Custom routing conditions in AskiaScript

The AskiaDesign training course provides a broad introduction to routing instructions in AskiaDesign (contact Askia if you would like to arrange training sessions). However, the Askia system provides several more powerful routing capabilities that go beyond the scope of the course. This topic explains the overall concept of creating a complex script condition using AskiaScript. Further relevant topics are linked to at the end of this topic, which provide more information on how to write custom routing conditions in different situations. A full description of the AskiaScript language can be found in the topic AskiaScript 2.0.

Defining script conditions in AskiaScript

When defining a routing instruction, you often use the routing interface (GUI) to build the condition, simply by selecting the start question, execute conditions, action, etc. However, you can also define a custom condition in the AskiaScript language. This allows you to define complex criteria for the routing. For example, you might want to create a routing instruction that tests whether a specific set of responses has been selected by the respondent.

To set up a script condition:

1. On any routing instruction, beneath execute, select condition.
2. Then, click condition.... The condition dialog appears, in which you can define your script condition. This condition will determine when the result of the routing instruction is true and when it is false.
3. To define your script condition, simply type it in the main box of the condition dialog.
4. To assist you with the syntax, you can view a list of the available script functions (by clicking functions, and exploring the available items), or a list of the questions in the survey (in the question list). By selecting a function, or by selecting a question name and then double-clicking it, the item appears in the main box.
5. When you have completed your script, click compile. AskiaDesign will check the syntax of your script, and report any syntax errors it finds. Note: the syntax checker cannot check for errors in your script's logic, so it cannot guarantee that the script will have the outcome you intend. To check your script has the desired effect, you will need to carefully test the routing in your survey.

For more information on creating scripts, see the following topics:

• Comparing values in AskiaScript
• Storing calculated values in AskiaScript
• Advice on script readability
• Validating email addresses and UK postcodes with AskiaScript
• Working with multi-coded data and other sets in AskiaScript