About panel integration

Panel providers recruit participants for you. They send each participant to your survey with an ID in the link, and they expect the participant back with the same ID when the participant completes the survey, is screened out or hits a full quota. Panel integration makes your survey accept the ID. The end URL and the quota URLs send it back.

Step 1: Accept the ID in the survey link

1. In the editor, click Menu, the document icon in the left toolbar, and then Panel integration.

2. Click Add URL parameter.

3. Enter the Parameter name (1), the name your provider uses for the ID, for example pid.

4. Optional: pick a Target (sub-)question (2) to store the ID with each response. The list offers the text questions of your survey. Set Always hide this question to Yes in that question, so participants do not see it.

5. Click Save (3).

Step 2: Give your provider the survey link

Add the parameter to the link of your survey:

https://example.limesurvey.net/123456?pid=xxxxxx

Your provider replaces xxxxxx with the ID of each participant. If the link already contains a ?, join the parameter with &, for example https://example.limesurvey.net/123456?lang=en&pid=xxxxxx.

Tip: When you test, add newtest=Y to the link, for example https://example.limesurvey.net/123456?newtest=Y&pid=test1. Each visit then starts a new response, even in the same browser.

Step 3: Send participants back with their ID

Your provider gives you a return link for each outcome. Add the ID to it with {PASSTHRU:pid}, for example:

https://panel.example.com/return?status=complete&pid={PASSTHRU:pid}

• Complete: select the end screen in the editor and enter the complete link under End url. Then turn on Automatically load end URL in the presentation settings, so participants go back to the provider without a click. See Welcome screen and end screen.
• Screened out: create a quota with Limit 0 on the answer that screens people out. Enter the screenout link under URL and set Autoload URL to Yes. See Limit responses with quotas.
• Quota full: enter the quota full link under URL of each quota and set Autoload URL to Yes.

Next steps

• Limit responses with quotas
• Welcome screen and end screen
• Overview: Survey menu

FAQ

Do I need a target question?

No. Without one, the ID is still passed on to the end URL and the quota URLs. Pick a target question when you also want the ID in your responses.

Can the survey accept more than one parameter?

Yes. Add a URL parameter for each one and join them in the link with &, for example ?pid=xxxxxx&src=yyyyyy.