Deciding which Question Type to use
Nucleus offers a wide variety of Question types to cover every possibility. Using different Question types will help you to build an easier User Experience for those who navigates the Entrant Site.
From time to time, if user demand suggests it is necessary, we will add new Question Types.
How to Select Question Types
Question types are at the core of the form building process. To find them, please follow these steps:
- Log into the Admin Interface
- Go to Actions>Question List
- Click Add. The Question settings page will open
- Fill in the Name section with a recognisable internal name
- From the dropdown menu, select the Type of Question you wish to display
- Complete the required fields
- Click Save & Close
How to Choose Question Types
Here is a summary of the different Question Types and when to use them:
Commentary – Strictly speaking, not a ‘Question’ as such – but more a general signposting element on your form. Commentaries are passages of instructional text that conveys important information such as introductory text, guidelines, links to external help documents/terms and conditions documents. Can also be used for section and category introductions and explainers.
Concatenate – A question which is designed to combine the answers provided by Entrants in other questions, which can be used for export and on the Viewing Interface.
Date – A question for which the answer must be a date. The answer provided can be a single date, or a range between two dates. In the latter case, this is often used with a Dependency which either allows or disallows the answer based on whether it falls inside or outside the range specified.
Divider – Like ‘Commentary’, a ‘Divider’ is not so much a question as an important piece of architecture on your form. Dividers are most commonly used to indicate a new section of your form – such as a new Category, or type of question (eg. progressing from personal detail fields to actual fact-finding questions). Such Dividers are defined in the ‘Divider Type’ field as ‘Normal‘.
Dividers can also be used to manage the displayed length of your form, to ‘break it up’ aesthetically for the entrant. That is the case of ‘Paginated‘ Dividers, which break the form up onto a new page. You can use as many Normal and Paginated Dividers as you require. When Paginated Dividers are used, a progress flow-bar appears at the top of the form to show the entrant which page they are on, and which pages are ahead. You can navigate between these pages and skip ahead by using this flow-bar.
Duration – A question for which the answer is expressed in a minutes and seconds time format.
Email Address – A question for which the answer must be in a valid email address format.
Embed Video URL – Users can provide non password protected links to YouTube or Vimeo videos which are then embedded for judges in the Viewing Interface. This question supports YouTube Mobile links.
Export – This can be used to enter excel formulas for inclusion in the generated Excel file when the data is exported. This is designed to remove the need to go in and edit the excel file to add formulas (if formulas are required) every time the data is exported.
Form Owner Administration – This question allows admins to place the position of who owns the entry anywhere in the form. It is useful for Admins that want to display the Entrant’s details in a specific position when checking entries.
Integer – A question for which the answer must be a number.
License – This question is used to distribute codes to judges/ jurors. Entrants enter codes into the Default text area. The first line of the text area should read ‘No further code available’ and only one code should be entered on each subsequent line forming a list.
In the Viewing Site judges can claim a code for their account by clicking a button. The system deletes a code from the bottom of the list described above and associates it with the judges’ account. If there are more judges than code, the message on the last line will be displayed to judges when all of the available codes have been claimed.
Media Item – To enable entrants to supply Video, Audio, Image and Document files as part of their entry. Only available to instances with Electron – Media Library Guide
Multipart – More of a layout setting than a question as such, Multiparts are useful when you want to display several pieces of connected data on the same horizontal line, such as personal contact details. By declaring a Multipart and how many Subsequent Questions belong to it, you force those following questions to appear on the same horizontal line on the form. This is useful especially when you are requesting contact details for several individuals, as it restricts the length of your form and therefore reduces scrolling and unused blank spaces.
Phone Number – A question for which the answer must be a telephone number, and therefore of a suitable length. International dialling codes are available to select as a default by the entrant.
Question Validation – This Question Type will be displayed as a button in the form. When Users click on it, the system checks all of the mandatory Questions on the Form and flags any error. The process is the same as submitting an Entry, but without the actual submission. This Question Type just validates all the previous answers.
Select – These are types of questions where the entrant must choose from predefined answers. The options here allow for Single or Multiple Answer selections. Questions where you ask entrants to choose which Category/ies they are entering should always be Select questions. It is up to you (and your award’s set Pricing bands) whether you allow them to select Single Answers (one category per entry form, with further categories on a separate entry form) or Multiple Answers (multiple categories per entry form) for these Category select questions.
With Single Answer selections, users must select one single value from a list. In Nucleus there are two different sets of graphical control elements that can be used. When using single answers, always make sure to offer users to skip making a selection, by displaying a default answer, such as a choice labelled as “None.”
- Dropdowns – These are particularly useful if you want to conserve screen space. Admins specify the options users select. These answers can then be used more effectively in reporting.
- Radio Buttons – The advantage of radio buttons is that all options are visible so users can all options.
When you want to allow users to select multiple choices from a list, you can set up Multiple Answers via:
- Checkboxes – Allows entrants to select any number of predefined. Checkboxes occupy space on the form so larger data sets are best match with Picklists.
- Picklists – They are particularly effective when you need users to choose predefined options from a long list of possible answers.
Send Email – Provides functionality for Entrants to send an email communication to a specified address without having access to the email. Recipients can be an address specified by Admin Users, the Entry Owner, Entry Guests, all Users in the Entrant’s organisation or an email supplied on the Entry Form as an answer to a question. More information can be found here.
Textarea – Free text entry questions, requiring an entrant to type an answer of a paragraph length or more directly onto the form. You can control the length in characters or words eg. suitable when asking an entrant to give a testimony, examples, case study or justification for their entry.
Textbox – Shorter free text entry questions, requiring an entrant to type an answer of one line or less directly onto the form eg. suitable for Names, Titles, Social Media handles etc.
Upload Item – This question allows admins and entrants to upload a field to AWS S3 storage. Its important to note that this file will not appear in the Media Library or be processed by Electron. This question can be used by instances who do not have an Electron package or on Instant Entry forms, where media library causes a conflict. Note that any files uploaded will cause an increase in the AWS S3 storage charges and BMT is unable to confirm the amount. This question is not automatically available and needs to be activated in the Configuration Values section:
- Yes – the question is available for all forms
- Instant Entries – the question is available for Instant Entry Forms only
URL – A question that requires a viable URL address for the answer. Ideal when asking for entrant’s website, or links to relevant articles. Can also be used for links to videos hosted on external platforms like YouTube and Vimeo, however please ensure that provision is made for any required passwords. If a hosted video is password-protected and that password may expire by the Viewing stage of your award, it may be better to use Video questions below.