structure of data entry

Just a couple of other things I am noticing on the webform module, in case they may be helpful. What we are mostly looking for is a module that will allow us to develop surveys, collect data, and analyze that data easily. So we are mostly concerned with how the database is structured. The biggest challenge is with multiple response questions. One of the issues is with the serialized arrays, which you have already explained. I am just learning PHP and think I can figure out how to unserialize them so we don't have to strip out those codes by hand. The other challenge is that, when users check multiple boxes, all of their responses are included as a single database response. For our purposes, we need each check box to be listed as a response to a separate variable. So a question with four possible responses would actually be treated as four separate database variables. We also confronted this challenge with the Drupal profile form. What we did there was to cheat the format, making it appear as if the registration form contained a multiple checkbox array when they were actually separate questions (you can see it at http://coserver.uhw.utoledo.edu/pubsoc). I have not figured out how to do that in the webform module because the question box is also the database label (which are kept separate in the profile module), so it can't be left blank. Also, single response items in the webform module use radio buttons rather than checkboxes, making it hard to uncheck an item (we would have to use yes-no radio buttons for each choice).

The database structure created by PHPSurveyor is an example of the kind of thing we are looking for.

Again, just thoughts from someone who is looking at the module from the perspective of survey data collection. Thanks again for all your work on this.

Randy Stoecker