Character fields for Other Specify
The character fields that you use to collect an Other Specify response to a category differ from the character fields in Looks for open-ended questions:
▪You use the mr Category Other Specify Answer character style to identify the Other Specify character field.
▪You frequently use a conditional display or conditional substitution character style to create instructional text.
▪When you create an Other Specify character field using a masked control, you must apply the mr Category Other Specify Object character style to it. This is the method you must use in scanning-enabled Looks.
Usually, Other Specify character fields are displayed along with a standard phrase such as Please write in. The standard phrase is defined in the mr Category Other Specify Text conditional substitution character style.
Example
You want the standard phrase Please write in to appear before the Other Specify character field. This standard phrase is the text defined in the mr Category Other Specify Text conditional substitution character style for categories that have an Other Specify defined.
In the Look, you type the following:
myPlaceHolder ________________
You apply the mr Category Other Specify Text conditional substitution character style to the placeholder and the mr Category Other Specify Answer identification character style to the line. When you apply the Look, UNICOM Intelligence Interviewer - Paper displays the following for categories with Other Specify:
Please write in ________________
If you create a categorical Look that has more than one category row in the answer portion, or more than one column for the category list, you must place the Other Specify placeholders and character field on each category in the Look. If you do not, the Other Specify text and character field appear only when the category has an Other Specify and the position of the category matches the position of the Other Specify information in the Look.
For example, suppose your Look has two rows for the answer portion and you have category replication set to replicate both of these rows, but only the second row has the Other Specify information. When you apply the Look to a question that has 7 categories, the Other Specify character field only shows on Other Specify categories if they are in one of the even numbered rows (that is, rows 2, 4, and 6). If the 7th category has an Other Specify, the Other Specify character field is not displayed.
See also