The Event Console system uses a special code, called a short name, to track the users’ responses to a question. The short name is the abbreviated version of a question that displays on reports.
The system automatically provides a short name for each question you create, but you are encouraged to edit it to be a name that you can easily recognize when you view it on reports.
When you edit the short name, use these guidelines:
• The short name must be one word and can contain only letters or numbers.
• For each profile page or survey in an event, the short name must always unique. If you have two identical short names for different questions on the same profile page or survey, then the answers to those questions will not be recorded or reported correctly. (You may choose to use the same short name for different events, as explained in a later guideline below.)
• Make sure you use a short name that is meaningful. Keep in mind that this is the name you will see on reports, so use a name that will help you remember the longer question.
• Make sure the short name is actually short. If the name is too long, the system cannot successfully show the question in a report. You are limited to 30 characters.
• You should edit the system-completed short name to remove any extra text that will not be useful in helping you review the data in a report. (As you edit the name, keep in mind that the short name must be different than any other short name on the same profile page or survey.)
• If you have the same survey question for several events—and you want to run a report on that question across several events, you must use the same short name for different events so that the report shows correct data.
The easiest way to make sure you have the same short name for several events is to create your new events by copying an existing one. (For details, see Add a new event by copying an existing one.) This way, the new event will have the same questions and short names as the first event, and you can run a report that shows survey results for both events.
Important: After any user has answered a question, you must not edit the short name. If you do so, any reports that show this question will show the results under two different short names. This will make it difficult for you to keep track of answers to this question.