Function Meaning

not_only_numbers(vari-able name)

Checks whether the variable contains only numbers as well as period, semicolon and white space characters (blank spaces, tabs).Example: if (not_only_numbers(v_15)) print “Please enter the year of your birth in numbers.”;

matches (variable name, “regular expression”)

Checks whether the content of the variable name is fulfilled by “regular expression” (refer to Chapter “6. Addendum: Regular expressions” below).Example: if (matches(v_15, “/fuck/”)) print “Please do not use abusive lan-guage in the questionnaire”;

not_matches (variable name, “regular expres-sion”)

Checks whether the content of the variable name is not fulfilled by “regular expression” (refer to “6. Addendum: Regular expressions” below).Example: if (not_matches(v_15, “/\\d\\d\\.\\d\\d\\.\\d\\d\\d\\d/”)) print “Please enter the date in 05.03.2000 format”;

pow(number) Squares the transferred value.

sgn(number) Returns the algebraic sign of the value: -1, 1 or 0.

trim(string) Removes blank spaces at the beginning and end of a text.

netstringlength(string) Returns the net length of a text (excluding blank spaces, line breaks and tabs).

ispositive(number) Returns “true” if “number” > 0, otherwise returns “false”.

isnegative(number) Returns “true” if “number” < 0, otherwise returns “false”.

issamestring(string1, string2)

Compares the two texts (without matching their case and without taking blank spaces at the beginning and end into consideration). Returns “true” if they are identical, otherwise returns “false”.

iszero(number) Returns “true” if the number is 0.

isblank(string) Returns “true” if the string is blank, i.e. has no content or contains only blank spaces, otherwise returns “false”.

isnumber(value) Compares the content of “value” to the regular expression "/^\-?d+([\.,]\d+)?$/". Returns “true” if they match, otherwise returns “false”.

isalpha(value) Compares the content of “value” to the regular expression "/^[a-z]+$/i". Returns “true” if they match, otherwise returns “false”.

isalphanumeric(value) Compares the content of “value” to the regular expression "/^[a-z0-9]+$/i". Returns “true” if they match, otherwise returns “false”.

isnumber_de(value) Compares the content of “value” to the regular expression "/^\-?d+(,\d+)?$/". Returns “true” if they match, otherwise returns “false”.

isalpha_de(value) Compares the content of “value” to the regular expression "/^[a-zäöüßÄÖÜ]+$/i". Returns “true” if they match, otherwise returns “false”.

isalphanumeric_de(value)

Compares the content of “value” to the regular expression "/^[a-z0-9äöüßÄÖÜ]+$/i". Returns “true” if they match, otherwise returns “false”.

ismissing(value) Returns “true” if the content of “value” is –77, -66, 0, or blank, otherwise returns “false”.

isinrange(value, min, max)

Returns “true” if “value” is between “min” and “max”, otherwise returns “false”.

setval(number) Sets the value to 1, if the entered value is > 0. E.g.: v_1 = 3 then setval(v_1)= 1 applies.

Table 5.11 Special functions for use in the pro edito

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5. Examples

Limiting the number of answers to a question

You want to specify that the user should be allowed to tick a maximum of three check-boxes for a question with a multiple response list.

Background: Checkboxes are always stored with 0-1 encoding, i.e. if a checkbox hasbeen ticked, the data record will contain a value of 1 for the variable. Now, in a formalform, “a maximum of three checkboxes” ticked means that all the variable values forthis question added together must not be greater than 3.


1. In the codebook, search for the variable name of the following question:

001 Please select three (maximum) out of the following large cities in which you would like to live:002 v_11 -> Chicago003 v_12 -> Los Angeles004 v_13 -> New York005 v_14 -> Seattle006 v_15 -> Washington

2. In OML, this is formulated as follows:

001 if (v_11 + v_12 +v_13 + v_14 + v_15 > 3) print "Please select a maximum of three cities.";

If you want to specify that at least three cities should be selected, use the followingformulation:

001 if (v_11 + v_12 +v_13 + v_14 + v_15 < 3) print "Please select a minimum of three cities.";

If you want to specify that exactly three cities should be selected, use the followingformulation:

001 if (v_11 + v_12 +v_13 + v_14 + v_15 < 3) print "Please select exactly three cities.";

6. Addendum: Regular expressions

You can use the matches and not_matches functions to check the use of so-called regu-lar expressions. You can imagine a regular expression as a template that is comparedwith the answer to the filter question. The use of regular expressions allows you toformulate “complex” conditions.

Please note that you must enclose the regular expression you formulate in slashes (“/expression/”). You can use the “/i” modifier to specify that you wish to ignore the caseof the string.

Example:

if (matches(v_15, “/globalpark/i”)) print “This entry contains the word Globalpark";

This command will find “Globalpark” well as “globalpark” or “GlOBaLpArK”.

The following table introduces some important sample elements which you can com-bine to form a regular expression. This list does not claim to be complete.

Please note: If you use backslashes within the regular expression, these must bemasked with backslashes. For example, the decimal characters “\d” must be maskedwith two backslashes: “/\\d\\d\\”.

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Character The answer contains: Example

. any character except for newline matches(v_15, “/a.b/”)The answer contains the combination “a-any character-b”.

[..] any character enclosed in the squared brackets

matches(v_15, “/ [0-9]/”)The answer contains a number.

(..|..|..) one of the alternatives specified matches(v_15, “/(Berlin|Prague|Oslo)/”)The answer contains the word “Berlin”, “Prague” or “Oslo”.

Table 5.12 Regular expressions for plausibility checks - 1

Character In the answer, the respective cha-racter appears:

Example

^ at the beginning of the text matches(v_15, “/^a/”)The answer begins with an “a”.

$ at the end of the text matches(v_15, “/$a/”)The answer ends with an “a”.


Character In the answer, the respective cha-racter appears:

Example

+ once or several times matches(v_15, “/4+/”)The answer contains one or more 4s.

? not at all or once matches(v_15, “/4?/”)The answer contains no 4s or one 4.

* not at all or several times matches(v_15, “/4*/”)The answer contains no 4s or several 4s.

{n,m} at least {n} times and at most {m} times

matches(v_15, “/4{2,}/”)The answer contains at least two 4s.matches(v_15, “/4{2}/”)The answer contains exactly two 4s.matches(v_15, “/4{2,5}/”)The answer contains at least two 4s and no more than five 4s.


Character Description Example

i A modifier that will be attached to a regular expression. The check will be case insensitive, i.e. there is no dis-tinction made between upper and lower case.

matches(v_15, ”/^a/“)The answer begins with “a”, it does not mat-ter whether “a” is a capital or a lowercase let-ter.


More information on regular expressions can be found e.g. at http://www.perl.org.

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5.15 Validating Open-Ended Answers

5.15 Validating Open-Ended Answers

You can pre-determine directly in the questionnaire editor which format the respon-dent’s entry in an open-ended text field is to have. A PHP plausibility check will reportany disallowed entries, thereby eliminating the need to define a special plausibilitycheck.

The following input formats are available:

� any

� Integer: The participants are only allowed to enter numbers.

� Float: The participants are only allowed to enter floating point numbers.

� E-mail: The participants are only allowed to enter e-mail addresses.

� Letters only: The participants are only allowed to enter letters.

� Phone number: The participants are only allowed to enter phone numbers.

The check is performed using a plausibility check with a regular expression. This checkcannot be edited using the plausibility check editor, and neither is it displayed in thequestionnaire overview.

The message texts used in the type checks can be edited in the Projects->{SelectedProject}->Project properties->Survey messages menu, see Table 3.12.

The function is available for the following question types each containing open entryfields: 111, “Single response list (horizontal)”, with “Other” field, 121, “Multipleresponse list (horizontal)”, with “Other” field, and 311, “Standard matrix”, with“Other” field, as well as question types for open-ended questions with single row textfields (141, 143 and 144).

5.15.1 Considerations before Starting

Handling of blank spaces

Blank spaces are evaluated differently by the various type checks:

� The type checks “Integer”, “Float” and “E-mail” evaluate a blank space as an incor-rect entry.

� Blank spaces can be used to separate text or number elements in the type checks“Only letters” and “Phone number”. This makes it possible, for example, to sepa-rate first and last name or area code and phone number.

� Only the type check “Any” accepts the entry of an empty space without furthercharacters.

Use an error message to inform the respondents about the most likely causes of theproblem as appropriate for each type of question and check.

Special considerations regarding missing values

If you choose the input format “Integer”, the database field remains unchanged: it isdeclared as a text field of the “varchar” type. However, the variable declaration of theitem changes to “integer” and the missing values “-77” / “0” are used instead of themissing values “-66” / “-99” normally used with text fields.

The default setting is “Any” format. This also applies to old projects.

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Exporting “Float”-type entries correctly

As there is no international standard format for displaying decimal numbers, you mayencounter problems upon export when using the “Float” type check. The type checkdoes not differentiate between commas customarily used throughout Europe and thedecimal point used in the U.S. As a result, “100”, “100,00” and “100.00” are displayedidentically as “100” upon export. However, where a participant enters “one hundredthousand” and uses a comma to improve readbility, i.e. “100,000”, this is also displayedas “100” upon export. However, the value is stored correctly in the database, i.e. as“100,000”. (The database field is a “varchar”-type field.) To correctly export the valuesfrom the database, set the type check back to “any” once the field phase has been com-pleted and before downloading the export data record.

5.15.2 Choosing the Entry Format

Choosing the entry format for an “Other” field

In the case of “Other” fields and questions of the type 143 or 144, the drop-down listfor setting the file format can be found in the “Input format” column. This column canbe hidden by clicking on the Hide icon (red cross) and re-opened by clicking on theShow icon (green arrow).

Figure 5.74 Checking the input format for a question of the type 143

Choosing the input format for a question type containing an open-ended question

With questions of the type 141, you will find the drop-down list for setting the fileformat in the “Input format” column.

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5.16 Hiding Questions and Answer Options

Figure 5.75 Checking the input format for a question of the type 141

5.16 Hiding Questions and Answer Options

5.16.1 Hiding Questions

At question level, you have the option of formulating so-called hiding conditions, i.e.a question will not be shown (or will be hidden) depending on the participants’ answer.

To do so, click on the Edit hiding condition link in the question editor, and formulatethe condition under which the question is to be hidden, analogous to entering filterconditions (see Chapter 4.7, p. 143).

In the example below, all participants who have indicated on a preceding page that theylearned about Globalpark via a search engine are to be shown the additional questionof via which search engine they learned about Globalpark. This means that the ques-tion is to be hidden, if the v_2966 variable does not equal 1, i.e. the respondent has notpreviously indicated that they learned about Globalpark via a search engine.

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Figure 5.76 Entering hiding conditions at question level

5.16.2 Hiding Items

You have the option of showing or hiding specific items, depending on the participants’answers. Example: If you are asking about a list of newspapers that are regularly read,you can show the “New York Times” item only if the respondent has given a certainanswer on a preceding page which makes asking about this newspaper appear sensible.

Creating hiding conditions

To create hiding conditions on item level, click on the funnel icon in the “Hiding con-dition” column.

Figure 5.77 Entering hiding conditions at item level

When dealing with question types whose variables have characteristics (e. g. singleresponse list), please note: If individual items of a variable are hidden, the variablewill be defined as “missing” when used in a plausibility check. Therefore, in thiscase, the actual value of the variable cannot be determined by means of a plausibiltycheck. If you cannot or do not want to work without the plausibility check, youmight want to consider using a list instead of hiding conditions.

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5.17 Integrating Multimedia Contents

This will open the familiar entry form used to formulate filter conditions (see Figure4.30).

After you have set and saved the condition for which the item is to be hidden, thecondition will be displayed when you scroll over the funnel icon. In addition, the fol-lowing will appear next to the selected answer category:

� the Delete hiding condition icon, which allows you to delete the hiding conditionif required.

� the Copy hiding condition icon whose function will be explained in the next sec-tion.

Figure 5.78 The defined hiding condition and function icons for an item

Copying hiding conditions

The use of the Copy function is advisable if you need the same hiding condition forseveral items or wish to set very complex and only slightly different hiding conditionsfor several items.

1. Click on the Copy hiding condition icon next to the source condition.

Figure 5.79 Copying a hiding condition

2. Then, click on the Paste hiding condition icon for the item to which you want toadd the hiding condition. You can also select several items.

Figure 5.80 Pasting the copied hiding condition


Then, you can use the condition editor as usual to modify the copied hiding conditionfor the specific item. By using the Arrow icons in the condition editor, you can leafthrough all hiding conditions defined for a specific questionnaire page.


EFS offers a variety of options to upload multimedia content and incorporate it intoyour survey:

� For uploading and administrating the files the media library is used, advancedusers can find an additional upload function in the Pro editor.

– To administrate multimedia files which are incorporated in the questionnaireand presented to the respondents, you can use the media library. See Chapter5.17.2, p. 255 for detailed information.

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– The upload function is useful for advanced users with webdesign skills toupload file for layout design. See Chapter 8.4.5, p. 373.

� In most cases multimedia content is used to illustrate a question:

– With question type “Multimedia” (999) (Chapter 5.8.1, p. 208) you can easilyincorporate images, SVG graphics, Flash movies and various video formatsinto a survey.

– Alternatively you can use question type “HTML” (Chapter 5.7, p. 206) to formatelements, e.g. images, according to very specific requirements.

� Using the question types 511 and 521 you can create single and multiple responselists in which radio buttons, check boxes and items are replaced by selectableimages. See Chapter 5.8.2, p. 210.

� Flash question types are a standard feature of EFS Surevy. Depending on yourrequirements, you can design single questions or complete questionnaires inFlash. For details, please see the manual “EFS Survey’s Flash Question Types”.

5.17.1 Incorporating Multimedia Elements in the Questionnaire

Incorporate an image or other multimedia element into your questionnaire in twosteps:

1. First, you must upload the desired image to the EFS installation.

2. Then, choose between the following alternatives, depending of your requirementsand webdesign skills:

– 2.a You can use the “Multimedia” question type to insert and position an imageor other multimedia element without knowledge of HTML.

– 2.b Alternatively, use the HTML question type which requires basic HTMLskills.

– 2.c Many question types also allow you to directly incorporate images intoquestion texts and answer categories by using HTML.

– If you wish to use images as the only answer categories, the question types 511and 521 are available. See Chapter 5.8.2, p. 210.

The following describes these two steps in detail.

1. Uploading a multimedia element

1. To insert a multimedia element, select the desired project, and then switch to theQuestionnaire editor menu.

2. There, you must first choose the Media library menu item and then click on theUpload file link to upload the desired file, e.g. from your local PC.

3. After you have located the file on your PC, click on the Upload button.

4. The multimedia element will now appear in your media library.

Occasionally, customers wish to protect the content of a survey, and especially mul-timedia elements, against illegitimate copying or screenshots. With the currentstate of technology, a reliable protection is not possible. But you can make illegiti-mate copying consideratly more difficult. The paper “Protecting images in surveys”,which is available from customer center, offers further information and advice.

See the following Chapter 5.17.2, p. 255, for further information on the medialibrary.

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2.a Using the multimedia question type to incorporate multimedia elements

1. Switch to the editor, and create a question of the “999 - Multimedia” type on therespective page.

2. In the drop-down list in the field “Multimedia element“ you will see the contentsof the media library for this project. Select the file you wish to insert. Alternativelyyou can open the media list by clicking on the Binoculars icon. It displaysthumbshots of all multimedia elements (as far as possible), and you can select therequired file easily by clicking on the Add multimedia element icon.

Figure 5.81 Selecting a multimedia element


Figure 5.82 Setting properties of the multimedia element

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4. In case the chosen file is an image, you can specify how the image is to be alignedwith the page margin: “Left” (image at the left-hand margin of the window),“Right” (right-hand margin of the window), “Center” (middle of the window). Aalternative text can be entered, width and height can be changed. As soon as you’vesaved your entries, they will be displayed in the preview.

5. Confirm again by clicking on Save.

2.b Using the HTML question type to incorporate multimedia elements

If you want to specially position or format your multimedia element, the HTML ques-tion type will give you all imaginable design capabilities.

1. Switch to the editor, and create a question of the “HTML” type on the respectivepage.

2. In the “HTML code” entry form that will now appear, you must enter the source ofthe file you are using. To do so, click on the Media library tab to open the libraryin a popup window.

Figure 5.83 Searching for a multimedia element in the media library

3. Search for the required multimedia element. Enter it into the “HTML code” entryform by clicking the Add multimedia element icon. Alternatively you can highlightthe HTML code for your image, right-click on it, choose “Copy” from the pop-upmenu, and then insert the code into the “HTML code” entry form.

4. Click on the Save button, and the image will be inserted.

Image position and size in the HTML question type

In case the chosen file is an image, you have the option of positioning the image as youwish or specifying its size after inserting it. For a centered position, enter the <divalign=“center”> command. For a position on the left or right, replace “center” with“left” and “right”, respectively.

The size of the image must be entered in pixels: width=XXX; height=XXX

Example:

<div align="left"><IMG src="images/Altavista.jpg” height="250” width="300">

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2.c Incorporating images into question texts and answer categories

Occasionally, it is desirable to use an image as a question text or answer categories orto combine image and text. This, too, is possible with most EFS Survey question types:

1. Create the question.

2. Copy the image’s HTML command from the media library into the correspondinginput box of the question editor.

3. Save your changes by clicking on the Save button.

5.17.2 The Media Library

Each project has its own media library, located in the Questionnaire editor ->Medialibrary menu. It enables you to upload multimedia files such as images, sounds ormovies from your local hard disk or from your network into the project directory onthe EFS server, and to insert them into the questionnaire.

Figure 5.84 The media library

The project-related media library which is available per default on all EFS Surveyinstallations offers the following options:

� You can use not only images, but SVG graphics, flash and video formats as e.g.RealVideo or Quicktime. To access a detailed list of the permitted file types, clickon the Question mark icon in the Upload file dialog, see Chapter 5.17.3, p. 257.

� The uploaded files are stored in the project directory in the directory /images.

For information on other basic HTML commands, visit the website: http://selfhtml.org

By using the question types 511 and 521, you can easily design single and multipleresponse lists in which all answer categories are replaced by images. See Chapter5.8.2, p. 210.

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� The functions and structure of the media library are similar to the functions youalready know from the question library: Directories can be created within /imagesto improve the overview.

� The size of files for upload is restricted to 20 MB. With release 6.0 this limit hasbeen raised to 80 MB for new standard installations.

� You can upload zip files and unpack them directly if you wish. Thus multimediafiles which exceed the maximum file size can be uploaded if it is possible to com-press them to allowed size. The upload of a high number of files or the creation ofa directory with sub directories is made easier by compression, too: You can sortthe files as required in a parent directory and subdirectories, compress these, andthen, in one operation, upload them to the server and have them unpacked.

Optional: installation-wide media management

Customers with their own server can have Globalpark Support release an extendedversion in which the default project-related media library is supplemented by a secondinstallation-wide library. On such installations, the project-specific and installation-wide library, as shown in the following figure, are arranged on successive tabs.

� The Current project tab will show you the project-related files. Uploaded files aresaved in the /images directory of the project directory. Directories can be createdwithin /images.

� The Overall tab shows files that can be retrieved installation-wide. Uploaded filesare saved in the /images directory of the installation. It is possible to create subdirectories in /images.

The functions on the two tabs are identical.

EFS offers a second option to upload project-related files, the Upload functionwhich can be found in the pro editor on the Upload tab (see Chapter 8.4.5, p. 373).

The media library helps you to administrate multimedia files which are usuallyincorporated in the questionnaire and presented to the respondent.

The upload function offers experienced users with webdesign skills who design com-plex own layouts the option to use other target directories besides /layout.

Please use the installation-wide media library economically. The following guidingvalues provide orientation:

- It is recommended to create not more than 250 folders.

- The folder structure should not be more than 10 levels deep.

- It is recommended to upload not more than 10,000 files.

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5.17.3 Managing Multimedia Files

1. Uploading files

1. Click on the Upload file button.

Figure 5.85 Uploading a file

2. Locate the file on your hard disk using the Browse function.

3. You have the option of defining a wildcard. You can use the characters a-z, A-Z and 0-9. The wildcards must be enclosed in two hash signs (#).

4. If you are uploading a zip file, you can have the system unpack it and automaticallycreate subdirectories in one operation. To do so, tick the “Unpack ZIP file” check-box.

5. If you want to jump directly back to this directory after uploading the file, tick thecorresponding checkbox.

6. Confirm by clicking on Upload.

2. Viewing and editing the uploaded files

The directory structure shown in Figure 5.84 contains all uploaded files.

If you search for a specific file, you may either skip through the directories or use thesearch form. It offers full text search for the file name, which means it is enough toenter a part of the name to find a file.

For each file the following information is listed:

� Thumbnails for the files that contain images: Clicking on a thumbnail allows youto open a detail view of the respective image. This contains the image, height andwidth information, and the appropriate img tags with absolute and relative paths.

� Name

� Size

� Type

� Last action

� User

� Description

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Editing individual files

The following action icons are available for editing individual files:

� Show img tag: Displays a pop-up window with the img tag that can be used toincorporate a file into the questionnaire.

� Change properties: Opens an entry form in which you can change the file nameand description.

� Copy: Copies the file into the same directory. In this process, you must first choosea different name.

� Move: Opens a drop-down list from which you can choose a different directory forthe file.

� Delete

Editing several files at the same time

In addition, you can use the drop-down list to move or delete several files. Select thecorresponding action from the drop-down list, highlight the files to which this actionis to be applied, and confirm by clicking on Execute.

5.17.4 Using Directories to Manage Multimedia Files

You can create directories in the media library, i.e. in the project-related directory /images, which help to improve the overview.

1. Creating new directories

1. Click on the directory below which you wish to create the new directory.

2. Click on the Create directory button.

Figure 5.86 Creating a directory

3. Enter the name.

4. If you want to jump directly into the directory after creating it, tick the “Show newdirectory” checkbox.

5. Confirm by clicking on Create.

2. Renaming directories

1. Click on the directory you wish to rename.

2. Click on the Rename directory Button.

Height and width of the images and an alternative text are defined when insertingthe images into the “Multimedia” question type (Chapter 5.17.1, p. 252).

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3. Enter the new name.

4. Confirm by clicking on Change.

3. Deleting directories

1. Click on the directory you wish to delete.

2. Click on the Delete directory button.

3. Affirm the confirmation window.

5.17.5 Downloading the Content of the Media Library

You can download the content of either the entire media library or individual folders.

You will find a Download button on every level of the folder structure, which can befound in the Projects->{Selected project}->Questionnaire editor-> Media librarymenu.

Figure 5.87 Downloading the content of the media library

Click on this button to download a zip file that contains the content of the currentfolder including its subfolders. You can save this file locally to a PC, open it and thenview or edit the images.

5.17.6 Protecting Images

Customers running product or cover tests frequently ask for a better protectionagainst illegal copying and screenshotting of their content. From EFS 7.0, a dedicatedimage protection feature makes storing or screenshotting of images considerably moredifficult.

The /images directory cannot be deleted.

If a directory that was not empty is deleted, the files will be moved into the nexthigher directory.

When working in the installation-wide media library, in particular, take care toselect only reasonable amounts of data for download, i.e. less than 10 MB and notmore than 30 files. Otherwise, the download process can affect the performance ofthe EFS installation.

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� In the questionnaire, participants will see only the silhouette and outline of theprotected image, plus an instruction for display.

� If the participants press the key combination specified in the instruction, theimage will be displayed. (They have to keep the blank key pressed and click on theimage with the left key of the mouse pointer.)

Figure 5.88 A protected image in the questionnaire

Please mind: For technical reasons, it is not possible to prevent participants fromtaking screenshots or from downloading the displayed images on their hard diskswith absolute reliability. But with the new image protection feature, it is conside-rably more difficult.

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Figure 5.89 Displaying the image by pressing a specific key combination

Before starting

Please mind:

� Image protection has been implemented in question type 999.

� The Adobe Flash Player plugin, version 9 or higher, must be installed on the par-ticipants’ PC.

� The combined JavaScript and Flash check familiar from image and Flash questiontypes must be activated. It allows to identify participants without current Flashplugin and to display a note that asks them to download the current version. Ifnecessary, you can screen out participants without a current Flash plugin, too.

� The feature can be used to protect JPG, PNG and GIF images. As Flash cannothandle BMP images, it is not possible to use the protection for BMP images. Butthere is a variety of image editing software which allows to convert BMP imagesinto JPG images.

� The images should be big enough to display the instructions completely.

� If image protection is activated, Alt texts will not be displayed.

According to the manufacturer, penetration of the Adobe Flash plugin for version9.0 is over 95%. For detailed penetration statistics provided by the manufacturer,visit: http://www.adobe.com/products/player_census/flash-player/version_penetration.html

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1. Activating image protection

To get started, in the Project properties menu, activate the “Check whether the respon-dent has JavaScript activated and the Adobe Flash Player plugin is available” option andSave. Image protection requires this check necessarily.

Integrate your image into question type 999 as usual. The “Options” section includesthe new “Protect image” feature. Activate the checkbox and Save.

Figure 5.90 Activating image protection

2. Enhancing the instruction for participants

The instruction for displaying the protected images is part of the standard message set.In English, the following default text is used: “In order to view the image, hold downthe space bar, move your mouse pointer over the image and click.”

To enhance the instruction for your project, open the Project properties->Surveymessages menu as usual. In the “Instruction for displaying images if image protectionis activated” field, you can change the text as required.

3. Screening out participants without Flash plugin

To view the protected images, the Adobe Flash Player plugin, version 9 or higher, mustbe installed on the survey participants’ PC. To screen out participants with insufficienttechnical equipment, please proceed as follows:

1. In the questionnaire editor, locate the page following the processing of which theunsuitable respondents are to be screened out.

2. Create a filter. Usually, the filter condition will be flash < “900”, i.e. the system willscreen out all those respondents whose Flash plugin is older than version 9 or whohave no Flash plugin at all.

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3. Create an intermediate final page under the filter.

4. Click on the Edit page properties icon of the intermediate final page.

5. In the field “Status”, select the disposition code that the participants are to beassigned upon reaching this intermediate final page. Available are the dispositioncodes 31, 36, and 37.

If the “Check whether the respondent has JavaScript activated and the Adobe FlashPlayer plugin is available” option is activated in the Project properties menu, theFlash version of the participants is stored in the “flash” variable.- If no appropriate plugin exists, the value of “flash” is “0”. - Otherwise the variable contains the version number, i.e. for example flash = “800”for plugin version 8.0, flash = “900” for plugin version 9.0.

If the check is not activated, the value of “flash” is “0”. But image protection nec-essarily requires the check and will not work without.

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6 Working Effectively with the Editor

6.1 Importing Questions from a Template Document . . . . . . . 267

6.2 Importing Answer Options as Batch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269

6.3 Importing Pages into Another Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272

6.4 Storing Frequently Used Questions in the Question Library 275

6.5 Referencing Questions from Several Places. . . . . . . . . . . 279

6.6 Editing Questionnaires Externally. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280

6.7 Editing Page, Question and Trigger Names Externally . . . . 287

6.8 Search and Replace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288

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6.1 Importing Questions from a Template Document


This chapter introduces features and tools which facilitate questionnaire creation:

� Question import (see Chapter 6.1, p. 267) as well as mass import of categories anditems (see Chapter 6.2, p. 269) allow you to import the entire questionnaire orindividual item lists from a word processing program into EFS using Copy&Paste.

� The page import feature allows you to copy entire page trees from one project tothe next. See Chapter 6.3, p. 272.

� In the question library, you can archive individual frequently used questions foruse in other projects. See Chapter 6.4, p. 275.

� Using depot questions saves you from having to repeatedly enter identical questi-ons in the same project. See Chapter 6.5, p. 279.

� The “External editing” function allows you to export all text elements of the ques-tionnaire and then edit or translate them externally. See Chapter 6.6, p. 280.

� The title editor allows you to export the names of structure elements which arehelpful for navigating the questionnaire editor, in order to quickly and easilychange them externally. See Chapter 6.7, p. 287.

� The “Search and replace” function allows you to find and replace identical textcomponents in the entire questionnaire. See Chapter 6.8, p. 288.

6.1 Importing Questions from a Template Document

Normally, a printed version of the questionnaire,,e.g. a Word document is available forquestionnaire entry. The Question import, which is located on a tab in the question-naire view, allows you to import several questions at once from such a document intoyour project. To do so, you must arrange the contents of your document according tocertain rules, in order for EFS to differentiate between question texts, answers andscale characteristics.

6.1.1 Formatting Questions for Import

The questions must be formatted in the templated document according to the follo-wing pattern:

Question import is not available for the following question types: 121, 122, 143, 144,341, 342, 363, 411, 511, 521, 522, 611, 621, 641, 661, 911 and 921.

Formatted question Question element Question type to be generated

How often do you use the following leisure information?

Question text 311

You can make several statements. Fill-in instruction

Never - seldom - 1x a week - daily Categories

Table 6.1 Format for question import

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6.1.2 Performing a Question Import


1. Click on the Question import tab in the questionnaire view to open the input dia-log.

Figure 6.1 Selecting the question import

2. In the drop-down list, specify the page behind which you wish to insert the page(s)with questions.

3. Highlight the questions in your template file and right-click to save them to thecache. Then right-click on the question import input field and insert the questions.

MagazinesTVRadio

Answers

Blank row to next ques-tion

Please state your area of employment. Question text 111

Fill-in instruction (may be left blank)

Categories(may be left blank)

MarketingTrainingAdministration

Answers

How do you feel in your team? Question text 340

Fill-in instruction

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 Categories

left - right Answers

(cont.)Formatted question Question element Question type to be generated

Table 6.1 Format for question import

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6.2 Importing Answer Options as Batch

Figure 6.2 Entering import data

4. Then click on Submit.

5. In the next dialog, specify the question type.

6. Use the “New page” column to determine whether the questions are to appear onone page or whether and where additional pages should be created.

Figure 6.3 Selecting the question types

7. Confirm by clicking Submit.


If you require a large number of answer options for a certain question, you can createthem by means of mass import. This procedure is particularly advisable if the questi-onnaire already exists as a Word document, for example: It is enough to simply copyout a block of options and paste it into the mass import dialog. Example:

SoftwareConsultingThe CompanyService

The items are created automatically.

Particularities of specific question types

Please mind the following particularities of specific question types:

� When mass-importing the answer options of a semantic differential, use a verticalline to separate the left- and right-hand item texts. Example: left|right Examplewith code: 1;left|right

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� You can create answer options via mass import with your own alternative text andcode for multimedia question types 511, 521 and 522; you must, however, uploadand choose the multimedia elements manually.

Formatting the list of answer options

The desired answer options are listed in the input field one below the other.

SoftwareConsultingThe CompanyService

Each row in the input field is interpreted as an answer option. During import, theoptions are automatically numbered and encoded.

Optionally, you can specify the codes yourself. To do so, enter the desired code beforeeach answer option, using a semicolon as the separator:

1;Software2;Consulting3;The Company4;Service

Performing a mass import

Please proceed as follows to perform a mass import:

1. Open the question view. Delete all the default items you do not need.

2. Click on the Mass-import items button.

Figure 6.4 Invoking the mass import function

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3. The input dialog will be displayed directly in the question view.

4. Enter the answer options as explained above. Each answer option must be enteredin a separate row.

Figure 6.5 Enter answer options to be imported

5. Trigger the Mass import by clicking on the button of the same name.

6. The imported answer options will be listed in the “New” section. Check over thedata, and make any necessary changes. If you wish to manually add more answeroptions, click on the [+] icon to open additional “New” rows.

Figure 6.6 Checking mass-imported answer options

7. Confirm by clicking on Save. Answer options are now finally created.

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Figure 6.7 Answer options created by mass import

6.3 Importing Pages into Another Project

The page import feature allows you to copy entire page trees - i. e. questionnaire bran-ches beneath a page - from one project to the next. This is particularly helpful if youwant to repeatedly use not only individual questions but entire sections of your ques-tionnaire. If, for example, you have created a questionnaire section for collectingdemographic data using filters, randomization, plausibility checks, and other features,the page import function allows you to transfer this section en bloc to other projects.

The functional scope at a glance:

� You can copy page trees both within one project and from one project to another.It is not possible, however, to copy from one EFS installation to the next.

� Pages, questions, and variables of the page tree will be newly created when perfor-ming a page import, i.e. their IDs will change.

� When copying filters, plausibility checks etc. the conditions will be adopted as defi-ned in the source project; i.e. if the reference variables are included in the copiedbranch the conditions will work in the copied project. If the reference variables arenot included in the copied branch, the conditions must be checked and adapted tothe new project.

� If the page tree contains any lists, the items on these lists will be copied and adop-ted as static answer options. The actual lists will not be copied.

� Loop branches will be copied; however, the corresponding lists will not be impor-ted.

� Conjoint blocks cannot be copied.

� Images used in the page tree of the source project will be imported. Please notethat this is only possible if the images have been correctly embedded in an appro-priate question type (e. g. 999, 511, 521, 522). Images that were, for example,manually inserted into an answer option using HTML will not be imported auto-matically.

� In case of multilingual projects the translations will be imported. To this end, thenecessary languages must exist both in the source and the destination project andbe marked with the same language identifier.

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6.3 Importing Pages into Another Project

6.3.1 Invoking the Page Import

Depending on the situation, there are two ways to invoke the page import in the ques-tionnaire editor of the destination project:

� In the “Actions” column in the questionnaire view you will find the Page treeimport under page x icon.

� The Import pages button is located above the questionnaire view. This allows youto import pages into an empty project.

Figure 6.8 Page import button and icons

6.3.2 Performing a Page Import

In the following example, the filter page “Detailed questions on search engines” is tobe copied together with the filter branch below into another project.

You can create an archive of frequently used questionnaire sections for the pageimport: Create a master project with separate branches for frequently used questi-onnaire sections. If you need a section in a real project, you can simply import itfrom your master project.

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Figure 6.9 Source project questionnaire

1. Open the questionnaire editor of the destination project.

Figure 6.10 Destination project questionnaire

2. Find the page under which you want to import the page tree. In the exampleshown, the filter branch is to be inserted under the page “Surfing the internet”. Inthe “Actions” column you will find the new Page tree import under page x icon.Click on it.

3. Specify the desired source project.

4. Select the source page.

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6.4 Storing Frequently Used Questions in the Question Library

Figure 6.11 Specifying source project and source page

5. Click on Import to initiate copying of the page tree.

Figure 6.12 Imported page tree in destination project

6. If necessary, you can further adjust the position of the imported page tree via drag& drop.


You can use the question library to reduce tiresome routine operations. It is located inthe Options module, but can also be accessed from the questionnaire editor . It can beused to store frequently used questions for insertion in other projects in the installa-tion later on.

� The library category structure allows you to arrange the questions entered, e.g.according to projects of topics, in order to improve clarity.

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� From EFS 7.0 on, the external variable names are stored in the library. When loa-ding the archived questions into a questionnaire, the system ensures uniquenessof the variable names: If a variable name does already exist, a prefix “dupl1_”,“dupl2_”... will be inserted.

6.4.1 The Question Library Structure

Invoking the question library in the Options module will take you to the Overview tab.The so-called category tree is displayed on the left-hand side of this tab, the contentsof the currently opened category are displayed on the right-hand side.

Figure 6.13 The question library

� The category tree displays the question library structure. The category system issimilar to the file tree on a hard disk with main directories and subdirectories.Here, categories correspond to folders.

– The main directory in an empty library is called “root”. Below “root” you cancreate main categories, which in turn can be followed by specific subcatego-ries.

– A flashing red cursor at the right-hand side displays the category you are cur-rently in.

� To the right of the overview, the “Content of the category” table displays the ques-tions in the opened categories.

6.4.2 Working with the Question Library

The following section will illustrate the executable actions in connection with thequestion library:

� Adding a question to the library

� Loading a question from the library into a questionnaire

� Moving and deleting questions

� Using categories for organizing

� Deleting categories

� Assigning access rights for library categories

Adding a question to the library

1. To add a question to the library, switch to the Questionnaire editor. Select the pagewhich contains the question you wish to add to the library.

2. Select the question you wish to add to the library.

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Figure 6.14 The “Add to library” tab in the questionnaire editor

3. Click on Add to library in the editor.

4. The question library will open.

5. Select the category in which the question is to be filed. The question will be copiedinto the library automatically.

Loading a question from the library into the questionnaire

1. To add a question from the library into a questionnaire, switch to theQuestionnaire editor.

2. In the editor, choose the page into which you wish to insert the question.

3. Click on the Load a new question from library icon.

Figure 6.15 Loading questions from the library into the questionnaire editor

4. In the library, you can search for and select the desired question in the individualcategories.

5. Tick the checkboxes of the questions you wish to incorporate into the question-naire page.

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Figure 6.16 Inserting a question from the question library into a project

6. Confirm by clicking on Choose.

7. The selected questions will be inserted into your questionnaire.

Moving and deleting questions

In addition to choosing questions for insertion into a project, you can perform severalother useful functions by clicking on the icons in the “Actions” column:

Figure 6.17 Actions icons for editing a question in the library

� Checkbox: This function allows you to choose a question, as described in the pre-vious paragraph.

� Move: This function allows you to move a question into another category.

� Delete: Clicking on this icon will delete the selected question.

� Copy: This function allows you to copy a question into a category of your choice.

Using categories for organizing

1. You can access the question library either from the questionnaire editor or via theQuestion library menu item in the Options module.

2. Use the category tree to locate the new category. To create main categories, clickon the root folder. To create subfolders, click on the respective main folder.

3. Click on the Add category tab.

4. Give your category a name.

5. Click on Add category.

Figure 6.18 Creating a category

Deleting categories

1. Select the category you wish to delete from the category tree.

2. Click on the Delete category tab.

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6.5 Referencing Questions from Several Places

3. A dialog containing a warning message will open. Clicking on OK in the dialog willdelete the category.

Assigning access rights for library categories

It is possible to assign different access rights for the various main categories in thelibrary to the staff teams in an EFS Survey installation. To do so, please proceed asfollows:

1. Select the respective main categories.

2. Click on the Folder rights tab.

3. The object rights dialog is opened. Assign “read” and / or “write” rights to theappropriate teams.

4. Confirm your selection by clicking on Change rights.

6.5 Referencing Questions from Several Places

Depot questions significantly facilitate the creation of questionnaires.

� If a specific question is used repeatedly in your questionnaire, you can define adepot question and reference it at all appropriate pages. This may be useful, forexample, if identical demographic data are queried in several filter branches.

� Variables are created only for the depot question. The reference questions do nothave dedicated variables, but refer to the variables of the respective depot question.This simplifies, among others, filter conditions referring to the repeatedly-occur-ring question.

� If you have to change these frequently recurring questions, it is not necessary any-more to edit each of them individually: need to betage is that changes to the depotquestion directly affect all other reference questions based thereon.

In the following, the use of depot questions is explained using an example.

Before you start

Please note:

� Variables are created once for a depot question and all pertinent reference questi-ons. All reference questions fill in the depot question variables and therefore do notcreate their own variables.

� It is not possible to define plausibility checks for depot questions.

� The complexity of the questionnaire affects the performance experienced by parti-cipants. Therefore, it is recommended to use not more than 50 depot questions perproject.

Caution: You may only delete empty categories. Prior to deleting, remaining ques-tions must be moved to higher categories or deleted, and subcategories must bedeleted.

Please note that you may only assign access rights for main categories including allunderlying subcategories, not for all subcategories individually.

All staff members have access to the root category.

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Example

A questionnaire contains two branches which will be passed by different participantgroups. In each branch, the same demographic data are queried. To avoid having toenter these demographic questions twice, use depot questions.

Creating a depot question

1. To create the depot question, click on the Container questions menu item.

2. Enter the name and type of the depot question.


4. Then, enter the question text and answer options in the standard question view asusual.

Referencing a depot question

You want to use the question defined in the depot on every page of the survey.

1. Open the page “Demographics 1” in the first filter branch.

2. Enter a suitable question title and select question type “921 - Reference question”from the question types list.

3. In the following entry dialog, first select the question component for display, i.e.the question “Gender”.

4. If you wish to assume the whole question from the depot, click directly on Save.If,instead, you wish to change the question text, enter the desired text in the lowerfield: it will be combined with the answer options of the depot question.

5. You have now created a reference question on the page “Demographics 1”, whichis based on the depot question “Gender”. To reference the depot question “Gender”from the page „Demographics 2“ in the second branch as well, repeat the proce-dure. Then, you can create additional depot questions and reference them in bothfilter branches, too.

6.6 Editing Questionnaires Externally

The “External editing” function allows you to export text elements (i.e. question andhelp texts, fill-in instructions as well as question options) for external editing with MSExcel or with the translation software SDLX.

You can thus make easy and concise changes to question categories and items. Forexample, you can rename (“relabel”) existing categories and items. This simplifies thetranslation of questionnaires significantly. However, no new categories, new items orvariables can be added. Importing text changes or translations into another project isnot possible, either.

The required operations,

� exporting project data

� editing exported data in an external program

� importing edited project data into EFS

are introduced in the following section.

Following that there is an explanation of how to edit with Microsoft Excel and SDLX.

For EFS Conjoint Extension, external editing is not supported.

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6.6.1 Exporting, Editing and Importing Text Elements

Exporting text elements

1. The tabs for importing and exporting files for external editing are located in themenu Projects->{Selected project}->Questionnaire editor->Language editor->Import / Export.

Figure 6.19 “External editing” menu tabs

2. Click on the Export file tab.

3. Set the file format for the export. The following options are available:

– XLS for editing with MS Excel: Chapter 6.6.2, p. 283 gives an explanation ofhow you can edit this file in MS Excel.

– HTML for editing with SDLX: Chapter 6.6.3, p. 285 provides further explanati-ons on how to use the translation software SDLX when editing externally.

4. If you wish to use the versioning features, please follow the instructions given inChapter 6.6.4, p. 286 when making your selection.

5. If you have chosen XLS as the export format, you will have several special optionsavailable to you for defining the file structure, see Chapter 6.6.2, p. 283: Select thedesired options.

6. Click on the Export button on the right-hand side to download the file.

7. In most browsers a dialog will open in which you can choose whether you wish todirectly open the file in a program or save the data. It is recommended that yousave the data on the hard disk. In some browsers the file will be automaticallyopened in Excel: In this case you should likewise save the file onto you hard drive,make sure that you enter a file extension that matches the file format.

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External Editing of text elements

You can open and edit the exported file in MS Excel or SDLX depending on whichformat you chose. Further information on working with these programs can be foundin Chapter 6.6.2, p. 283 and 6.6.3, p. 285.

Importing edited text elements back into EFS

1. After completing the editing process, switch back to your EFS project and select inthe Import / Export submenu the Import file tab.

2. Specify the target language and import conditions:

– In the drop-down list labeled “Into which language do you wish to import thenew text elements?”, you can select the target language for the import. If thedefault language is selected, the elements will be imported directly into thequestionnaire editor’s data tables.

– In the “Back up old elements in another language?” field, the “Overwrite oldelements” function will be selected by default. However, if you do not want tolose text elements you have already inserted, you can also back them up inanother language.

– Only those elements containing a string will be transferred to the languagetable or the editor tables. Empty strings will be ignored.

– If you wish to import text elements in another language, but do not notice thatthis language has not yet been set up until you reach the tab for re-importingthe files, you can still do this in the bottom section “New language”. Specifythe name of the new language, and then click on Save. After that, you canperform an import into this new language.

Figure 6.20 Re-importing an externally edited file

3. Use Browse to select the edited file.

4. Clicking on Next page to import the changes.

5. Changes will be documented in the overview “Import finished”.

If an Excel file is opened on a computer running with Windows 7 and Excel 2007,depending on the circumstances, a message may be displayed which notifies youthat the file is corrupted. This problem is caused by an extension provided by a third-party supplier. Until further notice, please proceed as follows: Save the file locally.Then, open the saved file, allowing Excel to repair it. Finally, save the file again.

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Figure 6.21 Overview of the changes

6.6.2 Editing Externally with MS Excel

Editing the Excel file

The exported XLS file contains the text elements and survey messages of the question-naire, an empty column for entering the desired changes and various meta informa-tion, ordered in a five or six column table depending on the export settings.

If you use external editing with MS Excel in order to create several questionnaire ver-sions (for example the different language versions of a multilingual project), copy theexported file and use a separate version of the file for each planned text version.

Figure 6.22 Translation of a questionnaire in Excel

Column Meaning

internal By default this column is hidden. It contains coded information for internal use. Do not change!

description Provides information about the type of text element in the respective column. The separate elements are explained in the following table. Do not change!

meta Meta information that is not displayed in the questionnaire, such as page or ques-tion title. Do not change!

content The previous content of each text element. Do not change!

Table 6.2 Table contents

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The “description” column indicates which question element is meant in a specific row.You can edit the following types of question elements:

new content Text changes or new texts are entered into this column. Optionally you can leave this column filled with the source texts. To do this, select the option “Prefill translation column with the current values” in the export dialog (see the following section).Cells that are marked with °~°, do not permit any changes: The related cells con-tain context and structure data that cannot be changed, but nonetheless do help to provide orientation. You can display or hide these rows by using the option “Also export unchangeable data rows (for informational purposes only)”.

status As of version 4.0 you have the option of producing a column that informs you about the editing status:• To do: The text element has not been edited yet.• Done: The text element has been edited already.Please note that the status only shows whether the “new content” cell is filled with text or not: it is not able to test whether the text is correct.Use the option “Put status (to do) column into exported file” in the export dialog to activate or deactivate the output of this column.

Caution: A frequently made mistake is to change the text in the “content” column.New text must be entered in the “new content” column.

Element Text element

Q-text Question text

Q-instruct Fill-in instruction

Q-help Help text

Category Answer category

Item Answer item

HTML-text Text with HTML tags

Message Survey message

Scale Scale

Table 6.3 Changeable question elements

By default the setting for the export dialog is such that the column “internal” ishidden, the column “Status” is activated and the Excel sheet is protected with aProtect Sheet.

The password for deactivating the Protect Sheet is located in the export dialog underthe Question mark icon: It is constant and applies installation-wide. Deactivation ofProtect Sheet is done in MS Excel in the Extras->Protect...->Deactivate ProtectSheet.

(cont.)Column Meaning

Table 6.2 Table contents

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Optimizing the structure of the Excel file for external editing

You can adjust the file structure to your needs. The following special options can beselected in the download dialog:

� Also export unchangeable data rows: If this option has been activated, (unchan-gable) context and structure data, such as page title, question title or question typewill be output to the Excel file. This makes the exported file somewhat more exten-sive, and makes it possible for the translator to make more targeted inquiries tothe questionnaire programmer.

� Protect unchangeable columns in Excel file against modifications:

– If this option is activated, cells with only informational purposes are protectedagainst erroneous changes. Changes to the Excel file are only possible in thecolumn “new content”, i.e. the area highlighted in color.

– You can disable the function that protects against changes: This function canbe found in Excel in the Extras->Protect...->Deactivate Protect Sheet menu.The required password can be found in EFS under the Question mark icon. (Itis constant and applies installation-wide.)

� Prefill translation column with the current values: The column “new content” willbe filled with the text elements of the source language.

� Put status (to do) column into exported file:

– A supplementary column that automatically marks each row with the status ofthe translation as either “To do” or “Done”.

– Please note: If you simultaneously select prefilling of the “new content”column with source text and refrain from using change protection, not onlywill changes in the “new content” column be classified as edited, but undesiredchanges in the column “content” as well causing the creation of a statuschange from “To do” to “Done”. Therefore pay attention that you only makechanges to the “new content” column highlighted in color.

By default change protection (2) and display of the To do column (4) are activated.

6.6.3 Translating Externally with SDLX

You can use the professional translation software SDLX for external editing, using anHTML file for exporting and importing the text elements.

Please take note of the following when translating with SDLX:

� If you have used HTML to format the questionnaire, you should check carefully,whether all HTML tags are correct before exporting: Because SDLX does not pro-duce HTML error messages, rather it tries to repair incorrect HTML, it is possiblethat information may get lost. If for example a HTML tag at the beginning of asentence was not closed properly, SDLX will under certain circumstances not dis-play the sentence at all and the translator will not be able to work on it.

� When you pass on the exported file for editing to the translator, do not forget toinform the translator about which character set is to be used: The HTML file isalways coded in UTF-8.

For further details on the functionality and scope of SDLX please refer to the pro-duct information and software documentation provided by the manufacturer.

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6.6.4 Using the Version Control Tool

Subsequent changes to texts in multilingual projects are costly: The texts that werechanged in the source language must be exported again, passed on to translators,translated and then reimported. To make it easier for you to identify subsequent chan-ges and thus to reduce the text to be translated to only what is really necessary, the“External editing” function has a version control feature: You can save the file versionthat was exported and passed on to the translators, create a comparison between thesaved and current versions after changes have been made, and then export either thecomplete questionnaire or only the texts that have really been changed.

You can save up to 10 intermediate versions for each project and survey language.

Saving file versions during download

Follow the instructions given in Chapter 6.6.1, p. 281, ticking the checkbox labeled“Save exported version for later comparisons”.

Viewing differences between saved versions

As soon as two or more exported questionnaire versions have been saved, you will beable to view directly in EFS the changes between the different versions:

1. Open the Versions tab. It contains a list of the saved versions, with the most recentversion appearing at the bottom.

2. Specify the version which is to be used as the reference version, and the versionwhich you want to compare with it.

Figure 6.23 Selecting versions for comparison

3. Click on Display. A list of the differences will be output.

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6.7 Editing Page, Question and Trigger Names Externally

Figure 6.24 Viewing differences

Exporting changes

If you only wish to export changes, please proceed as follows:

1. In the “Only export changes relative to previously recorded version”, select theversion against which the comparison is to be performed. In the example shown,all changes made since version 2 will be exported.

Figure 6.25 Choosing the reference file for an export of changes

2. Confirm by clicking on Export.

6.7 Editing Page, Question and Trigger Names Externally

Even though the names of pages, questions and triggers are not displayed in the ques-tionnaire, they do facilitate orientation in the questionnaire editor. Thus, these namesmust occasionally be edited, e.g. to adjust them to a project-wide standard.

Instead of having to click on each element individually and change it step-by-step, EFSSurvey makes it possible to export the names of pages, questions or triggers, edit themexternally and then reimport them.

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1. Switch to the Questionnaire editor->Title editor menu.

2. Select the desired element names, and specify the file type (CSV or Excel) andcharacter set.

Figure 6.26 Selecting desired element names

3. Confirm by clicking on Export.

4. Save the export file locally.

5. You can now open the file and enter the desired new text in the “New title” column.In doing so, simply skip over the existing titles that you do not wish to change.

Figure 6.27 Changing names in the exported file

6. After that, you can use the Import tab to reimport the file into EFS Survey.

6.8 Search and Replace

The “Search and replace” function allows you to search the question texts, answers,and fill-in instructions of a project for a certain keyword and to optionally change thetext in one step. Various small features round out this function:

� Optional case sensitivity

� Optional search for regular expressions

� Searchability of default and other language versions in multilingual projects

Please note: <img> tags used in the HTML question type for example to insert animage, are not covered by the “Search and replace” function. The purpose of thisrestriction is to prevent inadvertent destruction of image linking. The Projectchecks->Media check function is better suited to manage the linking of images (seeChapter 9.4, p. 394).

288

6.8 Search and Replace

Invoking the “Search and replace” function

Depending on the situation, there are two ways to invoke the “Search and replace”function:

� Clicking on the Search and replace menu item in the questionnaire editor opensthe general “Search and replace” dialog which covers the contents of the entirequestionnaire.

� In the questionnaire view, you will find the Search/replace icon in the “Actions”column. This “Search and replace” dialog allows you to perform a specific searchwithin a questionnaire branch under a particular page.

Performing a search

The keyword is entered in the search form. Optionally, you may also specifiy the follo-wing restrictions or criteria:

� Search type

– Normal search: Default setting

– Case sensitive

– Regular expression: If you wish to use this option, enter a regular expressioninstead of a term in the keyword field.

� Language to be searched: This option will only be displayed in multilingual pro-jects, by default the search is performed in the default language.

� Text types to be searched: You can, for example, restrict your search to scale titlesor long variable names.

To trigger the search, click on the Search button.

Viewing the results

In the results table the results are listed, sorted by page, with the following informa-tion:

� Type: Text type

� Content: The text of the respective question, answer category or fill-in instruction.From EFS 7.0, the keyword is highlighted.

� Actions:

– Edit page: This icon allows you to call up and directly edit the respective pagein the questionnaire editor.

– Preview: Opens the respective page in the questionnaire preview.

– Edit language elements: In multilingual projects, this icon allows you toswitch to the relevant page in the Language editor.

Replacing text elements

If you wish to edit text elements centrally, first select the search results for modifica-tion in the “Replace” column. Then enter the new text element in the “Replace with”field. Your changes will be performed once you click on the Replace button.

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7 Dynamic Elements in the Questionnaire

7.1 Using Wildcards to Output Predefined Content . . . . . . . . . 293

7.2 Using Wildcards to Output Dynamic Content . . . . . . . . . . 297

7.3 Lists. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299

7.4 Loops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314

7.5 Initiating Actions with Triggers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325

7.6 Transferring Answers from Another Project . . . . . . . . . . . 346

291

7.1 Using Wildcards to Output Predefined Content


Dynamic elements such as the wildcards, triggers, lists and loops described belowallow you to make the questionnaire content dependent on the respondent’s entries.The decision on which further questions and answers will be presented to the respon-dent is not made until runtime, depending on participant data and answers alreadygiven. This allows you, for example, to personalize the questionnaire by addressing therespondent directly or by incorporating previous answers into subsequent questions.


You can use wildcards defined by yourself in numerous places in the questionnaire, e.gto facilitate the entry of frequently recurrent text sections or the frequent incorpora-tion of the same image:

� in the question text, answer text and fill-in instruction for questions with singleresponse lists, questions with multiple response lists and matrix questions,

� for the HTML question type,

� on mixed-external pages, and

� for questions of the above types in the container depot.

The following sections explain how to create, use and manage these self-defined wild-cards. Below that, you will find a practical example which gives a step-by-step explana-tion of how to, in particular, make frequently incorporating images clearer and easierby using wildcards.

7.1.1 Defining and Managing Wildcards

The questionnaire editor’s menu (Projects-> {Selected Project}->Questionnaireeditor) contains a menu item called Wildcards. This opens an overview of the wildcardsdefined for the project.

The wildcard administration is designed for up to 250 wildcards. If you and yourstaff use wildcards a lot, take care to use meaningful names, to prevent e.g. thecreation of duplicates. If necessary, develop your own nomenclature.

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Figure 7.1 Managing and editing wildcards

This shows a list of all the wildcards defined for the project, including a search functionand the functions for creating new wildcards and importing existing wildcards fromother projects, which are explained below.

Defining new wildcards

1. To create new wildcards, click on the Create wildcard button.

2. In the dialog that opens, enter the name of the new wildcard in the “Wildcard”field. It may contain the characters a-z, A-Z and 0-9 and must be enclosed in twohash signs (#). Furthermore, the name should not be reserved for variables orother wildcards (e.g. project variables v_xxx, participant variables u_xxx, systemvariables).

3. In the “Text” field, enter whatever you wish to replace with the wildcard. This maybe text, but you can also enter, for example, an HTML tag for an image file.

4. You can then save the new wildcard by clicking on the Create wildcard button.

Figure 7.2 Creating new wildcards

Transferring wildcards from other projects

Clicking on the Import wildcards from other survey button will open a list of theprojects on the platform. If you select the radio buttons for the project(s) whose wild-cards you want to transfer, you can import the wildcards by clicking on the confirma-tion button.

If you wish to use wildcards to incorporate images, you have the option of defininga wildcard for an image even as you are uploading it. See Chapter 7.1.3, p. 295.

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Wildcards in multilingual projects

If you are using the wildcard to incorporate text in multilingual projects, you can clickon the Edit language elements button to insert and change the corresponding textelements in the various languages. See Chapter 15, p. 569, for detailed information onthe EFS functions supporting multilingual projects.

Editing wildcards

In the table listing the wildcards defined for the respective project, the right-handcolumn contains the following “Actions” icons:

� Edit: Changing name and content of the wildcard

� Delete: Deleting the wildcard

7.1.2 Using Wildcards in the Questionnaire

Once you have defined wildcards for a project, you can access them via the Wildcardstab in the question view and integrate them into the questionnaire.

1. Create a question as usual.

2. First, click on the field in which you wish to insert the wildcard.

3. Next, select the Wildcards tab.

4. The wildcard overview shown in Figure 7.1 will open. Here, you will now find anadditional icon representing the Insert wildcard function.

Figure 7.3 The “Insert wildcard” icon

5. Clicking on this icon will automatically insert the selected wildcard into the ans-wer category and close the window for wildcard administration.

7.1.3 Example: Using Wildcards to Incorporate Images

The wildcard function makes your work easier, especially if you frequently incorporateimages into question texts and answer categories: Instead of copying IMG tags from themedia library, as before, you can work more quickly using the wildcards, and the ans-wer options remain clearly structured.

Therefore, EFS offers the option of defining wildcards even when uploading images tothe media library, in addition to the new wildcard administration described above. Thefollowing example will introduce you to working with wildcards in general as well asthis function in particular.

Creating a wildcard when uploading an image

1. The work process begins in the media library which is located in the questionnaireeditor under Projects->{Selected Project}->Questionnaire editor->Media library.

2. Click on the Upload file button.

3. The familiar upload dialog will open. Browse your local hard disk and set the desi-red file.

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Figure 7.4 Creating a wildcard in the media library

4. Define a wildcard. You can use the characters a-z, A-Z and 0-9. The wildcards mustbe enclosed in two hash signs (#).

5. Confirm by clicking on Upload.

Incorporating wildcards into a question

6. Switch to the questionnaire editor by clicking on the Back to questionnaire menuitem.

7. There, create the planned page as well as the desired question.

8. Formulate the question text.

9. Click into the answer option into which you want to insert the image.

10. Now, select the Wildcards tab. This will open a pop-up window containing the wild-card overview.

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Figure 7.5 Pop-up window for selecting wildcards in the questionnaire editor

11. Click on the Insert wildcard icon.

12. The wildcard will now automatically be inserted into the answer category, and thedialog will be closed.

13. Save the question.

7.2 Using Wildcards to Output Dynamic Content

You can use so-called wildcards to access and display answers already given or datasaved in participant administration. When surveying children, for example, you canask for the name of the child responding and then address the child by name duringthe further course of the survey.

7.2.1 Inserting Wildcards

If you wish to output contents of the database, simply insert the name of the corres-ponding variable, enclosed in two hash signs, into a question text or an answer optionor at any other place in the questionnaire. For example, the #v_2315# wildcard is

If you wish to change the size of the image, you can either do so before uploading itor use wildcard administration to insert the appropriate HTML attributes into theimage’s IMG tag.

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replaced with the content of the v_2315 project variable. Depending on the variabletype, the following replacement rules apply:

� Project variables (v_000n): Depending on whether you want to output the label orthe code of the variable, use the following syntax:

– #v_000n#: the label of the respective variable.

– #v_000n|code#: the code of the respective variable.

– For variables that refer to open-ended text fields, the entry made by the respon-dent will be displayed in both cases.

� URL parameter (p_000n): The wildcards are #p_0001# for the first URL parameter,#p_0002# for the second URL parameter, etc.

� User-defined variables c_000n: The wildcard is #c_000n#.

� Participant variables u_000n: The wildcard for the participant administration con-tents listed in Table 10.4 is #variable name# (e.g. #u_language#).

� Participant variables of the panelists in EFS Panel installations u_000n: The wild-card for the user table contents listed in Table 10.4 is #variable name# (e.g.#u_name#).

� Master data of the panelists in EFS Panel installations: The wildcards for masterdata, m_000n and md_000n, are #m_000n# and #md_000n#.

Please note:

- Dynamic output of content cannot be tested in preview mode, as data generated inthe preview cannot be allocated to a participant account and dataset.

- Not all of the above wildcards function in the mail trigger and recoding trigger.The contents of project variables relating to an open text field may also be outputusing #v_000n# in the trigger. For closed-ended questions the wildcard #v_000n#in the trigger only outputs the code. In the mail trigger, you may, however, insertthe question labels or other texts using conditional replacement, see Chapter 11.2.4,p. 477.

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7.3 Lists

Using lists, you can make your questionnaire more dynamic:

� The answer options of a question can be filled via a list.

� The loops introduced in Chapter 7.4, p. 314 are controlled via lists, i.e. a respon-dent sees a page within the loop block once for each list element, with the textadjusted to the respective list element using wildcards.

There are different methods for filling the list:

� Dynamic lists draw their elements from questions and other lists.

� Static lists contain fixed preset elements.

The elements of a list which are actually displayed may be determined by both therespondents’ answers and by complex hiding conditions, depending on the list type andsetting.

With dynamic lists you can even modify the export of individual list elements to indi-vidual questions by using respective item-specific features such as dac, randomizationand grouping or taking their setting from the source questions.

Application example

In Chapters 7.3, p. 299 and 7.4, p. 314, a project is created for explanatory purposeswhich examines the preferences of TV viewers for specific channels and subjects.

In the first question, titled “Known TV networks”, respondents are asked which TVnetworks they know. This question is used as the source question for creating a list.

Figure 7.6 The list’s source question

In the following questions, the respondents are to give more detailed assessments ofthe TV networks. However, you want those questions to only refer to those networkswhich the respective respondent knows. This is made possible by the dynamic list cre-ated using the first question.

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Figure 7.7 The follow-up question created using a list will only display the selected answers

If it were advisable to always display all answer categories (i.e., in this example, all TVnetworks), you would use a static list.

The following will be explained below:

� how to create dynamic and static lists (see Chapters 7.3.1, p. 301 and 7.3.2, p. 306)

� how dynamic and static lists can be used to create a dynamic answer block in aquestion (see Chapter 7.3.3, p. 308)

The number and complexity of the lists in a project affects the performance. Thefollowing guiding values provide orientation:

- The number of lists is limited to 100 per project. It is recommended to use notmore than 50.

- Dynamic lists should not refer to more than 5 source questions resp. source lists.

- Static lists should not have more than 250 elements.

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7.3.1 Creating Dynamic Lists

1. Creating the source question

1. Create a question, enter question and item texts as usual, and then confirm byclicking on Save.

Figure 7.8 Creating the source question and then including it in the list

2. After that, click on the Assign to list button. You will be taken to the lists editor.

2. Creating a dynamic list

Usually, the steps described above will take you from the source question to the dialogfor list creation. However, you can also choose Questionnaire editor->Lists and theneither select an existing list or click on one of the buttons labeled Create dynamic listand Create static list. Then, proceed as follows:

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1. In the drop-down list, select the list into which you wish to insert the questionitems as list elements. In this case, however, as there is no existing list yet, youmust select “New list” and confirm by clicking on Next.

Figure 7.9 Selecting source list, if available

2. Give the new list an internal name, in this example “TV channel”.

3. Specify a wildcard, in this example “TVchannel”. This wildcard will be used if thelist is later inserted into the questionnaire (Chapter 7.3.6, p. 313) or integrated ina loop (see Chapter 7.4, p. 314). The name must be unique. It should contain onlythe the letters a-z and A-Z, numbers and “_”.

4. In the “Source questions” section you can specify from which questions and staticlists the elements of the new list are to be drawn. In the example enter the questionjust created in the drop-down list. After saving you can also add further questionsor lists however.

Figure 7.10 Defining the properties of the new list

5. In the “Properties of items from source question” section, which is only availablewith dynamic lists, you can specify whether and which properties and contents ofsource question items should be included in the list. Further information on thiscan be found in Table 7.1. In the example no particular settings are made.

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7.3 Lists

6. In the “Output whole list in questionnaire” section you can decide how the listelements are to be strung together if they are output in the questionnaire usingwildcards. See Chapter 7.3.6, p. 313, for an explanation of this function.


8. The list will now be created, and the dialog in which you can specify inclusionconditions will appear.

Adopting item-specific properties from source questions

Optionally, various item properties from source questions can be automatically adop-ted in the list. They can then be displayed with target questions in the editor but cannotbe edited. Automatic property and content adoption is enabled when creating a new listor manually on the General settings tab in the list editor. The table below provides anoverview of available options.

3. Specifying properties of the list elements

After you have created a list and made the general settings, the Inclusion conditionstab will appear. It lists the following information and setting options for each list ele-ment:

The variables of source questions for list elements are marked with the L icon in thequestion view to indicate that they are accessed by a list.

Option Meaning

Adopt grouping of source questions in target questions

Grouping is automatically adopted.

Adopt randomization at item level from the source question in target questions

If randomization is enabled for an item in the source question this setting is also adopted in the target question. Randomization is however perfor-med anew and the state is not adopted from the source question (unless “Adopt ...randomization state” is also been enabled

Adopt source question randomization state for target questions

Randomization status of source question items is automatically adopted in target questions – i.e. items from the source questions are displayed to the respondent in the order seen in the source question. Static elements or other static lists con-tained in the same dynamic list are likewise placed above, below or in between, according to their numbering.

Adopt wording from the source question in target questions

The wording of source and target question is auto-matically synchronized. Any change to the source question is automatically adopted in target questi-ons.

Adopt images from the source question in target questions

The images of source and target question are auto-matically synchronized. Any change to the source question is automatically adopted in target questi-ons.

Adopt item sequence from the source question in target questions

The sequence of items in source and target ques-tion is automatically synchronised. Any change to the source question is automatically adopted in target questions.

Adopt DAC at item level from the source question in target questions

If dac is enabled for an item in the source question this setting is also adopted in the target question.

Table 7.1 Adopting item properties for list elements

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� Variable name: The source question’s variable and label.

� List element no.

� Source variable: The label used for the source variable in the source question.

� Type

� Inclusion conditions: The conditions under which the element concerned is dis-played in a target question. The following chapters explain how to specify inadvance inclusion conditions individually, for the entire list or for elements yet tobe added.

� Output text: The text that will be output in the questionnaire. (If you are using thelist in a loop, you can use wildcards to incorporate the list elements into the ques-tionnaire. In this case, you can click on the links in the “Output text” column toopen a dialog which allows you to create additional wildcards with alternate textversions.)

Figure 7.11 Specifying properties of the list elements

Specifying inclusion conditions for individual list elements

By making the appropriate settings in the drop-down lists in the “Inclusion condition”column, you can choose between the following options, separately for each element:

� if selected, always in list: If the respondent has chosen the list element from thesource question, it will always be displayed from that point on.

� if not selected, always list element: If the respondent has not chosen the list ele-ment from the source question, it will always be displayed from that point on.

� always in list: The list element will always be displayed, even if the respondent hasnot chosen it from the source question.

� never in list: The element will never be displayed. This setting can be used forelements which are to appear only in the source question.

� in list if...: As soon as you set this inclusion condition, an Edit icon will appear,allowing you to open the condition editor and define a filter condition. Further-more, a Copy icon will appear, allowing you to copy inclusion conditions as youwould copy hiding conditions at item level (see Chapter 5.16.2, p. 250).

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7.3 Lists

Figure 7.12 “Edit” icon

� always in random selection

� if selected, always in random selection

� if not selected, always in random selection

� in random selection if...: As soon as you set this inclusion condition, an Edit iconwill appear, allowing you to open the condition editor and define a filter condition.

By default, the “if selected, always in list” option is preset.

Click on Save after you have completed your settings. Clicking on the Back to editormenu item will take you back to the question view of the source question.

Specifying global inclusion conditions

Alternatively, you can also define or change all inclusion conditions with a single click.

1. To do so, click the Define global inclusion conditions button.

2. Select the desired condition in the pop-up that opens.

Figure 7.13 Opening the condition editor

3. When you select a condition that requires detailed definition, the Edit icon is acti-vated in the “Actions” column. Define the condition in the condition editor. Youcan use the #varname# and #code# wildcards to do so.

4. Save the settings. All list inclusion conditions are now changed accordingly.

Defining the default setting for all new list elements

You can define in advance which inclusion conditions newly created list elements shallhave by default in dynamic lists. To do so, select the desired preset from the “Expertsettings” section in the Inclusion conditions tab and then Save. If you select a complex

Once the above mentioned inclusion conditions have been processed, the size of thelist can be used for filtering.

#varname#: Wildcard available for selection in the “Variables” selection field. It isrespectively replaced in the various list elements by the name of the variable assig-ned to the list element in the source question.

#code# Can be entered in the “Code” field. It is replaced in the various list elementsby the code the list element has in the source question.

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condition you can, as described above, open the condition editor and formulate thecondition in generalized terms using the #varname# and #code# wildcards.

7.3.2 Creating Static Lists

A static list is not composed using the items of source questions or source lists, but thelist elements are directly entered.

1. Creating a static list

1. Open the Questionnaire editor->Lists menu and click on the Create static listbutton.

Figure 7.14 Creating a static list

2. Give the new list an internal name, in this example “Subjects”.

3. Enter a wildcard.


5. The List elements tab will be opened automatically. To create a new list element,enter its name in the “New element” row. Then, confirm each entry by clicking onSave.

Figure 7.15 Creating static list elements

2. Importing static list elements

You can import the elements of static lists or copy out elements that have already beencreated in a special format, edit them externally and then reimport them.

Formatting import data

The following format should be used:

List element ID;list element number;wildcard 1;wildcard 2;wildcard 3; wildcard 4;wildcard 5;inclusion condition

The inclusion conditions must be encoded as follows:

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7.3 Lists

� 1: always in list

� 2: never in list

� 3: in list if...

� 4: always in random selection

� 6.: in random selection if...

You can create lists with an appropriate format, e.g. in MS Excel.

Performing the import

1. Navigate to the Projects->{Selected project}->Questionnaire editor->Lists menu,and create a new static list.

2. Open the List elements tab. Instead of creating elements manually, you can clickon the Import list elements button.

Figure 7.16 Entering import data

3. Select the desired separator, and enter the elements in the correct format. If youhave created an Excel table, transfer the content, but not the column labels, usingcopy & paste.

4. Confirm by clicking on Import.

5. Click on the List elements tab to switch to the overview of the list elements thathave been created.

Editing and exporting list elements

List elements that have already been created will be output in the input field and canthen be edited. If you wish to delete an element, simply remove it from the list.

External editing is also possible:

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1. Copy the content of the input field into Excel.

2. Should Excel copy the data into a cell instead of formatting it correctly, selectData->Text to Columns. Choose the data type “Delimited”, and confirm by cli-cking on Next.

3. Choose the separator, and confirm by clicking on Next again.

4. Check the display, and then confirm by clicking on Finish.

3. Specifying properties of the list elements

In the case of static lists, you also specify the inclusion conditions for the list elementson the List elements tab, in the “Inclusion conditions” column. Of the inclusion con-ditions mentioned in Chapter 7.3.1, p. 301 above, the following are available:

� always in list

� never in list

� in list if...


� in random selection if...

By default, the “always in list” option is preset.

Alternatively, you can also define or change all inclusion conditions at once, using theDefine global inclusion conditions function, as described above.

If the static list is to be used in a loop at a later time, you can use the Wildcards tab toset up several wildcards with alternate texts (see Chapter 7.4.3, p. 319).

7.3.3 Incorporating Static and Dynamic Lists into Questions

1. Create a page titled “TV channel usage”, and create a question of the “Multipleresponse list (vertical)” type (type 121).

2. All question types in which using lists is advisable contain the “Dynamic answers”section. Later, if a list has been integrated, this section can optionally be hiddenusing the [+] icon.

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7.3 Lists

Figure 7.17 The “Dynamic answers” section

3. Clicking on the Select button allows you to select a list.

Figure 7.18 Selecting a list

4. Select the list “TV channel” and confirm by clicking on Save.

5. Click on the Back to editor menu item to return to the question you are editing.Here you will find the elements of the selected list in the “Dynamic answers” area.

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Figure 7.19 The selected dynamic answer elements in the questionnaire editor

6. Depending on the target question type, item-specific functionalities such as ran-domization, grouping and dac are available with dynamic list elements. If desired,you can set these separately for each target question. Alternatively, you can alsoadopt the settings from the source question, see Chapter 7.3.1, p. 301.

7. You have the choice of

– offering only list elements as answer categories. In this case, you should tickthe “Delete” checkbox for all other answer categories and then click on Save.

– offering list elements as well as standard answer categories. In this case, youcan change the positions of the elements by changing their numbering. Thenclick on Save.

7.3.4 Configuring the Output of the List

The inclusion conditions described in Chapter 7.3.1, p. 301 are used to set the condi-tions under which elements are generally added to the list. Before outputting the listas a concrete question you can set up further restrictions and carry out sorting rules.

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7.3 Lists

Press the Options button to find the appropriate setting options in the question viewof the list questions.

Figure 7.20 Question-specific output options

Selecting list elements

The following selection possibilities are available to you:

� Select [n] elements at random from the list: You can set the number of elementsthat can be selected.

– Please mind: This random selection is applied only to elements with inclusionconditions “if selected, always in random selection”, “in random selection if ...”and “always in random selection”.

– Configure extended random selection: You can make the random selectiondependent on the number of elements chosen by the participant. Please seeChapter 7.3.5, p. 312 for details.

� Select only the [n] elements with the highest / lowest code value: These optionsapply to the code which you assigned to the items of each question. This option isonly suitable for single response questions or matrix questions. With a multipleresponse or a select box matrix the code can only take on the values of 0 (notselected) and 1 (selected), therefore the use of this question type is senseless.

Sorting the remaining list elements

The following sorting options are available to you, by default it is set to “unsorted”.

The special options described in this chapter cannot be used in questions with grou-pings.

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� Unsorted (default setting)

� Sorted numerically according to answers in the source question (ascending /descending): Sorting is done on the basis of entries made by respondents in sourcequestions with text fields.

� Sorted alphabetically according to answers in the source question (ascending /descending): Sorting is done on the basis of entries made by respondents in sourcequestions with text fields.

� Sorted alphabetically by list element label (ascending / descending): It will be sor-ted by list element label.

7.3.5 In Detail: Extended Random Selection of List Elements

You can make the random selection, which was introduced in the previous chapter,dependent on the number of elements chosen by the participant. Extended randomselection can only be used in combination with the following types of inclusion condi-tions:

� if selected, always in random selection

� in random selection if ...


1. Configuring extended random selection

1. Click on the Options button in the page view of the desired questionnaire page.

2. Among the random selection options you already know, you will find theConfigure extended random selection button. Clicking on the button will open thecondition editor.

Figure 7.21 Entering a condition

3. Enter the desired condition and confirm by clicking on Save.

4. If required, you can define additional conditions which will be processed in theorder you define.

5. Return to the “Options” dialog by clicking on Back.

6. If you click on the Info icon, the condition will be displayed. This icon will alsoappear in the question view.

Figure 7.22 Displaying a condition

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7.3 Lists

7.3.6 Outputting Lists in the Questionnaire

You can output entire lists in the questionnaire, e.g. to issue a confirmation to respon-dents of what they have selected, as in the example shown. If you use this feature, theoutput will be subject to the inclusion conditions defined for the list, i.e. if you havespecified, for example, a dynamic list and the inclusion condition “if selected, alwaysin list”, the selected elements will be output via wildcard.

The operation of the function is summarized as follows:

� The list-ID (#1_xxx#) serves as a wildcard.

� You can specify which general separator to use and the separator between the lasttwo elements of the list.

� You can define alternative labeling for the list elements.

� It is not possible to use this wildcard to output list elements, which come from themultimedia question types 511 and 521: Instead of images, the related alternativetexts will be output. However, if you use HTML to incorporate images directly intothe items of a list source question, these images will be output.

Viewing the list ID and inserting it into questionnaires

You will find the list ID in the overview of the Lists menu.

Figure 7.23 List IDs

Using the form “#l_xxx#”, insert this list ID into the desired position in the question-naire text, where it will serve as a wildcard.

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Specifying separators

1. Open the menu Lists, select the desired list, and then open the General settingstab.

2. Enter the usual separator into the “Separator between list elements” field. Seefigure 7.10, S. 302.

3. If you wish to use a special separator before the last element in the listing (e.g. theword “and” or <br>), enter this separator into the field entitled “Separator rightbefore the last list element”.

4. After that, confirm by clicking on Save.

Changing list element labels

You can change the labels of the list elements displayed.

� Define the required sets of text elements on the Wildcard tab as will be familiarfrom loops.

� These alternative sets are imported via wildcards with the format #listID_x#. Thatis, the second set of text elements in the first list of the project (list ID 1) is outputvia #1_1_2#.

7.3.7 Tips and Tricks

How can I check the functionality of lists in the preview?

The preview for questions which were created using a dynamic list will only display thelist elements if they were previously listed in the source question. It is therefore recom-mended that you either open the page preview for the source questions or open thepreview from the Survey menu.

Can I interleave lists into one another?

You can integrate one or more static lists into a dynamic list. Deeper level interleavingor integration of a dynamic list into another dynamic list is not possible.

Can I delete list elements?

Elements of a dynamic list cannot be simply deleted in the list.

� You can delete an individual element from the source question. This will comple-tely remove it from the list and from all questions which access the list.

� If you want an element not to be seen by the respondent, you should set the “neverin list” inclusion condition for this element (see Chapter 7.3.1, p. 301).

7.4 Loops

The “Loop” page type differs from other EFS page types insofar that its page contentsand variables are not yet fixed at the beginning of the survey, but newly calculated foreach respondent during the survey. This means that variables and pages within loopsare formed dynamically, which is a difference from the EFS variables and pages you arefamiliar with, also in terms of functionality.

To translate the separators and wildcards in multilingual projects, find the list in theoverview of the Questionnaire editor->Lists menu and click on the Globe icon.

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7.4 Loops

Example

In the second part of the example project titled “Television”, which was introduced inthe previous chapter, you want to find out how satisfied the respondent is with the wayvarious subjects are realized by the various TV channels. As the question is identicalfor each channel, a loop is used.

The question that the respondent is to answer for several TV channels is: “Have you gotone or more favorite programs on #TVchannel#?” To generate this question group, aquestionnaire page titled “Favorite programs” is set up indented below a page of type“Loop”. This page contains the question, with the question text containing the#TVchannel# wildcard. When the page is invoked in the questionnaire, this wildcard isfilled from the dynamic list titled “TV channels” which you created in Chapter 7.3.1,p. 301, i.e. the respondent will see the page more than once with different channelnames. The page is “looped”.

Figure 7.24 The loop and the looped questionnaire page titled “Favorite programs” in the sample pro-ject

Figure 7.25 The questionnaire page titled “Favorite programs” will be presented to the respondent for all TV channels specified for the “Knowledge of TV channels” source question

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7.4.1 Creating and Configuring a Loop

Creating a loop

1. Create a new page titled “Questions about known TV channels”, choosing the“Loop” page type.

Figure 7.26 Creating a loop

2. Confirm by clicking on Submit.

3. The new loop page will be displayed in the questionnaire view.

Figure 7.27 The “Loop” page type in the questionnaire view

Choosing a list

4. Click on the title of the loop.

5. The list selection dialog described in Chapter 7.3.3, p. 308 will open.

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7.4 Loops

Figure 7.28 Selecting a list

6. Select the list to be assigned to this loop. In the example, respondents are asked toassess the range of various TV channels, i.e. you must choose the “TV channel” list.

7. Then, click on Save.

Defining processing rules

In order to configure the output rules for lists that have been placed within a loop, clickon the icon Edit page properties of the loop page in the questionnaire view.

� An explanation of the entry form can be found in Chapter 7.3.4, p. 310.

� The additional option “Randomize list elements” is available on loop pages. SeeChapter 4.9, p. 161, for further information on randomization.

� Furthermore, you can specify a condition for cancelling the loop. To open the con-dition editor, click the Edit link in the “Cancel loop, if” field.

7.4.2 Creating a Looped Page

1. Your next step is to create a looped page, i.e. a page that will be displayed repea-tedly, displaying one element of the loop list after the other. The procedure for thisis similar to that for creating a filtered questionnaire page: In the row containingthe loop page, click on the Create new page or filter icon, enter “Favorite pro-

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grams” as the title, choose the “Standard” page type, and then click on Submit tosave. The page will now be create as a looped page.

Figure 7.29 The new looped page titled “Favorite programs”

2. Create one or more questions on the page. Insert the question text, using the#TVchannel# wildcard.

Figure 7.30 Inserting the question text using a wildcard

3. Enter any existing answer items as usual. (The example shown was simplified bychoosing an open-ended question, for which this is not necessary.) Make anyfurther required settings, and then click on Save.

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7.4 Loops

7.4.3 Applications

1. Creating a second looped page

You can create several looped pages for one loop. The next figure shows the sampleproject you already know, with a page titled “Assessment by subject” added to the“Favorite programs” page you created in Chapter 7.4.2, p. 317.

Figure 7.31 Questionnaire view of the sample project with several looped pages

In the questionnaire, these two pages will now be presented to the respondent for allTV channels specified for the “Knowledge of TV channels” source question, i.e. thesequence of questionnaire pages seen in the loop will be as follows:

4. “Favorite programs” for the first TV channel specified as known

5. “Assessment by subject” for the first TV channel specified as known

6. “Favorite programs” for the second TV channel specified as known

7. “Assessment by subject” for the second TV channel specified as known

8. ...etc.

2. Creating answer items on looped pages via further lists

As usual, you can manually enter answer items for pages in a loop. However, it is alsopossible to access a dynamic or static list.

For example, you can enter the answer items for the “Assessment by subject” pageshown in the figure as with the standard procedure, but you can also retrieve the itemsfrom a list.

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Figure 7.32 The question text on this page is determined via the loop, and the answer items are gene-rated via another list

To do so, please proceed as follows:

1. Create the “Assessment by subject” page.

2. On this page, create a question of the “Standard matrix 1” type (type 311).

3. Enter the question text. In doing so, replace the name of the TV channel with thewildcard of the list that is associated with the loop, i.e., in this example, the#TVchannel# wildcard of the “TV channels” list.

4. Open the “Scale options” area by clicking on the [+] icon, and enter the scale forthe matrix. Then, click on Save.

5. Open the “Dynamic answers” area by clicking on the [+] icon, and then click onthe Select button.

6. Choose the list you wish to use to determine the answer items, i.e., in this example,the “Subjects” list. Confirm by clicking on Save.

7. Clicking on Back to editor will take you back to the question view. For the defaultanswer categories, tick the Delete checkbox.


3. Loop-in-Loop

It is possible to nest up to three loops.

4. Incorporating wildcards into answer options

You can incorporate the wildcard of the list controlling the loop both into the questiontext, as explained above, and into an answer optionss. Furthermore, you can incorpo-rate several versions of the wildcards into the same question (see the following sectionfor details).

5. Outputting different text versions via wildcards

When creating the looped page in Chapter 7.4.2, p. 317, you formulated the questiontext so that the names of all list elements fit in. This can often pose difficulties. If, forexample, you are using several looped pages, you may wish to insert the list elementsin the singular in one question and in the plural in another. That would not be possiblewith only one wildcard.

If you intend to evaluate the result data subsequently in SPSS, please note the fol-lowing: The SPSS export’s variable length is limited to eight characters. With inter-leaved loops or loops with many pass-throughs this length can be exceeded. Inprojects with complex loops prior to survey commencement you should thereforecheck whether the data can be exported subsequently by SPSS as desired.

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7.4 Loops

The lists used in EFS therefore offer the possibility of creating the standard wildcard(#wildcard#) plus four more wildcard versions (#wildcard_2#, #wildcard_3#,...). Thesegive you more flexibility in formulating your question texts.

The dialog for creating alternate wildcards for loops is located on the lists editor’sWildcards tab.

Figure 7.33 Using different text versions

For each list element, the content of the standard wildcard (“Wildcard 1”) is defaultedvia the source question and cannot be changed. The other wildcards can be filled withyour own content.

In a question, the alternative texts are incorporated using the wildcards #wildcard_2#through #wildcard_5#, with “wildcard” to be replaced with the name of the generalwildcard for this list. If, for example. the name of the general wildcard is #TVchannel#,the alternate texts will be invoked using #TVchannel_2# through #TVchannel_5#.

7.4.4 Filtering on Loop Variables

You can access variables in a loop branch from all filters, regardless of whether thefilters are placed within or outside of the loop branch.

Filtering based on loop conditions within a loop branch

If the filter is located in a loop branch, you only have to select the desired variable. Thefiltering will occur automatically based on the current loop condition.

Filtering on the basis of loop variables from outside a loop

If the filter is located outside the loop branch, simply selecting the variable will not beenough: If you did that, you would automatically perform the filtering based on the lastcurrent loop condition, which is not necessarily the condition you want to use. Toclearly specify the desired loop condition, please proceed as follows:

1. In the condition editor, select the loop variable, and click on Save.

2. A new checkbox labeled “Restrict to list elements” will be displayed, allowing youto filter based on a single, clearly defined loop condition.

3. Tick the checkbox, and click on Save.

To translate the wildcards in multilingual projects, find the list in the overview ofthe Questionnaire editor->Lists menu and click the Globe icon.

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4. The loop name will be displayed. Additionally, a drop-down list allows you tochoose a single list element.

5. Make your selection, and click on Save again.

Figure 7.34 Filtering based on specific conditions of a loop

Describing loop conditions

The codebook describes the conditions on a loop, e.g. variable combinations belongingto each looped page and the outputted list elements:

If, for example, a looped page contains the variable “v_6” with four characteristics(1=“Very satisfied”, 2=“Satisfied”, 3=“Partly satisfied”, 4=“Not satisfied”) and four ele-ments of a dynamic list are to be output, then the conditions of this loop will be descri-bed by the following variables:

� v_6_1: results for the question in the loop condition, in which the first list elementselected for the display was displayed, with characteristics 1=“Very satisfied”,2=“Satisfied”, 3=“Partly satisfied”, 4=“Not satisfied”.

� v_6_2: results for the question in the loop condition, in which the second list ele-ment selected for the display was displayed, with characteristics 1=“Very satisfied”,2=“Satisfied”, 3=“Partly satisfied”, 4=“Not satisfied”.

� v_6_3: results for the question in the loop condition, in which the third list ele-ment selected for the display was displayed, with characteristics 1=“Very satisfied”,2=“Satisfied”, 3=“Partly satisfied”, 4=“Not satisfied”.

� v_6_4: results for the question in the loop condition, in which the fourth list ele-ment selected for the display was displayed, with characteristics 1=“Very satisfied”,2=“Satisfied”, 3=“Partly satisfied”, 4=“Not satisfied”.

7.4.5 EFS Features with Limited or No Functionality in Loop Projects

� The Back button cannot be used within a loop branch due to the dynamic creationof the loop pages.

� If randomization and/or random selection are applied to the list elements of a loopand a participant resumes the questionnaire after an interruption, randomization

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7.4 Loops

or random selection will be executed anew when entering the loop. I.e. on resump-tion the participant may see other elements in another sort order.

� Until EFS 7.0, only a restricted version of randomization was available for the ans-wer options of loop questions: The answer options were randomized once at thestart of the loop and kept their resulting position throughout all loop cycles. InEFS 7.1, this has been fixed.

� If the answer options of the source question of a loop are grouped (Chapter 5.11.4,p. 220), display depends of the group items. To display the answer options, theallocated group item must always be part of the list (inclusion condition “alwaysin list”). If a group item is not part of the list, its allocated answer options areskipped in the loop.

� The plausibility check editor (Chapter 5.14, p. 231) does not accept the v_x_y vari-able names (v_variablenumber_listelementnumber) used in loops. If you wish toaccess the current value of a variable in a loop, simply use the conventional vari-able name instead, e.g. v_x, and omit the _y_z part that follows.

� When defining quota conditions (Chapter 10.4, p. 453), you cannot access loopvariables.

� It is not possible to use a page trigger (Chapter 7.5.4, p. 333) to redirect to a pagelocated within a loop branch.

� In the case of the variable split trigger (Chapter 7.5.8, p. 336), variables locatedwithin a loop branch cannot be used as a split attribute.

� It is not possible to recode variables located within a loop branch with a recodingtrigger (Chapter 7.5.9, p. 338).

� Time measurement cannot be applied to variables located within a loop branch.The quality index will be skewed because looped pages are sent more than once andthe survey table has only one timestamp field.

� It is not possible to upload externally collected loop data into EFS via project dataimport (Chapter 12.11, p. 515).

� It is not possible to display missing values for pages within a loop branch in Onlinestatistics.

� Questions on pages within a loop branch are not displayed in the Detail view(Chapter 12.6, p. 507).

� Data from variables located within a loop branch cannot be cleaned using the Datacleaning function (Chapter 13.11, p. 544).

� It is not possible to split the field report (Chapter 12.3.6, p. 504) using variableslocated within a loop.

� It is not possible to include loop data into reports created with EFS Reporting +.

� From EFS 7.0 on, loops can be used in master data and panel surveys. But the datacollected in the loop cannot be used as master dataa: A master data transfer of loopdata into the master data is not possible.

7.4.6 Exporting and Evaluating Loop Data

The export process

When loops are used, large amounts of data must be processed. Accordingly, genera-ting the export record will be very time-consuming. Therefore, if you only need specificdata, it is recommended that you use the selective export described in the followingsection. When exporting, please proceed as follows:

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1. You can initiate the process from the Export menu as usual: first, choose the “Data(all answers)” option.

2. In the next dialog, select the desired basic and advanced options.

3. Tick the checkbox in the “Select data” area.

4. Confirm with Export.

5. In the next dialog, select the desired variables. The loop variables are not listedindividually: they can be selected or de-selected using the “All loop variables of thequestionnaire” option.

6. Confirm with Export.

7. Once the file has been generated, you will be notified via e-mail. Clicking on thelink contained in the notification mail will take you directly to the download page.

8. In the Export tasks menu, you can check the status of the export job.

9. After clicking on Copy file to local PC, you can continue the download as usual.

Export variables

The export variables are composed as follows:

v_variablenumber_listelementnumber

When one loop is nested into another, this becomes:

v_variablenumber_listelementnumberlist1_listelementnumberlist2

Raw data export

Raw data of the loops in a project allow you to trace exactly what and in which order arespondent has seen and answered in the loop.

In order to export the raw data selectively, you must first choose the “Raw loop data”option in the Export menu. Then choose the desired basic and advanced options, asusual.

For each participant, the raw loop data record contains a column for every list elementused, comprising the following information:

When selecting the export format please note the following: The SPSS export’s vari-able length is limited to eight characters. With interleaved loops or loops with manypass-throughs this length can be exceeded. If you wish to export data with SPSScheck in projects with complex loops whether the data can be exported subse-quently by SPSS as desired before commencing with the survey.

If you are taken to the login form after clicking on the link contained in the notifi-cation mail, log in, and then click on the link in the e-mail again.

Variable Meaning

lfdn The respondent’s consecutive number

tester Indicates whether the participant in question is a tester (not for anonymous pro-jects), 1 being for a tester and 0 for a normal participant.

dispcode The participant’s disposition code

loop Loop ID

Tabelle 7.2 Loop raw data

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7.5 Initiating Actions with Triggers


You may often wish to link certain actions to specific events. For example, in a custo-mer satisfaction survey, customers can report negative experiences. Now, you wish toautomatically e-mail the customer’s report to your customer center.

In another survey a respondent may request additional information material. In thiscase it would be helpful if the respondent’s address data (as far as they have been volun-tarily submitted) were directly transferred to your sales department or if the submis-sion of the corresponding information material were triggered automatically.

Using triggers you can (if applicable) enter additional information on the respondentinto the survey at runtime and make it available to the respondent as context informa-tion, or make the route through the questionnaire dependent on the value of this infor-mation.

You can use triggers to perform these tasks by selecting and configuring the appropri-ate actions and associating them with specific variable values within the questionnaire.

7.5.1 Example: Using a Trigger for Sending Feedback Mails

In many questionnaires it is considered polite to have a final open-ended question atthe end of the questionnaire and ask the respondent if they have anything else to say.Especially if you design a survey in the form of a conversation, it is to be expected thatnot all the thoughts the respondent has developed while answering the questionnairewill be revealed with the help of closed-ended questions. In order to give the respon-dent the opportunity to round off the conversation from their point of view, they areallowed to enter information. The survey manager has this sent to himself directly inorder to have the option of reacting directly to events in the field.

Below, a mail trigger for a personalized survey is created to trigger the dispatch of sucha participant comment to the survey manager.

loopnumber Number of the loop cycle

le_nr(in case of nes-ting gle_nr, ple_nr, le_nr)

List element no. of the element to which the respective loop cycle refers. Which elements are used in the loop depends on the inclusion conditions for the list and the loop.If several loops are nested (no more than three possible), the list elements dis-played at a certain stage of the loop cycle are coded as follows: • The list element at the top nesting level is marked with gle_ (g = “grand”), i.e.

ple_nr represents the list element number and ple_text the output text. • The list element at the next level is marked with ple_ (p = “parent”). • The list element loaded by the loop at the center of the nest is marked with le_.

le_text The text output for the respective list element. (Various text versions can be output using the wildcards from Chapter 7.4.3, p. 319.)

v_000x The answers given in the respective cycle

duration The duration of survey completion, i.e. the time elapsed between the respondent’s first and last accessing of the questionnaire. See Table 13.2.

lastaccs Date and time of when the survey was last accessed.

(cont.)Variable Meaning

Tabelle 7.2 Loop raw data

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Creating a mail trigger

In the first step, you create the trigger. Creating triggers always follows the same pat-tern:

1. In the Questionnaire editor, open the page containing the open-ended question.

Figure 7.35 Opening the Trigger menu

2. Click on the Trigger tab to access the trigger menu.

Figure 7.36 Creating a trigger

3. Click on the Create trigger button.

Figure 7.37 Selecting the trigger type

4. Enter the name of the new trigger.

5. Select the “Mail trigger” trigger type. An overview of the various trigger types isgiven in Chapter 7.5.2, p. 329.

6. Confirm with Create.

7. The edit dialog for the new trigger opens.

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Making basic settings

On the first tab, settings must be made which are required for all trigger types.

8. Enter a description.

9. In the “Execution position” field, select the “After submitting page, after filter”option.

Figure 7.38 Making basic settings

10. If you only wish to send the mail when the respondent has actually made a com-ment, then you must define corresponding conditions:

– Click on the Edit link in the “Condition” field.

– Enter the desired definition in the condition editor. In this example the mailshould only be sent out if the text field with the variable name “v_11” is filledin, i.e. not empty. The corresponding condition is: “v_11 greater ”, i.e. youleave the “Code” field empty.

– Confirm with Save.

– Next, switch back to the mail trigger by clicking on Back.

Figure 7.39 Defining the condition for the mail trigger initiation

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11. Optionally, you can execute the triggers in the questionnaire preview. For mailtriggers, testing in the preview is not really useful. “u_e-mail” or any project vari-ables used are not replaced correctly: they cannot be allocated to a participantaccount in the preview. Therefore, keep the checkbox deactivated. Instead create atest participant with an e-mail address to which you have access and use thisaccount to test the questionnaire in productive mode. For details on testing mailtriggers, see the corresponding section in Chapter 7.5.3, p. 332.

12. You may also also optionally execute the trigger multiple times in one survey. Thisdoesn't make any sense in this example, therefore don't activate the checkbox.

13. Save the settings.

Setting special options

In the final step configure the mail to be sent.

14. Open the Spezial settings tab: It contains mail trigger-specific options.

15. Optionally, you can use a mail template of type “Standard mail”, filled according tothe instructions below. If you choose this option, select the template first, thenupload by clicking Apply mail template.

16. As this is a personalized survey, you can select the “u_email” wildcard from thedrop-down list in the “mail dynamically from” field. If participants fill in the com-ment field, the wildcard will be replaced with the e-mail address which was savedfor them in participant administration.

17. Enter the survey manager as mail recipient.

Figure 7.40 Entering mail sender and mail recipient

18. In the “Subject” field, enter the title “Employee survey feedback”.

19. In the “Mail text” field, enter the variable for the comment field “v_11”, enclosedby two hash signs (#). During the course of the survey this wildcard will be replacedwith the participant’s entry.

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Abbildung 7.41 Using a wildcard to insert the comment

20. Leave the default setting for the dispatch date unchanged.


To test your mail trigger, create a test participant with an e-mail address to which youhave access and use this account to test the questionnaire under real-live conditions.For details on testing mail triggers, see the corresponding section in Chapter 7.5.3,p. 332.

7.5.2 Triggers in Detail

The following table provides an overview of the different trigger types.

Trigger Properties Details

Mail trigger Upon occurrence of the event to be defined, an e-mail with predefined or dynamically generated content will be sent to an e-mail address that was either defined in advance or col-lected during the survey.

Chaper 7.5.3, p. 332

Page trigger Upon occurrence of the event to be defined, the respondent will be directed to a certain page of the survey.

Chapter 7.5.4, p. 333

Logout trigger Upon occurrence of the trigger event, the respondent will be directed to the final page.

Chapter 7.5.5, p. 334

Sample trigger Upon occurrence of the event to be defined, the participant will be registered in a sample of a personalized or panel pro-ject and will be invited via e-mail to participate in the survey.

Chapter 7.5.6, p. 334

Reinvitation trigger The trigger reinvites the participant to take part in the same survey. This feature can be used if, for example, the respon-dent does not want to fill in the survey now but agrees to be reminded of it via e-mail.

Chapter 7.5.7, p. 335

Variable split trigger The trigger reads cookies and Get parameters, respectively, and writes them into user-defined variables. It is able to use a split attribute to separate cookies and passed parameters into single variables.

Chapter 7.5.8, p. 336

Recoding trigger This trigger can be used to recode survey variables. The recoded values can, for example, be transferred from other variables or calculated on the basis of the entries made by participants.

Chapter 7.5.9, p. 338

Table 7.3 Trigger types

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Basic notes on triggers

� You can specify whether to execute the trigger more than once in a survey session.To do so, tick the checkbox labeled “Execute this trigger multiple times in onesurvey session” in the trigger editor.

� You are able to choose whether triggers will be executed or disabled in the preview.For example, it would make sense to disable the random trigger, in order to facili-tate repeated testing under constant conditions. This function is activated byticking the checkbox labeled “Also execute trigger in preview mode” in the triggereditor. By default this function is not activated.

� In principle, triggers can only be created on pages of the “Standard” type.

� On each page, you can create as many triggers as required. Please mind, though,that trigger actions require a lot of server resources, i.e. they affect the perfor-mance of the questionnaire. Therefore, it is recommended to use not more than 50triggers per page.

� Triggers are associated with a variable on the standard page. If the page does notcontain a variable, use a dummy variable: Create a question of the type “911 - User-defined” to register a variable with the system. Write the variable onto the form asa hidden variable: “<input type=hidden name=V_NAME_AUS_911 value=1>”. Thiswill transfer a fixed value to the trigger.

� With all trigger types, you can determine the execution position: When a surveypage is sent, the EFS Survey routing engine goes through various tasks: It reviewsplausibility checks, saves the data, searches for the next page and displays it. Theexecution position determines the point in the process at which the trigger is exe-cuted. The following execution positions are possible and only those which makesense for the current trigger type are available for selection in the trigger editor.

Random trigger This trigger can be used to generate a random number from a specified interval.

Chapter 7.5.10, p. 342

List trigger The list trigger allows you to transfer the contents of a list into user-defined variables. The contents of the user-defined variables can in turn be displayed in the questionnaire via wildcards.

Chapter 7.5.11, p. 343

Only on EFS Panel installations: Bonus trigger

Upon occurrence of the event to be defined, the panelists will be credited with bonus points. Please note: Until EFS 7.0, bonus points could be credited only once per panelist and survey. The allocation was trig-gered either by a bonus trigger or when reaching a final page. From EFS 7.1, this limitation has been dropped. Ple-ase see Chapter 7.5.12, p. 345 for details.

Chapter 7.5.12, p. 345

Only on EFS Panel installations: Panel group trigger

The trigger adds a survey participant to a specific panel group.

Chapter 7.5.13, p. 346

In order to test the functionality of triggers repeatedly in productive mode, you willhave to close the browser window with the questions after each run through of thetriggers, delete the cookies saved by the browser and then open the questionnaireagain.

(cont.)Trigger Properties Details

Table 7.3 Trigger types

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– Select “Execution position = Directly”, if you want the trigger to be executedfirst, before the page on which the trigger is defined will be output. Do not usethis setting on the first page of a survey.

– If you select “Execution position = After submitting page, before filter”, thetrigger will be executed after the page has been submitted, but before a filterthat immediately follows it. Select this option if you want to use the resultreturned by the trigger for filtering (for example, if the trigger result fulfills auser-defined variable being used as a filter). This execution position is not avai-lable on final pages, independent of the trigger type. For page trigger, logouttrigger and reinvitation trigger, it is disabled completely.

– If you select “Execution position = After submitting page, after filter”, the trig-ger will be executed after the page has been submitted. You can use this optionif the trigger returns a result that you only want to use after the filter has beenapplied, i.e. the next page has been determined. For example, it is imaginablethat you want to overwrite a user-defined variable, but only after the triggerhas been executed.

� You can create triggers with the execution position “Directly” right on the firststandard page of a survey. The conditions of such a trigger can contain participantvariables, URL parameters and user-defined variables. Project variables cannot beused in such a trigger because they will not be available until after the first pagehas been sent, i.e. on the second page of the project.

� Many trigger types involve sending an e-mail. You specify a sender, a sending dateand the content of the e-mail. The content of the e-mail is defined by reference toan existing mail template of the “Default mail” type. You can define default mailtemplates under Options->Mail templates.

� Some trigger types create contents to be saved in the survey result data, e.g. calcu-lating formulas or saving parameters. For this, you need user-defined variableswhich you create in advance under Project properties.

� The runtime check, originally introduced for LUA filters, notes when a trigger can-not be executed, e.g. because an e-mail cannot be dispatched due to a broken ifcondition. See Chapter 9.8, p. 398.

Condition editor

In the condition editor, you specify for which event the trigger will be activated / exe-cuted. In Table 4.4 you can find an overview of the available operators.

Basic steps

The basic steps to creating a trigger are identical for all trigger types:

1. Create a page of the “Standard” type.

2. Create a question of the type of your choice.

3. Select a trigger type.

4. Specify the execution position.

You will usually be on the safe side if you select the “Execution position = Aftersubmitting page, before filter” option!

Make sure you adjust the type of the user-defined variable (Labels and data type link)if you do not want to save integers to the variable. If necessary, change the type toText or Decimal.

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5. Select the variable (question) with which you want to associate the trigger.

6. Specify the answer value at which the trigger is to be activated.

7. Specify the trigger’s detail properties in the respective editing dialog (select a mailtemplate, etc.)

7.5.3 The Mail Trigger

The mail trigger described earlier in the introductory example in Chapter 7.5.1, p. 325,is available for all survey types. When a defined event occurs, it will trigger the dispatchof an e-mail whose content was predefined, dynamically generated or entered by therespondent to an address that was either defined in advance or collected during thesurvey.

Basic settings

When configuring basic settings for a mail trigger please note the following features:

� Execution position: As the execution position you should choose “After submittingpage, after filter”.

� Condition: Definition of an appropriate condition is of special significance for mailtriggers. For example, you can ensure that e-mails are only sent when the partici-pant has completely filled a comments field.

Special options

In addition the following specific settings must be made for this trigger type:

� Mail template: Optionally, the mails dispatched by the trigger can be defined usingmail templates and only uploaded in the trigger editor.

� Mail sender

– Manually defined mail sender: The e-mail address of the sender must be ente-red, it cannot be adopted from a mail template. Entering a real name (e.g.„John Doe <[email protected]>) is not possible in triggers.

– Dynamic mail sender: here you can select the variables for single row text fields(141) and “Other” fields (answer category + text). In personalized projects, theadditional “u_email” wildcard is available, which is filled with the stored sur-vey participant’s e-mail address.

– If you use the ACL right „mail_reply“ to hide „Reply-To“ and „Return-Path“(usually for privacy protection), please take care to enter clearly-defined valuesin the mail template which your staff is supposed to use for the trigger. Thedefault options „Reply-To = From“ and „Return-Path = From“ cannot be used,because they are filled with the mail sender entered manually by the respon-sible staff member.

� Mail recipient:

– Manually defined recipient: In this field, you can define one or more recipientswho do not necessarily have to be included in the EFS Survey system. You mayeither enter a single e-mail address or several e-mail addresses separated bycommas. The e-mail will be sent to all the recipients you have defined.

– Dynamic mail recipient: You can select the variables for single row text fields(141) and “Other” fields (answer category + text). In personalized projects, theadditional “u_email” wildcard is available, which is filled with the stored sur-vey participant’s e-mail address.

� Mailing date:

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– Immediately upon activation of the trigger. This option is preset as the default.

– Scheduled

– Dynamically upon activation of the trigger: This option triggers the dispatchafter a period defined by the user, which can range from 30 minutes to 6months.

Tips for creating mail templates for mail triggers

When creating mail templates specially for mail triggers please note the following:

� The “Subject” field should have a meaningful content as otherwise the e-mail maybe filtered out as spam under certain circumstances.

� What you enter in the mail form’s ”Content” field is dependent on the purpose ofthe trigger:

– If you wish to send predefined mail content then enter the desired content inthe form. At this point you can use the wildcards available in the respectiveproject type (Chapter 11.2.4, p. 477).

– If, on the other hand, you wish to send content entered by the participant, asin the introductory example of Chapter 7.5.1, p. 325, enter the variable of thecorresponding input field in the questionnaire as a wildcard enclosed by twohash signs (#).

– If you wish to output the participant’s answers to closed-ended questions youcan work with conditional replacement. Refer to Chapter 11.2.4, p. 477.

Testing mail triggers

When testing a mail trigger, please note: u_email or any project variables used are notreplaced correctly when testing via the questionnaire preview, as data generated in thepreview cannot be allocated to a participant account and dataset. Instead, the e-mailsare always sent to that admin area staff member who has triggered the dispatch. To testthe mail trigger properly, create a test participant with an e-mail address to which youhave access, and test in productive mode. In this way you can check whether the wild-cards used are correctly replaced by the e-mail address and/or questionnaire entries.

7.5.4 The Page Trigger

Generally, the questionnaire dramaturgy is configured by setting appropriate filters. Asan alternative, the page trigger is available in all project types. You can use this triggerto specify any page as the next page to be shown to the respondent, depending on theselected variable characteristic. You can jump to previous and next pages.

The page trigger is available for all project types.

On EFS Panel installations the mail trigger can access panel-specific values andmaster data variables using the #panelpoints#, #panelist_code# and #md_00# wild-cards.

Select the following execution position: „After submitting page, after filter“. Use thistrigger type with caution because the questionnaire will quickly become clutteredfor the administrator.

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Example: Realizing a questionnaire with a table of contents

Most questionnaires have a sequential structure: The respondents go through thequestionnaire from the first page to the last. Filters and hiding conditions are used toskip blocks of pages and questions. As an alternative, a division into chapters with atable of contents is especially suited for very long surveys that do not have to be ans-wered completely. The respondents will select a topic block they wish to edit from thetable of contents, jump to that topic block and will be routed back to the table of con-tents after editing it.

Using page triggers, a non-sequential project can be realized like this:

� For the table of contents, you can, for example, create a question with a singleresponse list (type 111).

� Create a page trigger that will query the variable created in Step 1 (see Chapter7.5.4, p. 333, for further information). This page trigger is used to jump to the startpages of the individual chapters.

� At the end of each chapter, you must create a question of type 911 (user-defined)with a variable. In a hidden form field (input type=hidden), you must set the vari-able to a value of 1.

� For the final page of the chapter, you must also define a page trigger that will querywhether the hidden variable has a value of 1 and then route to the table of contents.This condition will be ensured in any case when sending the final page: The pagetrigger is activated, and the respondent can make another selection in the table ofcontents.

7.5.5 The Logout Trigger

The logout trigger can be used in every project type. “Logout” means that the partici-pant will be routed to the system final page, without any specific message. You can usethe logout trigger if, for example, you have a complex, nested questionnaire and wantto route respondents to the final page in a very straightforward way.

The participant’s interview will be classified as a completed interview (dispositioncode 31). If the survey contains additional final pages, the panelist will always be sentto the system final page.

7.5.6 The Sample Trigger

The sample trigger allows to invite participants, depending on a condition which youhave defined, to a second personalized survey or panel survey. The participants areadded dynamically to the participant administration or sample of the follow-up project.

Example

You are surveying customers of an online shop to find out how satisfied they are andwhen they expect to receive the goods they bought: Depending on the expected date ofdelivery, the interview participants will receive a mail inviting them to a second surveyafter a certain delay. The respondents are entered into the sample as active partici-pants.

Features

� The sample trigger can be set up and executed in all survey types.

� For target project, you can use all project types with participant administration,i.e. personalized projects, employee surveys, panel surveys and master data sur-veys.

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� You can only invite participants with existing panelist accounts to panel surveys ormaster data surveys. The e-mail address is used to match participant and panelistaccount.

Configuring sample trigger

This trigger is set up as usual on the Trigger tab in the page overview of theQuestionnaire editor.

The basic settings are the same as for other trigger types.

When setting the special options, please mind:

� The project-specific participant administration or sample to which the participantis to be added should be selected.

� Just as with the mail trigger, you have to configure the e-mail to be sent. Usually,the mail is defined using a mail template. Alternatively, you can define the mail inthe trigger editor, too.

– The mail sender must be defined beforehand.

– The mail text must contain an access code or link for the secondary survey. Forthis purpose, use the wildcards #code# and #code_complete#: if participantadministration or sample of the secondary project are selected, the wildcardswill be filled with URL and/or code of the target project.

� Define the dispatch date:

– Per default, the mails will be dispatched immediately upon activation of thetrigger.

– Optionally, another dispatch date can be defined. Create a user-defined variable(c variable) or project variable of type “text”. This variable should contain thenumber of days from the execution of the trigger to the dispatch of the mail,for the proper dispatch date EFS will then add another 12 hours to the valueof this variable.Select this variable in the sample trigger.

7.5.7 The Reinvitation Trigger

The reinvitation trigger reinvites participants to take part in a survey, depending on acondition which you have defined. The data records of the participants are reset with-out deletion of data to disposition code 11 or 12, i.e. if the participants restart at a laterdate, they will be routed to the first page of the survey again.

Example

At the start of a long, complex survey, you want to offer participants the option tointerrupt and participate at a later date. On one of the first pages, you ask if the parti-cipant does have sufficient time to respond at the moment. If not, you offer to send areminder mail. If a participant does not have sufficient time and wishes a remindermail, he’s routed to a final page via a filter. On this final page, the reinvitation triggeris executed. It resets the data record and sends the reminder mail at the desired laterdate.

Features

� The reinvitation trigger is only available on final pages.

� It can be used in personalized projects, employee surveys, panel surveys and mas-ter data surveys. In anonymous surveys, this trigger type is not available.

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� If the trigger is activated, an e-mail containing an invitation text will be sent. Theinvitation text is generated from a default mail template, which you can createunder Options->Mail templates.

� The participants’ disposition code will be reset to 11 resp. 12.

� The data records are reset without deleting, i.e. already-given answers of the par-ticipant are not deleted.

� Participants who respond to the reminder mail will start again on the first page:Due to the reset of the disposition code, the resumption is considered a restart.

Configuring a reinvitation trigger

This trigger is set up as usual on the Trigger tab in the page overview of theQuestionnaire editor.


When setting the special options, please mind:

� Just as with the mail trigger, you have to configure the e-mail to be sent. Usually,the mail is defined using a mail template. Alternatively, you can define the mail inthe trigger editor, too.

– The mail sender must be defined beforehand.

– Depending of the situation, it might make sense to repeat the access code orlink in the mail text. For this purpose, use the wildcards #url#, #code# and#code_complete#.

� Define the dispatch date:

– Per default, the mails will be dispatched immediately upon activation of thetrigger.

– Optionally, another dispatch date can be defined. Create a user-defined variable(c variable) or project variable of type “text”. This variable should contain thenumber of days from the execution of the trigger to the dispatch of the mail,for the proper dispatch date EFS will then add another 12 hours to the valueof this variable.Select this variable in the reinvitation trigger.

7.5.8 The Variable Split Trigger

You can use variable split triggers to

� save transferred parameters in user-defined variables. (This does not refer to URLparameters: You can save any parameters transferred via GET in user-defined vari-ables.)

� read cookies from the respondent and save them in user-defined variables;

� break down the variables into their individual components before saving the para-meters or cookies, if necessary.

The user-defined variables will be included in any export, but you can also use them forscreening within the survey, output them in the questionnaire, etc.

The variable split trigger is available for all survey types.

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Application example

You are planning an advertising effectiveness study intended to test a new form ofadvertising. Your co-operation partner sets a cookie with every website visitor who hasseen the new form of advertising. Now, you want to find out whether there are connec-tions between answer patterns in your study and the form of advertising (e.g. “Do peo-ple who have seen the form of advertising remember its contents?”).

At the beginning of the survey, all cookies will automatically be read and saved, collec-tively, in a system variable. The variable split trigger will pinpoint one cookie value,read it from the collection and save it in a user-defined variable.

To read the respondents’ cookies and save a cookie value in a user-defined variable,please proceed as follows:

1. Create a user-defined variable in the Project properties menu. As you want to savethe cookie name, choose the “Text” type. Assign a meaningful label. You can outputthe variable’s content via #Label# or #c_000n#, where n is the number of the user-defined variable.

2. Then, switch to the page of the survey on which you wish to create the trigger.

3. Click on the Trigger tab and create a trigger of the “Variable split trigger” type.

4. First, specify the condition for which the trigger is to be activated. You will nor-mally want to execute the trigger on the first page of your survey. If this page doesnot contain a variable, create a dummy variable with question type 911.

5. In the trigger editor, various source variables are visible:

6. A cookie, when it is set, has a name and a value, e.g. opst_demopanel_108 and“7a8cc5c05df7820217d9bf3f6c5b0781”. The “Array field” allows you to definewhich of the collected cookies is to be written into the user-defined variable.

Please note:

- If a variable split trigger is used on the first page of a survey, then the executionposition cannot be “=directly”.

- Variables located within a loop branch cannot be used as a split attribute.

For reasons of privacy, the browsers only allow certain cookies to be read. If you runthe study at the survey.mycompany.com domain, for example, you can read allcookies in the mycompany.com domain group. This includes, e.g., advert.mycom-pany.com or survey.mycompany.com, but not www.somethingelseentirely.com orwww.mycompany.net. However, this will only work if the cookie was set in such away that other subdomains are allowed to read it. Clarify this in advance with thoseresponsible for setting the cookie.

Variable Meaning

Cookies (start_cookies) All readable cookies.

GET variables at the beginning of the survey (start_get_vars)

All parameters transferred at the beginning of the sur-vey.

Quota (quota) Contains the result of quota processes.

Project variables (v_xxx) The “normal” project variables.

Table 7.4 Source variables

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7. The cookie’s value can be structured to contain various values, separated by a sepa-rator such as | or ;. For example, the cookie value could encrypt the date, the brow-ser version and the site by which the cookie was set. If your cookie has such astructure, you can save the individual values separately using different destinationvariables. To do so, you must save the settings, create a new destination variableand enter the separator character (e.g. a comma).

8. The value of the cookie named in the “Array field” will now be stored in the user-defined variable.

Reading Get variables

Analogously, you can read Get variables attached to the survey URL. To do so, use theGet variables at the beginning of the survey as the source variable, enter the name ofthe Get variable in Array field and choose the user-defined variable you want to writethe value to as the destination variable.

7.5.9 The Recoding Trigger

The recoding trigger is used to recode variables during a survey. The value(s) for oneor more variables can be set either conditionally (i.e. depending on survey results) orunconditionally (i.e. always). For example, the new trigger allows you to

� transfer values from one variable to another,

� prefill text fields,

� perform calculations and output results on the basis of the entries,

� recode multiple variables at the same time,

� access and change participant and panelist data.

All recodings made as the result of actual participation will be logged (see the section“Viewing the recodings performed”).

Before starting

Please note:

� The recoding trigger is available for all survey types.

� You can recode project variables (with the exception of variables located within aloop branch), user-defined variables and URL parameters, participant data, panelistdata and master data can be recoded.

� System variables cannot be recoded.

� If the value to be set is a text, put it between quotation marks.

� Both recodings and trigger actions require a lot of server resources, i.e. the usageof recoding triggers affects the performance of the questionnaire. Therefore, it isrecommended to use not more than 100 recodings per trigger and per page.

Recoding syntax

When defining recoding conditions, the following rules apply:

� The operators + - / * and ( and ) can be used.

� Wildcards (#v_xxx#) can be used to insert project variables. Please mind:

� Special project variables, as e.g. loop or conjoint variables, cannot be used in thecondition.

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– For project variables relating to an open text field, #v_000n# outputs the con-tent. Make sure to enclose the wildcard by quotation marks in this case, e.g.'#v_1#' (see below).

– For closed-ended questions the wildcard #v_000n# in the trigger outputs thecode.

� Texts (strings) must be enclosed by quotation marks (e. g. 'foo').

� It is not permitted to use the special characters ? and $ in the recoding condition.They are reserved for internal usage in database queries.

� You can use the MySQL functions NOW() and IF().

– NOW() returns the current date and time.Example: NOW() -> 2011-02-11 12:08:29

– IF(expr1,result1,result2) is processed as follows: If expr1 is TRUE, IF() returnsresult1, otherwise it returns result2.Example: IF(#v_1#<2,'Yes','No') -> If #v_1# < 2, IF() returns “Yes”, otherwiseit returns “No”.

Example: Preallocation using participant data

In an employee survey, the question relating to pertinent departments is to be preallo-cated according to the information available in participant administration.

1. Create the question where the pertinent department is to be entered.

2. Switch to the page view, and click on the Trigger tab.

3. Choose the recoding trigger, and confirm by clicking on Submit.

4. The trigger will be created.

5. Enter “Trigger name” and “Trigger description”.

6. Choose the execution position “Directly”.

7. Decide whether the “Also execute trigger in preview mode” function should beenabled. In this example, it is advisable to enable this function because it allowsyou to perform tests directly in the preview.

8. Decide whether the trigger can be executed repeatedly in one survey session. Inthis example, it is not necessary.

9. Lastly the settings under “Special options” have to be made, i.e. the recodings needto be defined.

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Figure 7.42 Configuring the recoding trigger

10. Select the variable to be recoded, and enter the value for which the recoding con-dition applies. In the example, “v_1“ is the variable where the answer to the ques-tion relating to pertinent departments and characteristic “1” is saved.


Figure 7.43 Opening the condition editor

12. Click on the Filter icon, which will now appear, in order to define the condition.

13. Choose the variable whose content is to be loaded as well as the condition and thecode. In this example, variable v_1 is to be prefilled with code 1 if the participantvariable labeled “u_department” equals 1.

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Figure 7.44 Defining a condition

14. Click on Save.

15. Repeat this operation for all characteristics of the variable v_1, which are to bepreallocated.

Figure 7.45 Specifying values and defining recoding conditions for the characteristics of a variable

Viewing the recodings performed

Navigate to the Projects->{Selected project}->Documentation->Recoding log menuto view all recodings that have been performed.

Figure 7.46 Recoding log

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7.5.10 The Random Trigger

For scientific projects in particular, it is often necessary to form participant groups towhich different questionnaire versions are presented at random. The random triggerallows you to make random assignments: All you have to do is enter a range for therandom number, e.g. “1-5“ (depending on the number of different questionnaires). Atthe beginning of the survey, “dice” are used to generate a number, which is then writ-ten into a user-defined variable (“c” variable). These variables can subsequently be usedto create the corresponding filters for the various questionnaire versions.

The additional feature “Approximate uniform distribution within given range” has alsobeen incorporated, in order to achieve a good uniform distribution of the randomlygenerated numbers and, consequently, of the selected respondent groups, (see last sec-tion).

The random trigger is available for all survey types.

Configuring the random trigger

1. Switch to the page view, and click on the Trigger tab.

2. Choose random trigger, and confirm by clicking on Submit.

3. The trigger will be created. At the same time, a new user-defined variable is createdwith the label “c_000x“, into which the random number will be subsequently writ-ten.

4. Set the user-defined variable: You are free to choose the label, however the variabletype should be “Integer or floating point numbers”.

5. Make the usual settings: “Trigger name”, “Trigger description”, “Execution posi-tion” and “Condition”.

6. Decide whether the “Also execute trigger in preview mode” function should beenabled. When testing, it may in certain circumstances be helpful to have conditi-ons that remain constant.

7. Decide whether the trigger can be executed repeatedly in one survey session.

8. Lastly the settings under “Special options” have to be made: Only user-definedvariables can be used to save the random number.

9. The minimum and maximum values of the random number are required.

10. You have the option of specifying that a uniform distribution should be approxima-ted.

11. Finally, click on Save.

Uniform distribution

The distribution of the randomly generated values will only approximate a uniformdistribution only if the number of cases is sufficiently large. The special feature labeled“Approximate uniform distribution within given range” is used in order to allow youto simulate a uniform distribution even with small and medium numbers of partici-pants. If this function is enabled, the numbers generated will no longer be actual ran-dom numbers, rather the numbers will be generated in such a way that, even for a

After six months, the log data will be deleted.

If you are working on an EFS Panel installation, please also note the informationregarding random selection when forming groups in the “EFS Panel 8.0” manual,Chapter 8.2.3.

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small number of cases, their distribution will tend strongly toward a uniform distribu-tion.

7.5.11 The List Trigger

The list trigger allows you to transfer the contents of a list into user-defined variables.The contents of the user-defined variables can in turn be displayed in the questionnairevia wildcards. The main purpose of this new function consists in presenting - in certainwork situations - an alternative to the use of loops, which are considerably morecomplex to evaluate. For example, at the beginning of a survey, respondents are oftenpresented with a range of brands and products and asked to select the ones they know.The questions in the subsequent survey will only involve those brands and productsmarked as “known”. In the past, this kind of questionnaire was realized with the helpof loops. Alternatively, the list trigger now allows you to encode the “known” brands orproducts in user-defined variables and to import these during the subsequent surveyvia wildcards. Thus, the export data record remains reasonably sized.

The functional scope at a glance:

� The list elements remaining after processing the list inclusion conditions, listoptions, and sort order, can be written in user-defined variables.

� You can choose whether to record the element number or the element label.

� The various list processing options can be separately configured for the trigger.The list trigger is independent of the settings that are made when using the list onthe pages of the questionnaire.

The list trigger is available for all survey types.

Configuring the list trigger

1. First, create the list.

2. Next, you have to create the required user-defined variables in the Projectproperties menu.

3. In order to create the list trigger, open the Trigger tab on the appropriate page,select the type “List trigger” and confirm by clicking on Submit.

4. Make the usual basic trigger settings (name, execution position, etc.).

5. Select the desired list and click on Save.

6. Further setting options will now be displayed in the lower part of the dialog.

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Figure 7.47 Configuring the list trigger

7. In the “Settings” section, successively specify for each remaining list element (i. e.for each list element that remains after processing all inclusion conditions etc.)which list property is to be transferred into which destination variable. Theavailable list properties are element number and element label.

8. After clicking on Save, the settings will be adopted and the line “New” for selectingthe next list element will be displayed again.

9. In the lower sections, you can set list options and sort order of the list elements.These functions are explained in Chapter 7.3.4, p. 310.

10. Then, confirm by clicking on Save.

List trigger data in the export

In the example shown above, three elements are selected at random from the listelements which the respondents selected in the questionnaire. The list trigger writesthese, or rather their labels, in three user-defined variables. Figure 7.48 shows theseuser-defined variables in the export data record. The fourth respondent has selectedonly one element, so two variables are assigned missing values.

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Figure 7.48 List trigger data in the export

7.5.12 The Bonus Trigger

In panel and master data surveys, you can award bonus points for reaching a particularpage of the questionnaire, for giving a correct answer or for other events.

Features

Up until EFS 7.0, only one bonus point allocation was possible per survey and panelistregardless of whether this was done via the bonus trigger or via the final page. EFS 7.1offers you more options in that respect:

� A panelist may receive more allocations in one survey.

� A potential allocation on the final page of the survey does not affect any bonuspoint allocations via a bonus trigger. In particular, you may use triggers and finalpage to allocate different amounts of points.

� You may use multiple bonus triggers within one survey.

� You can use the bonus trigger only for allocating points. The subtraction of pointsmakes no sense within the context of a survey and is therefore not possible.

Configuring bonus triggers

A bonus trigger is set up as usual on the Trigger tab in the page overview of theQuestionnaire editor.


Additionally, the following settings specific to this type of trigger have to be performed:

� Bonus points to be allocated: In this field, you define how many points the triggeris supposed to allocate to the panelists.

� Trigger behavior: If the respective panelist has already been allocated points byanother bonus trigger, it is up to you to decide whether the current trigger shallbe executed.

Configuring bonus trigger entry in the bonus points history

Every allocation of bonus points is logged in the respective panelist’s bonus pointshistory. At the time it is not possible to define a different text for every bonus triggerund every final page. Instead, the message “Entry into panelist’s bonus points history”defined in the Project properties->Survey messages menu is used for all allocationswithin the project. Therefore, make sure to enter a meaningful general text.

Please note that the bonus trigger is only available on EFS Panel installations inpanel surveys and in master data surveys.

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7.5.13 Panel Group Trigger

After they have taken part in a survey, it may often be convenient to collect the pane-lists in a specific panel group, e.g. to facilitate incentivation or other follow-up proces-ses. The panel group trigger allows you to do this without much effort, and as of EFS7.1 it is also possible to remove panelists from a group.

Configuring the panel group trigger

The panel group trigger is available in panel surveys and in master data surveys.

It is set up as usual on the Trigger tab in the page overview of the Questionnaire editor.The basic settings are the same as for other trigger types.

Additionally, the following settings specific to this type of trigger have to be performed:

� Group category

� Target group.

� Trigger mode: As of EFS 7.1, you can choose whether the respective panelist is tobe added to or removed from the group.

7.6 Transferring Answers from Another Project

In personalized projects and in panel and master data surveys on EFS Panel installati-ons, you are able to transfer the contents of variables from another project, i.e. if aparticipant has completed the source project, you can automatically import their ans-wers into the variables of the second project and use them there for filtering, evalua-tion and other purposes. Participation is assigned via the participant’s e-mail address.

Before you start

Please note:

� Only data from permitted project types (personalized, panel and master data sur-veys) can be imported.

� You can transfer the contents of project variables (v_000n), URL parameters(p_000n) and user-defined variables (c_000n).

� The source and destination variable must have the same variable type.

� The attribute levels must correspond with regard to content.

� Attribute levels of the source variable that do not have an equivalent in the desti-nation variable will not be transferred.

Please note that the panel group trigger is only available on EFS Panel installationsin panel surveys and in master data surveys.

The update rule “Copy from survey to group” provides the “Add panelist to group”function for the updating of groups. See the manual “EFS Panel 8.0”, Chapter 8.4.2for details.

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7.6 Transferring Answers from Another Project

Making assignments

1. Open the Project properties->Variable data import menu.

Figure 7.49 Making assignments

2. Select the source project.

3. Confirm by clicking on Select source project.

4. Assign the first source variable from the source project to the respective destina-tion variable in the current project.


6. Repeat this operation for all variables that have to be assigned.

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8 Layout – Designing Surveys

8.1 Which Layout Options are There?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351

8.2 General Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 352

8.3 The Standard Editor: Changing the Standard Layout . . . . . 353

8.4 The Pro Editor: Advanced Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 368

8.5 Functions for Advanced Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375

8.6 How are Survey Layouts Generated?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 381

8.7 Saving and Re-Using Layouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382

8.8 Exporting and Importing Layouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382

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8.1 Which Layout Options are There?


In EFS, the appearance of a survey is strictly separated from the content and structureof the survey. A survey with identical text can therefore be realized in a completelydifferent look. That means that, as a survey conductor, you can give all your surveysthe same appearance. However, you can also use different layouts for the same surveysdepending on their purpose. This is particularly advisable if, for example, identicalwebsite checks are to be run on different websites. The finished layout of an EFS ques-tionnaire can be saved as a template and can be assigned to any other survey with aclick of the mouse.

8.1 Which Layout Options are There?

In the Layout menu (Breadcrumb: Projects->{Selected project}->Layout), you willfind different features which offer both users without knowledge of HTML and webdesign and professionals diverse options for editing the layout.

Figure 8.1 Overview of the “Layout” menu

� The Standard editor (see Chapter 8.3, p. 353), the entry page of which will auto-matically open in the content area when you enter the Layout menu, you can per-form the following modifications to the standard layout provided by Globalpark,without requiring any knowledge of HTML or web design:

– Colors, fonts, font sizes and alignment of the layout can be edited.

– You can choose between “normal” HTML form elements, graphical form ele-ments or a graphical “Submit” button in combination with HTML form ele-ments, and load your own form elements into the system.

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– A maximum of four logos can be incorporated.

– You can choose between different progress bar designs.

– You can choose between different plausibility check designs.

– The distances to the page margin as well as between questions and answers canbe changed.

� Via the Pro editor (see Chapter 8.4, p. 368), you can additionally

– freely re-design the border structure of your survey pages,

– specify a different border layout for individual pages / questions,

– completely restructure individual elements, such as the output of plausibilitychecks or that of the progress bar,

– specify a different layout for individual question types,

– insert new CSS classes, edit the CSS file in the source code or replace it,

– make the table borders visible in the layout (debug mode), e.g. in order todetect visualization errors more quickly,

– define special wildcard variables for each survey page, with which you can,among other things, show chapter headings in the survey project.

� In the Layout templates menu, you can choose between different project layouts.

� Under Save settings in template, you can save a fully formatted layout as a temp-late and so re-access it later for other projects.

� If you wish to publish the survey in a pop-up window, you can generate the requi-site code in the Pop-up generator menu.

8.2 General Tips

Tips for designing the questionnaire

When designing your survey, you should pay attention to the following:

� From a methodological point of view, it is usually advisable to let the respondentview as much of the screen as possible without scrolling. You should thereforeavoid excessively large, i.e. high, logos in the header area of the page.

� Take into account that some respondents may be using PCs with a lower screenresolution: Your survey should be visible without vertical scrolling even on ascreen with a resolution of 800x600. Use the Sizer freeware tool (http://www.bria-napps.net/sizer.html), which will allow you to easily test your project in differentresolutions.

In the standard editor, you change the general appearance of a project. More far-reaching changes to the page structure or changes relating to the appearance ofindividual pages or questions require the use of the pro editor.

However, when creating the questionnaire (see Chapter 4, p. 119 and following) youare already provided with various options for changing the visual appearance of aquestionnaire page: For example, you can increase the width of the column contai-ning the item texts of a specific matrix question, or change the text formatting byentering HTML code in the input fields for the question or answer text.

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8.3 The Standard Editor: Changing the Standard Layout

� Pay attention to loading times: If you are incorporating your own images into thesurvey, check the file size of the images. Combined, the images should not be lar-ger than about 30 to 40 kilobytes.

� You can use JavaScript to realize graphical form elements and usability featureswhich facilitate data entry. With JavaScript disabled, those additional options areeliminated, and in extreme cases, the survey can no longer be edited.

– Especially if you are conducting your project in an environment such as a largegroup of companies, which may be centrally regulated, you should, in advance,check with the responsible technology department whether JavaScript is enab-led in the standard configuration of the staff PCs and, if necessary, refrain fromusing JavaScript-based features.

– You can have the respondents’ browsers checked for functioning JavaScript(see Chapter 3.7.7, p. 80). If JavaScript is not activated, the graphical form ele-ments will automatically be replaced with HTML form elements (see Chapter8.3.4, p. 358).

� Test your survey in the common browsers: In addition to Internet Explorer (5.0 orlater), you should also view your survey with Netscape 6 or later. Especially in largegroups of companies, the “problematic browser” Netscape 4.x is occasionally stillused. Chapter 18.1 provides an overview on all browsers supported in the EFSquestionnaire area.

Tips for using the EFS layout features

When using the layout features of EFS, you should know:

� Layout changes are adopted immediately in the questionnaire. But in some cases,they will not appear immediately in the browser. This effect is caused by the cacheof the browser: When the page is opened for the first time, it is stored in the brow-ser cache. Next time you open the page, the browser will use the version stored inthe cache instead of requesting the content anew from the server, and the storedversion does not contain the changes. If you empty the browser cache first and loadthe page anew, your changes will be displayed.


By choosing the Layout menu item from the Survey menu, you will be automaticallytaken to the Overview tab in the standard editor.

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Figure 8.2 The standard editor

In it, you will find an overview of the most important current settings for the projectlayout. Via the Change links, you can navigate directly to the places in the menu wherethe respective settings can be modified. See the following Chapter 8.3.1, p. 354, fornotes on the defaulted basic settings.

The remaining tabs contain the various functions which allow you to edit the standardlayout of the project in the standard editor:

� Logos (see Chapter 8.3.2, p. 355)

� Format (see Chapter 8.3.3, p. 355)

� Form elements (see Chapter 8.3.4, p. 358)

� Spaces (see Chapter 8.3.5, p. 363)

� Progress bar (see Chapter 8.3.6, p. 364)

� Plausibility checks (see Chapter 8.3.7, p. 366)

Changes you make in the standard editor will only affect the current project.

8.3.1 The Standard Layout

If you create a new survey project, the standard layout will automatically be assignedto that project. This layout is optimized for editing in the standard editor.

� In the basic setting, the standard layout has two optional logos above the questi-onnaire. Space for two more logos is reserved below the questionnaire.

� The progress bar is disabled in the basic setting. When you activate the function,“type1” including explanatory text will be used:

Layouts originally created with the Pro Editor are displayed in the standard editoras accurately as possible, and can be edited with the help of the functionalities there.

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� In the basic setting, HTML form elements are activated. If you activate graphicalform elements instead, the elements from the standard layout set will be loadedfirst:

You can customize these settings as desired. This is what a typical questionnaire pagelooks like in the standard layout with the progress bar and graphical form elementsswitched on:

Figure 8.3 Questionnaire page in the standard layout

8.3.2 Inserting Logos

In the Logos tab, you can upload up to four logos and insert them into your layout. Inthe standard layout, the first logo will be displayed above the questionnaire, while thesecond logo will be displayed below the questionnaire. If you upload a third and fourthlogo, the page structure of your project will be modified by the system to make roomfor these logos. You will normally want to edit the page structure to achieve optimumplacement of the logos.

You will need the logos in a web-enabled format, i.e. as GIF (preferably for drawingsand figures with few colors), JPEG (preferably photos, and figures with many colors)or PNG. Pay attention to the file size. All images in one questionnaire page shouldunder no circumstances exceed 30 to 40 kilobytes.

You can remove uploaded logos from the layout by clicking on No image.

8.3.3 Format

The Format tab allows you to edit the font, background design, alignment and also theborders around the questionnaire elements. As a working aid, you will find a model ofyour questionnaire in the middle of the content area of the tab: It contains standardelements such as questions with single response lists, questions with multipleresponse lists and matrix questions. The layout matches the current appearance of the

BMP files (bitmaps) can be displayed in Internet Explorer, but not in most otherbrowsers. Do not use them! You should also make sure that the file name for a logodoes not contain any blank spaces: this is not tolerated by all browsers.

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survey as closely as possible (however, changes made in the pro editor cannot be repro-duced with absolute accuracy).

When you scroll over the elements displayed in the model, alternative texts will showthe names of their related CSS classes. Clicking on an element will open a pop-upwindow in which you can change the layout properties. The change options are dividedinto four tabs for font, background, alignment and frame.

Figure 8.4 Model of the questionnaire with opened pop-up window for editing the attributes of a layout element

Additional functions

There are some additional options located above the questionnaire model:

Some elements, such as the progress bar, cannot be edited in the normal view of themodel. Showing the structure, however, will make most elements editable.

Invisible images used to adjust distances cannot be edited. This option is only avai-lable in the Pro editor (see Chapter 8.4, p. 368). However, when the structure isshown, you can see these images and observe their impact on the layout.

Please note that changes will be transferred to your questionnaire as soon as youclose the pop-up window by clicking on the Accept & close window button or byswitching between tabs.

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� If several CSS files exist in the project, a drop-down list allows to select the file youwish to edit.

� The “Show structure” / “Hide structure option” is a tool for editing formats. Borderlines are displayed, to facilitate orientation: The survey page structure becomesvisible and the individual active surfaces can be identified. The option only affectsthe view in the layout editor, not your project.

� You can change the overall alignment of the layout, by giving the survey either aleft, a right or a center alignment. To do so, click on the appropriate link.

� In addition, you can remove all background colors from the CSS file by clicking onthe respective Execute link. The option is only advisable if you are using a back-ground graphic that is to be visible through all other page elements.

Technical background information

On the Format tab, you are editing the so-called CSS file of your project (CSS = Cas-cading Style Sheet). A CSS file functions similarly to that of a MS Word documenttemplate, by defining various templates which determine the appearance of the ques-tionnaire elements.

CSS offers possibilities which reach far beyond the options available in the standardeditor. For example, you can define further attributes such as drop shadow, back-ground colors and borders for a layout element. For a descriptive and well-writtendocumentation, see SELFHTML by Stefan Münz under the URL http://selfhtml.org.The pro editor contains advanced options for CSS file editing. Here, for example, youcan edit the CSS file as a whole (see Chapter 8.4, p. 368).

Example: Changing the font format and color of question texts

1. Switch to the Format tab in the standard editor.

2. The model of the questionnaire is located on the tab. Click on one of the questiontexts.

3. A pop-up window will open, in which you can edit various question text attributes.

Caution: In order to reintegrate the background colors, you must manually add therespective property to the affected CSS classes or restore the standard layout byclicking the button Restore standard layout settings in the Layout->Layouttemplates menu (all other new settings will also be lost when you do this).

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Figure 8.5 Editing properties of a questionnaire element

4. Now, for example, enter a different pixel value in the “Size” field and change thefont color.

5. Confirm by clicking on the Accept & close window button.

6. The pop-up window will close and the typified questionnaire will be updated.

7. You will now see the changes on the typified questionnaire page. Use the previewlink to view the changes to your project.

8.3.4 Form Elements

Form elements, the settings for which you can see and edit on the tab with the samename, are used to highlight answers. You can choose between three versions:

� HTML: By default, HTML form elements are used.

� Graphical form elements: The HTML form elements are replaced with images, theso-called graphical form elements. These change their shape when you click onthem or pass the mouse pointer over them.

� Only the buttons are graphical form elements: HTML form elements are integratedin the third version, the Continue button is an image.

� Graphical form elements, standard HTML buttons: Graphical form elements areused for radio buttons and checkboxes, while HTML form elements are used for tehstandard buttons.

Before opting for or against graphical form elements, please take into considerationthat graphical form elements only work for respondents who have JavaScript enabled.

Frequently, the request is made to improve the look and feel of the questionnaire byusing graphical form elements. Simple HTML form elements are no longer considered

You can perform a check at the beginning of the survey to see whether a respon-dent’s browser accepts JavaScript. If this check function has been activated accor-ding to the instructions given in Chapter 3.7.7, p. 80 and reports that a browser isnot JavaScript-enabled, the graphical form elements will be replaced with standardHTML elements.

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up-to-date. This is arguable. Completing a clearly designed questionnaire with HTMLform elements can also be fun. Graphical form elements are sometimes consideredplayful. As so often, this all depends on the target group. A questionnaire for childrenand youths should be enriched with graphical form elements. HTML form elementsare generally considered more reputable for the university environment. There issurely much room for methodical research, into how the choice of form elementsaffects response behavior of participants and abort probability.

Graphical form elements can also be designed unobtrusively and additionally adjustedto fit the company’s CI colors or website. Simply create your own graphical form ele-ments and import them to the library for graphical form elements. Or select them fromthe existing library for graphical form elements.

1. Activating graphical form elements

1. Select the Form elements tab in the Standard editor.

Figure 8.6 Activating graphical form elements

2. For „What kind of form elements are to be used?“, select „Graphical form ele-ments“.

3. Confirm by clicking on the Save button.

4. In the bottom part of the tab, the currently used form elements will be displayed.The various functions for setting and configuring graphical form elements are nowalso available.

Figure 8.7 Overview of the form elements used

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2. Selecting and editing form elements

EFS not only enables the use of predefined form elements, you can also generate cus-tomized form elements or upload your own images. You have the choice of three opti-ons:

� selecting predefined button sets.

� adapting individual buttons or complete sets of buttons.

� uploading your own images.

These features will be presented in detail in the following.

a. Selecting predefined button sets

The EFS Survey scope of supply contains a number of predefined sets with form ele-ments.

� Click on Select button set to open the “Library for graphical form elements“.

� If you wish to use a button set from the library, click on the radio button in the firstcolumn. The set will be loaded automatically into your layout.

b. Editing a button or button set

If you wish to edit graphical form elements, please proceed as follows:

1. In multilingual projects, you first have to specify the language version for whichyou want to edit the buttons. The selection dialog is opened by clicking the Selectlanguage button.

2. If you have not already done so, select the button set you wish to edit from thelibrary as described above. Edit icons will now be displayed next to the formelements.

3. If you want to edit graphical form elements, click on the Edit icon next to thedesired button.

– If you wish to edit all elements simultaneously, select any button.

– If you wish to define what radio buttons and checkboxes will look like whenpassed over with the mouse pointer or after a user has clicked on them, selectthe corresponding button templates.

Figure 8.8 Opening form elements for editing

4. You are automatically taken to the button generator, which provides you withvarious editing options (see the following section).

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Figure 8.9 Editing buttons

5. Click on the Preview button at the bottom right to view the effects of the changesmade.

6. After selecting the desired options, you can use the “Apply to” select box to specifywhether the change is to be applied only to the respective button or to the entireset.

7. Confirm the changes by clicking on Save.

Edit options in the button generator

Depending on whether you are editing a radio button, a checkbox or a button, therewill be different editing operations available to you in the button generator:

� “Button” section: You can replace the current button template with another but-ton set and change its appearance using color, saturation or brightness settings.

� “Text” section: You can edit the text of your buttons as well as change font proper-ties and borders. Alternatively, you can also edit these labels just like the labels ofthe HTML form elements via the Project properties->Survey messages menu.

� “Radio buttons and checkboxes” section: You can select and configure overlayimages, e.g. to create scroll-over effects.

The “AAA-Unicode” unicode font supports display of characters from most langua-ges. The other fonts available cover only the Central European standard characterset.

For the time being, new fonts must still be uploaded by Globalpark. In this case,contact Globalpark Support.

Alternatively, you can import your own additional button drafts, as described below.

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c. Using own images

Optionally, you can also import externally created form elements.

Creating images for form elements

When creating the images, please mind:

� You can only integrate images in GIF format, no PNGs or JPEGs.

� When creating your own images, you should ensure that the images for the states“normal”, “when passed over with the mouse pointer” and “selected” have thesame size, to avoid jitters.

� For colored screen backgrounds, you should provide your graphical form elementswith the required transparency.

Images needed

Depending on the configuration of the survey, the following images are needed:

Uploading images


1. Before uploading your images, please make sure that the survey messages of theproject are phrased properly and do not need any further changes (when changingsurvey messages, user-defined images are overwritten). Then, proceed as follows:

2. Click on Upload your own images in the “Used graphical form elements“ section.

3. The following form will appear:

Option Meaning

Radio button / checkbox in normal state

These images replace HTML radio buttons and checkboxes. They are dis-played if the respondents neither click on the form element nor pass the mouse pointer over it.

Radio button / checkbox when passed over with the mouse pointer

These images replace HTML radio buttons and checkboxes. They are dis-played if the respondents pass the mouse pointer over a form element.

Radio button / checkbox selected

These images replace HTML radio buttons and checkboxes. They are dis-played if the respondents select a form element by clicking on it.

Back This image is used for navigating back to the previous page.

Cancel Clicking on the Cancel image closes the survey window.

Correct The Correct button is used in the pop-up window for client-side plausibility checks. Clicking on this button closes the window, allowing the respondent to correct “incorrect entries”.

Ignore The Ignore button is used in the pop-up window for client-side plausibility checks. Clicking on this button closes the window and submits the question-naire below: The respondent does not correct “incorrect entries”, but instead continues completing the questionnaire.

Submit This image replaces the HTML Submit button for navigating to the next page.

Table 8.1 Use of the loaded images

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Figure 8.10 Uploading images for graphical form elements

3. Showing Back and Cancel buttons

On the Form elements tab, apart from the functions for selecting various types of formelements described above, you can choose functions for showing Back and Cancel but-tons, which are described in detail in Chapter 3.7.6, p. 79.

However, please note that, for personalized projects, the functions for showing theBack button described in the specified chapter can only be activated in the Projectproperties menu after resuming.

4. Making radio buttons de-selectable

Usually, questions with a single response list are configured in such a way that theoriginal state of the questions cannot be restored once the respondent has clicked ona possible answer: The respondent can click on another radio button, but he cannot de-select the button chosen without a replacement answer. By ticking the checkboxlabeled “Radio buttons for questions with a single response list can be de-selected”, de-selecting radio buttons can be made possible

8.3.5 Changing Spaces

On the Spaces tab, you can set some general spaces in your layout. If you have notentered a unit of measurement, the entered value will be interpreted as a pixel value.Alternatively, you can specify relative values in percent. A layout width of 80% uses 80percent of the width of the current browser window, while a 600 layout is always 600pixels wide, regardless of the size of the user’s window.

Unfortunately, it is not yet possible to change the spacing between form elements andanswer texts.

This feature will only work if the respondent’s browser accepts JavaScript.

Your survey should be no wider than 800 pixels, as some respondents still have ascreen resolution of 800x600 pixel. If you would like to see what your surveys looklike on a smaller screen or on a PC with a lower resolution, install the free Windowstool “Sizer” (http://www.brianapps.net/sizer.html).

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8.3.6 Progress Bar

The progress bar shows the respondent which percentage of the questionnaire theyhave already completed. This can be in a text version (“You have already completed XXpercent of the questionnaire”) or in a graphical version with a progress bar. Both ver-sions can be combined.

Activating the progress bar

By default, the progress bar is deactivated in the basic settings.

1. Click on the Progress bar tab.

2. Tick the checkbox for activating the progress bar.

3. Confirm by clicking on Save settings.

Now you can configure the progress bar with regard to design, texts and displayedvalues.

Customizing the progress bar design

Select a design for the progress bar from the list of types.

Figure 8.11 Types of progress bars

Notes:

� The upper most row, “Currently selected”, displays the progress bar that is cur-rently used in the questionnaire. If you have changed the appearance of the respec-tive progress bar type using the Format tab, you will get a realistic reproduction ofwhat the display looks like.

� The images in the type selection list show whether the selected type supports textdisplay. In the pro editor, you can modify a selected type, e.g. suppress or add textdisplay.

� You can change the appearance of types 1, 2, 5 and 7 in the Format tab: If youdisplay the structure, you can access CSS classes .progress and .progresstext. Via

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the Pro editor, you can access these CSS classes as well. You can only change thecolor of the bar itself for type 7. Types 3, 4 and 6 are generated based on backgroundimages, which means they can’t be changed with CSS.

� The text can be edited in the “Text indicating progress” field.

� Advanced users can change the structure of the progress bar in the pro editor, e.g.to add or to hide text from displaying (refer to Chapter 8.5.5, p. 377)

Progress bar algorithm

When a participant begins filling out a questionnaire it cannot usually be predictedhow many questionnaire pages and which pages precisely they will actually see. To doso you would have to know in advance what filter branches the participant will pass -however filtering is mostly dependent on answers only given during the course of thequestionnaire.

The progress bar values are therefore calculated in EFS via an estimation algorithm,which steadily approaches actual final length throughout the course of the question-naire. Here, unavoidable jumps in the value, caused for example by filters, are kept toa minimum.

The formula is:

progress value (page x) = progress value (page x-1) + [{100- {progress value (page x-1)} / {denominator (page x) - numerator (page x)} ]

where:

� denominator (page x) = (sum of pages submitted to date + 1) + (sum of all pagesstill anticipated after page x) and

� numerator (page x) = number of all pages actually submitted to date

The progress value on the first page of the questionnaire is:

progress value (page 1) = 100 / sum of all pages in the questionnaire

The progress value on the final page is:

Progress value (final page) = 100

Changing progress bar texts and values manually

The progress bar automatically activated by default calculates an estimated value forthe as yet estimated remaining questionnaire length. This procedure has two disadvan-tages:

� As already explained above, this is an estimation algorithm, as a precise predictionof the course of the questionnaire is usually not possible for a given respondent.

� Automatic calculation evaluates all questionnaire pages. In practice, however,there is often the wish for an option to exclude the opening pages (containing, forexample, the welcome, an introduction to the subject or a language selection ques-tion) from the count.

Alternatively, you can therefore deactivate the automatic calculation and determine avalue the progress bar should take on for each page.

1. Activate the progress bar (see above).

2. Deactivate “Calculate progress automatically” and confirm with Save settings.

3. Click on the Detailed settings link. You will now see the pages currently in yourproject.

4. First, determine how many pages a respondent is shown on average. For a projectwith no filters, this number corresponds to the number of survey pages. For a

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project with filters, count the number of pages a respondent will see, add the roun-ded mean value from the sum of filter branches and enter the value into the “Totalnumber of pages” field.

5. Now you can indirectly determine a value for the progress bar for each page: youdefine the page number for each individual page from the respondent’s point ofview.

6. If the opening pages of the project are to be ignored, enter a value of 0 for thesepages. Then, the pages will be excluded from the calculation, and a progress barwill not be displayed on them.

8.3.7 Configuring Plausibility Checks

EFS supports server-side PHP plausibility checks and client-side JavaScript plausibilitychecks. You can configure the appearance of both types of plausibility checks in theLayout->Standard editor menu on the Plausibility checks tab.

1. Switch to the Plausibility checks tab.

2. Tick “type2” under “Design of the plausibility check”.

3. Click on Save.

4. Initiate the survey in the preview, and switch to a page on which you have definedplausibility checks. You will see that the design of both the PHP plausibility checkas well as that of the JavaScript plausibility check have changed. A “caution” imagewill appear.

Altering the design

In the “Design of the plausibility check” section, you can simultaneously modify thebasic appearance of both the PHP check as well as the JavaScript check.

In the case of random blocks, the page-defined progress bar jumps. Therefore, forprojects with “Random rotation” or “Random select” branches, it is recommendedthat you use the automatically calculated display.

Open a second browser window, if you have not defined a plausibility check on theinitial pages of your survey. In this window, switch to the list of survey pages underthe Questionnaire editor menu item. Here, click on the preview icon beside thepage containing a plausibility check. The preview will start directly with the plausi-bility check page.

Option Meaning

Type Here you can choose from the various basic types contained in the scope of supply.

Font face Font face determines the font for plausibility check messages (“Please answer the following question:”). The selected font should match the font used in the questionnaire.

Font size The Font size is specified in pixels.

Font color You can optionally specify the font color in hexadecimal code (#000000 = black) or select a color field by clicking on it.

Background color You can also specify the background color of the PHP plausibility checks in hexadecimal code (#000000 = black) or by clicking on a color field.

Table 8.2 Design elements for plausibility checks

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Determining properties for the client-side JavaScript plausibility check

The client-side plausibility check will appear in an additional small window (pop-upwindow).

Figure 8.12 JavaScript plausibility check

The error message consists of a general phrase, which can be defined in this menu, andthe error messages you define individually for each plausibility check in the plausibilitycheck editor.

If you have selected graphical form elements in the project, this dialog will display theimages currently included. Click on Change to replace the images via the Formelements tab.

Determining properties for the server-side PHP plausibility check

For the server-side plausibility check, the questionnaire page is checked after submis-sion. If a plausibility check error occurs, the page is reloaded and a plausibility checktext is displayed at the head of the page.

Changing types (type1, type2, type3) overwrites the corresponding output template.Manual changes to the structure of the plausibility check template made in the proeditor in the meantime will be lost.

Option Meaning

Pop-up window title This text is displayed in the blue bar (under Windows) at the top of the window.

Introductory text General message text, e.g. “This message is automatically generated, if your details were incomplete or erroneous. Please check the details in the following fields:”. Enter this text in the message set archive under Options->Survey messages, to ensure that it is filled as desired when survey messages are assigned in the Project properties-> Survey messages menu.

Ignore button label Here you can determine the label of the button clicked by the respondents, if they do not want to correct the reported error (also refer to Soft plausibility check).See previous item for information on preallocation of this field.

Correct button label Here you can determine the label of the Submit button clicked by the respon-dent, if they want to correct the reported error (also refer to Hard plausibility check).See Introductory text for information on preallocation of this field.

Table 8.3 Labels for JavaScript plausibility checks

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Figure 8.13 PHP plausibility check output

The error message consists of two general phrases, which can be defined in this menu,and the messages you define individually for each plausibility check in the plausibilitycheck editor.

Further notes

Advanced users can change the structure of a selected type, e.g. suppress the output ofdetailed information on items missing in the answer (see Chapter 8.5.6, p. 378).

8.4 The Pro Editor: Advanced Options

The Pro editor feature addresses advanced users with HTML or CSS knowledge. Thefollowing contains a detailed introduction to functions found on the various tabs:

� Structure: changes to the page structure of the layout, the border layout for indi-vidual pages, the output for individual questions and the structure of the progressbar and plausibility checks. (See the following chapter and the suggestions foradvanced users in Chapter 8.5, p. 375.)

� CSS editor: editing of individual CSS classes or of the entire CSS file (Chapter8.4.3, p. 372).

� Debug mode: display of table borders to facilitate debugging (Chapter 8.4.4, p. 373)

� Upload: upload of files required for project layout (Chapter 8.4.5, p. 373)

� Wildcards: definition of wildcards for the application of dynamic contents (Chapter8.4.6, p. 374)

� Check layout: This tab shows whether the layout of the project is up to date (Chap-ter 8.4.7, p. 374).

8.4.1 Page Structure and Templates

General

EFS uses a so-called template system for standard layout. A template is an HTML filewith wildcards inserted. These wildcards are used to apply “business logic” to theHTML page, for example necessary HTML code printed to an output page which is

Option Meaning

Plausibility error Introductory text in the lead text to the plausibility check error message (also refer to notes on the “Introductory text” option for JavaScript checks, for infor-mation on preallocation).

Plausibility to-do Instruction between introductory text and display of individual error messages.

Table 8.4 Labels for PHP plausibility checks

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required by EFS for processing plausibility checks. With a few exceptions, you canfreely restructure the HTML code. More on this topic later on.

The structure of a questionnaire page

The following figure displays the structure of a questionnaire page:

Figure 8.14 Structure of a questionnaire page

A survey page consists of a main template “main.tpl”, which positions all elements ona questionnaire page. For reasons of clarity, some components are stored in separatesubtemplates:

� progressbar.tpl displays the progress bar.

� questioncomplete.tpl displays the plausibility check text.

� qtext.tpl formats the question text and the fill-in instruction.

� question.tpl formats the table framing questions.

� answer.tpl formats the table framing answers.

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The following illustration shows the areas editable on a survey page:

Figure 8.15 Editable areas on a survey page

You can freely configure the area outside the actual question form. You can freely con-figure the table framing questions, answers and the entire questionnaire form. You canfreely configure both question and fill-in instructions.

In general, you have no influence on answer blocks. You may re-define individual ques-tion types, but we only recommend this for “absolute pros”.

In addition to the above templates, there are some special templates for specific tasks:

� login.tpl defines the login window for surveys with password protection.

� critical.tpl is used for system error messages (e.g. “Survey is not active”).

� helpwin.tpl formats the Help pop-up window (help texts for the individual questi-ons can be entered in the editor).

� errorwin.tpl can be used to design pop-ups for JavaScript plausibility checks.

� mixedextern.tpl is a version of the main template main.tpl, which is used formixed-external pages (questions created with EFS can be freely positioned on thescreen in mixed-external pages).

8.4.2 Using Templates to Edit the Page Structure

The templates of a specific project are customized in the Layout-> Pro editor menu onthe Structure tab.

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Figure 8.16 Survey templates in the pro editor

The following information can be found in the overview table:

� For each template, there is a list containing the title as well as the file name, size,date of the last change and person who edited it.

� The search function allows you to capture not only the template name and filename, but also the template content and related comments.

� You can make notes on individual templates: By clicking on the Marker icon, youcan open a pop-up window containing a comment field, enter your comment andsave it.

Editing templates

You have the following options for editing or creating templates:

� By clicking on the title, you can open a template and edit its content.

� If you insert the wildcard {debug} into a template (e.g. main.tpl), Save and theninvoke a questionnaire page, variables will be displayed in a pop-up window. Pleasenote that the usual wildcards of EFS cannot be used in the Smarty templates.

� Click on the Create template button to create a new template.

� You can duplicate templates that already exist by clicking on the Copy icon.

� You can delete newly created and duplicated templates, but not system templates.

� If you wish to restore the original state of a template during project creation, clickon the Restore icon in the “Function” column.

Chapter 8.5, p. 375, contains different examples of how to perform complex changesto the layout by editing the respective templates or incorporating new ones.

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Editing templates externally and uploading them

You can export templates for further use on other EFS Survey installations or for localprocessing. To do so, click on the Export button.

Similarly, you can use the Import button to upload external templates to the server,both individual templates and zip files containing several templates

8.4.3 Editing CSS Files

Using the functions on the CSS editor tab in the pro editor, you can directly access theCSS file to edit attributes and classes. This enables you, in principle, to edit any ques-tion type, any page and any combination of question types and pages individually.

Figure 8.17 Editing CSS classes in the pro editor

Editing individual CSS classes

Choose a class from the drop-down list in the “Select class” field, and then click on theEdit class button to select individual CSS classes. A table is then displayed, in whichyou can enter and change the attributes of the class.

In addition to the options for changing fonts, alignment and background available inthe standard editor, here you can add a frame or frame parts to the individual questi-onnaire elements.

Editing the whole CSS file

By clicking on the Edit whole CSS file button, you can open and edit the entire CSSfile. This is particularly useful for search / replace operations and for replacing theentire file (e.g. after editing in an external editor).

By clicking on the CSS syntax check button you can check your changes with the W3CCSS validator.

Additional functions

� Export CSS: Clicking on this button triggers an export of all CSS files, compressedin a Zip file.

� Import CSS: This function allows you to import a CSS file you have externallyedited or exported from another project. Please note that, in the file to be imported,you must use the existing CSS classes in the project layout.

If several CSS files exist in the project, an additional drop-down list is displayed,allowing you to select the file you wish to edit.

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8.4.4 Debugging Layouts

EFS layouts work with invisible tables to position texts on a page. For debugging, it isoften desirable to make table boundary lines temporarily visible. On the Debug modetab, you can activate the table borders for all those who see the survey.

Alternatively, you can make table borders visible only for those participants with aspecial IP address. Assume that your project is already in the field and you want tomake changes to it on short notice. Naturally, you do not want your participants to seethe table borders, so you restrict the view to yourself.

8.4.5 Uploading Layout Files

When designing the layout it is often necessary to load files up to the server, occasio-nally also to other directories than the directory /layout used by the media library. Todo this use the Upload function on the tab of the same name in the Pro editor. Here,you can also specify zip files, which will be unpacked to the desired directory.

Uploading a new file

1. Select the character set.

2. Select the target directory. Table 8.5 provides you with an overview.

3. Locate the desired file on the hard disk.

4. Confirm by clicking on Upload file.

Viewing uploaded files

If you would like to view the uploaded files, you can choose between two display opti-ons:

� The Media library button enables you to open these from the Upload. It containsthe media saved in the directory /images.

� By clicking on the Project resources button you can open a list containing all ofthe uploaded files. Thumbnail, name and size will be shown. By clicking on theDelete icon you can remove files.

The directories of the project

The file size for importing data is limited. If your file exceeds the installations-spe-cific threshold, a warning message will be displayed.

Directory Use

project directory/images Images which were added to a project by the user, e.g. via the media library, are stored in this directory.

project directory/layout All images supplied with a survey layout, e.g. graphical form elements, standard logos, are stored in this directory.

project directory/css Contains the CSS file “layout.css”.

project directory/templates Contains the survey structure information.

Table 8.5 Upload directories

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8.4.6 Wildcards

On the Wildcards tab, you can easily define dynamic contents for each questionnairepage outside of the actual questionnaire. You can use this feature, for example, todivide your survey into topic blocks and then to visualize this division in the layout. Todo so, proceed as follows:

1. Click on the Wildcards tab.

2. Click on the page title of the first page of your project.

3. A form will appear, in which you can insert a maximum of five wildcards for thispage. Type an arbitrary text into the Text 1 field, e.g. “Demographic questions”

4. Click on Save changes.

5. Repeat Steps 1 through 4 for one or two further pages.

6. Now tell the layout where you would like to use the defined wildcards: In the ques-tionnaire editor, for example, you can reference the wildcards from questionsusing the wildcards “#r_text1#”, “#r_text2#”, “#r_text3#”, “#r_text4#”,“#r_text5#”.

7. You can alternatively modify the structure of your layout.

8. Switch to the Structure tab.

9. For example, edit the main.tpl template, to place the wildcards in the general pagestructure file.

10. Insert the {$r_text1} system variable anywhere on the page.

11. Take a look at the project in the preview. You will see that {$r_text1} has beenreplaced with the corresponding text from the database.

12. Wrap the wildcard in HTML code to achieve the desired appearance.

8.4.7 Checking and Correcting the Layout

The Check layout tab shows whether the layout of a project is up to date.

Figure 8.18 Checking the layout of a project and correcting errors

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8.5 Functions for Advanced Users

If defects are found, you will receive both information on their cause and a classifica-tion of their importance (e.g. “New feature” or “Important”). To fix a problem, tick itscheckbox in the “Correct” column, and then confirm by clicking on Correct layout.


This chapter explains different ways to alter the design of questionnaire elements byediting templates. Prerequisites are experience with HTML or web design as well asknowledge of the information on the EFS Survey page structure in Chapter 8.4.1,p. 368.

8.5.1 Creating a Page with a Deviating Border Design

For individual pages, you can define a main template freely deviating in design if youwant to insert intermediate pages with a different design between question blocks.

1. Switch to the page list in the questionnaire editor.

2. The first column of the page table contains the so-called page ID (pgid).

3. Make a mental note of the pgid for the page to which you want to give a differentborder design.

4. Switch to the Structure tab (via Layout->Pro editor).

5. Copy the “main.tpl” template if you wish to modify a page of the “Standard page”type. Copy the “mixedextern.tpl” template if you wish to modify a page of the“mixed-external” type.

6. When copying the file, name it according to the following principle: main.pgid.tpland mixedextern.pgid.tpl, respectively. Example: The page with pgid 1393 will beassigned the template main.1393.tpl.

7. Modify the new template as desired.

8.5.2 Creating a Question with a Deviating Design

Analogous to the changing of the design for a questionnaire page described above, youcan also change the design of individual questions through an output template. Thissuppresses the output process, which by default is conducted via the system library.

The work process required for this is as described in Chapter 8.5.1, p. 375: Copy theresponsible template, in this case the “question.tpl” template. While doing this, namethe file as follows: question.coid.tpl. COID is the container ID of the question. You willfind it in the editor’s page view. After that, you can modify the new template.

8.5.3 Editing the Layout of Special Question Types

1. Editing the layout of question types 113 and 311

By incorporating an additional template, you can modify the area between the scaleand answers for the frequently used question types 113 (Single response list (scaleabove)) and 311 (Standard matrix 1) across questionnaires. The contents of the additi-onal template will be output immediately below the scale, so you can, among otherthings, change the distance between the scale and answers or insert a separating line.

To create the additional template, please proceed as follows:

1. Copy any existing template, and name the copy “scale_extra_113.tpl” or“scale_extra_311.tpl”.

2. Confirm by clicking on Copy.

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3. You will now find the template copy in the template list, under the name you spe-cified. Open the template copy.

4. Delete the HTML code that was also copied, and replace it with the desired code.

Example: Changing the distance between the scale and answers

Using the following HTML code, you can insert an invisible picture between the scaleand answers. By changing the value for the height of the image (“height”), you canchange the distance between the scale and answers.

001 <tr>002 <td colspan={$row_map|@count}>003 <img src="{$baseurl}/layout/pixel_t.gif" height="4" border="0"> 004 </td>005 </tr>

2. Editing the question type 340

You can modify the area between question and answer in question type 340 (semanticdifferential) across questionnaires or for individual questionnaire pages by integratingan additional template. The contents of the additional template will be output directlybelow the question text and fill-in instruction , so you can among other things changethe distance between the question and answers or insert a separating line.

If you would like to modify the output of question type 340 in the entire questionnaire,please proceed as follows:

1. Copy an existing template of your choice and give the copy the name“scale_above_340.tpl”.




If you would like to modify the output of question type 340 only for one particularquestion, please proceed as follows:

1. Copy an existing template of your choice and give the copy the name“scale_above_340.COID.tpl”. The Container-ID (COID) of a question can be foundin the page view in the left-hand column of the table.




8.5.4 Re-Defining Question Types

In principle, it is possible to overwrite the output function of a question type with aself-programmed template, i.e. to alter the appearance of the questions of the respec-tive type throughout the questionnaire. This is a complicated and risky process whichrequires precise knowledge of the EFS Survey output object named “ADT”.

Here, suffice it to say that this possibility exists in principle. Please contact Support ifyou wish to use this feature.

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8.5.5 Modifying the Progress Bar

The progress bar is output via the “progressbar.tpl” template. In detail, the displayworks as follows:

1. EFS checks to see whether a user-defined progress bar value is to be output for thispage; if not, the number of pages already viewed will be used for the calculation.

2. EFS calculates the percentage for the page and saves it to the sys_progress systemvariable. The maximum size the progress bar can reach will be transferred in thesys_maxprogress system variable (default value: 100).

3. Depending on the progress bar type, the output template will now use sys_progressas the width of the progress bar or calculate from the transferred values, how largethe bars for the progress bar must be (see example 2).

4. The message text (“You have already completed n percent of the survey”) will beread from the database, and the percentage will be dynamically inserted.

Example 1

1. In a test project, open the Typ2 progress bar via Standard editor->Progress bar.

2. Switch to Pro editor->Structure.

3. Choose the “progressbar.tpl” template.

You will see the following code:

001 {* Version 1-0 2002-09-25 *}<table width="{$layout_width}" border="{$sys_border}" class="progress" cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0>002 <tr>003 <td width=100% class="progresstext">{$msg_progress}004 <img src="{$baseurl}layout/s1.gif" height="13"><img005 src="{$baseurl}layout/s2.gif" height="13"><img006 src="{$baseurl}layout/s3.gif" height="13" width="{$sys_progress}"><img007 src="{$baseurl}layout/s4.gif" height="13"><img008 src="{$baseurl}layout/s5.gif" height="13" width="{math equation="x – y" x=$sys_maxprogress y=$sys_progress}"><img009 src="{$baseurl}layout/s6.gif" height="13" width="1"010 > {$sys_progress}%</td>011 </tr>012 </table>

Example 2:

Some progress bar types require calculations with the system variables for output. Anexample of this is progress bar type 6:

001 {* Version 1-0 2002-09-25 *}002 <table width="{$layout_width}" border="{$sys_border}" cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0>003 <tr>004 <td align="right">005 <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">006 <tr>007 <td><img src="{$baseurl}layout/pbar_start.gif"></td>008 <td background="{$baseurl}layout/pbar_bg.gif" width="{$sys_maxprogress}" align="right"><img src="{$baseurl}layout/pbar_scale.gif" height="13" width="{math equation="x – y" x=$sys_maxprogress y=$sys_progress}"></td>009 <td><img src="{$baseurl}layout/pbar_end.gif"></td>010 </tr>

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011 </table>012 </td>013 </tr>014 </table>

This will build a table that is completely filled with the progress bar image (large bar).A single-color image will be placed over this table so that only a part of the backgroundwill be visible. The length of this image is calculated from the maximum overall lengthof the progress bar by subtracting the current percentage.

8.5.6 Modifying the Plausibility Check Output

Influencing the output of server-side PHP plausibility checks

The PHP plausibility checks are output via the “questioncomplete.tpl” template. Thistemplate is also used to output the completeness checks. In detail, the display worksas follows:

1. For the completeness check, the routing engine provides the information onwhich questions or items the respondent has not answered. This information willbe individually stored in $dac_quests.

2. The routing engine checks all server-side plausibility checks entered against theentered data. The error message for the failing plausibility checks will be stored in$plausi_text.

3. The two introductory texts (“Data missing...”) will be loaded from the database andprovided in the $msg_complete_header and $msg_complete_quest wildcards.

4. The “questioncomplete.tpl” template will only be output if either a completenesscheck or a PHP plausibility check is attached to the page.

The template for a simple output without incorporated image or similar constructswill look as follows:

001 {* Version 1-0 2002-09-25 *}002 <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="{$sys_border}" bordercolor="blue" width="{$layout_width}">003 <tr>004 <td width="100%" class="plausi">005 {$msg_complete_header}006 </td>007 </tr>008 <tr>009 <td class="plausi2">{$msg_complete_quest}</td>010 </tr>011 <tr>012 <td class="questiondisbot" colspan="3"><img src="{$baseurl}layout/pixel_t.gif" width="1" height="1" border="0"></td>013 </tr>014 {section name=i loop=$dac_quests}015 <tr>016 <td width="100%" class="plausi3">017 <img src="{$baseurl}pixel_t.gif" width="15" height="1" border="0"> {$dac_quests[i]}018 </td>019 </tr>020 {/section}021 {if $plausi_text ne ""}022 <tr>023 <td class=plausi>

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024 <img src="{$baseurl}layout/pixel_t.gif" width="15" height="1" border="0">{$plausi_text}025 </td>026 </tr>027 {/if}028 </table>029 <br>

8.5.7 Detecting Specific Browsers

Sometimes you will be forced to output different code depending on the browser. Forexample, you will wish to output a different CSS file, if the respondent is usingNetscape 4.7. EFS Survey offers a function that will return the browser being used ina system variable:

Insert the following line, for example into the header of the main template (main.tpl):

{detect_browser p_ver=#detect_browser#}

The function invoked will fill in three system variables:

8.5.8 Making Surveys Appear in a Frameset

Anonymous and personalized surveys can be represented in a frameset. This requiresthat the frameset be located within the surveys directory.

Line Meaning

5 Outputs the first introductory text, $msg_complete_header. These lines can be removed or modified through a fixed value, if desired.

9 Outputs the first introductory text, $msg_complete_quest. These lines can be removed or modified through a fixed value, if desired.

15-21 These lines output the question texts of the questions that have not been fully answered. The entire area can be removed if its output is not desired (e.g. because too much space would be lost).

26 These lines output the plausibility error messages, if a plausibility check has detected errors. The lines can be re-written as desired.

Table 8.6 Meaning of the individual lines in the template code

Variable Contents

$NN47 Is the respondent’s browser Netscape 4.7?You can use the information, for example, to differentiate between two CSS files:{if $NN47}<link href="alterbrowser.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />{else}<link href="bessererbrowser.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />{/if}

agent_type Which browser is being used? $agent_type will take on the following values:“Netscape”, “Opera”,“MSIE”,“Lynx”,“WebTV”,“Konqueror”,“Bot”,“Other”

agent_version Version number for Netscape and Internet Explorer, e.g. “5.0”.

Table 8.7 Meaning of system variables

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1. Create the project.

2. Choose the Layout menu item.

3. Choose Pro editor from the submenu.

4. Create a new template named “index.tpl”. (Alternatively, you can also copy an exis-ting template. However, its contents will then be overwritten and lost.)

5. Insert the HTML code for a frameset into the template:

001 <html>002 <head>003 <title>Our Survey</title>004 <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;

charset=iso -8859-1">005 </head>006 <frameset rows="60,*,45" frameborder="NO" border="0"

framespacing="0">007 <frame src="http://www.your-domain.com/header.htm" name="header"

scrolling="NO" noresize >008 <frame src="#LINK#" name="main"> 009 <frame src="http://www.your-domain.com/footer.htm" name="footer"

scrolling="NO" noresize >010 </frameset>011 <noframes><body>012 Please use a browser that supports frames.013 </body></noframes>014 </html>

6. Save the changed version of the template.

The frameset definition shown above is meant as an example and can be adjusted tomeet different layout wishes. The survey URL will be included at the correspondingposition in the frameset via the #LINK# wildcard. Required parameters will be dyna-mically attached to the URL (e.g. the code).

8.5.9 Creating Language-dependent Survey Layouts

Since summer 2010, a new feature is avaiable in EFS 7.0, enabling you to change thetemplates and CSS files of a survey depending on the language selected. Thus, you can,for example, use different templates for the french and english version of a survey.

To integrate the additional layouts, please proceed as follows:

1. Create the desired languages.

2. Copy the desired templates resp. create new templates in the Pro editor on theStructure tab. Please mind that the language version ID must be inserted in thefile name, e.g. “main.tpl” -> “2_main.tpl” for the language version with ID “2”.

Please note: Framesets can be used for anonymous and personalized surveys, theydo not work for panel and master data surveys.

Please mind that this feature is not included in the standard version of EFS Survey.If you are interested in using it, please contact your Globalpark sales representativefor further information.

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8.6 How are Survey Layouts Generated?

Now, the name of the language will be displayed besides the templates in the tem-plate list.

3. Copy the existing CSS file to get language-specific versions, too. Name them accor-ding to the same pattern.

4. The references to CSS files in the templates are hard-coded and must be modifiedmanually. Please change the name of the CSS file in the following line:

old: <link rel="stylesheet" href="{$baseurl}css/layout.css">new: <link rel="stylesheet" href="{surveyfile file="css/layout.css"}">

5. On the tab Layout->Pro editor->CSS editor, you can select the various CSS filesvia a drop-down list and edit them. If you want to edit the various layout versionsvia the tab Layout->Formatting, you can also select the desired CSS file via a drop-down list. Then, the display is modified accordingly (the system identifies theappropriate templates automatically).

8.6 How are Survey Layouts Generated?

The survey layouts will be generated via a system that draws the output informationfrom various sources:

� The entire area outside the actual questionnaire (i.e. header and footer area) willbe generated via so-called templates (HTML code with inserted wildcards).

� The questionnaire itself can be partially modified via templates. Due to the com-plexity of the output, however, most outputs will be conducted via an internal sys-tem library (PHP script), which cannot be modified externally.

� In the default settings, which are used for unedited layouts, some settings such aslogos, spaces, width values and message texts are stored in the database and can beedited by the user via corresponding entry dialogs in the standard editor. Whenediting the structure files in the pro editor, you can overwrite these settings withfixed values. However, they can then no longer be edited via the standard editor.

8.6.1 Technical Background Information on the Template System

We output the templates via an Open Source system called “Smarty”.

Smarty is a compiling template class, i.e. a PHP file will be produced from the HTMLfile through the compiler operation and then invoked for output.

Smarty has an extensive syntax that, among other things, offers interesting options formodifying dynamic variables before they are output. For example, you can customizethe “qtext.tpl” template as follows:

{$qtext|capitalize}

All question texts on all pages will now be output in capital letters.

The documentation for Smarty can be found at http://smarty.php.net. The section onmodifications will be of particular interest.

If you set up a layout for mobile output (EFS Mobile Extension), various templatesare used for the various output types. When creating language version-specificcopies of these templates, the ID is inserted at the start of the file name, too. E.g.

“wml_main.tpl” -> “2_wml_main.tpl”

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8.7 Saving and Re-Using Layouts

8.7.1 Saving Settings as a Template

You can save your changes to the project layout to a template. For the next surveyusing the same layout, you will only have to select the saved template and assign it tothe project.

To save the settings, choose the Layout->Save settings in template menu item. Youcan either overwrite an existing template or create a new template. The name anddescription are for your orientation.

When you save a layout template, you can specify which files are not part of the layout(e.g. images that are only used for a specific questionnaire). A list from which you canselect these files is displayed in the “Advanced options” under the [+] icon. The list ofexcludable files comprises the following:

� all files that were uploaded via the media library,

� buttons created using the form elements generator,

� logos created via the standard editor,

� image files used by EFS Survey functions such as the pretest tool and the preview,

� all CSS files and

� all template files.

8.7.2 Loading Saved Settings

You can find a list of your templates in the Layout templates menu on the tab Layoutlist.

Figure 8.19 Layout list

8.8 Exporting and Importing Layouts

You can transfer a layout template from one installation to another by exporting thetemplate as a zip file and the importing it into the destination installation.

The work process required for this consists of three sections which are describedbelow:

� Saving the layout setting as a template

� Exporting the layout template from the original EFS installation

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8.8 Exporting and Importing Layouts

� Importing the layout template into another EFS installation

Saving the layout setting as a template

1. First, save the desired layout as a template in the EFS installation in which you setit up. To do so, choose Layout->Save settings in template from the menu of therespective project.

2. Now you have the option to either overwrite an old template or create a new tem-plate. If you wish to create a new template, enter the name and a short descriptionfor your orientation.

3. Click on Save. A green text bar will indicate the successful performance of theaction.

Exporting the layout template from the original EFS installation

1. Switch to the Layout templates menu.

2. Select the desired template from the Layout list tab and click on the Export icon.

3. The “File download” dialog will open. Check that “Save file to disk” is selected, andconfirm by clicking on OK.

4. In the window that will then opens, select the folder on your hard disk to whichyou want to store the layout file, and specify the name of the file.

5. The layout template will now be stored on your hard disk as a zip file. The exportoperation is completed.

Importing the layout template into another EFS installation

6. To use the exported layout template for a project in another EFS installation, selectthe respective project, switch to the Layout->Layout templates menu.

7. Subsequently select the Import template button.

8. In the “File” field, you can enter the file path where the file you exported under thefirst step is located on your computer. Alternatively, you can also find and insertthe file using the Browse button.

Figure 8.20 Importing layouts

9. If you wish to use your layout for the current project, tick the “Activate template”checkbox.

10. Complete the work process by clicking on Upload file.

11. A green text bar containing the text “The template was successfully added” willinform you about the successful transfer of the template. On the Layout list tab, itwill now also be available for all projects located on this second EFS Survey instal-

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lation. If you have decided to directly activate the template under Step 9, a secondgreen text bar will report the successful activation.

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9 Testing Projects

9.1 Checking the Completion Status of a Project . . . . . . . . . . 387

9.2 Using Simulated Test Sessions to Identify Problems . . . . . 388

9.3 Checking Conditions for Logical Consistency . . . . . . . . . . 394

9.4 Checking Media Links. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394

9.5 Skipping Checks During Testing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 396

9.6 Changing the Language During Testing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397

9.7 Switching to Language Editor During Testing . . . . . . . . . . 397

9.8 Checking Filters, Quotas and Triggers in the Course of the Survey398

9.9 Managing the To-Dos of the Project Team . . . . . . . . . . . . 399

9.10 Capturing Pretest Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401

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9.1 Checking the Completion Status of a Project

9 Testing Projects

Running a survey project is a complex task that involves planning, questionnaire cre-ation and evaluation as well as various quality assurance measures. From the functio-nality of individual settings made in the questionnaire editor to the appearance of thequestionnaire, everything must be checked, discussed, changed if necessary and testedunder real-world conditions before the beginning of the field phase.

This chapter introduces the quality assurance features for EFS surveys:

� The project check enables you to check the completion status of a project. SeeChapter 9.1, p. 387.

� The project test function, which allows you to automatically check e.g. the settingof filters, will be introduced in Chapter 9.2, p. 388.

� The consistency check tests the conclusiveness of the configuration of filters,hiding conditions, triggers and plausibility checks. See Chapter 9.3, p. 394.

� The media check presented in Chapter 9.4, p. 394 makes it easier for you to iden-tify problems with links to images and other media files.

� The “boss button”, which allows you to skip plausibility and completeness checks,is introduced in Chapter , p. 401.

� The language selection feature described in Chapter 9.6, p. 397 is helpful for tes-ting multilingual projects.

� As of version 7.0, EFS features a runtime check for checking the conditions of LUAfilters, quotas and triggers in the course of the survey. See Chapter 9.8, p. 398.

In addition to specific test features, EFS also provides tools for work and test organi-zation:

� To-do management is used to capture and manage internal notes made by thoseresponsible for the project. See Chapter 9.9, p. 399.

� Chapter 9.10, p. 401, introduces the pretest tool, which allows you to capture thetesters’ comments during the pretest phase.

9.1 Checking the Completion Status of a Project

The project check informs you about the progress and faults made during project cre-ation.

� The upper part of the dialog contains an overview on central topics, see Table 9.1.

� Furthermore, questionnaire structure, filter conditions, timing etc. are checkedfor logical consistency. Potential problems are listed with the respective problemgrade.

More tools for testing individual settings in the questionnaire are introduced inChapter 4, p. 119:

- The preview (Chapter 4.11, p. 170).

- The filter test, which allows you to test the functionality of individual filters (Chap-ter 4.7.5, p. 154).

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9 Testing Projects

In the example below, an older project has been imported to a new installation. Theproject check now complains that the layout does not support all project features. Thisproblem is easy to solve: Click on the link Check layout to switch to the pro editor anduse the available correction functions (Chapter 8.4.7, p. 374).

Figure 9.1 Results of the project check

9.2 Using Simulated Test Sessions to Identify Problems

The Project test function, located in the Project checks menu, makes it easier for youto test the setting of the filter by automatically simulating a large number of test ses-sions. The resulting statistics make it easy to detect setting problems with filters andinternal quotas. The following explains the usage options offered by this function:

� Producing test data

� Interpreting test data

� Deleting test data

Check Meaning Chapter

Errors while proces-sing the survey

EFS checks for errors in LUA filters, quotas and triggers while processing the survey.

Chapter 4.7.8, p. 158

Static start page Indicates whether a static start page has been set up. Chapter 4.5.9, p. 136

Current selected lan-guage

Indicates the standard language. Chapter 15.2.5, p. 575

In multilingual pro-jects: Translation status

Indicates whether all of the text elements of the different survey languages have been filled and has a link to the overview of the To-dos.

Chapter 15.3.1, p. 578

Layout status Provides information on the correctness of the layouts in use. If the layout is no longer current, you have the option of clicking on the Check layout link to switch to the Pro editor, where you can fix the problem.

Chapter 8.4.7, p. 374

Number of variables in survey table

Number of variables. The number may change when com-piling the project.

Chapter 13.9.2, p. 538

Table 9.1 Results of a project check

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What can and cannot be checked using “Project test”?

Project test enables you to check the operability of basic questionnaire features:

� filtering on project variables and numeric URL parameters

� exclusively numeric URL parameters

� internal quotas

� triggers

Please note, though, that you should not exclusively rely on project test, but run addi-tional manual tests. Also, please take notice of the restrictions mentioned below, e.g.regarding automated testing of triggers.

Complex questionnaire features and layout cannot be checked automatically. Theseinclude, among others,

� various routing features, as e.g. hiding conditions at the question and item levels,Random Selection and Random Rotation.

� all checks, notably plausibility checks, type checks and exclusive checkboxes.

� most dynamic questionnaire elements, as e.g. dynamic output of contents via wild-cards, lists, loops and self-assignment questions in employee surveys.

� most features which rely on external data, as e.g. external quotas, non-numericURL parameters (including filters querying these URL parameters) and combina-tions of external and internal quotas.

� all layout issues, including output of Flash question types, browser-dependent pro-blems.

Project test is available for all project types, but please mind the project-type specificrestrictions mentioned below, notably regarding project types with participant admi-nistration.

General notes on using “Project test”

� Deactivate non-numeric URL parameters: “Project test” cannot be used if non-numeric URL parameters are set up at the same time. Projects in which these URLparameters are to be used must therefore be tested before you create the URL para-meters.

� Avoid undesirable side effects: If the “Project test” tool simulates participants’ clickpaths, triggers may be activated. Make sure that either the project’s triggers are nottested or that, at the time of the test run, the triggers are configured in such a waythat they will not trigger, for example, a mass dispatch of e-mails (in the case ofmail or reinvitation triggers).

� Delete data after completion of the test phase: “Project test” was developed to faci-litate testing of the questionnaire before the beginning of the field phase. Makesure that the use of this feature is completed and all test data have been deletedaccording to the instructions in Chapter 9.2.3, p. 393, before you launch the pro-ject.

This applies particularly to projects with internal quotas: During the test run, thecurrent allocation and the status of the quota will be changed under Editquestionnaire->Quota management. In order to reset the allocation to zero, theproject must be newly generated after completion of the test. For this purpose, the“Delete all survey data” option must be selected.

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9 Testing Projects

Tips for using the project test in projects with participant administration

In personalized projects, you may either have tester datasets automatically generated,or you can use copies of existing participant datasets for testing.

� Using automatically generated test participants: Test participants are automati-cally generated and saved in participant administration. These test participants aremarked as “testers” and can therefore be easily removed with Delete test data orbe removed manually from participant administration.

� Using copies of existing participants for testing: The project test uses copies of theparticipants available in participant administration with disposition code <20instead of creating new test participants. If the number of test runs desired isgreater than the number of participants with disposition code <20, no new parti-cipants are additionally generated, but the project test discontinues after all opendatasets are used up. These copied test participants are marked as “testers”, too,and can therefore be easily removed with Delete test data or be removed manuallyfrom participant administration.

“Employee survey” project type: As a rule, the project test always uses copies of exis-ting participant datasets available in participant administration for these project types(see above). This ensures that realistic data are available for the organizational struc-ture. As already mentioned above, you can easily identify and remove these test parti-cipants.

9.2.1 Producing Test Data

After you have finished your questionnaire, open the Project checks ->Project testmenu. This will open the entry page of the Project test menu which provides an over-view of the filters and variables used in the project.

Figure 9.2 Overview of the filters and variables used in the project

Click on the Produce test data tab and enter the conditions for the automatically gene-rated test runs:

� In the “Number of interviews to create” field, enter the number of questionnairesessions that are to be automatically generated. The advisable number of sessionsdepends on the complexity of the project and the robustness of the server. On theone hand, high numbers of sessions (in the hundreds) deliver more meaningfulresults. On the other hand, projects with a complex filter structure can cause aconsiderable server load even with one hundred sessions. Before you enter a largernumber of times participated, you should therefore make sure that there is nosurvey with a high number of participants running at the same time on the sameinstallation.

� In the second field, you can specify the “Maximum number of pages sent per ses-sion”. The number entered should be greater than 0.

� If the “Delete test data prior to execution?” option is enabled, data generated inpreliminary test runs or automatically generated test participants are deleted.

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� “Personalized survey” project type only: If the “Use copies of existing participants?”option is enabled the project test will use copies of the datasets with dispositioncode <20 already available in participant administration instead of creating newparticipants. If the number of test runs desired is greater than the number of par-ticipants with disposition code <20, no new participants are additionally genera-ted, but the project test discontinues after all open datasets are used up.

� If the project contains numeric URL parameters, you can specify individual valuesor number ranges for them. Please note that “Project test” does not support non-numeric URL parameters. With projects containing such parameters, “Projecttest” must be run before the URL parameters are configured.

� If the project contains triggers, you can choose separately whether these may beactivated during the project test. Before activating the trigger test function, makesure that this cannot inadvertently trigger infinite loops or the bulk dispatch ofmails. Usually, however, a manual test is more advisable for checking the functio-nality of triggers than using the automatic project test.

9.2.2 Interpreting Test Data

1. Routing statistics

The routing statistics are located on the Routing tab. The following guiding questionswill help you to interpret them.

Figure 9.3 The routing statistics of a test run in a sample project

Have all sessions been completed successfully?

After the test run, first check whether the number of sessions completed (dispositioncode 31, 32) equals the number of times participated you originally entered. To do so,open the Routing tab and click on the Evaluate complete data records only link.

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Figure 9.4 Example of routing statistics with incomplete data records

� If all sessions were completed successfully, you can limit your analysis to this sta-tistics, labeled Evaluate completed data records only.

� If test sessions were interrupted as in the example shown, you should first identifythe cause of the drop-outs. To do so, click on the Evaluate all data records link.Note that drop-outs do not necessarily indicate problems. In the example shown,for instance, the drop-outs are participants who were screened out after a quotawas fulfilled.

Have the filter conditions and internal quotas been defined correctly?

To test the mere functionality of the filters, you can use the filter test described inChapter 4.7.5, p. 154. In the routing statistics of a test session that was automaticallygenerated using “Project test”, you can also check whether the filtering concept issensible, i.e. whether your settings have the anticipated effect with high numbers ofparticipants.

In the example shown in Figure 9.3, for instance, only 49 of 100 participants have gonethrough one of the two possible filter branches. This suggests checking whether theselection was required by the project’s concept or whether the filter conditions werenot correctly defined.

If you find errors, you can correct them in the questionnaire and then launch anothertest run. Before launching the new test run, however, be sure to delete your old testdata: Otherwise, the routing statistics will give you an evaluation of the test data for allprevious test sessions, which will be worthless for your error analysis.

2. Field report

By clicking on the Field report menu item, you can view the field report for the auto-matically simulated test phase.

3. Participant administration in personalized surveys

a) Personalized survey, “Use copies of existing participant” option not enabled:

For each participation in a test run, an automatically generated participant should beentered in the participant administration of the project concerned. The fields first

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name, name and e-mail will be filled with the text __Projekttest__. This content andthe tester status allows to identify them easily.

b) Personalized survey with “Use copies of existing participants” option enabled, employee survey:

As explained above, in these cases copies of existing participants with disposition code<20 are used for the project test. If the number of test runs desired is greater than thenumber of participants with disposition code <20 no new participants are additionallygenerated, and the project test discontinues after all open datasets are used up.

4. Internal quotas

In projects with internal quotas, the current allocation and status of the quota shownunder Questionnaire editor->Quota management should match the test results.

9.2.3 Deleting Test Data

Deleting test data in the “Project test” menu and the field report

The automatically generated data must be deleted if you have completed the evaluationof the routing statistics and field report. Otherwise the data will be maintained andincluded in the next test session or even in the evaluation of the field phase, thus influ-encing the results. To do so, click on the Delete test data tab, and then confirm byclicking on Delete test data.

Deleting quota data

In projects with internal quotas, the test run will change the current allocation and thestatus of the quota under Edit questionnaire->Quota management. In order to resetthe allocation to zero, the project must be newly compiled after completion of the test.For this, the “Delete all survey data” option must be selected (see Chapter 3.3, p. 62).

Deleting automatically generated participants in personalized surveys

If “Use copies of existing participants” was disabled for a test run in a personalizedsurvey, then an automatically generated participant is automatically entered for eachparticipation in the project's participant administration. The test persons will thenreceive the e-mail address of the staff member who launched the test.

You should delete these automatically generated persons and their test data before theproject goes into the field phase. To do so click on the Delete test data tab, and thenconfirm by clicking on Delete test data.

Delete automatically generated data in personalized survey participant datasets

If in a test run in a personalized survey “Use existing participants” was enabled or if itis an employee survey, datasets of existing participants are used for the project test.

This artificially generated test data must be deleted before the project enters the fieldphase. To do so, you can either apply the “Reset with data deletion” action to all parti-cipants in participant administration (see Chapter 10.2.5, p. 422) or compile the pro-ject anew (navigate to Projects->{Selected project}->Compile and select the “Delete allsurvey data” option).

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9.3 Checking Conditions for Logical Consistency

The Project checks menu contains the Consistency check function. Clicking on thismenu item will open an additional window with a codebook displaying the conditionsfor filters, hiding conditions, triggers and plausibility checks and containing informa-tion on the consistency of the setting.

Traffic-light icons will tell you whether the setting is consistent:

� Green: The setting is consistent (i.e. all variables used actually exist in the project).

� Yellow: The yellow color is only used with filters. It indicates that the filter condi-tions are consistent but the filter has not yet been checked using the filter test (seeChapter 4.7.5, p. 154).

� Red: The setting is not consistent (i.e., for example, it accesses variables that nolonger exist).

The consistency check covers project variables (v_100n), user-defined variables(c_000n) and URL parameters (p_000n).

Figure 9.5 The consistency check reports an incorrect hiding condition and a consistently defined plau-sibility check

9.4 Checking Media Links

Identifying problems with links to images and other media files is quite time-consu-ming, particularly for questionnaires that contain large numbers of images. The checkfunctions located in the newly introduced Project checks->Media check menu willmake your work easier.

You can display either all media, only valid media or only media that are not available.This process will check not only multimedia elements from the questionnaire, but alsobuttons, layout elements and images used in the templates.

The following figure shows an excerpt from the list of all media.

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9.4 Checking Media Links

Figure 9.6 Display of available media

The display contains the following information for each media file:

� URL

� Preview

� Source element

� Context of use

� Media type

� Language: In the case of multilingual projects, this column contains the languageof the questionnaire in which the file is used.

� Status: The traffic-light icon indicates whether a media file is available or invalid.

Using the link in the “Actions” column, you are able to open the menus and edit therespective media file.

Example

In the following example, a search for invalid media will be made:

1. First, select the status of the resources. The available options are “no matter whatstatus”, “status ‘available’” and “status ‘not available’”. Select “Only show invalidmedia (status ‘not available’)”.

2. In multilingual projects, the language must be specified.

3. You have the option of suppressing recurring media from being displayed twice.

4. Click on Execute check to trigger the function.

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Figure 9.7 Searching for invalid media

5. The resulting list will show the image “digital-camera.bmp”, which is linked to thequestion entitled “Digital Camera” on the “Prize Draw” page, but is not available.

Figure 9.8 Identifying invalid references

6. The information provided on the context and URL can be used, for example, tocheck whether the link is correct and the image is still available in the medialibrary.

9.5 Skipping Checks During Testing

Depending on the aspects under which you are going through the questionnaireduring the test phase, completing plausibility checks (see Chapter 5.14, p. 231) andcompleteness checks (see Chapter 5.12, p. 227) may get tiresome. Therefore, the so-called boss button in the toolbar allows you to skip plausibility and completenesschecks.

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9.6 Changing the Language During Testing

Figure 9.9 Skipping a plausibility check using the boss button

It is activated respectively deactivated via the “Show 'boss button' in survey” drop-down list in the Project properties menu. By selecting the appropriate options

� disabled




9.6 Changing the Language During Testing

The “Switch language” drop-down list, which can be activated optionally, allows tochange the language when going through the survey, in both preview and productivemodes. All you need to do is choose the desired language: the change is performedautomatically.

The function is activated respectively deactivated via the “Language selection” drop-down list in the Project properties menu. By selecting the appropriate options

� disabled




9.7 Switching to Language Editor During Testing

Optionally, you can enable links in the questionnaire and in the preview which willallow you, your staff members, or translators - depending on respective access rights -to directly access the corresponding editing pages in the Language editor or in EFSTranslator Interface. If, for example, you want to amend any details in the source textof the questionnaire, if translators want to make any changes in the proof-reading

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stage, or when you are controlling the work of a translator, this link will save you thetime-consuming effort of scrolling back and forth: you can click through the questi-onnaire and switch directly to the appropriate editing page whenever you detect a pro-blem.

Figure 9.10 Jumping straight to the editor from the preview

The link function is activated respectively deactivated via the “Activate link to EFSTranslator Interface” drop-down list in the Project properties menu. By selecting theappropriate options

� disabled




9.8 Checking Filters, Quotas and Triggers in the Course of the Survey

As of EFS 7.0, the functioning of LUA filters, quotas and triggers is checked in thecourse of the survey, i.e. while the participants are clicking through the questionnairein the field phase.

� If errors are detected, a highly visible notice will be displayed in the survey menu.The corresponding details can be viewed in the runtime error log.

� Runtime errors can also be viewed in the preview. See Chapter 4.11.1, p. 170.

� Optionally, you can have the error messages e-mailed to you.

9.8.1 Viewing Runtime Error Details

If errors are detected in the runtime check, a highly visible notice will be displayed inred in the survey menu. In order to view details, open the Project checks->Projectcheck menu and click on the link in the field “Errors while processing the survey”.

Please note: The question types 911, 921, 998, and 999 do not support this linkfunction.

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9.9 Managing the To-Dos of the Project Team

Figure 9.11 Error message in the “Project checks” menu

A table lists each detected runtime error along with the corresponding error message,the number of occurrences, the time of the last occurrence as well as the consecutivenumber (“lfdn”) of the last affected participant.

� By clicking on the link To the filter, you can switch to the respective filtercondition.

� By clicking on the Delete all errors button, you can reset the log after fixing theerrors.

Figure 9.12 Detailed runtime error log

9.8.2 Subscribing to Notification Mail for Runtime Errors

Optionally, you can subscribe to e-mail notifications which will be sent if errors occurwhile processing the survey.

To do so, please proceed as follows: In the survey menu, click on the Change link in the“Project type” field to open the dialog for editing the project data. This dialog containsthe field “Notification on errors which occurred while processing the survey (e-maillist)”. Enter the desired recipient addresses.

9.9 Managing the To-Dos of the Project Team

To-do management facilitates planning and improvement of the internal organization.It allows those responsible for the project to make internal notes on individual questi-onnaire pages directly in the questionnaire editor or in the questionnaire.

Activating the to-do marker

The to-do marker is activated in the Project properties menu of the respective project.By selecting the appropriate options, you can define which target groups should beable to use it and where:

� Show to-do markers in the editor: The to-do marker will be displayed in the ques-tionnaire view of the questionnaire editor.

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� Show to-do markers in the questionnaire: Depending of the settings of the drop-down list, the to-do marker will be displayed either for all participants, or in per-sonalized projects only for participants with tester accounts, or it will be disabled.

To-do markers in the questionnaire editor

The To-do icon is located in the questionnaire view of the project, directly beside thetitle of the questionnaire pages. Clicking on this icon will open the to-do window andyou can enter a note.

Once a staff member or customer stores a to-do, the icon of the respective page will bedisplayed in yellow.

Figure 9.13 View of the questionnaire editor with the to-do marker activated

To-do markers in the questionnaire

If you have selected the option “display for all participants” or “display for testers” inthe “Show to-do markers in the questionnaire” drop-down list, the to-do marker iconsare visible for the selected target group both in the preview and in productive mode.

Staff members with an account for the admin area of the installation who are loggedin, can now click the to-do icon and enter comments on the respective questionnairepage.

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9.10 Capturing Pretest Comments

Figure 9.14 View of the questionnaire with the to-do marker activated


Before a survey goes into the field, it will normally be subjected to a pretest. This invol-ves selected persons making methodical, content-related or technical comments onthe questionnaire. The pretest feature supports you and your testers in systematicallycapturing the pretest comments. This makes it a convenient supplement to the to-domarker which allows staff members with admin area access to note their commentsdirectly in the questionnaire.

If the survey is in pretest mode, the questionnaire will show the Pretest icon to theright of the Submit button.

Figure 9.15 The “Pretest” icon in the questionnaire

By clicking on this icon, the tester can open a pop-up window and enter their pretestcomment. In anonymous projects, a field will be provided for the respondent to leavetheir contact data. In all other project types, the name and e-mail address of the parti-cipant giving the comments is automatically retrieved from participant administra-tion.

Caution: If you have selected the option “Display for all participants” in the “Showto-do markers in the questionnaire” drop-down list, the to-do marker icon will bevisible for every survey participant. The to-do marker should therefore be deactiva-ted before the survey is launched.

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Figure 9.16 The pop-up window allows the tester to comment on the questionnaire

9.10.1 Activating the Pretest Mode

The pretest function is activated respectively deactivated via the “Show pretest icon insurvey” drop-down list in the Project properties menu.

By selecting the appropriate options

� disabled



you can control which target groups should be able to use it.

As soon as the pretest mode is activated, an additional option „Gather contact informa-tion in pretest window“ will be displayed. If you tick the checkbox, the contact data ofthe commenting respondents will be collected:

� In anonymous projects, an entry field will be displayed in the pretest window, invi-ting the respondents to enter their contact data.

� In all other project types, name and e-mail address of the participants will be trans-ferred automatically from participant administration or panelists administration.

9.10.2 Changing the Labels of the Pretest Window

If necessary, you can modify the texts displayed in the pretest window. To do so, openthe Project properties->Survey messages menu. In the “Texts on the pretest commentwindow” section, you can change the labels. See Table 3.16.

9.10.3 Viewing and Managing Pretest Comments

In the documentation area of the respective project, under Projects->{Selectedproject}->Documentation->Pretest comments, you can view the testers’ comments.

As with the to-do marker, you should make sure you do not forget to deactivate thefeature after the pretest phase has been completed.

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Figure 9.17 The archived pretest comments

The “Extended search”, which you can open by clicking on the link, provides variousoptions for searching the comment list and restricting the results displayed. Forexample, you can search for a keyword from the comment or for the page title. Afterthe search is completed, you can tick the checkbox in the “Clear search form” field toreturn to the full comment list.

The pretest comments will be shown in the table. The following additional informationis available for each comment:

� ID (of the comment)

� Inserted on: creation date

� User ID

� Consecutive number: The testers are assigned consecutive numbers.

� Contact information: In the case of personalized projects, the names and e-mailaddresses of the testers will be taken from participants administration. For an ano-nymous project, contact information will be displayed only when capturing hasbeen enabled and the testers have entered data.

� Page ID: The ID of the questionnaire page.

� Page title: By clicking on the page title, you can open the commented pagesdirectly in the questionnaire editor.

� Comment

� Language: The language of the questionnaire in multilingual projects that wastested.

� Browser: The browsers used by testers will be logged. This makes it easy for you tocheck, for example, whether layout tests have been performed with all major brow-sers or whether an error message is browser-specific.

� Status: You can assign processing statuses to pretest comments. This facilitatescoordination, particularly if you are preparing the project together with other staffmembers. You can select the statuses “not decided”, “to do”, “done” and “not rele-vant”.

Furthermore, the “Actions” column provides the following icons:

� Page preview: Shows the commented questionnaire page in the preview.

� Edit page: Opens the commented questionnaire page in the questionnaire editor.

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� Edit language elements: Opens the commented questionnaire page in the langu-age element editor.

� Delete comment.

Exporting pretest comments

Via the Export pretest comments as Excel file, you can trigger a download of thecomments.

Printing pretest comments

If you want to print the questionnaire with the pretest comments, you can use theregular print function under Projects->{Selected project}->Documentation->Printversion. Then, you only need to tick the “Show pretest comments” checkbox.

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10 Recruiting and Inviting Participants

10.1 Recruiting and Inviting Participants to Anonymous Projects 407

10.2 Managing Participants in Personalized Surveys . . . . . . . . 411

10.3 Drawing Samples for Panel and Master Data Surveys . . . . 437

10.4 Defining the Distribution of Specific Characteristics in a Participant Group with Quotas453

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10.1 Recruiting and Inviting Participants to Anonymous Projects


In the jargon of market and social research, the performance of data collection is calleda “field”.

An important element of field control is the recruiting of participants and theirmanagement during the field phase. Before you plan your survey and determine itstarget group, ask yourself questions such as:

� Whom do I want to interview on this topic?

� How can I find this group of persons?

In many cases, the target group is fixed from the start, for example in employee surveysconducted on the entire staff or in customer surveys. Sometimes you will be able toname the target group, but not yet know any persons from the target group who couldbe addressed directly. In yet other cases, the desired information is obtained using apool of persons who have agreed to participate in surveys. Depending on the surveytype, the following cases are possible:

� Anonymous surveys: The potential participants are not known before the start ofthe survey.

� Personalized surveys and employee surveys: The potential participants have beendetermined before the start of the survey and can be personally addressed.

� Panel- and master data surveys: Respondents are known persons from panels whohave agreed to participate in surveys.

EFS provides various functions to support you in identifying and controlling thesefields that vary depending on the survey type:

� various options for restricting access and defining the way of entry for anonymoussurveys (Chapter 10.1, p. 407)

� participant administration for personalized surveys (Chapter 10.2, p. 411)

� In EFS Panel installations: drawing samples for panel surveys and master data sur-veys (Chapter 10.3, p. 437)

� using quotas to control anonymous, personalized and panel-based surveys (Chap-ter 10.4, p. 453)


10.1.1 Inviting Participants Via a Link

One possible way of inviting participants is to publish a link to the survey on a websiteor in a newsletter or an e-mail. You will find the survey link under “Project info”, inthe “URL” row. Chapter 3.7.3, p. 77 explains how you can change this URL.

10.1.2 Inviting Participants via QR Code

QR codes (QR = quick response) are two-dimensional codes used, among otherpurposes, for communicating URLs: a QR-encoded URL can be printed on a billboardor shown in a TV commercial. An interested viewer can capture this QR code with a

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camera-equipped mobile device. Various applications for Android, iPhone, andWindows Mobile allow the decoding of the image and the opening of the URL.

With EFS, you will find it particularly easy to communicate the URL of your survey -not only online and through e-mail, but also in QR code via print media, for example.In the survey menu of anonymous projects you will find the new field “QR code”:clicking on the Display link opens a pop-up window containing the QR code of thesurvey URL. In order to save the QR code image to your PC, right-click the image andselect the option “Save image to...”.

� By clicking on Print image, you can trigger the print function of your browser.

� To store the QR code image locally and e.g. forward it to an advertising agency, usethe Save image button.

Figure 10.1 QR code

10.1.3 Inviting Participants Via a Pop-up Window

If your survey is intended to appear in a pop-up window you can generate the requisitecode in the Layout->Pop-up generator menu.

� Integrate the code into the homepage on which you want to publish the survey.

� You can set the size of the pop-up window, determine the position on the screenand choose between a range of other options.

Please note that it is not possible to communicate any URL parameters via the QRcode image.

Pop-up blockers are a standard feature of most browsers. You can evade the blo-ckade ussing layers. In the “Helpful Material”->“Scripts & Programming” section ofthe customer center, you can download a script that enables you to create such alayer.

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Figure 10.2 The pop-up generator

Settings

Option Explanation

Width Width of pop-up window in pixels

Height Height of pop-up window in pixels

Position of pop-up window on the screen

Available options: • Centered (default setting)• Left upper corner of screen

toolbar Pop-up window property • Value “yes”: Window has own toolbar. • Value “no”: Window has no toolbar. Preset is “no”, but with Internet Explorer however only if the option character chain contains at least one option.

location Pop-up window property• Value “yes”: Window has own address line. • Value “no”: Window has no address line Preset is “no”, but with Internet Explorer however only if the option character chain contains at least one option. Netscape 6.1 does not interpret this property.

directories Pop-up window property• Value “yes”: Personal links list is shown• Value “no”: Link list is not shown.

Table 10.1 Pop-up window settings

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10.1.4 Inviting the Nth Visitor

Pop-ups are often displayed according to the nth visitor method (n-viz method). Thetable below illustrates the most important aspects of this method. JavaScripts whichyou can use to realize nviz projects are available from the customer center at http://my.globalpark.com.

status Pop-up window property• Value “yes”: Window has own status line.• Value “no”: Window has no status line. Preset is “no”, but with Internet Explorer however only if the option character chain contains at least one option.

Menu bar Pop-up window property• Value “yes”: Window has own menu bar with browser commands • Value “no”: Window has no menu bar. Preset is “no”, but with Internet Explorer however only if the option character chain contains at least one option. With Safari, the menu bar is not a component of the window and therefore cannot be hidden.

scrollbars Pop-up window property • Value “yes”: Window has scroll bars. • Value “no”: User cannot scroll in window. Preset is “no”, but with Internet Explorer however, only if the option character chain contains at least one option.

resizable Pop-up window property • Value “yes”: User can resize window.• Value “no”: User cannot resize window.Preset is “no”, but with Internet Explorer however only if the option character chain contains at least one option.

Detailed information regarding configuration of pop-up windows can be found forexample at SELFHTML at http://de.selfhtml.org.javascript/objekte/win-dow.htm#open

Question Answer

What? The nth visitor method is a sampling method which is used for website surveys (e.g. website tests). It is a probabilistic sampling method, in which a random sample is drawn from the visitors to a website. The population from which the sample is drawn is composed of the visitors to the website within a specific period.

How? Visitors selected for an interview will be shown a pop-up window prompting them to participate in the survey.

Why? This method ensures that each visitor to a website has the same chance of getting into the sample. Since the participant is addressed directly, the participant rate for this method is between 30 and 40%.

Table 10.2 The nth visitor method

(cont.)Option Explanation

Table 10.1 Pop-up window settings

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10.2 Managing Participants in Personalized Surveys

10.1.5 Restricting Access

Chapter 3.7.11, p. 83 explains how you can restrict access to an anonymous survey tospecific participant groups.


Personalized surveys require defining the sample in advance by filling in the so-calledParticipant administration. During the field phase, you can include additional partici-pants in the survey at any time. This allows you to interview any number of persons.

In personalized projects, participant administration is located under the Projects->{Selected project}->Participant administration menu item. The topmost tab in thecontent area of participant administration contains its centerpiece, the List ofparticipants. On the remaining tabs, you will find various selection and edit options.

Variations A distinction is made between two variations:• Each participant who visits the website during the field period has the same

chance of being prompted to participate. All participants visiting the site have the same probability p of being shown the pop-up window. In order to prevent the participant from getting another chance to participate in the survey on a later visit, a cookie is set.

• The second variation does not require setting a cookie. Every visitor to the web-site has the same chance of getting into the sample. Participants are allowed to participate more than once. The frequency of their visits is the subject of a ques-tion in the questionnaire. This variation may be advisable for sites with changes in content.

Point in time chosen for the survey

The survey can be displayed at different points in time: • On enter: the visitors are surveyed when they enter a website. • Clickstream: cookies are set when various content areas are visited. The pop-up

window will only be displayed when a certain number of cookies has been set or specific content areas have been visited.

• On exit: visitors are not invited to participate in the survey until they leave the site.

Technical requirements

The procedures described are based on the use of cookies and JavaScript. These functions are implemented with 97.4% of users (for cookies) and 99.8% of users (for JavaScript), respectively.

Definition of a sample

Sample (personali-zed survey)

In the case of a personalized survey, a sample is the number of persons who have been released as participants for this survey.

Table 10.3 Definition of a sample for a personalized survey

(cont.)Ques- Answer

Table 10.2 The nth visitor method

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Figure 10.3 Participant administration for a personalized survey


� how to configure the fields of the participant administration. See Chapter 10.2.1,p. 412.

� which information the participant administration contains, how you can changethe display of the participant list and how to restrict the list to subsets. See Chapter10.2.2, p. 419 to 10.2.4, p. 421.

� which actions can be executed in relation to individual respondents, to all respon-dents or to a subset, including e-mails to respondents with specific dispositioncodes. See Chapters 10.2.2, p. 419 and 10.2.15, p. 433.

� how you can add participants and change the participants’ data. See Chapters10.2.6, p. 423 to 10.2.9, p. 429.

� how participant data can be exported. See Chapter 10.2.11, p. 431.

10.2.1 Editing Participant Variables

Before importing participants, you should adjust the structure of participant adminis-tration to the requirements of your current project. This is done in the Participantadministration->Participant variables menu.

The participant administration of personalized projects is designed to manage up toa million participants.

Please note: The participant number is one of the factors which can affect the per-formance of a project considerably. Other important factors are e.g. size and com-plexity of the questionnaire. When planning a project with a lot of participants,please mind advice given in this manual regarding performance optimization, inparticular when planning participant variables (Chapter 10.2.1, p. 412) and whenusing dynamic features as e.g. lists and triggers (Chapter 7, p. 293). Your contact atGlobalpark can provide advice, too.

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Before you start

� It is recommended to use not more than 200 participant variables. First, the over-all number of variables is limited (7,000 variables per project in EFS 7.0 and later,2,400 variables in older versions). Second, the variable number affects the perfor-mance of the project. See Chapter 13.9, p. 537.

� Often you need to be able to select specific participant groups in a targeted manner,e.g. to successively send invitation mails to the various departments of a companyor to be able to split according to particular characteristics such as customer type,for expample, in the evaluation process. Consider precisely which subsets you willneed in the course of the project and in the evaluation process and how they canbe optimally represented in the participant administration. Then create the addi-tionally required variables.

1. Overview of the participant variables

Switch to the Participant administration->Participant variables menu. You will findan overview table listing the existing participant variables. (See Table 10.4 for an over-view of the defaulted variables.)

Figure 10.4 The standard variables of a personalized project

The table contains the following information for each variable:

� Order: The order of the variables, which is defined via the Arrow icons in the“Move” column, is used both for the entry and search froms of the participantadministration and for the export data records.

� Internal label: The actual name of the variable. In the format #internal_label#, thisis used as a wildcard in the questionnaire and in e-mails (see Chapter 7.2, p. 297).All the participant variables begin with the prefix “u_” so that they can be unam-biguously identified, for example, during filtering.

� Label. Please note: The field does not have multilingual capability. For projectswith international staff you should therefore choose a name which can be under-stood by all of those involved.

� Type: The available display types are “Text field”, “Checkbox”, “Select box” and“Radio buttons”. For variables of the “Select box” or “Radio buttons” type, you can

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specify answer categories that can be selected via select boxes in participant admi-nistration. In the case of “u_gender”, for example, you can choose between “Male”,“Female” and “Not entered”. See Section “3. Variable types, encoding and missingvalues”, p. 415”, for further information.

� Properties: This column indicates whether a variable is visible in participant admi-nistration, can be filled with data (see Section “4. Detail Settings”, p. 416), if newcharacteristics can be created by import or if it serves as the language variable (seeChapter 15.2.6, p. 576).

The following editing options can be used:

� Using the Arrow icons in the “Move” column you can change the order of the par-ticipant variables both in the entry and search form of the participant administra-tion and in the export data records. Particularly in projects with large numbers ofvariables, this facilitates operating in the participant administration and workingwith the exported data.

� Clicking on the internal label or on the Edit icon will open the dialog in which therespective variable is configured.

� User-defined variables can be deleted by clicking on the familiar Delete icon. If youdo this, please note the tips given in Section “7. Deleting variables and answercategories”, p. 419.

2. Overview of the standard variables of participant administration

The following table lists all defaulted participant variables. The list also contains theproject types for which each variable can be used (PE: Personalized project, ES: Emp-loyee survey).

Label Variable name

PE ES Data type Size

User ID: Unique User ID uid x x int 11placesThreshold values: -2147483648 bis 214748364

Account name (optional) u_account

First name u_firstname x x varchar 255

Name u_name x x varchar 255

E-mail u_email x x varchar 255

Password (unencrypted) u_passwd x x varchar 255

Title u_title x x varchar 255

Gender u_gender x x tinyint 1

Group u_group x x int 11 (see above)

Language version u_language x x int 11 (see above)

Date of creation: Date and time of cre-ation of the participant record

c_date x x timestamp

Table 10.4 Participant variables in personalized surveys and employee surveys

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3. Variable types, encoding and missing values

The following table lists the different display types with related encodings and missingvalue definitions.

Date of change m_date x x timestamp

Mobile number u_mobile x x

Reminder date (This variable is not visible in the overview, but can be imported or exported.)

internal: date_of_remind / external: date-ofremind

x x timestamp

Expiry date (This variable is not visible in the overview, but can be imported or exported.)

internal: date_of_expire / exter-nal: dateofex-pire

x x timestamp

For an overview of the participant variables in the panelists administration of EFSPanel installations, please see the “EFS Panel 8.0” manual, Chapter 4.1.

Display type Meaning Missing values Export data record

Text field Input field. Unfilled text fields are filled with “0”.Please note that participant administration variables of the “text field” type and pro-ject variables that refer to text fields are preallocated differently: • Participant variables that

are imported by the project manager and not filled by the participant are set to “0”.

• Project variables that refer to text fields are prealloca-ted with the value -66 or -99, depending on whether the participant did not see the question or saw, but did not answer, the ques-tion.

Text entered into the open entry field

Checkbox Used to output information that can be given by answe-ring “Yes” or “No”.Variables of the type “Check-box” can only assume the values “0” and “1”. Imported values which are not “0” are recoded to “1”.

Variable with codes 0 (disab-led) and 1 (enab-led)

Table 10.5 Display types and their usage

(cont.)Label Variable name

PE ES Data type Size

Table 10.4 Participant variables in personalized surveys and employee surveys

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4. Detail Settings

You can control whether a variable is visible in participant administration, whether thedata stored in the variable can be edited and how codes that do not yet exist are to betreated upon import.

Allow editing of the content of a variable

The content of a variable for which editing is allowed can be changed via participantadministration. If a variable has not been released, you cannot change the correspon-ding participant data in participant administration.

Show the content of a variable in participant administration

A variable for which the corresponding option is enabled is displayed in participantadministration.

Create new characteristics of this variable during the import process

If this function is enabled numerical values are interpreted as new codes on import in“radio button” and “select box” type fields. The required characteristics are automati-cally created and the numerical value is also used as a label. If the function is notenabled numerical values which differ from the coding are imported with “radio but-ton” and “select box” question types but are marked in the display with a question markprompting the user to check and subsequently create the missing characteristic.

Data from participant import can be used to expand characteristics of this variable

If this function has been activated and data are imported into the “radio buttons” and“selectbox” fields that do not correspond to codes of an existing characteristic, this willresult in the following:

� Numerical values that do not correspond to any existing code are interpreted asnew codes. Required characteristics are automatically generated, using the nume-rical value as a label.

Select box Generates a select box in which user-defined answer options can be selected.If a “Selectbox” type vari-able is created anew, all existing participants are assigned the value “0”.

Select boxes which are set to “Please select” by default will be preset at “0”. This is the case, for example, with the standard variables “u_gender”, “u_language” and “u_group”.

Variable with user-defined codes

Radio buttons Generates a single response list in which user-defined answer options can be selec-ted.If a “radio buttons” type variable is created anew, all existing participants are assigned the value “0”.

Variable with user-defined codes

Please note: The display type of standard variables cannot be changed.

(cont.)Display type

Meaning Missing values Export data record

Table 10.5 Display types and their usage

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� New characteristics are also generated for entries not interpretable as code, suchas texts or combinations of letters and numbers. The codes of these characteristicsare allocated by the system.

If the function is not activated, this will result in the following:

� Numerical values that differ from coding are imported, but displayed with a ques-tion mark prompting you to check and subsequently create the missing characte-ristic.

� Entries not interpretable as code are set to the default value “0”.

5. Creating new variables

1. Click on the Create variable button.

Figure 10.5 Creating a new variable

2. The following details are required:

– Internal label: This is used within EFS to label the variable. You may use up to255 characters. Only letters and numbers (i.e. ASCII characters) may be used;special characters or Japanese kanji, for example, are not allowed. The prefix“u_” will be attached automatically.

– Label. The field does not have multilingual capability. For projects with inter-national staff you should therefore choose a name which can be understood byall of those involved.

– Display type: See Section “3. Variable types, encoding and missing values”,p. 415.

– Allow editing of the variable: See Section “4. Detail Settings”, p. 416.

– Show the content in participant administration: See Section “4. Detail Set-tings”, p. 416.


4. If the display type of the variable is “Select box” or “Radio buttons”, a table forcreating the answer categories will be shown.

Please note: The internal label cannot be subsequently changed.

Please note: The value “0” is treated as a default value. This means, for example, thatwith “select box” type variables the “Please select” option is preset with this valueand this value is assigned to empty cells on import. For that reason when creatinganswer categories similarly use the “0” code only for settings preset as default suchas “Please select”.

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Figure 10.6 Entering answer categories

5. Enter the label of the first answer category.


7. Create all other required answer categories.

8. Lastly, click on the “Back to Overview” link to return to the overview of participantvariables.

Figure 10.7 The newly created variable in the overview

9. The newly created variable will be listed in the table.

6. Recoding the answer categories of participant variables

You can recode answer categories as desired. However, please note the following:

� The recoding may have an impact, for example, on import data records that havealready been prepared or on filters in the questionnaire that have already beenconfigured. Therefore, after recoding, you should check all functionalities thatdepend on the recoded code.

If many variables are used, the table page will wrap. Use the Previous page and Nextpage icons to scroll.

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� If participant administration already contains data records, all those in which thecode to be recoded appears will be recoded accordingly.


1. Switch to the Participant variables menu, and click on Edit to open the dialog forthe desired variable.

2. Change the code.

3. Then click on Save.

4. The recoding dialog will be opened. Here, you must re-confirm the recodings expli-citly.

5. You can trigger the recoding by clicking on Save.

7. Deleting variables and answer categories

In general, standard variables cannot be deleted. Answer categories and user-definedvariables can be deleted. However, this function should be used with care.

Deleting user-defined variables

Please note:

� If participant administration already contains data records, the contents of therespective variable will be irretrievably deleted from all participant records contai-ning the variable.

� If participant administration is still empty, deleting the variable may have animpact, for example, on import data records that have already been prepared or onfilters in the questionnaire that have already been configured. Please check allfunctionalities to make sure that no dependency has been overlooked.

Deleting answer categories

Please note:

� If participant administration already contains data records, the respective answercategory will be recoded to “-77” in all participant records containing the currentvariable with the code of the answer category.

� If participant administration is still empty, deleting the answer category may havean impact, for example, on import data records that have already been preparedor on filters in the questionnaire that have already been configured. Please checkall functionalities that depend on the recoded code.

10.2.2 The List of Participants

In the List of participants you will find all participants of the survey, their data, addi-tional information, and various edit options.

Please note that renamings comprising several steps must be performed in indivi-dual steps, i.e. if you wish to recode code 1 to code 2 and code 2 to code 3, you mustfirst recode code 2 to code 3 and the code 1 to code 2.

Please be very careful in making use of the possibility to delete variables or answercategories. Once participant administration contains data, you should avoid dele-ting variables or answer categories entirely, if possible.

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Figure 10.8 List of participants

The actions and the display and search functions are described in the followingchapters.

The following additional information and functions are available for each data record:

� All participant data. The participants’ names are active links. Clicking on a partici-pant will open the entry form described in Chapter 10.2.6, p. 423, where you canchange the participant’s data.

� Password and code: depending on whether the login option set for the project is“Password” or “Code”, the corresponding column will contain an activated linkwhich can be copied and passed on (e.g. to a tester who wants to check the questi-onnaire under real conditions).

� The “Direct link” column displays an icon which can be used to open and view thequestionnaire intended for the respective participant in a pop-up window.

� If you have read rights to “show_dispcode”, you can see the disposition code of theparticipants.

� Question mark icons indicate values for which there is as yet no correspondingcharacteristic for “radio button” or “checkbox” type variables. This may occur ifyou use values in the imported dataset for which you have not yet created anycharacteristic and for which, at the same time, the function for automatic creationof new characteristics on import is disabled (see Chapter 10.2.1, p. 412).

� Via the checkbox in the “Actions” column you can select participants to whom youwish to apply the actions listed in Chapter 10.2.5, p. 422.

Please note that, by viewing the questionnaire from the perspective of a regularrespondent, you will not only change the participant’s disposition code, but alsocapture all your entries as entries made by the participant. It is therefore recom-mended that you create special tester accounts. See Chapter 10.2.16, p. 434, forfurther information.

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10.2.3 Display and Search Functions

As the participant administration usually contains a large number of extensive partici-pant data records, only selected data are normally displayed in the overview list. Howe-ver, there are several functions that enable you to specify which participant data andhow many participants per page will be displayed.

� As of EFS 7.0, you will find a simple and an extended search function in the upperpart, like the ones you know from other areas of EFS. It allows you to limit the listto individual or multiple participants. Then, in the next step, you can apply actionsto these subgroups. See Chapter 10.2.4, p. 421.

� The links labeled > (Next page) and < (Previous page) allow you to scroll forwardand back through the list of participants.

� By clicking on the View button you can display a dialog that allows you to specifywhether the various table columns are to be shown or hidden. You can also changethe number of rows per page. After you have confirmed by clicking on Send thetable will be expanded accordingly.

� Clicking on a column title allows you to sort all participant data by the content ofthe respective column. For example, clicking on “Participant” will sort all partici-pants alphabetically by their names.

10.2.4 Search Functions in Detail

The search functions of the participant list allow you to limit the list to individualparticipants or participant groups. Then, in the next step, you can apply actions as e.g.“Invite”, “Generate code”, “Delete” etc. (Chapter 10.2.5, p. 422) to these subgroups.

Usually, the simple search function is displayed.

In the extended search mode, which is opened by clicking on the link of the samename, you can combine the following search criteria:

� all participant data

� the “Tester” flag

� access code of participants

� Sent mails greater than or equal to / less than or equal to: This allows you to selectparticipants according to the number of mails they have already received.

� Disposition code

� Search multiple e-mail addresses: Allows to simultaneously select a large numberof respondents via their e-mail addresses. See Chapter 10.2.13, p. 432.

The following rules apply:

� Upper- and lowercase spelling will be ignored.

� When searching for a specific term, all entries containing the term will be shownin the results list. If you enter the search term park, both park and globalpark willbe found.

� Instead of one single search criterion, you can also enter a combination of criteria.The criteria will be joined by an AND, i.e. the results must fulfill all criteria.

� You can perform several search operations in succession to progressively furtherrestrict a set of results.

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10.2.5 Actions

The following key processes can be invoked via buttons:

� Add participant: Opens the entry form for manual storing of participant data (seeChapter 10.2.6, p. 423).

� Import participants: Allows you to import participant data from CSV files (seeChapter 10.2.7, p. 424).

� Contact participant groups: Allows you to send e-mails to participant groups withspecific disposition codes. See Chapter 10.2.15, p. 433.

� Excel export: Allows to download the entire content of the list of participants as anExcel file. See Chapter 10.2.11, p. 431.

� CSV export: Allows to download the entire content of the list of participants as aCSV file. Siehe Kapitel 10.2.11, p. 431.

Furthermore, the actions listed in the following table can be applied to selectedparticipants or all. To do so, you select the desired participants by ticking thecheckboxes in the “Actions” column or alternatively via either of the checkboxes “Allentries of this page” and “All entries”. Then you specify the desired action in the drop-down list and confirm by clicking Execute.

With a large number of results, the first page of the results list may not display allparticipants found. In such a case, you will find the exact number of currently selec-ted participants in the title bar for the list of participants. You can scroll throughthe results list using the > (Next page) and < (Previous page) links.

Therefore, note that the group of selected participants may be larger than the num-ber of participants listed on the first results page, in particular when you are usingthe “All found participants” checkbox.

Action Meaning

Generate codes If you choose this action, it will generate the access codes which the partici-pants can use to log into the survey (also refer to Chapter 3.7.11, p. 83).

Invite Using this action, you can send invitation mails to the selected participants. You can customize the template for an invitation mail. Other options for contacting the respondents will be introduced in Chapter 10.2.15, p. 433, below.

Remind Using this action, you can send reminder mails to the selected participants. Other options for contacting the respondents will be introduced in Chapter 10.2.15, p. 433, below.

Only in project type “Employee survey”: Delete allocations to organizational struc-ture

This action allows you to delete the allocation of the selected participants to a particular unit. See Chapter 10.2.10, p. 429 and the EFS Employee project managers manual.

Only in project type “Employee survey”: Allocate participants to organizational unit

This action allows you to allocate the selected participants to a specific organizational unit. When using the additional feature “Function”, you can also define the function. See Chapter 10.2.10, p. 429 and the EFS Employee project managers manual.

Bulk edit This action allows you to modify several participant records in a single step. See Chapter 10.2.10, p. 429.

Table 10.6 Actions in the list of participants

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10.2.6 Adding Participants

New participants can be either added individually or imported from a list of partici-pants in CSV file format (see next chapter).

The function for including individual persons is useful in cases such as the following:

� if you wish to have the questionnaire checked before the field phase by test personswith a specific tester status (see the tips in Chapter 10.2.16, p. 434).

� if you wish to subsequently add individual persons.

Otherwise, using the import function is more effective in most cases.

To manually create a new participant, please proceed as follows:

1. Click on the Add participant button to open the entry dialog.

Figure 10.9 Entry form for participant data

Reset and delete data

The participants will be reset; the participants’ disposition codes will be reset to 11 = “not yet invited” or 12 = “active” (11: participants who have not been invited yet; 12: participants who have already received an invitation mail). Already collected result data of the participants will be deleted. Participants who have already taken part in the survey may participate again.

Reset without dele-ting survey data

The participants’ disposition codes will be reset as described above; however, the already collected result data will not be deleted.

Only in installations with EFS Hybrid Extension: Create offline version “Standard”

When using paper-pencil questionnaires in the respective survey these can be downloaded for selected participants with this action. • This option can only be used to generate the standard offline version. • If you want the paper-pencil questionnaire to contain participant codes,

these will be printed.• When selecting more than one participant, the PDF documents will be made

available for download in a zip file.

Disposition code 15 (not available)

If invitation mails are bounced, you can set the corresponding participants to disposition code 15. This code will be taken into account in the field report during evaluation.

Delete This action deletes the selected participants from participant administration. Please note: Deleting participants in personalized projects also irrevocably deletes all data belonging to these participants, including existing survey data.

(cont.)Action Meaning

Table 10.6 Actions in the list of participants

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2. Enter the participant data. The following rules apply:

– The “E-mail” field must always be completed. Use of the other fields is optional.

– In the “Password” field, the “Generate new password” checkbox is ticked bydefault. If you enter a password yourself, this will be used, and no automaticpassword will be generated.

– If you want to have the questionnaire checked by test persons with specifictester status prior to the field phase, then tick the checkbox “yes” in the field“Tester” for these test persons. For further information on the use of testers,see Chapter 10.2.16, p. 434.

3. If variable characteristics are missing, use the Edit variable icon to open the dialogshown in Chapter 10.2.1, p. 412 and add the new characteristics as required.

4. After entering all required information, click on the Save button to save the data.

5. The new participant will appear in the list of participants.

10.2.7 Importing Participants

Usually, you will not create the individual participants of your project manually butrather import the list of participants. In the following, the sequence of the importoperation is first explained. After that, the structure of the import file is explained indetail.

Before you start

Please note:

� Do not start preparing the import until you have created all the required partici-pant variables according to the instructions in Chapter 10.2.1, p. 412.

� When using Excel, consider the following restrictions imposed by manufacturerspecifications:

– Only the first sheet of the file will be processed. You should not exceed themaximum of 256 columns and 65,000 rows. Should you require more columnsor rows, select a different program and save your import file in CSV format.

– Excel import is only possible for files created or saved using Excel 97+. Excelfiles that were created or saved using Excel for Mac”, “Neo Office” or “Num-bers”, for example, cannot be imported.

– The file format XLSX, newly introduced by Microsoft with Office 2007, is notsupported by EFS. Please save your files as XLS files before starting the importprocess.

Importing participants

1. Downloading the import template

1. Switch to the Projects->{Selected project}->Participant administration menu.

2. The dialog where the import takes place is opened by clicking on the Importparticipants button.

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Figure 10.10 Downloading the import template

3. EFS provides a preformatted import template already containing all necessarycolumns. It can be downloaded by clicking on Download import template.

2. Filling the import template with participant data

4. Open the template in a suitable program, e.g. in Excel.

5. Enter the data. Please refer to Chapter 10.2.8, p. 428 for a detailed explanation ofthe file structure.

Figure 10.11 Entering participant data

6. Save the file in Excel or CSV.

3. Matching the fields of the import file with the database fields

7. Again, open the import dialog by clicking on the Import participants button.

8. Select the appropriate character set.

9. Use Browse to select the import file on your computer.

10. Verify that the checkbox in the field “First row includes column labels” is set appro-priately. Normally, it should be activated.

11. Verify that the checkbox in the field “Allow duplicate e-mail addresses” is set appro-priately. Normally, it should be deactivated. (See Chapter 10.2.12, p. 432.)

12. Click on the Send file button to start the import operation.

13. In the next step, all columns of the import file must be matched with the approp-riate database fields. If you have used the template without changing the columnlabels, as recommended, the software will carry out the allocations automatically.

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Figure 10.12 Matching import file columns and database fields

14. After checking the allocations confirm by clicking on Proceed to preview.

4. Checking import data in the preview

15. In the import preview all the data records are displayed as they will be importedinto the project. The traffic-light icon in the “Status” column indicates whetherthe data record is complete and logically coherent. If the icon is red, i.e. if an erroroccurred, the reason for this will be indicated when hovering the cursor over theicon. In one of the data records shown in Figure 10.13, for example, the e-mailaddress has not been entered properly.

Figure 10.13 Checking import data

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16. If necessary, use the Edit and Delete icons to open and subsequently edit resp.delete specific data records. Afterwards, use the Back link to return to the overview.

Figure 10.14 Subsequently modifying a data record

5. Executing import and downloading results

17. If you are satisfied with the data in the preview, click on Import to trigger theactual import.

18. After completion of the import operation, you will be shown how many datarecords have been created and how many have not been created due to problems.

Figure 10.15 Checking the results

19. By clicking on the Download results button you can retrieve an Excel filecontaining the following information:

– all data contained in the import file

– the “result” column contains the import result, i.e. a message “Data recordimport successful” or “Data record not imported”.

– in case of problems, the reason will be indicated in the “messages” column.

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20. If necessary, you can correct the data records that were not successfully createddirectly within this file, delete the data records created successfully, and use thisfile for a new import attempt.

10.2.8 Formatting of the Import File in Detail

When filling in the import template or creating your own import file you have to con-sider various formatting rules.

File format

The import file can be created in Excel or CSV. Data columns may be separated by tab,comma, or semicolon.

When using Excel, consider the following restrictions imposed by manufacturer spe-cifications:

� Only the first sheet of the file will be processed. You should not exceed the maxi-mum of 256 columns and 65,000 rows.

� Excel import is only possible for files created or saved using Excel 97+. Excel filesthat were created or saved using “Excel for Mac”, “Neo Office” or “Numbers”, forexample, cannot be imported.

� The file format XLSX, newly introduced by Microsoft with Office 2007, is not sup-ported by EFS. Please save your files as XLS files before starting the import pro-cess.

File structure

An individual column is created for each participant variable to be imported.

� We recommend entering the respective column labels in the first row.

– Where possible use the name of the respective variable as the label: Thesoftware will automatically identify the columns and assign them to theappropriate database fields. If you choose this option, make sure to tick thecheckbox “First row includes column labels” in the import dialog.

– Should you deviate from these recommendations, make sure that the first rowdoes not contain any blank spaces or special characters such as dots orumlauts. Otherwise, these will be uniformly replaced with “_”.

� Optionally, you can dispense with using the column labels in the file. In this case,untick the checkbox labeled “First row includes column labels” in the importdialog.

The values of the individual data records are entered in the rows of the file.

� See Table 10.4 for data type and size of the default variables.

� The code of the desired characteristic must be specified for data imported into“radio buttons”, “selectbox” or “checkbox” fields. You will find it in the Codebook.(Tick the checkbox labeled “Show participant variables” in order to display therespective section.) Empty cells are automatically set to the default value “0” uponimport. How codes that do not yet exist or entries that cannot be interpreted ascode are treated depends on the display type and fine-tune settings; see Table 10.5and Section “4. Detail Settings”, p. 416.

� Optionally, you can create new characteristics for an existing variable duringimport. To do this, the relevant option must be activated for the respective variable,see Section “4. Detail Settings”, p. 416.

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Special features of certain standard variables

Some variables require special consideration:

� In principle, an e-mail address should only be registered once, unless you wish topermit duplicate participation and explicitly select the “Allow duplicate e-mailaddresses” field. See Chapter 10.2.12, p. 432.

� Sometimes it is necessary to create dummy accounts. In such cases, you can usee-mail addresses on the @3uu.eu domain: these addresses are owned byGlobalpark, mails sent to them are deleted automatically.

� Normally, passwords and access codes are created automatically during the importoperation. You can also import them. The access code must not be longer than 20characters.

� The special status of tester accounts can be set via the “tester” column of theimport file. The values in this column are coded as follows:

– 0 and blank field: normal participant

– 1: tester

10.2.9 Changing Participant Data

If you wish to subsequently change or correct the data of a participant, you must firstselect the participant from the list of participants. With a large number of participants,this requires using the Search participant function (see Chapter 10.2.2, p. 419).

In the list of participants, the participant’s name will be displayed as a link you canclick on to open the same entry form that was described above in Chapter 10.2.6,p. 423. Now you can change all required data and then transfer them to participantadministration by clicking on Save.

10.2.10 Bulk Editing Participant Data

It is often the case that already uploaded participant data records need to be subse-quently modified or extended. For example, titles used to personalize e-mails and ques-tionnaires need to be changed (“Dr.” -> “PhD” it turns out during evaluation that avariable necessary for a particular split has not been created and filled in in the parti-cipant administration (e.g. “customer type”).

The “Bulk edit” feature allows to realize such changes with reduced effort. If you limitthe list of participants to the relevant data records (or at least to a subset) using appro-priate search criteria, you can modify all these in a single step.

For employee surveys in EFS Employee, two additional actions are available. Designedanalogous to bulk editing, they allow to change the allocation of participants to units:

� Delete allocations to organizational structure

� Allocate participants to organizational unit

If you use passwords that contain non-ASCII characters, pay attention that charac-ters and character set of the project are compatible with each other. Otherwiseregistration will not function, because the entries made by respondents will notcorrespond correctly with the contents of the database due to transfer problems. Itis not possible for example to register for an ISO-88599-1 coded survey with a Japa-nese password. These kinds of problems can be avoided through the use of the inter-national character set UTF-8, because UTF-8 can display all languages. Furtherinformation on the topic of character sets can be found in Chapter 3.7.17, p. 100.

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1. To do so, switch to the Participant administration.

2. Use Search participants to restrict the list of participants as far as possible to thoseparticipants affected by the change.

3. Mark the participants to be changed.

4. Select the “Bulk edit” action from the drop-down list.

Figure 10.16 Select participants and “Bulk edit” action

5. Confirm by clicking on Execute.

6. The form where you can specify the desired change will be displayed. Select thevariable to be changed and the value you want this variable to have after thechange. In the given example, the value of the variable “u_group” is to be changedwithin the selected data records from 1 = Development to 5 = System administra-tion as the employees have been transferred.

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Figure 10.17 Specifying a change

7. Click on Preview to check the result.

Figure 10.18 Preview of the planned change

8. Check whether the change appears as you had planned it. If so, confirm by clickingon Save.

10.2.11 Downloading Participant Data

The entire content of the list of participants can be downloaded as one CSV or Excelfile. If you wish, for example, to invite project participants to take part in a follow-upproject, this feature allows you to easily export all necessary data into this follow-upproject.

If you have the read right “show_dispcode” necessary for viewing the disposition codes,the export file also contains the dispositon codes of the participants.

To trigger the export, click on either of the Excel export or CVS export buttons.

Please note:

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� The Excel export may take some time, depending on the number of data recordsand variables contained in the list of participants. For large projects we thereforerecommend the CVS export.

� If an Excel file is opened on a computer running with Windows 7 and Excel 2007,depending on the circumstances, a message may be displayed which notifies youthat the file is corrupted. This problem is caused by an extension provided by athird-party supplier. Until further notice, please proceed as follows: Save the filelocally. Then, open the saved file, allowing Excel to repair it. Finally, save the fileagain.

10.2.12 Allowing Duplicate Participation

It is possible to use duplicate e-mail addresses in personalized projects, i.e. a partici-pant can appear more than once. This function makes it possible, for example, to per-form projects in several waves with the same participants. It is also useful for trade fairservers. In this case, the participant data records are not uniquely identified by the e-mail address alone, but by the unique combination of e-mail address and password.

If you wish to use duplicate e-mail addresses, your import file should therefore containat least the names of the participants, e-mail addresses, passwords, and usually additi-onal information on wave membership. For a participant to receive a duplicate invita-tion, you must create two rows that contain the same e-mail address, but differentpasswords. The waves to which the duplicate participants belong are usually definedvia the content of the u_group field.

The import is performed as described above in Chapter 10.2.7, p. 424. For this, thecheckbox in the “Allow duplicate e-mail addresses” field must be ticked.

10.2.13 Selecting Participants via Their E-Mail Addresses

Using the “Search multiple e-mail addresses” function in the extended search, you cansimultaneously select a large number of participants via their e-mail addresses. This isuseful if, for example, you wish to set a large number of participants whose invitationmails have been bounced back to disposition code 15 (not available).

Just copy the e-mail addresses of the participants you are searching for into the entryfield. In doing so, limit each line to just one e-mail-address. After that, confirm byclicking on Search. The participants will then be located.

10.2.14 Dispatching Reminders and Deactivating Accounts Automatically

You can send reminders to participants or have their accounts deactivatedautomatically in personalized projects and employee surveys.

To do so, you have to define a reminder date and/or an expiry date for each participant.If the date is reached and the participant has not participated yet (i.e. disposition code

Alternatively, if you are using the optionally leasable platform EFS Survey Status,you can offer your customers access to the so-called respondent export. This exportcontains all those participants who actually participated in a survey. See Chapter12.9, p. 513.

There are different shareware tools, which can be used for extracting e-mail addres-ses from bounced e-mails. For example, you can download the eMail Bounce Hand-ler from http://www.maxprog.com/EmailBounceHandler.html.

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11 or 12), either a reminder will be sent automatically or the account will automati-cally be excluded from participation.

Defining reminder and expiry dates

You can define the reminder or expiry dates

� in the fields “Expiry date” and “Date of reminder” in the detail view of theparticipants in the Participant administration.

� when importing the variables “date_of_remind” and “date_of_expire”. Use theformat: YYYY-MM-DD HH:MI:SS.

Linking mail templates for reminders

When using the reminder function, you should link to an appropriate mail template:

� Create a mail template of the “Reminder” type.

� Select this template in the field “Mail template for automatic reminders” in theProjects->{Selected project}->Project properties menu.

Defining a rejection message for expired accounts

When using the account expiry function, you should create an appropriate rejectionmessage:

� Enter the desired message in the field “The time frame for the participant tocomplete the survey has expired” in the Projects->{Selected project}->Projectproperties->Survey messages menu.

10.2.15 Sending E-Mails to Participants of Personalized Projects

The e-mail dispatch options, which are opened via the Contact participant groups but-ton, allow you to target mails to specific participant groups without having to firstperform a search in participant administration.

Figure 10.19 E-mail dispatch options

Please mind: The system checks once per hour which participants require a remin-der or should be deactivated. I.e. these functions are accurate on an hourly basis.Smaller time units cannot be considered.

Please note that it is not possible to bulk-edit (Chapter 10.2.10, p. 429) expiry andreminder dates.

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The tab contains an overview of the dispatch options available as well as the number ofparticipants who have the respective status.

You can trigger the following actions by clicking on the respective link:

� Send test e-mail to yourself: Enables you to send a test e-mail to a user-defined e-mail address and optionally create a corresponding tester account at the same time(Chapter 10.2.16, p. 434).

� Send invitation mails: Will automatically select all persons existing in participantadministration, irrespective of their disposition code. Clicking here will open themail dispatch window, and you can either write an e-mail or select a mail template(Table 11.4, p. 484).

� Send invitation mails (only those who didn’t get an invitation so far): Will auto-matically select all persons who have not been invited yet (disposition code = 11).“Invitation mail” type templates are available in the mail dispatch window.

� Send reminders: Will automatically select all persons who have not yet started thesurvey, i.e. activated the link to the survey (disposition code < 12). In the maildispatch window, you can then select the template for the reminder mail.

� Inform successful participants: Will automatically select all participants who havecompletely finished the survey (disposition code 31,32). Therefore, this function isparticularly well suited for thank you-mails. “Invitation mail” type templates areavailable in the mail dispatch window.

� E-mail to first page viewers: Will automatically select all persons who have viewedthe first page of the survey but have not clicked on the Submit button (dispositioncode 20). These participants can then be sent a specific reminder mail.

10.2.16 Testing Personalized Projects

For the testing of personalized projects tester accounts are used. These are participantaccounts specifically created for testing purposes, which have special characteristicsdue to their “tester” status:

� Testers can complete a questionnaire several times, whereas “normal” respondentscan do this only once.

� If a tester with the “Completed” disposition code accesses the questionnaire for asecond time, the existing data will be deleted. The tester will begin the new entryon the first page of the project.

� Testers do not “resume their work“. If a tester interrupts editing the questionnairefor a prolonged period of time (more than 30 minutes) and then accesses the ques-tionnaire again, they will resume the questionnaire on page 1. “Normal” respon-dents see the page last sent.

� Within the export record, tester records can be identified by the tester export vari-able which is 0-1 encoded.

� Tester data can be selectively deleted using the Compile function.

� Sometimes you need dummy accounts for testing purposes, which do notcorrespond to any real mail recipient. In such cases, you can use e-mail addresseson the @3uu.eu domain: these addresses are owned by Globalpark, mails sent tothem are deleted automatically.

Chapter 11.1, p. 467 walks you through the invitation process from filling out theform until checking for successful dispatch.

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Creating tester accounts

When creating the participant account select “yes” in the “tester” field.

Importing tester accounts

It is easy to import tester accounts: The import template contains a “tester” column.In this column, enter the desired value for the variable “tester” for all participants :

� 0 and blank field: normal participant

� 1: tester

When matching the column of your import file with the database fields the “tester”column is automatically allocated to the “tester” database field.

Testing mail dispatch

With the Send test e-mail to yourself option you can send a test e-mail to a user-defined e-mail address and optionally create a corresponding tester account at thesame time.

� You can enter your own or any other e-mail address.

– If the specified e-mail address already exists in the participant administrationof the project, the e-mail will be sent to the respective participant.

– If there is no participant with the specified e-mail address, a new tester accountwill be created based on your input and the e-mail will be sent to this account.

� You can select the mail template (type: invitation mail). If you want the recipientof the test e-mail to log in and test the survey, the template should containwildcards for the login data, i. e. survey link, code and/or password. When sendingthe mail, these wildcards will be replaced with the corresponding data of the tester.

� If you are not using an already existing tester, you can, in addition to e-mail addressand mail template, also specify the first name and name of the new tester accountto be created. If the mail template contains the wildcards #u_firstname# and#u_name#, these will be replaced with the respective details. Other wildcards willbe replaced only if an appropriately prepared set of participant data is available.

1. In order to try out the test function, click on the Contact participant groups buttonin the participant administration.

2. Select the action Send test e-mail to yourself.

3. This will prompt a dialog where you can enter various basic data required forsending e-mail. Enter the tester data and select the mail template.

If you want to test the complete mail process, i.e. receive the mails, you should onlyuse either your own e-mail addresses or addresses of users who have given theirconsent.

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Figure 10.20 Defining an e-mail recipient

4. Click on Send test mail to initiate the test.

10.2.17 Walking Participants through the Questionnaire

The monitoring function of EFS enables you to walk a participant through the questi-onnaire. Originally developed for phone introductions to EFS, it can also be used e.g.to introduce testers to a project.

� Monitoring can be used in personalized surveys, employee surveys, panel surveysand master data surveys. As far as employee surveys are concerned, please mindthat monitoring mode is not available for surveys with self-allocation questions.

� You can see those parts of the questionnaire which the participant has alreadyleafed through. Pages in filter branches will only be visible if the participant entersthe filter branch. As soon as the participant has completed the survey, you cannotskip back anymore.

� If you leaf back using the Back icon in the right upper corner, you can see theanswers of the participant.

Read rights for „monitor_mode“ are required for using the monitoring mode.

Opening a survey in monitoring mode

To open a personalized survey or employee survey in monitoring mode, use the respec-tive link in the detail view of the participant whom you want to monitor.

Figure 10.21 Opening a survey in monitoring mode via participant administration

In panel surveys and master data surveys, you can find the links on the Sample con-tents tab in the “Monitoring” column.

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10.3 Drawing Samples for Panel and Master Data Surveys


Surveys in panels are usually not comprehensive but rather based on smaller samplesfrom the overall pool of panelists. EFS Panel provides a number of functions forcontrolling the sampling process:

� Depending on the type of survey and on the situation, the sampling is eitherperformed manually by the panel administrator (Chapters 10.3.1, p. 437 ff.) or theparticipants are automatically added to an internal sample (Chapter 10.3.11,p. 452).

� There is a number of functions available that allow you to limit the sampleaccording to your needs.

� Convenient features, already familiar from the participant administration ofpersonalized projects, will help you manage the participants in your sample.

Before you start

Please mind:

� You can create several samples per project.

� A panelist can be allocated to only one sample per project.

� A sample may contain up to 500,000 panelists. Please mind: The size of the samplecan affect the performance of your project. If you run a large panel and/or plan alarge, complex survey project, it is recommended to draw several small samplesand to send the invitations consecutively.

10.3.1 Example: Drawing a Sample

To learn how to draw a sample in practice, please proceed as follows:

1. Create a panel survey. Make sure that you use the “Panel survey” project type,which is only available for EFS Panel installations (Chapter 3.1, p. 55).

2. In the Sample menu, click on the Create sample button.

Figure 10.22 Creating a sample

3. Enter a title and description.


Samples are protected by their own “sample_access” right. With read rights, youhave access to the samples already available for a panel project and can edit them.With write rights, you can create new samples.

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4. Confirm by clicking on Submit.

5. The edit dialog of the new sample is opened. The Overview tab contains basic infor-mation about the new sample. Further tabs contain various setting and editingfunctions. However, it is not yet possible to select all tabs.

Figure 10.23 Extract from the edit dialog of the sample

6. Open the Define basic set tab.

Figure 10.24 Defining the basic set for a sample

7. In the top section of the tab, you specify which panel group shall form the basic setfor drawing the sample. For detailed explanations of the various options, please seeTable 10.7.

– First select the group category and then the panel group from which you wantto draw the sample.

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– Optionally, you can use grouping filters and capacity filters to restrict the basicset further.

– Optionally, you can restrict the sample to panelists with specific panel statuses.

– Also, a maximum number of participants can be defined. Please note: this isonly recommendable if you do not use stratification. If the basic set is narro-wed down unnecessarily from the beginning, it might not be possible to reachthe target values which are explicitly specified during the stratification pro-cess.

8. The “Extended settings” allow to further narrow the sample. For example, you canspecify how many surveys the members of the new groups must have participatedin or how many bonus points they must have. For detailed explanations of thevarious options, please see Table 10.8.

9. In the “Choose the projects...” section, you can optionally exclude the participantsof specific projects from the sample draw. To do so, tick the “Exclude” checkboxafter the desired project.

10. After specifying all criteria, click on the Test filter button.

11. This will first test-create the sample. A bar will indicate whether panelists meet theconditions and how many of them do. Furthermore, in addition to the Test filterbutton, you will now see the Activate filter button.

12. You can make further changes to the filter conditions and test them by clicking onTest filter until the result is to your liking.

13. After that, click on the Activate filter button.

14. The tab Overview now contains information on the size of the new sample. Thesample shown in the figure comprises 13 participants.

Figure 10.25 Checking the defined basic set

15. Optionally, you can define the distribution of certain attributes within the samplein detail on the Stratification tab. This option will only be available until you have

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created the sample by activating the Draw sample function on the following tab.See Chapter 10.3.5, p. 443 for a detailed explanation of the stratification function.

16. After you have applied all desired filter criteria to the members of the new sampleand also - if stratification is required - performed all necessary stratifications, openthe Draw sample tab. Click the Draw sample button: The sample will now bedrawn.

17. After the sample has been drawn, the Define basic set, Stratification and Drawsample tabs are disabled, the Statistics, View tester list, Sample contents, Informand Remind again tabs are activated.

10.3.2 Managing Samples

The Sample menu contains an overview of all samples which exist within the respec-tive project.

Figure 10.26 Overview of the samples within a project

The following information will be displayed:

� Title

� Description

� Size: The number of panelists assigned to this sample.

� Completed interviews: Number of sample participants with disposition code 31 and32.

� Screened-out participants: Number of sample participants with disposition code35, 36, 37 and 41.

� Tester: Number of testers assigned to this sample. See Chapter 10.3.10, p. 451.

� Status

� Filter: Shows whether a filter has already been set.

� Stratification

� Accessible: Surveys that are not accessible are marked with a red traffic-light icon.Move the cursor over the icon to display the reason for non-accessibility.

Editing options

Via buttons you can call up the following actions:

An “internal” sample is available for all panel surveys and master data surveys. Thissample lists all panelists automatically taken to a survey. See Chapter 10.3.11,p. 452.

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� Create sample: Opens the dialog for creating a new sample, see Chapter 10.3.1,p. 437.

� Send reminders: Allows for a centralized reminder dispatch. Opens a list of allsamples from the current project that are currently available. You can select thedesired sample.

– By default, reminders are sent to participants with disposition codes 11, 12, 13and 17. A drop-down list below the mail form allows you to optionally specifythe disposition code of the recipients yourself.

– You can choose from the codes 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 20, 21, 22, or 23.

The following “Action” icons are available for editing individual samples:

� By clicking on the title you will open the edit dialog of the respective sample, seeChapter 10.3.3, p. 441.

� Edit: Opens the properties dialog where you can change the title and descriptionof an existing sample.

� Add tester: Opens the View tester list tab, see Chapter 10.3.10, p. 451.

� Save in group: Clicking on this icon will create a new panel group including allparticipants from the sample. Optionally, the “Include participants with completedinterviews only” feature can be used to restrict the group to those participants whohave completed the survey (disposition codes 31, 32).

10.3.3 Editing a Sample

Clicking on the title of a sample will open the edit dialog. On its various tabs you willfind the following information and functions:

� Overview: This tab provides basic information on the sample.

� Basic set: On this tab, you specify which group will serve as the basic set fordrawing the sample, which additional criteria the participants are to meet, andhow many participants are required. See Chapter 10.3.4, p. 441.

� Stratification: On this tab, you can define the distribution of certain attributeswithin the sample in detail. See Chapter 10.3.5, p. 443.

� Draw sample: After defining the basic set and optionally applying stratification, theactual drawing of the sample is performed on this tab.

� Statistics: On this tab, you can create an ad hoc statistics to get an overview of howthe sample is composed. See Chapter 10.3.6, p. 448.

� View tester list: On this tab you will find all the testers allocated to the currentsample. See Chapter 10.3.10, p. 451.

� Sample contents: This tab lists the sample participants. See Chapter 10.3.7, p. 448.

� Inform / Inform again / Remind again: Via these tabs you can contact sampleparticipants with specific disposition codes. See Chapter 10.3.8, p. 450.

10.3.4 Limiting the Basic Set

On the Basic set tab, you specify which panel group shall form the basic set for drawingthe sample and which criteria are to be used for further limiting this basic set. Thecriteria are explained in the following section.

Which tabs may be opened and edited depends on the respective stage in the sampledrawing process.

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Basic set

Extended settings

Excluding panelists already participating in other panel surveys

Panelists who are already participating in other projects can be excluded from thesample draw. This may be useful if you want to avoid overburdening your respondents.Sometimes it may also be the case that several surveys are conducted on the samerange of topics at the same time, while you want the panelists to participate in only oneof these surveys.

Field Meaning

Group category See “EFS Panel 8.0”, Chapter 8.1.2.

Group See “EFS Panel 8.0”, Chapter 8.

Filter You can use grouping filters for creating samples.

Capacity filter The capacity filters can be used for organizing the panelists’ capacity in an optimal way.

Panelstatus Panel status. See “EFS Panel 8.0”, Chapter 4.2.2.

Maximum number of participants

Optionally, you can define how many participants are to be contained in the sample.Please note: limiting the maximum number is only recommendable if you do not use stratification. If the basic set is narrowed down unnecessarily from the beginning, it might not be possible to reach the target values which are explicitly specified during the stratification process.

Tabelle 10.7 Basic set

Field Meaning

Number of completed surveys (based on vari-able n_poll)

Evaluates the “n_poll” system data item.Please mind: If tracking is activated, evaluation of the variable “track_num_completed” (e.g. via grouping filter) provides you with more precise information.

Number of bonus points Evaluates the current sum of the bonus points in the panelist’s account.

Last completed interview at least / not longer than x months ago

Evaluates the system data item “last_poll_date”.Please mind: If tracking is activated, evaluation of the variable “track_num_completed” (e.g. via grouping filter) provides you with more precise information.

Panel member since x months

Calculates the time for which the panelist has been a panel member based on the system data item “penter_date”.

Last updating of master data for x months

PCI value PCI value. See “EFS Panel 8.0”, Chapter 9.4.

E-mail verification status Status of the double opt-in e-mail verification. See “EFS Panel 8.0”, Chapter 6.5.

Variable used to define uniqueness

Each characteristic of this variable will be in the sample not more than once.Please note that finding unique values requires an extra internal proces-sing step. Therefore, if you use this feature, queries will be considerably slower.

Tabelle 10.8 Extended settings

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At the bottom of the Define basic set tab, click on the [+] icon to open the section“Choose the projects whose participants shall be excluded from the basic set”. This willopen a list of all panel surveys. Select those whose participants you do not want toinclude in the basic set of the current sample.

10.3.5 Controlling the Attribute Distribution Within the Sample

If necessary, you can define certain attribute distributions within the sample in detail.This process is also known as “stratification”.

� You define the distribution of attributes for each combination of attributes or foreach individual attribute.

� You can either enter the target values by hand or import them.

� You can enter either absolute numbers or percentages.

The following sections first explain the available definition methods and cell value spe-cification modes. This is followed by a description of both the manual definition andthe import.

Available definition methods

The table provides an overview of the definition methods available.

Cell definition mode

Similar to the quotas (Chapter 10.4, p. 453), there are two ways to define the targetvalues for stratification:

� Interlaced: The distribution is defined in detail for all possible combinations ofattributes. In the example below, it is defined exactly how many male soccer fans,female soccer fans, male and female baseball fans the sample contains.

� Non-interlaced: The stratification distribution is defined for each selected answercategory of the stratification variables. The internal distribution is ignored. If thismode was applied in the example below, this might mean that soccer and baseball

If you create several samples in the same project, each panelist can only be allocatedto one of these samples.

Option Meaning

Manual selection of the stratification variables and entry of the target distribution (absolute values)

The stratification is defined manually as usual, the target distribution will be specified in absolute values.

Manual selection of the stratification variables and entry of the target distribution (percentages)

The traditional stratification method involving entry of target distribution as percentage.

Import of a file containing the stratification settings (absolute values)

The stratification is defined by import, the target distribution will be spe-cified in absolute values.

Import of a file containing the stratification settings (percentages)

The stratification is defined by import, the target distribution will be spe-cified in percentages.

Table 10.9 Definition methods

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fans would each account for 50% of the participants, 50% of the participants weremale, while the soccer fans could be made up of 20% men and 80% women.

Figure 10.27 Geschachtelt

Manual stratification

1. Create a sample as usual and define the basic set.

2. Switch to the Stratification tab.

Figure 10.28 Selecting definition method

3. Select one of the manual stratification methods and confirm by clicking onContinue.

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Figure 10.29 Selecting cell value specification mode and stratification variable(s)

4. Select the appropriate cell value specification mode. You can choose between“interlaced” and “non-interlaced”. Per default, “interlaced” is activated. If youchange the setting, please confirm with Restrict.

5. Optionally you can restrict the list of available variables to a specific master datacategory. If you do so, confirm with Restrict.

6. The variables available for stratification are listed in the bottom section of the tab.Select the appropriate stratification variable(s) and confirm by clicking onContinue. In the example, the variables „u_gender“ and „m_favoritesports“ areused.

7. All answer categories of the selected stratification variables are listed.

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Figure 10.30 Selecting answer categories

8. Select the answer categories you wish to use for stratification. It is advisable toexclude missing categories such as “no answer”. Confirm by clicking on Continue.

9. An overview of the stratification cells with their current proportions will be dis-played. The number of surveys completed by the prospective sample members overthe past weeks will also be indicated: Thus, you can check in time whether a highpercentage of the panelists might be overworked or whether many candidates havenot participated in any survey for some time i.e. might be inactive.

Figure 10.31 Entering target values

10. Enter the target values in absolute numbers or percentages, as required. Whenexpressing target values as percentages, you also have to predefine the absolute

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total amount to be reached. It should be defined in such a manner that the specifictarget values can be met based on the number of existing candidates.

11. Click on Check to see whether your stratification can be achieved with the currentbasic set.

– Target values or the total number may have to be adjusted. Please bear in mindthat the values may diverge due to rounding. In the example above, the sumtotal of the values of the individual cells (10) slightly differs from the absolutetotal number of the panelists in this stratification (13).

– It may also be necessary to modify the basic set and the stratification criteriain order to reach the target values.

12. If the values are valid, this will be indicated by a green success message. In this caseyou can complete the process by clicking on Perform stratification.

13. On the Overview tab, you will now find a “Stratification” section. This section liststhe stratification cells, the target values and the total number. In the course of thesample draw, the following additional data will be displayed:

– Number of allocated participants: Number of participants in the sample thatare allocated to a particular cell. This is displayed after the sample draw.

– Completed or screened-out: Number of participants with disposition codes 31,32, 36 and 37, allocated to a particular cell.

– Completed or screened-out %: Percentage of participants with dispositioncodes 31, 32, 36 and 37, allocated to a particular cell.

Figure 10.32 Stratification statistics in the overview

Defining stratification via import

Formatting the import file

The import file should be formatted as follows:

� Format: CSV or Excel format

� For each master data variable used a corresponding column has to be created; anadditional column has to be created for the target values.

� The first line of the import file must contain the names of the variables and thetitle of the target value column, “target”.

� In the following lines of the import file the target value for each single combina-tion of master data characteristics is specified.

� If the values entered have decimal places, please use a point as decimal separator.

Example:

m_0001;m_0002;target

1;1;1000

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1;2;1150

2;1;950

2;2;1200

This file describes a stratification employing the variables m_0001 and m_0002. Bothvariables have the characteristics 1 and 2 each. Each line contains the target value fora combination of the characteristics of these variables. For example, the second line“1;1;1000” specifies that for the combination of m_0001 = 1 and m_0002 = 2 the targetvalue 1000 is to be obtained.

Import


1. Create a sample as usual, define the basic set and switch to the Stratification tab.

2. Select one of the stratification methods using import and confirm by clicking onContinue.

3. Locate the import file on your hard drive and upload the file by clicking on Importfile.

4. You will be directed to the dialog showing you the current proportion of characte-ristics. Check the selection of the variables and the target values. Then performcheck and stratification as described above.

10.3.6 Checking the Composition of the Sample

As of EFS 7.1, on the Statistics tab, you can create an ad hoc statistics to get anoverview of how the sample is composed.

� You can select the report variable and optionally two split variables.

� This ad hoc statistics is always based on the current sample.

Figure 10.33 Creating ad hoc statistics

10.3.7 Viewing and Managing the Participants of a Sample

The Sample contents tab contains a list of all panelists assigned to the sample.

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Figure 10.34 Panelists in a sample

Listed for each panelist are:

� First name

� Name

� E-mail

� Panel status

� Code: This is the panelist’s survey access code. You can copy this code to an e-mailor use it to examine the survey from the perspective of this panelist.

� Mails sent: Number of e-mails sent in the course of this sample.

� Status: Panelist’s disposition code in this panel survey.

� Date of first invitation

� Last access:

� Monitoring: With the monitoring function you can observe passively as anotherstaff member clicks through a survey with a panelist account (Chapter 10.2.17). Itis used for example during telephone introductions.

By clicking on the name or the Edit icon, you can open the detail view of the respectivepanelist.

Additional information can be displayed via View.

Searching the sample

To search sample members you can use the usual simple search.

However via extended search you can use additional limitation criteria:

� Always available for selection are panel status and the participant’s status in thesample.

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� If you have used stratification, the stratification variables can be used as searchcriteria, too.

Editing options

A range of participant administration actions are available for editing sample mem-bers, such as, for example, the dispatching of e-mails to selected participants, or resetwith or without deleting data.

When using an action proceed in a manner analogous to participant administration:Search the desired panelists and mark them in the “Selection” column. Then set thedesired action and confirm with Send request.

10.3.8 Inviting and Reminding Sample Members

Dedicated tabs allow you to e-mail the sample members in a centralized mannerduring various work phases:

� Inform: This tab is displayed after creating a new sample. You can use it to reachall participants with disposition codes 11, 12, 20 and 22.

� Inform again: This tab is displayed after sending the first invitation e-mail. You canuse it to reach all participants with disposition codes 11, 12, 20 and 22.

� Remind again: This tab is visible after creating a new sample. After sending the firstinvitation e-mail, it is activated.

– By default, reminders are sent to participants with disposition codes 11, 12, 20and 22.

– A drop-down list below the mail form allows you to optionally specify thedisposition code of the recipients yourself. You can choose from the codes 11,12, 13, 14, 20, 21, 22, or 23.

10.3.9 Managing Personalized Links for External Survey Start

When redirecting sample members to an external survey, personalized links must beused. The following features for managing these links are available:

� Import links: Opens the import dialog.

– The CSV file must contain the survey link in the first column. Optionally youmay add the panelists’ pseudonym, u_account, u_other_id, or panelist_code in

Actions Description

Reset and delete data Status of the panelist in the sample is reset to “active”. If the pane-list had already participated in the survey he can participate again. Participant's results data already recorded are deleted.

Reset without deleting data Status of the panelist in the sample is reset to “active”. Participant's results data already recorded are not deleted.

Delete panelist from this sample

Panelist is removed from sample.

Send e-mail Using this function, you can send mails to the selected panelists.

Disposition code 15 (not avai-lable)

If invitation mails are bounced, you can set the corresponding pane-lists to disposition code 15. This code will be taken into account in the field report during evaluation.

Figure 10.35 Overview of the newly available actions

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the second column. In this case the links will be assigned to the panel mem-bers accordingly.

– You can only import or update links for panelists that have not yet started thesurvey.

� Export links: Triggers the export of all links.

� Delete links: All links are deleted after a confirmation prompt.

10.3.10 Testing Panel Surveys and Master Data Surveys

If you want to test a panel survey or master data survey, you have to use a testeraccount that is assigned to a sample from this survey. This requires three steps,explained in the following section:

� Creating a tester account

� Allocating testers to a sample

� Testing the panel survey

Assigning the “Tester” status to a panelist

In the first step, a panelist account with panel status “Tester” is created. Respondentswith the “Tester” status can participate in a survey as often as they want, and they willbe identified as testers in the result data record. Therefore, you can also use thesetesters to test a survey in progress without skewing the result data record: in the resultdata record, you can identify the testers by the value 1 for the “Tester” data field. Forregular participants, the value in this column is 0.

� One method is to create a new entry in the panel. To do so, open the Panelistsadministration->Panel menu and click on the Add panelist button. Enter the datainto the appropriate fields, select the “Tester” panel status. After that, click on theCreate account button.

� Alternatively, you can also assign “Tester” panel status to an existing panelistd. Todo so, switch to the the Panelists administration->Panel menu and enter thepanelist’s name into the corresponding field. Trigger the search function by cli-cking on Search. The data of the panelist you are searching for will be output as aresult. Use the drop-down list to set the panelist’s panel status to “Tester” and thenconfirm by clicking on Submit.

Assigning testers to a sample

In the next step. assign the tester to the sample of the panel survey which is to betested.

1. Create the sample.

2. Open the tab View tester list. Es wird eine Übersicht aller Tester eingeblendet, dieder Stichprobe bereits zugeordnet sind. Üblicherweise ist sie zuerst noch leer.

3. Click Add tester. An overview of all the panelists with the “Tester” status availableon the EFS Panel installation will be displayed. Select the desired testers and con-firm the selection by clicking on Add.

4. The testers will be assigned to the sample and appear both in the list of testerscurrently assigned to the project and on the tab Sample contents. This list can alsobe opened by clicking on the Tester overview link.

For details on external survey start, please see the dedicated manual which is avai-lable in the customer center.

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Testing the panel survey

If you want to log in directly to the survey with your tester account, click the link inthe column “Link”. If you invite the respondents in the sample using the “Inform”function, the tester will also be invited. Alternatively, you can copy the URL from the“Link” column into an e-mail to invite only the tester, e.g. for a pretest.

10.3.11 Viewing and Managing Participants Who Were Added Automati-cally to the Survey

An “internal” sample is available for all panel surveys and master data surveys. Thissample lists all panelists automatically added to the survey:

� In master data surveys, all panelists who were invited by e-mail or who accessedthe survey by clicking on a link are added to the internal sample.

� In panel surveys in which the function “All panelists may participate” is activated,all panelists that participated without belonging to another sample are added tothe internal sample (see Table 3.3.).

This allows you to view, edit and analyse information on these survey participants justthe same as in normal, manually created samples:

� You can see which panelists participated and whether or not they completed thesurvey.

� If you send out e-mail invitations to a master data survey, you will find all invitedpanelists in the “internal” sample and can keep track of who actually participates.

� You can send e-mails and reminders to the panelists in the “internal” sample, resetthese panelists and assign them disposition code 15.

� For panel surveys, you can limit the export to the “internal” sample.

The “internal” sample is automatically generated and cannot be edited.

10.3.12 Tips & Tricks

Letting all panelists participate in a survey

If you want all panelists of the panel to participate, please use the project property „Allpanelists can participate in the survey” in combination with the internal sampleinstead of a manually-created sample (Chapter 3.7.9, p. 82).

Allowing repeated participation in a survey

If you want to allow repeated participation, please use the project property “Allow mul-tiple participations in this survey” (Chapter 3.7.10, p. 83).

Calling up and transferring the sample ID using a wildcard

The sample ID of panel surveys and master data surveys can be called up and transfer-red using the wildcard #sid#. This is particularly useful if you wish to transfer thesample ID to an external application, e.g. to another survey at the external survey startor to a transparent pixel for tracking.

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10.4 Defining the Distribution of Specific Characteristics in a Participant Group with Quotas


In many surveys, you will need samples containing certain characteristics in specificproportions. For example, you may want the sample to reflect the distribution of age,gender, income etc. within the total population. This can be achieved by using quotasto limit the total number of participants to those displaying the desired characteristics.

The project quotas offer you the greatest possible freedom in defining the quotas andthe quota process.

� The following variables can be used in the quota conditions: Project variables, user-defined variables and GET parameters, various system data and, depending on thetype of project, participant data, address data of panelists, all master data andtracking variables in the panel.

� A wide range of configuration options allows you to adjust the quota process toyour requirements. For example, it is up to you to decide whether participantsshall be excluded right from the start of the survey if they are no longer required,or you can have the participants allocated to all matching open quotas instead ofonly one quota. An overview is provided in Chapter 10.4.7, p. 458. Chapter 10.4.5,p. 456 presents frequently-used scenarios.

� In particular, the quota function is able to react dynamically to allocation figures.This can be used to fill up especially those quotas with lower allocation figures.

� Participants that are no longer required may be screened out using filters.

� The runtime check covers errors that may have occurred in quota while processingthe survey. See Chapter 9.8, p. 398.

� Quota statistics and field report will always give you an up-to-date overview of thequota status.

� The variables “quota” and “quota_assignment” and a number of special dispositioncodes in the export data record will tell you exactly which status a particularparticipant has achieved.

The following chapters will introduce you to the possibilities offered by the projectquotas:

� Chapter 10.4.1, p. 454 will present an overview of the work steps involved in settingup the quotas for a project.

� Chapters 10.4.2, p. 454 through 10.4.5, p. 456 will provide you with the basics forplanning the quotas.

� Chapter 10.4.6, p. 457 will teach you how to create and manage the quotas for aproject.

� Chapters 10.4.7, p. 458 through 10.4.9, p. 461 will explain how you configure thequota process and adjust the questionnaire accordingly.

� Chapters 10.4.10, p. 462 through 10.4.13, p. 464 will explain where you can viewthe results of your quotas and which options are available for subsequentadjustment or correction.

Please note: The number and complexity of the quotas in a project affects theperformance. Therefore, it is recommended to use not more than 300 quotas perproject.

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10.4.1 Work Steps for Creating a Quota

1. Plan the quota: Chapters 10.4.2, p. 454 through 10.4.5, p. 456 will provide you withthe necessary basics.

– Create your quota schedule and calculate the target values for the variousquota cells. Target values are always absolute numbers. See Chapter 10.4.2,p. 454.

– Define the exact sequence of the quota process. Chapter 10.4.5, p. 456 presentsthe most common scenarios. Please bear in mind that values for all variablesused in the quota conditions must already exist when you perform the quotacheck.

2. Enter the questionnaire before starting with the actual creation of the quotas.Participants should also already exist or, in the case of a panel survey, the sampleshould already be drawn.

3. Define the quotas in the Survey menu->Questionnaire editor->Quotamanagement menu.

4. Specify the sequence of the quota process on the Configuration tab. Chapter10.4.5, p. 456 explains how to combine the options in order to yield the most fre-quently desired scenarios.

5. If you make use of the possibility of excluding participants from the survey due toexternal quotas, it may be the case that respondents cannot open the questionnairein the first place. In the Project properties->Survey messages menu, adapt thetext of the message these respondents will receive when trying to log in (“Theparticipant is not accepted for the survey, as the quota is already full (status: status:filtered out).”).

6. If you have defined internal quotas (i.e. quotas whose conditions contain variablesthat are determined only in the course of the survey), you have to specify afterwhich questionnaire page the checking for these quotas is to be performed. To doso, select an appropriate page in the questionnaire editor, click on the Edit pageproperties icon, and select the option “Check internal quotas”. See Chapter 10.4.8,p. 460.

7. Set up the questionnaire so as to appropriately screen out any respondents nolonger required. This is commonly achieved with a filter which redirectsrespondents with “quota” = “0” (i.e. respondents that have not been allocated toany open quota) to an intermediate final page. See Chapter 10.4.9, p. 461.

10.4.2 Basics: The Quota Schedule

The quota schedule is fundamental to defining quotas. In this schedule, you list indetail which characteristics are to be displayed by how many participants.

To create such a schedule, you enter the relevant characteristics into a matrix. Thenyou specify the target values for the individual cells. There are two options, producingdifferent results:

� interlocking: The quotas are defined by means of the inner cells. Thus, the featurecombinations for the total of 100 participants admitted in the example shownbelow will be specified in detail: 25 young men, 25 old men, etc.

� non-interlocking: The quotas are defined by means of the margin values, withoutregard to the distribution in the inner cells. In the example shown below, thismeans: a total of 100 participants will be admitted, among them, firstly, 50 menand 50 women and, secondly, 50 young people and 50 old people. The internaldistribution of the quota is not defined, i.e. there may be, for example, 40 youngmen and 10 old men, 10 young women and 40 old women participating.

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Figure 10.36 Non-interlocking and interlocking

10.4.3 Basics: Internal and External Quotas

There are two types of quotas that are processed at different times and thereforeconfigured in different ways to some extent:

� Internal quotas: These quotas contain variables whose value is determined only inthe course of the survey.

� External quotas: These quotes refer solely to variables originating from externalsources and existing beforehand, i.e. variables that are not determined in thecourse of the survey. External quotas are used only in surveys with a predefinedpool of participants.

If a quota condition contains both survey variables and external variables, it will betreated as an internal quota, i.e. it will not be automatically executed before login.

10.4.4 Basics: Quota Timetable

Depending on what kind of quota there are in a project and which process has beenconfigured, events can be triggered at different stages in the course of the survey.

1. Optionally, the participants can be checked for external quotas already before thestart of the survey. To do so, select option 1 on the Configuration tab, see Chapter10.4.7, p. 458. The checking procedure is as follows:

– Every time a participant has completed the questionnaire and the allocationfigures in the quota statistics are changed accordingly, all those participantsthat have not yet started the survey (disposition code < 20) will be checked forexternal quotas.

– Of these participants, the system will exclude those that fall within a fullexternal quota from participating, i.e. they are assigned disposition code 41(“quota closed”) in the participant administration. If these participants try tolog in, they will be rejected and assigned disposition code 35 (“rejected at login(quota closed)”. The quota variables of the excluded participants are allocatedas follows: quota = -77, quota_assignment = -66.

2. If the check for external quotas is not performed beforehand as described above, itwill be carried out at the start of the survey.

3. The check for internal quotas is triggered by sending a questionnaire pagepredefined by you. See Chapter 10.4.8, p. 460.

4. The allocation figures in the quota statistics will be changed according to thecheck results mentioned above when the participant completes the questionnaire(i.e. when reaching the final page or an intermediate final page and receivingdisposition code 31 or 32).

– If the participant has been allocated to an open quota i.e. if quota is greaterthan 0, the quota count for the respective quota will be increased by 1.Depending on the configuration, the quota count for all other open quotaswhose conditions the respondent has met might be increased by 1, too.

Caution: A quota that accesses URL parameters is an internal quota.

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– When the target size of a quota has been reached, the quota is closed. If this isan external quota and you have chosen the option of excluding participantsalready prior to their login (see 1. above), then all respondents with dispositioncode < 20 falling within this quota will be set to status 41 (quota closed).

10.4.5 Basics: The Most Important Quota Processes

EFS offers a great degree of freedom in designing the quota process.

� The following table presents the most frequently desired scenarios.

� The “Configuration” column lists the combination of options and allocation modethat allows you to realize the respective scenario. See Chapter 10.4.7, p. 458 formore information.

Please note: For external quotas, the quota check is performed already at the startof the survey; for internal quotas, in the course of the survey. The allocation figures(quota count), however, will not be changed before completion of the survey. If thequestionnaire is very long and/or many participants start taking the survey at thesame time, it may therefore be the case that slightly more participants will pass thequota check and complete the questionnaire than planned.

Quota type Previous name

Rule Configuration

non-interlo-cking

Standard mode

If at least one already filled quota applies to the participant, he will be screened out by quota.Otherwise, the participant will be allocated to all matching, open quotas.

Options 1, 2, 3Allocation mode: First matching open quota

interlocking Extended mode

If at least one open quota applies to the participant, he can participate and will be allocated to all matching quotas.

Option 3Allocation mode: First matching, open quota

Prioritized quotas - standard

Mode 3 If at least one already filled quota applies to the participant, he will be screened out by quota.Otherwise, the quota conditions will be processed in the predefined order and the participant will be allocated to the first matching, open quota.

Options 1, 2,Allocation mode: First matching, open quota

Prioritized quotas - standard

If at least one open quota applies to the participant, he can participate. The quota conditions will be processed in the predefined order and the participant will be allocated to the first matching, open quota.

All options disabled Allocation mode: First matching, open quota

Low Bucket Filll (Fill up the quotas with the lowest allo-cation figure first)

Difference from the prioritized extended quotas: The prioritization is dynamic. If at least one open quota applies to the participant, he can participate. The quota conditions will be processed in the predefined order and the participant will be allocated to the quota with the fewest participants.

All options disabled Allocation mode: Matching, open quota with the fewest participants

Table 10.10 Sample scenarios

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10.4.6 Managing Quotas

The quotas of a project are managed in the Projects->{Selected project}->Questionnaire editor->Quota management menu. In this menu, you will find threetabs:

� Quotas: This tab is used for managing the existing quotas and creating additionalquotas. The corresponding processes are described in the following sections.

� Configuration: On this tab, you can specify in detail the sequence of the quotaprocess in your project. See Chapter 10.4.7, p. 458.

� Quota statistics: On this tab, you will find the current allocation figures. SeeChapter 10.4.10, p. 462.

1. Quota overview

When you open the Projects->{Selected project}->Questionnaire editor->Quotamanagement menu, you are automatically directed to the overview of the existingquotas. They are listed along with information on status, current allocation (“quotacount”), and quota condition.

Figure 10.37 Overview of the existing quotas

Managing the quotas - and, in particular, editing several quotas en bloc - is done viathe “Actions” checkbox and the drop-down list below the table:

� Delete quotas: The respective quotas will be deleted.

� Activate quotas: This option allows you to activate several quotas en bloc. If youwant to activate an individual quota, you can simply click on Edit and open the editdialog.

� Deactivate quotas: This option allows you to deactivate several quotas en bloc. Ifyou want to deactivate an individual quota, you can simply click on Edit and openthe edit dialog.

If you want to edit individual quotas, the following actions can be applied by clickingon the corresponding icons:

� Order: The arrow icons allow you to change the processing order.

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� Edit condition: Clicking on this icon opens the condition editor.

� Delete condition: The respective condition will be deleted. Please note that theallocation figure of the quota will be maintained.

� Edit: Clicking on this icon opens the edit dialog of a quota. Here you can changethe name and size of the quota; you can also activate or deactivate the quota.

� Copy: This icon allows you to copy a quota. When doing so, you will also copy thestatus, but not the allocation figures, i.e. the new quota is initially empty, activated,and open.

� Delete: The quota will be removed following a confirmation prompt.

2. Creating quotas


1. Click on the Create quota button.

2. Enter the name and the size of the new quota.


4. The condition editor will open automatically. Define the deisred quota conditionand click on Save. (If you do not define any condition, the quota will not beactivated in this step.)

5. After saving, the quota overview will be displayed. There you will find the newquota. It will already be activated.

2. Importing quotas

Alternatively, EFS allows you to import new quotas. Click on the Import quotas buttonto open the CSV-based import dialog.

You can enter one quota per row, using the format

label;size;(alternative)condition.

This syntax is easily generated by filling in a 4-column Excel table and saving it in CSVformat.

10.4.7 Configuration Options for the Quota Process

EFS allows you to specify in detail the sequence of the quota process in your project.You will find the configuation options on the Configuration tab.

� The following table lists all available setting options.

� By combining these options, you can realize a wide range of processes. Table 10.10,p. 456 explains how to realize various frequently-desired scenarios.

� By default, all options are activated for new projects and the pre-set allocationmode is “First matching, open quota”. This corresponds to the previous standardmode.

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Options

Allocation mode

Via the allocation mode you control to which quota a participant will be allocated ifthere are various matching open quotas. This selected quota will then be recorded inthe variable quota and may be used e.g. for filtering. The following options areavailable:

� First matching, open quota: The matching open quota that is first in the sortingorder will be allocated to the participant and recorded in “quota”. If

Option Meaning Prealloca-tion

Option 1: If matching exter-nal quota is full, reject partic-ipants at survey start

This option only applies to external quotas. I.e. usage is only reasonable in personalized surveys, employee surveys, multi-source feedbacks, panel surveys and master data surveys with external quota. • If this option is not activated, participants falling within a full external quota

can still open the survey. How they will be handled in the course of the survey, i.e. whether they will be screened out by quota, for example, depends on the further configuration and on the structure of the questionnaire.

• If this option is activated, the system will continuously check during the course of the project whether any participants that have not yet started the survey fall within a full external quota. If this is the case, these participants will be excluded from the outset, i.e. they are assigned disposition code 41 (“Quota closed”) in the participant administration. If these participants try to log in, they will be rejected and assigned disposition code 35 (“rejected at login (quota closed)”). The quota variables of the excluded participants are allocated as follows: “quota” = “-77”, “quota_assignment” = “-66”.

When activating this option, make sure that respondents who are rejected at login will not be confused: • In your invitation, indicate that only the first participants may be able to see

the questionnaire. • In the Project properties->Survey messages menu, adapt the text of the

message for the rejected participants (“The participant is not accepted for the survey, as the quota is already full (status: filtered out).”).

yes

Option 2: If matching quota is full, do not allocate partici-pants to any quota (quota=0)

If in the course of answering the questionnaire the participants fall within a full quota and this option has been activated, then the quota variable will be set to “0”, i.e. they will not be allocated to any quota. In this case the quota variables of the participants are allocated as follows: • “quota” = “0”• “quota_assignment” = “-99”.In order to screen out these participants by quota, you may, for example, set a filter to “quota = 0” and redirect the participants to an intermediate final page. They will then receive e.g. disposition code 36 (“rejected (quota closed)”).

yes

Option 3: Increment any matching, open quota at sur-vey end by 1

With this option you can control how the allocation figures (quota count) are to be changed at the end of the survey:• If this option is not activated, the participants will be allocated to one

matching, open quota after completing the survey. Which quota this will be depends on the selected allocation mode and on the defined order.

• If this option is activated, the participants will be allocated to all matching, open quotas. In this case, all these quotas will be increased by +1.

The quota variables of the participants are allocated as follows:• “quota” = one quota, depending on the selected allocation mode and the

defined order.• “quota_assignment” = all quotas whose allocation figures (quota count)

have been changed. If this option is deactivated, “quota_assignment” contains the same quota ID as quota”.

yes

Tabelle 10.11 Options

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“quota_assignment” contains various quota IDs, these will be sorted in ascendingorder.

� Random matching, open quota: From the matching open quotas one is chosen atrandom.

� Last matching, open quota: The matching open quota that is last in the sortingorder will be allocated to the participant and recorded in “quota”. If“quota_assignment” contains various quota IDs, these will be sorted in descendingorder.

� Matching, open quota with the fewest participants allocated to it: The system willselect the matching open quota that currently has the lowest allocation. If twoquotas have equally few participants, the system will select the one that is first inthe sorting order.

10.4.8 Selecting a Suitable Point in the Questionnaire for Checking Internal Quotas

Whether the participants fulfill internal quotas can only be checked when there arevalues for all required variables, i.e. in the course of the survey. For reasons ofperformance, this check will not be done automatically after each questionnaire page,but only after a page that you have tagged accordingly.

The Figure below shows a sample questionnaire. On the page marked with a Q icon,the internal quota are checked.

Figure 10.38 Structure of a sample questionnaire with quota

Selecting the appropriate questionnaire page(s)

Please note:

� At the time that the check is to be performed, there must be values for all requiredvariables. As the check is triggered when the page is sent, you can, for example,select the page which contains the last question needed for the quota.

� You should select a page which all participants will have to view, i.e. it should notbe located in a filter branch, for example.

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Tagging the appropriate questionnaire page(s)

1. In the questionnaire editor, locate the page following the processing of which thequotas are to be analyzed.

2. Click on the Edit page properties icon.

3. Select the option “Check internal quotas”.

4. Click on Save. The page will now be marked with a Q icon in the questionnaireview.

10.4.9 Screening out Unsuitable Respondents by Quota

Respondents that are identified as unsuitable due to the quota must be screened out.They are usually redirected to an intermediate final page by means of a filter:

� On this intermediate final page, the survey supervisor will thank the respondentsfor their willingness to participate.

� Upon reaching the intermediate final page, the participants can optionally beassigned a special disposition code (36, 37) by which they can be recognized in thesubsequent analysis. See Chapter 10.4.11, p. 463.

You can see this typical routing structure in the sample questionnaire shown in Figure10.38, p. 460.

Selecting a suitable point in the questionnaire

Please note:

� The screening out should not be performed until all quotas have been checked.

� You should select a point in the questionnaire which all participants will have topass, i.e. it should not be located in a filter branch, for example.

Setting up filter and intermediate final page

1. In the questionnaire editor, locate the page following the processing of which theunsuitable respondents are to be screened out.

2. Create a filter. In most cases, the filter condition will be “quota = 0”, i.e. the systemwill screen out all those respondents who have not been allocated to an open quota.If you want to screen out respondents that have been allocated to the quota withthe ID 1, you will select “quota = 1” instead.

3. Create an intermediate final page under the filter.

4. Click on the Edit page properties icon of the intermediate final page.

5. In the field “Status”, select the disposition code that the participants are to beassigned upon reaching this intermediate final page. Available are the dispositioncodes 31, 36, and 37 (see Chapter 10.4.11, p. 463).

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Figure 10.39 Selecting appropriate disposition code

6. Confirm by clicking on Change.

10.4.10 Viewing the Quota Statistics

You will find the current allocation figures of the project

� on the Quota statistics tab in the Quota management menu.

� in the section “Quota statistics” of the field report.

Figure 10.40 Quota statistics

Each quota is listed along with the following information:

� Quota ID: Unique identifer of the quota, assigned by the system.

� Name

� Quota limit: The quota size specified when creating.

� Quota count: Current allocation figure.

� Status: Indicates whether a quota is open, full, or inactive.

If there are 200 or more quotas in a given project, the “Quota statistics” section inthe Field report will only be expanded when you click on the [+] icon. This preventsunnecessary delays caused by long processing times.

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� Number of interviews which meet the quota condition: Indicates how many of thecompleted interviews (disposition codes 31, 32) meet the respective quotacondition as currently defined. Depending on the selected configuration, this valuemay differ from the quota count.

� Filling degree: (number of interviews which meet the quota condition) / quotalimit

By clicking on the Recalculate quota button you can trigger a recalculation of thequotas. Please make sure to refer to Chapter 10.4.13, p. 464 before making use of thisoption.

10.4.11 Using Quota Data for Routing and Evaluation

Quota variables

The quota results will be recorded in two variables:

� quota: This variable contains the ID of the allocated quota (i.e. the quota selectedvia allocation mode). It is used to screen out unsuitable participants.

� quota_assignment: This variable contains the IDs of all quotas in which therespective participant has been counted. It may help with the evaluation if youhave activated option 3, for example, and thus allocated participants to all mat-ching open quotas. In this case, “quota” will contain only the quota selected viaallocation mode. “quota_assignment” will contain all the quotas to which the par-ticipant has been allocated, i.e. it allows you to understand exactly how the alloca-tion figures are generated. Please bear in mind that “quota_assignment” cannot beused for filtering and other routing processes.

Disposition codes of screened out participants

At which point in the quota process a participant has been excluded from participationwill be recorded i.a. in the field report, in the participant administration, and in theexport data record via the following disposition code.

Disposition codes Meaning

Rejected at login (quota closed) (code 35)

Is set for respondents in personalized projects who want use the link from the invitation mail to log into the survey after a quota has been closed.

Rejected (quota closed) (code 36)

Statuses 36 and 37 are set in a project with quotas when an intermediate final page has been reached. The survey administrator can use these codes to mark respondents as rejected (i.e. screened out by quota; there are already enough participants with the respective features) or screened out (= unsuitable). The status to be set is manually specified by the admi-nistrator at the intermediate final page.

Screened out (code 37) Statuses 36 and 37 are set in a project with quotas when an intermediate final page has been reached. The survey administrator can use these codes to mark respondents as rejected (i.e. screened out by quota; there are already enough participants with the respective features) or screened out (= unsuitable). The status to be set is manually specified by the admi-nistrator at the intermediate final page.

Filtered out before the beginning of the survey, because quota is already closed (code 41)

If a quota is full, this status will be assigned to all participants, who match the quota condition, but nevertheless have not started with the survey yet. If one of these participants tries to log in, then he will be rejected and the disposition code will be set to 35.

Table 10.12 Quota disposition code

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10.4.12 Reactivating Participants when Increasing Size of an External Quota

Under certain circumstances, it may be necessary to subsequently increase the quotasize during the field phase. In projects with a preset pool of participants (personalizedsurvey, panel and master data surveys), this is problematic if external quota is used, theoption to reject participantts on survey start is activated and one of the external quotashas already been closed. That is because, in this case, all respondents who have not yetparticipated but fall under the quota which has already been closed are automaticallyset to the “Quota closed” status.

In projects that use external quotas exclusively, it is possible to reactivate the respon-dents in such a case, thus allowing them to participate. To do so, increase the quotasize, change the status to “active”, and confirm by clicking on Change. After that, youcan choose for which of the changed quotas the participants are to be reactivated. Afteryou have confirmed by clicking on Submit, the participant’s status is changed to“active”.

10.4.13 Recalculating Quotas

It is possible to manually trigger a recalculation of the quotas. Occasionally, this maybe necessary to adjust the quota allocation to the actual number of participants.Possible applications:

� If you delete participants that have already taken part or apply “Reset and deletedata”, from EFS 7.1 quota statistics is automatically updated. If you delete or resetparticipants in EFS 7.0 or earlier versions, the value was not automatically updatedin the quota statistics. Updating quota allocation corrects the value.

� If you, for example, check the project using a tester account for which a quota isset only once but which generates entries for the allocation every time you clickthrough the project, you can use the update function to undo this effect.

Before using the function please note the following:

� In the course of recalculation, the existing quota results will be irretrievablyoverwritten.

� Recalculation should not be triggered during an ongoing field phase. Thefollowing takes place during recalculation:

– All quotas are reset to zero allocation and opened.

– After this the quotas are checked individually for each participant. In largerprojects (i.e., many quotas and/or many participants) this process may takequite a while.

� During recalculation new participants may enter into the project and additionallyfill up quotas where they would normally be rejected. At the same time it mayhappen that participants who have already completed the questionnaire aresubsequently screened out by quota.

Triggering recalculation

Recalculation is triggered by clicking on the Recalculate quota button on the Quotastatistics tab in the Quota management menu.

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11 Writing and Sending E-Mail

11.1 Example: Sending Invitation Mails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 467

11.2 The EFS Mail Form in Detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 470

11.3 Using Ready-made Mail Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 483

11.4 Defining Senders’ Addresses for Mail Dispatch . . . . . . . . 486

11.5 The Mail Dispatch Process in EFS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 487

11.6 Viewing Archived Mails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 489

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11.1 Example: Sending Invitation Mails


You already got to know various ways to send e-mail from EFS. In Chapter 7.5.1,p. 325, for example, the feedback from the survey participants was forwarded to theproject manager by mail trigger. Chapters 10.2.5, p. 422 and 10.2.15, p. 433 presentedfunctions for contacting individual participants or groups of participants from withinthe participant administration of a personalized project. EFS Panel installations alsoprovide options for contacting the panelists via e-mail in several places.

This chapter describes the mail dispatch functions of EFS in detail.

� Chapter 11.1, p. 467 walks you through the entire mail dispatch process using theexample of an invitation.

� The following chapters will introduce you to the various features that are usedwhen writing and sending e-mail:

– the setting options and input fields of the mail form, see Chapters 11.2.2,p. 470 and 11.2.3, p. 474

– additional functions for personalizing e-mail texts, see Chapter 11.2.4, p. 477

– functions for configuring the dispatch process, see Chapter 11.2.5, p. 480

– the preview and its respective features, see Chapter 11.2.6, p. 481

� Chapters 11.3, p. 483 and 11.4, p. 486 explain how to make the process of creatinge-mails more effective using predefined mail templates and mail sender addresses.

� Chapters 11.5, p. 487 and 11.6, p. 489 present the dispatch process and its relevantmonitoring and archiving functions in detail.


In this chapter, you will go through the entire mail dispatch process, from selectingthe recipients and filling in the form to checking that the mail has been sent success-fully.

1. Switch to the Contact participant groups tab in Participant administration (seeChapter 10.2.15, p. 433). It offers various options for contacting participants witha specific status.

Figure 11.1 Contacting participant groups

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2. Click on the Send invitation mails link.

3. Select the desired mail template, and confirm by clicking on Apply mail template.

Figure 11.2 Selecting a mail template

Figure 11.3 Writing an invitation

4. Make sure that the proper mail format has been selected. Otherwise change themail format and confirm by clicking on Apply mail format.

Please take into consideration that only those mail templates that fit the respectiveaction area will be offered for selection. For example, if you are in the area of the“Send invitation mails” function, only the templates of the “Invitation” type and ofthe “Default” type, which can be used anywhere, will be offered.

It is important to select the proper mail format before entering content: differentinput boxes are used for the various formats.

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5. If you wish to make use of the advanced mail settings described in Chapter 11.2.2,p. 470, click on the [+] icon to open this section and make the desired changes.

6. Check the content and settings of the mail template. If you are satisfied, you canskip the following steps and continue directly with Step 11.

7. Tick the “Personalized dispatch” checkbox if you wish to use the recipient’s realname.

8. Enter the subject.

9. Select the sender. If the desired sender is not available, you can click on the Addmail sender link to open the menu for creating new senders (Chapter 11.4, p. 486)in a new window.

10. Formulate the content of the invitation mail. You can display an overview of thewildcards you can use by clicking on the question mark icon (see alsoChapter 11.2.4, p. 477).

11. If you wish to add an attachment, it should be uploaded in the “Add an attachment”field. Locate the desired file, and click on Attach file to add it.

12. Click on the Preview mail button to check the result.

Figure 11.4 Preview of an invitation mail

13. In particular, check whether the wildcards are replaced correctly.

14. If you want to save the mail for future use, tick the “Save as mail template (inclu-ding wildcards)” checkbox and enter a title for the new template.

15. If you are satisfied, click on Send.

16. The Mail transmission report menu gives you an overview of the mails that havebeen sent.

Please note: The e-mails will not be sent immediately but, depending on the mailvolume, will be placed in a queue and processed in groups in ten-minute intervals(see Chapter 11.5, p. 487).

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11.2 The EFS Mail Form in Detail

11.2.1 Using Mail Templates

Usually, e-mails are written on the basis of existing mail templates, which are centrallycreated, edited and managed in the Options->Mail templates menu (Chapter 11.3,p. 483). In the mail form’s “Mail template” drop-down list, you can select one of thesetemplates and upload it by clicking on Apply mail template.

To create a new template, click on the Manage mail templates link. The Options-> Mailtemplates menu, which allows you to create the desired new template (Chapter 11.3,p. 483), will be opened in a pop-up window.

11.2.2 Configuring Advanced Mail Settings

The “Advanced mail settings” area, which provides various special functions, is usuallyhidden. By clicking on the [+] icon in front of the word “Advanced mail settings”, youcan easily show or hide this dialog as required.

Figure 11.5 Clicking on the [+] icon will open the “Advanced mail settings” section

1. Character set

The character set for e-mails is set separately and can depending on your requirementsvary from the settings for the character set for the overall project. This can be sensible,

� if in a project carried out using UTF-8, you are not sure whether the mail programof the majority of respondents is compatible with this character set. Most modernmail programs can display UTF-8 correctly, in particular with internet-based mailprograms complications can arise.

� if you will be carrying out a project, that will use a character set other than UTF-8or diverse character sets, where you would like to use UTF-8 or another divergentcharacter set for the display of special characters in e-mails.

For the mail form, the character set ISO-8859-1 is preset by default.

Conversion problems with Windows-specific characters

When you copy and paste from a Microsoft program, such as MS Word or Excel to ae-mail form, that is coded in a character set other than UTF-8, the conversion pro-blems explained earlier in Chapter 3.7.17, p. 100 may occur: If the text contains Win-

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dows-specific characters that are not in the character set of the mail form, then thesemust be converted.

EFS Survey is able to convert many Windows-specific characters correctly, howeverthe conversion will still require checking. Characters, for which there is no match, willbe deleted completely from the mailtext, because they could not be sensibly converted(for example Chinese characters could not be displayed in a ISO-8859-1 coded questi-onnaire). Therefore a warning message will be displayed in the mail preview, that askyou to make a check, as soon as you open an e-mail with characters that have beenconverted or cannot be displayed.

2. Reply-To: = From

The “Reply-To” information in an e-mail indicates where the recipient is to send anyreplies.

Making different entries may be advisable, for example, in surveys you conduct for athird party. Under “Sender”, you can then enter your customer’s address: This will bedisplayed for the recipient and may increase their willingness to respond. However, the“Reply-To” address makes sure that the reply mail will be sent to you as the supervisorof the survey.

Furthermore, server messages indicating that an e-mail could not be delivered willalso be sent to the “Reply-To” address.

You can set the “Reply-To” address using the drop-down list contained in the row ofthe same name.

� Read rights for “mail_reply” are required for accessing and using this field, plusthe “Return-Path” and “Read confirmation” options explained in the following sec-tions.

� The default setting is “Reply-To = From”, i.e. the sender’s address will be used.

� If you complete a mail form without read rights for “mail_reply”, i.e. without see-ing the “Reply-To” and “Return-Path” options, the default setting “Reply-To = From” will be used. “Read confirmation” will be deactivated as per default. Ifyou do not have read rights and use a mail template in which “Reply-To”, “Return-Path” or “Read confirmation” have been defined, the values from the mail templatewill be used.

� Additionally, the same addresses as in the “Sender” field are available for selection.If you wish to change the sender addresses, you can do so in the Options->Mailtemplates->Mail senders menu (Chapter 11.4, p. 486).

Before you use a third party’s address, remember to make sure they approve! Also,contact the recipients’ post master to find out whether the sender address is permis-sible. Some mail gateways of larger companies, in particular, do not permit any e-mails from the Internet if the sender indicated is a “faked” address for their ownmail domains.

Sometimes, auto responders (e.g. notifications of absence, such as vacations) arepoorly configured. Normally, the automatic message should not be generated at allbecause EFS Survey has placed a corresponding mail header. Nevertheless, there aremail systems which have been carelessly configured. Often, such mail systems donot evaluate the information in “Reply-To”, either, but send the automatic replies tothe (assumed) sender address.

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3. Return-Path

Error messages and other transfer errors (e.g. “bounce messages”) will be sent to theaddress configured in the field “Return-Path”. These messages will be forwarded to themail sender, if no address has been configured.

Access to the “Return-Path” option is controlled by the “mail_reply” right describedabove. The default setting is “Reply-To = From”, i.e. the sender’s address will be used.Assuming that you have the required read rights, the addresses in the drop-down listare the same as those found in the drop-down list in the field “Mail sender”.

4. X-Priority (importance)

This information allows you to assign the e-mail a status. Commonly used mail clientscan use this information to highlight or arrange your e-mail according to the recipi-ent’s settings. Five statuses are available, “1” being used for the lowest significance and“5” for highest priority.

5. Sensitivity

For recipients using Outlook, you can set the message’s sensitivity.

6. Read confirmation

Commonly used mail clients support sending automatic read confirmations. Once therecipient opens the e-mail, a message is automatically sent to the recipient you selec-ted (sender or Reply-To). Since this happens automatically, such a read confirmationof course does not mean that the recipient has actually read or even understood youre-mail. It merely indicates that the message has been displayed in the recipient’s mailprogram. Also, it is not mandatory for a mail client to send a read confirmation. Therecipient may also have deactivated this option or deliberately decided not to send aread confirmation for this particular mail. They may nevertheless have read the mail.Also, in particular in the case of recipients in larger companies, the header line mayhave been removed by a mail filter.

Access to the “Read confirmation” option is controlled by the “mail_reply” right descri-bed above in the “Reply-To” section.

As senders of unwanted advertising mails (spammers) also frequently use thisoption to attach greater importance to their e-mails, using this feature may alsoturn out to be disadvantage. Some mail clients or mail filters in gateways are set upto simply delete e-mails indicating a (high) priority. Therefore, if you have set a highpriority in an invitation mail, be sure to avoid using another priority setting for areminder mail.

It may well be that you receive read confirmations from recipients whose mailaddresses are not stored in your project at all. Some Internet users use e-mailaddresses for mere forwarding purposes. In this case, if the recipient sends an auto-matic read confirmation, the sender indicated in the read confirmation will usuallybe the mail address at which the Internet user actually received your mail.

Some Internet users consider read confirmations a nuisance. If a warning messageappears, pointing out that you have requested a read confirmation, this, in particu-lar, can cause uncertainties. For inexperienced recipients, the mere mail text doesnot make it clear that their client has been prompted to send an automatic reply.

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7. Send mail copy to sender (without substitutions)

If this checkbox is ticked, a copy of the e-mail will be sent to the sender. This copy willbe sent as the first e-mail of the operation. Any existing wildcards will not be substi-tuted because the sender (administrator) is usually not a survey participant.

8. Forwarding copies of all mails to additional mail recipients

You can, for example, within the context of a test forward copies of all mails, which areto be sent out in a dispatch process, to an additional mail recipient. In this process thewildcards will be replaced and the additional mail recipient will see the mails in exactlythe same way as the real recipients.

To do this enter the e-mail address of the additional recipient in the field “Additionalmail recipient (CC)” or, if the address should not be visible to other recipients, in thefield “Additional hidden mail recipient (BCC)”.

� Read rights for “mail_cc” are required for accessing and using the CC and BCCoptions.

� Per default, both fields are empty.

� If you complete a mail form without read rights for “mail_cc”, i.e. without seeingthe CC and BCC options, the fields will be empty i.e. the mails will not be forwardedto additional recipientsd. If you do not have read rights and use a mail template inwhich CC or BCC have been defined, the values from the mail template will beused.

Please note that this feature currently only functions for mail submission from aform. In the case of automatic submission, for example of password or welcome e-mails on an EFS Panel installation no copies are sent.

Please note:

- the specified recipient will receive the e-mail with wildcard replacements. Depen-ding on purpose and data protection agreement this could lead to a data protectioninfringement (e.g. with the dispatch of passwords).

- This feature is intended for use within the context of test processes, in which onlya few test persons will be written. Use with larger pools of participants is not recom-mended, as the amount of mails doubles.

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11.2.3 Editing Mail Content

Figure 11.6 The content area for writing e-mails with hidden options

1. Using the recipient’s real name in the e-mail address

You have the option of entering, in addition to the e-mail address, the real name as therecipient address. Among other things, this has advantages with spam detection soft-ware.

To activate this function, tick the checkbox in the “Personalized dispatch” field. Thereal name is composed from the contents of the “First name” and “Name” fields inparticipant administration. Of course, this is only possible if these field have actuallybeen filled with contents.

2. Sender

The drop-down list in the “Mail sender” row allows you to select the sender address.The default setting is the e-mail address of the staff member logged in. Additionally,addresses which were created in the Options->Mail templates->Mail senders menuand for which you have access rights will be available for selection (Chapter 11.4,p. 486)

3. To

Only for EFS Panel installations: The Panel->Contacts->Send e-mail menu contains amail sending function that allows you to contact individual recipients in a targetedmanner. Whereas in all other action areas the group of recipients is determined inadvance (e.g. a group of participants identified through the disposition code or the

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sample drawn from a panel), the mail sending function in this menu allows you tocontact individual recipients whose data are not even present in the EFS Panel system.Enter the address in the “To” field.

4. Mail format

You can send either text or real HTML mails from EFS Survey. To do so, you mustspecify the format before writing the mail. The following options are available:

� Text only (default)

� HTML only

� Text and HTML

After you have confirmed the selection by clicking on Apply mail format, the approp-riate input field(s) will be shown.

HTML format

By default, EFS sends e-mails in plain text format. Alternatively you can also sendHTML mails.

EFS generates the HTML mails as content type “multipart/alternative”. This means:The actual text is contained in the e-mail in duplicate. This allows mail clients thatcannot display HTML to display the alternate text. Web mail services, in particular,often warn users against displaying e-mails in HTML format and suggest displaying thealternate text (if available).

Disadvantages of e-mails in HTML format

In particular, the doubled amount of data in HTML mails is considered unnecessary bysome Internet users and, because of the longer loading time, often also as impolite.

Since both scripts and so-called web bugs may be hidden in HTML code, some mailsystems classify these messages as potentially dangerous. Insofar, it cannot be ruledout that the post master of a recipient system may remove the HTML code or tag it witha security alert. If you still want to send HTML mails and can easily narrow the groupof the recipients of your mailing (e.g. in the case of employee surveys), you shouldcontact the recipients’ post master in advance to find out how they deal with thesemails.

5. Subject

In the “Subject” field you enter the title of your e-mail. Wildcards can be used (seeChapter 11.2.4, p. 477).

Please note:

� You should avoid special characters, such as the German umlauts, in this field. Theline is part of the so-called mail headers. Encoding special characters, as in the e-mail’s content, is not possible here.

� Please note that mail subjects should in general not be longer then 60 characters.Many servers make a cut after 248 characters for security reasons.

Please note that line breaks are not automatically inserted with the “HTML format”checkbox ticked.

As described in Chapter 3.7.17, p. 100, the alternate text may contain encoded spe-cial characters which are not easy to read for users.

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Masking special characters in the subject

If you still need special characters, you will have to mask them appropriately. Forexample, “Ä” (A umlaut) will then become “=?ISO-8859-1?Q?=C4?=”. However, pleasenote that theses maskings are not supported by all mail clients and that some mailgateways or virus scanners shorten very long subject lines. In extreme cases, a virusscanner may even mistake very long subjects for an attack on the mail client andimmediately delete the entire mail. EFS therefore limits the permissible number ofcharacters to 254, which is within the commonly used limits.

6. Mail text

In the “Mail text” field, you can enter the actual content of the mail or edit the contentof the chosen template.

Depending on the format you select in the “Mail format” field (see Chapter 11.2.2,p. 470), you will be provided with either an input field for a text mail, a form for anHTML mail or two fields:

� Mail text in normal text format: You merely have to enter the text. You have nooption to design the text, e.g. by formatting characters. Wildcards and conditionalreplacement can be used (see Chapter 11.2.4, p. 477).

� Mail text in HTML: The mail must be formatted in HTML. Accordingly, you havevarious design options. Images inserted as an attachment can be incorporated, andeven the use of wildcards and conditional replacement is also possible (seeChapter 11.2.4, p. 477).

Automatic line breaks

In text mails, a line break is automatically generated after 72 characters. In HTMLmails, you must insert the line breaks yourself.

The length of 72 characters is a quasi standard which is generally recognized for elec-tronic messages. The origins of this are in the so-called text mode of earlier PC systemswhich is used, to this day, with a line length of 80 characters for 25 lines. Therefore,some mail clients generally insert a line break after 80 characters. To make it easier foran e-mail’s recipients to use quotations in their replies, this limit has become establis-hed as a rule of courtesy when working with electronic messages (news messages,mailbox messages and e-mails).

If you insert a line break yourself, e.g. to mark the end of a paragraph, this will berespected and kept. Also, words will not be hyphenated. If the width limit of72 characters is exceeded with the last word in a line, the whole word will be moved tothe next line.

Uninterrupted character strings, such as very long web addresses (URLs), are not sub-ject to automatic line breaks.

The best way to create a subject with masked special characters is to use your mailprogram and send yourself an e-mail with the subject. Then, copy the masked stringfrom the source text of your mail into the entry form’s subject row.

It may occur that the recipient system inserts a line break into a very long line. Anyexisting text link with access code (#code_complete#) may then be renderedunusable. If you cannot sufficiently shorten the project’s URL yourself due to a longdomain name, you should have a domain alias for your installation set up.

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Incorporating images in HTML mails

You can insert attached images via wildcards into the text of a HTML mail. To do thisthe desired pictures must be uploaded first as an attachment as described in the follo-wing section. You can then integrate the images into the HTML mail using a wildcard#file name#.

Example: The name of the appended image is image.jpg, the wildcard is therefore#image.jpg#. You can insert the image in the HTML mail with <imgsrc=#image.jpg#>.

6. Adding attachments

It is possible to send e-mails with attachments.

� The maximum size for the attachments is 1 MB.

� You can use all the file types which are permitted for the media library. See Chapter5.17.2, p. 255.

� If you intend to attach not only “normal” attachments (e.g. pdf files), but one orseveral of the incorporated images described above, to an e-mail, take care toupload the “normal” attachments first. Otherwise, mail recipients using Outlookwon’t be able to open the attachments.

� The attachments can be saved as an attribute to mail templates.

In order to add an attachment to an e-mail or mail template, select the desired file inthe “Add an attachment” field. Once confirmed with the Attach file button, the attach-ment will be uploaded and attached to the e-mail. You can remove an unwanted attach-ment by clicking on the respective Delete icon.

11.2.4 Additional Functions for Personalizing E-Mail Texts

1. Wildcards

You can use wildcards in your e-mail to personalize the text.

Do not use hard-coded links to embed resources, such as those located in the medialibrary (hard-coded links are links that display the current file path, e.g. http://www.yourdomain.com/uc/1234/images/image.jpg). First of all, hard-coded links area typical characteristic of spam mails: They allow spammers to check whether or nottheir spam mails were read. Your invitation will therefore most certainly be filteredout as spam. Secondly, the links would no longer function if the project were to bemoved to a different installation, for example, or if the media library in which themail template resources are stored were to be cleaned up or deleted. What’s more,linked images would not be available for reading in offline mode.

If, however, you attach the required resources to the mail or mail template and linkthem with the help of wildcards, as described above, your mail will still functionafter moving it to a different installation or after a media library clean-up.

Please also note that attachments increase the size of mails: The bigger the attach-ment and the larger the number of recipients, the more strain this places on theserver. We therefore recommend using this function with care and using small-sized files.

The functionality is protected by the “mail_attachments” right, with read rightsrequired to use it.

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� Chapter 7.2, p. 297, contains an introduction to using the EFS wildcards in ques-tionnaires and e-mails.

� Table 10.4 contains an overview of the wildcards you can use to access participantdata.

� The wildcards that can only be used in e-mails are listed in the following section.

� If you click on the Help icon above the text entry field in the mail form, you canopen a context-sensitive overview.

Wildcards that can only be used in e-mails

The following wildcards are only used for sending mails, for example, to insert systemdata, to send access codes and to output various panel data.

Wildcard Meaning

#url# URL of the project

#ptitle# The title of the project.

#startdate# The start date in “DD.MM.YYYY” format.

#starttime# The start time in “HH:MM:SS” format.

#startdatetime# The start date and time in “DD.MM.YYYY HH:MM:SS” format.

#enddate# The end date in “DD.MM.YYYY” format.

#endtime# The end time in “HH:MM:SS” format.

#enddatetime# The end date and time in “DD.MM.YYYY HH:MM:SS” format.

Table 11.1 Wildcards for all project types

Wildcard Meaning

#code# Participant’s code.

#code_complete# Participant’s code including survey URL.If you’re logged in as usual with http, the wildcard is filled with the unencrypted http URL. If you’re logged in with SSL, the wildcard is automatically filled with the https URL.When you create an HTML mail please note: In order to generate an active labeled link in a new e-mail or mail template you must define the correspon-ding HTML tags. E.g. <a href=“#code_complete#“>Label</a>.

#code_complete_http#

http survey URL including the code of the participants. If you’re logged in with SSL, the #code_complete# wildcard will always be filled with the https URL. By using the #code_complete_http# wildcard, you can enforce use of the http URL.This may be useful, for example, if for reasons of safety you work with SSL encryption in the admin area but want the survey to be conducted without encryption.

#code_complete_https#

https survey URL including the code of the participants. If you’re logged as usual with https, the #code_complete# wildcard will always be filled with the http URL. By using the #code_complete_https# wildcard, you can enforce use of the https URL.

Table 11.2 Wildcards for personalized surveys and panel projects

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Limits

The permissible number of wildcards is not directly limited. However, there is a limitwith regard to the overall length of the text. It must not exceed 20 MB (excludingwildcards). That said, many Internet users regard mails of this size as impolite becausethe can quickly exceed the storage capacity allotted by their e-mail provider. Also, somemail servers are set up to simply delete messages of more than 1 MB, assuming anattack on the mail system (mail bombs).

EFS is capable of generating hundreds of personalized e-mails within a few seconds.The procedure used for this purpose is also subject to an installation-related limit. Youcan approximate the number of permissible wildcards as follows:

2 * text length in byte ^ number of wildcards < 20 MB

One text character equals one byte. Please note that the text of mails in HTML formatis about 2.2 times larger than the actual text. The amount may even grow sixfold if youuse Unicode characters.

The so-called “Dr. Grauert letter” (ISO 10561), which is commonly used in printertests, contains about 1500 characters.

20000000 bytes / 1500 bytes = 13334

For a plain text mail, this equals about 213. This means that you could use a total of 13wildcards. Most mails, of course, are much shorter and also contain fewer wildcards.However, the installation’s limit can also be changed by system administration ifrequired.

Wildcard Meaning

#panel_url# A link to the panel.

#site_id# Language version.

#panelist_code# The panelist code, i.e. access code to the panel. See “EFS Panel 8.0”, Chapter 7.3.6.

#panelist_login_code#

Wildcard which allows to create a shortened login link. See “EFS Panel 8.0”, Chapter 7.3.6.• URL parameter for direct login with shortened code: lc• Sample link: http://your-domain.com/panelwebesite/

?lc=QAplygBpxAoPhVL3ceoIL8ztW5gUsage of the shortened login link is recommended, in particular, if the domain of the panel itself is quite long: If the normal 40-digit code is used, the com-plete URL might become too long for mail programs to forward it correctly.

#pseudonym# The pseudonym, i.e. encoded unique panelist ID.

Until EFS 7.0: #bonustype#

The type of incentive (prize draw or bonus points).Please mind that in EFS 7.1, the old incentive types are replaced by a new, more flexible labelling system (see Chapter 3.7.20, p. 106). In context of this change, the #bonustype# wildcard has been dropped.

#bonus# Number of bonus points (format).

#panelpoints# The panelist’s current account balance (p.pcredit_points).

#m_[number]# and #md_[number]#

The value of the variable from the respective master data item.

Table 11.3 Wildcards for panel projects

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2. Conditional replacement of e-mail text

The EFS e-mail functions allow you to use conditional replacement. This means that,in the future, it will be possible to output various mail contents depending on datafrom participant administration or on other pre-set conditions.

The syntax for conditional replacement, in a generalized form, is as follows:

001 {if operand1 operator operand2}002 text to be output if the condition is met003 {else}004 text to be output if the condition is not met005 {/if}

In this, the following variables must be adjusted to specific projects:

� operand1 and operand2: Wildcards or fixed values.

� operator: One of the comparative operators (“=”, “!=”, “<” or “>”).

Example

An invitation mail to the respondents in a personalized project is to contain Germantext if the participant lives in Germany. Participants from other countries are to receivean English text. The information on which country the participant lives in is stored inthe corresponding column of participant administration and accessible via the #coun-try# e-mail wildcard. Code: 1 = Germany, 2 = other countries.

In this case, the condition definition used to address the participant is as follows:

{if #country# = "1"}Sehr geehrter Teilnehmer,{else}Dear participant,{/if}

German participants will now be addressed in German, while participants from othercountries will be addressed in English.

11.2.5 Setting the Dispatch Date, Dispatch Period and Status of E-Mails

Located below the actual mail form, the “Delivery options” section allows you to setthe dispatch date and the dispatch period or to set the status of the mails to “Hold”.

Figure 11.7 Delivery options

Set mail status to “Hold”

If, before sending the e-mails, you want to check their number and content in the mailqueue (see Chapter 11.5.4, p. 488), you can tick this checkbox. The mails will then bekept in the queue. Using this option is advisable if, for reasons relating to the organi-zation of work, you have a staff member create the e-mails, but they are not to be sentuntil released by the project manager.

Please make sparing use of conditional replacement: A growing number of “if”blocks increases the risk of triggering an infinite loop. Therefore, make sure not tocreate too many “if” blocks.

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When to send: .. : (Time at server = ...)

Instead of sending the prepared e-mails immediately, you also have the option of choo-sing a later date. The mails will then be kept in the queue until the sending date. Thisis advisable, for example, if the invitation to a survey is not to be sent until a certainevent has occurred or outside of your office hours. For example, you can prepare theinvitation mails for a survey which is scheduled to start on a weekend, but have themails sent automatically only when the pre-set time is reached. This way, you can pre-vent participants from trying to access the survey before the start of the project.

A group of drop-down lists in the “When to send” field is available for setting the dateand time.

� You can use a calendar, which is opened by clicking on the Calendar icon, to set thedate.

� The exact time of sending must be specified manually in GMT. The current time inGMT is displayed on the left below the menu. If you have taken advantage of thepossibility to set your local time (see Table 16.15), this time will be displayed below,in the “Local date” field, to facilitate the conversion.

Setting a dispatch period for dynamic dispatch

In large surveys, mail dispatch is often organized in waves in order to avoid serveroverload. In the past, in personalized projects, the organization of participants inwaves was largely performed manually: In the participant administration, participantswere assigned to the respective waves with specific variables or characteristics. Inorder to invite a wave, the project manager then looked for the participants with theappropriate value and manually completed the entire mail dispatching process. FromEFS 6.0 on, the system can do this work for you: Instead of manually organizing theparticipants in different waves to be processed in daily intervals, you can specify a timeframe within which the mails of your mailing action are to be sent. The system willthen divide the total amount of mail into portions to be sent out in even distributionacross the specified interval.

You will find the corresponding function in the “Dispatch period for dynamic dispatch”field. Enter the interval in minutes. By default, the field is blank and no distribution isperformed.

11.2.6 Checking Finished E-Mails and Saving Them as Templates

The mail preview allows you to check your message to the respondent before finallysending it.

� Separate previews are output for text and HTML mails.

� Both wildcards and line breaks are taken into consideration.

Queued e-mails which have the same dispatch time will be sent in the order inwhich they were created. Any mails which have been set eight hours ahead due to aprevious failed attempt but have an earlier or the same dispatch date will thereforebe sent with priority.

Please note that the dynamic dispatch function does not override the technicallimits of mail dispatch: An EFS 7.0 installation can process a fixed mail volumeevery 10 minutes. Per default, the maximum volume is 1,000 mails, up to 2,000mails are possible (see Chapter 11.5, p. 487). If more mails are generated, they willbe queued and processed successively.

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� You can scroll through the e-mails to the various recipients and check them suc-cessively.

Figure 11.8 Scrolling through the e-mails in the mail preview

1. Special features of HTML mails in the preview

E-mails for which the HTML format has been chosen and used according to theinstructions in the preceding chapter can only be displayed correctly in the preview ifthe HTML code used is also XML-compliant. They will, however, be sent in the correctformat.

Any HTML code characters you have entered will be displayed in a masked form. Thismeans that the characters will also be displayed as HTML code. Therefore, they cannothave any impact on, for example, formatting. Before sending, they will be converted tothe original tags you entered. Please note that HTML formats in plain text mails cannotbe interpreted. Therefore, you must have specified the HTML format for the mail.

2. Passwords in the preview

The participants’ passwords are not displayed in the mail preview as clear text, but willbe either masked using “*” characters or displayed, depending on the project type andon which team the user viewing the data belongs to:

� Personalized projects (PE): If you have read rights for “mail_passwords”, pass-words will be displayed in the mail preview.

� Employee surveys (ES): The passwords should never be visible in the mail preview.

3. Saving the e-mail as a mail template

If you wish to re-use the e-mail at a later stage, simply tick the “Save as mail template(including wildcards)” checkbox below the preview and enter a title for the new temp-late before you confirm by clicking Send.

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11.3 Using Ready-made Mail Templates


When writing and sending e-mail, you will be working with ready-made mail templatesfor the most part. If, for example, you invite the participants of a personalized projectin several waves, you will have to write the relevant mail template only once: You canthen use it as often as you want. The contents of mails which are mailed outautomatically (e.g. welcome mails upon panel registration) are usually defined via mailtemplates, as well.

The main points in brief:

� The mail templates of an EFS installation are managed centrally in the Options->Mail templates menu.

� New mail templates can be created in the Options->Mail templates menu, as well.Additionally, you can save mails as templates during the mail dispatch process (seeChapter 11.2.6, p. 481).

� In EFS Panel installations, a particular set of mail templates is created for eachlanguage version.

� There are different types of templates available for use in different work situations(see Chapter 11.3.2, p. 484).

� Which staff teams may use or configure a particular mail template, is controlledvia a corresponding object right for this template.

� Which staff teams may access or work in the Options->Mail templates menu, iscontrolled via the ACL right “mail_admin”.

11.3.1 Managing Mail Templates

In the Options->Mail templates, you will find an overview of all the mail templates forwhich you hold access rights along with their most important properties (Table 11.4).

Edit options

You have the following editing options:

� Create template button: The dialog for creating a new template will be opened.Detailed explanations of the mail template properties to be entered when creatingcan be found in Table 11.4. The other form fields for mail settings and mail text arefamiliar from the e-mail dispatch (Chapter 11.2, p. 470).

� Clickable links in the table and the familiar icons in the “Actions” column allowyou to edit individual mail templates:

– Description link: The dialog for editing an existing template will be opened.

– Status link: The entries Active and Inactive in the “Status” column are alsoclickable links. You can change the status with a click on the respective link:An inactive mail template will no longer be offered in the mail forms.

– Preview: The template will be opened in the preview. As the project context ismissing in the Mail template menu, wildcards will not be replaced in thepreview.

– Edit mail template: The dialog for editing an existing template will be opened.

– Copy mail template: The template is copied. You can open the copy directly byclicking the link in the green confirmation message.

– Edit rights: The dialog for assigning object rights for the template will beopened.

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– Delete mail template: The template will be deleted following a confirmationprompt.

11.3.2 Properties of Mail Templates in Detail

Properties of mail templates

Mail templates are characterized by the following properties, which are partly definedby the user and partly set automatically by the system.

Mail template types

When selecting mail templates via the EFS mail forms, only those templates will beavailable that are appropriate to your current operation. For example, if you areinviting participants, only templates for invitation mails will be offered for selection.This is controlled by assigning the templates to certain mail template types. Thefollowing table provides an overview of the various types and their respectiveapplications.

Before deleting mail templates, please make sure that they are not linked to from alive project.

As of EFS 7.1, EFS Panel installations feature a check to prevent deletion of mailtemplates that are still linked to a panel function (e.g. a CMS function module, anupdate rule, a promotional campaign, or a bonus). Instead, a list of the relevantpanel functions will be displayed, so that you can either refrain from deleting orreplace an unwanted template. However, mail template assignments in EFS Survey(e.g. mail trigger) or in EFS Employee will not be checked.

Column Meaning

ID Each mail template in an EFS installation can be identified by its own unique ID.

Type By assigning it to a particular type of mail template you define in which work situations the respective template is to be available. An overview of the different types of mail templates and their respective applications can be found in Table 11.5.

Description Description of the template. This is only used internally for orientation in the admin area.

Mail subject The subject of the e-mail.

Modifier user name Name of the last staff member who edited the template.

Status The status indicates whether a mail template is available in the mail forms. Active templates are available, inactive ones are not. The status entry is a clickable link: You can change the status easily with one click.

HTML format If the template is an HTML mail, this will be indicated in the overview table.

E-mail address Selected sender's address (see Chapter 11.4, p. 486).

Name of the sender If a real name has been stored with the sender's address, it will be displayed in this field (see Chapter 11.4, p. 486).

Only in EFS installations: Language version

The mail templates are assigned to a particular language version of the panel.

Table 11.4 Properties of mail templates

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Mail template type Type When it is used

Default mail Is available in all non-automated dispatch processes.

Invitation mail Used to invite participants to a survey project. See Chapter 10.2.15, p. 433.

Reminder mail Used to remind participants of surveys they have not comple-ted yet. See Chapter 10.2.15, p. 433.

Notification before end of survey

Used to notify staff of the upcoming end of the survey. • This notification may be requested in the dialog used to cre-

ate and change projects (Chapter 3.2.1, p. 58).• If staff members have requested the notification in a given

project, but no mail template has been selected (e.g. because the staff members do not have sufficient rights), they will receive a mail with default text.

Notification by exchange platform

Only on installations with EFS Secure Exchange activated: Mail template used to notify staff of changes on the exchange platform. For more information on the optionally available platform refer to the special documentation “EFS Secure Exchange”.

Org Processor mail In employee surveys on EFS Employee installations only: Mail template that can be made available to users in the Org Pro-cessor. See “EFS Employee: Project Managers Manual 8.0”, Chapter 6.9.

Welcome mail Automatic Only in EFS Panel installations: Automatically sent to the panelist after the registration has been submitted.

Password recovery mail

Automatic Only in EFS Panel installations: If a panelist forgets their pass-word, the content of this mail template will be sent automati-cally upon request.

Duplicates check mail

Only in EFS Panel installations: If the panel administrator per-forms the duplicates check and finds that this panelist appa-rently already exists, this mail template is used to contact the panelist via e-mail.

Registration error mail

Only in EFS Panel installations: If the panel administrator checks the data in the Candidates menu and wishes to send an inquiry mail to the respective panelist, this mail template can be invoked via the ”Registration error” action.

Master data invita-tion mail

Only in EFS Panel installations: This mail template is displayed when you are inviting a panelist from the Candidates menu to the master data survey.

Master data remin-der mail

Only in EFS Panel installations: This mail template is displayed when you are sending a reminder concerning the master data survey to a panelist from the Candidates menu.

Winner mail Only in EFS Panel installations: This mail template is displayed when you have conducted a prize draw and wish to inform the winners afterwards.

Tell-a-friend mail Only in EFS Panel installations: Panelists can use this mail template within the scope of a campaign to recruit new pane-lists.

Voucher mail Only in EFS Panel installations: This template is used to send vouchers to panelists. See ”EFS Panel 8.0”, Chapter 24.4.4.

Table 11.5 Mail template types

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11.4 Defining Senders’ Addresses for Mail Dispatch

Not only the mail contents but also the senders’ addresses are usually predefined inEFS. This is of particular importance if you want to use addresses other than your own,e.g. a common mailbox that may be accessed by other staff, as well: In order for you tobe able to select these addresses in the EFS mail form, they must be registered in thesystem.

This function in brief:

� The senders’ addresses are managed in the Options->Mail templates->Mailsenders menu.

� Optionally, it is possible to enter a real name to be inserted next to the actual e-mail address in the mail subject header. Usually, this is the name of the projectowner. Please note that it is not possible to use names in double-byte languages(e.g. Chinese).

� Which staff teams may use or configure a particular sender’s address, is controlledvia a specific object right.

� Which staff teams may access the Options->Mail templates->Mail senders, iscontrolled via read right for “options”.

11.4.1 Managing Sender Addresses

In the Options->Mail templates->Mail senders menu, you will find an overview of allthose senders’ addresses for which you hold access rights.

Edit options

Click on the Add e-mail address button to open the dialog for creating a new sender.As of EFS 7.1, all you have to enter is the e-mail address, the corresponding real name,if desired, and the teams that are granted full access.

Clickable links and icons allow you to edit existing mail templates:

� Rights: Opens the dialog where you can assign your staff teams read or write rightsfor the sender’s address.

� Delete: E-mail addresses can be deleted by ticking the checkbox in the “Delete”column and then clicking on the Delete button.

As of EFS 7.1, two functions have become obsolete in panel installations:

- the assignment of mail senders to language versions (site IDs). As far as the mailsenders are concerned, the unique assignment - originally implemented for the sakeof greater clarity - did not prove to be very practical: As many users want to use thesame e-mail addresses in all language versions, they had to create the same sendersmultiple times. Therefore, those mail senders for which you have access rights willbe available in all language versions from now on. With regard to the mail templa-tes, on the other hand, the assignment to language versions has proved useful andwill therefore be continued.

- the assignment of mail senders to various actions (standard mail sender, mailsfrom promotional campaigns etc.)

You need read rights for “options” to access the Options->Mail templates->Mail senders menu and the functions described below.

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11.5 The Mail Dispatch Process in EFS

11.5 The Mail Dispatch Process in EFS

1. Process

If you trigger the dispatch process, EFS forwards your mails to a dedicated mail serverwhich is responsible for organizing the actual dispatch.

� From EFS 7.0, the mail dispatch is organized more efficiently. Previously, existingdispatch orders were processed in the order of their sending, i.e. smaller dispatchorders would have to wait quite a long time until an earlier and larger order wascompletely processed. From now on, the available dispatch volumes will be split upas follows:

– Single mails will be sent immediately.

– Instead of sending them immediately, dispatch orders for more than ten mailswill first be put in a queue. Via the mail admin they can then be deleted fromthe queue or put on hold, see Chapter 11.5.4, p. 488.

– At the start of each interval (i.e. every ten minutes), all mail dispatch orders inthe queue will be registered along with their size (i.e. the number of mails).

– It will be checked whether the sum total of the mails to be sent is greater thanthe maximum mail volume allowed per dispatch interval. The maximum mailvolume can be configured, see Chapter 11.5.1, p. 488.

– If the sum total is smaller than the maximum mail volume, all mails will besent.

– If the sum total is greater than the maximum mail volume, the dispatchresources will be split up proportionally among the dispatch orders. Example:Mail job 1: 100 mails, mail job 2: 200 mails, mail job 3: 250 mails. If the speci-fied limit were 300 mails, there would be an excess of 250 mails in the mailjobs. Therefore, the follwing volumes would be processed in the next interval:Mail job 1: 55 mails, mail job 2: 109 mails, mail job 3: 136 mails. The remainingmails would be processed according to the same principle in the subsequentdispatch intervals.

� If the mail server does not accept a mail at all, the sytem will try to dispatch it againeight hours later. After four failed dispatch attempts, the mail will be deleted andthe recipient will be assigned disposition code 14. The number of repeats can beconfigured, see Chapter 11.5.2, p. 488.

2. Syntax check for e-mail addresses during dispatch

Generally, EFS performs a syntax check on every mail address. This happens oncewhen entering mail addresses and also, to be on the safe side, a second time whengenerating and sending mails. If EFS detects a mail address which does not complywith the RFC, this address will automatically be excluded from mail sending, and acorresponding message will be output on the screen. EFS Survey only allows addresseswith the following format:

Before deleting mail senders, please make sure that they are not linked to from alive project.

As of EFS 7.1, mail senders linked to a mail template cannot be inadvertently deletedanymore. When you try to delete mail senders that are still linked to a mailtemplate, a list of the affected templates will be displayed. Only after the sender’saddress has been changed in all templates is it possible to delete the address.

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local_part@domain

Please not that “domain” must be an Internet domain with a valid syntax.

If, despite all this, an invalid mail address has found its way into the database, e.g.through subsequent corrections, the mail will be checked again when it is actuallysent. The sender will then be notified that the e-mail’s address is incorrect and, there-fore, the e-mail cannot be delivered.

3. Standard mail headers

As EFS performs mailings in the form of bulk dispatch, a corresponding header line(“Precedence: bulk”) is added to each e-mail, which enables automatic recognition asa bulk mailing. So-called auto responders should detect this. Unfortunately, not everymail system is properly configured. Therefore, it may still occur that you receive auto-matically generated notifications of absence as replies.

11.5.1 Limiting the Mail Volume per Mail Interval

The mails in the queue are processed in packages: per default, up to 1,000 mails (priorto EFS 7.0: 300 mails) will be processed in 10 minute intervals.

You can change the value of 1,000 mails. To do so, open the Options->System settingsmenu and enter the new maximum value in the “Job size for mail sending” field. Upto 2,000 mails can be sent per package.

11.5.2 Defining the Number of Repeats for Dispatch Problems

If the mail server does not accept a mail or if it is not possible to connect to the mailserver at all, the sytem will try to dispatch it again eight hours later. After four unsuc-cessfull attempts, the mail will be deleted and the recipient will be assigned dispositioncode 14.

You can change the maximum number of dispatch attempts. To do so, open theOptions->System settings menu and enter the new maximum value in the “Maxi-mum number of attempts to dispatch the mail” field.

11.5.3 Using Installation-specific Mail Headers

As of EFS 7.0, it is possible to attach installation-specific mail headers to the mails sentfrom an EFS installation. This is particularly useful for external bounce systems, forexample.

To do so, the Globalpark support first has to activate this function and define thedesired mail header values.

In the mail form, you will then find a field “Value for wildcard #extra_values# inadditional mail headers”. There you can specify the values that were predefined by thesupport.

11.5.4 Controlling Dispatch Processes and Intervening in Processes

The Mail queue is designed to assist you in properly managing the large numbers of e-mails needed in bigger projects. You will find the mail queue

Please note: These mail headers are specified for an EFS installation, not for anindividual project. They cannot be used in collective installations.

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11.6 Viewing Archived Mails

� for project-specific mails: in the Survey menu of all project types. (Prior to EFS7.0, it was not displayed for anonymous projects.)

� on EFS Panel installations: for mails sent from the Panel->Groups menu: in theGroups menu

� on EFS Panel installations: for mails sent from the Panel->Contacts->Send e-mailmenu: in the Contacts menu.

The mail queue displays all mails in the outgoing queue, sorted by sending operations.You have the following editing options:

� View: Allows you to display a mail that has been selected from the respective dis-patch process at random with the wildcards replaced.

� Release: Allows you to release and execute a dispatch process with “Hold” status.

� Hold: The mail dispatch is interrupted, e.g. if a questionnaire requires re-editing.

� Delete: Mails are removed from the queue. In EFS Panel installations, this workprocess includes the option of saving the recipients of the deleted e-mails in aseparate group.


Most of the mails sent from EFS are archived and can be viewed for a period of sixmonths:

� Personalized projects, employee surveys, panel surveys and master data surveysfeature an overview of all sent mails.

� In personalized projects and employee surveys, the mails are listed in the detailview of the respective participant.

� In panel and master data surveys, the mails are listed on the Contacts by systemmail tab in the detail view of the respective panelist.

� With the appropriate rights you can view all project-specific mail processes of theinstallation in a centralized manner: See Chapter 11.6.2, p. 491.

11.6.1 Viewing Project-specific Dispatch Processes

Project-specific dispatch processes are archived. You can view the data here:

� personalized projects and employee surveys: Participant administration->Mailtransmission report menu. See below.

� panel and master data surveys: Sample->Mail archive menu.

Caution: If you delete mails, the Globalpark Support department can no longerdetermine who has already received a mail and who has not in subsequent supportrequests.

Please note: In the long run, the data volumes involved in the sending of mails willput an unnecessary strain on the installation’s performance. Once the project isover, the archived mails are usually not needed ever again. As of EFS 7.1, the mailarchives will therefore be cleaned automatically at regular intervals: Archived mailswill be deleted six months after dispatch.

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Mail transmission report

The Mail transmission report, which is located in the participant administration’smenu, gives an overview of all e-mails that were sent during the course of the survey.

Every time you send one or more e-mails from participant administration, an entry ismade in the transmission report. This enables you to subsequently check whether, forexample, a certain group or individual has already received an e-mail.

Figure 11.9 Transmission report

In the overview list, the following information is displayed for the different sendingprocesses within the respective project:

� Time: The time of dispatch.

� Details: The internal ID of the mail process. Via this link, you can retrieve informa-tion on all individual processes (see below).

� Subject: The subject line of the e-mail. Via this link, you can view the mail text sent(without wildcard replacements).

� Number of mails: The number of e-mails sent.

� Sent: The number of e-mails that were successfully transmitted.

� Canceled: The number of e-mails canceled.

� Staff member: The staff member who performed the dispatch.

If you click on the ID of a dispatch process in the “Details” column, you will see detailedinformation on all individual processes:

� The Queued / Hold tab lists e-mails for which the dispatch process has not yet beencompleted.

� The Sent / Canceled / Other tab lists e-mails for which the dispatch process iscompleted, either by successful transmission, cancellation or otherwise.

Figure 11.10 Transmission report for e-mails with the status Queued/Hold

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11.6.2 Viewing Project-specific Dispatch Processes Installation-wide

The Project mail overview tab in the Options->Platform cockpit menu gives a centraloverview of all mail processes that can be initiated from the current installation.

� You can display mail activity from any desired period in time.

� Listed for each mail activity are the name of the project, precise dispatch date,project type, field time, e-mail subject and number of mails submitted.

� Excluded from the count are mail submission processes from deleted projects.

� Mail activities are arranged by project.

� Access to this tab is only possible for staff with root or admin rights. These mem-bers of staff may see mail activities for those projects for which their team holdsread rights.

Figure 11.11 Overview of mail processes on an EFS Survey installation

Read rights for “platform_cockpit” are required to view and open the Options->Platform cockpit menu.

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12 Reporting

12.1 Field Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 495

12.2 Reporting and Statistic Tools for Individual Projects . . . . . 496

12.3 Field Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 497

12.4 Online Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 506

12.5 Open-ended Answers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 507

12.6 Editing Individual Participant Records Online . . . . . . . . . 507

12.7 Deleting Result Data Selectively . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 510

12.8 Protecting the Results of Selected Questions from Unauthorized Viewing511

12.9 Enabling Customers to View Survey Results . . . . . . . . . . 513

12.10 Creating Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 514

12.11 Importing Data from Other Sources for Evaluation in EFS. . 515

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12.1 Field Overview

12 Reporting

12.1 Field Overview

A field overview for the whole EFS installation is displayed in the Projects->Fieldoverview menu.

Figure 12.1 Field overview

The “Status of projects” table lists all activated projects in alphabetical order. Optio-nally, forum discussions can be displayed from EFS 8.0.

The following information is displayed for each project:

� Title: By clicking on the title, you can open the detailed field report of the respec-tive project (Chapter 12.3, p. 497).

� Type: Displays an abbreviation for the respective project type. See Chapter 3.1,p. 55, for an overview containing explanations of all project types.

� Status: Project status, see Chapter 3.6.1, p. 69.

� Project start and end

� Size of random sample: Displays the total number of participants.

� Completed interviews: Displays the number of participants who have completedthe whole questionnaire.

� Active: Displays the number of participants who are currently active in the respec-tive project.

You can decide for yourself whether you want to use the new possibility to displayforum discussions in the field overview (Chapter 3.1.6, p. 57). If you wish to use it,open the dialog Edit settings for all current forum topics and tick the checkbox“Treat as qualitative project”. If you subsequently create your forum topics fromwithin the project list, this option will be enabled automatically.

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12 Reporting

Restricting the field overview

Using the search function, you can restrict the field overview to specific projects. E.g.the list can be restricted to those projects which are in the field and which have beenaccessed within the last two hours.The following search criteria are available:

� Project title

� Display type: The drop-down list provides you with often needed combinations ofproject status, field period and time intervals, e.g. “Show only active projects infield”, “Show only expired projects” or “Show only projects that will expire withinthe next (7/14/21) days”.

� Sorting by one of the following criteria: “Project title”, “Size of random sample”,“Completed interviews”, “Active”, “Start of project”, “End of project”

� Period considered for the column “Active”

If several criteria are used at once, AND conjunctions will be used.

12.2 Reporting and Statistic Tools for Individual Projects

In the Statistics menu of individual projects, you can find various reporting features,and auxiliary functions for evaluating and processing data.

� The Field report that automatically appears in the content area when the menu isopened provides you with brief and concise information on the essential characte-ristic data of a study. See Chapter 12.3, p. 497.

� As early as during the field phase, the Online statistics show you the survey datawhich have been collected so far in a graphical format. After clicking on the Onlinestatistics menu item, you can select individual questions from a list by clickingand then output univariate frequency distributions for the respective questions asa bar diagram or create the same for all questions combined. See Chapter 12.4,p. 506.

� Open-ended answers lists the answers to open-ended questions given by the surveyparticipants in a table. See Chapter 12.5, p. 507.

� In the Detail view menu you can access the individual respondent records. SeeChapter 12.6, p. 507.

� Quality correction helps to identify participants who simply “clicked through”. SeeChapter 13.12, p. 549.

� Data cleaning enables you to remove irrelevant data automatically (e.g. if partici-pants pass various parallel filter branches while skipping forward and backward).See Chapter 13.11, p. 544.

� The Delete data feature empowers you to selectively delete result data. See Chapter12.7, p. 510.

Furthermore, in the Reporting menu, you can create reports on your survey directlyin EFS. See Chapter 12.10, p. 514.

For the forum discussions which can be included in the field overview from EFS 8.0,you can search or restrict the list only by the available statuses “in the field” and“inactive”. Other statuses are not used for this project type.

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12.3 Field Report

Figure 12.2 The “Statistics” menu with a part of the field report

12.3 Field Report

The Field report provides information on the essential characteristic data of a study. Itcontains

� statistical information, broken down by gross and net sample

� access statistics listing, for example, the time of days with the most accesses andthe average number of participants per day and week

From release 8.0, EFS Reporting + will be available, in addition to the standardreporting. EFS Reporting + is Globalpark’s new complete solution for the evalua-tion of results of EFS Survey and EFS Panel projects. The manual is available fordownload in customer center.

EFS Reporting + is optionally leasable. If you are interested, please contact yourGlobalpark sales representative for further information.

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12 Reporting

� drop-out statistics which show you on which questionnaire page most participantsdropped out. If the drop-out rate is too high, you can react by changing the ques-tionnaire dramaturgy. Errors, for example in filter setting, can also be detected byanalyzing the drop-out statistics.

� quota statistics

You can invoke the field report by selecting the desired project from the project list andthen clicking on the Statistics menu item.

12.3.1 Diagram

The diagram belonging to the field report gives you a quick overview of the progressmade in the field phase.

Figure 12.3 Diagram representing the key data

The highlight colors indicate the participants’ disposition codes (see Chapter 12.3.3,p. 501).

Defining the target value for a project

On the Target value tab, you can define a target value for the project, which will beshown in the diagram and thus allows you to visually monitor your success.

12.3.2 The Field Report in Detail

The following table illustrates the values used in the field report. See the followingChapter for a breakdown of the disposition codes.

Section Line Description Disposition codes

Anonymous projects

Personalisedprojects

Total sample: gross 1

Total Population (e.g. all cases in the list of participants or the number of pop-ups)Please note the instructions regar-ding observance of disposition code 20 in Chapter12.3.3, p. 501.

(20),21,22,31,36,37

11, 14, 15, 12, 21, 22, 23, 31, 32, 35, 36, 37, 41

Table 12.1 Meaning of the terms used in the field report

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12.3 Field Report

Not yet invited Not yet invited participants. These include the sample-neutral drop-outs counted in the total sample.

11

E-mail could not be delivered

Participants to whom e-mail could not be delivered. These include the sample-neutral drop-outs also coun-ted in the total sample.

14

Cannot be reached Participants marked manually as not available. These include the sample-neutral drop-outs also counted in the total sample.

15

Rejected at login (quota closed)

Participants rejected at login. These include the sample-neutral drop-outs also counted in the total sample.

35

Rejected (quota closed)

Rejected participants. These include the sample-neutral drop-outs also counted in the total sample.

36 36

Screened out Screened out participants. These include the sample-neutral drop-outs also counted in the total sample.

37 37

Quota closed Participants filtered out prior to sur-vey commencement These include the sample-neutral drop-outs also counted in the total sample.

41

Drop-outs neutral to the sample

Errors in the address list, addresses that do not exist (anymore), scree-ned-out participants (incl. those screened out by quotas) The value for sample-neutral drop-outs is the sum of participants listed in the rows in this regard. These par-ticipants are counted in the overall sample but are not included in the adjusted overall sample.

36, 37 11, 14, 15, 35, 36, 37, 41

Adjusted overall sample: gross 2

Total Gross 2 equals gross 1 minus the sample-neutral drop-outs explained above.Please note the instructions regar-ding observance of disposition code 20 in Chapter 12.3.3, p. 501.

(20), 21,22,31 12,21,22,23,31, 32

Active Participants with disposition code 12. These are counted in the adjusted overall sample.

12

Not yet started Participants with disposition code 20 if the project is configured accordin-gly. These are counted in the adjus-ted overall sample. Please note the instructions regar-ding observance of disposition code 20 in Chapter 12.3.3, p. 501.

used-defined 20

(cont.)Section Line Description Disposition codes


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12 Reporting

Drop-outs relevant to the sample

This includes participants who are still unknown or have not begun the survey. This value is the sum of the partici-pants listed in the two rows above with disposition codes 12 and 20 (if set accordingly). These participants are counted in the overall sample but are not included in net participation.

20 12

Net participation Total The net sample includes the comple-ted interviews as well as participants who are currently active or have interrupted the survey.Please note the instructions regar-ding observance of disposition code 20 in Chapter 12.3.3, p. 501.

(20), 21, 22, 31 21, 22, 23, 31, 32

Completed Participants with disposition code 31 and 32. These are counted in net participation.

31 31, 32

Currently responding Participants with disposition code 21 and 23. These are counted in net par-ticipation.

21 21, 23

Suspended Participants with disposition code 22. These are counted in net participa-tion.

22 22

Not yet started Participants with disposition code 20 if the project is configured accordin-gly. Please note the instructions regar-ding observance of disposition code 20 in Chapter 12.3.3, p. 501.

used-defined 20

Key statistics Response rate • Anonymous projects: With pop-up surveys, the number of pop-up call-ups is defined in a manner comparable with the number of invitations in the case of persona-lized questionnaires. With banner surveys and entry via a link, it is not recommended, from a metho-dological point of view, to calculate a response rate.

• Personalized projects:Percentage share of persons actually partici-pating in the survey among those who were asked to participate.

Net / gross 2 Net / gross 2



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12.3 Field Report

12.3.3 Disposition Codes

Every participant in a field has a so-called disposition code which describes their statusin the field. This records, for example, whether participants have already been invited

Key statistics Completion rate The completion rate equals the share of completed interviews in the adjus-ted sample.• Anonymous projects: Ratio of the

number of completely finished interviews to the number of per-sons who have received a pop-up window to the survey or clicked on a banner or the link to the survey (gross 2).

• Personalized projects: Ratio of the number of completely finished interviews to the number of parti-cipants who have been invited and could be reached (gross 2).

31 / gross 2 * 100

31+32 / gross 2 * 100

Key statistics Variable rate The variable rate is calculated from the number of those interviews which have been completed up to the questionnaire page X that is marked with a variable page marker. See Chapter 12.3.8, p. 505.

Number of parti-cipants up to page X / gross 2

Number of parti-cipants up to page X / gross 2

Key statistics Participants per hour The number of participants per hour is indicated• for all participants irrespective of

their disposition code.• additionally for all participants who

have fully completed the survey.

All and 31, 32 All and 31, 32

Key statistics Participants per day The number of participants per day is indicated• for all participants irrespective of




Key statistics Participants per week

The number of participants per week is indicated• for all participants irrespective of




Key statistics Mean processing time

The mean processing time is the mean value of the processing time for all those respondents who have completed the questionnaire without interruption; i. e. it is the sum of the processing times (variable “duration”, see Table 13.2) for all respondents with disposition code 31, divided by the number of those respondents. Participants who interrupted the survey and resumed it at a later stage (disposition code 32) will not be included.

31 31,32



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12 Reporting

and whether they have already begun the survey or completed it. The field statistics,which builds on these statuses, gives you extensive information on the status of yourfield, i.e. your survey, at any time.

The disposition codes have two digits. The areas are defined as follows:

� 10s: before the survey

� 20s: during the survey

� 30s: after the survey

The disposition codes are mutually exclusive: Any person can have only one dispositioncode at any given time. Therefore, the status variable can only assume one of the abovecharacteristics at a time. The majority of disposition codes is assigned automaticallyand changed depending on the progress of the survey.

Overview

The following table lists the codes used in EFS.

Disposition code

Status Comment

11 Not yet invited

12 Active The link has not yet been used.

13 Inactive Only on EFS Panel installations: If you change the panel status of panelists to “inactive” or “deleted”, their disposition code will be changed to 13 in all samples in which they had dispo-sition code 11 or 12 so far (i.e. they haven’t participated yet). Thus, the panelists can not start any new surveys, even if they have already been invited.

14 E-mail could not be delivered

Assigned automatically if the mail server does not accept a mail repeatedly or if it is not possible to connect to the mail server at all repeatedly. Per default, four attempts are made. The number can be configured, see Chapter 11.5.2, p. 488.

15 Cannot be rea-ched

This code is used in order to mark participants that cannot be reached. You will be notified that mails could not be delivered by a means outside the EFS system:• through messages that take place offline (for example by

post or telephone).• through out-of-office mails, messages regarding a full

mailbox, messages from the postmaster that an e-mail address no longer exists or that a further delivery attempt will follow, etc. Because these e-mails are directed at the sender of an invitation or follow a return path, they can not be documented by EFS.

In all of these cases the assignment of the code must be done manually according to the instructions in Chapter 10.2.5, p. 422. You can use the trim participants function, described in Chapter 10.2.13, p. 432, to assist you.

Only in anony-mous projects: 20

Not yet started The first page of an anonymous project has been called or delivered (pop-up window) and cancelled. To find out what evaluation options this special disposition code involves, ple-ase see Chapter12.3.4, p. 503.

Table 12.2 Disposition codes

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12.3 Field Report

12.3.4 Allocating Code 20 to either Gross or Net

For anonymous surveys, disposition code 20 will be set when the first page is invoked.Depending on the type of survey, it may make sense in an evaluation to allocate parti-cipants with this disposition code either into gross or net:

� In the case of pop-up surveys using n-viz procedures, it makes sense to classifyparticipants with this disposition code into gross, because the survey is shown tothem automatically.

� In the case of banner surveys, participants with disposition code 20 would be allo-cated into net because the respondents actively invoke the survey.

21 Currently responding

The participant is answering the survey at the moment. • In anonymous projects, this disposition code is assigned if

at least the first page has been viewed and confirmed by clicking on the Submit button.

• In all other project types, this disposition code is assigned as soon as the first page has been opened.

22 Suspended At least 30 minutes of inactivity have been observed.

23 Resumed The survey has been resumed after an interruption.

31 Completed The survey has been successfully completed.

32 Completed after break

The survey was interrupted during its course, but has been resumed and successfully completed.

35 Rejected at login (quota closed)

Is set for respondents in personalized projects who want to use the link from the invitation mail to log into the survey after a quota has been closed.

36 Rejected (quota closed)

Status 36 and 37 are set in a project with quotas when an intermediate final page has been reached. The survey admi-nistrator can use these codes to mark respondents as rejected (i.e. screened out by quota; there are already enough partici-pants with the respective features) or screened out (= unsui-table). The status to be set is manually specified by the administrator at the intermediate final page.

37 Screened out Status 36 and 37 are set in a project with quotas when an intermediate final page has been reached. The survey admi-nistrator can use these codes to mark respondents as rejected (i.e. screened out by quota; there are already enough partici-pants with the respective features) or screened out (= unsui-table). The status to be set is manually specified by the administrator at the intermediate final page.

41 Filtered out before the beginning of the survey, because quota is already closed.

If a quota is full, this status will be assigned to all participants, who match the quota condition, but nevertheless have not started with the survey yet. If one of these participants tries to log in, then he will be rejec-ted and the disposition code will be set to 35.

Access to the disposition code of the survey participants is protected with the“show_dispcode” right. If you hold read rights to “show_dispcode”, you can view,use, or export the disposition code in various places of EFS.

(cont.)Disposi-tion code

Status Comment

Table 12.2 Disposition codes

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You can decide for yourself how participants with disposition code 20 will be allocatedin a field report. To do so, switch to the Project properties->Survey options menu, andselect the desired option from the field labeled “This setting allows you to control howdisposition code 20 is to be allocated in the field report”.

12.3.5 Restricting the Field Report

The field report can be limited to specific disposition codes or variable characteristics.The following options are available:

� disposition codes “completed” = 31, “completed after break” = 32, “screened out”= 37 and “all other status levels”.

� project variables and URL parameters. Exception: Variables of text question types(141, 142, 143, 144, 363), user-defined question variables (question type 911) anduser-defined variables cannot be used for restriction purposes.


1. Click the Configuration button.

2. In the upper section disable, if necessary, the disposition codes not to be used torestrict the basis.

3. If you wish to make restrictions using a project variable, select the latter and con-firm with Continue.

4. In the next step select the desired variable characteristic.

5. Confirm again. The restricted field report is issued.

In order to undo the field report restriction, switch back to the Configuration dialog,select “Delete current restriction” and confirm with Continue.

12.3.6 Splitting the Field Report

You can split the field report by means of a specific variable.

� The following variables are available for all project types: project variables(v_000n), URL parameters (c_000n), user-defined variables (p_000n), quota IDs(quota), language ID (language) and outmode (outmode).

� Open-ended answers can be used as split variables. But if you do so, please mindthat due to the high number of differing entries, it may not be possible to displaythe split data properly.

� Personalized surveys: “Select box” and “radio button” participant variables may beused, provided that answer categories have been defined.

� Employee surveys: To protect the privacy of participants, participant variables can-not be used for splitting. The Org Processor variables in Employee surveys(org_allocation_x, org_code_x, org_function_x) are not available for splitting eit-her: The Org Processor provides a comfortable overview on the return data of indi-vidual units.

Please proceed as follows: Switch to the Split tab, and select the desired split variablefrom the drop-down list. After that, confirm by clicking on Save. The data in the fieldreport will now be split based on the variable you chose. You can export the data as anMS Excel file and process them externally (e.g. create diagrams using MS Excel).

Read rights for “config_fieldreport” are required for accessing the configurationoptions.

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12.3 Field Report

12.3.7 Exporting the Field Report

You can download the field report in MS Excel file format, e. g. in order to pass the dataon to your customers or to plot charts or graphs. This is particularly useful if you needthe data of a field report that is restricted by configuration or has been split using thesplit function (see previous chapters): The field report will be exported in its currentconfiguration.

In order to initiate the export, click on the Excel export tab and save the excel file toyour computer. The excel file has an appealing layout, i.e. if necessary, you can directlypass on or present your data.

Figure 12.4 Excel export of the field report

12.3.8 Setting a Variable Page Marker

Using the so-called variable page marker allows you to determine how many peoplehave completed the survey up to a specific questionnaire page X. Using this function isadvisable, for example, if a prize draw or an order form for a newsletter which is not ofinterest to all respondents are offered at the end of your questionnaire. A respondentwho drops out of the survey in such a situation would usually be classified as a drop-out although the actual questionnaire has been completed. If you are using the vari-able page marker, the field report indicates the variable rate which results from thenumber of respondents who have reached the questionnaire page X marked with avariable page marker (variable rate = number of participants up to page X / gross 2).

To set the page marker, switch to the questionnaire view via Questionnaire editor, clickon the Edit page icon, and then select the Page properties tab (also refer to Chapter

Read rights for “stat_split” are required for accessing the split options.

If an Excel file is opened on a computer running with Windows 7 and Excel 2007,depending on the circumstances, a message may be displayed which notifies youthat the file is corrupted. This problem is caused by an extension provided by a third-party supplier. Until further notice, please proceed as follows: Save the file locally.Then, open the saved file, allowing Excel to repair it. Finally, save the file again.

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4.5, p. 131) of the required page. Tick the “Set universal page marker” checkbox, andthen confirm by clicking on Change. The respective page will then be marked with an“M” in the questionnaire view.

12.4 Online Statistics

As early as during the field phase, the online statistics give you an overview of thesurvey data gathered up to that point.

In a first step, you must specify which project data the statistics are supposed to cover:

� By ticking the checkboxes for a specific question or ticking the “Tick all checkbo-xes” checkbox, you can specify whether you want to view all survey results, only aselection or the results for a specific question.

� If you tick the “Dump variable names and types” checkbox, the online statistics willadditionally display the names of variables, question types and labels.

In this case, the online statistics will display the following information for the selectedquestions:

� the number of persons who have chosen a characteristic.

� the percentage of respondents is represented in numbers and as a bar diagram.

� the total number of persons who have given a valid answer to a question.

Figure 12.5 Online statistics for a multiple response question and a matrix

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12.5 Open-ended Answers

12.4.1 Restricting the Online Statistics

The online statistics can be limited to specific disposition codes or variable characteri-stics. This feature works analogous to restricting the field report (see Chapter 12.3.5,p. 504).

12.4.2 Splitting the Online Statistics

The representation of the frequency counts in online statistics can be split using avariable, i.e. you can create cross tables. This feature works analogous to splitting thefield report (see Chapter 12.3.6, p. 504).

12.5 Open-ended Answers

In this menu, you can view the answers to open-ended questions.

12.5.1 Restricting the Open-Ended Answers

The open answers can be limited to specific disposition codes or variable characteris-tics. This feature works analogous to restricting the field report (see Chapter 12.3.5,p. 504).

12.6 Editing Individual Participant Records Online

If you have the required access rights, you can view, edit and delete the data records ofindividual survey participants in the EFS admin area.

Please note: Online statistics have no anonymity boundaries. I.e. it is not possible tohide values if the return rate falls short of a given minimum requirement. If youcompile data for customers you should therefore consider, depending on applicabledata protection provisions, generating a report with appropriate anonymity criteriain the reporting (see Chapter 12.10, p. 514) instead of simply printing out the onlinestatistics.


Read rights for “stat_split” is required for accessing the split options.

EFS 8.0 includes EFS Qualitative Analysis, Globalpark’s new solution for the evalu-ation of qualitative data. The manual is available from the customer center.

EFS Qualitative Analysis is optionally leasable. If you are interested, please contactyour Globalpark sales representative for further information.


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12.6.1 Access Restrictions for Accessing Data Records

For reasons of privacy, the Detail view menu is protected by special rights, i.e. its infor-mation and functions are not automatically available to every user:

� Authorization for data access:

– If the viewer has read rights to “report_testdata”, they can open the menuDetail view and see the results of the individual participants. A staff memberwho has this right, but none of the following additional rights, can viewvarious field data including the consecutive participant number (lfdn) and dis-position code, browser information and system variables as e.g. language, flipvariables and quota. They will not be able see the IP addresses or address data.

– If the viewer has additional read rights to “ip_addresses”, they will also see theIP addresses and host of participants.

– Additional read rights to “export_with_lfdn” enable you to access address dataand result data combined. A staff member with this right can see the names, e-mail addresses, code and tester status of participants, in addition to the fieldand result data.

� Authorization for editing data: Editing of result data is protected by a specific right.Writing authorization to “detail_view_edit” is required.

12.6.2 Overview of Data Records

The Projects->{Selected project}->Statistics->Detail view menu provides an overviewof the result data records. Depending on your access authorization (see Chapter 12.6.1,p. 508), the following will be visible:

� consecutive number and disposition code of the participants, and various additio-nal field data, browser information and system variables.

� IP address and host of the participants, if you have reading rights to “ip_addresses”

� in personalized projects, name, e-mail address, tester status and code of the parti-cipants, if you have reading authorization to “export_with_lfdn” .

Depending of your access rights and the project type, you can also edit the individualdata records using the functions in the column “Actions”:

� Viewing, see Chapter 12.6.3, p. 509.

� Editing, see Chapter 12.6.4, p. 509.

� Deleting, see Chapter 12.6.5, p. 510.

In the upper part of the dialog, you can find the selection criteria of the search function(period of access, disposition code, display of additional variables). From EFS 7.1, thedata records can be searched for e-mail addresses and names of the participants, too.

Also, using the View button you can open additional columns or hide superfluouscolumns.

508

12.6 Editing Individual Participant Records Online

Figure 12.6 Overview of result data records in the menu “Detail view“

12.6.3 Viewing Individual Data Records

To view the result data of a participant, click the Detail view icon in the overview. Thefollowing will be visible:

� depending on your access authorization (see Chapter 12.6.1, p. 508) the followinginformation:

– consecutive number (“lfdn”) and disposition code of the participants, andvarious additional field data, browser information and system variables.

– IP address and host of the participants, if you have reading rights for“ip_addresses”.

– in personalized projects, name, e-mail address, tester status and code of theparticipants, if you have reading authorization for “export_with_lfdn”.

� the survey results of the participant.

12.6.4 Editing Individual Data Records

To edit a result data record, click the Edit icon in the column “Actions”.

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Figure 12.7 Editing a participant´s result data

You can change open-ended answers by simply overwriting them. To change closedanswers, change the data by selecting another value in the drop-down lists.

12.6.5 Deleting Individual Data Records

You can delete individual records completely by clicking on the Delete icon. In perso-nalized projects, this will remove not only the field and result data, but the data inparticipant administration as well.

12.7 Deleting Result Data Selectively

Result data can be deleted selectively, i.e. the value of a specific variable for all partici-pants (e.g. an e-mail address determined in the course of the survey) will be completelyremoved from the records. This makes it possible, for example, to anonymize data lateron.

Please note that deleted records cannot be restored.

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12.8 Protecting the Results of Selected Questions from Unauthorized Viewing

When deleting, the respective variable is set to its default value, i.e. “-77” for numericfields and “NULL” for text fields. Delete operations are logged in project info underproject documentation.


1. Click on the Delete data menu item.

2. Choose the variable whose content you wish to delete from the records of all par-ticipants.

3. Confirm by clicking on Delete data.

For security reasons, this function is protected by a separate right: The menu itemlabeled Projects->{Selected project}->Statistics->Delete data is only visible to userswho have read rights to “report_erase_data”.

12.8 Protecting the Results of Selected Questions from Unauthorized Viewing

Often surveys contain questions requesting personal data, the results of which are notallowed to be viewed by all staff with access to the project. Therefore, EFS allows youto set up special protection against unauthorized viewing for selected individual ques-tions or for all questions.

For example, if you ask participants to enter their address at the end of an anonymoussurvey, you can protect the results of this specific question from being viewed by unau-thorized users: This will allow other staff members to edit the project as before, butthey will only be allowed to view or export the results of that question if they have thecorresponding read rights.

Protection will be maintained even if export and import operations are performed, theproject is copied or the question library is used.

12.8.1 “protect_questions” ACL Right

Access to the protection function is controlled via the “protect_questions” ACL right:

� If you have write rights for the “protect_questions” right, you will be allowed tomark questions as “protected” or to disable the protection of a question.

� If you have read rights for the “protect_questions” right, you will be allowed toview or export the results of protected questions.

� If you have neither read nor write rights, you can only see in the questionnaireeditor that a question has been marked as “protected”. You will not be able tochange the protection or view the results of that question.

12.8.2 Marking Questions as “Protected”

If you have write rights for the “protect_questions” right, you will be allowed to markquestions as “protected” or to disable the protection of a question. To do so, switch tothe question view, tick the checkbox labeled “Mark question as ’protected’”, and thenclick on Save.

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Figure 12.8 Marking a question as “Protected”

If you do not have read rights for the “protect_questions” right, you will be allowed tosee which questions have been marked, but not to disable protection or mark a newquestion as “protected”.

Finding protected questions

Protected questions are marked with an icon in the questionnaire and page views.

Figure 12.9 A page containing protected questions is marked in the questionnaire and page views

If the field is not shown in the question view, open the selection window by clickingon the more icon, and tick the desired checkboxes.

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12.9 Enabling Customers to View Survey Results

12.8.3 Effects of Protection on the Result Display

Export

If you have read rights for “protect_questions”, you can optionally restrict the range ofexported data. The following options are available:

� Export all questions

� Export “protected” questions only

� Export “unprotected” questions only

If a user who does not have read rights for the “protect_questions” right performs aresult data export, all variables from protected questions will be removed automati-cally.

If a user invokes a standard export template without having this right, variables fromprotected questions will be kept hidden.

Such a user will also not be able to create export templates containing variables fromprotected questions.

Field report and online statistics

A staff member who does not have read rights for the “protect_questions” right cannotview the protected questions - not in the selection of questions for online statistics norin the results display.

Splitting the field report using the variables of a protected question is also not possible.

Open-ended answers

In the open-ended answers menu, a staff member without the corresponding readrights likewise will not be able to view protected questions. The related result fields willremain empty.

Detail view

In the Detail view (see Chapter 12.6, p. 507), you can view the result data record foreach respondent. Without read rights for the “protect_questions” right, the answers toprotected questions will also be hidden here.

Data cleaning

If a staff member does not have read rights for the “protect_questions” right, he willbe unable to see the values of variables from protected questions, neither in the cleanedcolumn nor in the original column.

12.9 Enabling Customers to View Survey Results

If you wish to allow your staff and customers to view survey results without givingthem direct access to internal project settings, the use of EFS Survey Status is recom-mendable. It provides a quick overview of all key information and results, as early asduring the field phase. EFS Survey Status is separate from the admin area of the EFSinstallation, does not permit any alterations and thus prevents unintentional influen-cing of data. Users neither require introduction to the EFS software, nor are they givendirect access to internal settings.

The same restrictions apply to EFS Survey Status

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EFS Survey Status provides the following functions:

� field report

� online statistics

� open-ended answers

� drop-out statistics

� respondent export: This export contains the so called respondents, i.e. all thoseparticipants who actually participated in a survey. Such a data record is useful, forexample, if you want to inform an address provider which of his respondentsactually participated: You can give your address provider an account for EFSSurvey Status to log in and export lists of the respondents.

� EFS Survey reports: Result reports created with the EFS Survey Reporting (seeChapter 12.10, p. 514) can be published on EFS Survey Status.

� raw data export: export data records (the so-called raw data exports) can be createdand automatically made available in EFS Survey Status at predefined intervals withthe help of export macros. This can be useful, for example, when data have to beexported at regular intervals in a long-term study: You only need to configure themacro once, the exports are performed automatically.

� detail view, see Chapter 12.6, p. 507.

For detailed information on EFS Survey Status, please download the dedicated manu-als in customer center:

� The project managers manual explains how to set up EFS Survey Status accountsfor your customers and how to make the features required available.

� The users manual can be passed on to those customers who have access to thisplatform.

12.10 Creating Reports

The Reporting allows you to create complete reports with evaluation tables and chartsdirectly in EFS. The manual can be downloaded in the customer center at http://my.globalpark.com. Here is a summary of the most important functions:

� An EFS Survey report can contain several table evaluations and charts.

� It is capable of creating not only frequency counts, but also evaluation tables withcrossbreaks in up to 2 dimensions.

� Depending on the type of question, you can use simple or stacked bar charts, piecharts, polarity profiles or Web charts for the graphical display.

� You can generate new variables on the basis of existing questionnaire variables anduse them in evaluations.

� You can use the user interface to program reports or create several syntax templa-tes via a powerful syntax.

Please note:

- From EFS 7.1, EFS Survey Status is available in French.

- EFS Survey Status is an optionally leasable accessory tool. If you are interested inusing it, please contact your Globalpark sales representative for further informa-tion.

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12.11 Importing Data from Other Sources for Evaluation in EFS

� The reports can be generated and exported in HTML or Excel format. If you areworking on an EFS Survey installation with EFS Survey Status, you can make thereports available on it.

Read rights for “report_onlinereport” are required to use the Projects->{Selectedproject}->Reporting menu.


Externally collected data can be imported into an EFS project. This is particularlyimportant in employee surveys: If parts of the data are collected using paper-pencilquestionnaires, they have to be re-imported into EFS after scanning so that they canbe evaluated together with the data collected online.

The functional scope of the project data import in brief:

� This tool is available in personalized projects and employee surveys. The projectdata import is not implemented in anonymous projects, panel surveys and masterdata surveys.

� You can import

– all project variables (v_x), URL parameters (p_x), user-defined variables (c_x),participant variables (u_x), various system data (tester, code,date_of_first_access, date_of_last_access) and the disposition code.

– in project type “employee survey” the variables u_org_alloc (required for orga-nizational mapping) and u_offline (used to mark data from paper-pencil ques-tionnaires).

� An import template is available in CSV format, which you merely have to downloadand fill in. Alternatively, you can import a result data file used in another EFSproject: In this case, matching of the variables of source and target project is donevia the external variable names.

� Read rights for “ct42partadm” are required to use the project data import.

Before you start

Please note:

� The participant accounts for which you want to import data will be created auto-matically during the import process. They should not be created beforehand,otherwise the import will be impossible as the data records already exist. The pro-ject data import is not meant for overwriting existing data.

� The variables in which the imported data are to be stored have to be created inadvance. It is not possible to create new variables via this import.

� New characteristics can be created via the import if this is permitted for therespective variable. See Chapter 10.2.1, p. 412.

� It is not possible to upload externally collected loop data (Chapter 7.4, p. 314) intoEFS via project data import.

From release 8.0, EFS Reporting + will be available, in addition to the standardreporting described above. EFS Reporting + is Globalpark’s new complete solutionfor the evaluation of results of EFS Survey and EFS Panel projects. The manual isavailable for download in customer center.

EFS Reporting + is optionally leasable. If you are interested, please contact yourGlobalpark sales representative for further information.

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� A Microsoft Excel worksheet can have a maximum of 256 columns, i.e. it allows theimport of a maximum of 256 variables. If your project data import exceeds thisvalue, you should use another program instead of Excel for editing your importfile, then save this file in CSV format and import it.

� In some cases, import fails due to sheer file size of the Excel file. In this case, pleasesave the file in CSV format and import it.

� Project data import is limited to 2,400 variables.

12.11.1 Performing a Project Data Import

The project data import can be found in the Projects->{Selected projects}-> Projectdata import menu. It works analogously to the participant import described in Chapter10.2.7, p. 424.

� First, download the ready formatted import template.

� Open the template in an appropriate program (e.g. Excel) and enter the data. Ple-ase refer to Chapter 12.11.2, p. 516 for a detailed explanation of the file structure.Then save the file in Excel or CSV.

� Afterwards, import the data into EFS. During the import, you can use the previewfunction to double-check and, if necessary, change the data.

12.11.2 Formatting of the Import File in Detail

When filling in the import template or creating your own import file you have to con-sider various formatting rules.

� The import file can be created in Excel or CSV.

� An individual column is created for each variable to be imported. You can importthe following variables:

– all project variables (v_x)

– all URL parameters (p_x) and user-defined variables (c_x)

– all participant variables (u_x)

– only in project type “Employee survey”: u_metaname. For details on format-ting this variable, please check the EFS Employee project managers manual8.0, Chapter 8.12.

– various system data (tester, code, date_of_first_access, date of last access)

– only in project type “employee survey”: u_offline. For details on formattingthis variable, please check the EFS Employee project managers manual 7.0,Chapter 8.12.

– disposition code

� The first line usually contains the column label, i.e. in this case the names of therespective variables. This has the advantage that the software will automaticallyidentify and assign the columns to the appropriate database fields. If your importdata are values exported from another EFS project, you may alternatively use the

The project data import is meant for importing the entire data of a project, in par-ticular for evaluation purposes. If you wish to prefill individual variables with datafrom another EFS project, the Variable data import in the Project properties menumight be the better option. See Chapter 7.6, p. 346.

516


export file itself without re-formatting the column names: An option titled “Useexternal variable names for matching” is available for the import.

� As is the case with the normal participant import, the e-mail addresses must beunambiguous. Otherwise, please remember to activate the relevant option “Allowduplicate e-mail addresses”.

� If the participants do not have e-mail addresses, you have to create dummyaccounts. You can use e-mail addresses on the @3uu.eu domain: these addressesare owned by Globalpark, mails sent to them are deleted automatically.

� Blank fields of the import file will be filled with default values:

– participant variables: “text field” = blank, “selectbox” = 0

– project variables: Default missing values of EFS depending on data type

– default disposition code: completed = “31”

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13 Export

13.1 General Tips and Tricks on Exporting Data . . . . . . . . . . . . 522

13.2 Detailed Description of Result, Master and Address Data Export522

13.3 Exporting Participant and Status Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 528

13.4 Exporting Answers to Open Questions for Quantum . . . . . . 529

13.5 Special Functions for SAS Export . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 530

13.6 Special Functions for Fixed Format Export . . . . . . . . . . . . 531

13.7 Special Features for the Evaluation in SPSS . . . . . . . . . . 531

13.8 What do the Exported Result Data Reveal? . . . . . . . . . . . 533

13.9 EFS Survey Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 537

13.10 Defining Export Templates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 541

13.11 Data Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 544

13.12 Quality Correction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 549

13.13 RelevantID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 550

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13 Export

In the Projects module, various options for exporting project-related records can befound under the Export menu item of each individual project:

� Result or participant data can be exported, and diverse options are available forsetting the export file properties and limiting the record (see Chapter 13.2, p. 522).

� The questionnaire can be exported as an XML file, e.g. to transfer a project fromone EFS Survey installation to another (see Chapter 3.2.3, p. 60).

� SPSS macros and SPSS labels designed to facilitate the evaluation in SPSS can beexported (see Chapter 13.7, p. 531).

� If you export result data from a project with loops (Chapter 7.4.6, p. 323), you cancheck the status of your export job or download the complete file in the Exporttasks menu.

In EFS Panel installations, the Export menu item in the Panel module allows you toadditionally export panel-specific data (e.g. master data or address data of panelists).

Below, you will be first given a general introduction to the export process. Subse-quently, a detailed description will be given of the extensive functions for supportingthe export of result or address data. See Chapter 13.8, p. 533, for an overview of resultdata and possible preallocations. Chapter 13.7, p. 531 contains specific notes on theevaluation in SPSS. Finally, Chapter 13.10, p. 541 explains how to create your ownexport templates.

Before you start

Prior to exporting, you should consider exactly which data you need and which pro-grams are to be used for further evaluation.

Example: Exporting result data for evaluation in SPSS

The example below illustrates the export of project result data. The following require-ments should be met:

� Only the results of closed-ended questions should be exported.

� Only survey data of respondents who have completed the survey should be expor-ted.

� Further evaluation is conducted using SPSS.


1. Start the export process under Projects->{Selected project}-> Export by selectingthe data type “Data”, and confirm by clicking on Next.

2. In the list which then appears for selecting the export template, format and exten-sive fine tuning adjustments, you can make the desired restrictions. In the “Exportsettings” area, choose “SPSS” as the file format and “Project, closed-ended questi-ons only” as the export template. Leave the default settings for data compression(“No compression”) and language (“English (default)”) unchanged.

3. In the “Restrict range of exported data” area, select the respective example evalua-tion requirements in the “Restrict export to disposition codes” field: 31 (Comple-ted), 32 (Completed after break). Leave the remaining default settings unchanged.

4. Then, click on the Export button and reconfirm the export by clicking on Copy fileto local PC on the following page.

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5. The download will begin. A pop-up window will open, in which you can choose toeither open or save the file. Click on the Save button.

6. A further dialog window will open, in which you can choose the folder you wish tosave the file to. You can also rename the file. Confirm by clicking on Save.

7. Once the download has been completed you can close the window by clicking onClose window.

13.1 General Tips and Tricks on Exporting Data

The following applies to all exports:

1. Export duration

The exported data are not created in advance, they are created according to the settingsyou made the moment you click on the Export button. Depending on the desired con-tent, selected format and number of records, the export can therefore take a conside-rable amount of time.

2. First save, then open the file!

Once you create the file after having made all settings, a dialog window will open, inwhich you can choose whether you wish to save the file on your local PC or open itdirectly.

Please always save the file on your local PC. This procedure has several advantages:

� The file only needs to be created once. Newly creating the file each time wouldcause unnecessary load on the server.

� Depending on the browser used, you may not be able to open the actual applicationand specify the file type when opening the file directly. Instead the browser mayattempt to automatically open the file itself. However, it may be the case that thebrowser’s file type recognition was incorrectly implemented, i.e. the browser doesnot identify the file type correctly, cannot open the file and produces an error mes-sage.

13.2 Detailed Description of Result, Master and Address Data Export

13.2.1 Selecting the Appropriate File Format

The following formats are available:

Format Properties

CSV CSV (Character Separated Values) is an exchange format that is mainly used for exchanging data between different computer programs.

Table 13.1 File formats

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XLS The data can be directly exported to a file in the XLS format used by Microsoft Excel. As a maximum of 256 columns can be inserted into an Excel worksheet, the exported data are automatically distributed on several worksheets, as necessary.Please note: If you allow only numerical entries in an open answer (e.g. by using corresponding plausibility checks or input formats), these details will be exported nevertheless as strings. For evaluation purposes it occasionally makes sense to format these answers as numbers instead, Excel does not automatically make this format though. Please proceed as follows:• In older versions of Excel you mark the corresponding cells first. Then

choose in the Format->Cells menu the option “number” on the Numbers tab and confirm with OK.

• In newer versions of Excel the function for changing the cell format is hidden under the exclamation mark which you find beside the cells.

Triple-S For exports in Triple-S, an XML description file and a record file are generated. These files are always output in compressed format, by default as a zip file, unless other specifications were made.Please note: As Triple-S only supports character set ISO-8859-1, Triple-S exports are always in character set ISO-8859-1 even if another character set has been specified. As a result, problems may arise if non-ASCII characters are used. Should this occur, export the closed-ended question results as a worka-round with Triple-S and select another format for open-ended answers.

topStud This export format provides an interface to TopCom’s offline evaluation soft-ware TopStud.Please contact TopCom directly at http://www.topcom.de if you have any questions about the TopStud format and the export interface.

XML XML files can be converted into any other format, or displayed using self-writ-ten XSLT-style sheets.

HTML Address or result data exported as an HTML file have the advantage that they can be immediately opened and viewed in the browser. If you wish to forward survey data, this format has the advantage that it can be opened with an Inter-net browser without requiring a special program.

SPSS File format for the SPSS evaluation program.

SPSS Portable file format

Files in this format can be opened by SPSS and other statistics programs, such as Statistica. You can use it if you are editing the exported files in a statistics program other than SPSS.

SAS File format for the SAS evaluation program.

Fixed Format In this format, the columns are separated by blank spaces. Fixed Format is employed, for example, if the Quantum program is being used for evaluation.

Format Properties


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13 Export

Quantum Data files for further evaluation in Quantum. The exported zip folder contains the actual result data and additionally the basic, tab, and axis files.To supplement this feature, the following optional settings are available:• You can optionally adjust column widths or have them automatically expan-

ded.• The sys missings in the Quantum axis file can optionally be output.• The text values can in be output in the Quantum data.• The Quantum table names are automatically generated from the internal

variable names.Please note: Quantum has limitations regarding the number of axes. If an exported file contains too many axes, you should edit them manually in Quan-tum.In the case of questions with multiple response lists, note the following: Quan-tum can only determine a name for the axis if the variable names for the items of a question begin with the same characters. (For example, Quantum can generate the name “f1” from the variable names “f1_1”, “f1_2” and “f1_3”). See Chapter 14.2.2, p. 561, for instructions on changing the variable names.

Format Properties


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13.2.2 Compressing Files

The following options are available for exporting a file in compressed format:

� No compression

� Zip format: commonly used format on Windows machines

� Tape archive (.tar.gz): commonly used format on UNIX machines

The default setting is “No compression”.

Please take into consideration that, due to manufacturers’ specifications, someexport formats are subject to certain restrictions:

- A maximum of 256 columns can be inserted into an MS Excel worksheet. If youopen an exported CSV file in Microsoft Excel, all further columns will by cut off byMicrosoft Excel. You can alternatively use the Excel export function integrated inEFS Survey, which automatically distributes the exported data on several work-sheets.

- If an Excel file is opened on a computer running with Windows 7 and Excel 2007,depending on the circumstances, a message may be displayed which notifies youthat the file is corrupted. This problem is caused by an extension provided by a third-party supplier. Until further notice, please proceed as follows: Save the file locally.Then, open the saved file, allowing Excel to repair it. Finally, save the file again.

- SPSS is not UTF-8 compatible Therefore, please note the details in Chapter 13.2.5,p. 526 on selecting a character set for an SPSS export.

- SPSS truncates string variables after 255 characters. It is therefore recommendedthat you export the answers separately to open-ended questions in another format(e.g. XLS, CSV) and use a different program for viewing the answers.

- SPSS will only transfer user-defined missing values for text variables, if the variab-les’ field is no more than eight characters wide.

- Both in Microsoft Excel as well as in SPSS, the file size is restricted by the amountof available RAM.

- Up to Excel 2000, the maximum size of a Microsoft Excel file is 64 MB. As of Excel2002 the maximum file size is 128 MB.

- The size of editable files is also restricted by the amount of RAM available on thecomputer in use.

- Microsoft Excel as well as OpenOffice are known to not correctly render or processvery long cell contents.

- All columns in Fixed format export files have at least the size of the missing definedfor the data type (e. g. size of 3 for the missing value “-77”).

Compression is automatically performed for exports of result data in Triple-S for-mat. If you have made no settings yourself, a zip file will be created.

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13.2.3 Selecting an Export Template

The following export templates are available:

� Complete project: All project result data will be exported, including time variables,which provide information on survey processing time.

� Project without timestamps: All project result data will be exported, with theexception of time variables.

� Project, open-ended questions only: Only questions with “varchar” type open-ended text fields will be exported. Please note: From EFS 8.0, EFS Qualitative Ana-lysis is optionally available. It is Globalpark’s new solution for the evaluation ofqualitative data. Please check out the introductory video and download the manualfrom customer center.

� Project, closed-ended questions only: Only closed-ended questions (“int” type) willbe exported.

� In personalized projects:

– Participant data for current project: Only the address data of the participantsassigned to the project will be exported.

– Only if you have the required additional access right, you can access the com-bined participant data and result data export.

For panel surveys in EFS Panel installations, you have the additional option of expor-ting

� Master data for project: Only the master data of the participants assigned to theproject will be exported.

13.2.4 Restricting Export to Individual Panel Groups

For panel surveys in EFS Panel installations, you have the additional option of eitherexporting data from the entire panel or restricting the export to individual panelgroups by choosing the respective option from the drop-down list in the “Restrictexport to” field.

13.2.5 Selecting the Language and Charset

For multilingual projects you can choose the language in which questionnaire textsare to be exported in the “Language” field. This setting only affects the language of textelements (e.g. questions texts, answer options) that are included in the SPSS export aslabels, and does not affect exported survey data. See Chapter 15.6, p. 587, for detailedinformation on the evaluation of multilingual projects, in particular.

In the Template editor menu, you can create and save your own export templates.This is particularly recommendable, if you frequently only export data for a selec-tion of variables: Selective export saves you from having to repeatedly choose vari-ables.

If you export a SPSS file for a project encoded in UTF8, please note that SPSS is notUTF-8-capable. I.e. in order to ensure, for example, that umlauts will be correctlyoutput in the labels for a German survey, the SPSS export must be performed in theappropriate Central European character set ISO-8859-1. For languages whichrequire double-byte characters, the labels cannot be output correctly due to thetechnical restriction of SPSS.

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Set the character set of the exported data record in the field “Character set”. This set-ting affects the entire export data record, i.e. for both the questionnaire texts and anyexisting open-ended questions.

13.2.6 User-Defined Missing Values in Exported Data

You can define missing values for strings, numbers, calendar data and timestamps forfurther processing in SPSS. Here, the following applies:

� SPSS accepts user-defined missing values for calendar data and timestamps.

� Missing values for number fields can be numeric or empty. However, SPSS onlyaccepts numeric values.

� In the case of numeric values, SPSS accepts a maximum of three variables per field.Missing values defined in the questionnaire editor are included in the process.

� SPSS does not accept user-defined missing values for string variables.

� For text fields, different missing values can be entered, depending on whether thefields were not seen (default value: –66) or were seen, but not edited (-99).

The default setting for missing values is documented in Table 13.3.

13.2.7 Removing Line Breaks

Excel and OpenOffice are not able to process and display CSV files containing linebreaks properly. If you activate the field “Remove line breaks in values from export file”the line breaks will be removed.

13.2.8 Replacing Codes with Labels in Excel Files

If you export result data in XLS format (MS Excel), you have the option of replacingnumeric codes with labels. To do so, navigate to the “Advanced options” section of theexport dialog, and tick the checkbox labeled “Replace numeric codes with their labels”.

13.2.9 Restricting the Range of Exported Data

Restricting the range of data to a specific period

You can restrict the range of data collected during a certain period by making therespective selection in the “Last change from / until” fields.

Restricting the range of data using consecutive participant numbering

By making a respective entry in the “Lowest / Highest consecutive number” fields, youcan restrict the range to survey data of a specific block of respondents who have suc-cessively completed the questionnaire.

Restricting the range of data to certain disposition codes

If you are authorized to access disposition codes (read right for show_dispcode), youcan restrict export to survey data of respondents with a certain disposition code.

To do so, untick all disposition checkboxes in the “Restrict export to disposition codes”field, for which no survey data are to be exported.

You should ensure that no values defined elsewhere in the questionnaire as charac-teristics for alternative answers are used as missing values.

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Available are the disposition codes greater than/equal 20 (you can find an overview ofthe disposition codes in Table 12.2). No result data exist for disposition codes < 20,therefore a result data export for such codes is not advisable. By default, the data of allparticipants with disposition codes between 21 and 42 will be exported.

Exporting protected questions

If your project contains questions which are marked as “protected” and you have readrights for “protect_questions”, you can choose between various options when expor-ting result data:

� Export all questions

� Export “protected” questions only

� Export “unprotected” questions only

Restricting to participant groups

In personalized projects, you can limit the export to specific participant groups, defi-ned by the characteristics of the participant variable “u_group”.

To do so, when exporting result data, select the appropriate group in the “Restrict toparticipant groups” field of the “Restrict range of exported data” section.

Selective export

If you have ticked the checkbox for the “Selective export (Please click here, if you wantto specify which variable shall be exported)” field, you have the option of performing aselective export, i.e. you can choose from the range of available variables.

Once you have confirmed the selection by clicking on the Export button, the list ofpossible variables will be displayed and you can choose those desired. See Chapter 13.8,p. 533, for an overview of variables used in EFS Survey.

13.2.10 Excel Export with Long Variable Names and Meta Information

If you export result data in XLS format (MS Excel), you have the option of adding metainformation. In this case, additional columns with the following information will beinserted in the export file header:

� 1. Line: Question title

� 2. Line: Plain text description of the variable. In the case of questions with multipleresponse lists, the respective answer option is specified.

� 3. Line: external variable name

If you want to use this option, tick the checkbox “Display meta information asadditional column heading (excel export only)” in the “Advanced options” section.

13.3 Exporting Participant and Status Codes

The export type “Participant and status codes”, which is is available for personalizedprojects, enables you to determine the disposition code and last access for each surveyparticipant.

The export file contains the following information:

� Participant code: The code used to access the survey.

� Disposition code: The selected disposition codes.

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13.4 Exporting Answers to Open Questions for Quantum

� “Tester” variable: Does the participant have tester status?

� Last accessed: Date and time of when the survey was last accessed.

13.4 Exporting Answers to Open Questions for Quantum

Some evaluation programs, such as Quantum, place special demands on exportrecords for open-ended questions: Answers should not only be separated from the ans-wers to closed-ended questions, but their display should also be different. Whereas inthe case of normal export records, consecutive numbers and result variables of arespondent are displayed side by side in the columns of a single row, the individualanswers of a respondent should be displayed in rows one above the other.

The “Data (open end answers only; optimized for column display in Quantum)” datatype is available under Projects->{Selected project}->Export, and can be used to createsuch a record. When downloading, please proceed as follows:

1. Select the “Data (open-ended answers only; formats e.g. SPSS, CSV, fixed format,Quantum, MS Excel...)” data type.

2. After that, you can choose the format and make further settings as usual.

3. Confirm by clicking on Export, and download the file as usual.

4. Then open the record in the appropriate evaluation program.

The exported record contains three columns:

� lfdn: the respondent’s consecutive number

� varname: the variable of the open text field

� value: the entry made by the respondent

Figure 13.1 Answers of three respondents to two open-ended questions, exported in CVS format

The above figure shows an example of a record exported in CSV format and opened inExcel.

The exported data record contains only the participant codes, but does not containrespondent-specific information or result data. This will guarantee the participants’anonymity if, for example, you pass this data record on to the customer who com-missioned the project.

Please note that the consecutive number is displayed right-aligned. Depending onthe program used to open the record, the consecutive number will be positionedright next to the variable name.

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13.5 Special Functions for SAS Export

The SAS export generates an SPSS Portable-file, a text file with labels and a macro thatcan be executed in SAS. The macro can be used to label the SPSS Portable file andconvert it into an SAS data table.

13.5.1 Notes on SAS

Since the SAS export is performed using an SPSS Portable file, it is subject to thetechnical default settings and restrictions of SPSS.

Character set

SPSS is not UTF-8-capable, i.e. in order to ensure, for example, that umlauts will becorrectly output in the labels of the SAS table for a German survey, the SAS exportmust be performed in the appropriate Central European character set ISO-8859-1. Forlanguages which require double-byte characters, the labels cannot be output correctlydue to the technical restriction of SPSS.

Missings

The default settings for missing values (see Chapter 13.8, p. 533 and 13.2.6, p. 527) areinterpreted as follows during SAS export:

� “-77” is defined as a missing in both SPSS and SAS. Therefore, it is representedwith a period (“.”) in SAS.

� “-66”, “-99” and “0” are not defined as missings in SAS. Accordingly, they are inter-preted and displayed as number values.

13.5.2 Making Default Settings for the Further Processing of the SAS Files

In order to apply the macro to the other files without any further configuration afterthe SAS export, you must make the following default settings in the Staff->Ownaccount->Preferences menu on the Common settings tab before exporting the data:

� Standard directory for SAS exports on your computer: This directory path is copiedinto the SAS macro generated by EFS Survey. Therefore, the compressed file mustbe located in this directory for you to apply the macro to it successfully. Defaultsetting: c:\Documents and Settings\user name\Desktop\

� SAS library in which the SAS macro generated by EFS Survey is to store the con-verted data: The SAS macro will store the data temporarily in this library. You canaccess and then save the data from there. Default setting: work.export, where“work” is the name of the library and “export” is the user-defined name of the file.

13.5.3 Exporting and Opening SAS Files


1. In the Export menu, set the desired export options as usual, including the desiredfile compression (zip or tar). Also, please observe the above note on selecting thecharacter set. After that, initiate the export process.

2. Save the compressed file locally in the directory that you chose under Staff-> Ownaccount->Preferences.

You only need SAS to edit the export files, SPSS is not required.

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13.6 Special Functions for Fixed Format Export

3. Open the compressed file. It contains the three files export.por (SPSS Portable filecontaining the data), export.txt (text file with labels) and macro.sas (Macro).

4. Open the macro by double-clicking it.

5. To execute the macro, click on the Execute icon.

6. The data table will now automatically be stored in the library you specified underStaff->Own account->Preferences.

7. Navigate to the library and open the file.

13.6 Special Functions for Fixed Format Export

13.6.1 Adjusting Column Widths

The export dialog (Projects->{Selected project}->Export->{Selected data type}) provi-des two special options in the “Export settings“ area specifically for Fixed Formatexport, which particularly facilitate further processing of the data in Quantum:

� Adjust column widths to effective size of data: The columns are made as narrow aspossible.

� Automatically adjust column widths if missing values are longer than columnwidths defined in export map: As explained in Chapter 13.2.6, p. 527, the exportdialog allows you to define missing values yourself or use the default values (-77, -66, 0). If these missing values require more digits than provided for in the respec-tive column, ticking this checkbox will widen the column. If the checkbox is notticked, the value “-77” will be exported only as “-“, for example.

.

13.6.2 Downloading the Export Template

Another option that was set up specifically for Fixed Format export allows you to down-load the export template, including the information on the column width you configu-red yourself, as a CSV file.

To do so, you must first perform export selection as usual. The dialog shown in thefigure, in which you can finally download the file, also contains a green bar displayingthe here link you can click on to download the CSV file.

13.7 Special Features for the Evaluation in SPSS

Exporting SPSS macros to SPSS for simplified evaluation

The SPSS syntax code from the file created in spo format and the SPSS module Tablesallow you to generate frequency distributions.

If the macro is not executed correctly, check whether the right directory path hasbeen set in the macro and whether the export files are located in the right directory.

If you tick the new special checkbox “Show field positions in export map” in thecodebook and select the suitable export template, the codebook will show the width,beginning and end of the columns (see Chapter 14.2.2, p. 561)

If, for a Fixed Format export, you additionally choose to compress the data into a zipfile, this zip file will automatically also contain the export template in CSV format.

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Creating SPSS labels for own syntax jobs

Choosing this option will export a file in dat format, which contains labels and variablenames. These can be used for relabeling in SPSS, for example.

In the case of multilingual projects, you can select the language.

The order of the variables can also be specified. The following options are available:

� Sort by external variable name

� Sort by order in the questionnaire

13.7.1 Excursion: Merging Records in SPSS (Matching)

Under certain conditions, various system files can be merged to create one system file.

There are two possible ways of merging:

� Merging cases where variables are identical or almost identical (Add Files).

� Merging variables where cases are identical or almost identical (Match Files).

For the 'add files' command, cases are added from one or more records to an existingrecord (vertical conjunction). For identical variables, syntax in SPSS is as follows:

001 add files002 file='c:\syntax\spss_1.sav'003 /file='c:\syntax\spss_2.sav'.004 save outfile='c:\syntax\Final_add.sav'.

For the 'match file' command, several records can be merged using a key variable(horizontal conjunction).

Prerequisites for successful matching are:

� All files must contain the same number of cases.

� All files must contain a key variable with an identification number (e.g. lfdn).

� Each case must be assigned to a different identification number.

� A certain case must always have the same number in different files.

� All files must be sorted by identification number.

In this case, the consecutive number 'Lfdn' is chosen as a key variable, and the recordsmust be sorted by this variable. For an identical number of cases, syntax in SPSS is asfollows:

001 match files002 file='c:\syntax\spss_1.sav'003 /file='c:\syntax\spss_2.sav'.004 /by lfdn.005 save outfile='c:\syntax\Final_match.sav'.006 execute.

Should problems occur when matching two EFS Survey data files in SPSS format,save the records in POR format (Portable Document) and repeat matching.

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13.8 What do the Exported Result Data Reveal?


13.8.1 Overview of Variables

Depending on project, choice of export options and authorization of the staff memberwho executes the export, the result data record may contain the following variables:

Internal vari-able name

External vari-able name

Description Meaning

lfdn lfdn number Every participant to the questionnaire will be assigned a consecu-tive number.

external_lfdn external_lfdn external lfdn If external survey start is used, external_lfdn is used in the secondary project to store the participants’ ldfn from the primary project. You can download a dedicated documentation for external survey start in customer center. If several surveys are linked by external survey start, the variable external_lfdn will contain the lfdn of the primary project in all fol-lowing surveys.

tester tester tester Indicates whether the participant in question is a tester (not for anonymous projects), 1 being for a tester and 0 for a normal par-ticipant.

status dispcode disposition code The participant’s disposition code, see Chapter 12.3.3, p. 501. Please mind that the disposition code is only part of the export file if the exporting staff member has read rights for “show_dispcode”.

last_page lastpage last page Displays the last page sent by the participant, i.e. if the participant dropped out of a survey, the cancellation occurred on the following page.

time_to_complete_survey

duration time to complete survey

The duration of survey completion, i.e. the time elapsed between the respondent’s first and last accessing of the questionnaire.The duration is computed as follows: A record is made of when the respondent first and last accessed the survey. These values can be found in the export record as the variables datetime (SPSS label: datetime of survey start) and lastaccs (SPSS label: date of last access). The difference of these two values is the time the participant took to complete the survey (duration = lastaccs - datetime).If a respondent resumes the questionnaire after a break (disposi-tion codes 23, 32), the duration is = -1 because a meaningful cal-culation is not possible.

p_000n p_000n URL parameter

c_000n c_000n User-defined variables

v_000n v_000n Project variables. The project variables are sequentially numbered for each project, beginning with v_1.

md_000n md_000n Only in EFS Panel installations: master data variables.

remote_host ext_host external host Indicates the domain of the computer via which the participant is connected to the Internet, if it has a domain.Please also refer to the notes on the availability of “remote_host” and remote_addr in Chapter 3.7.8, p. 81.

Table 13.2 Overview of the variables in the result data record

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13 Export

remote_addr ip_addr remote address Indicates the IP address of the computer via which the participant is connected to the Internet.Please also refer to the notes on the availability of “remote_host” and remote_addr in Chapter 3.7.8, p. 81.

user_agent browser browser-id Indicates the name of the browser in the form in which it was transferred to the EFS Survey server. Examples can be found at http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_Agent. When filtering is done via browser types, it is advisable to use the “matches regex” condition, which is also new (see Chapter 4.7, p. 143).

http_referer referer http-referer Indicates the Internet page from which the survey was invoked.

quota quota quota Contains the ID of the allocated quota (i.e. the quota selected via allocation mode). See Chapter 10.4.11, p. 463.

quota_assignment

quota_assignment

quota_assignment

Contains the IDs of all quotas in which the respective participant has been counted. See Chapter 10.4.11, p. 463.

page_history page_history page history Indicates the sequence of invoked pages. Here, the page ID (pgid) located beside the individual pages in the questionnaire editor is used.As of EFS 7.0, the current state of questionnaire processing is minutely recorded in the page history, i.e. the variable page_history will show you the movements of the participants within the questionnaire up to the last viewed page. In earlier ver-sions of EFS, the page history only allowed you to track the state of questionnaire processing until the last submission, i.e. the vari-able page_history contained the sequence of visited pages up to the last submitted page.Please note: If a real Back button is activated in the form, and a participant leaves a page using this Back button, this page will be removed from page history.

hflip hflip hflip Variable for horizontal flipping, see Chapter 5.11.5, p. 226: • 0 = not flipped• 1 = flipped

vflip vflip vflip Variable for vertical flipping, see Chapter 5.11.5, p. 226: • 0 = not flipped• 1 = flipped

output_mode output_mode output mode Only on installations with EFS Mobile Extension: This variable is filled when the option “Dynamically switch output format of survey depending on browser used by the respondent?” in the Project properties menu has been enabled. It indicates the output mode in which the survey has been completed.• 0: HTML• 1: XHTML• 2: WML• 3: Offline

(cont.)Internal variable name


Description Meaning


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javascript javascript jscript Contains the result of the check for JavaScript, which can optio-nally be performed at the beginning of the survey (see Chapter 3.7.7, p. 80):• 0 = JavaScript switched off• Other = Version number (e.g. jscript = “10” for JavaScript 1.0,

jscript = “15” for JavaScript 1.5)When working on an EFS Panel installation, please note that the JavaScript check in master data and panel surveys has not been available until the release of EFS 6.0. Therefore, in older installa-tions, the value of the variable javascript is always 0 for these pro-ject types.

flash flash flash Contains the result of the check for the Adobe Flash plugin, which can optionally be performed at the beginning of the survey (see Chapter 3.7.7, p. 80) and is required for the Flash question types:• 0 = Flash plugin not availablef• Other = Version number (e.g. flash = “800” for Flash plugin 8.0,

flash = “900” for Flash plugin 9.0)

session_id session_id session id Indicates the session ID the participant received during the survey.

language language language The language in which the respondent has seen the questionnaire. The numbers correspond to the language ID (identification num-ber) of the languages used in the project (see Chapter 15.2.1, p. 573).With the wildcard #language# you can display the language ID in the questionnaire or in templates. This is particularly important for language-dependent layouts and special programming.

datacleaning cleaned datacleaning Indicates if the individual record has been cleaned, see Chapter 13.11, p. 544:• 0= uncleaned data records and records of incomplete inter-

views which are excluded from the cleaning process• 1 = cleaned• 2 = checked but did not require cleaning

date_of_last_access

date_of_last_access

date of last access

Date and time of the last access to the survey.

date_of_first_mail

date_of_first_mail

date of first mail Date and time of the first invitation mail sent to the participant. The variable is used for all project types which include invitation pro-cesses, i.e. personalized projects, panel surveys, master data sur-veys and employee surveys. In anonymous projects , it is not filled.

sid sample_id sid Only in panel and master data surveys from EFS 7.1 onwards: ID of the sample that the panelists belong in.For the SPSS export, the codes are labeled with the sample titles. Please bear in mind that the extra column added in EFS 7.1 may change the sequence of other columns in the export data record.

dt_begin ats absolute time-stamp

Indicates the time in seconds elapsed since 01/01/1970 until the request of the first page of the questionnaire).

dt_begin datetime datetime of sur-vey start

Date and time of survey start, i.e. the invoking of the first page of the questionnaire.



Description Meaning


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13.8.2 Overview of Variable Preallocations

dt_send_pag_000n

rts_000n For pgid > 99999: ts_000n

relative time-stamp for page xxxx

Time variables. These indicate the time in seconds elapsed since the ats until submission of the respective page.If the pgid (installation specific ID of a questionnaire page) is big-ger than 99.999, the name of the variable is changed to ts_xxx, to prevent problems caused by the length of the variable name when exporting for SPSS.rts variables from non-standard pages can only be exported in projects that were created later than November 2004. If you would like to export rts variables to such a page from older projects, ple-ase contact Globalpark support.

rnd_pg_PGID rnd_pg_PGID random page selection order

Random selected information. For each random selected block in the project, a variable rndPGID is created. PGID is the page-ID of the random-selected-page.In this variable, the PGIDs of the selected pages are stored, sepa-rated by commas.

rnd_pg_PGID_x rnd_pg_PGID_x random rotation selection order

Random rotation information. For each random rotation block in the project, variables rnd_pg_PGID_NR are created. PGID is the page-ID of the random rotation page, NR is the number of randomized subpages. Each of these variables contains the PGID of that subpage which has been placed on the respective position in the current cycle.Example: The PGID of the random rotation page is 123, the subpa-ges have PGID 124, 125 and 126. In the questionnaire, they are displayed to a participant in the following order: 126, 124, 125. Then, you will find the following data in the export file: r123_1 = 126, r123_2 = 124, r123_3 = 125

Preallocation value

Meaning

-77 • Project variables of the v_000 type, with the exception of variables that refer to text fields: The participant did not see the question, for example because they dropped out or because the relevant page or question was not dis-played due to routing.

• Master data for EFS Panel installations: Preallocation for master data of the md_xxx and m_xxx type.

0 • Project variables of the v_000 type, with the exception of variables that refer to text fields: The participant saw the respective question, but did not respond to it.

• Participant administration variables of the “text field” type: Preallocation if the variable was not filled.

• Participant administration variables of the “select box” type: Preallocation of those variables that are available per default and set to “Please select”. For example, the standard variables u_gender, u_language and u_group.

-66 • Project variables of the v_000 type that refer to text fields: The participant did not see the respective question, because it was hidden. Prior to EFS 5.2 this missing was set if the participant had not seen the entire page contai-ning the text field.

Table 13.3 Preallocation of variables



Description Meaning


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13.9 EFS Survey Variables


13.9.1 Overview of the Various Variable Types

The locations in the database, in which answers given by the respondents, participantadministration data or system information regarding the course of the survey aresaved, are identified using variables. In defining routing, e.g. via a filter or when impor-ting saved contents via wildcards you can access the database contents via these vari-ables. A range of variable types are used in EFS surveys:

� Project variables (v_000n): The results of the survey are saved in these variables.They are automatically created when new questions are created. Management oftheir designations is dealt with in the following Chapters.

� URL parameters (p_000n): These variables allow you to pass variables to a surveyfrom outside. They are created and configured manually, see Chapter 3.7.13, p. 89

� User-defined variables c_000n: These variables are used to store interim results.They are created and configured manually, see Chapter 3.7.14, p. 91.

� Participant variables (u_000n): Information regarding survey participants is storedin these variables. A set of frequently used variables is available by default and addi-tional variables may also be created (see Chapter 10.2.1).

� System variables: The variables listed in Table 13.2 with their own respective indi-vidual names are used to store meta-information regarding participants and thecourse of the interviewing process. System variables are automatically generatedwhen a project is created.

� For EFS Panel installations only: Participant data of the panelists (u_000n). Thesevariables are preset by the EFS Panel and are not configurable. See “EFS Panel8.0”, Chapter 4.1.

� For EFS Panel installations only: Master data (m_000n). Fundamental panelistproperties determined by the panel administrator, which are stored independentlyof the specific project and which are permanently available. See “EFS Panel 8.0”,Chapter 4.3.

� For EFS Panel installations only: Panel system data. The variables listed in “EFSPanel 8.0”, Chapter 4.2 are used to store meta-information regarding the panelists.These are preset by EFS Panel.

-99 • Project variables of the v_000 type that refer to text fields: The participant saw the respective question, but did not respond to it. Prior to EFS 5.2 this missing was set if the participant had seen the page but not the respective question with the text field.

• System variable “lastpage”: The participant’s last page was the default last page of the survey.

You can specify the missing values in the export data records yourself. See Chapter13.2.6, p. 527, for further information.

(cont.)Prealloca-tion value

Meaning

Table 13.3 Preallocation of variables

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13.9.2 Maximum Available Number of Variables

In EFS 7.0 or later versions, up to 7,000 variables are available per project.

� This value is the sum of all variables in the project, not only the sum of the projectvariables.

� The maximum number of variables which are available in a specific projectdepends on various factors, as e.g. type and size of the variables created, and maybe lower than 7,000.

� In previous versions of EFS, the variable number was limited to 2,400.

The number of master data available in an EFS Panel installation has also beenincreased, from 2,400 to 2,800 variables (see “EFS Panel 8.0”, Chapter 4.3.1).

13.9.3 Generating and Editing Project Variables and Codes

Project variables (v_000n) will be created automatically when you create a question.

� In the case of single response questions only one variable per question is requiredfor each and the various answer options are allocated codes.

� In the case of multiple response questions, one variable is created for each answeroption. Whether the respondent has selected an option is recorded via the coding:0 = not specified, 1 = specified.

� For matrix questions, one variable matches each answer option, and the scale cha-racteristics are encoded (exception: question type 362 with checkboxes and ques-tion type 363 with text fields).

� Entries in open text fields are similarly recorded in a variable.

The variable names are assigned automatically for each project, beginning with v_1and names cannot be edited. If required, however, you can allocate an external variablename or define long variable names for SPSS 12+, see Chapter 13.9.4, p. 539. You cansee the internal project variable names when working in the questionnaire editordepending on the question type

� in the “Answer options” area in the “Variable name” columns

� in the case of questions with an open entry field in the “Question options” area.

The codes are also assigned automatically, but can be edited in the case of singleresponse and matrix questions (see Table 4.7). You can view and edit the codings in thequestionnaire editor

� for single response questions in the “Code” column in the “Answer options” sec-tion.

� for matrix questions in the “Code” column in the “Scale options” section.

All project variables and their codings are listed in the codebook.

The complexity of a project affects the performance. For example, the more complexthe routing structures, number of participants, or number of variables, the morethe project will be slowed down. With the previous maximum of around 2,400variables available per project, the number of variables was a less important factor.This will change, however, with the numbers of variables that can be achieved inEFS 7.0: With up to 7,000 variables, a project can slow down considerably.

Tip: Compile the project as usual before taking it into the field and delete any redun-dant variables.

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13.9.4 Preset and User-Defined Names for Project Variables

If variable names are displayed within EFS Survey the automatically preset, so-calledinternal variables are used. You can of course allocate alternative names which will beused on export instead of the internal names and then be available for external evalu-ation.

� Internal variable names: These are the variable names that are automatically allo-cated by the system when creating a question and are used within EFS. These havethe format v_000n and cannot be changed.

� External variable names: These names can be changed optionally by the user andare then used on export instead of the internal variable names. As of EFS 7.0, exter-nal variable names may have up to 64 characters.

13.9.5 Viewing and Editing User-Defined Variable Names in the Questi-onnaire Editor

Internal variable names are always displayed in the question view, see Chapter 13.9.3,p. 538. In addition, you can also display and edit external variable names, if required.Depending on the question type you will find the respective field

� in the “Question options” area for questions with a single response list or openentry field.

� in the “Answer options” area in a table column that is usually hidden in the case ofmultiple response and matrix questions. Click on the arrow icon in the “Variablename” column to display the “External varname” column.

13.9.6 Options for Centralized Editing of Variable Names

The codebook (see Chapter 14.2, p. 559) contains a range of functions which enableeffective centralized editing of user-defined variable names. You can find these func-tions in the “Edit variable names” section which is opened by clicking the [+] icon.

Editing variable names

When the option “ Edit variable names directly in this form” is selected and then con-firmed with the Save settings button, entry fields are displayed in which you can editthe external variable names (see Chapter 13.9.4, p. 539). After entering the new names,click on the Save variable names button.

In a live questionnaire never delete a question or answer option or amend a codinglater on. Otherwise already encoded information will be lost or it will no longer bepossible to assign it correctly. Filters and other features that refer back to variablesand codings might also be damaged. Make all these changes prior to commencingwith the survey: When compiling prior to survey commencement you can have vari-ables that were deleted during preparation removed.

Please note that the user-defined name type is used for data export only. Controlfunctions such as filter and trigger definitions cannot be addressed using the inter-nal variable names and wildcard use is not an option either.

If you cannot find the field described above click the Question options icon andenable “External varname”.

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Changing variable names according to a preset algorithm

You can allocate a unique label to the external variable names of a project in accor-dance with a predefined scheme and optionally the algorithm can also be applied tolong variable names.

Available options are:

� User-defined prefix consecutive item number

� User-defined prefix consecutive question number_consecutive item number (perquestion)

� User-defined prefix consecutive question number|consecutive item number (perquestion)


1. In the codebook click the Select algorithm for creation of variable names link inthe “Create new variable names in accordance with selected algorithm” field. Thisopens the Projects->{Selected project}->Project properties menu.

2. In the “Algorithm for creating the external variable names” field enter the desiredprefix. Default preset is “v_”.

3. Set the desired labeling option in the select box.

4. Switch back to the Codebook.

5. Activate “Create new variable names in accordance with selected algorithm”.

6. Confirm by clicking on Save settings.

Systematically naming variables in dynamic answer blocks

The “Rename variables in dynamic answer blocks” option allows you to automaticallychange the names of variables, for example, in a list or a loop in such a way that thelink to the original variable can be read from the name. If, for example, a dynamic listis incorporated into a question, all variables that were generated via the dynamic listwill have the name v_sourcevariablea once renaming is complete. If the questionnairecontains a second question that draws on the same dynamic list, then the correspon-ding variables will be named v_sourcevariableb.

Editing variable names externally

You can export external variable names, edit them outside EFS Survey and then re-import them:

1. The “Export variable names for external editing” will create a CSV file containingthe variables information, which you can load onto your workstation. You can spe-cify which character set is to be used.

2. When editing you enter the new external variable name in the “New varname”column.

3. The “Import externally edited variable names” option allows you to re-import theexternally edited list in CSV-format into EFS Survey. Here, too, the correct charac-ter set must be specified.

Undoing changes

Changes to external variable names can be undone applying the “Restore original vari-able names” options.

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13.10 Defining Export Templates


You can define your own templates based on existing default export templates. This canbe useful, for example, if you frequently need only specific excerpts from the resultdata.

13.10.1 Overview of Existing Export Templates

The Export->Template editor menu contains a list of the templates that have been setup for the respective project and the functions for creating new templates.

Figure 13.2 List of existing export templates

� The default templates of the “Static template” type cannot be changed or deleted.Even though it is possible to download these templates, the modified templatesmust then be uploaded under a different name, in a newly created user-definedtemplate.

� Templates of the “User-defined template” type can be edited and deleted.

The following icons are in the “Action” column:

� Upload definitions for template “...”: This function is only available for user-defi-ned templates you have created. You can use it to upload an edited definition file.

� Download template as CSV file: The downloaded file has the .csv file type.

� Download template as Excel file: The downloaded file has the .xls file type and canbe edited in MS Excel.

� Save as new template: You can save the selected template as a new template, allo-wing you to download and edit it afterwards.

� View template: The export template will open in a table.

� Delete template.

13.10.2 Viewing User-defined Templates and Sorting Their Contents

Clicking on the name of a template or on the View template icon will display its contentin a table that cannot be edited.

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Figure 13.3 Viewing and sorting an export template

It contains the following information for each variable of the template:

For user-defined templates, you will find that there are two additional buttons:

� Sort fields by position: Sorts the rows by the content of the “Position” column.

� Shrink column widths to width of actual data: This function is required for FixedFormat and Quantum exports.

Column Meaning

Activated If the variable is activated (Yes = 1), it will be exported in the data record. If it is not activated (No = 0), it will not be exported. With the template shown above, you would only export those variables from the address record that contain the participants’ postal addresses (first name, name, street, zip code, city and country).

Position The position of the column in the exported data record.

Width The width of the column.

Alignment The alignment of the data for Fixed Format and Quantum export.

Ext. varname The SPSS label and header in Excel.

Description The description used for XML and Triple-S export.

Quantum table name The table name used for Quantum export. This name is automatically genera-ted and cannot be edited.

Question type The question type is displayed to improve editability and structure. It cannot be edited.

Int. varname The EFS Survey variable name.

Data type The type of the data that can be entered into the respective database field.

Table 13.4 Meaning of the export template columns

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13.10.3 Creating a User-defined Template

To define a new template, you must first select the appropriate basic template: Thistemplate should at least contain all of the data you wish to actually export later on.Select the basic template in the “Create a new template” section, and confirm by cli-cking on Create (alternatively, you can also click on the Save as new template icon).

Figure 13.4 Selecting a basic template

In the next window, enter the name of the template and confirm by clicking on Saveas new template. The new template of the “User-defined template” type will be createdand displayed in the list of templates.

13.10.4 Downloading and Uploading Export Templates and Editing Them Externally

To edit an export template, you can download it and edit it externally. Please proceedas follows:

1. Click on the Download template as CSV file or Download template as Excel fileicon to download the template to your hard disk.

2. Open the file in a suitable program, e.g. in MS Excel. Edit the file according to therules presented below in the section titled “Editing a user-defined template”, andthen save it. In the example shown, some variables are deactivated: “u_group”,“u_email” and “u_www” have already been deactivated.

Figure 13.5 Editing an export template externally

3. Click on the Upload definitions for template “...” icon. Locate the definition fileon your hard disk, and then confirm by clicking on Upload. Open the export tem-plate, and check the result. In the example shown, all variables after “u_group”were deactivated. You can use the buttons labeled Sort fields by position andShrink column widths to width of actual data to edit the template further.

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13.10.5 Editing a User-defined Template

When editing the template definition, you should pay attention to the following rules:

� A variable for export must be specified for each row, and each row must consist ofseven values separated by tabs.

� You should not change the order of values.

� Deleting the variables from the list will not delete them from the export datarecord. The “active” column determines whether a variable is to be exported.

� It is not possible to add variables.

� Duplicate definitions of a variable are not permitted.

� Variable column positions (pos+width) may not overlap.

� The position and width of the columns for the individual variables must be suchthat they will not overlap.

You can click on the Sort fields by position button to have the variables arranged bytheir position. This arrangement will be saved and can then only be changed by down-loading the template again and editing it manually.

Clicking on the Shrink column widths to width of actual data button allows you tooptimize the export template for Fixed Format and Quantum exports.

13.11 Data Cleaning

If a respondent uses the “Back” button in the questionnaire or that of the browserwhile completing a questionnaire, they is possible that they will pass the same filterquestion more than once, giving different answers and then being routed into anotherfilter branch, where they will answer different questions.

Example: Somebody answers the question whether they drive a car with “Yes” and issubsequently asked all car-related questions. Then, they go back in the questionnaireand state they do not drive a car. A filter lets them skip all car-related questions now.When the respondent completes the survey, they will have stated they do not drive acar. Nonetheless, all car-related variables will contain values.

In the past, such irrelevant data had to be manually cleaned from the result data. Withthe “Data cleaning” function, this cleaning process has been automated.

Before you start

Please note:

� Data cleaning only takes completed interviews into consideration, i.e. records withstatus 31 or 32.

� The following routing types are supported:

– “Filter” and “Random rotation” branches.

– Trigger types which affect routing via changes in the survey results. The func-tion should, however, not be used in projects involving page triggers: In this

In personalized projects, you can change the sequence of participant data in theexport dataset via participant administration. See Chapter 10.2.1, p. 412 for furtherinformation.

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13.11 Data Cleaning

case, the routing that the respondent took erroneously or for test purposescannot be unambiguously identified.

– Action pages.

– Depot questions.

– EFS-side Back buttons. Please mind: browser-side Back buttons are not fullysupported. If a respondent skips back several pages using the browser Backbutton first, and then skips forward several pages using the browser Forwardbutton ignoring the system warning, these steps cannot be tracked and storedcorrectly. I.e. pages might be missing in page history, though valid data fromthese pages exist.

� “Random rotation” branches, loops (see Chapter 7.4, p. 314) and conjoint blocksare not supported.

13.11.1 Activating Automatic Data Cleaning

Activating data cleaning before the beginning of the field phase

In the Projects module, click on the desired project, and then choose the Projectproperties menu item. In the “General options” section, tick the checkbox in the“Enable data cleaning” field. Then, confirm by clicking on Submit. The Display linkallows you to switch to the Data cleaning submenu.

13.11.2 Triggering Data Cleaning for the Entire Project

The documentation of all changes to the data as well as functions for restoring all orpart of the original data are located in the data cleaning log. There are two ways ofaccessing this:

� Click on the Display link in the Project properties menu.

� The second way is via the Statistics->Data cleaning menu.

You are automatically taken to the General tab.

Figure 13.6 The “General” tab

The “General information” area shows whether data cleaning has already been perfor-med and how many records were processed.

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� Status data cleaning in this project: Data cleaning is activated from the Projectproperties menu (see Chapter 13.11.1, p. 545).

� Number of cleaned records: The records that were changed during data cleaning.

� Number of data records that were checked but did not require cleaning: Therecords that would not be / are not affected in the event of data cleaning.

� Number of uncleaned records:

– If data cleaning has not taken place, this value will contain the uncleanedrecords.

– After data cleaning has taken place, all records that could not be checked andcleaned because the interviews were not completed remain in this field.

– If further questionnaires were filled out after a manual data cleaning, thisvalue will be the total of all uncleaned records, as well as all records that werenot checked during the manual data cleaning because the interviews were notcompleted.

In the “Data cleaning for the whole project” area, you can trigger or undo data clea-ning:

� If you select “Clean all data” and then confirm by clicking on Execute, the cleaningoperation will be triggered.

� If you select “Recover all data” and then confirm by clicking on Execute, the ori-ginal state will be restored.

13.11.3 Viewing Details and Editing Records Manually

The Extended tab provides a detailed documentation of all changes to the data as wellas functions for both editing individual records and restoring all or part of the originaldata.

Please note that data cleaning only takes completed interviews into consideration,i.e. records with status 31 or 32.

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13.11 Data Cleaning

Figure 13.7 Detail view of the data affected by data cleaning

Display options

� Number of datasets per page: If you enter the corresponding value and then con-firm by clicking on Apply, you can change the number of records displayed on onepage.

� Display only datasets with a particular variable: This search function identifies allrecords containing the given string. After entering the string, you can trigger thesearch by clicking on Apply.

� Display routemap: Ticking the checkbox and then clicking on Apply will show theso-called routemap in the log. The routemap is a comma-separated page list reflec-ting the participant’s valid route through the survey (see the “Example” sectionbelow). It is extracted from the page history (phistory is the variable used in theexport record, page history is the label used in the SPSS export record).

Interpreting the entries in the data cleaning log

The data cleaning log contains the following information and functions:

� Cons. no.: The respondent’s consecutive number in both the survey table and theexport record. The table contains only the records of those respondents for whomdata cleaning might be required.

� Cleaned data: Those data from the complete record that were / would be changedduring cleaning.

� Original: The original state of those data from the complete record that were /would be changed by cleaning.

� Routemap: Can be shown and hidden using the “Display routemap” function in the“Display options” area.

� Cleaned: yes / no.

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Example

A respondent takes the following route:

2101-> 2102-> 2103 (filter)->2104 (filtered question)

-> back to 2102

-> change of answer in 2102

-> 2103 (filter) -> 2105

through the questionnaire shown.

Figure 13.8 Sample questionnaire

The valid clickpath in the routemap is 2101 - 2102 - 2103 (filter) - 2105.

Page 2104 is filtered and was no longer displayed after the change of the answer in2102.

In the data cleaning log, the data affected by the change in the clickpath are displayedin the “Original” column:

dt_send_pg_2104='2004-06-24 11:21:33',v_3='1'

� dt_send_pg_2104='2004-06-24 11:21:33 = timestamp

� v_3='1': answer given by the respondent on page 2104

The “Cleaned data” column displays how these data are changed by cleaning:

dt_send_pg_2104=NULL,v_3='-77'

� dt_send_pg_2104=NULL: The timestamp for page 2104 is set to zero.

� v_3='-77': The question on page 2104 is classified as a missing value because therespondent has not seen it on the second valid pass through the filter.

The answer “yes” in the “Cleaned” column indicates that, in the example, data cleaningis activated for the project and the data have already been cleaned.

Figure 13.9 The data affected in the event of data cleaning

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13.12 Quality Correction

Editing individual records

You have the option of targeting individual records for cleaning or for restoring theoriginal state. To do so, tick the respective checkbox in the “Execute data cleaning” or“Recover data” column, and confirm by clicking on Save.

13.11.4 Identifying Cleaned Data in the Export Record

The export record provides information if a individual record was cleaned: It is storedin the variable cleaned (labeling in the SPSS export record: “datacleaning”) which canhave the following properties:

� 0 = uncleaned data records and records of incomplete interviews which are exclu-ded from the cleaning process

� 1 = cleaned

� 2 = checked but did not require cleaning

13.12 Quality Correction

The conscientiousness with which survey participants fill in questionnaires is criticalfor the quality of the results of online surveys. The results from survey participants thatmerely click very quickly through the questionnaire, for example to get a quick over-view of the survey theme or on completion to participate in a prize draw, are of littlevalue for further analysis in the end. The quality correction program helps you torecognize participants who simply “clicked through” by their answer behavior, tomark these data records, and if desired to delete them.

Response times as quality criterion

The response times of a user are the key criteria needed for indexing the quality ofsurvey participants. The time taken by each participant to complete a particular pageof a survey can be calculated. First of all an index is formed for each participant thatgives information on his mean processing time for a questionnaire page. Please notehere: The time required by a participant to complete an entire survey is not a factor inthe calculation. Depending on the direction of the questionnaire the number of pagesthat the participant sees can also vary tremendously.

Subsequently a separate calculation for each page is made, which shows where thesurvey participant is with regard to the processing time of the media. The mediansurvey time of 100 participants corresponds to the average survey duration of the 50thand the 51st survey participant, when these have been sorted by survey time.

Determining the quality index for individual users

In order to determine the “quality” of a participant in a survey, his individual proces-sing time is set in relation to the average processing time of the entire sample. Therelationship can be expressed as a number that is stored in the variable “quality”. Forexample a value of 0.5 signifies that the corresponding user required exactly the ave-rage time for processing the questionnaire pages. A value of 0.25 signifies that therespondent needed only half as long as the average processing time.

13.12.1 Triggering Quality Correction

You can start the program that calculates the quality index under Projects->{Selectedproject}->Statistics->Quality correction by clicking on the button Execute. It does

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not make any changes to the actual survey data, rather it expands the data record toinclude the variable “quality”.

13.12.2 Viewing the Quality Index in the Export Data Record

The quality index of a participant will be stored in the variable “quality”. This is con-tained within the export data record, and therefore you can identify the data records ofparticipants with critical values and where necessary delete them before making anevaluation.

13.13 RelevantID

In quite a number of surveying scenarios, especially where there is an anonymous poolof participants, you may wish you were able to examine the participants more closely:System variables collected in the background and questionnaire entries may providesome information, but in many cases this is not sufficient to reliably identify andexclude duplicate participation or malicious manipulation.

EFS supports an external validation of survey participants by the service providerImperium, a market leader in digital watermarking and fingerprinting (http://www.imperium.com/). Its RelevantID technology checks the participants’ origins andidentities and identifies unwanted participants, i.e.

� participants from countries/regions/cities not allowed for the survey

� duplicate respondents.

You can identify such participants by a marking in the data record and take appropriatemeasures, e.g. deleting duplicates or excluding data records from further evaluation.

From EFS 8.0, RelevantID will also provide various additional information on the par-ticipants which you can use to validate their input.

The RelevantID check is optionally available for a special charge. This charge is basedon the number of requests sent to RelevantID at the start of each survey. If you areinterested in this function, please get in touch with your Globalpark sales contact orwith Globalpark Support.

Before you start

If you consider using the RelevantID check, please note:

� For customers with their own installation of EFS 6.0 and upwards this check isoptionally available. As a matter of principle, RelevantID cannot be used oncollective installations.

Quality correction should not be triggered when large surveys are being conductedsimultaneously in the installation.

If you operate a panel, you can use the EFS-integrated duplicates check toautomatically identify any new registrations that are very likely to come fromalready-registered panelists. See “EFS Panel 8.0”, Chapter 6.6.2.

Using a blacklist, you can bar participants with specific IP address ranges from reg-istering and thus from participating in the panel. See “EFS Panel 8.0”, Chapter 9.6.

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13.13 RelevantID

� The RelevantID check is available in anonymous and personalized surveys, panelsurveys, and master data surveys. The RelevantID service cannot be used for theproject type “employee survey”.

� Survey runs in preview mode and automatic participations generated with theProject test do not trigger the calling up of the RelevantID service.

� RelevantID checking occurs at the start of the survey. This means:

– A number of redirect operations are required at the start of the survey, whichmay slow down the starting process considerably.

– If a personalized project, a panel survey or master data survey is resumed onthe start page, the RelevantID check will be repeated. When resuming on thefollowingi pages, the check will not be repeated.

– If an anonymous project with cookies is resumed on the start page, the checkwill be repeated, too. When resuming on the followingi pages, the check willnot be repeated. Without cookies, participants cannot be identified as “resu-ming” in principle, therefore the check will always be repeated.

– If you reset with deleting data in a personalized project, a panel survey or mas-ter data survey, the respective participants will be checked anew.

– If participants cannot start the survey at all, no RelevantID check will be exe-cuted. This might, for example, happen due to project status “no further par-ticipations” or if participants are allocated disposition code 41 or 42 becausethey match a filled external quota.

� RelevantID checking can only be performed when the participants have activatedJavaScript and when the JavaScript check of EFS Survey has been activated (seeChapter 3.7.7, p. 80). If JavaScript is not active, the check cannot be performed andthe RelevantID variables remain at the default value -77.

� Furthermore, the participants’ browsers have to be compatible with JavaScript.Otherwise, the participants may see JavaScript error messages.

� In theory, it is possible for survey participants with programming skills to mani-pulate the process by decompressing and decoding the RelevantID source code orby manipulating the transferred data.

� To execute the RelevantID check, EFS must be able to connect to the RelevantIDserver. If this is not possible, e.g. because the RelevantID server is not available fora few minutes due to maintenance works, so far the participants were not able itoparticipate in the survey. In spring 2011, this behavior has been changed retroac-tively in EFS 7.0, 7.1 and 8.0. From now on, at the start of the survey, EFS will waitif the RelevantID server responds - if it does not respond, the participant will beallowed to pass and to complete the survey anyway. If delays of the server responsehave offurred for four participants in a six minute interval, the check will be deac-tivated and during the next six minutes, all participants can access the survey wit-hout delay. Afterwards, the availability check cycle will start anew.

13.13.1 The RelevantID Checking Algorithms

RelevantView performs the checks in the following manner:

� RelevantView checks whether a participant is a duplicate participant by comparingdata from the participant’s browser against values in a RelevantView database. A

Please pay special attention to your company’s applicable privacy regulations and tothe privacy regulations governing the respective survey.

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13 Export

participant counts as a duplicate when he has already participated in the samesurvey (either with the same invitation code or link, or with a different code).

� Checking for country, region, or city is done by comparing the participant’s IPaddress against a RelevantView IP address database.

13.13.2 Check Results

The results of the RelevantID check are recorded in user-defined variables, which youcan create and select yourself when configuring the project (Chapter 13.13.3, p. 553).

Geo IP verification

Depending on the check result, the selected variable contains the following values:

� 0: invalid geo IP, i.e. the participant is participating from a country/region/city notallowed for the current project.

� 1: valid geo IP, i.e. the participant is participating from a country/region/cityexpressly allowed for the current project.

� 2: other

� -77: default missing which is used if the check cannot be executed. This may hap-pen, for example, if the Globalpark Web Service can’t establish a connection to theRelevantView server or if the participants have deactivated JavaScript.

RelevantID confidence value

The selected variable contains the so-called confidence value. RelevantID measuresconfidence on a scale from 0 to 100: 0 means “reliable”, 100 means “not reliable at all”.Thus, the lower the value, the higher is the respondent’s quality.

� If a participant participates in a survey for the first time, he is assigned the value“0”.

� If the participant participates again with a different access code while still usingthe same computer and browser, he is assigned a higher value (just below “100”).

� If the participant participates again with a different access code, using the samecomputer but a different browser, the value will be somewhere between “50” and“70”.

� If the check cannot be executed, the default missing “-77” will be used. This mayhappen, for example, if the Globalpark Web Service can’t establish a connection tothe RelevantView server or if the participants have deactivated JavaScript.

� If the check fails, “-1” will be assigned from June 14, 2011, onwards. In the past,“0” was assigned to these participants as well.

RelevantView recommends filtering out participants with high confidence values, i.e.> “70”.

FraudProfileScore

A score indicating the probability of fraud as a number between “0” and “100”. A higherscore indicates a higher level of confidence that there is fraudulent activity. For detailson the calculation, please contact RelevantView. This score is available in EFS sinceversion 8.0.

The checking algorithms are the property of RelevantView. Globalpark neither hasany access to details nor any influence on the methodology used.

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13.13 RelevantID

Additional information

From EFS 8.0, RelevantID returns additional information (country, region, city,domain) which can be used for validation as well.

13.13.3 Configuring the RelevantID Check for a Survey

If you want to check participants of a survey on an installation with active RelevantIDcheck, please proceed as follows:

1. In the Projects->{Selected project}->Project properties menu, create a user-defi-ned variable for each data which you wish to use.

2. Activate the function “Check whether the respondent has JavaScript activated?”.

3. Tick the checkbox “Activate RelevantID check for this survey” in the section “Rele-vantID configuration”.

4. Perform the remaining settings in the section “RelevantID configuration”. You willfind the details in Table 3.6. Please mind: If you use Geo IP verification, you mustenter the codes of the permitted countries, regions or cities. Please contact Global-park Support to receive an up-to-date list of codes.

Figure 13.10 Configuring the RelevantID check

5. Save your settings.

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14 Documenting and Archiving Projects

14.1 Printing the Questionnaire. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 557

14.2 Looking up Variables and Encodings in the Codebook . . . . 559

14.3 Checking Changes of the Project Status. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 562

14.4 Logging Changes to the Questionnaire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 563

14.5 Archiving Survey Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 563

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14.1 Printing the Questionnaire


14.1 Printing the Questionnaire

For future reference, for testing or for proof-reading purposes, you may sometimeswant to print the questionnaire so you can view all of the text in its entirety. EFSprovides an HTML version of the questionnaire which is optimized for this kind ofsituation:

� The entire contents of the questionnaire will be displayed in a neutral print designwhich is independent of the layout settings you selected.

� The page ID is displayed as a clickable link: It takes you directly to the page view ofthe questionnaire editor.

� Another link (L) allows you to switch directly to the language editor.

� Optionally, you can display additional information such as filters or pretestcomments.

� In multilingual projects, you can specify the display language of the questionnaire.

14.1.1 Preparing the Print Version


1. Switch to the Projects->{Selected project->Documentation menu and click on themenu item Print version.

2. This will prompt a new window with a printer-friendly HTML version of thequestionnaire.

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Figure 14.1 Print version of the questionnaire

3. Optionally, you can select various additional information and activate their displayby clicking on Save settings, see Chapter 14.1.2, p. 558.

4. In multilingual projects, you can specify the language and confirm your selectionby clicking on Save settings.

5. Use the Print function of your browser to print the questionnaire.

14.1.2 Displaying Additional Information

Optionally, you can select the following additional options and display them by clickingon Save settings:

� Show filters

� Show pretest comments

� Show to-dos

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14.2 Looking up Variables and Encodings in the Codebook

� Show triggers

� Show plausibility checks

� Disable randomization

� Hide internal links: Usually, the page ID is displayed as a clickable link to the pageview of the questionnaire editor, in addition to that the L link allows you to switchdirectly to the language editor. If necessary, you can hide these links.

� Print questionnaire only: Usually, the sections “Display options” and “Informationon survey x” are included when printing the questionnaire. If necessary, thesesections may be excluded from printing.

Figure 14.2 Filter and pretest comments in the print version


The codebook contains an overview of all variables and all encodings used in a project.I.e. it shows which memory locations have been created for your questions and howthe answers have been encoded. The codebook is used, for example, whenever you wantto incorporate control information into your survey, e.g. when setting filters or defi-ning triggers, and when analysing the survey results.

14.2.1 Viewing the Codebook

Click on the Codebook menu item in the submenu for the respective function. This willopen a new browser window, and the codebook will appear.

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Figure 14.3 An excerpt from the codebook. Various additional options are hidden under the [+] icons.

It lists the question texts and answer options for each page of the questionnaire, alongwith the variable names (e.g. v_1) data type (see Table 14.1) and the various characte-ristics (“codes”, e.g. 1-4).

In the upper part of the codebook, you will find several fields containing additionaloptions which allow you to show further information, change the language of textelements displayed, edit variables and export the codebook. These fields can be dis-played or hidden by clicking the [+] and [-] icons. The features will be explained inmore detail in the following Chapters 14.2.2, p. 561 to 14.2.5, p. 562.

Data types of variables

Data type Meaning

int The “int” column stands for “integer”, i.e. the variable will only accept integer values. In the example above, this would be the value 1 for the “Marketing” ans-wer, etc.

varchar Questions with open-ended text input fields use the “varchar” variable type in which strings can be saved.

Table 14.1 Variable abbreviations in the codebook

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14.2.2 Displaying Additional Information

In the “Edit display options“ section you have the option of displaying the followingadditional information:

� Show filters

� Show triggers

� Show plausibility checks

� Show hiding conditions

� Show direct links to edit the questionnaire: Next to each question, an Editquestion link and a link to the Language editor will be shown.

� Show table of contents: The codebook will show a list of the questionnaire pages.You can click on the page titles, so even with very long questionnaires you willeasily find the respective page in the codebook.

� If you tick the special checkbox “Show field positions in export map” in the code-book and select the suitable export template, the codebook will show the width,beginning and end of the columns.

� Adjust column widths to effective size of data (excluding missing values): If youtick both this checkbox and the preceding “Show field positions in export map”checkbox, the column widths displayed will be those that result when exporting inFixed Format with adjusted column widths for further processing in Quantum (seeChapter 13.6, p. 531).

� In the case of personalized projects, you can select “Show participant variables” todisplay these variables (see Chapter 10.2, p. 411).

� With “Display groups and group assignment of items and groups” grouping infor-mation can be displayed in the codebook (see Chapter 5.11.4, p. 220).

Figure 14.4 Codebook showing filters and direct links

14.2.3 Selecting the Language of Text Elements

In the case of multilingual projects, you can use the drop-down list under “Select lan-guage” to specify the language in which the question texts and answer categories areto be displayed in the codebook.

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14.2.4 Editing Variable Names

Using the functions in the “Edit variable names” section, which is opened by clickingthe [+] icon, you can edit external variable names in the codebook. To find a detailedexplanation of these functions, see Chapter 13.9.6, p. 539.

14.2.5 Printing and Exporting Codebook

The codebook can be printed out or exported as a whole:

� By clicking on the Print icon in the codebook header you can call up your PC'sprint functions and print out the code book.

� In the “Export” section of the codebook ,which you can open by clicking on the [+]icon in front of the title, you can download the codebook to your workstation. Firstset the desired character set, then choose the format (CSV and Excel can be selec-ted) and confirm with the Export button.

14.3 Checking Changes of the Project Status

The menu Projects->{Selected project}->Documentation->Project change log provi-des information on the workflow to date in project settlement. The list informs you onwhich editor has performed status-changing steps on which date.

Figure 14.5 Project change log

The following work steps are documented in the list:

Status Meaning

The project has been crea-ted.

The project has been created.

The project has been com-piled.

The survey tables were newly created, during the course of which all data were deleted, if so prompted by the user.

Project status 50 (active) set. The project has been activated.

Set to project status 51 (no further participations)

The status “no further participations” has been set.

Project status 52 (inactive) set.

The project has been activated.

Table 14.2 The meaning of log contents

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14.4 Logging Changes to the Questionnaire

14.4 Logging Changes to the Questionnaire

For complex projects or projects that are designed for a longer field period, you mightwant to document the current state of the project. If changes are necessary afterwards,these should be traceable. For this purpose, EFS Survey gives you the option of loggingall changes to the questionnaire that relate to alterations of variables in the so-calledvariables log.

Activating the variables log

The variables log is activated in the “Log changes to questionnaire” field in theProjects->{Selected project}->Project properties menu.

Viewing changes to the questionnaire

Open the Project properties menu. In the “Log changes to questionnaire” field, clickon the link labelled List changes. The variables log is opened. If logging is activatedand changes have been made since the activation, the changes are listed in the log.

14.5 Archiving Survey Projects

Survey projects can be archived. To lighten the load on the database the result data ofprojects is compressed into a zip file and then stored in a protected area of the harddisk. This process is executed once a day during a low traffic period. After successfularchivation, you will be notified by e-mail. Using the reactivation function you have theoption of transferring the project with or without result data back to the project list,so that it can be edited and placed again in the field.

If you delete the result data of a project from the hard drive completely, but would liketo keep a backup copy for security reasons, you can download the zip file with the resultdata and store it locally. As long as the actual project still exists in the archive of theEFS installation, you will be able to upload the zip file again and reactivate the projectwith its result data. Please note, however, that the function of the zip file is merely tostore the result data locally. These data can not be used to open and view the dataoutside of the EFS installation or for restoring a completely deleted project.

Project status 60 (finished) set.

The project has been finished.

The feature “Log changes to questionnaire” is deprecated, i.e. it will be dropped inthe next version of EFS. It is intended to implement an improved change log in afuture version of EFS.

Please mind that changes to the questionnaire are logged starting from the activa-tion date, previous changes cannot be tracked retroactively.

From EFS 7.0 on, you can archive qualitative survey projects independent of theirstatus, using the “Actions” drop down list in the project list. Until EFS 6.0, onlyfinished projects could be moved to the archive. Please mind that it is not possibleto archive forum discussions.

(cont.)Status Meaning

Table 14.2 The meaning of log contents

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14.5.1 Archiving Projects

If you want to archive several projects at once, please proceed as follows:

1. Search for the appropriate projects in the project list and use the “Actions” check-boxes to mark them.

2. Select the action “Archive projects”.

3. Click on the Execute button.

4. After a confirmation window, all data for the selected projects will be backed upfrom the database, compressed into downloadable zip files and then deleted fromthe database. The archived projects with their zip files will be listed in the Projects->Archive menu.

Alternatively, if you want to archive a single project, you can proceed as follows:

1. Find the project to be archived in the project list and click on the title, in order tobe taken to the Survey menu.

2. Click on the links in the To-do field until the Archive link is displayed.

3. Click on the Archive link.

4. After a confirmation window, all data for the project will be backed up from thedatabase, compressed into the downloadable zip file and then deleted from thedatabase. The archived project with the zip file will be listed in the Archive sub-menu.

14.5.2 Viewing, Downloading and Deleting Archived Projects

You can find those archived projects which you’re authorized to access in the Projects->Archive menu.

A search function is available. Furthermore, to improve the overview, the archivedprojects can be grouped together and sorted with the help of a folder system just likethe one for projects in the project list. These, however, are two separate hierarchies:The folder system in the archive is set up independently of the folders in the projectlist.

Using the familiar “Actions” checkboxes and the drop-down list below the table, youcan apply the following actions to several projects at once:

� Change folder: Enables you to move the projects selected into a target folder to bedefined. See Chapter 3.5.6, p. 65.

� Delete result data: By clicking on this icon, you can delete the zip file with theresult data. Only when you previously saved the zip file locally, is it subsequentlypossible to upload and reactivate the project with result data. It is not possible todelete projects from the archive.

� Delete projects: Allows to remove the projects selected. Please note that the dele-tion process cannot be reversed. Project and result data from deleted projects canno longer be reconstructed.

The following editing functions can be used to edit individual projects:

� Preview: You can view the questionnaire of an archived project.

� Download: By clicking on this icon you can download and store the zip file locallyon your own PC. The information contained within this file is not for viewing thefile outside off the project and therefore you should never try to open the data:They merely serve the purpose of local storage for security reasons. Thereforedownloading only makes sense, if you continue to store the project in the archiveof the EFS Survey installation, so that you are able to upload the data and reacti-vate the project later.

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14.5 Archiving Survey Projects

� File upload: This icon becomes visible, when the zip file with the result data hasbeen deleted (for example in the above figure in the project “Website Check). If thezip file was saved externally, then this icon enables you to upload again.

� Reactivating: See Chapter 14.5.3, p. 565.

14.5.3 Reactivating Archived Projects

When you click on the Reactivate icon you are given two options:

� reactivate with result data

� reactivate without result data

If the zip file with result data has been deleted, the only option available is “Reactivatewithout result data”.

Please note: The downloaded data is not a backup copy of the entire project, andcannot be viewed outside of EFS Survey or recreated using an import function.

Pay careful attention that you upload the correct file, otherwise reactivation of theproject will not be possible. Should you upload the wrong zip file, delete it first byclicking on the Delete button, and then upload the correct file.

The following applies to reactivation processes as well as to the archiving of pro-jects: Firstly the process can take a very long time. Secondly some of the databasetables are blocked during the reactivation process, so that it is not possible duringreactivation to participate in a survey. Therefore it is also recommended that reac-tivating is done during phases of low traffic, i.e. at night.

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15 Multilingual Projects

15.1 Tips for Your Project Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 571

15.2 Specifying and Editing General Properties. . . . . . . . . . . . 572

15.3 Centrally Editing Text Elements and Logos. . . . . . . . . . . . 578

15.4 Setting Up a Language Selection Question . . . . . . . . . . . 585

15.5 E-Mail Dispatch from Participant Administration . . . . . . . 586

15.6 Export. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 587

15.7 Evaluation of Multilingual Surveys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 587

15.8 Tips, Tricks and FAQ. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 588

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EFS enables you to create multilingual surveys in a single project and centrally accessthe questionnaire pages in the various languages. The following options are available:

� You can create any number of languages in one project.

� Language administration and language editor allow you to centrally edit thevarious language areas of your project.

� The language in which a participant sees the questionnaire can be determinedduring the interview by means of a language selection question, or defined inadvance using information from URL parameters, participant administration orpanel master data.

� You can instruct the system to display different logos corresponding to the questi-onnaires in the various languages.

� The language in which a respondent has completed the questionnaire will be savedto the record in a special variable.

� This language variable can be used as a filter, i.e. certain questions will only bedisplayed if a respondent has selected a certain language. By defining hiding con-ditions depending on the language variable, further variations between the questi-onnaires can be realized.

� The field report can be configured to display only the results for interviews in aspecific language.

� The optionally leasable EFS Translator Interface provides additional support forthe translation of questionnaires in large international projects. Your translationservice providers can use it to access all the EFS features that are used in the trans-lation of questionnaires, such as the language editor and the “external editing”function. You can download a manual for translators using this tool in customercenter. For more detailed information please contact your Globalpark sales repre-sentative.

The following topics will be explained in the next chapters:

� Tips for your project planning (Chapter 15.1, p. 571)

� Managing general properties of multilingual projects (Chapter 15.2, p. 572)

� Centrally editing text elements and logos (Chapter 15.3, p. 578)

� Language selection question with question type 111 (Chapter 15.4, p. 585)

� E-mail dispatch from participant administration (Chapter 15.5, p. 586)

� Export and evaluation of multilingual surveys (Chapters 15.6, p. 587, and 15.7,p. 587)

� Tips, tricks and FAQ (Chapter 15.8, p. 588)

Tips on using the functions for multilingual projects

You can create and output multilingual questionnaires within a single project. Howe-ver, there are still a few limitations.

1. Information without multilingual capability

Some data can not yet be entered and read in several languages:

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� the title of the project

� the titles of questionnaire pages

� the titles of questions

This is irrelevant for the respondents who complete the questionnaire, as this informa-tion is for internal use only and does not appear in the questionnaire. However, duringproject preparation, it is advisable to consider in which language the titles of question-naires and questions should be entered, in order to make the evaluation easier for theproject team: If the data are, for example, to be evaluated by an international team inthe admin area after the survey, it would be helpful for the staff if all this informationwere in English. It is also possible to number the pages and questions. If evaluation isperformed outside EFS using an evaluation program such as SPSS, the data can besubsequently re-labeled.

2. EFS Features which can not be made multilingual

� In multilingual projects, language-specific static start pages cannot be used.Instead, you can

– use one English-language static start page for all respondents.

– set up a static start page as the language selection page, either in one languageor using icons such as flags.

� EFS Conjoint Extension is not supported.

3. Character sets

The EFS admin area is coded in UTF-8. In addition, since version 4.0 all newly createdprojects are also set by default to the UTF-8 character set. This makes it possible foryou to carry out multilingual surveys in every language in the world with only onecharacter set.

Alternatively there are a number of other character sets that you can choose from (seeTable 3.17). Globalpark recommends the use of the UTF-8 in general, this is true inparticular with surveys that otherwise would require several character sets.

4. Limitations due to software components used

The correct processing of multilingual questionnaires depends on various compon-ents:

� Which operating system is used by the administrator?

� Which browser is used by the administrator?

� Which processing programs (Office versions etc.) are used by the administrator?

� Which operating system extensions are installed on the administrator’s computer(e.g. Windows extensions for East Asian languages)?

� Which components are used by the respondent completing the questionnaire?

As a general rule, the following applies: The more recent the various components are,the better they will support character sets that extend the original ASCII charactersets. With Windows 2000 or later, a current version of Internet Explorer or Mozilla, an

The title editor allows you to subsequently change the page and question names ofa project without much effort. See Chapter 6.7, p. 287.

Further information on character sets can be found in Chapter 3.7.17, p. 100.

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15.1 Tips for Your Project Planning

up-to-date Office Suite and, if necessary, current versions of the operating systemextensions installed, the administration of surveys in complex languages (e.g. Chinese)is possible.

However, there is no rule without an exception. If anomalies occur while working withthe multilingual module, e.g. characters cannot be correctly represented, please alsocheck the other software components you are using, or work with alternative PCs,browsers or tools.

15.1 Tips for Your Project Planning

15.1.1 Tips for Project Preparation

The following questions will help you in preparing your project:

� Which languages will be used?

– Decide beforehand which languages will be needed and which language will beused as the default language.

– Deleting languages should be avoided where possible, as errors will occur insettings already made for the language selection question and language selec-tion variable as well as for language data in participant administration.

– The language administration is designed for up to 50 languages. The morelanguages you need, the more important it is to prepare the translation processthoroughly and to use features as e.g. language identifiers for unambiguousidentification, external editing for quick import etc.

� Is it advisable for your project to manually insert the text elements in the variouslanguages in the questionnaire, or is it more convenient to use the function forexternal editing?

– If, for example, the texts for your multilingual questionnaire are to be createdby an international team of translators, it is more convenient if each translatorenters the texts for their language into an Excel file exported from EFS whichcan then subsequently be saved in CSV format and imported into EFS. For tipson external editing, see Chapter 6.6, p. 280.

� Does the use of EFS Translator Interface make sense for your project?

– As of EFS 6.0, the optionally leasable EFS Translator Interface provides addi-tional support for the translation of questionnaires in large internationalprojects. Your translation service providers can use it to access all the EFSfeatures that are used in the translation of questionnaires, such as the lan-guage editor and the “external editing” function. You can download a manualfor translators using this tool in customer center. For more detailed informa-tion please contact your Globalpark sales representative.

� What is the composition of the project team that is going to program the questi-onnaire and perform evaluation?

– If an international work group is to create the questionnaire in the admin areaand evaluate it after the project has been completed, unchangeable data (titlesof questionnaire pages and questions) should perhaps be entered in Englishfrom the very beginning or numbered. This is irrelevant for respondents view-ing the questionnaire, as they will not see this information.

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15.1.2 Recommendations on Project Creation

The following order of steps is recommended for project creation:

1. Create the project and questionnaire in the default language and submit them tothe customer for approval. (This will save you extensive rework.)

2. Create other languages.

3. Have all required texts translated.

4. Insert translations.

5. Define the respondent’s way of entry via language selection variable or languageselection question.

6. Incorporate language-specific variations (e.g. language-specific hiding conditions)into the questionnaire.

7. For personalized projects: Enter or import the participant data into participantadministration.

8. For personalized projects: Assign the language information in participant adminis-tration.

15.2 Specifying and Editing General Properties

Language administration can be found in the tab in the Projects->{Selected project}->Project properties->Survey languages menu. It includes the following functions:

� Create and edit languages

� Assign language identifier

� Set active default language

� Set language selection variable

� Copy language elements

� Language selection log

These will be described in detail in the following sections.

Please note that, in addition to the translation of the question and answer texts, allmessages, invitation mails as well as plausibility messages relevant for the surveymust be available in all languages. In this case, a checklist is helpful.

Step 8 should be performed last: If you were to create new languages or delete exis-ting ones after that, you would have to go back and check the language data assignedto the participants, the setting of the election variable / language selection questionand language-specific hiding conditions in the questionnaire.

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Figure 15.1 Language administration neu

15.2.1 Overview of Existing Languages

The overview table in the “Edit languages” section lists all existing languages of theproject along with the following information:

� ID: Each language receives an identification number from the system. This num-ber cannot be changed. In the export data record, you will find this language iden-tification number in the form of the “language” variable indicating the languageversion of the questionnaire that was displayed to the respondent (cf. Table 13.2).

� Language: Language label. The default language is marked accordingly.

� Language identifier: Serves as unique identification of language and region. SeeChapter 15.2.2, p. 574.

� Default language: This column indicates the current default language of the proj-ect. The meaning of the default language is further explained in Chapter 15.2.5,p. 575.

Depending on your access rights the following actions are available:

� Edit languages: Opens a dialog where you can change label and identifier of therespective language.

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� Print: Opens a view of the questionnaire in the respective language optimized forprinting.

� Rights: Opens the dialog for assigning read or write rights for the respectivelanguage to particular user teams in a targeted manner.

� Delete: The respective language will be deleted after a confirmation prompt.

You can use the View button to hide particular columns of the table or limit thenumber of rows.

15.2.2 Uniquely Characterizing Languages with a Language Identifier

The language identifier allows you to uniquely identify languages and regions. Forexample, de_DE: German / Germany; en_US: English / USA; en_GB: English / GreatBritain. Using the identifier is particularly helpful when a questionnaire is to be loca-lized for different dialects of the same language, e.g. British and American English.

The identifier is composed of

� language ID according to ISO 639. A list can be found at http://www.loc.gov/standards/iso639-2/php/code_list.php

� country ID according to ISO 3166. A list can be found at http://www.iso.org/iso/country_codes/iso_3166_code_lists/english_country_names_and_code_elements.htm

For example, de is the code for German, DE is the country ID. Accordingly, thelanguage identifier of a German language text localized for Germany is de_DE.

15.2.3 Creating Languages

1. Click on the Create language button.

2. In the “label” field, assign a name to the new language.

3. Optionally, you can initialize the new language with phrases from an alreadyexisting language. To do so, specify your desired source language in the field “Copylanguage phrases from”.

4. Assign a language identifier to the new language.

5. Finally, confirm by clicking on Save.

15.2.4 Copying Language Elements

EFS allows you to copy texts from an already existing language into another language.

� The “Copy language phrases from” function allows you to initialize a new languagewith existing phrases from another language. See the section “Create language”above.

� In order to fill or overwrite an already existing language with language elementsfrom another language, specify the source and target languages in the “Copylanguage elements” field and confirm by clicking on Execute.

Caution: Once you delete a language, all text elements and other settings of thislanguage will be deleted and cannot be restored. Deleting a language will also causeerrors in settings already made for the language selection question and languageselection variable, as well as for language information entered in participant admi-nistration. The ID of the deleted language will no longer be subsequently re-assig-ned. If you re-create the same language, it will be assigned a new language ID.

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15.2.5 Setting the Active Default Language

Among the existing languages of a multilingual project, one language will be treatedas the default language. That means the following:

� This language will automatically be used in the output questionnaire, unless anindividual language preference for the respondent has been set by defining a lan-guage selection variable or unless a language selection page has been set up.

� The language elements of the default language will appear in the questionnaireeditor, whereas you can only edit the language elements of the other languages viathe language editor (see Chapter 15.3.2, p. 579).

� The language elements of the default language will always appear in the firstcolumn of the language editor.

� If a language element has not been filled in for another language, the finishedquestionnaire will show the corresponding language element of the default langu-age instead.

To find out which language performs the function of default language, check thecolumn “Default language” in the overview of languages.

When creating a project, the system will automatically set the language that is used inthe admin area by the staff member creating the project as the default language. I.e. ifthe project is created by a staff member using the English-language admin area, thedefault language will automatically be set to English.

Changing the default language

If you wish to make edits in various languages directly in the questionnaire editorinstead of using the simultaneous central access to the language elements of all lan-guages via the language element editor, you will need to change the default language.It is usually not advisable to proceed in this way because the Language editor providesconvenient central access to the language elements of the various languages. Still,this case might occur, for example, if the staff members who create the questionnairein the questionnaire editor are part of an international team and wish to use theirrespective native language.

In order to change the default language, select the desired new default language in the“Default language” column and comfirm by clicking on Activate language. Thischange will simultaneously trigger a language selection blocker. Please observe thenotes on this feature in the following section.

Blocking changes to the default language

If several staff members are working in the admin area at the same time, problemsmight occur. These can be prevented by incorporating the language selection blocker:

Let us assume that staff member A sets his or her native language, German, as thedefault language and starts work in the questionnaire editor. Staff member B does notknow about this and changes the default language to English. Now, staff member A

The copy function is useful if, for example, many answer categories are identical anddo not require translation, e.g. if questions concern products that are marketedinternationally or the names of music artists and song titles.

If the new default language was not yet fully translated before the default languagechange, the #undefined# marker will appear in the text elements in the question-naire and language editors which are still empty.

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wants to save his or her changes to the German-language questionnaire. However,while saving, the changes will not be entered in the originally set default language ofGerman, but will instead overwrite the English text elements.

In order to avoid such overlapping, the change function will be blocked for all usersafter a change of the default language, and the Activate language button will no longerappear.

Figure 15.2 Language selection blocker from the perspective of the staff member who triggered it and can unblock language selection

Only the staff member who last made the change as well as staff with “root” rights willnow see a button labeled Enable language selection instead of the Activate languagebutton, and can unblock language selection by clicking on this button. The blockerremains active until the user who made the change logs out or their session ends.

After language selection has been unblocked or the last user’s session has ended, thedefault language can be changed again by any staff member.

15.2.6 Setting the Output Language Via a Language Selection Variable

The language displayed at the start of the survey can be set via a data item known inadvance, such as information from participant administration. (The alternative ofgiving the respondent a choice via a language selection question will be described inChapter 15.4, p. 585.)

In the “Read language selection by survey start from” drop-down list, you can definethe variable from which the ID of the displayed language will be read at the start of thesurvey. Which variables are available depends on the project type:

� Anonymous projects: URL parameters, which you can create according to theinstructions specified in Chapter 3.7.13, p. 89.

� Personalized projects: All fields of participant administration, except the partici-pant’s e-mail address, as well as URL parameters.

You want to change the default language, but the language selection blocker isactive. How are you now supposed to find out which staff member last triggered theblocker and is thus also responsible for unblocking language selection?

This information is also displayed in language administration, in the “Languageselection log” section (see Chapter 15.2.7, p. 578).

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� Personalized projects: The standard variables in participant administration withthe exception of “c_date” and “m_date”, and all additionally created participantvariables as well as URL parameters. If you would like to use a participant variableespecially for saving language information, then use the standard variable“u_language” which was introduced especially for this purpose.

� Panel and master data surveys: Participant data, master data, system data and URLparameters.

Entering the language-setting variable in participant administration

1. In language administration, specify from which variable the language setting is tobe read.

Figure 15.3 Setting language selection variable

2. Confirm your entry by clicking on Save.

3. Switch to Participant administration.

4. If you select the Add participant button, you will find that the data item that wasdefined as the language variable (in the example shown below, the language ver-sion stored in u_language) can no longer be freely entered but only selected via adrop-down list.

Figure 15.4 In this example, the data in the language version field are used as the language selection variable. They can be set via a drop-down list.

You cannot set the language via a language selection variable if you are using a staticstart page.

Another way of pre-setting the language is to create a language selection question.See Chapter 15.4, p. 585, for further information.

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5. Now proceed entering or importing the participant data as usual (see Chapter10.2.6, p. 423 and 10.2.7, p. 424).

15.2.7 Tracing Changes Made in Language Administration via the Log

The “Language selection log” section displays important operations within languageadministration (e.g. creating and deleting languages and changing the default langu-age) in chronological order. Therefore, you can also see here, among other things, wholast changed the default language and is thus responsible for unblocking the languageselection (see Chapter 15.2.5, p. 575).

15.3 Centrally Editing Text Elements and Logos

All text elements the respondent sees in the questionnaire can be displayed in thevarious languages of the project:

� Question text, fill-in instructions and help text

� Answer categories and scale titles (in the case of matrix questions)

� Texts in the HTML code of question types 911 and 998

� Item texts

� Survey messages

� Logos and buttons

There are two possible ways of editing the multilingual text elements:

� You can centrally edit the text elements, survey messages and logos for all langu-ages via the language editor. This work process will be described in detail in thefollowing sections.

� Alternatively, you can edit the text elements externally, e.g. in Excel, and then re-import them. See Section 6.6, p. 280, for tips on how to proceed.

15.3.1 Overview of the Translation Process

Clicking on the Questionnaire editor->Language editor->Text elements menu itemwill take you to the overview of translation to-dos. Here, you can see where there arestill untranslated text elements in your questionnaire.

Please note: If the participant data were entered before setting the language vari-able, the drop-down list will automatically be completed and set to the default lan-guage. Then, it is necessary to add the language data for the participants. Thereforeit is strongly recommended to configure languages and participant variables beforeadding participant data.

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Figure 15.5 Overview of the completed and outstanding translation tasks

� All text elements in the text element editor which have been filled in the defaultlanguage should be filled in the additional languages, too. I.e. the pages of thedefault language will always be marked OK.

� Until all the text elements of an additional language have been completed in thetext element editor, the table will output the Edit message for the respective page.

� Once all the text elements of a language have been completed, the table will outputthe OK message for the respective page.

You can click on the OK and Edit messages and switch directly to the appropriate pageof the text element editor, the functions of which will be described below. Once youhave configured this according to the instructions given in the next section, you canstart entering the translated text elements.

15.3.2 The Text Element Editor

If you want to edit the text elements of your multilingual project directly in EFSinstead of using the “External editing” function, the text element editor will be centralto your work, because here you can edit the text elements of your questionnaire pageby page.


� How you can reach the language element editor.

� How you can change text elements in the language element editor.

� How you can configure the language element editor.

Please note that the list of translation to-dos will only indicate whether or not a textelement is filled with text – it is not possible to check automatically whether the textis in the correct language and has been translated correctly.

Also, this list does not indicate whether survey messages and wildcards have alreadybeen translated or whether translated logos or form elements have been uploaded(see Chapters 15.3.3, p. 582, and 15.3.4, p. 583).

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Figure 15.6 The centerpiece of the language editor, the text element editor

Ways to the text element editor

Once you have created more than one language for a project according to the instruc-tions given in Chapter 15.2.1, p. 573, there are three possible ways of accessing the textelement editor:

� As described above, clicking on the Language editor->Text elements menu item inthe questionnaire editor will take you to the overview of translation to-dos. Selec-ting one item from the to-do list will open the text element editor for the corres-ponding page.

� If, in the questionnaire editor, you are viewing the question overview of a specificpage, you only have to click on the Text elements tab.

� In the questionnaire editor’s page list, in the “Options” column, you will find a newicon: the Globe. It symbolizes the Edit language elements function. Clicking on itwill also take you to the text element editor.

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Figure 15.7 The globe icon in the “Options” column

Editing text elements

The text element editor, shown in Figure 15.6, is structured as follows:

� The text elements of the questionnaire page displayed will be grouped by questionsand listed in the order in which they appear in the finished questionnaire. The typeof the respective text element (“Question text”, “Item text”, etc.) will be displayedin the “Element” column.

� The middle column of the text element editor contains the text elements of thedefault language, i.e. the texts that you can also, as usual, enter and view via thequestionnaire.

� In the other columns, the text elements of the selected page will be entered for allother languages. They can be changed as desired (for information on how to openthe text elements of another language or all available languages, see the followingsection, “Configuring the language element editor”).

� By clicking on the Preview icon, you can open the preview of the questionnaire inthe respective language.

You can change the text elements both in the default language as well as in the otherlanguage(s) shown. After you have finished, you must save your changes by clicking onSave.

When saving, however, only those changes containing a string will be transferred tothe language table. Empty strings will be ignored. Fields of the language table that donot have an entry will show the text for the default language.

Configuring the text element editor

Using the View function you will be able to edit the display of the language elementeditor.

� You can change the size of the input fields. Both the number of rows and the num-ber of characters per row can be modified. By default, each input field has threerows and is 40 characters wide.

If the desired survey language should be coded with character sets other than theinternational character set UTF-8, then you should set up the suitable character setsaccording to the instructions in Chapter 15.3.3, p. 582. Further information on thistopic can be found in Chapter 3.7.17, p. 100.

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� You can select languages for editing. By default, when you open the language ele-ment editor for the first time, it will display the default language and the secondset-up language. For projects in three to four languages, it is advisable to displaythe text elements in all languages simultaneously. By contrast, for projects with adozen or more languages, it may be more advisable not to show all the languagessimultaneously but to edit the respective text elements successively or in groups.

� When you have completed the text elements on one questionnaire page, you canclick on the Arrow icons in the top right corner of the window to navigate to thetext elements of the previous or next questionnaire page.

Figure 15.8 Configuring the text element editor

15.3.3 Editing Survey Messages

Similar to the language elements in the questionnaire, the survey messages of theproject can be edited in several languages. To do so, click on the Survey messagesmenu item in the language editor.

In the top section of this dialog, in the “Which language do you want to edit?” field, youcan select the language in which you want to edit the survey messages. Select thedesired language, and then confirm by clicking on Apply.

If there is already a complete set of survey messages in the library, you can select it inthe “Copy text elements from survey messages library” field and accept by clicking onApply.

In the “Survey messages of language x”, you can edit the survey messages:

� The left-hand column, titled “Element”, explains in which situation the respectivesurvey message will be used.

� The middle column contains the survey messages of the default language, i.e. thetexts that you can also, as usual, view and enter under Project properties->Surveymessages.

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� The right-hand column shows the text elements in the target language. They canbe changed as desired.

15.3.4 Logos and Buttons

By default, the layout created for the default language of a multilingual project will alsobe used for all other languages. However, you will often wish to display buttons invarious languages, and occasionally, it may be important to show different logosdepending on the language (if, for example, the regional subsidiaries of a multinationalcompany have different names).

A special extension for this purpose can be found on the language editor’s Logos andform elements menu. It allows you to upload four logos, a background image andvarious buttons for each language of the project.

If the desired survey language should be coded with character sets other than theinternational character set UTF-8, then you should set up the appropriate charactersets in the field “character sets”. Further information on this topic can be found inChapter 3.7.17, p. 100.

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Figure 15.9 Uploading logos and buttons for multilingual projects

Uploading various logos

If you wish to incorporate different logos into the different language areas of yourproject, please proceed as follows:

1. Usually, the logo (or multiple logos) for the default language is uploaded first usingthe standard editor. To do so, follow the instructions given in Chapter 8.3.2, p. 355.

2. Then switch to the language editor and open the Logos and form elements menu.

3. Find the language and the logo which you intend to change. Click on the Edit icon.

4. In the follow-up dialog, use the Browse button to search for the desired logo onyour local hard disk.

5. Upload it by clicking on Save.

Uploading buttons in various languages

If you are using HTML form elements, you can edit the labeling of the buttons, asdescribed in Chapter 15.3.3, p. 582.

If you wish to use graphical form elements instead, you should first enable the “Gra-phical form elements” option on the Form elements tab in the Layout menu. Specify

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15.4 Setting Up a Language Selection Question

the form elements for the default language according to the instructions given inChapter 8.3.4, p. 358. After that, you can upload the form elements of the other surveylanguages according to the instructions given above for logos, using the language edi-tor’s Logos and form elements tab.

15.4 Setting Up a Language Selection Question

The single response questions of EFS (question types 111, 112, 113, 131, 132, 511 and611) can be used as language selection questions. The use of this feature has the follo-wing advantages:

� After answering the language selection question, the participants will see the ques-tionnaire in the language selected. You do not have to define filters manually inorder to route the participants to the questionnaire in the appropriate language.

� The texts of the language selection question can be defined in several languages viathe text element editor. This way, you can immediately present the language selec-tion question for a personalized project or employee survey in a language whichyou know the participants will understand.

� A respondent who does not make a choice at the language selection question willautomatically see the questionnaire in the default language.

Figure 15.10 Language selection question in the questionnaire

Creating a language selection question

If you wish to create a language selection question, please proceed as follows:

1. Open the Projects->{Selected project}->Questionnaire editor menu.

2. Create a new page.

3. On this page, create a question with one of the possible question types (see above).

4. Enter the intended question text, and save it.

Please note that you can only create one language selection question in a multilin-gual project. Once you create a second language selection question within the sameproject, the first one will lose its function.

Moreover, inside titles, grouping, randomization, manual definition of new columnsand setting missing values cannot be used for language selection questions.

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5. Among the options, you will find a new checkbox labeled “Use question as languageselection”. Tick this checkbox.

Figure 15.11 Ticking the “Use question for language selection” checkbox

6. Save your changes.

7. After saving, you will no longer see the usual answer options, but a drop-down listcontaining the project languages that have already been created.

Figure 15.12 Selecting the answer options

8. Select the first language and save.

9. Repeat the operation for the other existing languages.

10. After saving, you can change the text of the answer category. For example, you canreplace the English titles with the words “English”, “Deutsch” and “Francais”. Viathe text element editor, you can also create multilingual text elements.

15.5 E-Mail Dispatch from Participant Administration

If you wish to address the participants of your multilingual project in the respectivelanguage, you can create and archive mail templates in various languages.

However, you cannot use the functions for sending e-mails to pre-defined groups (invi-tation mails, reminder mails, etc., see Chapter 10.2.15, p. 433). Instead, you can usethe Search functionof the participant administration to build participant groups that

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15.6 Export

meet certain criteria and combinations of criteria, and then write to these participantscollectively.

15.6 Export

15.6.1 Exporting Result Data for Evaluation in SPSS

When exporting the project’s result data for evaluation with SPSS, you can specify inwhich language you wish to output the questionnaire texts. See Chapter 13.2.5, p. 526,for an explanation.

The one language that cannot be changed is the language in which the titles of ques-tionnaire pages and of questions will be output. However, evaluation programs such asSPSS allow you to re-label these data after the data export.

15.6.2 Exporting Result Data for Open-ended Questions

When exporting the answers to open-ended questions in an UTF-8 encoded survey foranalysis in Excel, you can choose between two options:

� EFS’ own XLS export: In the Export menu, select the option “Data (open-endedanswers only)” and then “XLS”.

� CSV export and import into Excel: First, in the Export menu, select the option“Data (open-ended answers only)” and then “CSV”. Next, open the file with theImport external data->Import data function in Excel’s Data menu. It allows toselect the appropriate character set resp. it will be identified automatically.

15.7 Evaluation of Multilingual Surveys

15.7.1 Narrowing the Field Report, Online Statistics and Open-Ended Answers by Language

You have the option to narrow the field report, online statistics and open-ended ans-wers via the language variable. To do so, click on the Configuration button in theProjects->{Selected project}-> Statistics menu resp. its submenus Online statisticsand Open-ended answers. Select “Selected language of participant” as the restrictioncriterion and click on Continue. In the subsequently displayed drop-down list, set thelanguage for which you wish to see the evaluation. You will now be shown the data forthose respondents who have seen the questionnaire in the language selected.

Before you can view the data for another language or for all results, you must disablethe “Delete current restriction” checkbox in the Configuration dialog.

To select participants whose language was defined via a language selection variable,select the appropriate characteristics in the “Language version” drop-down list.

Consider whether the language in which the respondents have completed the ques-tionnaire is really the decisive criterion for your project. Under certain circum-stances, for example, the country in which a respondent lives might be moreimportant.

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15.7.2 Selecting the Language for Online Statistics

If you wish to review the results of the survey in the online statistics (Projects->{Selected project}->Statistics->Online statistics), you can choose beforehand inwhich language the text elements of the questionnaire are to be displayed.

To do so, set the desired language using the drop-down list in the “Choose a language”field, and select the desired questions and variable name output as usual.

15.7.3 Selecting the Print Language

When printing the questionnaire (Projects->{Selected Project}->Documentation->Print version), you can also specify the language using a drop-down list.

15.8 Tips, Tricks and FAQ

15.8.1 How can I incorporate language-specific variations into the questionnaire?

Using filters and hiding conditions, you can incorporate variations into your projectwhich depend on the language chosen by the respondent.

To do so, you must first create the appropriate filter type

� filter,

� hiding condition at question level, or

� hiding condition at item level,

as usual (see Chapters 4.7, p. 143, 5.16.1, p. 249, and 5.16.2, p. 250).

When specifying the filter condition, select the language variable „language“, as thevariable to be used for filtering. Then, enter the condition (equal to, greater than, lessthan...) as usual. The code used is the language ID, i.e. the identification number of thelanguage to be filtered (see Chapter 15.2.1, p. 573).

15.8.2 How can I preview multilingual questionnaires?

You can display multilingual projects via the usual functions for question and pagepreview. The language element editor also includes a preview function. If you wish toview the “real” questionnaire, you have the following options:

In the online statistics, the following information will always appear in the languageset by the staff member making the edits in the admin area (i.e. German or English):

- Names of the question types

- Table labels from the field report

As already mentioned in the introduction to Chapter 15, p. 569 (in the “Informationwithout multilingual capability” section), the titles originally entered for the ques-tionnaire pages cannot be changed for printing.

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15.8 Tips, Tricks and FAQ

Anonymous survey

� If your project begins with a language selection question, you can enter it via thequestionnaire preview or the URL and test all available language areas in succes-sion.

� If you enter the survey via pre-defined URL parameters, you will also access thecorresponding language area.

Personalized survey

If, for a personalized survey, you specify the language of the data displayed via informa-tion in participant administration, it is recommended that you construct accounts fortest persons and visit the questionnaire using their codes.

15.8.3 Language mix in the preview?

You are previewing your questionnaire in one of the languages that are not set as thedefault language. Some of the questions and answer categories appear in the requiredlanguage – but suddenly, texts in the default language appear among them. What hashappened?

If a text element has not been translated, it will be replaced with the correspondingelement of the default language both in the preview and in the output questionnaire.You must therefore check the language element editor to see whether the translationwas actually completed.

15.8.4 Be careful when comparing strings in plausibility checks!

In foreign-language surveys, comparisons on string variables containing charactersother than ASCII should not be performed. The reason for this is that, depending onthe operating system and browser used, all other characters might be transmitted inUnicode.

15.8.5 Using wildcards in multilingual projects

You can use the wildcard function, which was introduced in Chapter 7.1, p. 293, toinsert text components into multilingual projects. Please note the tips given in the“Wildcards in multilingual projects” section of that chapter.

15.8.6 How can I create multilingual buttons?

In the Language editor->Survey messages menu, the labels for the buttons can betranslated according to the instructions given in Chapter 15.3.3, p. 582.

15.8.7 Can I create language-specific layouts?

From EFS 7.0, you can exchange the templates and CSS files of a survey depending onthe language selected. This feature is optionally leasable, please see Chapter 8.5.9,p. 380 for details.

If you activate the language changing function described in Chapter 9.6, p. 397, youcan switch directly back and forth between the various languages.

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15.8.8 Is it possible to transfer text elements from one language to ano-ther?

You have created your questionnaire in English. Now you navigate to language admi-nistration to create “German” as a second language - and find that your English-lan-guage elements were saved under the default language “German”. What can you doabout this?

EFS allows you to copy the text elements you have already created into the desiredlanguage. You merely have to set the appropriate source and target languages in the“Copy language elements” section and then click on Execute.

15.8.9 Can I access the ID of the current language from the question-naire or from templates?

With the wildcard #language# you can display the ID of the language currently used bythe participant. This is particularly important for language-dependent layouts and spe-cial programming.

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16 Administrating Staff

16.1 The EFS Rights System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 593

16.2 Creating and Managing Teams. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 605

16.3 Setting up and Managing Staff Accounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . 610

16.4 Changing Own Account Data and Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . 617

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16.1 The EFS Rights System


This chapter explains the staff administration.

� In Chapter 16.1, p. 593, you are introduced to the rights system of EFS. If you arein charge of a large survey project or even an entire EFS installation, this rightssystem allows you to control the access of staff to information and functions in avery precise manner.

� Chapter 16.2, p. 605 tells you how to create teams and how to configure theiraccess rights.

� Chapter 16.3, p. 610 explains how to create new staff accounts and how to assignthem to the appropriate teams.

� In Chapter 16.4, p. 617, you learn how you can customize the functions of EFS toyour personal working habits to a certain extent.


There are usually a number of staff working in EFS installations, often in larger staffgroups:

� In addition to the project management, large numbers of additional staff are ofteninvolved in large survey projects or the administration of panels. There are, forexample, staff members that specialize in questionnaire programming, while otherstaff are responsible for the evaluation of questionnaires.

� In collective installations, employees from different Globalpark clients workcompletely separately on their respective projects.

� Some staff members may not be granted access to the admin area. Instead,separate logins such as EFS Survey Status and EFS Translator Interface providerestricted access to the information and functions their work requires.

EFS allows you to effectively configure and control the access rights of all these staff.

� Instead of configuring the access rights for each individual staff member, youdefine teams: These reflect the respective rights and duties of entire staff groupswith identical responsibilities. Subsequently, you allocate the actual staff membersto the user roles. See Chapter 16.1.1, p. 593.

� The various ways of accessing and changing information and functions are mappedin a dedicated rights system. Thus, you can not only define which information andfunctions a team may generally access, but also which individual objects (e.g.specific projects). See Chapter 16.1.2, p. 594.

16.1.1 Controlling the Access Options of Staff via Team Affiliation

The particular access options of staff members in EFS are controlled via assignment toone or more teams:

Staff administration is protected by its own set of rights. With restricted rights, youcan only change your password and configure the settings for your account. Table16.4 provides a detailed list of rights related to staff administration.

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� The configuration of the teams reflects the respective rights and responsibilities ofentire staff groups with identical responsibilities.

� Staff members can be members of several teams.

– The ACL rights of his teams are added up, i.e. he may access all informationand functions that at least one of his teams has access to. If, for example, oneof his teams holds write rights for “ct42partadm”, i.e. it can create participantsin the participant administration, while another of his team has only readrights, he can create participants.

– With regard to individual objects, he also has the widest access that isconfigured for one of his teams, i.e. if one of his teams holds write rights forproject x while another team only has read rights, he has write rights.

� Each staff member belongs to one primary team.

– The primary team is always automatically granted read and write rights forprojects created by this staff member.

– In new projects created by this staff member, the survey URL contains thename of the primary team.

In new EFS installations, teams reflecting the most frequently required staff roles havebeen created and preconfigured by default. These roles includes:

� Project manager: The project manager is responsible for conducting surveyprojects. However, he generally requires no access to panel administrationfunctions and often has no access to staff administration, either.

� Panel administrator: In EFS installations, the panel administrator is mainlyresponsible for panel administration. He may also be in charge of the CMS and thepanel community.

� System administrator: This role is reserved for support operations by Globalpark.It contains special functions which, if applied incorrectly, can cause damage to thesystem.

16.1.2 Configuring Access Options Precisely Using ACL and Object Rights

Which information and functions are accessible to a staff team is controlled by acombination of two types of rights:

� ACL rights: ACL rights (“Access Control List”) define whether someone is entitledto view certain information or perform certain functions.

– ACL rights are granted to staff teams.

– This is done in the staff administration, see Chapter 16.2.5, p. 610.

– Each ACL right includes read and write rights. Write rights usually activatemore powerful functions than read rights.

– Chapter 16.1.3, p. 595 provides an overview of all ACL rights.

� Object rights: EFS allows for the precise control of the access to a number ofindividual objects. An object may be a particular project, a layout template, or a setof survey messages. With object rights you can define which team is entitled toview, use, or edit the respective object.

– Object rights are also granted to staff teams.

– Object rights are not assigned in the staff administration, but directly via therespective object. For example, object rights for projects are assigned via the

594


project list, see Chapter 3.5.8, p. 68. The dialog for assigning rights is usuallycalled up via a Rights link or a Rights icon.

– Object rights also include read and write rights. Read rights usually grantpassive access to information, while write rights permit the active use offunctions.

16.1.3 Overview of ACL Rights

Rights related to project management

Right Read Write

chg_url With write rights, you can change the URL of a project (Chapter 3.7.3, p. 77).

cr_language With write rights, you can create a new language.

cr_project With write rights, you can create or copy new projects.

ct42partadm With read rights, you can view the participants list in participant administration. Furthermore, you gain access to project data import.In EFS Survey Status, you gain access to respondent export.

With write rights, you can create, edit or delete participants.

del_project With write rights, you can assign the status “erasable” to projects.

export_with_lfdn For personalized projects, the [Project]-> Export->Address and result data option is visible. With read rights, you can access and use the combined export of participant and result data in per-sonalized surveys. You can also view the combined data in the menu Statistics->Detail view.

monitor_mode With read rights, you can use the monitoring mode in personalized surveys, employee surveys, panel surveys and master data surveys (Chapter 10.2.17, p. 436).

print_survey With read rights, you can print the survey.

protect_questions With read rights, you can view and export the results of protected questions (Chapter 12.8, p. 511).

With write rights, you can mark questi-ons as “protected”.

r_without_deleting With read rights, you can access the option “Reset without deleting survey data” in participant admi-nistration (Table 10.6).

Table 16.1 Rights related to project management

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Rights related to mail dispatch functions

show_dispcode With read rights, you can view and export the disposition code of sur-vey participants. In a personalized survey, the disposition code is shown in participant administra-tion. In a panel survey, it is shown in the respective sample on the tab “Sample contents”.

show_export With read rights, you can access the Export menu of specific pro-jects.

Right Read Write

mail_admin With read rights, you can access the overviews of existing mail tem-plates in the projects and in the Options module. The mail admin in projects and in the Options module offers an overview on dis-patch processes in areas you’re authorized to access (without read rights, you can only access your own dispatch processes in mail admin).

With read and write rights, all features for editing mail templates are available and you can also access new mail tem-plates.

mail_attachment With read rights, you can use attachments when sending mails. See Chapter 11.2.3, p. 474.

mail_cc With read rights, you can define the additional recipient options CC and BCC in mail templates and mail dispatch processes.

mail_email_mailadmin

With read rights, you can view the e-mail addresses of mails in the mail queue.

mail_email_preview With read rights, you can view the recipients’ e-mail addresses in the mail preview.

mail_passwords With read rights, you can see the plain text passwords of partici-pants or panelists when preview-ing mails.Please note: In employee surveys, the passwords are in general not visible.

mail_reply With read rights, you can define the additional options “Reply-To”, “Return-Path” and “Read confir-mation” in mail templates and mail dispatch processes.

Table 16.2 Rights related to mail dispatch functions

(cont.)Right Read Write

Table 16.1 Rights related to project management

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Rights related to statistics and reporting functions

options With read rights, you can access the menu Options->Mail templates->Mail senders. See Chapter 11.4, p. 486.

Right Read Write

config_fieldreport With read rights, you can restrict field report, online statistics and open-ended answers to a variable which you can define yourself (Configuration button in the respective menus).

data_cleaning With read rights, you can access the data cleaning. This right is new in EFS 7.1. During the upgrade, it will be allocated to all teams which have write rights for at least one project.

detail_view_edit With write rights, you can edit the result data (Chapter 12.6.4, p. 509).

export_code With read rights, you can export the participants' access code in the respondent export on EFS Sur-vey Status.

ip_addresses With read rights, you can activate the determination of hostname and IP address for a project. You can access the hostnames and IP addresses of survey participants in the menu Statistics->Detail view and via export. Furthermore, you can change your own preferences for hostname determination in new projects. Please also refer to the notes on the availability of hostnames and IP addresses in Chapter 3.7.8, p. 81.

quality_correction With read rights, you can use qua-lity correction (Menu Statistics-> Quality correction).

report_erase_data With read rights, you can delete the results for selected survey variab-les for individual or for all partici-pants (Menu Statistics-> Detail view and Statistics-> Delete data).

report_onlinerep With read rights, you can access the open-ended answers (Menu Statistics->Open-ended answers).

Table 16.3 Report rights / field report


Table 16.2 Rights related to mail dispatch functions

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Rights related to staff administration functions

report_onlinereport With read rights, you can access the EFS Survey reporting tool.

report_onlinestat With read rights, you can access the submenu Online statistics in the menu Statistics.

report_reporting With write rights, you can access EFS Reporting +.

report_testdata With read rights, you can access the participants’ survey results (Menu Statistics->Detail view).

report_view_fieldrep With read rights you can view the field report (menu Statistics). If the employee has neither this nor one of the rights report_erase_data, report_onlinerep, report_onlinereport, report_onlinestat and report_testdata which are descri-bed above, then the link to the Statistics menu will be hidden. If he does not have this right but one of the rights named above, then the field report graphics will be hidden and he will be directly switched to the corresponding submenu.

stat_split With read rights, you can split field report and online statistics.

Right Read Write

chg_grp_acl The Rights of the team (whole system) link is displayed.

cr_area_fm With write rights, you can assign or change the access rights to the area “EFS Secure Exchange”.

cr_area_mobile_gui With write rights, you can assign or change the access rights to the area “EFS Mobile GUI”.

cr_area_report With write rights, you can assign or change the access rights to the area “EFS Survey Status”.

cr_area_translations With write rights, you can assign or change the access rights to the area “EFS Translator Interface”.

cr_area_www With write rights, you can assign or change the access rights to the EFS admin area.

Table 16.4 Rights related to staff administration functions


Table 16.3 Report rights / field report

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Access rights

cr_teamaccount With write rights, you can create new staff accounts.

groupadmin With read rights, you can view all teams, including teams you are not a member of.

With write rights, you can edit teams (except the team “System Administra-tor”) and assign object rights (e.g. for projects, project languages, reports etc.) to all teams. Furthermore, you can edit the account data of members. When you create a new project and have write rights, you can assign all existing teams to it, and not only the teams that you are a member of.

org_groupadmin With read rights, you can access the account data of your own orga-nization’s staff members.

With write rights, you can administrate all staff members of your own organiza-tion (e.g. create accounts, edit account data or delete accounts).

orgadmin With write rights, you can edit the accounting organizations on this instal-lation in the Staff->Organizations menu. Additionally, you can change the assignment of staff members and pro-jects to organizations.

Right Read Write

create_macro With write rights, you can define new macros and assign the rights to execute them.

create_project_cat With write rights, you can create new folders for the project list. See Chapter 3.5.6, p. 65.

exchange_teams With read rights, you can view the history of the exchange platform.

With write rights, you can create exchange teams.

platform_cockpit With read rights, you can access the platform cockpit (menu Options->Platform cockpit).

receipt_admin Only on installations on which the receipt functionalities are activa-ted (special programming): With read rights, you have access to the receipt admin.

reportlist With read rights, you can access the field overview in the Projects module. Furthermore, if you want to autho-rize staff to access reports or auto-mated exports via EFS Survey Status, these read rights are required as well, in addition to read rights for the respective report or export file.

Table 16.5 Access rights


Table 16.4 Rights related to staff administration functions

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Rights related to EFS Panel functions

show_scala With read rights, you can access the scale library.

webservice_conf With write rights, you can activate and configure web services.

whois With read rights, you can see the active users in the system.

With write rights, you can also see which parts of the software the users are currently working in.

Right Read Write

create_reg_code_cat

With write rights, you can administrate categories for ways of entry in the panel.

listnew With read rights, you can access the Candidates menu and the duplicates check.

panel_add_account With write rights, you can add individual panelists in the panelists administra-tion.

panel_config With write rights, you can configure Panel tracking and Capacity filters in the Panel->Panel configuration menu. Access to the other functions in this menu is controlled by dedicated rights.

panel_dupcheck With write rights, you can configure the duplicates check for the panel.

panel_external_surveys

With write rights, you can administer external studies and participations. See “EFS Panel 8.0”, Chapter 9.4.

panel_log With write rights, you can export the log file of those panelists who have left the panel but still have bonus points.

panel_quotas With read rights, you can view panel quota cell values.

With write rights, you can edit panel quotas.

panel_recodes With write rights, you can create, edit or delete recoding variables.

panel_status With write rights, you can manage the panel statuses in the Panel configuration->Panel status menu.

panel_update_rule With read rights, you can access and manage the update rules of the panel. A necessary requirement is read rights for panelgrp_admin, i.e. access to the panel’s group management.

Table 16.6 Rights related to EFS Panel functions


Table 16.5 Access rights

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panelbonus With read rights for this ACL right newly introduced in EFS 7.1, you can access the Bonus system menu.

With write rights, you can grant bonus points to individual panelists or panelist groups.Depending on the menu in which you want to grant the bonus points, you might need additional rights, e.g. access rights for the Panelists administration or for the Groups menu.

panelemail With write rights, you can send mails and you have access to the panel’s con-tact request list (Panel-> Contacts).

panelexport With read rights, you can export panelists.

panelgrat With read rights, you can access the prize draw system and create prize draws.

panelgrp_admin With read rights, you can access the group administration of the panel (Menu Panel->Groups).

panelimport With write rights, you can import pane-lists.

panelmasterdata Until EFS 7.0, read rights were needed for granting bonus points to the members of a panel group. From EFS 7.1, this function is con-trolled by the new right “panelbo-nus”.

With write rights, you can access the Panel->Master data menu.

panelprom With read rights, you can run tell-a-friend campaigns.

panelstats With read rights, you have access to the statistics of the master data.

panelstatus With read rights, you can view panel information after logging in. Without these rights, only informa-tion on active projects will be dis-played.To gain access to the menus Website log and Session statistics, you need additional read rights for “panelstats”.

pci_admin With write rights, you can administer the conditions and codes for the PCI calcu-lation in the Panel configuration->PCI configuration menu.

reg_code With read rights, you can access the menu Panel->Panel configuration->Ways of entry.

sample_access With read rights, you can access and edit existing samples in panel survey.

With write rights, you can create additi-onal samples.



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Rights related to Panel CMS functions

search_panel With read rights, you can access the panelists administration.

With write rights, you can annotate panelists.

Right Read Write

add_website With read rights, you can create new languages in the panel CMS.

With write rights, you can also create add new websites.

board_admin With read rights, you can adminis-ter forums.

With write rights, you can export the posts of a forum.

mod_panelsite With write rights, you can enter the module Website, which contains the Panel CMS.

news_admin With read rights you can edit the panel news.

panel_blog_admin With read rights, you can adminis-ter panelist blogs.

With write rights, you can export the posts of a blog.

panel_chats With read rights, you can adminis-ter chats.

With write rights, you can export the posts of a chat.

panel_cms You need both read and write rights to access the panel CMS.

You need both read and write rights to access the panel CMS.

panel_cms_publish With read rights, you can publish pages and set pages offline in the panel CMS.

With write rights, you can activate and deactivate websites and language ver-sions.

panel_cms_tests With read rights, you can check websites and language versions for common issues in the panel CMS.

panel_content_export

With read rights, you can export the content of panel websites in Excel files.

With write rights, you can import modi-fied content back into the Panel CMS.

panel_download With write rights, you can administer download lists.

panel_img With write rights, you can access the media library of the panel to view exis-ting media or upload new media.

panel_incentive With write rights, you can manage bonuses, bonus categories and voucher code lists in the module Website.

panel_messages With read rights, you can adminis-ter discussions.

With write rights, you can export the posts of a discussion.

panel_online_editing

With write rights, you can edit the panel website directly in the preview.

panel_quickpolls With read rights, you can adminis-ter quick polls.

With write rights, you can export quick polls.

panel_subscription_admin

Write read rights, you can adminis-ter external feed subscriptions.

Table 16.7 Rights related to Panel CMS functions



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Rights related to Panel data protection

panel_website_forms

With read rights, you can access the website forms.

panel_website_messages

With read rights, you can access the website messages.

panel_website_placeholders

With read rights, you can access the website wildcards.

Recht Lesen Schreiben

export_panelists With write rights, you can export address data of panelists in the export menu.

export_ppasswd With read rights, you can export the passwords of the panelists.

panel_email_bonus With read rights, you can view the e-mail addresses of the panelists in the bonus system. Please note that this right does not affect the e-mail addresses con-tained in the bonus points log: if you do not want staff to access them, rights for “panel_log” should be revoked.

panel_email_contacts

With read rights, you can view the e-mail addresses of the panelists in the contacts management sys-tem.

panel_email_export With read rights, you can export the e-mail addresses of panelists with the panel data export.

panel_email_gratification

With read rights, you can view e-mail addresses of panelists in the edit dialog of prize draws.

panel_email_groups With read rights, you can view the e-mail addresses of panelists in the edit dialog of panel groups.

panel_email_promotion

With read rights, you can view the e-mail addresses of panelists in the edit dialog for campaigns.

panel_email_sample

With read rights, you can view the e-mail addresses of panelists in samples of panel and master data surveys.

panel_email_search With read rights, you can view the e-mail addresses of panelists in the panelists administration.

Table 16.8 Rights related to Panel data protection


Table 16.7 Rights related to Panel CMS functions

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Rights related to EFS Employee functions

The following rights refer to project type “Employee survey” on EFS Employee instal-lations.

panel_email_statistics

With read rights, you can view the e-mail addresses of panelists in a panel or master data survey’s detail view statistics.

panel_email_survey With read rights, you can export the e-mail addresses of panelists with the survey results export.

panel_email_website

With read rights, you can view the e-mail addresses of panelists in the community content menus of the panel website.

show_ppasswd With read rights, you can see the passwords of panelists. Further-more, you can access panelist codes and login links and generate new panelist codes.

With write rights, you can change them as well.

Right Read Write

employee_access_restrictions

With write rights, you can access the Access restrictions tab.

employee_ehr_reporting

With read or write rights, you have access to the area HR reporting.

employee_report_extern

With read rights, you can open the Report definition menu and edit external reports.

employee_report_intern

With read rights, you can open the Report definition menu and edit system-generated reports.

employee_report_manager_download

With read rights, you can download reports on the Report manager tab.

employee_self_assignment

With write rights, you can access the Self-allocation area in emplo-yee survey projects.

es_org_manager This right allows to control basic func-tionalities of the Org Processor.With read rights, you can configure the Org Processor in the Org Processor-> Options menu. You can view and edit all units in the organizational structure.

org_phase_admin With write rights, you can change the project phases.

org_role_admin With write rights, you can change the roles.

Table 16.9 Rights related to EFS Employee functions

(cont.)Recht Lesen Schreiben

Table 16.8 Rights related to Panel data protection

604

16.2 Creating and Managing Teams

Access rights to areas

16.1.4 Importing and Exporting Rights Templates

Export and import functions allow the transfer of rights definitions from one EFSinstallation to another. Please proceed as follows:

1. Select the Options->ACL rights->Rights templates menu.

2. Click on the Export ACL rights template icon.

3. A file with the .tpl format will be downloaded. Save this file locally on your PC.

If you wish to transfer the exported rights template to another EFS installation, conti-nue as follows:

1. On the destination installation, switch to the Options->ACL rights->Rightstemplates menu and click on the Import ACL rights template button.

2. Enter name and title.

3. Identify the desired file on your PC.


5. The rights template will be imported.

In the Assign rights templates menu, you can assign the template to a team on thetarget installation.


16.2.1 List of Teams

The teams of an installation are listed in the Staff->Teams menu. Which teams youcan view and edit is controlled by member administration rights, on the one hand, andby membership in teams on the other:

� All teams are visible with the “groupadmin” ACL right.

Right Read Write

Only in installations with EFS Secure Exchange: area_fm

With write rights, you can access the area “EFS Secure Exchange”.

Only in installations with EFS Mobile Access: area_mobile_gui

With write rights, you can use EFS Mobile Access. It allows to check the status of your project or panel via iPhone or other mobile devices. The manual is available from customer cen-ter.

Only in installations with EFS Survey Sta-tus: area_report

With write rights, you can access the area “EFS Survey Status”.

Only in installations with EFS Translator Interface: area_translations

With write rights, you can access the area “EFS Translator Interface”.

area_www With write rights, you can access the EFS admin area.

Table 16.10 Access rights to areas

605


� Without this ACL right you see your primary team and all other teams you are amember in, regardless of whether you are a simple member or the owner.

Select a team to

� change this team’s ACL rights (“groupadmin” ACL right required).

� view a list of members.

� configure the internal team structure.

16.2.2 Statuses of Team Members

Within a team there are normal members (member), administrators (admin) andowners (owner). These statuses determine the operations a team member may performwithin their team. Team statuses have no effect on rights within staff administrationor on object or function rights in EFS Survey.

16.2.3 Creating Teams

With the “groupadmin” ACL right, you can create and configure new teams.

1. Switch to the Staff->Teams menu.

2. Click on the Create team button.

In general, you can simply ignore the statuses within teams. Exception: If you wishto delete an account of someone who is a team owner, you must first transfer lea-dership to another team member, before you can delete the account.

Status Description

Owner To receive the highest ranking status of “owner”, you must either create your own team, or another “owner” must assign a team to you. As an “owner“ you can:• add members to your team• delete members• delete the team• change team information• display the list of members in your team or team resources.• As an owner, you may not leave your team. This is only possible once you have

abandoned team leadership, i.e. the status “owner”, and have become a normal member.

Admin With the status “admin“, you can execute all “owner” functions, except the dele-tion of team and individual members.

Member Anyone with the “member“ status can leave the team at anytime. They can also view the list of member and the list of team resources.

Table 16.11 Statuses of team members

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Figure 16.1 Creating a team

3. The following details are required:

– Team name: This is used in surveys in the standard URL. If you create a teamentitled “Test account for student interns”, projects for members of this teamwill be created under the URL http://www.mydomain.com/sc/Test_account_for_student_interns/something/. As umlauts and blank spacesare not permitted in URLs, EFS automatically replaces impermissible charac-ters upon team creation.

– Team title: Internal name.

– Description: Serves internal purposes as well.

4. When creating a new team, you can define the owner. You have a choice of yourselfas the creating administrator and the team “Administrator“.

5. Assign access rights to the desired areas of EFS to the new team. It will then receivewrite rights to the corresponding area rights, see Table 16.10.

6. In the drop-down list “Rights template”, you can select a user-defined rights tem-plate. By default no rights template has been selected.

7. A list of the teams you have created is displayed under the caption “Which teamsshall receive free access to the new team?”. If you grant an existing team access tothe new team, the existing team will see the new team in staff administration.

8. Click on the Create team button to confirm the operation.

Now you have created a new team that moreover does not have any members and noACL rights (except those for areas defined in step 4), unless you did not expresslychoose any in step 5. Your next steps are to:

� Create accounts and assign them to this team as a primary group.

� Configure the ACL rights of the team.

� Change owner of the team, in case one of the newly created employees should beowner of the team.

16.2.4 Editing Teams

You can edit all teams in which you have owner status. Choose Staff->Teams and clickon a team name in the list.

607


Figure 16.2 Editing teams

The edit form is divided into three sections:

Section Functionality

Team details General meta information on the team, such as creation date, total number of members and owners. Special function: Notify team via e-mail.Depending on the status within the team, either all or some functions will be displayed:• Add members• Delete team• Change team info• Change ownership• Leave team• E-mail

List of members Who is currently a member of the team?

Rights of the team (whole system)

What are the rights of this team in EFS? (ACL rights)

Table 16.12 Editing teams

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Adding members

Click on the Add members button in the detail view of your selected team. A list of staffin the system appears from which you can select new members. If you wish to add acertain staff member to your team, you can easily locate them using the “Search” func-tion above the list of members.

Once located, select the staff member by ticking the checkbox in the “Add” column.Now just click on the Add member button to add the staff member to your team.

Members added are initially assigned the status “Member”.

Viewing the staff list and editing memberships

The list of the members contains all members of the team. The list has its own searchfunction which searches the fields “Account name”, “E-mail”, “Name” and “Rights”.Furthermore, you have the option to extend the view to include other available infor-mation. You can do this by clicking on View and making your choice from the availabledatabase fields.

The drop-down list provides you with the following editing options:

� Set right of member: Changes the status to “Member rights”.

� Set right of admin: Changes the status to “Administrator rights”.

� Delete from team: The member will be deleted from the team.

� Export user data: An Excel file will be generated, which includes the data of theselected members.

� Write e-mail: The standard mail form opens, and you can write to the selected teammembers.

Deleting teams

To delete a team you must have owner rights (Staff->List of teams->{Selected team}->Delete team). This deletes all team members from the team. The team cannot berestored.

Changing team info

To change the title, name and description of the selected team, navigate to Staff->Teams->{Selected team}->Change team info. This function is useful, if you have selec-ted a team name which leads to unattractive URLs (see Chapter 16.2.3, p. 606).

Transferring leadership

To change leadership for a team, navigate to Staff->Teams->{Selected team}->Change ownership. To do so, you must have the owner status in the team.

You are thus transferring the leadership to another team member. It is irrelevant whe-ther this person is an admin or a simple member in your team. As an owner may notleave their team, you must transfer leadership if you wish leave your own team.

Leaving teams

The Leave team function removes you from the list of members for the selected team.You may not leave the team if you are the team owner. You must first Change owner.

Deleting a team does not necessarily delete the pertinent account. An account isonly deleted if the staff member is no longer a member of any other team after theteam has been deleted.

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16.2.5 Viewing and Changing the ACL Rights of a Team

In the “Rights of the team (whole system)” section you can see the ACL rights for theselected team, i.e. which functions it can access.

� With the right “groupadmin”, you can edit the rights configuration. To open thecorresponding dialog, click on the Change rights of this team button. Chapter16.1.3, p. 595 provides an overview of all ACL rights.

� You can also subsequently assign a rights template to the selected team. To openthe corresponding dialog, click on the Assign rights template button. In order tobe able to use this function, you must belong to an admin team or hold adminrights in the selected team. In addition, you need an access right for the desiredrights template.

16.2.6 Granting Read Rights to a Specific Team to Other Teams

As the owner of a staff team you can grant read rights to your team to other selectedadmin teams. The staff of authorized teams can then see the team in question in theTeams menu, select it and view the available information.

1. If you are the owner of a staff team, you can find in the Staff->Teams menu aChange rights icon in the “Action” column. Click on it.

2. A dialog opens in which you activate the checkbox in the column “Grant accessrights”, which enables you to grant read rights to your team to one or several otherteams. You have a choice of all the teams available on the installation, not onlythose to which you belong.

3. After that, confirm by clicking on Save.

16.3 Setting up and Managing Staff Accounts

Each staff account is assigned to one or more teams. Membership in a respective teamdetermines the individual functions to which the user has access.

16.3.1 Staff List

In the menu Staff->Staff you will find a list of all accounts created in the system.

After changing the rights configuration of a team, you create a test account that isa member of this team only, log in via this account, and check whether theconfiguration meets the requirements.

Please note: These read rights make it possible to grant read access to a special teamto other selected teams. If you would like to grant read access to all other teams toa specific team, it is recommended you use the ACL right “groupadmin”.

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Figure 16.3 Staff list

The following information is displayed for each account:

� Account name:

� Name: The content of this field is composed of the separate fields “First name” and“Name”.

� The most important address data of an employee

� Failed attempts to login: Number of consecutive failed login attempts.

� Brute force protection until: After a defined number of consecutive failed loginattempts, the account will be blocked automatically for likewise a defined period.See Chapter 16.3.7, p. 615.

� Logins: Number of logins made by the employee. This counting takes place only asof the date of the update.

� Last login: Date of the last login.

� Member of the following teams: All of the teams that the employee belongs to.

� Login expiry date: With limited time accounts, the date when the login expires willbe displayed. The account can be used up until the day before expiration.

� Can login? If a login has expired or it has been deactivated by “brute force” protec-tion, then a red lamp will be displayed.

You have the following editing options:

� By clicking on the account name, you can open the detail view of an employee andfor example view information on team affiliation and available rights (the informa-tion detail page lists ACL rights as well as rights to layouts).

� By clicking on the login expiry date, you open a dialog, in which you can changethe login expiry date and the password expiry date. Furthermore, from EFS 7.1,

If you are missing information, open the dialog for changing the display by clickingon View and activate the desired column.

611


you can deactivate the login, i.e. block a staff member from accessing EFS. If blo-cked staff members try to log in, they will be asked to contact the person respon-sible for the EFS installation.

� Clicking on the Send password icon opens the dialog for sending an e-mail con-taining a link for setting a new password. See Chapter 16.3.6, p. 615.

� You can delete accounts that have not yet expired and are not owner of a team.

16.3.2 Creating Staff Accounts

To create a new account, please proceed as follows:

1. Click on the Create staff account button in the Staff menu.

2. Specify the language in which the admin area is to be shown for the new staffmember.

3. Specify the language in which the admin area is to be shown for the new staffmember.

4. Enter the initial password for the new staff member twice. Please note:

– The security criteria for passwords are described in Chapter 1.2.2, p. 26.

– The “Generate password” function will help you to generate a good password:When you click on the Generate a password link a randomly generated pass-word is issued in a pop-up window. If you click on this it will automatically betransferred to the entry fields.

– On their first login new staff members are automatically requested to changetheir password.

5. Select the team to which the new staff member should be added. The team affilia-tion defines the rights of the staff members (Chapter 16.1, p. 593).

6. Select the staff member’s primary team. Among other things, the primary team isalways automatically granted read and write rights for projects created by this staffmember.

7. The “Organization” field indicates to which accounting organization the new staffmember belongs.

– If the wrong organization is indicated, please contact the person responsiblefor the installation.

– If you hold the right “orgadmin”, you can alter the accounting organizationyourself.

8. Choose the expiry date of the account. See Chapter 16.3.4, p. 614 for further infor-mation regarding time restriction of accounts.

9. You can optionally select the time zone to be displayed in the “Local date” field ofthe left-hand menu.

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Figure 16.4 Creating a staff account

10. You may store additional information in the section “Additional data”.

11. Define the next editing steps:

– You can have the password displayed on the next page, e.g. in order to copy itto a notification mail.

– If you wish to add more accounts afterwards, tick the corresponding checkbox:Only then will a blank “Create staff account” form be opened directly.

12. Confirm by clicking on Create account.

13. The account will be created.

16.3.3 Importing Staff Accounts

If you wish to create a larger number of staff accounts, you can utilize the importfunction. This function is located in the Staff->Staff import menu.

Please note: Account names and e-mail addresses of employees must be clear. In thecase that an account name or an e-mail address is already being used by anotheremployee, a corresponding error message will be displayed.

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Please proceed as follows to perform the import:

1. Create the CSV file

Create a table in CSV format containing the staff data. For example, you can createsuch a table in MS Excel and then save it in CSV format. The file must have the follo-wing structure:

The first row of the CSV file may optionally contain the column headings.

2. Upload the file

1. Select the correct file in the “File with account data” field.

2. If required, select the appropriate character set.

3. If the first row of the CSV file contains the column headings, the correspondingcheckbox must be ticked.

4. The following properties are defined en bloc for all new accounts:


16.3.4 Temporal Limitation of Validity on Staff Accounts

In principle, staff accounts always have an expiry date, and they are automatically deac-tivated after expiring. This measure aims primarily at improving safety in the adminarea: This reduces the risk of an out of use staff account from being hacked and used

In order to use this function, you need write rights to “cr_teamaccount”.

Column Content

Column 1 Account name

Column 2 First name (optional)

Column 3 Last name (optional)

Column 4 E-mail address

Column 5 Password (optional)

Column 6 The date on which the account is to expire (optional, format: DD.MM.YYYY)

Column 7 The ID of the primary team for the account

Table 16.13 Structure of the CSV file

Field Meaning

To which extra teams do you wish to add all imported accounts?

All teams that exist on the installation are available for selec-tion.

Country Default preallocation: Germany.

Time zone Default preallocation: Universal Time (UTC/GMT).

Language The language used in the admin area.

Organization Accounting organization

Table 16.14 Options for all accounts

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unwittingly. At the same time this standardization makes the administration of largestaff teams and collective installations easier: Setting the expiry dates carefully whencreating accounts saves you from having to “tidy up” old accounts manually later .

Accounts without a time limit can only be created by administrators with a rootaccount. (Normally only Globalpark Support and customers with their own server haveroot accounts.) As an owner of a root account, you will find in the above shown form acheckbox entitled “Is this an account with a time limit?” which must be deactivated tocancel the time limit.

16.3.5 Changing Staff Account Data

Owners of root accounts can change the account data of other staff members. This isdone via the detail view for the desired staff member, which you can open by clickingon the account name in the Staff menu.

� Change account data: You can open a tab containing the account data and editthem.

� Change password: You can enter a new password for the staff member’s account.The new password will be set to „expired“ automatically. Next time the staff mem-ber logs in, he’s asked to change the password. This process might be useful, forexample, if you communicate the password vocally or via normal postal service.

16.3.6 Sending a Link for Resetting the Password by E-mail

You can send your staff links for resetting their passwords.

� To do so, search for the desired employee in the Staff overview and open the dis-patch dialog via the Send password icon. This will merely show the basic contactdata, the text of the mail is predefined.

� Alternatively you can also open the detail view of a staff member and use the Sendpassword button.

Figure 16.5 Sending a password to a staff member

16.3.7 Checking Staff Accounts for Brute Force Suspension

The admin area has protection against brute force attacks, i.e. hacking of an accountusing automated, rapidly consecutive entries of possible passwords. There is only alimited number of incorrect entries possible; exceeding this value will deactivate the

Please note that only the owners of root accounts can see and use these links.

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staff account for a predetermined period. The person logging in will then see an errormessage, in which the remaining waiting period will be displayed.

By default the account will be suspended after six incorrect entries, the waiting periodis 30 minutes. A suspended account can be reactivated by the system administrator(root team) or by a staff member with write rights to “groupadmin”.

Figure 16.6 Error message after multiple incorrect entries

Checking suspended accounts

If a staff member reports that his or her account was suspended, or if you suspect thata brute force attack has occurred, you can check this in the overview of the Staff menu:

� The failed login attempts and the remaining time on suspended accounts are listedin the columns “Failed attempts to login” and “Suspended until”.

� The number of logins and the date of the last successful login are also displayed.

Further details on individual login processes, such as the exact time and the IP address,can be found in the login log (Chapter 17.3.3, p. 630), provided you hold the relevantrights.

Figure 16.7 Checking for suspended accounts

If you have leased your own installation and you would like to have the values chan-ged, please contact Globalpark Support.

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16.4 Changing Own Account Data and Settings

Reactivating suspended accounts

A suspended account can be reactivated prematurely by the system administrator (rootteam) or by a staff member with write rights to “groupadmin”. By clicking on the redmarked end date for the suspension period, the suspension will be reverted.

16.3.8 Delegating the Administration of Staff Accounts

You can delegate the administration of the staff accounts of a specific organization.This is the purpose of the ACL right “org_groupadmin”: If you assign this right, insteadof the more general right groupadmin, to a staff team, its members can access all staffaccounts of their own organization.

� With read rights, they can view the account data of the staff of their own organiza-tion.

� With write rights, they can manage the staff of their own organization (e.g extendaccounts, edit account data, or delete accounts).


To view and can change the data and settings of your own account, navigate to theStaff->Own account menu.

� In the Account data menu, you can update your address data and change the secu-rity question.

� In the Password menu, you can change your own password.

� In the Preferences menu, you can define presets for numerous account-dependentsettings. This enables you to a certain degree to attune the EFS functionality toyour personal working practices. The following Chapter 16.4.1, p. 617 introducesall available options.

16.4.1 Tweaking Your Own Preferences

The tables provide an overview of the account-specific setting options.

If these column are not visible, open the dialog for configuring the overview tableby clicking on View, activate the checkboxes for these columns and confirm withSend.

Option Explanation

Language You may choose whether you wish to operate the admin area in English or German.

Use login language If this option is activated the admin area is opened in the language you have seen previously in the login screen and may have chosen personally.Default setting: No.

Standard character set you are using

Chapter 3.8.16, p.97 explains how to specify the character set.

Save last entries in search form and preset search forms

If this option is activated search entries are not automatically reset on lea-ving the menu.Default setting: No.

Table 16.15 General settings

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Additional time zone whose current time is displayed in the left menu

The desired time zone will be shown in the menu below your name in the “Local date” field.Default setting: Universal Time.

Standard directory for SAS exports on your computer

This is the directory on your local computerin which the zip file will besto-red on SAS export. The directory name will also be copied into the SAS macro generated by EFS Survey. Therefore, if you do not make any chan-ges of your own, the export file generated by EFS Survey will automatically be located in the correct directory once the macro is executed. Default setting: c:\Documents and Settings\user name\Desktop\

SAS library in which the SAS macro generated by EFS is to store the con-verted data:

The SAS macro will temporarily store the data in this library. You can access and then save the data from there. Default setting: work.export

Should the field report graphic be displayed as an SVG graphic?

You may choose whether an SVG or PNG graphic is to be displayed in Pro-jects->{Selected project}->Statistics. SVG requires a special plugin and cannot be output by the Browser.Default setting: No.

Show this overview on opening reporting

You may set your preferred view when you open Projects->{Selected project}->Reporting.• Overview of GUI reports (Reports tab)• Overview of Syntax reports (Syntax templates tab)Reports tab preset as default.

When using EFS Hybrid Extension only: Path to Readsoft FORMS

Path to Readsoft FORMS can be preset on local PC.

Size of preview window You can resize the preview window to fit your screen size.

Positioning of preview window x-offset upper left

You can reposition the preview window. Offset is indicated in pixels.Default setting: 0.

Positioning of preview window y-offset upper left

You can reposition the preview window. Offset is indicated in pixels.Default setting: 0.

Option Explanation

Standard character set to be used for new projects.

Chapter 3.7.17, p. 100 explains how to specify the character set. It is recommended that you use the international character set UTF-8. Default setting: UTF-8.

Standard character set to be used for exports.

Chapter 3.7.17, p. 100 explains how to specify the character set. It is recommended that you use the international character set UTF-8. Default setting: Use character set of the selected language.

Default project type when creating projects

You can specify which project type is automatically suggested when crea-ting projects.Default setting: “Personalized survey”.

Default folder when cre-ating new projects

You can preset the folder in which new projects are to be placed. 572Default setting: “Default”

Table 16.16 Projects


Table 16.15 General settings

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Project status when cre-ating new projects

The following statuses are available: 572• survey compiled• active• inactiveDefault setting: “survey compiled”.

Default layout when cre-ating new projects

The layout you choose will automatically be used as the standard layout.

Default suvey messages when creating new pro-jects

The selected set of messages will automatically be used as the default message set.

Create a first survey page when creating a new project

Makes work a little easier: if this option is activated, a first page will auto-matically be entered in each new project. Default setting: No.

Beim Anlegen neuer Umfragen JavaScript-Check für die Umfrage aktivieren?

See Chapter 3.7.7, p. 80.

Determine participant hostnames and IP addresses and store them in survey results

You can specify whether the hostname lookup function is to be activated by default in your new projects (provided that hostname lookup is possible for the respective project type). Also refer to Chapter 3.7.8, p. 81.Please note: Certain network constellations may allow only restricted determination and storage of hostnames and IP addresses. Please note the corresponding information in Chapter 3.7.8, p. 81 and check the functionality before taking the project into the field.

When opening the Projects menu show only the search form for the project list

This option is useful for those who have access to a very large number of projects from the project list, thus slowing down project list loading. Only the search form in the upper section of the project list is displayed, the project list is displayed once the search has been initiated.Default setting: No.

Enable cookies for new projects as default?

If you usually perform surveys without cookie support, you can make the relevant settings here.Default setting: Yes.

Layout editor area to be opened by clicking on the Layout editor menu item

You can preset whether on opening the layout editor you usually go directly to the standard editor or the pro editor.Default setting: standard editor

Abbreviate project title in project list and archive using ...

Increases project list and archive reading clarity. Options: • after 35 characters• after 50 characters• after 100 charactersDefault setting: after 35 characters.

Option Explanation

Only in EFS Panel instal-lations: Use rich text edi-tor when editing content on the panel website

This option activates the TinyMCE rich text editor for direct editing of the website. See „EFS Panel 8.0“, Chapter 20.1.

Table 16.17 Panel


Table 16.16 Projects

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Only in EFS Panel instal-lations: Use rich text edi-tor for news etc.

This option activates the TinyMCE rich text editor for editing FAQ, news, and quick polls. See “EFS Panel 8.0”, Chapter 22.1.2.

Only in EFS Panel instal-lations: Use editor with syntax highlighting for templates

The editor activated with this option provides more comfort when editing templates and includes. See „EFS Panel 8.0“, Chapter 25.4.

Only in EFS Panel instal-lations: Standard pane-list

Optionally, you can mark your personal moderator or tester account as your standard panelist account. Whenever you call up the website from EFS (e.g., from the website editor), this account will be used automatically, eliminating the need for entering your login details. Please note:• Available are panelist accounts with “moderator“ and “tester” status.• It does not matter whether your standard panelist account is assigned to

the selected website. • Multiple staff members may use the same standard panelist account,

but only one at a time.

Option Explanation

When creating the first question on a page, automatically suggest the page title as the question title

The page title will automatically be offered as the title of the first question on the respective page.Default setting: Yes.

Immediately insert first blank sub page when creating a new routing page (Filter, Random selected, Random rotate or Loop type)?

The branches below the new routing pages will automatically be filled with a first sub page. You can also activate this function each time you create a new routing page.Default setting: No.

When creating questi-ons, mark directly as “Mandatory question”

Newly created questions will automatically be marked as mandatory questions. (This relates only to the “Mandatory question” function and not to the item-specific dac. See Chapter 5.12.1, p. 228.Default setting: No.

Default question text for newly created questions

You can predefine your own default text for question texts.

Default fill-in instruction for newly created questi-ons

You can predefine your own default text for fill-in instructions.

Show search text field in questionnaire editor

A search function is available under Projects->{Selected project}-> Questionnaire editor. You can use it to search the content of the questi-onnaire view. See Chapter 4.2.1, p. 122.Default setting: No.

Activate Drag&Drop mode for questionnaire editor

If this option is activated the questionnaire editor is opened by default in Drag&Drop mode.Default setting: No.

Should the image select box be hidden for image question types?

The image select box needs a lot of space. Depending on the situation you may not always wish to see this select box displayed.Default setting: No.

Table 16.18 Behavior of questionnaire editor

Option Explanation

Table 16.17 Panel

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Selected tab when ope-ning Media Library

Customers with their own server can access a second installation-wide library in addition to the default project-related media library (activated by Globalpark Support). See also Chapter 5.17.2, p. 255.You can preset which library you usually wish to use when opening media library. • Current project: Project-related media library. Default setting.• Overall: Installation-wide media library.

Activate Ajax drop-down list for the selection of question types

Optionally, you can deactivate the Ajax drop-down list used to select ques-tion types. Then, the old drop-down list ist displayed instead. See Chapter 4.10.1, p. 161.

Option Explanation

Default display settings for the questionnaire edi-tor

In this section you can specify which question options are to be displayed or hidden by default. You can find an overview of the permanent or most frequently available options in Chapter 4.10.3, p. 164. Further question type-specific options are explained in Chapter 5, p. 175 by respective question type.

Table 16.19 Display of questionnaire editor

Option Explanation

Default display settings for Codebook

In this section you can specify which items of information are to be shown or hidden by default when codebook is opened. See Chapter 14.2.2, p. 561, for an overview of the options.

Table 16.20 Codebook


Table 16.18 Behavior of questionnaire editor

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17 Maintaining an EFS Installation

17.1 Limiting the Server Load. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 625

17.2 Limiting the Number of Respondents Participating Simultaneously626

17.3 Monitoring the Status of the Installation in the Platform Cockpit628

17.4 Subscribing to the Daily Database Report . . . . . . . . . . . . 634

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17.1 Limiting the Server Load


EFS provides a number of control functions and monitoring tools for customers whopartly or completely maintain their own EFS installation themselves.

� Thresholds that are critical for the server performance, such as the maximumserver load (Chapter 17.1, p. 625), the maximum number of participants per survey(Chapter 17.2, p. 626), the mail volume per dispatch interval (Chapter 11.5.1,p. 488), and the maximum number of dispatch attempts (Chapter 11.5.2, p. 488),can be modified via the user interface.

� The platform cockpit provides an overview of important performance and accessfigures of the EFS installation directly in the admin area. See Chapter 17.3, p. 628.

� If you wish to be regularly updated on the status of your EFS installation, you cansubscribe to the daily database report. See Chapter 17.4, p. 634.

17.1 Limiting the Server Load

The so-called server load is an important indicator for the current load on the EFSserver. It is a numeric value that indicates the number of processes queued for proces-sing by the server’s CPU. In general, the following applies: The higher the server load,the sooner the users (both staff members in the admin area and participants) willnotice speed losses when working with the system.

A threshold for the server load can be specified in EFS. If the load on the server reachesthis given value, respondents wishing to start completing a survey will be rejected witha message text displayed until the load has decreased. Interviews already in progresswill not be aborted, and the admin area can still be used without restrictions. (Howe-ver, you should avoid causing additional load by activities in the admin area on a serverthat already has a high load.) Particularly in surveys with large numbers of partici-pants, undesirable malfunctions of the server can thus be prevented.

Which load value should be regarded as critical cannot be universally stipulated. On acomputer with a normal or low load, the load value will usually be between 0 and 1. Ona server with up-to-date hardware, a load of 3 or 5 can still be classified as non-critical.Here, a user working with an older computer would already notice a considerable slow-down.

17.1.1 Setting the Threshold for the Server Load

The threshold for the load limit is specified by the platform administrator. (Platformadministrators are all members of the “Administration” staff team.)

To do so, switch to the Options->System settings menu and make the setting in the“Load limit” area.

At a value of 0, the load limit will be switched off. If you wish to use the function, avalue of 3 is recommended. In general, this value naturally depends on your server’sperformance.


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17.1.2 Editing the Message for Rejected Participants

You can edit the message text displayed for rejected participants yourself:

1. In the menu for your project, choose Project properties->Survey messages.

2. Among the system messages, you will find a text field in which you can make cus-tom changes to the message automatically displayed if the system is overloaded. Itis labelled: “Text which is displayed if the system is overloaded”.

17.1.3 Viewing the Number of Rejected Participants

You can check in the platform cockpit how many participants have been denied accessusing this protection method.

� The Database report tab contains the value for the entire installation in the “Par-ticipants denied access (load limit)”. See Chapter 17.3.2, p. 629.

� The OSPE watchdog tab contains the values for the entire installation, individualprojects and individual questionnaire pages in the column labeled “Participantsdenied access (load limit)”. See Chapter 17.3.5, p. 632.

17.2 Limiting the Number of Respondents Participating Simultaneously

The participation limit makes it possible to restrict the number of people participatingin a survey simultaneously and thereby avoiding an overloaded server due to too manyparticipants:

� The administrator of a EFS installation can specify a maximum value for the num-ber of simultaneous participants per project for the entire installation. This limi-tation applies automatically to all projects, which have not had a lower project-specific value defined.

� It is also possible to define for each individual project the upper limit of simulta-neous participation. However the system-wide setting can only be undercut, notbypassed: If the project-specific upper limit is higher than the value preset by theadministrator, the system-wide setting will be applied.

This feature is deactivated by default.

17.2.1 Participation Limits in Detail

Under what conditions are participants rejected?

Information on how many participants are currently working on a questionnaire, isupdated only every 90 seconds for performance reasons. Those that have the disposi-tion codes 20, 21 and 23 and have entered something into the questionnaire during thelast 5 minutes are considered as online.

Counting does not occur in real time, so there are sometimes deviations from thepreset value: Under certain circumstances 20 people could begin a survey simultane-ously (if all were to begin within the same 90 second period), even though only 5 simul-taneous participations are allowed. These kinds of fluctuation have been acceptedconsciously, because otherwise with every survey start there would have to be a verytime-consuming query of the database, which would slow down the survey.

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17.2 Limiting the Number of Respondents Participating Simultaneously

How does a respondent experience a participation limit?

Should more participants as preset try to access the survey, newly arriving prospectivepanelists will be denied access with the message “Too many requests”. In contrast,participants who are already active can fill out their questionnaire unhindered. As soonas the number of active participants has sunk to under the limit, the prospective pane-lists will again be able to open and work on a survey in a normal fashion.

What effect do various system-wide and project-specific settings have?

The participation limit for a special project can tighten the system-wide setting, butnot disable it:

� If the project-specific upper limit is lower than the value preset by the administra-tor, the more restrictive, project-specific setting will be applied.

� If the project-specific upper limit is higher than the value preset by the administ-rator, the system-wide setting will be applied.

17.2.2 System-wide Activation and Deactivation of Participation Limits

In the “Participation limit” field of the Options->System settings menu you can setthe installation-wide limit for the number of simultaneous survey participants of indi-vidual projects.

Disable this option by entering a value of “0”.

17.2.3 Project-specific Activation and Deactivation of Participation Limits

In the field „Maximum number of respondents active at the same time“ in the Projects->{Selected project}->Project properties menu you can set the project-specific limitfor simultaneously active survey participants.

Disable this option by entering a value of “0”.

17.2.4 Editing the Rejection Message

The survey message that is displayed when the number of participants is too high islocated in the Project->{Selected project}->Project properties->Survey messagesmenu. The title of the message is “Text which is displayed if the system is overloaded(if load threshold switched on).“, the default content is “Too many requests. Try againlater.”

17.2.5 Viewing the Number of Rejected Participants

You can check in the platform cockpit how many participants have been denied accessusing this protection method.

� The Database report tab contains the value for the entire installation in the “Par-ticipants denied access (participation limit)” field. See Chapter 17.3.2, p. 629.

� The OSPE Watchdog tab contains the values for the entire installation, individualprojects and individual questionnaire pages in the column labeled “Participantsdenied access (participation limit)” . See Chapter 17.3.5, p. 632.


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17.3 Monitoring the Status of the Installation in the Platform Cockpit

The platform cockpit, which is located in the Options module, visualizes the status ofthe platform and offers the administrator an overview of important performance andaccess figures.

Figure 17.1 Overview of the platform cockpit

Below, the individual tabs of the platform cockpit will be described in detail:

� Cockpit

� Database report

� Login log

� Admin log

� OSPE watchdog

� Survey mail overview: See Chapter 11.6.2, p. 491.

� Interview count

� Installation check

17.3.1 Cockpit

The Cockpit tab, shown in the foreground of Figure 17.1, gives an overview of the keydata for the installation.

Read rights for “platform_cockpit” are required to view and open the Options->Platform cockpit menu.

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17.3.2 Database Report

On the Database report tab, you will find general information on the state of the data-base as well as on completed and scheduled maintenance operations.

Section Meaning

Load gauge The graphical representation of the load, i.e. server load.The green area corresponds to a load of 0 to 3. The yellow area ranges from 3 to 5, above which the red area begins.

Current front end load The current load on the front end server. For multi-core servers, the load per core is indicated (indicated load value = measured load / number of cores).On a server with up-to-date hardware, the load should be below 3.See Chapter 17.1, p. 625, for a detailed explanation of the server load issue.

Front end The name of the front end server.

Date of last mail dispatch E-mails posted for dispatch will not be immediately retrieved and sent, but automatically at 10-minute intervals.

Date of last database maintenance

Database maintenance is performed daily.

EFS version The major and minor EFS versions which are currently installed.

Initial EFS version The EFS version which was originally used when setting up the installa-tion.

Name of installation The domain at which you will find the EFS installation on the Internet.

Database name The name of the database.

MySQL query cache effectivity

The results of requests sent to the database by a participant during the completion of the questionnaire will be cached to the so-called query cache. If a request has already been executed by the database once (e.g. a request about a question text), it will not be executed again the second time. Instead the cached result will be delivered. This use of the cache brings significant advantages in terms of speed.The specified effectivity value indicates how often a cached result has been delivered. It is calculated from the number of requests executed by the database / number of requests answered from the cache. Thus, a value of 100% indicates that each request has also been retrieved from the cache once. Usually, values are above 100%.

Table 17.1 Cockpit

Section Meaning

Number of tables The total number of database tables in the EFS installation.

Number of projects The total number of projects in the EFS installation.

Size of sample_data The “sample_data” table holds all sample data drawn in the installation.This means that the table includes both the data of all respondents who are authorized to participate in personalized surveys and the data of all respondents who have participated in anonymous surveys.

Number of started inter-views (yesterday)

The number of interviews started on the previous day.

Table 17.2 Database report - database report of the previous day

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17.3.3 Login Log

The archived login data informs you on which staff member logged in when, includingrejected login attempts.

If you click on the column titles of the table, the information will be sorted by therespective column. This makes it easier to search for, e.g., a specific staff member.

Number of finished inter-views (yesterday)

The number of interviews finished on the previous day.

Participants denied access (load limit)

Number of participants denied access due to the load limit being exceeded (see Chapter 17.1, p. 625)

Participants denied access (participant limit)

Number of participants denied access due to maximum permissible num-ber of participants being exceeded (see Chapter 17.2, p. 626) for the entire installation.

Watchdog mean (yester-day)

The mean execution time for loading a questionnaire page on the previous day.

Number of delivered pages (yesterday)

The number of questionnaire pages delivered to survey participants on the previous day.

Admin_log mean (yes-terday)

The mean execution time for loading a page in the installation’s admin area on the previous day.

Number of delivered admin pages (yesterday)

The number of pages in the installation’s admin area that was delivered to staff on the previous day.

Section Meaning

Number of deleted and backed-up watchdog entries

If entries archived in watchdog are deleted after the specified deadline has expired, this is displayed here. If the installation is hosted at Globalpark, deleted entries will automatically be backed up.

Addresses for sending the status report on automatic database maintenance

If you wish to continuously monitor the status of your installation, you can subscribe to a database report that will be e-mailed on a daily basis: • See Chapter 17.4, p. 634 for more information on the contents of this

report.• The recipients’ addresses must be entered comma-separated.

Maximum number of days to retain log

In the text field, you can set for how long the performance data displayed in the OSPE watchdog (see Chapter 17.3.5, p. 632) are to be archived.For performance reasons, the archiving duration you can set is limited to a maximum of 30 days.

The tables listed here will be automatically optimized...

The tables in the list are optimized automatically every day during the usual low traffic times. • If you want to add another table, enter them into the “Add table for opti-

mization” field and Save. • To remove tables from the list which were manually added by you or

other users, tick the “Delete” checkbox and Save.

Table 17.3 Database report - database maintenance

(cont.)Section Meaning

Table 17.2 Database report - database report of the previous day

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17.3.4 Admin Log

The Admin log tab not only provides a detailed log of the actions executed by the staffin the system, but also allows an insight into the performance in the installation’sadmin area.

Similar to the login log, you can click on a column title in the “Matching log entries”area to sort the entries by the respective column. This function makes it easier tosearch, e.g. for actions in a specific module. If you click on the icon in the “Functions”column, you can also display a detail view of the respective entry with all identificationdata, including request parameters.

Field Meaning

Date from ... to In this area, you can specify which period of time you wish to search. Clicking on the Calendar icon to the right of the date will open a dialog containing a calendar, and clicking on the Cancel icon will delete all ent-ries.

Account In the text field, you can enter the staff account whose logins you want to search for.

Access In the drop-down list, you can set which accesses are to be displayed: all accesses, only accesses granted or only accesses denied.

Number of rows per page

In this field, you can increase or reduce the number of records that will be displayed on one page of the login log.

Table 17.4 Login log - search

Column title Meaning

Account The staff account.

IP address The IP address from which the staff member logged in.Please note: Certain network constellations may allow only restricted determination and storage of hostnames and IP addresses. Please note the corresponding information in Chapter 3.7.8, p. 81 and check the func-tionality before taking the project into the field.

Access This field indicates whether access was granted or denied.

Error message If the access was denied, the corresponding rejection message from the system will be displayed in this field.

Date The date and time of the login attempt.

Table 17.5 Login log - login

Field Meaning

Log date from... toExecution time from... to

In this area, you can specify exactly which period of time you wish to search.Clicking on the Calendar icon to the right of the date will open a dialog containing a calendar, and clicking on the Cancel icon will delete all ent-ries.

Account In the text field, you can enter the staff account whose log entries you want to search for.

Module name If you only want to observe the actions in a specific module, enter the module name in this field.

Table 17.6 Admin log - search for log entries

631


17.3.5 OSPE Watchdog

The OSPE watchdog tab provides details on overall system performance as well as onthe performance of each project and each questionnaire page.

Action If you want to view the existing logs for a specific action, enter the name of the action in this field.

Request parameters The request parameters characterize a certain action of a specific staff member in a user session.


Entry ID Every single action executed in the installation receives an entry ID by which it can be uniquely identified.

Account The account of the respective staff member.

Log date The date and time of the log entry.

Module name The name of the module in which the action was executed.

Action The name of the executed action.

Execution time The time needed to execute the respective action.

Functions A detail view of the respective entry with all identification data, including request parameters.

Table 17.7 Admin log - matching log entries

Field Meaning

Start date; End date In this area, you can specify exactly over which time interval you want to calculate the performance data. Clicking on the Calendar icon to the right of the date will open a dialog containing a calendar.Please note that the time interval over which you can request evaluations must not include more than seven days for performance reasons. Further-more, the permissible evaluation period is limited by the maximum period for which data can remain in watchdog, which is limited to a maximum of 30 days.You can change the archiving deadline in the “Maximum of days in watch-dog” field on the Database report tab. However, the maximum of 30 days cannot be exceeded.

Table 17.8 OSPE watchdog - restricting performance data

Overall performance Meaning

Current load The current load on the server.

# Accesses The total number of questionnaire accesses in the specified period.

Ø Load The average server load in the specified period.

Ø Exec. time The average execution time for building and delivering a questionnaire page (sum of the average values for “Incl. time”, “DB time” and “Outp. time”) in the specified period.

Table 17.9 OSPE watchdog - overall performance

(cont.)Field Meaning

Table 17.6 Admin log - search for log entries

632


You can check the performance of the individual questionnaire pages of your projectby clicking on a certain project in the “Performance by project” area.

Max. exec. time The maximum execution time for building and delivering a questionnaire page in the specified period.

Median The median of the execution time in the specified period.

Std. dev. The standard deviation of the execution time in the specified period.

Ø Incl. time The average time it takes to load all modules required to build a question-naire page.

Ø DB time The average time it takes to load all data from the database required to build a questionnaire page.

Ø Outp. time The average time it takes to output a questionnaire page.

Participants denied access (load limit)

Number of participants denied access due to the load limit being exceeded (Chapter 17.1, p. 625) per installation, project and questionnaire page.

Participants denied access (participant limit)

Number of participants denied access due to maximum number of parti-cipants being exceeded (Chapter 17.2, p. 626) per installation, project and questionnaire page.

Actions By clicking on the envelope icon, you can send an e-mail to the Globalpark Support department.

Column Meaning

Project The project whose average performance values are described in the respective row.By clicking on the project title, you can display a detail view of the indivi-dual pages in the project.

Stat. start page Indicates whether the respective project uses a static start page (Chapter 4.5.9, p. 136).

# Accesses The number of accesses to questionnaire pages of the respective project.

Ø Load The average server load during execution of the respective project.

Ø Exec. time The average execution time for building and delivering a questionnaire page of this project.

Max. exec. time The maximum time for building and delivering a questionnaire page of this project.

Median The median of the execution time for this project in the specified period.

Std. dev. The standard deviation of the execution time for this project in the specified period.

Ø Incl. time The average time it takes to load all modules required to build a question-naire page of this project.

Ø DB time The average time it takes to load all data from the database required to build a questionnaire page of this project.

Ø Outp. time The average time it takes to output a questionnaire page of this project.

Actions By clicking on the envelope icon, you can send an e-mail to the Globalpark Support department.

Table 17.10 OSPE watchdog - performance by project

(cont.)Overall perfor- Meaning

Table 17.9 OSPE watchdog - overall performance

633


17.3.6 Interview Count

On the Interview count tab, you can check how many interviews your organization hasrealized. The statistics tool allows to display

� interview numbers for individual projects.

� interview numbers from a specific period

� iterview numbers for disposition codes > 30 in detail.

The following rules apply for billing:

� Interviews with disposition codes > 30 are billed (i.e. 31, 32, 35, 36, 37, 41).

� If you reset participants and they participate again, this will be counted as twointerviews.

� If external survey start is used and source and target projects are both EFS pro-jects, the interviews will be counted twice: the participants reach the final page inboth projects.

� Interviews uploaded with project data import do not count.

17.3.7 Installation Check

The check mechanisms on the Installation check tab allow you to check the dataconsistency in your installation.

� If errors are detected that you dare not fix yourself, please contact GlobalparkSupport.

� Optionally, you can have the results e-mailed to you.

17.4 Subscribing to the Daily Database Report

If you wish to continuously monitor the status of your installation, you can subscribeto the database report e-mailed on a daily basis:

� The database report provides an overview of the most important events and data inyour EFS installation. See Chapter 17.4.1, p. 635.

� The report is prepared and e-mailed on a daily basis.

� The report is prepared in the English language.

� You can subscribe to the database report with any recipient’s address. For example,you can enter a system administrator in your company who maintains the serverof the EFS installation without having an EFS staff account of his own.

� Optionally, it is possible to anonymize the database report, i.e. the project titles andother details will be hidden. If you wish to use this option, please contactGlobalpark Support.

By default, the data available to you for evaluations in the watchdog will be archivedfor 15 days. However, you can configure this period yourself in the “Maximum ofdays in watchdog” field on the “Database report” tab (see Chapter 17.3.2, p. 629).

Please bear in mind that the running of installation checks may affect yourinstallation’s performance. Especially in the case of large installations, these checksshould therefore be run during weak-load periods, if possible.

634


In order to subscribe to the database report, simply enter the desired recipient’saddress in the respective field on the Database report tab (17.3.2, p. 629).

17.4.1 The Content of the Database Report

The individual sections of the report sent are explained below.

Figure 17.2 Excerpt from the database report sent via e-mail

Basic data

Survey performance

In this section, you can check whether the questionnaire pages of the surveys in theinstallation are displayed at a satisfactory speed.

Row Meaning

DB report of... The title and date of the report.

Server The name of the server.

Name of installation The domain at which you will find the domain on the Internet.

Database name The name of the database.

Version The major and minor EFS Survey version.

DB report version The version number of the database report.

Table 17.11 Basic data of the database report sent via e-mail

635


The most active surveys

This section lists the ten most active surveys in the installation, sorted by the numberof interviews that were successfully completed on the previous day.

Overall evaluation

The overall performance is evaluated using a point score:

The point score serves to illustrate the importance of thresholds for the survey perfor-mance on the platform. The overall score includes the “watchdog mean” from the pre-vious day (the average execution time for questionnaire pages) and the delivery timefor questionnaire pages, which is determined hourly:

Row Meaning

Number of started inter-views (yesterday)

The number of interviews started on the previous day.

Watchdog mean (yester-day)

The mean execution time for loading a questionnaire page on the previous day.

Number of delivered pages (yesterday)

The number of questionnaire pages delivered to survey participants on the previous day.

Table 17.12 Survey performance

Row Meaning

Delivery time The average delivery time, calculated from the delivery time and the num-ber of questionnaire pages delivered during the respective hour.

Pages The number of pages delivered during the respective hour.

Day The date of the previous day.

Hour The hour for which the respective average delivery time is calculated.

Table 17.13 Delivery time for questionnaire pages

Overall score Performance Conclusion

< 5 good

5 – 20 improvable Keep track of the overall performance deve-lopment over the next few days.

> 20 tuning recommended A detail analysis by Globalpark Support might be helpful.

Table 17.14 Overall evaluation of platform performance

Watchdog mean (yesterday) Points

0 – 0.99 0

1 – 1.99 3

> 2 10

636


The overall score is computed from the sum of watchdog mean and hourly deliverytimes, which is used to assess the overall performance of the platform.

Database size

Here you will find general information on the state of the database and of the mostimportant tables.

Performance in the admin area

Login operations in the admin area

In this section you can check which staff member logged in when, including rejectedlogin attempts, similar to the login log of the platform cockpit described in Chapter17.3.3, p. 630. You can determine detailed information on the activities of the staff inthe admin area using the Admin log in the platform cockpit (see Chapter 17.3.4,p. 631).

Delivery time (determined hourly) Points

≤ 1 0

> 1 1

Table 17.15 Point system for determining the overall performance

Row Meaning

Number of tables The total number of tables in the EFS Survey installation.

Number of projects The total number of projects in the EFS Survey installation.

Size of sample_data The “sample_data” table holds all sample data drawn in the installation, i.e. it includes both the survey data of all respondents who are authorized to participate in personalized surveys, as well as the survey data of all respondents who have participated in anonymous surveys.

Table 17.16 Database size

Row Meaning

Admin_log mean (yes-terday)

The mean execution time for loading a page in the installation’s admin area on the previous day.

Number of delivered admin pages (yesterday)

The number of pages in the installation’s admin area that were delivered to the platform staff on the previous day.

Table 17.17 Performance in the admin area

Column Meaning

Delivery time The average delivery time, calculated from the delivery time and the num-ber of questionnaire pages delivered during the respective hour.

Pages The number of pages delivered during the respective hour.

Day

Hour

Table 17.18 Delivery time for pages in the admin area

637


Database maintenance

The row entitled “Backed-up watchdog entries” lists the entries that were deleted fromthe watchdog after the specified deadline expired. If the survey installation is hosted atGlobalpark, deleted entries will automatically be backed up.


Account The staff account.

IP address The IP address from which the staff member logged in.Please note: Certain network constellations may allow only restricted determination and storage of hostnames and IP addresses. Please note the corresponding information in Chapter 3.7.8, p. 81 and check the func-tionality before taking the project into the field.

Denied This field indicates whether access was denied or granted.

Error message If the access was denied, the corresponding rejection message from the system will be displayed in this field.

Date The date and time of the login attempt.

Table 17.19 Login log - login

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18 Appendix

18.1 Technical Requirements for Using EFS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 641

18.2 Accessibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 642

18.3 Session, Session IDs and Cookies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 643

18.4 Firefox Plugins for Working in EFS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 644

18.5 Overview of the Question Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 645

639

18.1 Technical Requirements for Using EFS

18 Appendix

18.1 Technical Requirements for Using EFS

18.1.1 Admin Area

To allow usage of the admin area, the following prerequisites should be met:

� Minimum resolution of 1024x768

� JavaScript enabled

� The cookie set by the admin area must be accepted.

� In the admin area of EFS 8.0, the following browsers are supported:

– Firefox 3.6 for Windows.

– IE 7 and IE 8 for Windows. Please note: Internet Explorer is known for prema-turely aborting processes that take longer (e.g. copying projects, export). Wetherefore recommend that you use Firefox.

– IE 9, which has been released recently, is currently not supported yet. To usethe admin area, please set the compatibility mode of the browser to IE 8.

� If you access the admin area via proxy server, e.g. from inside a company network,the access should not be restricted by time limitations.

� Furthermore, intermediary proxy servers should not manipulate any requests.

18.1.2 Questionnaire Area

For the questionnaire area, i.e. the questionnaire as seen from the perspective of asurvey participant, Globalpark supports all current browsers with a noteworthy marketshare. For questionnaires created with EFS 8.0, these are:

� IE 6 on Windows

� IE 7 on Windows

� IE 8 on Windows

� Firefox 3.6 on Windows

� Opera on Windows

� Safari 4 on Mac OS X

� Chrome 4.0

Depending on the question types and questionnaire features used, the participants’browsers may have to meet additional requirements. For sliders and ranking questi-ons, for example, JavaScript is required. Flash question types require JavaScript and acurrent Flash version. For details, please check the chapters dealing with the respec-tive features.

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18 Appendix

18.1.3 Portal Solutions

For portal solutions, as e.g. panel websites or the download area of employee surveys,technical requirements are realized according to individual agreements with the cus-tomer.

18.2 Accessibility

18.2.1 Navigating via the Keyboard in a Questionnaire

Respondents can navigate an EFS questionnaire not only with the mouse, but alsousing the keyboard. This function will be used especially by respondents, who partici-pate in a questionnaire via Blackberry or via mobile phone. Here are the rules for key-board navigation in brief:

� With the Tab key <Tab>, respondents can jump from entry field to entry field. Witha question with a single response list, the cursor will jump to the first radio button,the next <Tab> click will switch you to the next question. With questions withmultiple response lists, <Tab> will direct you to the next checkbox.

� With <Shift>+<Tab> you can navigate backwards.

� With the arrow buttons in a question with a single response list, respondents canswitch from one radio button to the next.

� In select boxes respondents can navigate by typing in the first letter of the desiredterm and then, if necessary, jumping forward or backward using the arrow buttons.

� The radio button or checkbox of a “answer category + text” field will be clickedonly when leaving the entry field, and that only when respondents have writtensomething in the entry field.

18.2.2 Readability of EFS Questionnaires in Screen Readers

The accessibility of EFS questionnaires has been markedly improved in EFS 7.0. Pre-viously, it was possible to design accessible questionnaires; however, this required spe-cial programming. A brand-new feature of the standard layout of EFS questionnairesis the provision of “LABEL FOR” tags. These tags allow a screen reader to recognizemeaningful relations between form elements and labels (e.g. labels of answer options).As a result, a visually impaired person with a screen reader can also understand thequestionnaire.

18.2.3 Clickable Areas of Various Question Types

Some users will find it more convenient if they simply have to click on the area arounda radio button or a checkbox rather than precisely hitting the button or the box.

� When answering single as well as multiple response questions, as of EFS 7.0, theparticipant simply has to click on the label of an answer option to activate thecorresponding radio button or checkbox. Previously, this kind of questionnairebehavior required special programming.

– Please note that this function is not available for graphical form elements.

– From EFS 8.0, EFS Mobile Extension supports this function for mobiledevices.

� In the case of the Flash question types for single and multiple response, theclickable area can be modified as required.

642

18.3 Session, Session IDs and Cookies

� In the case of the simple Flash matrix, the entire area around the radio button isclickable.

18.3 Session, Session IDs and Cookies

User recognition

Accessing a website involves four steps:

1. Entering the URL into the questionnaire

2. Connecting to the Web server

3. Transferring the data

4. Closing the connection

This process is continuously repeated for each page you invoke (e.g. by clicking on alink).

This means that, if you access a website and then select various areas of this website,there is no continuous connection between your browser and the Web server, but anew connection is opened for each page you invoke. This makes user recognition verydifficult for the website operator. Therefore, a unique ID is needed for every user tounambiguously identify them on each of these pages. This ID is called a session ID. Thesession ID is only valid for the duration of the respective session.

In EFS, sessions are used to recognize both a survey participant and the administrator.There are two options for the website operator to have this session ID available everytime a page is invoked:

� Setting a cookie

� Transfer via GET parameter

Setting a cookie

A cookie is a small text file cached on the user’s computer.

This cookie is transferred to the website operator every time a page is invoked. Thisinformation is not made available to other domains.

However, some users refuse to accept cookies because cookies are also abused to tracea user’s path across several websites. For example, the websites www.abc.com andwww.def.com might both contain an image from www.ghi.com. If a cookie were hiddenbehind the image and you visit both websites, www.ghi.com would know that you havevisited both websites because you would transfer the cookie information towww.ghi.com every time. This enables the creation of detailed statistics, which manyusers consider too much of an invasion of privacy.

In the context of EFS Survey, setting cookies has the advantage that users, even whenthey have closed their browsers and subsequently invoke the survey URL again, can bere-identified immediately and are able to directly resume the survey they interrupted,without having to enter a code or password.

Transfer via GET parameter

Transfer via GET parameter means that, in the URL line, the session ID is appended toall links, etc. This has the advantage of allowing even participants who reject cookies

Please take into consideration that, in rare cases, browsers with very restrictivecookie settings may require you to place not only the DNS entry for the domain, butalso an entry for the next higher part with the same IP address.

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18 Appendix

to be unambiguously recognized. However, should the user close the browser and thentry to resume the survey, they will have to log in again because, naturally, they will notenter the session ID that was previously appended to the URL.

Setting the session time

See Chapter 3.7.12, p. 88, for details on how to set the duration of a session.

18.4 Firefox Plugins for Working in EFS

Use of the following Firefox plugins can facilitate working with EFS and help to savetime especially when creating survey layouts and external panel views.

Name Description Download:

Autofill Forms Allows to fill forms with a mouse click or a key combination.

https://addons.mozilla.org/de/firefox/addon/4775

Firebug Provides a range of developer tools directly in the Browser. Please note: Firefox functions and setting options are designed specifically for develop-ment and debugging. If the tool is enabled during normal work in the admin area, please ensure that your settings do not adversely affect or even impair EFS functions. For example, the plugin may be set so that each page is sent in duplicate. This has the conse-quence that actions in the admin area or in the questionnaire could be duplicated.

https://addons.mozilla.org/de/ firefox/addon/1843

IE TAB Integrate Internet Explorer in Firefox tabs. Facilitates switching between page IE and Firefox display.

http://ietab.mozdev.org/

JS View Identifies externally linked CSS and Java-Script files and displays both their contents and embedded CSS and JavaScript. Sear-ching source codes by path of external files is therefore no longer necessary.

https://addons.mozilla.org/fire-fox/2076/

Palette Grabber Generates a color palette for Photoshop, PaintShop Pro or Flash based on the page cur-rently open. This facilitates working and saves time, if for example you wish to adapt an EFS Survey questionnaire layout to a pre-determined layout.


Resizeable Text-area

Match size of text entry fields as required. http://www.erweiterungen.de/detail/Resizeable_Textarea/

Table2Clipboard Allows you to copy selected rows/columns of an HTML table to the clipboard and paste them into text and Excel documents retaining cell delineation.

http://www.erweiterungen.de/detail/Table2Clipboard/

TableTools For sorting, filtering and copying HTML tables. https://addons.mozilla.org/de/ firefox/addon/2637

URLParams Displays GET and POST parameters of cur-rently open page. You can change values, supplement new parameters, swap get/post etc.


Table 18.1 Firefox plugins

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18.5 Overview of the Question Types


Question type 111: Single response list (vertical)

This type can be supplemented by one or more open-ended fields at the end.

Question type 112: Single response list (horizontal)

Question type 113: Single response list (scale above)


Web Developer Adds a menu and a toolbar containing a range of developer tools to the Browser. Facilitates, for example, switching in table borders, dis-playing CSS classes or matching screen size for a specific resolution.


A large selection of Firefox plugins can be found at https://addons.mozilla.org/fire-fox/

Optionally, this question type can be expanded to include inside titles and / or ananswer category with an open-ended text field.

(cont.)Name Description Download:

Table 18.1 Firefox plugins

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18 Appendix

Question type 121: Multiple response list (vertical)


Question type 131: Closed response list

Question type 132: Open response list

Question type 141: Text field (single row)

Question type 142: Text field (multiple rows)

Optionally, this question type can be expanded to include inside titles and / or ananswer category with an open-ended text field. (See the figure of question type 111.)

646


Question type 143: Text field matrix (vertical)

Question type 144: Text field matrix (horizontal)

Question type 311: Standard matrix 1

Question type 312: Standard matrix 2

Question type 321: Scale matrix 1

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18 Appendix

Question type 340: Semantic differential

Question type 351: Double-scale matrix

Question type 361: Select matrix

Question type 362: Checkbox matrix

648


Question type 363, 364: Text field matrix

Question type 411: Ranking question

Question types 511, 521, 522: Single and multiple response list with images

649

18 Appendix

Slider

650

Index

Index

Aabsolute timestamp 535access codes 86accessibility 642accounts

expiry date of staff accounts 614Action Planner 20actions

participant administration 422activating

projects 49ad hoc statistics for samples 448admin log 631Adobe Flash player plugin

check before start of survey 80AN 56AND 152anonymous surveys 35, 56answer options

mass import 269mirroring on the centerline 226randomization 169, 219

archive 563archiving

projects 563Array field 337ats 535authentication

codes 86e-mail and password 85IP address 87

author 58Autofill Forms 644automation 108

BBack button 363

displaying 79on resumption 80saving data 80

BMP files 355bonus trigger 330, 345brackets 153browser 534

detection 379logging browser during pretest 403

brute force protection 615bulk edit 422, 429buttons

button generator 361changing labels 43close window 207

showing and hiding 79

CCancel button 134, 363CATI 85changing options 617character sets

character sets that can be chosen 101conversion problems 102editing externally with SDLX 285exporting 526page-specific 135selecting charset in SDLX 285SPSS 526standard character set 100standard character set UTF-8 285UTF-8 100

checkbox matrix 196cleaned (variable) 535, 549close window 207Closed response list 177code_complete 86, 478codebook 559

exporting 562groupings 225printing 562

codes 86selecting code types 86

coid 139columns

displaying answer options in severalcolumns 169

combination check 236combination check (range) 236compiling 50, 62condition editor

triggers 331conditional replacement in e-mails 480conjoint 20

static start page 136conjunction 149conr 140consistency check 394container ID 139contains 151contains any 151conversion problems 102cookies 85, 643copyright 259count function 157CSV

export format 522

651

Index

customer center 29

Ddac 169data cleaning 73, 544database

database report 634subscribing to database report 634

datacleaning (SPSS variable label) 549date_of_last_access 535deactivating protect sheet 285debug mode

layout 373depot questions 279detail view

individual respondent records 507dispcode 533disposition codes 501

15 423restricting range of data by disposition

codes 527double-scale matrix 194

Eediting externally

page, question and trigger names 287variable names 540

editing variable namesin questionnaire editor 539

EFS Conjoint Extension 20EFS Employee 19, 56EFS Mobile Access 605EFS Mobile Extension 20EFS Panel 19EFS Qualitative Analysis 19, 507, 526EFS Reporting + 19, 497, 515EFS Secure Exchange 20EFS SMS Extension 20EFS Survey Status 20, 513EFS Translator Interface 19

link from questionnaire 397links in questionnaire 76

EFS Web Services 20e-mail address

authentication 85e-mails

address check 236code_complete in HTML mails 478conditional replacement 480deleting 489duplicate use of addresses in personalized

projects 432mail template types 484notification prior to the end of the field

period 59preview 469recipient address with real name 474

status "hold" 480subject 475transmission report 469with attachment 477

employee surveyspasswords 596

end of the field periode-mail notification 59

Exceldeactivate sheet protection 285defining the file structure for external

editing 285external editing 283password 284, 285password protection for sheets 285sheet protection 285To do column 285

execution positiontriggers 330

exportingcharacter sets 526codebook 562data 51export templates 526field report 505language 526layouts 382projects 60restricting the range of exported data 527selectively 528text elements 281variables in result export 533

ext_host 533external editing 170, 280

Excel 283password for Excel files 284version control 286

external survey startsession time 88

external variable namesmaking changes retrospectively 540

external_lfdn 533

FFD 57feedback 30field overview 495

configuring 496field report 51, 497

diagram 498export 505splitting 504

file formats 522file upload

layout 373filter 143

AND 152

652

Index

brackets 153count function 157filter list 153filter test 154flowchart 147item level 250LUA 158operators 151OR 152page level 143question level 249setting filter for sample 438

filteringloop variables 321

final page 48Firefox 23

plugins 644Fixed Format 523Fixed format

technical restrictionis 525Flash

check before start of survey 80Flash question types and static start pages 136plugin 535question types 19

flash (variable) 535flipping 226

horizontal 226vertical 226

form elements 358form elements generator 361graphical form elements 358HTML form elements 358

form elements generator 361format check 236formats of export files

file formats 522forum discussions 57

Ggenerating

passwords 424projects see compiling

Get parameterssession ID 643

Get variables 338GMT 79gpx 61graphical form elements 134, 358, 359groupings 220

codebook 225group items 222

gto 84

Hhflip 227, 534hiding conditions 249

item level 250question level 249

horizontal flipping 226hostnames

restricted determination only 81HTML 523HTML form elements 358HTML mail 475HTML question type 206, 254

Iimage archive 252, 255image protection 259image question type 253images

in HTML Mails 477importing

elements of static lists 306layouts 382participants 424quotas 458text elements 282

individual records 510installation check 634internal 452internal organization

activating features 75Internet Explorer 23inviting participants 407

anonymous projects 50personalized survey 467

IP addresses 84restricted determination only 81

ip_addr 534item texts 168

maximum length 168items

limiting the number of visible items 167

JJavaScript 178

JavaScript check before start of survey 80JavaScript plausibility checks 239

Llanguage

change 29export 526

language editorlink from questionnaire 397links in questionnaire 76

language ID 573language identifier 573lastpage 533layout 259

debug mode 373exporting 382

653

Index

importing 382layout editor 351lfdn 533library for graphical form elements 360line breaks

in e-mails 476list of projects 36lists

filtering by list elements 150filtering by the data variable of a list 150importing elements of static lists 306interleave 314list trigger 343outputting whole lists in questionnaire 313

load limit 625login

login log for staff members 630logos

inserting 355logout trigger 334long variable names

making changes retrospectively 540loops 314

filtering on loop variables 321nesting 320outputting different text versions 320result data export with SPSS 324

low bucket fill 456LUA filters 158

Mmacros 108mail administration 488mail preview 481

masking passwords 482mail queue 488, 489mail templates 470

editing 483managing 483overview of types 484

mail transmission report 490mail trigger 332mails

CC and BCC 473defining mail sender 486hold 480images in HTML mails 477mail volume per mail interval 488

mails see e-mailsmain template 375mandatory questions 166mass import 269master data

in plausibility checks 239master data surveys 56, 57

changing the label in the survey list 105controlling the display in the survey list 105

hide from the survey list 106user-defined labels 106

matches regex 151matching

in SPSS 532matrix 189

creating 46multiple response 196

MD 56media library 255, 259menu 29missing values 168

default values 536user-defined missing values for SPSS 527

mixed-external page 140modules 29monitor mode 595monitoring 436monitoring a survey 51multilingual projects 569

language-dependent layouts 380multiple response

matrix 196multiple response list 44

horizontal 185horizontally ordered images 215vertical 183

Nnavigation bar 29negation 148NoRegEx check 236nviz 410

OOML 242onClick 178online statistics 496OnlyNumbers check 236open response list 180open-ended answers 496, 507OpenOffice

technical restrictions 525OR 152Org Processor 56other field 44

PPA 56page design 375page import 272page preview 140page structure 368page trigger 333, 334page types 130page view 39, 120page_history 534

654

Index

pages 130editing page names externally 287importing 272

Panel Partner Program 68panel surveys 56

changing the label in the survey list 105controlling the display in the survey list 105hide from the survey list 106user-defined labels 106

participant administration 86participant and status code export 528participant data

in plausibility checks 239participants

counting 103deleting 423importing 424informing about current state of participation

counter 105inviting 407recruiting 407selecting via e-mail addresses 432status 501

participate again 85participation counter 103participation limit 74, 626

project-specific 627system-wide 627

passwords 85authentication 85employee surveys 596for Excel files when editing externally 284, 285generating 424masking 482of Excel files for external editing 284sending passwords to staff 615

pgid 536PHP plausibility checks 239platform cockpit 628plausibility checks 140, 366

JavaScript plausibility checks 239layout 240PHP plausibility checks 239pro editor 241via participant, user or master data 239

pluginsFirefox 644

pop-up generator 408pretest

activating features 75browser used 403deleting pretest comments per macro 114displaying pretest comments in print version of

questionnaire 558displaying pretest symbol in questionnaire 75pretest comments 401status of pretest comments 403

previewmails 469masked passwords 482questions 169triggers in preview 170, 330

print versiondisplaying pretest comments 558

printingcodebook 562questionnaire 557questionnaire in a specific language 574

pro editor 368plausibility checks 241

productive modetesting triggers 330

progress bar 364, 377algorithm 365in preview 170

project archive 563project check 387project ID 69project information 68project list 63project properties 71project status 69project test 388project types 35, 55

anonymous 56anonymous surveys 56changing 62forum discussions 57master data surveys 56panel surveys 56

projectsactivating 49archiving 563compiling 50, 62copying 59creating 36, 58exporting 60marking as important 65module 36multilingual 569project URL 77reactivating 565status 69

protectingExcel sheets 285questions 511

QQR code 407quality (variable) 549quality correction 549Quantum 524question ID 139question import 267

655

Index

question library 275question list 169question type

362 196522 215ranking question 180

Question type 111 175Question type 112 176Question type 113 176Question type 121 183Question type 122 185Question type 131 177Question type 132 180Question type 141 185Question type 142 186Question type 143 187Question type 144 187Question type 311 189Question type 312 191Question type 321 191Question type 322 191Question type 340 191Question type 351 194Question type 361 195Question type 362 196Question type 363 197Question type 511 210Question type 521 210Question type 911 203question type 911 203question types 41, 182, 183

changing 169Flash 19overview 645user-defined 203with a multiple response list 183with a single response list 175

question view 39, 121questionnaire 169

exporting as XML file 60pages 130printing 557translating 280translating with Excel 283translating with SDLX 285

questionnaire pagescreating 40submit automatically for single response

questions 133questionnaire view 39, 119questions

changing the order 140editing question names externally 287protecting 511randomization 219searching for questions 127

quota (variable) 534

quota statistics 462quotas 453

importing 458recalculating 464

Rradio buttons

de-select 363random select

repeating the random selection 160random trigger 342randomization 169, 218

answer groups 220answer options 169, 219questions 219scale items 219

range check 236Range check old 236ranking question 180rate

variable 505raw data export

loops 324read confirmation 472recoding trigger 338re-defining question types (output) 376referer 534RegEx check 236reinvitation trigger 335RelevantID 550Reply-To 471Reporting 19, 495, 514result data

selective deletion 510resumption 85

Back button 80Return-Path 472rights

system 593types 594

rights templatesimporting and exporting 605

Routemap 547routing 143RTS 536runtime compilation 62

Ssample trigger 334samples

ad hoc statistics 448internal 452searching 449

SAS 523scale items

randomization 219scale library 198

656

Index

scale matrix 191SDLX 281, 285

selecting a character set 285searching

projects 64questions 127samples 449variables 127

select matrix 195vertical 195

selecting participants 432selective deletion of result data 510selective export 528semantic differential 191sender 474

selecting sender addresses 474server load 625session 643session ID 85, 643session time 88

setting 89session validity period 88session_id 535showing variable sources 156Single response list 43, 175

horizontal 176scale above 176vertical 175

slide show 203slide show slider 203sliders

static start pages 136Smarty 381sorting category 106Spaces (layout) 363Special options 179splitting

field report 504online statistics 507

SPSS 523character set of export file 526character sets 526creating SPSS labels for syntax jobs 532exporting loop data 324exporting SPSS macros 531merging SPSS records 532not able to handle UTF-8 526special features for evaluation 531technical restrictions 525

SPSS Portable file format 523SSL 137

no hostname lookup possible 81staff 593

expiry date of accounts 614staff administration

overview 610standard character set UTF-8 285

standard check 236standard matrix 46, 189, 191star icon 65static start pages 136static_hidden 137status

participants 501pretest comments 403projects 69

status of a project 70subject

e-mail 475survey

types 35survey menu 37survey messages 43

no further participations 105participation limit 627

survey pages 131survey URL 86surveys

anonymous 56in framesets 379

switch language 617

Ttarget value 498team 59, 60teams

assigning read rights to a single team 610rights templates 605

template system 368templates

exporting 526layout 382

testers 533creating 435importing 435in personalized projects 434

testing 387mail dispatch 435projects 50, 388user-defined questions in live operation 204

text fieldmultiple rows 186single row 185

text field matrix 197horizontal 187vertical 187

text fieldschanging the position of text fields in surroun-

ding text 217creating 217validating 247

to do in a project 71to-do management 399to-do markers 75, 399

657

Index

topStud 523translating

Excel 283SDLX 285

translating questionnaireschoice of character set in SDLX 285Excel 280SDLX 280, 285

triggers 325bonus trigger 330, 345editing trigger names externally 287execution position 330list trigger 343logout trigger 334mail trigger 332page trigger 333random trigger 342recoding trigger 338reinviation trigger 335sample trigger 334testing in productive mode 330trigger types 330triggers in preview 170, 330variable split trigger 336

Triple-S 523

Uuniform distribution 342uploading

images 252URL 77URL parameters 89, 136Use stratification criteria for search 449user data

in plausibility checks 239user-defined

missing values for SPSS 527question 203question type 203

user-defined labels 106user-defined questions 203

testing 204UTF-8 100, 285

Vvariable

showing variable sources 156variable page marker 505variable rate 505variables 537

change variable names 539changing variable names retrospectively 540external variable names 539internal variable names 539maximum number for each project 538searching for variables 127selective deletion of result data 510variable names 204variable split trigger 336variable types 204, 537variables log 563

version controlexternal editing 286

vertical flipping 226vflip 227, 534

Wwebsite settings 105wildcards

e-mail wildcards 477incorporating list wildcards into loops 320insert in questionnaire 169number of participants left 105outputting different text versions in loops 320outputting dynamic content 297outputting predefined content 293outputting whole lists in questionnaire 313participant variables 414

Xcount 157XLS

export format 523technical restrictions 525

XML 523exporting questionnaire as XML file 60

X-Priority 472

658

EFS Survey

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