Combobox/Cascade Questions

The combobox/cascade question type allows you to obtain drop-down or drill-down insights from a single question that comes pre-loaded with a wide variety of options. It allows you to pack hundreds or even thousands of items into a very compact survey element.

• Combobox is great for alphabetically or numerically organized lists of items with which respondents are already familiar, such as lists of countries, names, states, colors, etc. Keep in mind that combobox is not designed or optimized for reading through a long list of unfamiliar items. 
• Cascade is an advanced question type that allows you to put an entire database into your survey, keeping answers organized while providing a very straightforward experience for respondents. With cascade, each time a respondent makes a selection, the content is limited to the relevant items of the next nested combobox. 

Watch this short video tutorial or keep reading to learn more!

Build

To insert a combobox or cascade question, simply drag and drop the icon from the sidebar into the survey editor. 

Combobox

You can find prewritten libraries in the dropdown under the note “select a data set below or create one custom.” 

Alternatively, you can choose to create a custom list of answer choices in a pop-up window on this page. Click the “create/edit” button to get started. 

Use the Enter key to create new answer choices. Each answer choice can have an optional open-ended box attached, allowing respondents to provide text answers if the selected answer is "Other, please specify…." When you’ve finished writing your list, click “Apply” to save. 

If you already have a list ready outside of our platform, you can copy and paste it into the combobox editor or upload a list file. 

You can upload a list of answer choices for the combobox in plain text (*.txt) format, preferably in Unicode with each answer on its own line. Use underscore _ before the first line that you want to use as a default text (e.g.: _Please select). Add (...) at the end of a line to allow an optional open-ended answer. You can include up to 10,000 items in your list.

Cascade 

If you switch to cascade, you’ll have a different set of options available - cascade question types create a drilldown list that presents a specific set of answer options based on the respondent’s selection. Let’s take a look.

You can find three prewritten data sets – “country/state-province/county/zip," "vehicle make/model/year/trim," and "year/month/day" – in the combobox under the note “select a data set below or create a custom one.” 

As another option, you can create your own nested structures, or even upload your own choices with simple text markup rules. 

You can create or edit your structure of nested lists right on this page in a pop-up window. 

Use the Enter key to create new answer choices, the Tab key to move one level deeper in the structure, and the Backspace key to move one level higher in the structure. Nested answers/lists will be moved along with the parent item you are moving. 

To clone a branch and apply it to all items on the same level, simply click the leaf icon.

Each answer choice can have an optional open-ended box attached. This allows respondents to provide text answers if the selected answer is "Other, please specify..." When you’ve finished writing your list, click “Apply” to save. 

Alternatively, you can choose to upload your tree structure of nested lists in plain text (*.txt) format, preferably in Unicode with each answer on its own line. Use underscore _ before the lines that you want to use as a default text (e.g.: _Please select). Add (...) at the end of a line to allow an optional open-ended answer. 

Use spaces or tabs to create the tree structure. If you created your structure using bullet points or numbered lists, please make sure you use unique bullet symbols for every level and then save to .txt, or copy and paste into a text editor such as Notepad before uploading. 

You can also copy/paste your structure into the editor instead of uploading your file. The maximum supported number of records is 10,000. 

Note: the order in which answer choices appear in the list for each respondent with both combobox and cascade options cannot be randomized, even if global randomization is ON in the survey.

 

Respondent View

Combobox

Respondents will have a single list from which they can choose their answer.

 

Cascade

Respondents answer the question one step at a time.