multiLevelDown()

void multiLevelDown(string QuestionnaireIdentifier, [mixed Data])

The function multiLevelDown() starts the questionnaire with the identifier questionnaireID and passes any specified data to the child questionnaire.

Note: The multiLevelDown() command terminates the execution of the current PHP code and questionnaire page and jumps directly to the child questionnaire.

When the participant finishes the subordinate questionnaire (reaching the last page or using multiLevelReturn()), he returns to the main questionnaire in which multiLevelDown() was used.

The use of this function is described in chapter Multi-Level Structurereal multilevel design.

Assignment

By multiLevelDown() another case is created in the data set, in which the data from the subordinate questionnaire are stored.

The case number (CASE) of the parent case is noted in all subordinate cases of an interview in the variable REF. For example, if within one interview of the questionnaire “main” three subordinate cases of the questionnaire “sub” are created, the data structure could look like this:

CASEQUESTNNRREFDescription
1 main Participant A (parent questionnaire)
2 sub 1Participant A (subordinate questionnaire 1)
5 sub 1Participant A (subordinate questionnaire 2)
7 sub 1Participant A (subordinate questionnaire 3)

The cases are not necessarily directly below each other in the data set. If other interviews start between the creation of the subordinate questionnaires, they will stand between the cases, for example:

CASEQUESTNNRREFDescription
1 main Participant A (parent questionnaire)
2 sub 1Participant A (subordinate questionnaire 1)
3 main Participant B (superordinate questionnaire)
4 main Participant C (superordinate questionnaire)
5 sub 1Participant A (subordinate questionnaire 2)
6 sub 3Participant B (subordinate questionnaire 1)
7 sub 1Participant A (subordinate questionnaire 3)