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Use responses from an earlier question

Use the responses from one question to create a customized question through the use of the response piping feature integrated in Blue. Go even further with Cross-project Response Piping and use responses from a published project to generate customized questions in a different project.

Response piping works by including a short field mapping symbol in the fill out labels for a question. When Blue generates the questionnaire for a specific rater, the field mapping symbol is replaced with the corresponding response. For more information on default piping/field mapping symbols, see Default piping/field mapping symbols.

THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT RESPONSE PIPING
  • Field Mapping Symbols should only be included in the Fill out Labels for a question, otherwise reports will be difficult to read.
  • Response piping is supported only in Response Sheet report blocks, all other report blocks do not support response piping.
  • To use response piping, questions must have identifiers.
  • Responses to hidden questions can be piped as long as the Keep Responses if Hidden option is enabled for the hidden question.
  • The question providing the response and the question using the response must be separated by at least a page break.

The syntax for response piping is:

[#Identifier|Scale,Defaultvalue]
  1. Identifier - The unique identifier that can be added to a question or sub-question
  2. Scale - (optional) The question scale for the response desired, possible values are:
    • |S1 for the first scale
    • |S2 for the second scale
    • |C for comments in a Comments type question
  3. Defaultvalue - (optional) The text that will be displayed if there is no available response found.

Examples include:


[#A15|S2,your favorite color]

[#Q10]

[#DPT08,the location]

Piping Date/Time Questions

Response piping for Date/Time questions follow a slightly different syntax than other questions types:

[#Identifier|Response,Defaultvalue]
  • Identifier - The unique identifier that can be added to a question or sub-question.
  • Response - the particular date and time that will be displayed, possible values are:
    • D1 - the date response provided in the first date field.
    • D2 - the date response provided in the second date field.
    • D3 - ...
    • T1 - the date and time response provided in the first date field.
    • T2 - the date and time response provided in the second date field.
    • T3 - ...
  • Defaultvalue - (optional) The text that will be displayed if there is no available response found.

Examples:

[#Q45|D1,your birthday]


[#PO2345|T6]

[#88|T2,end of term]

Piping Single Selection Table Questions and Multiple Selection Table Questions

Response piping for sub-questions of both Single Selection Table questions and Multiple Selection Table questions behave just like any other question type.

However, if the question identifier for a Single Selection Table question or a Multiple Selection Table question is used to pipe responses, then the responses for all of the sub-questions will be included separated by commas.

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