Question types

A form’s questions are the items of components, in the order respondents see them. Each item has a type. This page lists the types and the keys they all share. The pages of each family describe the options, validations and answer format of every type.

All types

type	Name in the editor	The respondent	Answer type
text	Text	types a short or long text	text
number	Number	types a number	number
mail	Email	types an e-mail address	mail
phone_number	Phone number	types a phone number	phone_number
website	Website	types a web address	website
date	Date	enters a day, month and year	date
multiple_choice	Choice	picks one or several options	choice or choices
picture_choice	Picture choice	picks one or several images	choice or choices
dropdown	Dropdown	picks one option from a list	text
yesno	Yes/No	answers yes or no	boolean
legal	Legal note	ticks a consent box	boolean
ranking	Ranking	puts options in order	choices
rating	Rating	picks a value on a scale of 3 to 10 points	number
customer_sat	Satisfaction score	picks a value on a scale of 2 to 5 points	number
opinion_scale	NPS	picks a value from 0 to 10	number
matrix	Matrix	answers a table of rows and columns	matrix
slider	Slider	moves a slider in each row	numbers_scale
numbers_scale	Number scale	picks a number in each row	numbers_scale
constant_sum	Constant sum	spreads a total over the rows	numbers_scale
semantic_differential	Semantic differential	places each row between two opposite words	numbers_scale
file_upload	File	attaches one or several files	file_url
signature	Signature	draws a signature	file_url
statement	Statement	reads a text or looks at an image	none
group	Grouped questions	sees several questions on one page	none

The answer type is the type of the answer in a response. Several question types share one answer type: a rating and an NPS question both store a number. See Answers.

Note

The Demographic entries of the editor’s question menu (gender, age, education and others) are ready-made multiple_choice and dropdown questions, not separate types.

Common keys

Every question has these keys.

Key	Type	Description
id	string	12-character identifier, unique in the form. Responses refer to the question by it.
ref	string	Identifier in UUID format, unique in the form. Logic rules and inserted values refer to the question by it.
type	string	One of the values in the table above.
title	string	The question text. Supports text formatting and inserted values.
properties	object	Options of the question. Always has description. The other keys depend on the type.
properties.description	string	Text under the title (Description in the editor). Supports the same formatting as title. An empty string shows nothing.
validations	object	What the form checks before the respondent can go on.
validations.required	boolean	The respondent has to answer. false by default, true for the slider family.
media	object or false	Image or video shown with the question. See Media.

Some types add lists.

Key	Used by	Holds
choices	multiple_choice, picture_choice, dropdown, ranking, matrix	The options, or the columns of a matrix.
questions	matrix, slider, numbers_scale, constant_sum, semantic_differential	The rows.
components	group	The questions on the page.
quotas	multiple_choice, picture_choice	Response limits per option. See Quotas.

id and ref

Both identify the same question, and both are created by the editor.

• id is short. It is what you get in responses and webhooks, next to the question title and type. Picked options, rows and columns are named by their id there as well.
• ref is what the form itself uses to link things: a logic rule points at the ref of a question, and a value inserted into a text is written as {{component:<ref>}}.

A copied question gets new values of both. Options (choices) and rows (questions) have their own id and ref, with the same roles.

Minimal question

{
  "id": "VlD8orUBcVuK",
  "ref": "5c1e9a40-3b7d-4f1e-9d2a-7a6f0c8e2b11",
  "type": "yesno",
  "title": "Did you find what you were looking for?",
  "properties": { "description": "", "answer_type": "thumbs" },
  "validations": { "required": false },
  "media": false
}

Unknown types

A form that meets a type it does not know shows the question title with the note “This question can’t be displayed.” and goes on. Treat the list above as open: new types are added over time, so code that reads responses should handle a question type or an answer type it has not seen before.