Response formats
The response for criteria (questions) can be formatted in a number of different ways. The format is primarily controlled by the responseType criterion version property:- textarea - a text area. This is the default.
- gradeonly - no response, only grades.
- text - a single line of text
- list - a list from which a single item can be selected
- multilist - a list from which multiple items can be selected
- radiolist - a list of radio buttons
- checklist - a list of checkboxes
- rows - number of rows or list items to show
- listItems - items for list
- addItem - allow the user to add an item to the list
- collectItems - collect items for the list from responses for related assets
textarea
textarea is the default response format.
The number of rows in the textarea is controlled by the rows criterion version property, and defaults to 10.
text
A responseType of text allows a single line of text to be entered.
list
A list allows the user to select one item from a drop-down list. The items in the list are set in the listItem property, one per line.
The format and items in the list is controlled by other criterion version properties.
If the rows property is set to a number greater than 1, then a scrollable list rather than a drop-down will be shown.
If the addItem property is set to true, then the user can add a new item to the list.
If the collectItems property is set to true, then the items in the list will be built from the listItems property plus any items added on related assets. Related assets are assets in the same group over which the user has read authority.
multilist
The multilist option is similar to list, except that multiple items can be selected.
The listItems, rows, addItem and collectItems properties work as for list, except that row values of less than 2 are converted to 2.
radiolist
radiolist is conceptually similar to list, except that each item in the list is shown as a radio button.
checklist
checklist is conceptually similar to multilist, except that each item in the list is shown as a check box.
Notes
Use the list type formats (list, multilist, radiolist, checklist) to force or encourage users to enter consistent responses.The combination of addItem and collectItems properties is very useful way of encouraging users to enter responses consistently, but still allowing them to add new responses.
Use radiolist and checklist if there are relatively few items; use list and multilist if there are many items.
Do not confuse the radiolist and checklist types with the list of grades. The grades are used for scoring and analysis; radiolist and checklist are just ways of enforcing some consistency in what users enter.
With a list format (but not multilist, radiolist or checklist), the addItem option is not entirely clear - the user must enter in the drop down that they want to add the item. This is a fundamental limitation of the standard HTML used by Metrici Advisor. Consider adding additional text to the question to make it clear what the user should do to add an item. Alternatively, use a radiolist in place of a list, as it much clearer.
Last amended on 4 Dec 2009, 21:43.