> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://guides.fieldedgeapp.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://guides.fieldedgeapp.com/guide-to-canvassing-and-calls/setup-and-core-workflows/adding-a-survey.md).
# Creating a survey
Build a survey in FieldEdge HQ and publish it to NationBuilder, ready for your team to use in the field
The Survey Builder in FieldEdge HQ is the easiest way to create surveys for FieldEdge. You add questions and talking points in HQ, see exactly how they'll look on a canvasser's phone, then publish the survey to NationBuilder in one step.
* Build questions, scripts and talking points in one place
* Required questions, multi-select answers and saving answers to a person's profile are simple settings
* HQ checks your survey before you publish, so canvassers won't get stuck in the field
* Publish in one step, and your team sees the survey in the app
{% hint style="info" %}
Only Campaign Managers can access FieldEdge HQ. See [Team Setup](/team-setup.md) for details on user types.
{% endhint %}
## Step 1: Start a new survey
1. In FieldEdge HQ, select **Surveys** in the sidebar.
2. Select **New survey**.
3. Enter a **Name**, for example "October door knock".
4. Choose a **Site**. Any site works.
5. Under **Start from**, choose a template:
* **Door knock**: an intro script, a top issue question, vote intention, a volunteer ask and an email question.
* **Phone bank**: an opening script, a vote plan question, a ride to the polls question and a text opt-in question.
* **Blank survey**: start with an empty survey and add your own questions.
6. Select **Create draft**.
The builder opens on the **Questions** tab. Nothing is saved to NationBuilder until you publish, so you can change anything along the way.
{% hint style="info" %}
**Your draft saves automatically.** There's no Save button. HQ saves your changes in this browser as you go, and shows when it last saved next to the publish button. Drafts are kept in the browser you used, so finish and publish from the same computer. Logging out of HQ clears any unpublished drafts.
{% endhint %}
## Step 2: Add questions and scripts
Add your talking points and questions in the order canvassers will use them.
1. Select **Add question** below your list. To add one between two questions, hover between them and select the **+**.
2. Pick a question type. Choose from **Say** for something the canvasser reads aloud, or **Ask** for a question:
| Type | What the canvasser sees |
| --------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Script / talking points** | Talking points to read aloud. Not answered. |
| **Single choice** | Pick one answer from a list. |
| **Multi-select** | Pick every answer that applies. |
| **Yes / No** | A quick Yes or No. |
| **Short answer** | A typed answer. |
| **Email** | An email address. Checked when it's saved to the profile. |
| **Phone** | A phone number. Country code and keypad when it's saved to the profile. |
3. Type the question, or for a script, what the canvasser should say.
4. For **Single choice** and **Multi-select** questions, edit the answers. Select **Add answer** to add more. To add several at once, paste a list. Each line becomes an answer.
5. Turn on **Required** if canvassers must answer the question before they can move on.
To change a question's type later, open the question and select its type at the top of the card.
### Use the person's details in a question
You can fill in details about the person being surveyed, for example "Is {Email} still the best email for updates?"
Select the **{ }** button (**Insert contact field**) in the question text, or type `{`, then pick a field: First name, Last name, Email, Mobile, Phone, Work phone, Employer or Occupation. Below the text, **Canvassers see** shows how the question will read with an example contact.
{% hint style="warning" %}
If a person doesn't have that detail, canvassers see placeholder text instead. Word questions so they still read well, and use the **Missing details** preview (Step 3) to check.
{% endhint %}
### Add talking points to answers
Each answer can have its own talking point, like a response to a concern or a next step. Select the speech bubble next to an answer, then fill in **Talking point when chosen**. Canvassers see it under that answer.
### Save answers to the person's NationBuilder profile
Some question types can save the answer straight to the person's profile in NationBuilder. Turn on **Save to NationBuilder profile**, then choose the **Profile field**:
| Question type | Profile fields you can save to |
| ---------------- | ------------------------------------------- |
| **Yes / No** | Volunteer, Text opt-in |
| **Short answer** | First name, Last name, Employer, Occupation |
| **Email** | Email |
| **Phone** | Mobile, Home phone, Work phone |
HQ explains under the toggle what the app will do with each field. Each profile field can only be saved by one question in a survey.
See [Collecting extra profile data](/guide-to-canvassing-and-calls/extended-workflows/collecting-extra-profile-data-eg.-email-address.md) for ideas on using this.
### Reorder, duplicate or delete questions
* Drag a question by its handle to move it.
* Open a question's **⋯** menu to **Move up**, **Move down**, **Move to top**, **Move to bottom**, **Duplicate** or **Delete** it.
If people have already answered a question, HQ asks before you delete it. For big changes to a survey that's already in use, consider making a new survey instead.
### Scripts and talking points
A **Script / talking points** item is text the canvasser reads aloud. It isn't answered or saved. Use scripts to open the conversation, introduce a section, or give instructions.
{% hint style="info" %}
A survey can't end with a script. Always put at least one question after your closing talking points.
{% endhint %}
For more ideas, see [Using surveys as scripts](/guide-to-canvassing-and-calls/extended-workflows/using-advanced-surveys-as-scripts.md).
## Step 3: Preview it as a canvasser
The phone preview shows your survey exactly as volunteers will see it in the FieldEdge app. On smaller screens, select **Preview** to open it.
* Opening a question jumps the preview to it.
* Switch between **Jane Rivera** and **Missing details** to see how contact fields look when a person's details are missing.
* Switch between **One person** and **Several people** to see what happens when a canvasser surveys a whole household at once.
* Select **Restart preview** to start again.
The preview never sends anything to NationBuilder.
## Step 4: Check your survey
HQ checks every survey against how the FieldEdge app reads it. If it finds something, a line appears above your questions, for example **2 things to check**. Select it to see the details.
For each item, HQ explains the problem and, where it can, offers a one-click fix. Fixes only change your draft. Select **Go to question** to jump to the question involved. If more than one item has a simple fix, select **Fix 2 automatically** (or however many there are) to fix them all at once.
HQ looks for things like:
* A survey that ends with a script
* A question with no text, or a choice question with no answers
* Two questions that save to the same profile field
* Older surveys with question settings that don't work as intended in the app
Items that would stop canvassers finishing the survey must be fixed before you can publish. Surveys with these problems show **Needs review** in your Surveys list.
{% hint style="warning" %}
A fix marked **Affects past answers** could change answers people have already given. HQ never applies these automatically, so you can decide.
{% endhint %}
## Step 5: Choose your settings
Open the **Settings** tab. Changes here are saved to your draft until you publish.
* **Name**: what the survey is called.
* **Default survey in FieldEdge**: choose which user types get this survey by default. Under **Make it the default for**, tick **Default users**, **Campaign managers** or **Accountless users**. Turn on **Hide all other surveys** if you want those users to only see this survey.
{% hint style="info" %}
If the survey isn't published yet, or has unpublished changes, a new default waits until you publish. You'll see **Will become default when published** next to that user type. Turning a default off applies right away. You can also set default surveys in [App Customization](/product-tour-or-hq/app-customization.md#default-survey).
{% endhint %}
## Step 6: Publish to NationBuilder
1. Select **Publish to NationBuilder** at the top of the page.
2. Review the summary of your survey.
3. Select **Publish survey**.
4. When you see **Survey created in NationBuilder**, select **Done**.
HQ sets everything up for the FieldEdge app. Canvassers see the survey the next time they open their survey list.
{% hint style="warning" %}
**Having trouble seeing your survey?** If some or all of your users are not seeing the survey, see [Surveys not showing up in FieldEdge](/everything-else/other-guides/surveys-not-showing-up-in-fieldedge.md).
{% endhint %}
## Editing a survey
All of your nation's surveys are listed under **Surveys** in HQ, including surveys you made in NationBuilder. The **Status** column shows where each one is up to:
* **Live in app**: published, with no unpublished changes.
* **Live · 1 unpublished change**: you've made changes in this browser that aren't published yet.
* **Needs review**: HQ found something that stops canvassers finishing the survey.
Select a survey to open it. It opens on **Results**, or on **Questions** if it needs review. You can also use the **⋯** menu on each survey to go straight to **Edit questions**, **View results** or **Settings**.
Make your changes on the **Questions** or **Settings** tab, then select **Publish 1 change** (the button shows how many changes you've made). To throw away your changes instead, select **Discard**.
When you publish changes to a survey people have already answered, HQ groups each change by how it affects those answers:
* **Safe**: for example new questions, new answers, wording changes or reordering.
* **Needs care**: changes to questions or answers people have already answered, such as renaming an answer.
* **Affects existing answers**: for example deleting a question or answer that people have chosen. Tick **I understand this can change or remove answers people already gave** to continue.
Canvassers get the new version the next time they open their survey list. Devices that are offline keep the old version until they reconnect.
## Viewing results
Open a survey's **Results** tab to see live answer counts, individual responses and a CSV export. See [Viewing survey results](/guide-to-canvassing-and-calls/reporting/viewing-survey-results.md).
## Questions about surveys
I already have surveys in NationBuilder. Do I need to rebuild them?
No. Your existing surveys keep working in FieldEdge, and they're listed under **Surveys** in HQ. You can open any of them in the Survey Builder to edit questions, change settings and see results.
If an older survey has settings that don't work as intended in the app, HQ marks it **Needs review** or shows them in the checks panel, often with a one-click fix.
Can someone else on my team see my draft?
No. Drafts are saved in the browser you used, so they aren't shared between computers or team members, and logging out clears them. Publish your survey when it's ready so everyone can see it. Unpublished drafts for new surveys are listed under **Not published yet** on the Surveys page, where you can **Continue** or **Discard** them.
Why are some questions skipped when surveying a whole household?
When a canvasser surveys several people in a household at once, questions that save to the profile are turned off, because each person needs their own answer. Contact fields in question text, like {First name}, show the first listed person's details. Use the **Several people** preview to see how this looks.
When do profile updates show in the app?
After the app reloads the person: when the canvasser restarts the walk, reopens the profile or starts a new call session.
Can I delete a survey from HQ?
No. To delete a survey, do it in NationBuilder.
***
Technical details
**How HQ sets up your survey in NationBuilder**
When you publish, HQ creates a Survey page in NationBuilder on the site you chose, and writes the question codes the FieldEdge app reads. Your survey and its responses are stored in NationBuilder, just like a survey you made there.
**Site and page settings**
These are on the survey's **Settings** tab:
* **Site**: the NationBuilder site the survey page is on. This can't be changed after the survey is created.
* **Where it appears**: choose **Unlisted page** (recommended), so only FieldEdge and people with the link can see it, or **Published on your website** to also show it on your NationBuilder website.
**Tags**
NationBuilder can tag people when they respond. You can add tags at three levels, and start typing to see your nation's existing tags or add a new one:
* **Tags when chosen**: select the speech bubble next to an answer. NationBuilder tags people who pick that answer.
* **Tags when answered**: open a question's **More settings**. NationBuilder tags anyone who answers, whatever they choose.
* **Tag everyone who responds**: on the survey's **Settings** tab.
**Paths, automations, point person and memberships**
These survey actions are set in NationBuilder's control panel. Open the survey in HQ and select **Open in NationBuilder**, or go to the survey's **Settings** tab and select **Open survey in NationBuilder**. Publishing from HQ keeps these actions, except on questions or answers you delete.
**Question codes (slugs)**
FieldEdge features like scripts, multi-select answers, required questions and saving answers to a profile rely on special codes in each question's slug in NationBuilder, such as `script_`, `multiselect_`, `native_` and `_r`. The Survey Builder writes these for you, so you never need to type them. Surveys that already use these codes keep working, and HQ shows them as the matching settings.
If NationBuilder already uses one of the new codes in another survey, HQ renames it and shows **Nothing was published yet**. Review the renamed codes and publish again.
A Volunteer question can't also be required, because its code already uses NationBuilder's 20-character slug limit.
**Creating a survey directly in NationBuilder**
You can still create surveys in NationBuilder, but we recommend the Survey Builder. A survey made in NationBuilder must be attached to a Survey page with an Unlisted or Published status before it shows in FieldEdge. See [Surveys not showing up in FieldEdge](/everything-else/other-guides/surveys-not-showing-up-in-fieldedge.md) and [NationBuilder's article on creating a survey](https://support.nationbuilder.com/en/articles/2306373-create-a-survey). To use FieldEdge features on a survey made this way, open it in HQ and turn the settings on there.