Keyboard Support

The CATI Interviewer Console supports commands which are performed by pressing combinations of keys on your keyboard. This part of the documentation describes the hot-key combinations, provides examples of use, and limitations. Note that keyboard commands corresponding to a particular CATI Console function are also listed in the relevant articles.

Limitations When Using the Keyboard

When using the keyboard, the following limitations apply:

• Sliders will not visibly move, although the selected value will have been accepted. To view the change, the interviewer must move forward in the survey and then back to the question.

Note: The keyboard input is not supported for grid questions with slider option.

• When images are used as answers, and when different images have been defined for the different states (default, hover and selected), these images will not change although the selected answer will have been accepted. To view the change, the interviewer must move forward in the survey and then back to the question.
• Subsequent questions that appear on dynamic pages will not be displayed until the page is submitted. Therefore the interviewer must submit the page and remain on or return to it to answer subsequent questions.
• The interviewer cannot use the keyboard to supply answers for card sort questions, keyboard input is not supported for these questions.
• The interviewer cannot use the keyboard to supply answers for drag and drop (ratings) questions, keyboard input is not supported for these questions.
• The interviewer cannot use the keyboard inside the calendar control for date-picker questions.

Note: You can provide answers for date questions via the keyboard as follows: type the date as a string into the date-question's Input text box or into keyboard entry box (in the lower left area of the console) and submit the text.

• For questions with searchable answer list, the keyboard entry is supported only to input search text. Note that the 'Search' text disappears when the interviewer sets focus in the field. Typing text into the field filters the list. The interviewer cannot use the keyboard to supply answers.
• The interviewer cannot use the keyboard to supply answers for capture ordered questions.
• The interviewer cannot use the keyboard to supply answers for grid questions using the grid bars option.

Selecting a Survey/Interview using the Keyboard

If the Interviewing mode does not assume automatic choice of a survey/interview, you can select the survey/interview in the CATI Interviewer Console window.

• Press the Tab key to move focus from the survey frame to the interview frame.

• Required surveys and interviews are highlighted by the cursor - move the cursor in the survey or interview list using the Up and Down keys on the keyboard.

• Press Enter to activate the highlighted survey/interview (if applicable to the Interviewing mode the interviewer works in). If you have chosen a survey by pressing Enter, press Tab to move focus to the Interview frame to choose an interview.

• Press Enter after the interview is highlighted to start the interviewing process.

CATI Interviewer Console Toolbar Hot Keys

The hot-keys described here are used as a substitute for Console toolbar button commands.

• Ctrl+Backspace, PgUp – Previous page (submits the current page).
• Enter, or PgDn – Next page (submits the current page).
• Ctrl+Enter – Fast forward.
• F7 – Check the spelling of all "free text" answers on the page.
• Ctrl+A – Make an appointment.
• Ctrl+H - Hang up the respondent line.
• Ctrl+X – Terminate an interview.
• Ctrl+Q – Log out after the current interview is finished.
• Ctrl+B - Take a break in the work.

Selecting a Question and an Answer on the Interview Page

This is a list of basic key combinations used to select a question and a corresponding answer option on the interview page (go to Appendix C - List of Hot-Key Combinations used with CATI Interviewer Console for more information).

Note that by default the first question on the page is always highlighted.

Note: If the user presses any of the key combinations listed below, the action should be executed even if the keyboard entry text box is not selected. This will also result in the keyboard entry text box being selected.

The following keyboard sequences are available:

• Ctrl+D – chooses the "Default" answer.
• Ctrl+R – chooses the "Refused" answer.
• Up, Shift+Tab – highlights the previous question on the page.
• Down, Tab – highlights the next question on the page.
• Ctrl+Backspace, PgUp – goes to previous page (the same occurs if you click the Previous button).
• PgDown – goes to next page (the same occurs if you click the Next button).
• Home – highlights the first sub-question (if one exists) of the current question.
• End – highlights the last sub-question (if one exists) of the current question.
• Ctrl+Home – highlights the first sub-question (if any) of the first question on the page.
• Ctrl+End – highlights the last sub-question (if any) of the last question on the page.
• Insert – moves focus to the keyboard entry box.
• Esc (when Text Area or Input textbox of the current question is focused) – focus changes to the keyboard entry text box.
• F2 (when current question is Open/Multi question) – focus moves to Text Area or Input textbox of the current question.
• The Enter key is the submission key. Click Enter to submit the text currently entered in the keyboard entry box. Click Enter again to submit the question.

Moving to the Next Question

To move to the next question, press Enter when the keyboard entry box is empty. Alternatively press PgDn, or click the Page Forward button on the toolbar. The current question page is submitted and the next page is displayed (assuming the validation is passed).

Taking a Break

When the interviewer wishes to take a break from interviewing work, they must click the Take a Break button or press the hot-key combination Ctrl+B to switch the Interviewer Console to the Break mode, and click/press it again to switch the Console back to the normal working mode when they return (go to Taking a Break as an Interviewer for more information).

Note that when the interview is in progress, the Console waits until the interview is finished then switches to the Break mode. While waiting, the Take a Break button remains activated indicating that the Console is ready to switch to the Break mode when the interview is over.

While the current interview remains unfinished the interviewer can deactivate the break request by either clicking the button pressing the hot-key combination Ctrl+B again.

When there are no active interviews (i.e. the current interviewer is either selecting an interview or waiting for an interview to be delivered), pressing the Ctrl+B hotkey combination will switch the interviewer into the Break mode.

Highlighting Question Rules

• Focus on question when error - when the page is submitted, if errors are discovered on the page then the first question containing an error will be selected.
• Answering a question with the mouse - If the interviewer attempts to answer a question with the mouse by clicking on the question, the question will be highlighted.

Question Type Specific Functionality

• Multi questions – the keyboard entry text box will accept codes entered as a comma-separated list. For example, to select codes "a", "b", and "d" for a multi question, type: a,b,d and then press Enter.

Note: To deselect selected categories, type them and then press Enter; the selection is canceled.

• Open Text List and Numeric List questions – you can type any text into the keyboard entry box. When you press Enter, the text will be copied into the form for the highlighted multi category selected, and the next category will become active.
• Single questions – only one code is allowed. Press Enter to make the selection.

Note: To deselect a selected category, type it and then press Enter; the selection is canceled.

• Open questions – you can type any text into the keyboard entry box. When you press Enter, the text is copied into the form.
• Grid and 3D-Grid questions – these question types are handled as separate questions, so selecting questions will highlight each "question" inside the grid/3D grid individually. The keyboard entry box will behave differently dependent on the underlying question. For example, a grid is multiple single questions while a 3D-Grid is a collection of single/multi/grid questions sharing the same answer list.

Displaying Question Codes

The CATI Console shows the codes for all questions except for the following:

• Open Text List questions.
• Numeric List questions.
• Ranking questions.
• Questions with the ‘Capture Order’ option.
• Card Sort questions.
• Grid with grid bars option.
• Drag-n-drop questions.
• Dropdown questions.
• Multiple questions with searchable answer list.

Note: Keyboard input is supported for "Dropdown" questions although the codes are not shown.

Support of Default and Refused Functionality

Categories with "Default" or "Refused" properties specified can be selected in the Console using the Default or Refused buttons. You can also select these using your keyboard or mouse, by selecting the corresponding category using the mouse or making the keyboard entry using codes. The following hot keys are supported:

• Ctrl+R for "Refused".

• Ctrl+D for "Default".

If there are several questions on a page the "Default" and "Refused" answer options are selected separately for each question for which default/refused functionality is available.

If an "Exclusive" category is specified as a "Default" or "Refused", it can be selected as "Default" or "Refused".

If a "Multi" category is specified as a parameter of the "Default" or "Refused" answer for a "Multi" question with multi end "Exclusive" category - when the "Exclusive" category has been chosen, choosing a "Multi" category automatically deselects the "Exclusive" category.

If the "Other" category is specified as the "Refused"\"Default" parameter for a "Single" or "Multi" question - when the "Other" category is chosen, the focus is set to the "Other" text field of the chosen category.

For "Single" questions with "Other" categories specified - when changing the choice of the "Other" category, delete the text in the deselected "Other" text field.

The "Default" and "Refused" categories (toolbar buttons and hot keys) can be chosen for Single question with the "Drop-down" option.

For Ranking, Open Text List and Numeric List questions the "Default" or "Refused" functionality works in the following way - choosing the "Default" or "Refused" category does not change to the next question and sets focus to the text field of the corresponding ("Default" or "Refused") category.

Grid Question With Other Fields

You can select the scale for categories with the "Other" option turned on, and fill in the "Other" text, using the keyboard.

Keyboard Support in Open Text, Open Text List and Numeric List Questions

Keyboard entry is supported for Ranking, Open Text List and Numeric List questions – each text box can be filled using the keyboard.

It is also possible to type text in the "Other" text field of the Open Text List \ Numeric List using the keyboard.

Note that if you have set the focus on one of the Open text fields in the Open Text List by clicking inside a field with the mouse, and you wish to continue filling Open fields using your keyboard, you must press the Insert key.

Note: When you are typing text in an Open text field which contains more than one line, when the focus is set on one of the lines in the field, pressing the Enter key moves the caret and another line is inserted. The Enter key does not submit the answer when focus is set on the Open text field.

Keyboard Support In Multi Questions

If the "Multi" question contains an "Exclusive" category, both the "Exclusive" and "Multi" answers can be chosen from the keyboard.

When the "Other" option is turned on for a "Multi" question, and the "Other" answer is chosen, the focus is set to the "Other" text field and you can enter text in this field using the keyboard.

For "Searchable multi" questions you can type the search text using your keyboard. The focus is set to the "search" field by default. Typing in the "search" field filters the list - only answers with the matching code are presented in the list.

Note: You can only enter the search text via keyboard. An answer cannot be chosen using the keyboard for the Searchable Multi question. But you MUST choose an answer in the answer list, even if the search returns a single result - if this is not done, the question is considered unanswered.