Scripting

Overview

Scripting lets you compute a final value for a Profile question using code instead of a manual selection.

Use this when you need advanced logic (for example: score computation, segmentation, status labels, or dynamic classification based on previous answers).

Prerequisites

To use scripting, configure your question with all of the following:

Question type: Profile question
Mode: Automatic
Automatic type: Scripting (Compute a value with a script)

When this setup is enabled, a dedicated text area appears (editor-like input) where you can write the script that calculates the respondent's final value.

important

Scripts run in a secure sandbox with no access to the file system, network, or Java classes, and are limited to 500ms of execution time. Keep scripts short and avoid repeated calculations to stay well under this limit.

Referencing previous answers

Variables follow a structured naming pattern based on the question type:

[Question ref].[Element ref].[Property]

Profile / adaptive questions

Variable	Description	Example value
`Q1.ANSWER`	Full answer(s), comma separated	`"Yes"` or `"Option A,Option B"`
`Q1.COUNT`	Number of selected answers	`1` or `3`
`Q1.A001`, `Q1.A002`, ...	Nth selected answer (1-based index)	`"Option A"`

Battery of items

I1, I2, ... refer to the item refs in the battery.

Variable	Description	Example value
`Q2.I1.ANSWER`	Answer(s) for item I1	`"Satisfied"`
`Q2.I1.COUNT`	Number of answers for item I1	`1`
`Q2.I1.A001`	First answer of item I1	`"Satisfied"`

Hotspot

Z1, Z2, ... refer to the zone refs in the hotspot.

Variable	Description	Example value
`Q3.Z1.ANSWER`	Answer for zone Z1	`"Selected"`
`Q3.Z1.COUNT`	Number of answers for zone Z1	`1` or `0`

Open questions

F1, F2, ... refer to the field refs in the open question.

Variable	Description	Example value
`Q4.F1.ANSWER`	Answer of field F1	`"John Smith"`
`Q4.F2.ANSWER`	Answer of field F2	`"john@email.com"`

R3M questions (3 words / Experience)

Variable	Description	Example value
`Q5.WORD1.ANSWER`	First word	`"Innovation"`
`Q5.WORD2.ANSWER`	Second word	`"Quality"`
`Q5.WORD3.ANSWER`	Third word	`"Service"`

Loop iterations

When a question is repeated inside a loop, each iteration exposes its own set of variables using the LOOPn notation (0-based):

Q1.LOOP0.ANSWER  // first iteration
Q1.LOOP1.ANSWER  // second iteration
Q1.LOOP2.ANSWER  // third iteration

Data-access functions

Instead of reading raw variables, use the dedicated access functions below. They are recommended: they are more readable, and they resolve missing answers or invalid refs to null (or 0 for counts) instead of failing.

Question type	Function	Equivalent to
Profile / adaptive	`getAnswer(questionRef)`	`Q1.ANSWER`
Profile / adaptive	`getAnswer(questionRef, index)`	`Q1.A001`
Profile / adaptive	`getAnswerCount(questionRef)`	`Q1.COUNT`
Battery	`getItemAnswer(questionRef, itemRef)`	`Q2.I1.ANSWER`
Battery	`getItemAnswer(questionRef, itemRef, index)`	`Q2.I1.A001`
Battery	`getItemAnswerCount(questionRef, itemRef)`	`Q2.I1.COUNT`
Hotspot	`getZoneAnswer(questionRef, zoneRef)`	`Q3.Z1.ANSWER`
Hotspot	`getZoneAnswer(questionRef, zoneRef, index)`	-
Hotspot	`getZoneAnswerCount(questionRef, zoneRef)`	`Q3.Z1.COUNT`
Open question	`getFieldAnswer(questionRef, fieldRef)`	`Q4.F1.ANSWER`
Open question	`getFieldAnswer(questionRef, fieldIndex)`	`Q4.F1.ANSWER` (by position)
R3M (3 words)	`getWord1(questionRef)` / `getWord2(...)` / `getWord3(...)`	`Q5.WORD1.ANSWER`, etc.
R3M (3 words)	`getWord(questionRef, wordRef)`	`Q5.WORD1.ANSWER`

getAnswer('Q1')                // → "Yes"
getAnswer('Q1', 1)              // → "Option A"
getAnswerCount('Q1')            // → 3

getItemAnswer('Q2', 'I1')       // → "Satisfied"
getItemAnswerCount('Q2', 'I1')  // → 2

getZoneAnswer('Q3', 'Z1')       // → "Selected"
getZoneAnswerCount('Q3', 'Z1')  // → 1

getFieldAnswer('Q4', 'F1')      // → "John Smith"
getFieldAnswer('Q4', 1)         // → "John Smith"

getWord1('Q5')                  // → "Innovation"
getWord('Q5', 'WORD2')          // → "Quality"

tip

An invalid or out-of-range ref (for example getItemAnswer('Q2', 'I999')) returns null rather than raising an error. Always guard against null before using a value in a comparison or calculation.

Checking for an answer

Use these functions to check whether an answer exists before reading it, as an alternative to comparing the result of getAnswer(...) (and the other access functions) to null.

Function	Description
`hasAnswer(ref)`	Returns `true` if `ref` has an answer, i.e. if the variable `ref.ANSWER` exists
`exists(ref)`	Returns `true` if the exact variable `ref` exists in the response data

hasAnswer('Q1')        // → true if Q1 has been answered
hasAnswer('Q2.I1')      // → true if item I1 of battery Q2 has been answered
hasAnswer('Q3.Z1')      // → true if zone Z1 of hotspot Q3 has been answered

exists('Q1.ANSWER')    // → same as hasAnswer('Q1')
exists('Q1.COUNT')     // → true if the Q1 answer count variable exists
exists('Q1.A002')      // → true if a second answer was selected for Q1

if (hasAnswer('Q1')) {
  getAnswer('Q1');
} else {
  'N/A';
}

tip

hasAnswer(ref) is a shortcut for exists(ref + '.ANSWER') and accepts any question, item (Q2.I1), zone (Q3.Z1), or field (Q4.F1) ref. exists(ref) is more generic: it checks any of the raw variables described in "Referencing previous answers" above (for example exists('Q1.A002') to check whether a second answer was selected).

URL query parameters

Use getQueryParameter(name) to read a parameter from the survey link's query string (for example a language code, a panel provider ID, or a tracking parameter appended to the invitation URL).

Function	Description
`getQueryParameter(name)`	Returns the value of the URL query parameter `name`, or `null` if it is not present

var lang = getQueryParameter('lang');
// For a survey link such as https://.../survey?lang=en → "en"

var lang = getQueryParameter('lang');

if (lang == 'en') {
  'English';
} else if (lang == 'fr') {
  'Français';
} else {
  'N/A';
}

tip

When the parameter is absent from the URL, getQueryParameter returns null. Always guard against null before using the value in a comparison or concatenation.

JexlScript syntax basics

Scripting is based on JexlScript. If you are familiar with JavaScript-like control flow, you will quickly recognize the syntax.

Key syntax rules:

End each instruction with ;
Use var to declare variables
Use if (...) { ... } for conditions
Use else { ... } for alternative logic
Use ==, !=, >, <, >=, <=, &&, ||, ! for comparisons and logical tests
The script's result is the value of the last evaluated expression — no explicit return is required, though return ...; is also supported

Example script

var gender = text(getAnswer('Q1'));
var age = integer(getAnswer('Q2'), 0);

var value = 'N/A';

if (gender == 'Male' || gender == 'Female') {
  value = gender;

  if (age > 45) {
    value = value + ' - out of target';
  } else {
    value = value + ' - in target';
  }
}

value

What this example does:

Reads gender from Q1 as text
Reads age from Q2 as an integer, defaulting to 0 if missing or invalid
Builds a label only for expected gender values
Returns N/A when no valid classification can be computed

Conversion functions

Function	French alias	Description
`number(value)`	`nombre(value)`	Converts a value to a decimal number
`number(value, default)`	`nombre(value, default)`	Same, using `default` if the conversion fails
`integer(value)`	`entier(value)`	Converts a value to an integer (truncates decimals)
`integer(value, default)`	`entier(value, default)`	Same, using `default` if the conversion fails
`text(value)`	`texte(value)`	Converts a value to text

number('42')        // → 42.0
number('abc', 0)    // → 0 (fallback, 'abc' is not a number)
integer('3.14')     // → 3
text(42)             // → "42"

Math functions

Function	French alias	Description
`round(number)`	`arrondi(number)`	Rounds to the nearest integer
`max(a, b)`	-	Returns the greater of two numbers
`min(a, b)`	-	Returns the lesser of two numbers
`abs(number)`	-	Returns the absolute value
`modulo(a, b)`	-	Returns the remainder of `a` divided by `b`
`exp(number)`	`exponential(number)` / `exponentielle(number)`	Computes the exponential (e^x)

round(3.7)     // → 4
max(10, 20)    // → 20
min(10, 20)    // → 10
abs(-42)       // → 42
modulo(10, 3)  // → 1
exp(1)         // → 2.718281828...

Text functions

Function	French alias	Description
`length(text)`	`longueur(text)`	Returns the length of a text value
`trim(text)`	-	Removes leading and trailing whitespace

length('Hello')        // → 5
trim('  Hello  ')      // → "Hello"

Date and time functions

These functions give access to the current date/time, let you extract or reformat a date/time value coming from an answer, add or subtract an amount of time from a date, a time, or an arbitrary date/time value, and compute the difference between two dates or two times.

Current date/time components

Function	Description	Example value
`day()`	Current day of the month	`17`
`month()`	Current month (1-12)	`8`
`year()`	Current year	`2026`
`hour()`	Current hour (0-23)	`14`
`minute()`	Current minute	`32`
`second()`	Current second	`5`

Extracting a component from a given date/time value

Use these overloads to extract a component from a date/time coming from an answer (for example a birth date collected in an open question) instead of the current date/time. value is parsed using format, then the requested component is returned.

Function	Description	Example
`day(value, format)`	Day of the month extracted from `value`	`day('17/08/2026', 'dd/MM/yyyy')` → `17`
`month(value, format)`	Month (1-12) extracted from `value`	`month('17/08/2026', 'dd/MM/yyyy')` → `8`
`year(value, format)`	Year extracted from `value`	`year('17/08/2026', 'dd/MM/yyyy')` → `2026`
`hour(value, format)`	Hour (0-23) extracted from `value`	`hour('14:32:05', 'HH:mm:ss')` → `14`
`minute(value, format)`	Minute extracted from `value`	`minute('14:32:05', 'HH:mm:ss')` → `32`
`second(value, format)`	Second extracted from `value`	`second('14:32:05', 'HH:mm:ss')` → `5`

day('17/08/2026', 'dd/MM/yyyy')      // → 17
month('17/08/2026', 'dd/MM/yyyy')    // → 8
year('17/08/2026', 'dd/MM/yyyy')     // → 2026
hour('14:32:05', 'HH:mm:ss')         // → 14
minute('14:32:05', 'HH:mm:ss')       // → 32
second('14:32:05', 'HH:mm:ss')       // → 5

tip

day, month, and year expect value to contain a date; hour, minute, and second expect value to contain a time. format must match value exactly.

Current date/time as text

Function	Description	Example value
`date()`	Current date, formatted `dd/MM/yyyy`	`"17/08/2026"`
`date(format)`	Current date, formatted with a custom pattern	`date('yyyy-MM-dd')` → `"2026-08-17"`
`time()`	Current time, formatted `HH:mm:ss`	`"14:32:05"`
`time(format)`	Current time, formatted with a custom pattern	`time('HH:mm')` → `"14:32"`

tip

The format argument follows the Java DateTimeFormatter pattern syntax. The most common letters are d/M/y for day/month/year and H/m/s for hour/minute/second (for example dd/MM/yyyy, yyyy-MM-dd, HH:mm:ss).

Parsing and reformatting a given date/time value

date(value, format) and time(value, format) parse value using format and return it formatted the same way. Since input and output use the same pattern, they mainly serve to validate that an answer matches the expected pattern before using it elsewhere in the script.

Function	Description	Example
`date(value, format)`	Parses `value` as a date using `format`, returns it formatted the same way	`date('2026-08-17', 'yyyy-MM-dd')` → `"2026-08-17"`
`time(value, format)`	Parses `value` as a time using `format`, returns it formatted the same way	`time('14:32:05', 'HH:mm:ss')` → `"14:32:05"`

date('2026-08-17', 'yyyy-MM-dd')   // → "2026-08-17"
time('14:32:05', 'HH:mm:ss')       // → "14:32:05"

Adding to the current date/time

Each function returns the current date (or time) shifted by the given amount, formatted as text. The format argument is optional and defaults to dd/MM/yyyy for date functions, HH:mm:ss for time functions.

Function	Description
`addDays(amount)` / `addDays(amount, format)`	Current date + `amount` days
`addMonths(amount)` / `addMonths(amount, format)`	Current date + `amount` months
`addYears(amount)` / `addYears(amount, format)`	Current date + `amount` years
`addHours(amount)` / `addHours(amount, format)`	Current time + `amount` hours
`addMinutes(amount)` / `addMinutes(amount, format)`	Current time + `amount` minutes
`addSeconds(amount)` / `addSeconds(amount, format)`	Current time + `amount` seconds

amount can be negative to go backward (for example addDays(-7) for one week ago).

addDays(7)                    // → one week from today, e.g. "24/08/2026"
addDays(-30, 'yyyy-MM-dd')     // → 30 days ago, e.g. "2026-07-18"
addMonths(1)                  // → same day next month
addYears(-18)                 // → 18 years before today (e.g. a majority threshold)
addHours(2, 'HH:mm')          // → current time + 2 hours, e.g. "16:32"

Adding to an arbitrary date/time value

add(value, format, amount, unit) parses value using format, adds amount of unit to it, and returns the result formatted the same way. Use this when you need to shift a date/time coming from an answer rather than the current date/time.

format must match value exactly (same rules as date()/time()) and can describe a date, a time, or both.
unit accepts (case-insensitive): DAYS, MONTHS, YEARS, HOURS, MINUTES, SECONDS.
The function raises an error if value cannot be parsed with format, or if unit is not applicable to the parsed value (for example adding HOURS to a date-only value with no time part).

add('01/01/2026', 'dd/MM/yyyy', 3, 'MONTHS')     // → "01/04/2026"
add('23:50:00', 'HH:mm:ss', 20, 'MINUTES')       // → "00:10:00"
add('01/01/2026 23:00', 'dd/MM/yyyy HH:mm', 2, 'HOURS')  // → "02/01/2026 01:00"

warning

Passing an unrecognized unit (anything other than DAYS, MONTHS, YEARS, HOURS, MINUTES, SECONDS) or a value that doesn't match format stops the script with an error. Validate values coming from open answers before calling add(...) on them.

Difference between two dates or times

These functions return the difference between two dates (or two times), both parsed with the same format, as a whole number of the given unit.

Function	Description	Example
`daysBetween(startDate, endDate, format)`	Number of full days between `startDate` and `endDate`	`daysBetween('01/01/2026', '10/01/2026', 'dd/MM/yyyy')` → `9`
`monthsBetween(startDate, endDate, format)`	Number of full months between `startDate` and `endDate`	`monthsBetween('01/01/2026', '15/03/2026', 'dd/MM/yyyy')` → `2`
`yearsBetween(startDate, endDate, format)`	Number of full years between `startDate` and `endDate`	`yearsBetween('15/03/2005', '17/08/2026', 'dd/MM/yyyy')` → `21`
`hoursBetween(startHour, endHour, format)`	Number of full hours between `startHour` and `endHour`	`hoursBetween('08:00:00', '17:30:00', 'HH:mm:ss')` → `9`
`minutesBetween(startHour, endHour, format)`	Number of full minutes between `startHour` and `endHour`	`minutesBetween('08:00:00', '08:45:00', 'HH:mm:ss')` → `45`
`secondsBetween(startHour, endHour, format)`	Number of full seconds between `startHour` and `endHour`	`secondsBetween('08:00:00', '08:00:30', 'HH:mm:ss')` → `30`

daysBetween('01/01/2026', '10/01/2026', 'dd/MM/yyyy')      // → 9
monthsBetween('01/01/2026', '15/03/2026', 'dd/MM/yyyy')    // → 2
yearsBetween('15/03/2005', '17/08/2026', 'dd/MM/yyyy')     // → 21
hoursBetween('08:00:00', '17:30:00', 'HH:mm:ss')           // → 9
minutesBetween('08:00:00', '08:45:00', 'HH:mm:ss')         // → 45
secondsBetween('08:00:00', '08:00:30', 'HH:mm:ss')         // → 30

tip

daysBetween, monthsBetween, and yearsBetween expect date values; hoursBetween, minutesBetween, and secondsBetween expect time values. Both values must use the same format. If endDate/endHour comes before startDate/startHour, the result is negative.

warning

Every function documented above that parses a value with a format (day(value, format), month(value, format), year(value, format), hour(value, format), minute(value, format), second(value, format), date(value, format), time(value, format), add(...), and the *Between functions) raises an error if the value cannot be parsed with the given format. Validate or guard values coming from open answers before calling them.

Additional examples

Numeric score with rounding

var scoreA = number(getItemAnswer('Q3', 'I1'));
var scoreB = number(getItemAnswer('Q3', 'I2'));

var total = scoreA + scoreB;
var avg = round(total / 2);

avg

Keep the highest value from multiple inputs

var v1 = number(getAnswer('Q4'));
var v2 = number(getAnswer('Q5'));
var v3 = number(getAnswer('Q6'));

max(max(v1, v2), v3)

Weighted score

var note1 = number(getAnswer('Q_NOTE1'), 0);
var note2 = number(getAnswer('Q_NOTE2'), 0);
var note3 = number(getAnswer('Q_NOTE3'), 0);

// Weighting: 50% note1, 30% note2, 20% note3
var score = (note1 * 0.5) + (note2 * 0.3) + (note3 * 0.2);

round(score)

Message based on a threshold

var score = number(getAnswer('Q_SCORE'), 0);

if (score >= 80) {
  'Excellent - ' + text(score) + '%';
} else if (score >= 60) {
  'Good - ' + text(score) + '%';
} else {
  'Below target - ' + text(score) + '%';
}

Concatenation of several fields

var firstName = getFieldAnswer('Q_IDENTITY', 'F1');
var lastName = getFieldAnswer('Q_IDENTITY', 'F2');
var city = getFieldAnswer('Q_IDENTITY', 'F3');

firstName + ' ' + lastName + ', ' + city
// → "John Smith, Paris"

Majority check from a birth date

Use yearsBetween to compute the age directly, rather than comparing formatted date strings:

var birthDate = getFieldAnswer('Q_BIRTHDATE', 'F1');  // e.g. "2005-03-15"

if (birthDate == null) {
  'N/A';
} else {
  var age = yearsBetween(birthDate, date('yyyy-MM-dd'), 'yyyy-MM-dd');

  if (age >= 18) {
    'Major';
  } else {
    'Minor';
  }
}

Rules and limitations

Allowed:

if / else conditions
Comparison operators (==, !=, <, >, <=, >=)
Logical operators (&&, ||, !)
Arithmetic operators (+, -, *, /, %)
Local variables (var x = ...)
Function calls
Text concatenation (+)
Property access (.)
Literals (arrays, objects)

Not allowed:

while / for loops
Lambdas / anonymous functions
Object creation with new
Access to Java classes
Library imports
Modification of global variables

warning

Scripts are limited to 500ms of execution time and run in an isolated sandbox with no access to the file system or network. Only the documented functions and question variables are available.

Best practices

Initialize a default fallback value first (for example "N/A")
Convert values explicitly (text(...), number(...), integer(...)) before comparisons, using the default-value overload to guard against missing answers
Check for null before using a value, especially with getItemAnswer, getZoneAnswer, and getFieldAnswer, which return null for missing or invalid refs
Use hasAnswer(ref) or exists(ref) to check for an answer before reading it, as an alternative to a null check
Store repeated calculations in a variable instead of recomputing them in every branch
Keep scripts short and readable to stay within the 500ms timeout
Test edge cases (empty answers, unexpected values, missing responses)
Always verify that the script returns a value in every branch

Overview​

Prerequisites​

Referencing previous answers​

Profile / adaptive questions​

Battery of items​

Hotspot​

Open questions​

R3M questions (3 words / Experience)​

Loop iterations​

Data-access functions​

Checking for an answer​

URL query parameters​

JexlScript syntax basics​

Example script​

Conversion functions​

Math functions​

Text functions​

Date and time functions​

Current date/time components​

Extracting a component from a given date/time value​

Current date/time as text​

Parsing and reformatting a given date/time value​

Adding to the current date/time​

Adding to an arbitrary date/time value​

Difference between two dates or times​

Additional examples​

Numeric score with rounding​

Keep the highest value from multiple inputs​

Weighted score​

Message based on a threshold​

Concatenation of several fields​

Majority check from a birth date​

Rules and limitations​

Best practices​

Overview

Prerequisites

Referencing previous answers

Profile / adaptive questions

Battery of items

Hotspot

Open questions

R3M questions (3 words / Experience)

Loop iterations

Data-access functions

Checking for an answer

URL query parameters

JexlScript syntax basics

Example script

Conversion functions

Math functions

Text functions

Date and time functions

Current date/time components

Extracting a component from a given date/time value

Current date/time as text

Parsing and reformatting a given date/time value

Adding to the current date/time

Adding to an arbitrary date/time value

Difference between two dates or times

Additional examples

Numeric score with rounding

Keep the highest value from multiple inputs

Weighted score

Message based on a threshold

Concatenation of several fields

Majority check from a birth date

Rules and limitations

Best practices