Adding questions to a questionnaire
Questionnaires are a set of questions designed to add context to the end users' service requests. As a catalog administrator, internal supplier administrator, or internal supplier, you can configure questionnaires.
You can select the question type depending on the answer you want from the end users. For example, if you want a close-ended answer from the end users, you can choose a single-select dropdown, radio button, or a toggle type of question.
You can choose to use the answers in the following ways:
- Process-generated questions—Answers to these questions are used as inputs to the associated process.
- User-generated questions—Answers to these questions are not mapped to process inputs.
Question types and their settings
You can present questions to the end users in different formats depending on the type of answer you expect. For example, you add a radio button type of question when you want end users to select a single option from a given list.
You must configure the following settings that are common for most question types as well as the specific settings.
Settings for most question types
The following settings apply to most question types. Click the setting name to view the description:
Specify the question text that you want to display for the end users.
If the question you add is generated from a workflow, the value from this field is automatically populated with the process question label value.
Specify some meaningful context related to the questions that end users see below the Label value. Required.
To highlight important information and make question descriptions clear and visually appealing, use the following rich text formats:
- Bold and Italic fonts
- Hyperlinks
- Font size
- Font color
Specify whether you want to make a question mandatory.
Important: You cannot set a required question to read-only. You can set a required question to hidden only if it has a valid default answer.
Specify whether you want to make a question as read-only.
Important: You cannot set a read-only question to required or hidden.
Specify whether you want to hide the question from the end users.
Example
You might need to hide a question with a default value to prevent end users from completing the question with a value other than the default value.
Important: You cannot set a required question to hidden unless it has a valid default answer.
Specify whether the answer to this question should be confidential.
By setting a question to confidential, you restrict unauthorized users from viewing answers to confidential questions. Only users who have has confidential data access permission in BMC Helix Digital Workplace can view answers to confidential questions. For more details about this option, see Configuring-confidential-questions-in-a-questionnaire.
Important:
You cannot set the following question types to confidential:
- Attachment question
- Read-only forms (section and description)
Specify keywords for the question to identify the question independently of a specific questionnaire (without referencing internal question IDs). You can enter one or more free text tags, separated by a comma
Internal tags are not visible to end users. You can use these tags internally in BMC Helix Digital Workplace Catalog to indicate questions with special functions. After adding internal tags to questions, you can use these tags in workflows for building required business processes.
Specific settings for all question types
The following table describes the question types, how they are displayed to the end users, and complex settings that you can configure for each question type:
Question type (Form element type) | Display format for end users | Settings for this question type | Settings description | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Text area | Displayed as a multiline text area
| Rich Text Format | You can use the following rich text formats:
Important: Before enabling this setting, ensure that the Submit Service Request Converting Rich to Plain Text or Submit Service Request With Identifiers Converting Rich To Plain Text action is embedded into your workflow. For more information, see Helix-ITSM-connector. End users' answers with rich text formatting are supported and retained by BMC Helix Business Workflows. These answers can be seen in request details in BMC Helix Digital Workplace Catalog and are also preserved in email notifications. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
External Validation (version 22.1.05 and later) | Validates the end user response through a BMC Helix Innovation Studio process. If the validation fails, the system displays an error message. Note: External validation is not compatible with Rich Text Format, Read Only, Hidden, and Confidential settings. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Regular Expression | Validates the end user responses against a specific format or characters. If a user enters a response that does not match a pattern from the specified regular expression template, the system displays an error message. Note: Regular expression is incompatible with rich text formatting. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Text field | Displayed as a single line text field.
| Regular Expression | Validates the end user responses against a specific format or characters. If a user enters a response that does not match a pattern from the specified regular expression template, the system displays an error message. Example | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
External Validation (version 22.1.05 and later) | Validates the end user response through a BMC Helix Innovation Studio process. If the validation fails, the system displays an error message. Note: External validation is not compatible with Rich Text Format, Read Only, Hidden, and Confidential settings. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Password | Displayed as a single line text field in which the value entered is substituted by asterisks.
| Disable Password Encryption | Disables encryption for password type questions. Enable this setting if both of the following conditions are met:
Important:
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Regular Expression | Validates the end user responses against a specific format or characters. Important: You must enter a regular expression manually. No templates are available. Example: You can define that the password must be a combination of special characters, numbers, and capital letters not exceeding 12 characters. Additionally, you can provide a formatting hint that is displayed to end users in error messages if the users enter invalid responses. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Toggle | Displayed as a selection question with a Yes or No answer to the question.
| Question values | Specifies the Display value for Yes/ No type of questions.
You can change the Display Value by selectin the radio button next to the value. You cannot change the Stored value. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
File attachment |
| Override file limit (Version 22.1.04 and later). | If you want to override the global setting of maximum number of files, turn on the Override file limit toggle key. Specifies the number of files that end users can add with the answer to this question.
The global setting is configured in the BMC Helix Digital Workplace Administration console. For more information, see Updating-the-attachment-settings-and-URI-schemes. Important: (Version 22.1.04 and later) When attachments are submitted in response to service questions, the work notes added to the fulfillment request with attachments, have the following format for the note value: Attachment from Request Entry - <FILE_NAMES>, where <FILE_NAMES> is a comma-separated list of file names, that are added as attachments to the work log. One work log is created for every 3 attachments. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Document | (Version 23.3.02 and later) Displayed as a document attachment. When users click the file name link, the document opens in a new browser tab. It is a PDF file with read-only access and is downloadable for users.
Important: When users access the questionnaire from their Android phones and click the file name link, they see the option to download the document first. Then after downloading, they can open the document with a PDF viewer application. | NA | Provides a document file that end users are supposed to read. For example, you can upload non-disclosure agreements or policies so that users can view them. As a catalog administrator, you can upload a document that meets the following criteria:
The attachments are passed to the fulfillment details. To see where you can access the document attachments, see Reports-and-analysis-of-the-enhanced-service-catalog. Supported scenarios:
Unsupported scenarios:
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Repeatable Group of Questions | Displayed as a group of questions to the end user. Users can answer the same group of questions, many times in the same request. The available question types vary by version. (Version 23.3.01 and later) Select Check Box, Counter, Date, Dropdown (single select), Dropdown (multi-select), File Attachment, Lookup, Radio Button, Text Field, Text Area, and Toggle question types within a repeatable group. (Version 23.3 and earlier) Select Counter, Date, Dropdown (single select), Lookup, Radio Button, Text Field, and Toggle question types within a repeatable group. Note: Repeatable group of questions are incompatible with the Confidential setting. The following video showcases how a requester answers the same group of questions multiple times, and then an approver views collected answers in a table format. This format helps with efficient data collection and easy review of the response: | Output format | Specifies whether the answers to the questions are saved in a CSV file or an Object format.
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Instance limit | Specifies the maximum number of times a user can answer this group of questions while requesting the service. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dropdown (single select) | Question values | Specifies a list of values from which an end user can select one value. You can build the values manually or use them from a form or dataset.
(Version 23.3.01 and later) The single and multi-select search filter is accent insensitive, can search for all accent marks. For example, typing ‘quéstiòns’ with exact accents can be inconvenient for the users. Instead, users simply type 'questions', and the list will display the results for ‘quéstiòns’. For more information, see Creating-selection-menus-for-question-responses. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dropdown (multi-select) |
Displayed as a list from which users can select multiple values.
| Question values | Specifies a list of values from which an end user can select one value. You can build the values manually or use them from a form or dataset.
(Version 23.3.01 and later) The single and multi-select search filter is accent insensitive, can search for all accent marks. For example, typing ‘quéstiòns’ with exact accents can be inconvenient for the users. Instead, users simply type 'questions', and the list will display the results for ‘quéstiòns’. For more information, see Creating-selection-menus-for-question-responses. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Checkbox | Displayed as multiple checkboxes that users can select
| NA | Specifies a list of values from which an end user can select one value. You can build the values manually or use them from a form or dataset.
For more information, see Creating-selection-menus-for-question-responses. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Radio button | Displayed as radio buttons from which users can select one value
| NA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Lookup | Displayed as a field which prompts end users of possible values for selection when they start typing into the field. End users can select only one value for a lookup question.
| Lookup threshold | Specifies the number of characters that end users must enter before the system begins to prompt selection options based on the query. For more information, see Creating-selection-menus-for-question-responses. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Question values | Specifies a list of values from which an end user can select one value. You can use a list of values from a form.
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Counter | Displayed as a field in which users can click the down arrow or up arrow to select a value, or type the allowed numeric value.
| Question values | Specifies the minimum value, maximum value, and the step value for the counter. Use this question type for answers that should fall within a given range.
Example: If you set the Step Value to 10, then 10 will be added to the current value every time the user click the up arrow or 10 will be deducted from the current value when the user click the down arrow. If the current value is 25, then the value will be updated to 35 with the up arrow and 15 with the down arrow. Notes:
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Table (single select) | Displayed as a table from which users can select a single row as an answer to the question.
| Question values | Specifies values in a row and column. You can build the values manually or use them from a form
For more information, see Creating-questions-with-a-table-for-response-selection. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Table (multi-select) | Displayed as a table from which users can select multiple rows as an answer to the question.
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Date | Displayed as a calendar selection
| Date Restrictions | Specifies restrictions so that end users can select date and time within the specified range by configuring the following fields:
Examples of setting the time range when users can submit a service request
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Date & Time | Displayed as calendar selection and time selection fields.
| NA | NA | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Time | Displayed as a time selection field
| NA | NA |
Tip
Refer the following table to verify whether a setting is supported for your question type:
Supported question types and their settings
Question settings | Question types | ||||||||||||
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Text Area | Text Field | Password | Counter |
| Lookup | Repeatable Group of Questions | Toggle | File Attachment | Date Date & Time | Time | New Section | Description | |
Rich Text Format |
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Label |
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Description |
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Question Values |
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Default Value |
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Required |
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Read Only |
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Hidden |
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Internal Tags |
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Regular Expression |
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External Validation |
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Confidential |
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Disable Password Encryption |
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Date Restrictions |
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Lookup Threshold |
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* The setting is required.
The setting is available for the question form element type.
The setting is not available for the question form element type.
Before you begin
Complete the following tasks if you want to configure the following question types:
Question type | Task |
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File attachment | Make sure that the fulfilments do not restrict the attachments. For more information, see Configuring-fulfillment-details-display-in-service-requests. |
Confidential | Make sure you have configured the Create Ticket activity in a workflow. Make sure you have configured the BMC-Helix-Innovation-Studio-connector. |
Questions types that support regular expressions | To avoid unresponsive pages or slowing down the system, make sure you refer the Improving the performance of regular expressions post on BMC Community for tips and best practices to form a regular expression. If a non-ideal regular expression is used against the default value input, the process takes too long to execute and the BMC Helix Digital Workplace Catalog UI can become unresponsive. |
To add questions to a questionnaire associated with a service
- As an administrator, log in to the Catalog console.
- Click the Services tab and click Services.
- Double-click the service to which you want to add a questionnaire.
- On the Service Options panel, click Edit next to Workflow.
On the Workflow & Questions panel, click Edit next to Questions.
- In Questions Designer, perform either of the following steps:
- To add a process question, select a question from the Process Questions list, and click on the + button to add this question onto the canvas.
- To add a user generated question, click Add next to the User Generated Questions.
- In Form element type, select how you want to display the question to end users.
- Depending on the form element that you select, configure the common settings and specific settings.
- Click Save to save the questions to the questionnaire, or click Save as to save the questionnaire with a different name.
To configure custom validation messages in a questionnaire
(Version 23.3.02 and later) You can configure custom validation messages for end users for the user response fields in the questionnaire. The specific messages help users to take the required corrective action.
- Log in to the Catalog console.
- Click the Services tab and click Services.
- Double-click the service to which you want to add a questionnaire.
- On the Service Options panel, click Edit next to Workflow.
- On the Workflow & Questions panel, click Edit next to Questions.
- In Questions Designer, perform either of the following steps:
- Add a new question. Fill in the relevant details.
- Click
on the right corner of the existing question box on the page and select Edit.
- On the Question Designer panel, for Error State, select the option you want to configure.
The default error state is set to System default. To enter a custom message, you need to select either Custom message or System default + custom message error state from the list. You cannot enter a custom message for the System default error state option. Enter the text for the Error Message you want to configure so that it is displayed as a custom validation message to end users.
- Click Save.
Refer to the following example showing a configuration of a custom validation message.