Three types of skips are available in EZSurvey. Skip to page (For multi-page forms, change the next page)allows you to send the survey respondent to a different page based on an answer they give. Skip to question (Skip to a question after answering) sends the respondent to a subsequent question on the same page. Follow-up Question (Show a follow-up question after answering) shows a pop-up style box after a selection is made.
Page skipping is the preferred method of jumping the user between questions and is used more often than question skipping. Page skipping is more useful because it allows you to hide unnecessary questions from the person taking the survey. It also allows more flexibility in the type of question you can skip the user to. Skip to page is used only on multi page forms since you mush have multiple pages to skip to.
When setting up page skips, the first thing to do is include a Section Break type question immediately before the question you want to skip to. Section breaks automatically insert page breaks in the form. The text you enter in the "A short description..." box will appear in the drop down menu titled "For multi-page forms, change the next page".
After setting up the page to skip to, you can set up your skips based on whether the participant answered a question or based on the response they give to that question. When creating a question that skips the user ahead, it is best to put this question either as the last one on a page, or as the only question on a page. This makes the logic easier to follow because their will never be two contradictory skips from questions on the same page. Skipping is carried out on the server side for multi-page forms, so the skip will not be processed until the participant clicks the "Next" button.
When skipping by question, the skip is executed based on whether the participant answered the question. To set this up, click on the question name and select the question to skip to from the "For multi-page forms, change the next question" drop-down.
To skip based on a response, click on the response, and select the question to skip to from the "For multi-page forms, change the next question" drop-down.
Additional information about using Skip to page
It is possible to have the participant automatically skipped when they select an answer to a question. This is done by inserting the JavaScript code F.submit() following the response in the HTML form generated by EZSurvey. This should only be done by users comfortable with JavaScript and HTML. When using F.submit(), there are a few things to keep in mind. First, using this function makes selecting the response the same as clicking the "Next" button. Everything else on the page is passed over. If used on a "multiple list" or "check all that apply" question, the participant can only choose one response. Also, since this is a JavaScript function, it requires web browsers to have JavaScript enabled.
Skipping to a question on the same page is used primarily on single-page forms. The participants' browser must have JavaScript enabled for the question skips to work.
This feature works by allowing you to move the cursor to a question further down the page. To set up skips to a question, author the question you want to skip to. You can skip to Write-in text, Write-in number, Single list and Multiple list questions.
If you skip from a Check all that apply or Multiple list question, the web browser will run the skip immediately, only giving the respondent an opportunity to select one answer for the question.
This feature is requires JavaScript to be enabled in the browser. When you specify a follow up question, a JavaScript text-entry box will appear after the user selects the response. These are usually used to collect comment information, like asking the participant to explain why they chose a particular answer. Follow-up questions are created by making a "Hidden" type question. Hidden questions appear in the "Show a follow up question after answering" list, and can be set on a per-question or per-response basis.