Use a Long Text question when respondents need space to provide a detailed, open-ended answer without a fixed response pattern.
It is suitable for feedback, complaints, suggestions, explanations, comments, and other responses that require more detail than a Short Text answer.
If you only need a brief response or want the answer to follow a specific format, use Short Text instead.
How to add a Long Text question
Open the survey you want to edit from My Surveys, or create a new survey.
In the Create phase, select Long Text from the list of available question types.
Click it to add the question, or drag and drop it into the position you want.
How to set the title of a Long Text question
In the Title field, enter the question text you want respondents to see.
You can type @ in the title to insert an answer from a previous question or a Custom Variable. This can help personalise the question using information already available in the survey.
For example:
Please explain the reason for your previous rating.
To learn more about using previous answers and Custom Variables, see the Porsline video tutorials, including the Answer and Score Piping tutorial.
When should you use the description?
Use the Description field when respondents need additional guidance before writing their answer.
For example, if the question asks for a residential address, you could add:
Enter the address, including the street name and building number.
You can also type @ in the description to display an answer from a previous question or a Custom Variable.
How to add an image or video
Enable Image or Video when the question needs supporting visual content.
Add an image
- Select Image.
- Click Choose.
- Select the image from your device.
The image must be in JPG, PNG, or GIF format and no larger than 2 MB.
Add a video
Select Video, then enter the direct video link in the relevant field.
Use a link that meets the field requirements and is accessible to respondents.
How to adjust the question layout on mobile and desktop
After adding an image or video, you can adjust how the media appears separately on mobile and desktop.
Use the layout settings to choose a suitable position for the media on each device.
Before publishing, review both layouts to make sure the question text and media remain clear and easy to view.
How to make the answer required
Enable Answering this question is required when respondents must answer the Long Text question before submitting the survey.
If a required question is left unanswered, a Review button appears at the end of the form and helps respondents return to the required questions they still need to answer.
How to hide the question number
If you do not want the question number to appear in the form or survey, enable “Hide question number.”
How to view and export Long Text responses
Go to the Reports phase, then open the Results Table.
You can review Long Text responses in the corresponding question column for each submitted response.
To download the responses, click Export and choose Excel or CSV.
Because Long Text responses are text-based rather than quantitative, no chart is displayed for this question by default. In Charts, you will see a message indicating that there is no quantitative data available to display as a chart.
When should you use a Long Text question?
Use Long Text when respondents need enough space to explain an experience, provide detailed feedback, describe a problem, or share a suggestion in their own words.
If you only need a short response or need the answer to follow a specific format, use Short Text instead.
If you prefer to start from an existing structure rather than building a survey from scratch, browse the Porsline survey and form templates and choose the template closest to your use case.
For an overview of other available question formats, review the Guide to Question Types in Porsline Forms, Surveys, and Quizzes.
If you need help setting up a Long Text question, contact us at [email protected].