The Start Question

Every SSI Web questionnaire includes a Start "question" that may not be deleted. The Start question can serve as an introductory screen where you provide text and/or graphics (additional questions can also be added to the same page). The Start question can also include password fields, where respondents type passwords to access the survey. Many SSI Web users assign respondents passwords but bypass the Start screen using “one-click” access to the survey. This technique uses a hyperlink (usually in an email message) that passes the necessary login information directly to SSI Web's main processing script, ciwweb.pl. If you are letting respondents access the survey without a user name or password, the Start screen serves only as a welcome/instructional page.

The Start question is always on the first page in the List of Questions on the Write Questionnaire dialog.

You use the Questionnaire Access and Passwords dialog to compose either introductory text and/or password login fields. You access this screen by highlighting the Start question on the list of questions, and clicking Edit.... Changes to the layout of the Start question are reflected in the STUDYNAMElogn.htm file. Therefore, if you make any changes to the Start question, you should take care to upload the new STUDYNAMElogn file to the web server (a new STUDYNAMElogn file is created when you prepare for web upload).

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Start Question Layout

The Start question has four main sections:

1. Header 1

2. Header 2

3. Password Fields (optional)

4. Footer

If you use passwords, they are indented according to the general indent you specify in the Global Settings dialog.

The Questionnaire Access and Passwords dialog has four buttons: Preview, OK, Cancel, and Advanced.

Advanced...

This button accesses advanced settings for this question.

Preview

Lets you preview how the Internet browser displays the current question.

OK

Saves changes to the current question and returns to the Write Questionnaire dialog.

Cancel

Returns to the Write Questionnaire dialog without saving changes to the current question.

Text entry fields and format controls (Color, Size, Bold, Italic, Underline, Justification) are provided for formatting question text.

Editing Text Fields

You specify header and footer text by typing directly into the Text fields within the dialog or by Clicking the "pencil" icon to edit the text within a larger window. You can include HTML instructions in any of the Text fields to enhance your surveys with additional styles or graphics. The toolbar within the text editor offers a number of buttons to automatically add HTML instructions within your survey.

Color

Click the drop-down box to use the user-defined default color (the Default Text Color is specified under the Global Settings dialog), or choose from a list of preset colors. You can specify customized colors by typing the 6-character hexadecimal "red-green-blue" value in the form RRGGBB directly into the color field. For example, "00FF00" sets the color to green. The text color you choose should harmonize with the background color or background graphic you specify under the Global Settings dialog.

Size

Controls the size of the text, from 1 (very small) to 7 (very large).

Justification

Choose from Left, Center, or Right justification.

Bold

Check this box to bold text.

Italic

Check this box to italicize text.

Underline

Check this box to underline text.

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Example: Composing a Start Page

In this example, we'll assume you are not using respondent passwords. The use of respondent passwords is described later in the Respondent Passwords section of this documentation.

1. While at the Write Questionnaire dialog, highlight the <Start> question in the List of Questions by clicking it with the mouse.

2. Click Edit....

(Skip Header 1)

3. Header 2:

Text:

Welcome to our survey. Please click next to continue.

Color:      (Default)

Size:      5

Justify:      Left (default)

Bold:      On

4. Click Preview:

Notes: You can include other questions on a Start page besides password fields. However, if respondent passwords are being required and a respondent restarts the survey, the respondent must completely fill out the Start screen (including the additional variables) prior to continuing. If the respondent enters different values on the password screen for these additional questions than he/she answered before, the respondent cannot jump forward in the survey to where he/she left off. The respondent must complete the entire survey again. Questions involving randomization cannot appear on the first page.