I am using LimeSurvey Version 2.05+ Build 140902. As part of an array (numbers) question, I am using an if statement in the sub-question validation tip field where I use the word "self" as part of the text that that I want to show for a particular subquestion when the tip is displayed based off of the if statement. Since I use the word "self," the text is displayed as if I am using it as a variable. How do I use the word "self" to show up as text and not a variable?

For example, in the sub-question validation field, I have an if statement similar to the one as follows:

{if(SQ-1_A[1]-1 > Q1, "The number of self-help referrals cannot be greater than the number of individuals that you referred","")}

When the sub-question validation tip is displayed, it will show up as "The number of SID x G-0 x Q-2SQ-1 x A[1]-help referrals cannot be greater than the number of individuals that you referred."

Hi,
I could reproduce this in Version 2.06 Build 160129

But in my opinion you have to change the wording.
With a little bit of trial and error I found that this works
{if(Q1_Y1_X1<Q2, "The number of <b>s</b>elf-help referrals cannot be greater than the number of individuals that you referred","")}

As the validation tip is bold initially this does not affect the look and feel.
Otherwise try something by yourself.

You see in LS 3.x there is no issue

Thank you for this clever workaround. It worked!

@Joffm: hahahaha, that is a very simple and yet clever workaround. Very good idea. Love it. McGiver style.

I am using LimeSurvey Version 2.05+ Build 140902.

I would highly recommend to update/upgrade this version to the latest 3.x LTS version. Your version is now over 5.5 years old and is not even the latest version of it's branch (should be something like the 2.06 Build 160129, that Joffm mentioned).

Your version hasn't been updated since September 2014! For a software that is accessible via the internet, I think this is quite problematic, especially as you potentially might collect and store personal data with it.

Even the latest 2.06 LTS I would not use for productive work anymore. Limesurvey has come a long way and there have been various major versions in between, with security updates, bug fixes and new features.

After the 2.06 LTS there was the 2.7x, then 3.x, right now we have the 4.x and as far as I have seen there is work done for 5.x.

So I would highly recommend to make an update. However, please do not (yet) update to 4.x. In my opinion (and I think most of the frequent posters here in the forum would agree), 4.x is not yet ready for productive use, even labled stable.

I would install 3.x LTS.

Thank you for the suggestion. We actually also have version 4.2.2+ at my place of employment, but we have many personalized templates that we have used and still need to use for certain projects for different organizations. I noticed the updated version uses themes instead of templates, and they are not compatible. I couldn't find a way to get the older templates to work with the newer themes, so I continue to use the older version for preexisting projects. Do you have any suggestions about how to upload older templates as themes? Is there perhaps a version after 2.05+ that can do this and that still receives security updates, bug fixes, new features, etc.?

We actually also have version 4.2.2+ at my place of employment,

Well then the next point: Dont' use 4.x yet for production. In my opinion it is not ready for now.

You are right, the templates/themes after 2.06 are not compatible anymore. You can't use 2.06 templates in 2.7x, you can't use 2.7x templates/themes in 3.x and 4.x had another break there. I hope from 4.x onwards the themes/templates will be compatible.

But, while this argument is valid for a couple of months, I think 5.5 years is a lot of time to adapt themes/templates. I know it is hard if you have a lot of themes/templates, but I think security should be taken very serious, especially for a university (unfortunately we see a lot of very old installations especially at universities).

I know that Denis (sondages Pro) was supporting a fork of 2.06 LTS for a long time with bug fixes and security updates. Not sure how this is still updated. github.com/SondagesPro/LimeSurvey-SondagesPro

As far as I can see, the last update was from February this year, so Denis seems to still work on it. Maybe he shows up and gives some more information.

Updating Themes/templates is not easy. It is far easier to adapt the standard themes to your needs. But one day you'll have to make the jump. From what I can see, you are from the US and it might not be as relevant for you. But having such an old tool still running for surveys will not be in your favor if there should be a data breach one day. Bases on the GDPR you are supposed to use state of the art software. So it will be difficult to argue that you did all you could do, to prevent such a data breach, because obviously the software was old, unpatched and with 3 newer major versions of course not "state of the art".

If 4.x would be "stable" (in what I personally would consider stable), it would be much easier. Right now you would have to adapt the 3.x templates/themes and then later the 4.x templates/themes. Or you just risk and go with 4.x directly, have to make the adaptations only once, but might run in some issues that are not working perfectly yet in 4.x.

I know, it isn't easy, but you must seriously consider on moving to a more recent version of LS (but please skip 2.7x, not worth the pain and also not supported anymore).

Thanks again for the detailed response. Security is definitely of upmost importance. We have been using 4.2.2+ for newer projects (not yet for production, but just to get used to the newer format). Perhaps I'll take a day to create some themes for all the old templates. Like you said, hopefully once the kinks get worked out for 4.x, templates and themes may be compatible one day or maybe they can provide more base themes to choose from and then edit like the previous templates. Anyways, I really appreciate the responses.

I doubt that there will be more than 3 standard themes within Limesurvey and I am quite sure that the old themes/templates will not be adapted to the newer versions. They are just so old fashioned that I don't think it makes much sense to make them work in 3.x, 4.x or 5.x.

What I hope that the themes/templates system will become stable and thus can be moved again from major version to major version.

But what is so different/special to your templates/themes that you would need them to transformed to newer versions. Is it just looks or also functionallity?

Stating that I would create updated "themes" was inaccurate on my part. What I meant was that I will update the cosmetics of the themes for I have organizations that want their surveys to have specific color schemes and to have their logo placed in specific places.