Questions

Questions

The Questions page is where you create custom questions for use on registration forms, Certain Check-In, and elsewhere.

The Questions page is the same page, opened in a pop-up window, when you add or edit a question on any of the following pages (which are explained in more detail below):

• (Event) > Plan > Event Setup > Questions
• (Event) > Plan > Event Setup > Travel
• (Event) > Plan > Event Setup > Agenda > Agenda Item > 'Advanced'

(Note: This is a legacy feature used prior to development of the Forms > Agenda section.)

• (Event) > Plan > Forms > (form) > Questions Section
• Account Settings > Registration > Profile Data (Administrators only)
• Account Settings > Management > Event Data (Administrators only)
• Account Settings > Management > Display Fields (Administrators only)

Jump to:

• Select Question Type
• Details
• Settings
• Answer Options
• Preview Question and Set Default Answer
• Display Settings

Creating a Custom Question

To create a custom question, you need to supply:

1. the question (a request for information), 2. and for some questions the possible answers (a way for the registrant to respond).

Use the sections on this page to create questions and answers to collect:

• Profile data – Unique information about a registrant (not likely to change even if the person attends multiple events) that cannot be collected using Certain's built-in data entry fields.

Each Certain account may have up to 40 such questions, which an administrator sets up on Account Settings > Registration > Profile Data.

• Registration information – Information collected from a registrant relating to a specific event.

Each event may have up to 135 such questions, which you set up on Plan > Event Setup > Questions.

• Event information – Information that the event planner needs, and which the registrant may not even see.

Each Certain account may have up to 45 such questions.

An Administrator adds these, on the Custom Event Data page: Account Settings > Management > Event Data.

• Display Fields – Fields that the event planner uses when configuring the display used for registration forms, event websites and even email templates.

See Plan > Configure > Primary Display and Extended Display.

• Travel information – Travel reservation information. Requires the Travel Module and its Travel Reservations sub-module.

Each event may have up to 30 such "Custom Travel Questions", including 15 default questions (such as Travel Request Confirmation Number).

See Plan > Event Setup > Travel.

• Agenda Item information – Caution: legacy feature! Information about the reservation of an agenda item.

Certain knows where to show (that is, how to assign) each custom question and its corresponding answer field, based on the page from which the Questions page was accessed.

To create a custom question:

Follow the steps below that correspond to the sections you see on the Questions page in Certain. Skip steps that refer to panels you don't see.

1. Select Question Type 2. Question Details 3. Answer Settings 4. Answer Options 5. Save 6. Select additional options 7. Preview Questions 8. Verify Appearance 9. Select Default Answer 10. Display Settings

Select Question Type

• Text – Text field with a single row for answer entry (up to 256 characters).
• Textarea – Text area with multiple rows for answer entry (up to 4000 characters).
• Radio (button) – Registrant selects one answer from multiple choices displayed as radio buttons.
• Checkbox – Registrant selects zero or more answers from a list displayed as check boxes.
• Select – Registrant selects one answer from multiple choices displayed as a drop-down list.
• Select Multiple – Registrant selects zero or more answers from multiple choices displayed as a scrolling list.
• Ticket – Registrant enters an integer value to indicate the number of items to select or purchase.
• Date – Registrant enters a date (from a calendar selection or in a text field) in a specified format (see Date Formats, below).

• Time – Registrant enters a time (as a text field) in a specific format.
• Date-Time – Registrant enters a date (from a calendar selection or in a text field) and time (as a text field) in a specified format (see Date Formats, below).
• Number – Text field, validated as a number.
• Integer – Text field, validated as an integer (a whole number without any decimal places).
• File – Registrant can upload a file (document, spreadsheet, presentation, etc.) and attach it to the registration.
• Uploadable file types include Word documents (and other word processing formats), Excel (and other spreadsheets),.PDF,.PPT (and other presentation formats),.AI,.EPS,.HTML or.HTM,.RTF, text,.Zip, etc.
• File must be less than 4 MB in size.
• File name should be less than 50 characters, and unique within the event.
• Image – Registrant can upload an image file and attach it to the registration.
• Uploaded file must be of image type:.JPG,.JPEG,.PNG,.GIF, or.EPS.

• File must be less than 4 MB in size.
• File name should be less than 50 characters, and unique within the event.
• Rating – The registrant gives a rating of one to five by clicking one symbol.

When creating the question, you select a Rating Symbol of Star (the default) or Radio:

Details

• Name – (Required) What shows on attendee confirmations and in user's views.

For example, "Business type:".

For example, you might include questions in Registration reports.

• Code – Abbreviated name used for report column headers.

If left blank, this is set to the question's Name when you save the question.

• Display for Reg Form – (Optional) Text or HTML to be displayed on registration forms.

Example: "What type of business are you in?".

If left blank, this is set to the question's Name when you save the question.

• Error message – (Optional) Message displayed if the answer to this question fails its validation.

Example: "Select the type of business you are in."

If left blank, then the form's default error message is used.

• Tags – If any Tags have been set up in the account by your Administrator, for the question type you are adding or editing, you can select one or more of them here.

For example, if you're adding questions under Event Setup > Custom Questions, then the Tags field is only shown if your Administrator has set up any tags for the 'Registration Questions' object.

For more information, see tips on creating names, codes, and labels.

• Size of input field (for Text and Text Area questions.) or Size of form field (for Ticket, Integer, Number, File, and Image questions – The width of the answer field: the maximum number of characters displayed without moving the cursor within the field. This may be shorter than the actual answer.
• Characters in Answer – (For Text and Text Area questions.)
• Minimum – (Optional) The minimum number of characters in the answer.

Blank = no minimum length.

• Maximum – (Optional) The maximum number of characters in the answer.

Blank = maximum will be set by system limits.

• Enable character count – (For Text Area questions) If selected, the registrant sees how many characters they can still enter.
• Number of answers allowed (For Checkbox and Select Multiple questions.)
• Minimum – The minimum number of answers the registrant can select.

If left blank, is set to 0.

• Maximum – The maximum number of answers the registrant can select.

If left blank, is set to 0.

• Number of options to display – (For Select Multiple questions.) The number of answer options to display in the drop-down list.
• # of 'tickets' allowed – (For Tickets questions.)
• Minimum – The lowest number the registrant can enter.

If left blank, is set to 0.

• Maximum – The highest number the registrant can enter.

If left blank, is set to 0.

• Minimum, Maximum – Enter the desired limits.
• Range of values – (For Integer and Number questions.)
• Minimum – The lowest value the registrant can enter.
• Maximum – The highest value the registrant can enter.
• Example: If Minimum = 5 and Maximum = 10, then a registrant could enter 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10.
• Date Format – (For Date and Date/Time questions.) Select a format.

Formats available (with examples):

• MM/DD/YYYY (10/29/2019)
• DD/MM/YYYY (29/10/2019)
• D M, Y (29 Oct, 19)
• D MM, Y (29 October, 19)
• DD, D MM, YY (Monday, 29 October, 2019)
• Time Format – (For Date, Time, and Date-Time questions.) Select AM/PM or 24-hour.
• Date Range – (For Date and Date-Time questions.)
• From – The earliest date the registrant can select.
• To – The latest date the registrant can select.
• Year Range – (For Date and Date-Time questions.) Relevant only if you have not selected a Date Range.
• From – The earliest year in which the registrant can select a date.
• To – The latest year in which the registrant can select a date.

Answer Options

For more information, see tips on creating names, codes, and labels.

You must enter a Label, but the other two are optional.

Press Enter after each answer option to begin a new entry. Do not use the Tab key on your keyboard (as indicated on-screen)!

• Seq. – Sequence. A number used to determine the display order for each answer option.
• Label – Text or HTML to show to registrant as answer choice. Verify your entry.
• Name – Text to show on confirmations. Verify your entry.
• Code – Text to display in reports. Verify your entry.
• Sel? – Clear this check box if this option is for display purposes only (can't be selected).
• See this warning about using Sel? or Web? for questions linked to agenda items (via the Advanced button on Event Setup > Agenda ).
• See this warning about using Sel? or Web? for questions linked to agenda items (via the Advanced button on Event Setup > Agenda ).
• Web? – Clear this check box to remove the answer option from the registrant's online form.
• See this warning about using Sel? or Web? for questions linked to agenda items (via the Advanced button on Event Setup > Agenda ).
• Cap. – Capacity. The number of times this answer can be selected per event.
• Act? – Clear this check box to deactivate (delete) the answer.
• Sort answer options alphabetically by Label – Check this box to sort answer options alphabetically by their label on the registration form. If checked, this will override the numbers in the Seq fields.
• Add a text field after the last option – Select this check box if you want to include a text field after the last answer option in your list. This is most commonly used when you include an 'Other' option, and want registrants who select 'Other' to provide additional information.

For example, you are collecting meal preferences, and include "Vegetarian", "Kosher", and "Other (please specify):" as answer options. You can specify the properties of the text field, including whether or not it is a required entry.

Important: the registrant must select the last answer option in their list when entering text into the Other field.

• Display text box on click – This check box is only available if you've selected the previous one: 'Add a text field after the last option'.
• Select it if you want that text field to only be displayed to the attendee after they've selected (clicked) the last option.

This prevents the attendee from wondering what the empty text box is for.

They only see it if they've selected the option requiring them to enter text.

Preview Questions and Set Default Answer

Display Settings

• Show Online? – Select one of these options:
• No (custom question is not shown on form)
• Optional (response not required if question included on registration form)
• Require (response required if question included on on form)
• Read Only (if field included on form, answer is shown but may not be amended)
• Hidden (Available for Text and Textarea questions only. Question is not shown on form but the answer can be captured. For use in capturing UTM or other parameters from a customized form URL.)
• Note: A Certain registration form must include a Questions section before it will show a custom question (regardless of this setting).
• Include an empty option with the label – This option is available for those question types that have multiple selections, and enables you to create blank text entry field for the registrant to supply additional information.
• Questions/Answers – Sets the orientation of the question text to the answer entry field. This can be set to left/right or top/bottom.
• Multiple Answers – This option enables you to set whether answers should be arranged in a single column or row, or alternately in a certain number of columns.
• Answers Order – If answers are displayed in multiple columns, use this option to specify whether the order the answers are displayed in rows across columns or down each column and then up to the next.
• Question Font, Horizontal, and Vertical Alignment – The typeface and positioning for the question text.
• Answers Font, Horizontal, and Vertical Alignment – The typeface and positioning for answer text.
• Class – Optionally, enter a class name. This enables a question to be styled using CSS.