Online Help

The existing online help system has been replaced by a new set of files that describe all features supported by version 2.5. The new system is HTML based, contains lots of pictures, is easy to search, and has an index. The software patch will copy the new help files to any system that has the 2.5 Design Studio, CAPI, Data Entry, or Warehouse Manager installed.

Encryption

A new encryption option called “Key exchange” encryption has been added to QDS that provides 128-bit AES encryption for interview data collected by HAPI, ACASI, and CAPI. To use this feature, the survey designer turns on the option in the Design Studio under Options|Interview|Security. A read password will also be specified with this feature. The data manager appends his personal public key (based upon his Windows login account information) to the control file from the Warehouse Manager under Tools|Key Exchange|Prepare Control File.

During interview administration, the entire file is encrypted using a random AES encryption key and saved with a file extension of .QED. When the data is ready to be warehoused, the Warehouse Manager can only decrypt the .QED file if the data manager logged into the operating system is the same user that added his public key to the corresponding control file.

Warehouse Manager

A new File function called “Add data files” allows multiple data files (*.QAD, *.QPD, or *.QED) to be copied at the same time to a local warehouse file. This feature combines the File | Open and Edit | Copy to Warehouse commands into a single step.

HAPI

HAPI has been enhanced to support audio playback using .wav files. The .wav files may reside in main memory within a subfolder of "My Documents" or on a storage card. Audio playback is always interruptible and limited to the main text for each question screen, information screen, and edit element. Audio file playback for response buttons is not supported by this upgrade.

ACASI

Problem:

Description:

DECtalk text-to-speech engine would sometimes stop “speaking” when reading a list of response items.

When the “read choices” option has been set, DECtalk text-to-speech normally reads the text of each response button. However, when it encountered a blank response item, it would simply stop talking, and, in the case where “audio interruptible” option was turned off, the user was unable to select any buttons after the blank item. This has been fixed so that the program now ignores blank buttons and reads all non-blank choices.

Data Entry

Problem:

Description:

Substitution tokens inside the message field of an Edit element were not handled correctly.

Previously, if the user placed a substitution token inside the message field of an Edit element, the text of the message always referenced the first variable in the survey. Now, the appropriate variable is referenced in the message.

Data Entry program did not correctly validate date and time of day responses.

If the range for a date or time of day response started with “CURRENT”, the program would always display an error message when the user typed a valid response for the question. When the range ended with “CURRENT”, the program accepted any input, even if the input was out of range. This has been fixed so that the program now validates the input correctly, only displaying an error message when the input is out of range.

When user attempted to modify previously skipped date, time of day, or time span responses, the program always displayed an error message.

If the user returned to a date, time of day, or time span question that was previously skipped, the program displayed an error message as soon as the user typed a valid response in the first field for the question. Now, the user can enter a normal response for each sub-component, and the program only issues an error if a particular sub-component is invalid (such as “13” for month) or, if after all sub-components are entered, the composite variable is out of range.

Data Entry program allowed users to modify parts of a previously skipped composite response.

If the user returned to a date, time of day, time span, or check-each question that was previously skipped, the program did not display an error message when only some of the fields were modified. Now when the user attempts to tab forward from a response where some sub-components contain an “.S” and others do not, the program issues an error message.

Data Entry program allowed user to enter skip codes directly into input fields.

Previously, the user could enter the numeric value for a Skip code or Alternate Skip code as valid response data. Now, the program issues an error message when this occurs, except in the case where the numeric value for a Skip matches the numeric code for another special response, such as Not Applicable.

Data Entry program was not consistent in accepting special codes as input for date, time of day, and time span responses.

Previously, the Data Entry program sometimes displayed an error message when the user entered a numeric code for a Don’t Know, Refuse to Answer, or Not Applicable response instead of selecting the .D, .R, and .N toolbar buttons. Now the user can enter a special code into date, time of day, and time span response items using either the appropriate numeric code or by selecting the .D, .R., or .N toolbar buttons.

Data Entry fields were sometimes too narrow to completely display text entered in upper case.

If the user entered all capital letters into a fairly narrow field, causing the field to be filled, the program would automatically scroll to the right. Although no text was dropped, it would look like the user hadn’t entered anything or only the last few letters. This has been addressed by making the input fields somewhat wider.

The “Display all codes” build option did not work.

If the survey designer checked the “Display all codes” build option, the Data Entry program did not behave any differently. Now, when this option is turned on, the program automatically opens the code list dialog box for every Gender, Yes/No, and Pick-One question in the survey. The code list box remains open until the user selects an item from the list (via the keyboard or mouse) or closes the box.

HAPI

Problem:

Description:

The keyboard commands for “Next Question” and “Previous Question” failed to work.

Previous to version 2.5 R3, the user could press the Enter key on an attached keyboard to activate the “Next Question” icon on the HAPI menu bar and press Ctrl-B to activate “Previous Question”. The program has been fixed so that these keys now work properly. In addition, Ctrl-R now activates the “Repeat Question” icon used for audio playback.

Warehouse Manager

Problem:

Description:

The Warehouse Manager did not drop embedded carriage returns from response data during export to ASCII text causing the data for a single interview to be split over more than one line.

The Warehouse Manager now eliminates any extraneous carriage returns.

Warehouse Manager sometimes crashed when attempting to copy a password-protected data file to the local warehouse.

The crash occurred after the user selected Edit | Copy to Warehouse and then entered the read password for the source file. The problem was due to the fact that a badly formatted block was encountered, and the Warehouse Manager was not able to recover from the error. Now, if an error occurs while reading the source data, the program skips the invalid data and is able to successfully copy the rest of the data file.

Warehouse Manager did not correctly validate modifications made to date and time of day responses.

If the earliest date or earliest time for an element was defined as “CURRENT”, the program always issued an error message when the data manager entered any new response. If the latest date or latest time was defined as “CURRENT”, the program accepted any input as valid, even if it was past the current date or time. Now, the program correctly determines whether the modified response lies with the defined range and only displays an error message when the input is out of range.

QDS Data to ASCII Utility

Problem:

Description:

The Data to ASCII utility program did not drop embedded carriage returns from response data when converting data to ASCII text causing the output for a single interview to be split over more than one line.

The QDA program now eliminates any extraneous carriage returns.