Export Formats#
The Export menu produces documents and data from the open survey. Every export first runs the validation checks. The Specification, Paper Form, and DDI 3.3 exports proceed whatever the checks find; the Blaise 5 export refuses a survey with errors, as described in Validation Checks. The PDF exports print the question numbers the canvas shows; see Question Numbers.
Specification PDF#
The Specification is a complete technical description of the survey for review and archiving. It documents every item in order with question numbers, internal names, response domains, display logic, and instructions, and it closes with an appendix of the survey’s output variables.
Paper Form PDF#
The Paper Form is a printable respondent-facing questionnaire, with tick boxes for choices, ruled spaces for written answers, and rendered grids. Internal metadata such as names and logic is omitted; described conditions appear as respondent guidance where appropriate.
The PDF Options Dialog#
Both PDF exports share one options dialog.
Setting |
Description |
|---|---|
Save as |
The output file, with Browse…. |
Language |
The survey language to render. |
Style |
Monograph (serif, book-like) or Registry (sans-serif). |
Paper size |
Letter or A4. |
Organization |
A name shown in the document’s masthead; leave blank for none. |
Logo |
An image for the masthead, with Browse… and Clear. |
A single section can also be exported as a PDF from its section header on the canvas; question numbering stays consistent with the full survey.
DDI 3.3#
The DDI 3.3 export writes the survey as a DDI Lifecycle 3.3 fragment file. The file contains every item of the survey with its identifiers and versions, and it can be imported by other DDI tools, including Colectica Designer and Colectica Repository. See How Surveys Are Stored and Versioned for what the items and identifiers mean.
Blaise 5#
Note
This feature is available in Blaise Colectica Questionnaires.
The Blaise 5 export generates Blaise source code for the survey. It is the one export that validation can stop: when the survey has an error, or a question that produces no output, the export shows a message counting the issues and the validation rail lists them, instead of its options dialog. See Generate a Blaise 5 Survey.