About Short text

Short text gives participants one line to type a short answer in their own words: a name, a job title, a city, an email address. For longer answers, use Long text.

Add a Short text question

1. Click the purple + in the top bar. The question type picker opens.

2. Under Text, click Short text. The question appears at the end of the current question group.

3. Click Your question here and type your question.

Settings that matter

Select the question to open its settings on the right.

• Max characters (Simple tab): limits the length of the answer.
• Numbers only (Simple tab): accepts digits only. For numbers you want to calculate with, Numerical input is the better type.
• Input validation (Advanced > General): checks the answer against a pattern, for example a postal code. See Validation.
• Placeholder answer (Advanced > Display): a grey example text in the empty field, for example "e.g. Hamburg".
• Answer prefix and Answer suffix (Advanced > Display): text before or after the field, for example "https://".

How the answers are stored

The answer is the text as typed. In the export it is one column per question.

Next steps

• Long text
• Multiple short text: several fields in one question
• Validation: make sure the answers you get are usable

FAQ

How do I make sure the answer has the right format?

Enter a regular expression in Input validation under Advanced > General, for example /^[0-9]{5}$/ for a five-digit postal code. Answers that do not match are not accepted. See Validation.

Can I use the answer later in the survey?

Yes. Insert the answer into a later question text with its question code in curly brackets, for example {Q019}. See Piping: use answers from previous questions.