Open Text

Collect short or long-form text responses from respondents

The Open Text question type allows you to collect free-form text input from respondents. It’s one of the most versatile question types, supporting various input formats including email, URL, phone numbers, and more.

Configuration

Basic Properties

type TSurveyOpenTextElement = {
  id: string;                    // Unique identifier (alphanumeric, hyphens, underscores)
  type: "openText";              // Question type
  headline: TI18nString;         // Main question text (required)
  subheader?: TI18nString;       // Optional descriptive text
  required: boolean;             // Whether response is mandatory
  placeholder?: TI18nString;     // Placeholder text in input field
  longAnswer?: boolean;          // Show textarea instead of input (default: false)
  inputType?: "text" | "email" | "url" | "number" | "phone"; // Input validation type
  insightsEnabled?: boolean;     // Enable AI insights (default: false)
  imageUrl?: string;             // Optional image URL
  videoUrl?: string;             // Optional video URL
  isDraft?: boolean;             // Mark as draft
};

Input Types

The inputType property determines the type of input validation and keyboard on mobile devices:

• text (default): Standard text input
• email: Validates email format, shows email keyboard
• url: Validates URL format
• number: Accepts only numeric input
• phone: Validates phone number format

Character Limits

Control the length of responses with character limits:

charLimit: {
  enabled: boolean;              // Enable character limits
  min?: number;                  // Minimum characters (optional)
  max?: number;                  // Maximum characters (optional)
}

Validation rules:

• At least one of min or max must be set when enabled
• Values must be positive numbers
• min cannot be greater than max

Validation Rules

Open Text supports advanced validation rules:

validation?: {
  rules: TValidationRule[];
  logic: "and" | "or";           // How to combine multiple rules
}

Available validation rule types:

• minLength, maxLength: Text length constraints
• pattern: Regular expression matching
• email, url, phone: Format validation
• equals, doesNotEqual: Exact matching
• contains, doesNotContain: Substring matching
• minValue, maxValue: Numeric range (when inputType is “number”)
• isGreaterThan, isLessThan: Numeric comparison

Use Cases

Short Answer

Collect brief responses like names or one-word answers:

{
  id: "first_name",
  type: "openText",
  headline: { default: "What's your first name?" },
  required: true,
  longAnswer: false,
  charLimit: {
    enabled: true,
    max: 50
  }
}

Email Collection

Validate email addresses with built-in validation:

{
  id: "user_email",
  type: "openText",
  headline: { default: "What's your email address?" },
  inputType: "email",
  required: true,
  placeholder: { default: "[e-mail]" }
}

Long-Form Feedback

Collect detailed responses with a text area:

{
  id: "feedback",
  type: "openText",
  headline: { default: "Tell us about your experience" },
  subheader: { default: "Please be as detailed as possible" },
  longAnswer: true,
  required: false,
  charLimit: {
    enabled: true,
    min: 50,
    max: 500
  }
}

Phone Number

Collect and validate phone numbers:

{
  id: "contact_phone",
  type: "openText",
  headline: { default: "What's your phone number?" },
  inputType: "phone",
  placeholder: { default: "[phone]" },
  required: true
}

Numeric Input

Collect numbers with validation:

{
  id: "age",
  type: "openText",
  headline: { default: "How old are you?" },
  inputType: "number",
  required: true,
  validation: {
    logic: "and",
    rules: [
      {
        id: "min_age",
        type: "minValue",
        params: { min: 18 }
      },
      {
        id: "max_age",
        type: "maxValue",
        params: { max: 120 }
      }
    ]
  }
}

Best Practices

1. Use appropriate input types: Set inputType to improve mobile experience and enable basic validation
2. Provide clear placeholders: Help users understand the expected format
3. Set reasonable character limits: Prevent overly short or long responses
4. Use longAnswer for detailed feedback: Enable textarea for responses longer than a sentence
5. Consider validation rules: Add custom validation when you need specific formats beyond basic input types
6. Make optional when possible: Only require text input when absolutely necessary

Accessibility

• The headline is used as the label for screen readers
• placeholder text provides additional context
• Input type affects mobile keyboard and screen reader announcements
• Required fields are clearly marked for assistive technologies