Survey Settings (Error Messages Tab)
The Error Messages tab on the Survey Settings dialog lets you customize the error messages shown to respondents during the course of an interview. For example, when respondents specify an invalid response, or skip a required question, error messages prompt them to remedy the error. This area is also useful for customizing the messages for foreign languages.
Customizing Error Messages
The Error Messages tab allows you to customize all the errors that are shown to respondents.
Default text is provided, that you can customize for the purposes of your survey. The default text provided refers respondents to a certain question number on the current page. However, you can also customize your text to refer to specific question names (Note: if you refer respondents to specific question names, you should include the question name as part of the header text of that question).
You can also choose the color, styles, size and justification for the error messages.
Here are the error messages that you can customize:
Page Error
The general message that appears at the top of the page when there is an error of any sort.
Missing Answers
Reminds respondents to complete a question before continuing.
Minimum Checks
Tells respondents that the minimum number of checks required in a multiple-response select question (check box) has not been satisfied.
Maximum Checks
Tells respondents that the maximum number of checks permitted in a multiple-response select question (check box) has been exceeded.
Out of Range (Numeric)
Lets respondents know that the value they specified for a numeric question is outside the specified range. You specify the minimum and maximum range when you compose numeric questions using the Numeric Question dialog.
Invalid Input (Numeric)
This error message appears if respondents type an invalid character into a numeric entry box. Invalid characters are values other than numbers or the period and/or comma permitted for decimal answers. You may want to expand the error message text to explain these other conditions to respondents.
Minimum Characters (Openend Questions)
Informs respondents that they haven't typed enough characters in an open-end question. You can specify a minimum number of characters when you compose open-end questions using the Open-end Question dialog.
Maximum Characters (Openend Questions)
Informs respondents that they have typed too many characters in an open-end question. You can specify a maximum number of characters when you compose open-end questions using the Open-end Question dialog.
Identifier Closed
Appears when a valid respondent identifier is used, but the quota cell is full (e.g. has already been used the maximum number of times)
Finished
Informs respondents that their survey already has been submitted.
Invalid Login
Lets respondents know that the respondent identifier they specified is invalid.
Rank
Informs respondents that the answers to a ranking question are not valid.
Rank Count
Informs respondents that they have not yet fully ranked enough items in a ranking style question to continue.
None of the Above
Informs respondents that they cannot select an "exclusive" answer (such as "None of the above") together with other responses for the same question. This message is only shown with Perl verification.
Constant Sum
Informs respondents that the responses to a constant sum question do not total the valid amount.
Submit Only Once
If respondents click the submit button multiple times, this message asks them to wait for a moment while their responses are being processed.
MaxDiff Unique Answers
If respondents click the same response for the "best" and "worst" items in a MaxDiff question, this message is displayed.
ACBC Prohibited
Warns respondents that they cannot select levels in the BYO question of an ACBC survey that are prohibited.
ACBC Price Adjustments Warning
If additional price adjustments are specified and the respondent changes a BYO selection that would affect the price of other selected options within the BYO, this warning is displayed.
Survey Paused
If a survey administrator updates the questionnaire (e.g. questions added, text modified) while it is in field, respondent access to the survey is temporarily blocked while updates are being made. During this brief period respondents see this message.
CBC Best-Worst Unique Answers
If the respondent tries to indicate that the same product concept is both best and worst within a Best-Worst CBC question, this message is displayed.
Require JavaScript
If JavaScript is not enabled on the respondent's browser, this message is displayed. You can turn off the JavaScript requirement on the Advanced tab.
Error Message Arguments
The text of the error messages includes Functions that are used to display numeric values or text strings relevant to each error in the error message. The available Functions are:
ErrField ( )
Specifies the field (question) number on the most recent interview page, where the first question on the page is question number 1.
ErrMin ( )
Specifies the minimum value for a numeric question, or the minimum number of characters for an open-end question.
ErrMax ( )
Specifies the maximum value for a numeric question, or the maximum number of characters for an open-end question.
ErrQName ( )
Returns the question name for the question on the current page causing the error. Use this argument if you prefer to refer respondents to specific question names rather than a question sequence number on the current page. (Note: if you refer respondents to specific question names, you should include the question name as part of the header text of that question).
ErrText ( )
Returns the error text provided under the Advanced... button for questions, or in the error text field for Free Format questions. If no text is provided in the error text field, the ErrText variable will be replaced by nothing (be missing) when run over a server.
ErrTotal ( )
Returns the total number of items to be ranked in a ranking-style question, or the total number of points to be allocated in a constant-sum question.
ErrCurSum ( )
Returns the current number of points that have been allocated in a constant sum question.
The actual error messages that a respondent sees when taking the questionnaire (with numeric values substituted for the string arguments above) can only be viewed when your survey is running on the Local Test Server or on a remote web server.
