User-customizable Questionnaires

[HHMacGuffin]

Hi,

 

I am designing a FM12 database to allow people report their progress of work. I've seen a database design that allows customizsation by the users (not just admins) to create their own question templates, which will then appear in a separate reporting page for users to fill in. Building on this design, I wonder if it is possible to give users the ability to choose which questions they would like to answer. I am however at a loss as to how to create the relationships and designs to achieve such functionality, and would really appreciate your expertise in the matter.

 

From the database design I've seen, the users can essentially access a layout to create a template of their own quesitons by typing in the question, and assigning the answer type: text box, radio button, check box. For the latter two, the user will also need to provide the available options. For example in the screenshot below, Q3a is set to answer with text box, while Q3b is set to answer with radio button:

 

3a:

 

3b:

 

The selections:

 

In a separate layout designed for users to report their progress, all the questions, in their designated format (text box, radio buttons with options, etc.) are presented to the users to be filled in. Following with the previous example:

 

3a:

 

3b:

 

This flexibility would be hugely useful to the database design. However I'd like to take it a step further, if feasible, by allowing users to choose which questions they would like to answer. For example, the user may want to answer only 3a but not 3b due to lack of information. The design will allow users to create a record, choose one question from a full list they would like to answer, which then automatically presents the chosen question with its answer box in the correct format (e.g. text box, radio button) to be filled in.

 

I would really, really appreciate you and the community's help and guidance on creating the relationships and designs of such a system, even if it is only the first part. Many thanks for your time and help.

 

With best regards,

The MacGuffin

[Matthew F]

If you take a look at Script Manager you'll find that there is no script step to Enter Layout Mode, nor are there script steps for manipulating objects in Layout mode.  In other words, you can't really automate layout design. 

 

You could try the following....  Have a Q&A table for questions and answers that User1 fills in.  On this record User1 specifies the format of the question, as you show.    Later on, User2 goes to a separate layout to answer questions.  He or she selects the question, and a script takes them to a separate layout that is formatted correctly depending on the type of question (one layout for radio button questions, one layout for check box questions, etc.)  If you are using FM Pro 13, I would say that, instead of going to a different layout, selecting a question would make a Popover appear with the correctly formatted question.  (Create different popover styles for each type of question).  After answering the user is directed back to the question list.  

 

Note also that your radio buttons and check box sets are going to need value lists defined for them.  Am I correct in supposing that you will want User1 to define these for each question too?  If so then you will want to make a related Answer table viewable via a little portal on the Q&A table that the User1 will fill out.  The value list for the answers would then key off this Answer table but show only the answers related to the current question (not all answers).  

 

--Edit--

 

In addition to the Popover feature another option in Filemaker v13 would be to use the "Hide" feature to have the question formatted as you wish.   You would create multiple versions of the answer field and format them either as radio buttons, check boxes, etc.  Then stack them all on top of each other, or where ever you want, and then in the Layout Inspector define them to be Hidden if the type is not equal to the proper field type.   The advantage of using the "Hide" feature is that you can have sequential records in List view with the same field formatted in different ways. 

Edited July 26, 2014 by Matthew F