You can test your survey without having to generate a database, allowing you to perform manual tests while avoiding time-consuming database generations.
The Test survey button and menu
Click the Test survey button in the toolbar to start the test at the beginning of the survey. Once the test system in running you can jump to any question by clicking on the desired question or node in the Survey pane. Click the Test survey down-arrow to open a menu of options.
- Test - new respondent - this mode clears any answers you may already have added to the survey in previous tests, and runs the survey.
- Test - same respondent - if you have already run a test and then perhaps made some changes to a question, using this test mode means any answers you have already added to the survey are remembered. You will then be able to move quickly through the survey to the question you wish to view, without having to add all the answers again.
- Generate external test - an externally accessible test link to the survey is generated, and you can then make this link available to people who do not have a Forsta Plus User login.
- View warnings and errors - in the event errors are found when the test is run, these will be listed on the Warnings and Errors page until the errors are rectified. Select this option to view the list, and click on an error in the list to go to the question containing the error.
When you select Test - new respondent or Test - same respondent, the survey loads and opens at the first question in the main area of the screen as the respondent would see it. Note that the Survey pane changes color to pale blue to indicate you are in the Test mode.
Note also that the system will remember which test mode you last used for this survey. If you wish to use the other mode then you must change the mode using the drop-down menu.
Testing only a specific question
If you wish to test only a specific question, in the Survey pane move the pointer over the desired item and click its overflow icon to open the drop-down menu. he Test with new respondent and Test with same respondent options open the test functionality at the selected question. Once the test functionality is running, you can move through the survey as a respondent will be able to.
Testing for different modes
In the event you have selected more than one rendering mode in the Overview > Settings area, you can change the display mode for the survey test. You can then see how the survey will look to respondents using the various modes you have selected. To change the mode, in the Test area toolbar click the Mode button to open the drop-down menu, then select the desired display mode.
Testing for different languages
If your survey is multilingual, then you can select which language you run the test in. To change the language, in the Test area toolbar click the Language button to open a drop-down menu of the languages available, then select the desired language.
Additional Options
A number of additional options are available while testing - in the Test area toolbar click the Options icon to open a drop-down menu. Here you can select whether you wish to view background questions, panel questions and/or hidden questions while you are testing. Note that these settings only apply whilst you are in the test mode; they will not have any effect on the production survey. Your selections will be remembered and applied whenever this survey is in Test mode.
For further information, refer to the separate Survey Designer documentation.