Pipe into Options: Use Previous Answers as Options in Later Questions

Piping allows you to repeat previously collected data later in the survey. In this tutorial we'll cover option piping. Using option piping you can use the answer(s) (either those that were selected or left unselected) from a previous question as the answer options in a question on a later page. 

Check out our Pipe or Repeat Unselected Options Tutorial to learn about piping unselected answer options.

Set Up Option Piping

1. Create one of the below listed compatible question types. Need help adding a question?
2. Create a second follow-up target question on a later page. Check out Piping into Rows and Columns if you wish to pipe into rows or columns of a grid question. 
3. Consider your target question answer options. Typically, when option piping, you will want to set up your target question with no answer options as the answer options will dynamically populate from the source question.
4. On the Piping/Repeat tab under Pipe Into Options select the source question from a previous page from the dropdown menu. 
5. Pipe Selected Items  will be selected by default. This will populate your follow-up question with the option the respondent selected in the first question. If you wish to instead pull the items the respondent left unselected, toggle the setting to  Pipe Unselected Items.

Questions you can pipe into

• Radio Buttons
• Radio Button Grid (see Pipe into Rows and Columns)
• Dropdown Menu
• Checkboxes
• Star Rating Grid (see Pipe into Rows and Columns)
• Drag & Drop Ranking (see Pipe into Rows and Columns)
• Ranking Grid (see Pipe into Rows and Columns)
• Rating (Likert Scale)
• Checkbox Grid (see Pipe into Rows and Columns)
• Dropdown Menu List (see Pipe into Rows)
• Textbox List
• Continuous Sum
• Grouping (Open Card Sort)
• Grouping (Closed Card Sort)
• Grouping (Quick Sort)
• Dropdown Menu Grid (see Pipe into Rows and Columns)
• Textbox Grid (see Pipe into Rows and Columns)

Questions you can pipe from

The source question can be one of the following question types:

• Checkboxes - Most common
• Radio Buttons
• Dropdown Menu
• Rating (Likert Scale)

Pipe into Rows and Columns

If the target question is a table, you can Pipe Into Rows of the table. This is the most common use of piping in a table. You can also Pipe Into Columns of a table.

Grid questions you can pipe into

Compatible Target Questions for Piping Into Rows

• Radio Button Grid
• Star Rating Grid
• Drag & Drop Ranking*
• Ranking Grid*
• Checkbox Grid
• Dropdown Menu List
• Textbox List
• Continuous Sum
• Dropdown Menu Grid
• Textbox Grid
• Grouping (Closed Card Sort)
• Grouping (Open Card Sort)
• Quick Sort

Compatible Target Questions for Piping Into Columns

• Star Rating Grid
• Radio Button Grid
• Checkbox Grid
• Textbox Grid
• Dropdown Menu Grid

*A Note About Piping Into Ranking Grid Questions

Ranking Grid and Drag & Drop Ranking questions use a weighted score that is based on the number of answer options. Because the number of options will vary when option piping, we discourage piping into a Ranking Grid and Drag & Drop Ranking questions as this can result in skewed data.

If you wish to pipe into a Ranking Grid or a Drag & Drop Ranking question, we recommend setting the minimum and max selectable options equal to each other in your source question. This way, each response has the same number of options and the weighted score is computed correctly.

Making edits to your option piping setup

If the piped question has collected data, you will not be able to edit the source question in your option piping setup. This is because doing so can irreparably corrupt your data. Instead we recommend that you disable the question and recreate the question with the new piping source you wish to use.

FAQ

Can I exclude an answer option from being piped?

You sure can! If you wish to exclude an answer from being piped you can do so within the answer option on the source question. Click the pencil icon to edit the option and scroll to the bottom of the Settings tab. Change the Always Exclude from Piping to Yes.

How will piped answer options display? Can I change this?

Piped options will display in the original order they were in in the source question (as seen on the Build tab). This is the case even if the answer options on the source question are set to randomize. There is not a way to change the order of piped options at this time.

Can I set up logic off of an option-piped question?

While there's not a built-in way to achieve this, there is a workaround!

Troubleshooting

Are you having trouble selecting a question as your source question? There are two possible reasons as to why your question would not be showing up as your source question:

1. The question you are trying to pipe from is not compatible.
   The only compatible question types for source questions at this time are: 
   • Radio Buttons
   • Checkboxes
   • Dropdown Menu
   • Rating (Likert Scale)
2. Your source question is not on a previous page to the question you're trying to pipe to.
   Any question you are trying to pipe from must be on a previous page. 

Limitation

Option piping supports up to 150 piped options per question.