Sort an External Choice List in the Survey123 Form

529
5
07-19-2023 11:07 AM
RobertAnderson3
MVP Regular Contributor

I have a few CSVs that I am using for multiple surveys, they're only a few hundred rows but because they're used in multiple places this makes my life way easier updating one list instead of several.

My question is, is there a way to have this list sort differently in each of my surveys so the most relevant answers appear at the top on each survey?

Thanks!

0 Kudos
5 Replies
IsmaelChivite
Esri Notable Contributor

Sorry. Not possible.

RobertAnderson3
MVP Regular Contributor

I had a feeling it wasn't but wanted to double check, thanks!

0 Kudos
DerrickFreseADF
New Contributor

@IsmaelChivite, is it possible to sort external choice lists at all? We have a csv in Portal that we're using to pull a list from and every time the survey is opened the list is in a different order.  

0 Kudos
beachcamp
New Contributor III

I think your best bet is going to be to either:

  • Filter your lists based on the particular survey in use.
  • Copy the CSV after you update it, for each survey, and sort them individually as desired (I would use a python script to do this personally).
  • Use an autocomplete appearance to make it easier for users to find the desired items.
RobertAnderson3
MVP Regular Contributor

Thank you for the suggestions @beachcamp ! 

Was trying to avoid the clutter of copies, but the scripting it is a good idea. And I have been using the autocomplete for it anyways but still want to make it as simple as I can for users. There's like 5-10 options they use daily and then 100 more that might get used once a month.

What I've ended up deciding to do is, I had an "Other" option in my pick list that opened up a text question for free entry, I've set up a choice filter that will show the most relevant + Other for the first question, then changed the free text to a select one that just shows ALL of them for the secondary question if they pick other.

0 Kudos