November in English

General description

Please note that this page is not meant to be read directly. Each question setting text block is included on the particular question type pages so rather have a look at these.

Question attributes are an extensible way of adding extra controls to the presentation and/or workings of questions. Additional question attributes can be developed relatively easily by PHP programmers and added to the list of options for a question.

Different question types have different possible question attributes.

Question attributes are grouped by functionality. You can find all available question attributes for a certain question type when scrolling down while editing the question and clicking "Show advanced settings".

An english sample survey demonstrating some question attributes (random answer orders, hide tip, min/max values for multiple numerical and slider questions, text input width + prefix/suffix, timer options, date options, min/max answers at multiple option questions) can be downloaded here:

Available question attributes (ordered by system name)

alphasort

Sort answers alphabetically

Description

If you use a list of radiobuttons or a dropdown list you can order this list alphabetically by applying this question attribute.

Available options

On
Off (default)

answer_width

Answer width

Description

This value sets the answer column width in percentage. For example if you set this to value 60 then 60 percent of the question width will be used for the answer text (in most question types this is the most left column). The remaining width will be equally divided between the answer options.

Valid values

Any integer values from 1-100.

array_filter

Array filter

Description

The Array filter advanced settings allow you to use any multiple choice question to select or set which responses display in a subsequent list, array or multiple choice question.

Starting in 1.92, subsequent questions can be filtered on any array question types, including:

Multiple choice
Multiple choice with comments
Multiple short text
Multiple numeric
Array (5 point, 10 point, Yes/No/Unknown, Increase/Same/Decrease, Column)
Array (Dual Scale, Text, Numbers)
Ranking

Furthermore, each of these types of questions can filtered.

The only exception is Array (Column), which can filter other questions, but can not itself be filtered.

To set a filter

Enter the question code of a multiple options question to use as the source information into the setting for array filter. For example, if your source multiple option question code is "Q1" enter "Q1" into either the 'Array Filter' input or the 'Array Filter Exclusion' input in the advanced settings of the question you want to filter. Only answer options that are selected in question Q1 will be visible in the array_filter-ed question.

Starting in 1.92, you can enter multiple array_filter options for a single question, separated by semicolons

Array filter question settings require the questions being used to have exactly matching lists of answers. If the questions do not have exactly the same set of answers and codes, then the filters will break.

Starting in 1.92, if Q2 has sub-questions that are not present in Q1, they will always be displayed rather than breaking the filters.

Cascading

The Array filter will cascade – that is you can select a question which filters another question, which filters another question, and so on.

Array filter example

Ticking items ‘One’, ‘Three’ and ‘Four’ in the first question results in the entries 'One', 'Three' and 'Four' displaying in the subsequent question which uses array filter

Multi option question

Code:Q1

Question: Which animals do you like?

1 Cat

2 Dog

3 Zebra

Array 5 Point Choice Question

Code:Q2

Question: Rate these animals on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is I like them a little and 5 is I like them a lot

Array filter example 2 - Using Multiple Short Text

Note: This features is available starting in version 1.92

Here is the Limesurvey Group file for the above demo

Array filter example 3 - Cascading Array Filters

This sample survey shows use of array_filter, array_filter_exclude, and exclude_all_others, plus cascading array filters.

array_filter_exclude

Array exclusion filter

Description

The Array filter exclusion advanced setting allosw you to use a multiple choice question to select or set which responses won't display in a subsequent list, array or multiple choice question.

Starting in 1.92, subsequent questions can be filtered on any array question types, including:

Multiple choice
Multiple choice with comments
Multiple short text
Multiple numeric
Array (5 point, 10 point, Yes/No/Unknown, Increase/Same/Decrease, Column)
Array (Dual Scale, Text, Numbers)
Ranking

Furthermore, each of these types of questions can filtered.

The only exception is Array (Column), which can filter other questions, but can not itself be filtered.

To set a filter

Enter the question code of a multiple options question to use as the source information. For example, if your source multiple option question code is "Q1" enter "Q1" into 'Array filter exclusion' input in the advanced settings of the question you want to filter.

Starting in 1.92, you can enter multiple array_filter_exclude options for a single question, separated by semicolons

The source question has to contain exactly the same list of answers/subquestion as the question you wish to filter. Your question will then only display those answers/subquestion that were not selected in the multiple options question.

If the questions do not have exactly the same set of answers/subquestions and codes, then the filters will break.

Starting in 1.92, if Q2 has sub-questions that are not present in Q1, they will always be displayed rather than breaking the filters.

Cascading

The Array filter exclusions settings will cascade – that is you can select a question which filters another question, which filters another question, and so on.

Example

Ticking items 'One' and 'Three' in the first question results in those questions not being displayed in the subsequent question which users array filter exclusion

Multi Option Question

Code:Q1

Question: Which animals do you like?

1 Cat

2 Dog

3 Zebra

Array 5 Point Choice Question

Code:Q2

Question: Rate these animals on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is I like them a little and 5 is I like them a lot

2 Dog o o o o o

Download an english sample survey demonstrating the use of array filter and array filter exclude here:

Example

Starting in version 1.92, Q2 can have sub-questions that are not present in Q1 without breaking the array filter. This is needed to support paired exclusive options. For example, this figure asks subjects to rate their best and worst months. "NONE" is the exclusive option for both questions, and the second row (Q2) is exclusive filtered on the first. Q2 needs to use a different code for "NONE", otherwise if the subject clicks the exclusive option for Q1, that will exclude the "NONE" option in Q2. So, in this example, Q2 uses sub-question names "NONE1" for Q1, and "NONE2" for Q2. Prior to version 1.92, use of "NONE2" in Q2 would break the array filter, since "NONE2" is not present in Q1. Starting in version 1.92, "NONE2" can be used, and since it is not a sub-question in Q1, it will always e visible.

array_filter_style

Array filter style

Note: This features is available starting in version 1.92

Description

When one question is filtered by another via array_filter or array_filter_exclude, the author can choose whether the filtered values should be hidden or disabled.

Most users will use the default "Hidden" option. The "Disabled" option is most useful when you have a matrix of checkboxes that you want to keep aligned.

Example

In this example, there are two pairs of questions, asking when the user feels worst/best, and eats most/least. The user must specify all applicable months (or click NONE, which is the exclusive option). The second question in each pair uses array_filter_exclude to ensure that the user is unable to state that a month is both the best and worst.

Since this example uses a horizontal multiple choice layout, the "Disabled" array filter style is preferable. If one used the "Hidden" option, the excluded values (like January, October, November, and December) would be hidden, and February would line up beneath January in the second row.

Valid values

Hidden (default)
Disabled

assessment_value

Assessment value

Description

If one of the subquestions is marked then for each marked subquestion this value is added as assessment value.

category_separator

Category separator

Description

This attibute takes a char that will be considered by LimeSurvey as a category separator in answers.

Example

If you set this to the char ":", and have an answer with the following text "Fruit: orange" and another with "Fruit: apple", then a category of "Fruit" is assumed and will contain 2 items "orange" and "apple". This will be displayed as categories/items in the dropdown list.

code_filter

Code filter

Description

Can be used to filter the label set codes of the current question based on the answer to a previous single choice question. The attribute was added for the purpose of being able to narrow down possible options - although it's of limited use since the answer of previous question is compared to the label code of the current one. So this will work with very short answers only since label codes have a limited size of five characters. You can either enter a SGQA identifier here or a fixed string.

Example

?

display_columns

Display columns

Description

This setting allows you to display the answers options for the question in more than 1 column. Add this attribute, and a value indicating the number of columns you wish the question to use. The number of columns should be limited on the number of answers (so empty or near-empty columns are not created).

Included template are set to use 8 column max. If you need more column, you have to use and adapt your own template.

Valid values

Any positive integer value greater than 0

Examples

If you have 3 answers options, and you want to show these horizontally instead of vertically just set this option to '3'.
If you have 6 answers options, and you want to show these in two columns (3 per column) then set this option to '2'.

display_rows

Display rows

Description

Sets the number of rows. If the users enters more lines, a scroll bar is displayed. For Long free Text Question Type)) (default:5) and the Huge Free Text Question Type (default:30)

Valid values

Any positive integer number greater than 0

dropdown_dates

Display dropdown boxes

Description

This question attribute changes the presentation of the the Date-Question Type to single dropdown boxes for day/month/Year.

Available options

On
Off (default)

dropdown_dates_year_min

Minimum year

Description

This question attribute can be used to set the minimum year value for the calendar question. It applies to the dropdown- and to the popup-variant of the calendar.

Valid values

Any year value

dropdown_dates_year_max

Maximum year

Description

This question attribute can be used to set the maximum year value for the calendar question. It applies to the dropdown- and to the popup-variant of the calendar.

Valid values

Any year value

dropdown_prefix

Dropdown prefix

Note: This features is available starting in version 1.92

Description

For List Dropdown, this lets you optionally prefix each entry with a number for easier keyboard-based selection

Valid values

None
Order - like 3)

dropdown_prepostfix

Dropdown prefix/suffix

Description

In dual scale questions, if this attribute is set, the layout will use the provided text as a prefix and suffix before and after the dropdown input elements. Format is prefix|suffix

Examples

Suffix with the letters EUR: |EUR
Prefix with the letters USD: USD|
Both prefix and suffix: USD|EUR

dropdown_separators

Dropdown separator

Description

If this attribute is set, the layout will use the provided text as a separator after answer text and between dropdown boxes. Format is Separator1|Separator2.

Example

No example

dropdown_size

Dropdown size

Note: This features is available starting in version 1.92

Description

For List dropdown questions, this lets you control how many list items are visible.

Valid values

Any integer greater than 0
Note, if you select a number larger than the length of the list, the list will be sized to show all options

dualscale_headerA

Header for first scale

Description

This is the text to be displayed above the first scale of answer options. Please note that this question attribute only supports monolingual surveys, that means in multilingual surveys the same text appears across languages.

Valid values

Any text string

dualscale_headerB

Header for second scale

Description

This is the text to be displayed above the second scale of answer options. Please note that this question attribute only supports monolingual surveys, that means in multilingual surveys the same text appears across languages.

Valid values

Any text string

em_validation_q

Whole question validation equation

Note: This features is available starting in version 1.92

Description

This is an equation that is used to validate the entire question (e.g all of its parts collectively for a multi-answer question). If the question fails the validation criteria, then then em_validation_q_tip message has the CSS style .error set to it. This tip uses the .em_q_fn_validation CSS style, which is hidden by default within template.css.

The main difference between this feature and the Sub-question validation equations (em_validation_sq option) is that for this feature, if the question (or question parts) fail validation, then an error message could be shown. For the sub-question validation, each text entry cell (e.g. in array, but also applies to single entry question types) will be styled so that the background color is pink.

Valid values

Any equation, using Expression Manager syntax, without surrounding curly braces.

Example

- You want to collect demographic information from users via a multiple short text question, and you want to validate that the user has entered a reasonable email and phone number.

This example shows how the question looks with invalid answers:

And here is what it looks like with one invalid answer:

Here is how you edit a question to enter that information:

And here is part of the Show Logic File output that lets you validate the accuracy of your expression and ensure there are no syntax errors:

As you can see, the validation equation tests that both the email and phone are either empty or match a regular expression filter.

The validation tip only shows the warning message if the phone or email appears invalid.

Note: Remember, LimeSuvey uses the Perl syntax for regular expressions, so they should start and end with / (slash character)!

em_validation_q_tip

Tip for whole question validation equation

Note: This features is available starting in version 1.92

Description

If you are using em_validation_q, this is an optional message to show as a question 'tip'.

Valid values

Any string

Example

See the example for the Question validation tip - it shows how the tip can be tailored to show which parts of a multiple short text question fail validation criteria.

em_validation_sq

Sub-question validation equation

Note: This features is available starting in version 1.92

Description

This is an equation that is used to validate each sub-question (text field) individually. Any text field that does not pass these validation conditions will have its background color turned pink (using the .em_sq_fn_validation CSS style) to highlight the error. Note that this is available in addition to the regular expression-based validation option.

Valid values

Any equation, using Expression Manager syntax, without surrounding curly braces.

Examples

Say you have a multiple short text question and you want to collect email addresses. You could use the regular expression validator to make sure the email address has proper syntax, but that doesn't guarantee that the domain name exists. You could add a function to Expression Manager called validateEmail() which uses DNS lookup service to validate the existence of the domain.

As another example, say you only want to allow numbers that are a multiple of 3, the equation would be:

(this / 3) == floor(this/3)

The reserved variable this is automatically replaced by a reference to the active text entry cell.

em_validation_sq_tip

Tip for sub-question validation equation

Note: This features is available starting in version 1.92

Description

If you are using em_validation_sq, this is an optional message to show as a question 'tip'.

Valid values

Any string

Example

Continuing the example of validating emails, the tip might be "Please enter valid email addresses."

equals_num_value

Equals sum value

Description

Sets the sum total of all predefined answers that will be accepted. For example: Setting a value of 20 for this attribute would mean that the only acceptable total for all items would be 20. A value of 15 or 60 would be unacceptable.

Valid values

Any number value

And as of Version 1.92

Any SGQA code
Any question code (variable name)
Any equation, using Expression Manager syntax, without surrounding curly braces.

num_value_equals_sgqa

Value equals SGQA

As of Version 1.92, this is deprecated - use equals_num_value instead

Description

Sets the sum total of all predefined answers that will be accepted based on the answer to a previous question (identified by the [SGQA identifier]. For example: If the answer to the question identified by the SGQA identifier is 20, the only acceptable total for all items would be 20. A value of 15 or 60 would be unacceptable.

Example

Make sure you understand the use of [SGQA identifier]s before using this attribute.

exclude_all_others

Exclusive option

Description

This attribute takes the Code of an answer in a multiple option question so that when clicked this checkbox will uncheck all others and make them read-only (=disabled). It was created specifically to ensure data integrity when one of the multiple options in a multiple option question implies no other choices apply. (ie: None of the above).

It is also possible to have multiple exclusive options. These must be separated by semicolons.

Note: As of Version 1.92, exclusive_option marks the other attributes as irrelevant. They are shown as disabled, and their values are NULLed in the database

Example

Just enter the according answer code like

version <= 1.86: exclude_all_others Ax
version >= 1.87: (Exclusive option): Ax

"Ax" is the code you assigned to a certain answer, so if your code for a certain answer is "none" you have to enter "none". At old versions you have to select the according attribute from the drop-down list AND enter the answer code, at later versions simply add the answer code at the "Exclusive option" text field.

Example - multiple exclusive options

Say your multiple choice question asking which medical diagnoses you have had, with options A-Z, plus 8 for "Refused" and 9 for "None"; and you want to make both of those options exclusive. You would enter the following into the exclude_all_others field:

8;9

exclude_all_others_auto

Auto-check exclusive option if all others are checked

Description

If the participant marks all options, uncheck all and check the option set in the "Exclusive option" setting.

hidden

Always hide this question

Description

If you prefill a question by URL you can use this setting to hide the question and its value from the survey participant at all. This overrides any conditions because the particular question is never even embedded in a page. If you just want to hide a question (for example if you want to store a value calculated on the fly) then use Javascript embedded in the question source code.

Available options

On
Off (default)

hide_tip

Hide tip

Description

Most questions will usually include a tip that says "Please choose one of the following options" or similar hint text how to fill out the question. This attribute allows you to turn off this tips/hints.

Note: As of Version 1.92, these tips include the validation criteria messages, (such as min/max number of answers, min/max/equals sum value). If hide_tip is true, they will be initially hidden; but if the user enters invalid data, the tips will appear, color coded red to indicate the error. Once the validation criteria are met, the color coding will change to green, but the tips will not disappear.

Available options

Yes
No (default)

show_title

Show Title

Show the title textbox so that the user can enter a suitable title/subject for the uploaded file

show_comment

Show Comment

Show the comment textbox so that the user can enter any comments corresponding to this uploaded file

maximum_filesize_allowed

Maximum File Size Allowed

The maximum size of a file that should be allowed to be uploaded by the user.

Example

If the maximum filesize is set to 1024 KB, any files larger than 1024 KB will be discarded, and the user will be asked to upload a smaller file.

maximum_number_of_files

Maximum number of files

The maximum number of files that can be uploaded in response to this question.

Valid values

Any positive integer

As of version 1.92

Any number (will be rounded to integer)
Any SGQA code
Any question code (variable name)
Any equation, using Expression Manager syntax, without surrounding curly braces.

minimum_number_of_files

Minimum number of files

The minimum number of files that must be uploaded in response to this question.

Valid values

Any positive integer

As of version 1.92

Any number (will be rounded to integer)
Any SGQA code
Any question code (variable name)
Any equation, using Expression Manager syntax, without surrounding curly braces.

allowed_filetypes

Allowed Filetypes

Description

The file types that are allowed to be uploaded in response to this question. The file types are entered in comma separated values (CSV) format.

Example

For a file that needs images to be uploaded, one may enter

JPG, jpeg, png

location_mapservice

Use mapping service

NOTE: With Short Free Text questions:

This question allows for either a short free text, or a map -- the LimeSurvey model does not intend for both, concurrently.

If the design intends a map, leave the defaultRows blank. Placing a number, here, such as 0,1, etc, removes the map from the generated HTML code, and causes other errors.

If the map is enabled as a google map, and the question is set to mandatory, the survey user must move the red point, or enter the Lat/Long text box. The user may not merely rely on the default, and hit the "NEXT" button. It is recommended that you so advise in the substance of the question text.

location_nodefaultfromip

IP as default location

Should the default position be set based on the user's IP addres (yes/no)?

location_country

Save country

Should the country information be stored at the survey results (yes/no)?

location_city

Save city

Should the city information be stored at the survey results (yes/no)?

location_state

Save state

Should the state information be stored at the survey results (yes/no)?

location_postal

Save postal code

Should the postal code be stored at the survey results (yes/no)?

If all settings above are set to "yes", the result for such a map question will look like this:

1./2. = lat/long values

3. = city

4. = state

5. = country

6. = postal code

location_defaultcoordinates

Default position

Here you can set a default position as lat/long string. When the map is loaded, it will center at this position.

Example: 52.1605 9.8438

location_mapzoom

Zoom level

Set a zoom level for the map. Min=0, Max=11.

This image shows a 500x300 map using zoom level = 5:

location_mapwidth

Map width

Width of the map in pixels (default: 500px)

location_mapheight

Map height

height of the map in pixels (default: 300px)

max_answers

Maximum answers

Description

Can be used to limit the total number of answers a user can select in a multiple choice question.

Valid values

Any number value

And as of Version 1.92

Any SGQA code
Any question code (variable name)
Any equation, using Expression Manager syntax, without surrounding curly braces.

Example

If set to 2, the user will only be able to check at most 2 checkboxes or 1 checkbox + fill the Other field (if any). At ranking questions the participant would be able to only select 2 items at most.

other_comment_mandatory

'Other:' comment mandatory

Description

Only applies to mandatory questions having an 'other answer' in which the participant can give a free text response ('other comment').

When this setting is activated and the participant selects the other answer (the 'other checkbox' or 'other answer in a list'), then he will have to give a comment in the 'Other comment' input box in order to proceed to next page.

Note that this option is not available for Multiple Choice questions because the Other checkbox status is not recorded in DB for this question type, only the content of the other text input is recorded. This means that checking the other checkbox is just a visual effect that is only meaningfull if the text box is filled in: that is why other_comment_mandatory is assumed to be set for this question type.

Example

If activated for a "Multiple options with comments" question and the user enters a value in the left part of the Other answer but doesn't enter text in the Other Comment part, a warning message will be displayed when he tries to proceed to the next page.

other_numbers_only

Numbers only for 'Other'

Description

Allow only numerical input for 'Other' text

maximum_chars

Maximum characters

Description

This allows you to set the maximum number of characters that can be entered for a text based question. Entering a value of, say, 20 will mean that the participant cannot enter any more than 20 characters.

Valid values

Any integer value above 0

max_num_value

Maximum sum value

Description

Allows you to set the maximum sum total of all predefined answers that will be accepted. The value entered for this attribute becomes the maximum value.

Valid values

Any integer value above 0

And as of Version 1.92

Any number
Any SGQA code
Any question code (variable name)
Any equation, using Expression Manager syntax, without surrounding curly braces.

Example

Setting a value of 20 for this would mean that the total value of all numbers entered in all input boxes for this question may not exceed 20. Totals of 21 would be not allowed. A total of 15 would be acceptable.

max_num_value_n

Maximum value

Description

Maximum value of the numeric input.

Note: As of Version 1.92, this also applies to multiple numeric and numeric array input questions. When this attribute is set, each input value must meet this criteria.

Valid values

Any integer value above 0

And as of Version 1.92

Any number
Any SGQA code
Any question code (variable name)
Any equation, using Expression Manager syntax, without surrounding curly braces.

max_num_value_sgqa

Maximum value from SGQA

Deprecated as of Version 1.92 - use max_num_value instead

Description

Allows you to set the maximum sum total of all predefined answers that will be accepted. The SGQA value entered for this attribute uses the answer to that SGQA question as the maximum value.

Example

To use this question attribute you should understand the [SGQA identifier]

Setting a particular SGQA identifier for this would mean that the total value of all numbers entered in all input boxes for this question may not exceed whatever answer was made to the SGQA question referred to. Totals above that figure would be not allowed. Totals below that figure would be acceptable.

min_answers

Minimum answers

Description

Can be used to ensure that a user selects at least a certain number of answers in a multiple choice question.

Valid values

Any integer value above 0

And as of Version 1.92

Any number
Any SGQA code
Any question code (variable name)
Any equation, using Expression Manager syntax, without surrounding curly braces.

Example

If set to 3, the user will only be able to submit the survey form if they have selected at least three check-boxes. In ranking questions, this ensures that at least three items are ranked. Please note that if you use this attribute with Ranking questions please set the question to non-mandatory - because when you leave it at mandatory all items need to be ranked which is counter-active to this feature.

min_num_value

Minimum sum value

Description

Allows you to set the minimum sum total of all predefined answers that will be accepted. The value entered for this attribute becomes the minimum value.

Valid values

Any integer value above 0

And as of Version 1.92

Any number
Any SGQA code
Any question code (variable name)
Any equation, using Expression Manager syntax, without surrounding curly braces.

Example

Setting a value of 20 for this would mean that the total value of all numbers entered in all input boxes for this question may not be less than 20. Totals of 21 or 50 would be allowed. A total of 15 would not be acceptable.

min_num_value_n

Minimum value

Description

Minimum value of the numeric input

As of Version 1.92, this also applies to multiple numeric and numeric array input questions. When this attribute is set, each input value must meet this criteria.

Valid values

Any integer value above 0

And as of Version 1.92

Any number
Any SGQA code
Any question code (variable name)
Any equation, using Expression Manager syntax, without surrounding curly braces.

min_num_value_sgqa

Minimum value from SGQA

Deprecated as of Version 1.92 - use min_num_value instead

Description

Allows you to set the minimum sum total of all predefined answers that will be accepted. The SGQA identifier value entered for this attribute becomes the minimum value.

Example

You should understand the use of [SGQA identifier]s before using this attribute.

The answer entered for the SGQA identifier for this would mean that the total value of all numbers entered in all input boxes for this question may not be less than that amount. Totals greater or equal than that entered in this question would be allowed. A total of below would not be acceptable.

multiflexible_min

Minimum value

Description

This sets the minimum numeric value for the dropdown lists.

Valid values

Any integer value

And as of Version 1.92

Any number
Any SGQA code
Any question code (variable name)
Any equation, using Expression Manager syntax, without surrounding curly braces.

Example

To set a dropdown box starting at the number 1, and going to 10; set this attribute to 1.

multiflexible_max

Maximum value

Description

Only available in Array (Multi Flexible) (Numbers) question type. Sets the maximum numeric value for the dropdown lists.

Valid values

Any integer value

And as of Version 1.92

Any number
Any SGQA code
Any question code (variable name)
Any equation, using Expression Manager syntax, without surrounding curly braces.

Example

To set a dropdown box starting at the number 1, and going to 10; set this attribute to 10.

multiflexible_step

Step value

Description

Only available in Array (Multi Flexible) (Numbers) question type. Sets the numeric step value for the dropdown lists.

Example

To set a dropdown box starting at the number 2, and going to 10 in 2's (ie: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10); set this attribute to 2.

multiflexible_checkbox

Checkbox layout

Description

Only available in Array (Multi Flexible) (Numbers) question type. Use a specific layout of array of Checkboxes.

This attribute will automatically use multiflexible_min=0, multiflexible_max=1 and multiflexible_step=1 whatever values you give to these settings.

Example

None

num_value_int_only

Integer only

Description

Restrict input to integer values

Available options

Yes
No (default)

numbers_only

Numbers only

Description

If you set this option the participant can only enter numbers in the text boxes.

For equation question types this setting indicates that the result will be a number only, not a string. This will guarantee proper calculations/conversion in follow-up equations regarding the decimal mark.

Behavior by Question-Type

Default: If the subject enters a value that is not a number, that value is immediately cleared from the text box so that the subject can enter an appropriate value.
Array(Texts): Setting this to "No" will overrule "Show totals for" and "Show grand total" setting and total text boxes will not be displayed.
Equation: Setting this option to "Yes" will force equation results to be converted to a numeric value. If the equation result is not a number (and not blank), the equation will return NaN.

Available options

Yes
No (default)

other_replace_text

Label for 'Other:' option

Description

Short text string to replace the text "Other" as the label for other.

Example

Entering a value of "Alternative:" for this attribute would result in the word "Alternative:" being used for the label for the "Other" option instead of the word "Other". It is extremely important to note that this question attribute should only be used in single-language surveys. Prior to version 1.80, if used in multiple language surveys, the same question attribute value will be used no matter which language is being displayed. In version 1.80 and later, a translation will be attempted but will only be successful if the translation already exists in the alternate language file (ie: translation cannot be made on a survey-by-survey basis). This means: to translate your other text you have to add your other_replace_text to the english .mo file (because this is LimeSurveys baselanguage) and translate this String in each of your surveys languages .mo files.

Translating LimeSurvey

page_break

Insert page break in printable view

Description

This attribute is only active when you actually print a survey from the Printable View. It forces a page break before the question. (Only the Opera browser does not need this since it handles the page breaks accordingly.)

Available options

Yes
No (default)

public_statistics

Show in public statistics

Description

This attribute allows the admin to chose if the results of a particular question should be shown to the survey participant after he/she has the submitted he survey. Please note that in general to show statistics to the participant the survey setting 'Public statistics' has to be enabled!

The default setting for each question is 'No' (=Do not show statistics of this question to the user). You have to enable this for every single question if you want to show the survey statistics of that particular question to the participant after the survey submission.

Available options

Yes
No (default)

prefix

Prefix

Description

A text value to be shown as prefix before the text input box(es).

Example

Entering a value of "$" for this attribute would result in a dollar sign being displayed immediately preceding the text input box.

random_group

Randomization group name

Description

Place questions into a specified randomization group, all questions included in the specified group will appear in a random order.

Valid values

Just enter any string you like (for example: 'group1'. All question which have set the same string will have their place in the survey randomized (=randomly exchanged among each other).

random_order

Random answer order

Description

This attribute causes LimeSurvey to ignore the existing order of answers/subquestions, and instead it orders them randomly. It is important to note that this random order will be reordered each time the question is displayed, so if someone returns to a question, the order will probably be different from the first time they saw it. Having the answers display randomly is useful to remove the possibility of bias from answers to questions. Set to 'On' to enable it.

Available options

On
Off (default)

reverse

Reverse answer order

Description

Present answer options in reverse order

Available options

On
Off (default)

scale_export

SPSS export scale type

Description

Used for #SPSS_export|SPSS export only. This attribute overrides the default scale guessed by SPSS. To learn what the different measurement scales do, please read the related SPSS documentation Archived 2013-04-14 at the Wayback Machine.

Available options

Default (default)
Nominal
Ordinal
Scale

show_grand_total

Show grand total

Description

Show grand total for either columns or rows

Available options

Yes
No (default)

show_totals

Show totals for

Description

Show totals for either rows, columns or both rows and columns'

Example:

Available options

None (default)
Rows
Columns
Both rows and columns

slider_accuracy

Slider accuracy

Description

When "slider_layout' is set, this question attribute sets the value of step of the slider.

Valid values

Any positive floating point number, for example "0.1" or "2"

slider_default

Slider initial value

Description

When 'Slider layout' is set, this sets the initial value of the slider (unless an answer is already recorded for this user's session).

When the Slider initial value is set to a given value, this value will be assumed to be the default answer of the participant, this means that if the question is mandatory and the participant submits the page without moving the slider, it will be assumed that he has answered this default value.

Valid values

Any number

slider_layout

Use slider layout

Description

When set to "On", this question attribute will modify the layout of the Multiple Numerical question type so that it looks like a slider.

Available options

On
Off (default)

slider_middlestart

Slider starts at the middle position

Description

The handle is displayed at the middle of the slider (this will not set the initial value).

Available options

Yes
No (default)

slider_min

Schieberegler Minimalwert

Beschreibung

When "slider_layout' is set, this question attribute sets the value of the left-end of the slider.

Beispi

slider_min 10

slider_max

Slider maximum value

Description

When "slider_layout' is set, this question attribute sets the value of the right-end of the slider.

Example

slider_max 50

slider_rating

Use slider layout

Description

This activates an alternative representation of a question using stars or a slider with an emoticon (smiley face). Available in v1.91 or later.

Available option

No (default)
Yes - stars
Yes - slider with emoticon

slider_separator

Slider left/right text separator

Description

This question attribute sets the separator used to display text labels on the left and right side of the slider. For example,

Set the slider left/right text separator value to a vertical bar |

Then format your subquestions to read:

Subquestion text|Left slider label|Right slider label

Example

Slider Left/Right text separator |

slider_showminmax

Display slider min and max value

Description

Activate this option to display the minimum and maximum value under the slider.

Available options

Yes
No (default)

suffix

Suffix

Description

A text value to be suffixed to a text entry box.

Example

Entering a value of "%" for this attribute would result in a percentage sign being displayed immediately after the text input box.

text_input_width

Input box width

Description

This attribute sets the width of the text input box, but does not limit the number of characters that can be entered.

Example

This is usually stated as a percentage of the question width. So an input of '80' would be 80% of the question width.

time_limit

The following question types support timers:

text display
list (radio) (available since Limesurvey v2.0)

Time limit

Description

Setting the time_limit attribute on a question will cause a countdown timer to begin counting down as soon as that question/page is loaded. At the expiry of the countdown timer the question will either automatically move on to the next page, or become read-only.

The timer attributes work best with surveys displayed in "Question by question" mode. It is possible to use them in "Group by group" mode, but with certain restrictions. In "Group by group" mode the default time_limit_action is to "Disable only", meaning that the "Next >>" button is not automatically pressed. Automatically moving on to the next question is disabled in group by group mode unless the group only contains one question.

Valid values

Any positive integer number

Example

Set it to 240 to count down from 4 minutes (240 seconds)

time_limit_action

Time limit action

Description

Sets the action performed when a time_limit has expired. By default the action for a time limit is "Warn and move on", which means the system will give a short warning that the time limit has expired before saving the question and effectively automatically clicking "Next >>". The alternative choices are to:

"Move on without warning", which automatically clicks the "Next >>" button after the timer is finished but without any warning message.
"Disable only", which disables changes in the question so the participant can't change anything but doesn't automatically click the "Next >>" button.

This setting is only applicable if the general Time limit setting is activated.

Available options

Warn and move on (default) = will warn the participant that the time has expired, and then click the next button
Move on without warning = will immediately click the next button after the time limit has expired
Disable only = will disable the answer after the time limit has expired but not automatically click next

Note regarding group-by-group mode: When in group-by-group mode, the "move on" actions of the timer are replaced with a "disable" action. This is so the timer does not affect other questions on the page.

time_limit_countdown_message

Time limit countdown message

Description

This sets the text message that displays in the countdown timer during the countdown. This setting is only applicable if the general Time limit setting is activated.

time_limit_message

Time limit expiry message

Description

This is the text of the message that appears to the participant when the time_limit has expired. By default, this message is "Your time to answer this question has expired". If the time_limit_action attribute is set to "Move on without warning" this message is not displayed. You can set the CSS style for this text in the time_limit_message_style attribute (see below).

This settings is only applicable if the general Time limit settings is activated.

Example

time_limit_message: The time limit on answering this question is now up.

time_limit_message_delay

Time limit expiry message display time

Description

This attribute sets how many seconds the time_limit_message displays for before the time_limit_action occurs. If this attribute is not set, it defaults to a value of 1 (1 second).

This settings is only applicable if the general Time limit settings is activated.

Example

time_limit_message_delay: 5 = the message displays for 5 seconds

time_limit_timer_style

Time limit timer CSS style

Description

This sets the CSS Style for the message that displays in the countdown timer during the countdown.

time_limit_warning_message

Time limit warning message

Description

Sets the text of the warning message that displays at a fixed period of time before a time limit expires. By default this text is "Your time to answer this question has nearly expired. You have {TIME} remaining." {TIME} is replaced by a formatted description the amount of time remaining (ie "30 seconds", or "1 minute, 5 seconds"). This message only appears if the time_limit_warning attribute exists. The time_limit_warning attribute sets when this message appears, measured in seconds before the time limit expires.

This question attribute is only applicable if the Time Limit setting is activated and you set some text in the Time limit warning message. This setting also exists for a second warning message.

Example

Attention: In {TIME} the time limit to answer question will expire.

time_limit_warning

Time limit warning message timer

Description

Sets how long (in seconds) before the time limit expires to display the time_limit_warning_message. Setting a value for this attribute turns on the time limit warning message.

This settings is only applicable if the general Time limit settings is activated. This setting also exists for a second warning message.

Example

If you set this to '20' then the time limit warning message will appear 20 seconds before the time limit countdown reaches zero.

time_limit_warning_display_time

Time limit warning message display time

Description

Sets how long the time_limit_warning_message displays for before it is removed/hidden from the screen. By default if the time_limit_warning_message appears, it will remain visible until the countdown timer has completed the countdown. If a value greater than zero exists in this question attribute, the message will be hidden after that many seconds.

This settings is only applicable if the general Time limit setting is activated. This setting also exists for a second warning message.

Example

time_limit_warning_display_time: 10 = The time limit warning message will dissapear 10 seconds after appearing

time_limit_disable_next

Time limit disable next

Description

Allows disabling the "next" button while a time_limit countdown is occurring. Normally, even if a time limit countdown is occurring, if the participant wants to click next and move on to the next question they can (thus cutting short the time spent on the question). By selecting "Yes" for this attribute, the next button will appear greyed out and will not be available until the countdown timer has finished.

This settings is only applicable if the general Time limit setting is activated.

Available options

Yes = The Next button will be disabled until the time limit countdown is complete.
No (default)

time_limit_disable_prev

Time limit disable prev

Description

Allows disabling the "previous" button while a time_limit countdown is occurring. Normally, even if a time limit countdown is occurring, if the participant wants to click 'prev' and move on to the previous question they can (thus cutting short the time spent on the question). By selecting "Yes" for this attribute, the previous button will appear greyed out and will not be available until the countdown timer has finished.

This settings is only applicable if the general Time limit setting is activated.

Available options

Yes = The Previous button will be disabled until the time limit countdown is complete.
No (default)

time_limit_message_style

Time limit message CSS style

Description

Allows (and overrides the default) css styling used to display the time limit message. The default style value for this attribute will be used if it does not exist, and is: 'top: 10px; left: 35%; width: 30%; height: 60px; padding: 16px; border: 8px solid #555; background-color: white; z-index: 1002; text-align: center; overflow: auto'

Any text entered into this attribute will overwrite the entire default css style, so you should ensure that care is taken when entering a value for this attribute. It is strongly recommended that you re-use the z-index value, or that, at least, the z-index value be higher than that used for the time_limit_warning_message_style attribute (which defaults to 1001).

Example

Set to:

top: 10px; left: 35%; width: 30%; height: 60px; padding: 16px; border: 8px solid #555; background-color: black; color: white; z-index: 1010; text-align: center; overflow: auto

time_limit_warning_style

Time limit warning CSS style

Description

Allows (and overrides the default) css styling used to display the time limit warning message. The default style value for this attribute will be used if it does not exist, and is: 'top: 10px; left: 35%; width: 30%; height: 60px; padding: 16px; border: 8px solid #555; background-color: white; z-index: 1001; text-align: center; overflow: auto'

Any text entered into this attribute will overwrite the entire default css style for the warning message, so you should ensure that care is taken when entering a value for this attribute. It is strongly recommended that you re-use the z-index value, or that, at least, the z-index value be lower than that used for the time_limit_message_style attribute (which defaults to 1002).

This settings is only applicable if the general Time limit setting is activated. This setting also exists for a second warning message.

Example

top: 10px; left: 35%; width: 30%; height: 60px; padding: 16px; border: 8px solid #555; background-color: gray; color: white; z-index: 1001; text-align: center; overflow: auto

time_limit_timer_style

Time limit timer CSS style

Description

Allows (and overrides the default) css styling used to display the countdown timer. The default style value for this attribute will be used if it does not exist, and is: 'width: 150px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: 1px solid #111; text-align: center; background-color: #EEE; margin-bottom: 5px; font-size: 8pt;'

Any text entered into this attribute will overwrite the entire default css style, so you should ensure that care is taken when entering a value for this attribute. A simple way to hide this is to copy the default style into this attribute and add 'display: none;' to the end.

This settings is only applicable if the general Time limit setting is activated.

Example

use_dropdown

Use dropdown boxes

Description

If this attribute is set, the layout will use dropdown boxes instead of lines of radio buttons

Available options

Yes
No (default)

value_range_allows_missing

Value range allows missing

Note: This features is available starting in version 1.92

Description

This attribute applies to the multiple numerical question type. If Yes, then a user can skip answering the multiple numerical question even if equals_num_value or min_num_value are set.

In early versions of 1.92, the default was "No", so users were forced to enter values if equals_num_value or min_num_value were set.

Current versions of 1.92 use "Yes" as the default.

This option gives authors the option of using the old or new behavior.

Available options

Yes (default)
No

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