Why Set Rules for Your Google Forms?
Setting rules in Google Forms is crucial for data accuracy and user experience. By implementing response validation, you control the format and type of answers, minimizing errors and ensuring you receive the information you need.
This guide provides a comprehensive overview of setting up and using response validation for various question types within Google Forms. Follow along to enhance the quality of your data collection and make your forms more user-friendly.
Setup How to Set Rules in Google Forms
To set up rules, start by opening your form in Google Forms and clicking the question you want to modify. Select the question type from the right, such as Short answer, Paragraph, Multiple choice, Checkboxes, or Grid. Then, click the three dots (More options) at the bottom of the question's settings and select 'Response validation'.
Choose the type of rule you want to apply. The options available depend on the question type selected. You can also add a custom error message, which will appear when the respondent's answer doesn't follow the rules. This allows for more specific instructions and a better user experience. For instance, you can limit responses to 200 words.
Short Answer Rules for Questions
Short answer questions offer a variety of response validation options:
Number: Ensure answers contain a specific number using options such as 'greater than', 'less than', or 'between'.
Text: Validate answers based on specific text content or format (e.g., 'contains' the word 'candy', or requires a valid email format).
Length: Set minimum and maximum character counts for answers.
Regular Expression: Use regular expressions to require answers to match complex patterns (e.g., 10-digit phone numbers, zip codes, or specific formats).
Paragraph Rules for Questions
Paragraph questions also benefit from response validation:
Length: Control the length of responses with minimum and maximum character counts.
Regular Expression: Enforce complex patterns using regular expressions, similar to short answer questions. (e.g., 10-digit phone numbers)
Checkboxes Rules for Checkbox Questions
Checkbox questions have different validation rules:
Select at least: Set a minimum number of checkboxes that must be selected.
Select at most: Set a maximum number of checkboxes that can be selected.
Select exactly: Specify the exact number of checkboxes that must be selected.
“Response validation isn't just about error prevention; it's about ensuring the integrity of your data and a better experience for your respondents.
Google Forms Expert
Enhance Your Forms
Explore these interactive Google Forms features:
Custom Error Messages
Provide specific guidance to users with tailored error messages, improving form usability.
Diverse Question Types
Use different question types to get accurate data using text, numbers, dates, and more.
Regular Expressions Power
Harness the power of regular expressions to enforce complex patterns in your responses.
Grid Rules for Multiple Choice and Checkbox Grid Questions
For Multiple Choice Grid and Checkbox Grid questions:
Require a response in each row: Ensure respondents answer every row to prevent incomplete submissions.
Limit to one response per column: Prevent respondents from selecting multiple choices in the same column.
Shuffle row order: Randomize the order of rows to reduce bias.
Regular Understanding Expressions
Regular expressions are powerful tools for pattern matching. They allow you to define complex rules for validating text answers.
Here's a table of key expressions (with examples) that you can use in Google Forms:
| Expression | Description | Example | Matches | Doesn't match |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| . | Any character in the given position | d.g | dog, dig, dug | fog, dg |
| * | Preceding character repeated 0 or more times | do*g | dog, dg, doooog | dOg |
| + | Preceding character repeated 1 or more times | do+g | dog, doooog | dg, dOg |
| ? | Preceding expression is optional | do?g | dg, dog | dOg |
| ^ | String starts with the character(s) | ^[dh]og | dog, hog | A dog |
| $ | String ends with the character(s) | [dh]og$ | dog, hog | dogs |
| {A, B} | Repeated between A and B times | d(o{1,2})g | dog, doog | dg, doooog |
| [x], [xa], [xa5] | Character set, one of the given characters | d[ou]g | dog, dug | dg, dOg |
| [a-z] | Character set range, character in range | d[o-u]g | dog, dug, dpg | dg, dOg |
| [^a-fDEF] | Character set not within the given set | d[^aeu]g | dog, dOg, dig | dg, dag |
| \s | Any white space character | d\sg | d g | dg, dog |
These are powerful, and can be used in Short Answer and Paragraph Questions to create sophisticated data validation.
Examples Real-World Regular Expression
Here are some practical regular expression examples:
Dollar amounts: \$\d{1,3}(,\d{3})*(\.\d{2})? - Matches US dollar amounts (e.g., $123, $1,234.56).
US zip codes: ^\d{5}(-\d{4})?$ - Matches standard and extended US zip codes.
Names starting with lowercase letters: ^[a-z].* - Matches names beginning with a lowercase letter.