Use a Short Text question when you need respondents to enter a brief answer, especially when the response must follow a specific format such as a date, mobile number, phone number, numerical identifier, or text written in English letters.
When you select a response pattern, Porsline checks the respondent's entry against that format. If the value does not match, a validation message appears and the respondent must correct the answer before continuing.
If you need respondents to enter a paragraph, explanation, or other detailed written response, use Long Text instead.
How to add a Short Text question
Open the survey you want to edit from My Surveys, or create a new survey.
In the Create phase, open the question list and select Short Text. The available response patterns for this question type will appear.
Choose the pattern that matches the data you want to collect, then click it or drag and drop it into the required position in your survey.
How to write the question Label
Enter the question text as you want respondents to see it.
You can also type @ to insert an answer from a previous question or a Custom Variable into the question text.
For example:
Thanks, @Name. What is your preferred contact number?
The same option is available in the question description.
For more guidance on using previous answers and Custom Variables, see the Porsline video tutorials.
When should you use the description?
Use the description when respondents need additional instructions about how to enter their answer.
For example, if the question is:
Enter your mobile number.
you could add:
Include the country code and do not use spaces.
For a date question, you can make the expected format explicit:
Enter the date as YYYY/MM/DD.
If the required format is already clear from the question and the selected response pattern, you can leave the description empty.
You can also use @ in the description to insert a previous answer or a Custom Variable.
What Short Text patterns are available?
The available Short Text patterns include:
| Pattern | When to use it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Text | A short answer that does not need another predefined pattern | Sales Department |
| Date | A date in the required format | 2026/08/16 |
| Mobile number | A mobile phone number | 447537155495 |
| Phone number | A phone number | 18335920021 |
| Numerical Characters | A numerical identifier such as an account number or national code | 1234567890 |
| English letters | Text that should be entered using English letters | Customer Service |
| Time | A time value | 11:11:11 |
| Custom Pattern | A format you define using Regex | {RegEx Pattern} |
Choose the pattern based on the type of data you are collecting.
For example, an account number may contain only digits, but it is an identifier rather than a quantitative value. In that case, Numerical Characters is more appropriate than a Number question.
How to use the Text pattern
Select Text when you need a short response that does not need to match one of the other predefined patterns.
You might use it for:
- A department name
- A short internal code
- A brief note
- Another short response without strict format validation
For longer written responses, use Long Text.
How to use the Date pattern
Select Date when respondents need to enter a date.
The field shows the required format as: YYYY/MM/DD
Example: 2026/08/16
If your respondents may be familiar with different date formats, repeat the required format in the description.
When to use Mobile number and Phone number
Select Mobile number when you are collecting a mobile number.
Use Phone number for other phone numbers.
If respondents need to include a country code or follow another specific format, mention that in the description.
For example: “Enter your mobile number with the country code and without spaces.”
How to use Numerical Characters
Use Numerical Characters when the answer should contain digits but represents an identifier rather than a number intended for calculation.
Examples include:
- Account numbers.
- National codes.
- Student numbers.
- Employee IDs.
- Membership numbers.
- Internal numerical identifiers.
If the identifier must follow a more specific format, such as an exact number of digits or a fixed prefix, use Custom Pattern and define the required format with Regex.
How to use English letters
Select English letters when the response should be entered using English letters.
Example: “Customer Service”
This can be useful when you need names, department labels, or other text fields to follow a consistent format.
How to use the Time pattern
Select Time when you need respondents to enter a time value.
Example: 11:11:11
Your question can specify what the time refers to, for example: “What time does your appointment start?”
or: “What time did you arrive at the event?”
Add a description if respondents need to follow a specific time format.
How to use a Custom Pattern with Regex
If none of the predefined patterns matches the format you need, select Custom Pattern.
This option lets you define the accepted input using a regular expression, or Regex.
You can use Regex to require:
- A fixed number of characters or digits.
- A specific beginning or ending.
- A defined combination of letters and numbers.
- A limited set of accepted characters.
- An internal identifier format used by your organisation.
Enter the Regex pattern in the relevant field, then test the question before sharing your survey.
Check at least one value that should be accepted and one that should be rejected to make sure the pattern works as intended.
If you are not familiar with regular expressions, review the Regex guide before creating a complex Custom Pattern.
How to customise the validation message
If a respondent enters a value that does not match the selected pattern, Porsline displays a validation message.
You can keep the default message or replace it with instructions specific to the question.
Instead of:
Invalid answer.
use a message that explains what needs to be corrected, such as:
Enter the mobile number without spaces.
For a date:
Enter the date in YYYY/MM/DD format.
For an English-letter field:
Use English letters only.
A clear validation message helps respondents correct the answer without having to guess what format is expected.
How to add an image or video
Enable Image or Video in the question settings when the question needs supporting visual content.
Add an image
Select Image, click Choose, and select the file from your device.
The image must be JPG, PNG, or GIF 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 layout for mobile and desktop
After adding an image, you can set its position separately for mobile and desktop.
Open the layout settings and choose how the image should appear on each device.
Use Preview to check the question before sharing the survey.
How to make the question required
Enable Required when respondents must answer the question before submitting the survey.
If a required question is left unanswered, the respondent will see a Review button at the end of the form. Clicking it takes them back to the required questions they missed.
How to hide the question number
Enable Hide question number if you do not want the question number to appear to respondents.
This does not change the question's position in the survey. It only hides the number.
How to view and export Short Text responses
Once your survey starts receiving responses, go to the Results phase and open the Results Table.
The answers to the Short Text question appear in its corresponding column.
Use Export to download the responses in Excel or CSV format.
Short Text responses are text-based rather than quantitative, so Porsline does not display a chart for this question by default. In Charts, you will see a message indicating that there is no quantitative data available for visualisation.
When should you use a Short Text question?
Use Short Text when you need a brief response and, when necessary, want to control the format of the value respondents enter.
Choose a predefined response pattern when it already matches the data you need. Use Custom Pattern with Regex when the answer must follow a more specific format.
If the response represents a quantitative value that you want to calculate or analyse, use a Number question instead. For longer written responses, use Long Text.
If you need help setting up a Short Text question or response pattern, contact us at [email protected].