SURVEY CREATOR - MULTIPLE TEXTBOXES QUESTION

Summary & Best Practices

In Survey Creator, the Multiple Textboxes question groups several short, single-line text fields under one shared question title. Use it only to collect a small set of related, study-specific responses that are not already represented by system-managed data or custom variables. Each textbox should capture a distinct response and have a clear, descriptive label.

Appropriate uses include:

• Recording several brief observations about a participant’s experience
• Capturing separate short descriptions of related study materials, tasks, or interactions
• Collecting a few independent examples in parallel fields
• Asking for concise responses to related, exploratory prompts that require text rather than predefined choices

Do not use this component to collect standard data points such as names, contact information, participant IDs, demographics, or other information already stored in the study system. Avoid using it for long explanations, narratives, diaries, or detailed feedback; use a Long Text (Comment) question instead. It is also unsuitable for large collections of fields, which can overwhelm participants and increase response burden.

When responses come from known categories, use Dropdowns, Radio Buttons, Checkboxes, or another structured question type instead of requiring participants to type answers manually. Keep the number of textboxes limited, use neutral and specific prompts, and add validation only when a response format is necessary for the study.

Property Grid

The General properties define the question’s identity. You can specify the question name (backend value), title (survey label), and description; control whether the question is visible, read-only, or required. Multiple Textbox questions do not support comment-box configuration.

The Items settings define the individual text fields within a Multiple Textbox question. You can add new items, edit existing items, delete items, and reorder them. Each item has a Name, used to identify and store its response in the survey data, and a Title, which is displayed to participants as the prompt for that textbox.

Layout properties control how the question appears on the survey page. They let you place the question on a new line, hide its number, and determine whether it is collapsed or expanded. You can also adjust the alignment of the question title, description, and error messages, as well as control the question’s indentation and width. The settings also include the number of columns used to display the answer choices, allowing you to present them vertically or across multiple columns.

The Conditions properties control the question’s behavior based on survey responses or other conditions. You can determine when the question becomes visible, read-only, or required; set or reset its value; and define default values using expressions. These settings also allow you to hide the question when no choices are available and control when individual choices are visible or selectable.

Data properties manage how the question stores and uses response data. You can specify a Join identifier to connect related data, set or change the correct answer for evaluation purposes, and clear the answer when needed. The section also lets you choose whether display values should appear in dynamic text and determine whether answers to questions hidden by conditional logic should be cleared.

The Validation properties ensure that respondents provide acceptable answers. You can add validation rules to check whether responses meet specific requirements, such as a required format or value range. This section also allows you to customize the error message displayed when a required question is left unanswered.