Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to common questions about Community Surveys. If you don't find what you're looking for, check the support forum.

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Getting Started

How do I create my first survey?

1. Go to Components → Community Surveys → Surveys
2. Click New in the toolbar
3. Enter a title and select a category
4. Click Save & Close
5. Click Edit Questions to add your questions
6. Add questions by clicking or dragging from the toolbar
7. Click Finish when done

For a complete walkthrough, see the User Guide.

What question types are available?

Community Surveys 7.0 includes 25+ question types:

Category	Types
Choice	Radio, Checkbox, Dropdown, Image Choice, SQL Query
Scale	Slider, NPS, Likert, Ranking, Multi-Rating
Grid	Radio Grid, Checkbox Grid, Matching
Text	Single Line, Multi-line, Rich Text, Password, Multiple Input
Special	Name, Email, Date/Time, Address, Location, File Upload, Signature, Hidden

Can I create surveys from the frontend?

Yes, if you have the Create permission enabled for your user group:

1. Go to Components → Community Surveys → Options
2. Click the Permissions tab
3. Set Create to Allowed for the desired user group
4. Create a menu item with Surveys Home Layout or My Surveys view

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Permissions & Access

My users get "Unauthorized" error when taking a survey

Check these settings:

1. Component Permissions

   • Go to Components → Community Surveys → Options → Permissions
   • Ensure Respond to Surveys is allowed for the user's group

2. Category Permissions

   • Edit the survey's category
   • Check the Permissions tab
   • Ensure access is not restricted

3. Survey Access Level

   • Edit the survey
   • Check the Access field matches your user's view level

4. Menu Item Access

   • Verify your survey menu item's access level

How do I allow guest users to take surveys?

1. Go to Components → Community Surveys → Options
2. Click the Permissions tab
3. Find the Public user group
4. Set Respond to Surveys to Allowed
5. Click Save & Close

Anonymous vs Guest

Guest users can take surveys, but their responses won't be linked to a user account. For truly anonymous surveys, also enable the Anonymous Survey option when creating the survey.

How do I set up permissions correctly?

Permission levels in order of priority:

1. Component Options — Default permissions for all surveys
2. Category Permissions — Override for specific categories
3. Survey Settings — Access level for individual surveys

Permission	Description
Configure	Edit component options
Access Administration	Access backend
Create	Create new surveys
Delete	Delete surveys
Edit	Edit any survey
Edit State	Publish/unpublish
Edit Own	Edit own surveys only
Respond to Surveys	Take surveys
View Results	See consolidated reports

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Response Limits & Restrictions

How do I prevent duplicate responses?

Multiple methods are available when creating/editing a survey:

Method	How It Works	Best For
Cookie	Stores browser cookie	Anonymous surveys, casual prevention
IP Address	Tracks respondent IP	Non-anonymous surveys, static IPs
Username	Checks logged-in user	Registered users only
Unique URLs	One-time-use links	Email campaigns, invitations

See Restricting Multiple Responses for details.

My survey says "no credits available"

This appears when using the points system:

1. The survey owner doesn't have enough points
2. Points system is enabled but not properly configured

To fix:

• Disable points system in Options if not needed
• Ensure survey owner has sufficient points
• Check points plugin is installed and configured

How do I limit the number of responses?

When creating or editing a survey:

1. Find the Maximum Responses field
2. Enter a number (e.g., 100)
3. Leave blank for unlimited

The survey automatically closes when the limit is reached.

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Survey Flow & Logic

How do I create branching surveys?

Use Conditional Rules:

1. Edit your survey questions
2. Add a choice question (Radio, Checkbox, etc.)
3. Click the Conditional Rules tab
4. Create rules like:
   • If user selects "Yes" → Skip to Page 3
   • If user selects "No" → Finalize response

Why is my survey creating an infinite loop?

This usually happens when:

1. Missing home page — No "Surveys Home Layout" menu item exists
2. Redirect loop — Survey redirects back to itself

Solution:

• Create a Surveys Home Layout menu item (can be hidden from menus)
• Check your redirect URL settings
• Verify conditional rules don't create circular paths

Can I randomize question order?

Yes, when editing the survey:

1. Open the survey settings
2. Find Randomize Questions option
3. Choose: None, Per Page, All Pages

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Reports & Data

How do I view survey results?

1. Go to Components → Community Surveys → Surveys
2. Click Reports on your survey (or the reports icon)
3. Choose:
   • Dashboard — Overview and individual responses
   • Consolidated Report — Aggregate statistics and charts
   • Export — Download as CSV, PDF, or Excel

Can I export responses to Excel?

Yes, multiple export options are available:

1. Go to your survey's Reports section
2. Click Export button
3. Choose format:
   • CSV — Universal spreadsheet format, comma-separated values
   • PDF — Formatted report document

How do I sync responses to Google Sheets?

1. Set up Google API credentials (Google Sheets Setup)
2. Configure credentials in Component Options
3. Go to your survey → Integrations
4. Add Google Sheets integration
5. Connect and configure spreadsheet

See Survey Integrations for complete guide.

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Technical Issues

Survey not displaying on the frontend

Check these common causes:

Issue	Solution
Survey unpublished	Publish the survey
Category unpublished	Publish the category
Wrong access level	Match access to user's view level
Date restrictions	Check start/close dates
No menu item	Create appropriate menu item

Responses not saving

1. Check server logs for PHP errors
2. Database permissions — Ensure write access
3. Session issues — Clear cache and try again
4. JavaScript errors — Check browser console
5. Required fields — Ensure all mandatory questions are answered

File uploads failing

Issue	Solution
File too large	Increase upload_max_filesize in PHP
Wrong file type	Check allowed extensions in question settings
Permission denied	Ensure upload folder is writable
Disk space	Verify server has available space

Maps not working on Location questions

1. Verify Google Maps API key is entered in Options
2. Check that required APIs are enabled (Maps, Geocoding, Places)
3. Ensure your domain is in the API key's allowed referrers
4. Check browser console for specific error messages

See Map Location Questions for setup guide.

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Email & Notifications

How do I send survey invitations?

Multiple methods available:

1. Built-in Email — Components → Community Surveys → [Survey] → Invite
2. Unique URLs — Generate trackable one-time links
3. AcyMailing Integration — Include surveys in newsletters

See Inviting Users for details.

How do I get notified of new responses?

1. Edit your survey
2. Go to the Notifications tab
3. Configure:
   • Admin notification — Email when response received
   • Recipient emails — Who receives notifications
   • Email template — Customize notification content

See Email Notifications.

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Integration & Extensions

Can I embed surveys in articles?

Yes, use the content plugin:

{LOADSURVEY [id: 123]}

Replace 123 with your survey ID. See Display in Articles.

Does it integrate with other components?

Supported integrations:

Type	Supported
User Profiles	JomSocial, EasySocial, Community Builder
Avatars	JomSocial, EasySocial, Gravatar
Points	CjBlog, JomSocial, EasySocial, AlphaUserPoints
Email	AcyMailing
External	Google Sheets, Webhooks (Zapier, Make, etc.)

Can I use webhooks to connect to other services?

Yes, Community Surveys 7.0+ includes webhook integration:

1. Go to survey → Integrations
2. Add Webhook integration
3. Enter your webhook URL (Zapier, Make, custom API)
4. Configure authentication if needed

See Survey Integrations.

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Multilingual & Translation

Can I create surveys in multiple languages?

Yes, Community Surveys supports multilingual surveys:

1. Enable translation on your survey
2. Add language versions
3. Translate questions, options, and messages
4. Users see the survey in their language

See Translating Surveys.

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Migration & Backup

How do I move a survey to another site?

Use the import/export feature:

1. Go to survey Reports → Export Survey
2. Download the JSON file
3. On the new site, go to Surveys → Import
4. Upload the JSON file

See Import/Export Surveys.

How do I backup my surveys?

Options for backup:

1. Export individual surveys — JSON format includes all questions
2. Database backup — Full Joomla database backup
3. File backup — Include media folder for uploaded files

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Still Need Help?

• Complete User Guide
• Installation Guide
• Changelog
• Support Forum