value()

mixed value(string variable, [string outputformat])

The participant's responses (answer codes, selected options or text inputs) can be determined with this function.

Note: Only responses given by the participant on an earlier page in the questionnaire, and already transmitted to the server with “Next” can be called up.

• variable
  ID of the variable to be read. The correct ID can always be found in the Variables Overview.
  • The variable ID is usually (not always) composed of section, question and, if applicable, item ID and must be given as a string (in quotation marks) (e.g. 'XY01_02').
  • Besides the variables of questions, the following variables are also available: CASE, MISSING, SERIAL, REF, QUESTNNR, MODE, LANGUAGE and STARTED
• outputformat
  The output format determines whether the function returns the answer code (default) or the label text of the response. The following entries are allowed:
  • 'code'
    Default format for value(): answer code according to the Variables Overview (also returned if no answer format is specified), for text input questions this is the text entered.
  • 'code:ifany'
    Like 'code', but suppresses the warning (which isn't visible to respondents anyway) if the variable doesn't have an answer yet present.
  • 'label'
    Answer code label (selection questions: option, multiple-choice selection: “not selected” or “selected”, scales: value label).
  • 'text'
    Answer option label as in questionnaire (selection question: selected option, multiple-choice selection: option text if selected, nothing else).
  • 'free'
    If you allow a selection with a free text input field, this option displays the text of the selected option or the free text input, if one of these was done.
  • 'csv'
    Divides the label by commas (CSV) and returns an array. This can be used in combination with a random number generator for multi-factorial experimental designs (Randomization).

Note: The value() function can also read the draw of a random generator. This is already possible on the same page on which the random generator was placed, if the PHP-Code is placed below the random generator.

Note: The retention time (“TIME001”, “TIME002”, …) can't be read out using value(). Please use the function caseTime() for this.

Tip: Please also see Filters and Conditional Questions and Show Answers in a Follow-up Question.

The respondent answered question 07 in section AB (a dichotomous scale) on the previous page. The following code only calls up question XY01 if the participant answered “yes” (in this example with the value 2) to the item 03 in question AB07:

if (value('AB07_03') == 2) {
  question('XY01');
}

The participant can select their favorite school subject or write it in themselves in “other:”. The subject should be displayed on a later page.

Tip: Please also see Placeholders.

$subject = value('AB08', 'free');
html('<h1>School subject: '.$subject.'</h1>');