Closed by scripts (AskiaAnalyse)

Topics in this section:

• Commands
• Using the Graphical User Interface
• Using drag and drop to create your definition
• Copying and pasting captions and definitions from an external spreadsheet
• Script syntax examples

Overview

This feature allows you to create a closed question (i.e. a question with answer categories), either by using the graphical user interface or with AskiaScript syntax entered directly or copied from a spreadsheet. 

To access this feature, in the edit menu select create a variable.... Then select closed by scripts.

Commands

The following commands are available above the list of new responses:

ICON	NAME	EFFECT
	Insert	Insert a new response item.
	Delete	Delete the selected response item.
	Copy	Copy the selected response item to the clipboard.
	Paste	Paste a response item from the clipboard (i.e. create a new response item as a duplicate of the last item copied).
	Move up	Move the selected response item upwards in the list. You can also drag and drop responses into the desired sequence.
	Move down	Move the selected response item downwards in the list. You can also drag and drop responses into the desired sequence.
	OR (remove items)	Combine the selected response items, using an OR expression, and remove the individual items from the list. To select more than one response item, hold down CTRL as you click each item.
	OR (leave items)	Combine the selected response items, using an OR expression, but leave the individual items in the list. To select more than one response item, hold down CTRL as you click each item.
	AND (remove items)	Combine the selected response items, using an AND expression, and remove the individual items from the list. To select more than one response item, hold down CTRL as you click each item.
	AND (leave items)	Combine the selected response items, using an AND expression, and leave the individual items in the list. To select more than one response item, hold down CTRL as you click each item.
	GUI	Select this option to define your new variable using the graphical user interface
	Script	Select this option to define your new variable by writing AskiaScript commands.
	Import quota settings from Askiafield	Create a quota question based on AskiaField quota data. To do so, click import quota settings from AskiaField. For more information, see adding a quota variable.

Using the Graphical User Interface

If you use the GUI, you can build a definition of the response from up to four responses in other questions. For example, if you wanted to specify females aged 34-49, you would need to specify females from a gender question, and the age group 34-49 from an age question:

To define each part of the expression, we click ... next to an empty box, and then select the appropriate question and response. For example:

Note that in our example we have used the operator AND to combine the two conditions (female AND 35-49), because we only want to include respondents who are both female and aged 35-49. If we did want to use the OR operator (this would select any respondents who are female, and also any respondents - of either gender - who are aged 35-49), we would simply select the OR radio button between the two expressions.

If we switch to the script mode (click script), we can see that the equivalent askiascript expression has been created for us:

The icons along the top of the list allow you to combine two or more expressions that you have already defined. Suppose you had defined various age groups of females, as follows:

If you wanted a category containing all females, you might select all the categories in the list (using CTRL+A, or holding down CTRL and clicking them individually) and click the second icon:

This icon combines all the selected responses into one category. It also leaves the separate categories in the list. This is useful if you want to check the new, combined category before you remove the individual ones. This icon uses the OR operator, so any respondents who fall into any of the individual categories will be included.

Using drag and drop to create your definition

It is possible to drag and drop variables from the question tree (i.e. the questionnaire tab in the left-hand pane) into the list of responses in the create variable dialog. If you drop two or more questions separately, they are combined, and all the response categories remain separate.

For example, if you dropped gender and age separately, the response list might be as follows:

• Male

• Female

• Refused

• 18-24

• 25-34

• 35-44

• 45-54

• 55+

• Not asked

If you drop two or more questions together, every possible response combination is crossed. In our example, if you dropped gender and age together, the response list might be as follows:

• Male x 18-24

• Male x 25-34

• Male x 35-44

• Male x 45-54

• Male x 55+

• Female x 18-24

• Female x 25-34

• Female x 35-44

• Female x 45-54

• Female x 55+

• Not asked

Note that in this example, there is only one category for not asked. This is because we chose to combine the not asked responses for both questions.

When two or more questions are dropped together, an additional dialog appears at the point where you drag questions to the definition window.

Copying and pasting captions and definitions from an external spreadsheet

As a convenient alternative to using the Graphical User Interface to creating your definitions, you may write your the captions and syntax for each response option in an Excel spreadsheet (or any similar spreadsheet program) and then in a single copy-and-paste operation, transfer the whole definition to askiaanalyse. This method can save time and effort if you have a large number of repetitive definitions to make. 

To create a variable in Excel:

1. Start by opening a new Excel worksheet.  Write the captions for each new response option in one column, with the syntax definition in the adjoining cell in the next column, as shown in this example:
   

2. In AskiaAnalyse, create your variable using the Create a variable dialog, provide a shortcut name and a caption, and select Closed by scripts as the Type.

3. Return briefly to Excel and select the region of the spreadsheet containing your definitions, i.e. the two columns and all the rows you have created.

4. Either select Copy or CTRL+C to copy the selected block of cells on your computer's clipboard.

5. Switch back to askiaanalyse and click the clipboard icon Insert Clipboard Contents. 

6. Askiaanalyse will now create all of the captions and populate the syntax window for each with your definitions. 

7. Click OK to save your definition. 

Script syntax examples

By using script to define the variable, you have full control over the variable definition.

For example, if you wanted to test whether responses 1, 2, or 3 were given for question Q1, you would enter the following:
??Q1?? isincludedin {1;2;3}

If you wanted to test whether brand 3 was stated first at question Q3, you would enter:
??Q3??[1]=3

For more information, see the section describing AskiaScript.