How to use the dropdown (multi-select) block

When to use

Use the dropdown (multi-select) block to let your respondents select multiple items from a list of choices you provide them. The respondent can simply scroll through the whole list of choices and select options, but it's also possible to easily search the choices by entering a keyword in the dropdown field. Only options that match the keyword will then be shown.

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How to use

Add a new block to your form and then select the question type Dropdown (multi-select). You can now customize this block to your needs with the following features:

General

• Text
  Use the Text feature for the name/title of this block.
• Description
  Enable the Description feature to add a description to this block.
• Placeholder
  Enable the Placeholder feature to add a text inside the empty input control of this block.
• Help text
  Enable the Help text feature to add a help text to this block.

Settings

• Limits
  Enable the Limits feature to enter a minimum and maximum number of choices that respondents can select.
• Randomization
  Enable the Randomization feature to present the choices in a random order to your respondents (using Fisher–Yates shuffle).

Options

• Required
  By default this block is not required to fill out by your respondents. Enable the Required feature to make this block required to fill out.
• Visibility
  By default this block is visible in your form. Enable the Visibility feature to hide it for your respondents.
• Labels
  By default the choices will be marked as Selected or Not selected in your dataset (your results). Enable the Labels feature to overwrite these labels in your dataset with your own values.
• Score
  You can attach scores to the choices to perform instant calculations. Enable the Score feature to enter the desired score values.
• Alias
  By default the name/title of this block will be used in your dataset. Enable the Alias feature to use a different name in your dataset.
• Data format
  By default the collected data of this block is stored as a separate value per available option. Enable the Data format feature to determine how the data is stored in the dataset:
  • Every option as a separate field - Every option is included in the dataset as a separate value (Selected or Not selected).
  • Text field with a list of selected options - All the selected options are concatenated to a single string of text, separated using a configurable separator.
  • Both - Includes every option in the dataset, together with the concatenated text.
• Exportability
  By default the collected data of this block will be stored to the dataset of each result. Enable the Exportability feature to take control over the storage. You can then include/exclude the data from your dataset. Please note that if you exclude data from the dataset you can never see and/or use the given answers from your respondents to this block, because the data is simply not stored at all.

Choices

Next, you can enter the list of choices that you want to show to your respondents:

• Add choices one by one
  Click the icon at the bottom of the list and enter the choice name.
• Import a list of choices
  Click the icon at the top of the list. Now supply a list with one choice name per text line and click Import to add them all at once to your list of choices.

From your list of choices you can open each choice to get to the settings of that single choice. Over there you can use these features:

• Name
  Use the Name feature for the name/title of this choice.
• Description
  Enable the Description feature to extend the choice name with a description, for example to show an extra explanation. This description is shown below the name.
• Exclusivity
  Enable the Exclusivity feature to make that choice exclusive. If a respondent selects that choice, all other choices will be unselected, making the selected choice exclusive.
• Labels
  By default each choice will be marked as Selected or Not selected in your dataset (your results). Enable the Labels feature to overwrite these labels in your dataset with your own values for each choice individually.
• Identifier
  By default the name of each choice will be used in your dataset. Enable the Identifier feature to use a different name in your dataset.
• Score
  Enable the Score feature to enter the desired score value for that choice.

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Logic

Logic is important to make your forms smart and conversational. The dropdown (multi-select) block can work with the following branch conditions to help you with that:

Block conditions

• Option state (selected/not selected per option);
• No options selected.

Evaluate conditions

Conditions for whole block:

• Value matches your filter;
• Value does not match your filter;
• Value contains your filter;
• Value does not contain your filter;
• Value starts with your filter;
• Value ends with your filter;
• Value is empty;
• Value is not empty.

Conditions for each option:

• Option is selected;
• Option is not selected;
• Option equals your filter;
• Option not equals your filter;
• Option is empty;
• Option is not empty.

Counter conditions

Conditions based on the number of selected options:

• Counter is equal to your filter;
• Counter is not equal to your filter;
• Counter is lower thanyour filter;
• Counter is higher than your filter;
• Counter is between your filters;
• Counter is not between your filters.

Score conditions

Conditions based on the total score of the selected options:

• Score is equal to your filter;
• Score is not equal to your filter;
• Score is lower thanyour filter;
• Score is higher than your filter;
• Score is between your filters;
• Score is not between your filters;
• Score is calculated;
• Score is not calculated.

Filters

When we mention your filter above, there are some different filters that you can use to make the right comparison:

• Text - Compare with a fixed text that you enter;
• Value - Compare with another block value entered in the form by a respondent (more info).

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Calculations

You can use the calculator block to perform calculations with given answers. The dropdown (multi-select) block supports the following calculation operations:

• Score - Calculate a score based on the entered score list for choices;
• Count - Count the number of selected choices;
• Choice value - Output a value based on an individual selected/not-selected choice (boolean).

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