User library (question mode)

You can use askiadesign's  library to store variables or groups of variables for future use (variables are either questions, chapters or loops). These variables can be inserted from the library into your questionnaires, alleviating the need to continually define similar questions. This process not only saves you time, but it ensures consistency, and allows you to share model variables with your co-workers, which can be inserted and edited to suit individual surveys.

Once you have inserted a variable from the library, you can edit it, just as if you had created the variable from scratch, for example by changing the long caption and editing the response list.

Askiadesign provides a local library (located on your computer), which is for your personal use, and a global library (on a shared drive), which allows you to share library variables with your co-workers. You can select and manage these libraries in the library manger.

In this topic:

• Interactive variables
• Adding a variable to the library
• Copying a variable from the library to your questionnaire
• Library management
  • Setting up your local and global libraries
  • Transferring a selection of library variables to your questionnaire
  • Copying variables between the local and global libraries
  • Using the library to manage Internet settings, screen generation settings or response blocks

Interactive variables

An interactive variable allows elements of the variable to be interactively customised when the variable is inserted from the library while preserving the style of the variable (e.g. in accordance with a house style). The variable content will therefore be specific to the questionnaire, but the style of the variable will be consistent with the library variable. For more detail, see interactive variables.

Adding a variable to the library

You can easily add one or more variables from your questionnaire the local or global library.

To add one or more variables to the library:

1. Ensure you are working in askiadesign's question mode (in the toolbar, click question mode):
   
2. If you want to add multiple variables to the library, in the question list (in the left-hand pane), select those variables.
3. In the question list, right-click the variable or variables you want to place in the library.
4. Select add to the local/global library... (alternatively, select add to library from the edit menu). The categories window opens:
   
   
5. Select the category in which you want to file the variable; categories keeps your library organised, and therefore make it easier to locate variables in future. If none of the existing categories are appropriate, type a new category name in category.
6. Finally, click OK. The variable is added to the library and a new category is created in the library, if you entered a new name in category.

Copying a variable from the library to your questionnaire

When you are working in question mode, you can easily insert variables from the local or global library into your questionnaire.

To copy one or more variables from the library:

1. Ensure you are working in askiadesign's question mode (in the toolbar, click question mode):
   
2. In the edit menu, select read from library. Alternatively, right-click in the variable list and select library, or click in the toolbar.
3. In the category list, select the category in which the variable is located. Note that categories in both the local and global libraries are available, if you have access to these.
4. Drag and drop the question from the library window into the variable list. Alternatively, you can right-click the variable, select copy, then right-click the variable list and select paste:
   
5. Your question is inserted.
6. Click at the top right of the library window to close it.

Library management

Askiadesign allows you to have a local library (located on your computer), which is typically for your personal use, and a global library (on a shared drive), which allows you to share library variables with your co-workers. You can manage these libraries in the library manager. The library manager allows you to authorise the use of a local library and/or a global library and transfer question(s) between them.

To open the library manager, in the edit menu select library management. Alternatively, in the toolbar, click .

View example

 

Setting up your local and global libraries

When you first set up askiadesign, you may need to specify the location of your local and/or global libraries. You can either select an existing library file, or create a new one.

To set up a local or global library:

1. First, open the library manager. To do so, in the edit menu select library management. Alternatively, in the toolbar, click .
2. To select an existing local or global library, click  next to local or global as appropriate, and specify the library (.bib) file.
3. To create a new local or global library, click next to local or global as appropriate, and specify a location and name for the new library (.bib) file.
4. Click close to close the library manager.

Copying variables between the local and global libraries

You can copy variables between libraries. You might do this to make a variable in your local library available to your co-workers by placing it in the global library, or to take a local copy of a globally-stored variable in order to have a variant stored in your local library.

To copy variables between the local and global libraries:

1. First, open the library manager. To do so, in the edit menu select library management. Alternatively, in the toolbar, click .
2. To copy variables between the libraries, use the arrows to copy either a selected variable, or (with the double arrows) all variables  from one library to the other.
3. Click close to close the library manager.

Transferring a selection of library variables to your questionnaire

You can copy part of a questionnaire to the clipboard while viewing the library management window. This can be used in conjunction with the paste structure command to paste only the selected questions. For more information on using this command, see paste structure.

Using the library to manage Internet settings, screen generation settings or response blocks

The library management window also contains other tabs which allow you to manage internet settings, screen generation settings and response blocks. To find out about these possibilities, see the following topics:

• Internet settings
• Generation settings
• Response blocks