Piping option attributes

An option attribute is a value attached to a choice, separate from the label respondents see. For example, the label “Economics” can carry the code “ECO”.

Define the attribute

Select the source question, open Advanced → Option attributes, add a named attribute and fill its value for each option.

Insert the answer

Open a later field's editor and insert a reference to the source question.

Choose the attribute

Select the variable pill and choose the attribute instead of the visible label. For a ranking, first choose the item, such as the top-ranked item.

Check every option

Preview different answers. An unfilled attribute can leave the resulting text or calculation without the value you expected.

Open Advanced for the selected choice question.
Enter a value for every option that needs this attribute.
Add attribute creates another named set of values.

Local documentation example.

Multiple Choice, Checkboxes, Dropdown and Ranking support answer-attribute piping. Likert and Matrix also have attributes, but do not offer the same answer-attribute piping.

Option attributes

Essential

Attach multiple pipeable values to each choice or ranking item.

Compare plans

See option attributes for where values are stored and expressions for calculations.

Example: show a short code for a topic

Create a “Topic code” attribute with a value for every answer option:

Respondent sees	Topic code
Research methods	RES
Data analysis	DAT
Presenting results	PRE

A later sentence can repeat the visible topic and add its code in parentheses. In a Ranking question, choose Top-ranked item, then choose Topic code for the second reference. This keeps the wording readable while allowing a separate compact value.

Using attributes for scores

An attribute can also represent a scoring value. Keep each value numeric if it will be used in a calculation, and decide how unanswered or unfilled values should be handled. A text code such as RES cannot be averaged. A selected option is not automatically assigned a score just because its label contains a number.

Try every option in Preview after creating or changing the attribute. Check the displayed label, the extracted attribute and any calculation separately. This makes it easier to find whether a wrong result comes from the selected option, an empty attribute cell or the expression itself.