Working With Collections
1.Adding a New Collection
To add a new collection:
- In the left pane of the Survey Designer, select the folder in which the new collection is to be added.
- Click the Add a Collection icon
in the toolbar or choose Collection from the Add menu
- (Optional) Give the collection a unique name. G The collection name will identify the collection in the data dictionary, but the collection itself is just a label – it is not a survey variaqble. If the collection’s name is unimportant, simply use the unique name that Illume has supplied.
- (Optional) Choose a default name prefix. See below for more information about these prefixes.
- (Optional) Type a description of the collection. The description can be helpful to anyone who maintains the survey.
- (Optional) Click on the Show-if tab and set the conditions under which this collection will appear.
- Click OK.
Note that collections can be created inside other collections. There is no limit on the level of nesting.
Default Name Prefixes
If a default name prefix is defined for a collection, then the variable names that Illume assigns to the questions in this collection will all begin with that prefix. This option can be useful when analyzing data, since it enables for the quick identification of related variables in the data set by their similar names.
For example, if a collection contains questions about what type of car a person drives, the collection could be named “Automobile”, and the default name prefix set to “CAR_”. If the collection has five questions, Illume will append a numeric sequential suffix, such that participant responses will appear in the data set under the variable names CAR_1, CAR_2, CAR_3, CAR_4, and CAR_5.
Keep in mind that whether or not a default name prefix is used, names can be changed at a later time one by one or through the variable rename feature.
Shortcuts to the Collection Editor
The Collection Editor can be reached using any of the methods listed below. In each case, be sure to first select the folder in which the collection is to be added by clicking on that folder in the left pane of the survey editor.
- Choose Add / Collection in the Survey Designer menu.
- Right click in the right pane of the Survey Designer and choose Add Collection from the context menu. The collection will be added as the last item inside of the current working collection.
- Press Control+Shift+C. The collection will be added as the last item inside of the current working collection.
2.Randomized Collections
A randomized collection is one whose contents will be displayed in random order. When a User randomizes a collection, each participant will see the complete set of questions in a random order.
Types of randomization:
- Randomize all objects
- Randomly reverse objects
- From previous survey item (specify)
To randomize the items in a collection, check the box next to “Use custom display order for objects in this collection”. Then, select the type of randomization desired for the collection.
Notes and Restrictions for Randomizing Collections
When randomizing the display of items in a collection, ALL of the items will be randomized, including Text/HTML items. If a Text/HTML item is to display before a set of randomized questions, put the Text/HTML item outside the collection or place it first and select Anchor this object.
- Randomized collections cannot contain conditionally displayed items (items that have show-if conditions). The items must be either always shown or never shown.
- Randomized collections cannot contain Jumps, and cannot be the target of a Jump.
- Randomized collections cannot contain page breaks.
3.Editing a Collection
To edit a collection, double click on the collection in the right pane of the Survey Editor, or right click on the name of the collection in the left pane of the Survey Designer and choose Edit… from the context menu.
This presents the Collection Editor.
The Login Collection
The Login Collection is used to authenticate participants. This collection cannot be deleted.
4.Deleting a Collection
There are 3 ways to delete a collection:
- Click once on the collection in the right pane of the Survey Editor and then press the delete key on the keyboard.
- Click once on the collection in the right pane of the Survey Editor and then click the Delete icon
on the toolbar. - Right click on the name of the collection in the right pane of the Survey Editor and choose Delete… from the context menu.
Undoing a Delete
Immediately after deleting a collection, it is possible to undo the deletion by choosing Edit, Undo Delete from the Survey Designer menu or click the Undo delete icon 
.
5.Moving a Collection
To change the order in which a collection appears in your survey:
- In the left pane of the Survey Designer, select the collection that contains the collection to be moved. Click once on the collection to select it.
- In the right pane of the Survey Designer, drag the collection from its current location and drop it into to its desired location.
Moving a Collection Into Another Collection
To move a collection into another collection, simply drag it from its current location and drop it into the desired folder in the left pane of the survey editor (the folder will appear to open, which is the indication that you can successfully drop your collection into the open collection). Drag and Drop can be used for collections from the right pane into the left pane, or from the left pane into the left pane.
