Creating a custom login page

When you create a questionnaire for the Web, you can require respondents to manually log in. The login page can be customized as required in Snap Professional.

If you need respondents to log in manually to access a questionnaire you will need to set up a login page in Snap. You must have a database list of respondents with a unique ID that they will use to log in. This ID must be seeded into the survey using a database link, so that Snap WebHost can compare the respondent login to the login in the database list. The Paradata variable Respondent must be used for the login question and you can also add the Password paradata if you are usng a password in the login too. Both these variables can be formatted to look the way your desire.

Summary of steps

1. Setting up the database link to include your respondents
2. Selecting a database link and adding Respondent paradata
3. Customize the login page as desired
4. Publish the questionnaire

Step 1: Setting up the database link to include your respondents

To be able to use a login page, you must seed the survey with a respondents login id, so that Snap WebHost can match the correct logins (and passwords if used).

1. Open the survey in Data Entry mode in Snap Professional.
2. Select File | Database Links to display the Database Link dialog box.
3. Click [New…] to create a new database link. The Database Wizard dialog is displayed.
4. Click on the WebHost Invites/Logins/Seeding radio button.
5. Click [Next>]. The Database linkage dialog is displayed.
6. Click [Select Database File…] and browse to the Excel or MS Access file containing the respondent IDs and data
   OR
   Click [Build Data Link…] to build a link to an SQL Database with the same information.
7. If you wish to filter the respondents so that this survey is only available to some members of the database, set an appropriate filter in the Where condition box. Click [Next>].
   
8. Select the ‘Log in respondent (track respondent in WebHost for emails/reminders/seeding)’ radio button and then select the unique respondent ID field from the Login field dropdown list. This will be used to set up the Respondents in Snap WebHost. If you also wish to include a password on the login page, select the password field from the Password field dropdown list. Now select the Send email invitations and reminders tick box if you wish WebHost to send out the email invitations and reminders for you. Also tick the Seed database data into questionnaires if you wish to seed fields from your database into the survey for each respondent.
   
   If you wish to identify your respondents in the data ensure that ‘Identify respondents in the response data’ is selected. Click [Next>].
9. Set up your email invitation and reminder then ensure the ‘Show a login page’ radio button is selected. Click [Next>].
10. Enter a name for the link and click [Finish] then [Close].

Step 2: Selecting the database link.

1. In Questionnaire design mode, click to go to the Questionnaire properties page.
2. Select the Data link section in the left-hand panel. (Note that this is only available for a Snap WebHost edition.)
3. Select the previously created link to the respondent database in the Database link drop-down list.
4. Now scroll to Paradata in the left-hand panel of the Questionnaire Properties dialog box. Click Respondent and check the Use in survey box.
   
   To include the password paradata variable, click Password and check the Use in survey box.
5. Click [OK] to retain settings.
6. The Respondent and, if required, the Password Paradata variables will have been inserted at the top of the questionnaire.
   

Step 3: Customize the login page as desired

Now you can edit the question text for the Respondent and Password paradata variables, so that they appear as you require.

1. Select the Respondent question and edit the text as required.
2. Repeat for the Password question.
   
3. Click the button to add any further Instructions to the questionnaire. Type any text you would like, or add an image e.g. a logo.
4. Insert a pagebreak before the first survey question. (The only questions allowed on the login page are the Respondent and Password paradata questions.)
   

Step 4: Publishing the questionnaire

Once you have set up the login page within Snap Professional you can publish the questionnaire.

1. Select File | Publish or [Ctrl] [Shift] W to open the publish dialog.
2. Publish the questionnaire as normal. If you wish, check the paradata to confirm that you have added them correctly.

If there is a topic you would like a worksheet on, email to snapideas@snapsurveys.com