Survey scripting is mostly about moving quickly without missing details. Below are the shortcuts and bulk features that help you get through a spec faster.
Set up a two-panel workspace: spec on the left, scripting on the right
Split your screen into two and keep the source document open on one side, usually the Word or Excel questionnaire spec. Use the other side for the survey builder. With the spec always visible, you can build question-by-question without switching windows, and quickly verify wording, numbering, and structure as you go.
Paste all answer alternatives in one go
Instead of adding options one by one, paste the full answer list in a single step. If your spec is in Excel, copy the whole block of alternatives and paste directly into the answer list, and the options will be created as a clean list immediately. This is one of the quickest wins when you’re building from a client spec, especially for long lists where manual entry is slow and error-prone.
Smart Client ID extraction, including answer option IDs
If your Excel spec has two columns, one with numeric values (Client IDs) and one with the answer text, you can paste both at the same time. Copy both columns and paste them into the answer list, then click the clipboard icon and choose Show values to confirm the IDs were captured for each option. This makes sure the coding stays consistent all the way through to logic, testing, and data delivery.
Show the right questions with conditions.
Conditions help you keep the survey relevant, so people only see questions that actually apply to them. In the question editor, click the three dots → Condition, and choose either Add new (create a fresh condition) or Add existing (reuse one you’ve already made). When you add a new condition, give it a name, then build it using the dropdowns that list earlier questions and background variables (like region, language, or client-specific fields), and select the answer option(s) that should trigger it. For example, to show a follow-up only to people who bought online in the past 6 months, select that earlier purchase question and the “Yes” option.
Copy and add images directly from your file manager
When you want to insert an image, choose the textfield where it should appear in the question text, then press Ctrl + Space (or click the bookmark icon), choose Image, and upload the file from your computer. In the same image step, you can also set the width and height so the layout looks right immediately, and if the image should only appear for certain respondents, you can attach a Condition directly to the image as well.
Apply one condition to multiple questions at once in List mode
Use List mode when you want to attach the same condition to several questions in one go. Press Ctrl + L to switch to List mode, where all questions are shown in a single list and you can select multiple questions at the same time. After selecting the questions, click the condition icon to open the condition window, then either create a new condition (name it and pick the variable from the dropdown) or attach an existing one by selecting it. This is a quick way to apply consistent routing across a whole block of questions.
Import a draft via AI (from clipboard) or from SPSS
If you want a head start, you can import a first version instead of building everything manually. For AI import, copy the questionnaire spec (for example from Word), then click Import Survey → From Clipboard and paste it in; the AI detects question types, adds answer options, and builds the form for you For SPSS import, go to the Survey tab, click IMPORT SURVEY, then choose From SPSS; after upload, it analyzes and classifies the file (for example detecting question types and tagging “Don’t know” options). In both cases, you’ll typically still add conditions yourself afterwards, based on the client spec.