Hey,
My survey is currently using JS to calculate some values. I am now trying to store those values in a hidden question using the EM for further use. The actual script is quite complex, but it boils down to something like this:

let someVariable = "something";
{SomeQuestionCode = someVaribale}

Unfortunately this doesnt work, as the expressions are evaluated before the script runs (i assume).
Is there a way to accomplish this?

I guess making all my calculations using only the EM would technically work, but I already have the JS working and ~100lines of js transformed to EM would probably end but being quite a mess.

Thanks!

This is something I'd really like to be able to do as well, as AFAIK, expression manager doesn't have an easy way to sort answers.

Seem to be two or three questions on the forum where people ask how they could select say the top highest scoring answers using a sort and then present them back to the user at the survey end.

Currently the best way to do this seems to be via javascript and hidden questions but that means you can't save the answers.

One approach I was considering is that I gather LS makes a temporary instance of the answers before they are stored in database on submit that you could write a function to overwrite but that could lead to ugliness.

Hi,

without seeing more of your approach I should say:

Your script ends like this:

So in this question the value is stored.
And you hide this question not by LS, but by

Joffm

Indispirit wrote: hidden questions but that means you can't save the answers.

LimeSurvey is not hiding the question but removing the question from the HTML-Code.
This was always confusing for users.

I have a featurerequest to show a more advanced "hiding" feature inside the GUI.
bugs.limesurvey.org/view.php?id=11665
That would raise awareness of the differences.
Hiding via Javascript (as Joffm) showed is the way to go.

Or hide it with a CSS class "hidden".

Thanks, really useful. With this approach, if you are on the final page of the survey before submit, how could your hidden question access the values of any answers not yet submitted (ie earlier on the page), eg in the example below q9 and q10?:

[page 1-4]
questions 1-8
[/page 1-4]

[page 5]
q9
q10
val(myCalculatedValue)= sum q1-10
$('#question{QID} input[type="text"]').val(myCalculatedValue)
{submit}
[/page 5]

Why not use a hidden equation question instead of loading a text question?


Small sample survey attached:

Would definitely work it was just a summation but val(myCalculatedValue)= sum q1-10 was just an example.

Instead we have a JS equation that does the following:
Pairwise summation of questions {equation question could do this}
Bubblesort {not possible with equation editor?}
Select between ties with weights {requires loops, not possible with equation question?}
Choose top three answers

Afaik, that's not easy to implement with the equation question so we've gone with JS, hence the question about accessing answer values before submission.

Well, you could interrupt the submit process something like this but if some of the questions are on that page the Expression Manager result(s) may be wrapped in a <span> element so you will have to parse it out of that.

Thanks Tony, good suggestion, will look into it.