Short text, long text, email, phone, and ZIP/postal code questions collect open-ended or validated contact data. Use them for names, comments, and fields where format matters.
In the builder, Short and Long are one question called Text Entry. Add it from the Standard group: clicking the card adds a Short question, and the ▾ menu on the card adds Short or Long directly.
To change an existing question, open its Settings tab and use Text Length. After you confirm, the question is replaced by the other length, with a new question number. Its text and settings carry over, and logic, piping and quotas that used it move to the new question. Answers already collected stay saved with the original question; as with deleting a question, they no longer appear in HM Admin results once the survey is published again. Comments stay with the original question. A Short question set to Numeric Entry cannot switch to Long, because Long has no numeric mode: set its Answer Type back to Text first.
Text Entry — Short#
A single-line text field for brief, open-ended responses.
When to use it:
- Collecting names, codes, or one-word answers.
- Any question where a short phrase is enough.
Numeric Entry#
Short text has two answer types, chosen in the question's Settings tab under Answer Type:
- Text — the default. Respondents can type anything.
- Numeric Entry — respondents can only type numbers. Letters, spaces, minus signs and stray symbols are rejected as they type, and a pasted value like
$1,234.56 per monthis trimmed down to1234.56on the spot. It offers exactly the formatting options Constant Sum does, and behaves the same way.
Pick Numeric Entry for amounts, counts, ages, prices and percentages.
Once Numeric Entry is on, two extra panels appear:
Number Rules
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Step size | How much each − / + button press changes the answer. Unless Force 2 decimals is on, it also sets how many decimal places the answer is shown with (a step of 0.5 shows 2 as 2.0). |
| Max length (whole numbers) | How many characters a respondent can type. The decimal point counts (so a limit of 4 allows 1234 or 12.3), and so does the currency or % symbol (a limit of 8 with a $ allows 7 digits) — exactly how Constant Sum counts it. |
| Max length (2 decimals) | The same limit, used instead of the one above whenever Force 2 decimals is on. |
Respondents can always type a decimal point, and can never type a minus sign — a Numeric Entry answer is never negative. These are Constant Sum's own rules; there is no switch for either. Once the field is full it simply stops accepting characters, exactly as a Constant Sum counter does: nothing already typed is quietly dropped to make room.
Respondents can also use the − and + buttons on either side of the field, just like a Constant Sum counter. Each press moves the answer by the Step size, and holding a button down keeps it moving. − stops at 0, and + stops once the number would no longer fit the Max length. The up / down arrow keys do nothing in the field — Constant Sum ignores them too.
Formatting — the same three options Constant Sum offers, so the two question types look consistent to a respondent:
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Currency symbol | Shows $, £, €, ¥, ₣ or ₹ in front of the field. |
| Show as percentage | Shows % in the field. Replaces the currency symbol. |
| Force 2 decimals | Displays the answer with two decimal places (12 becomes 12.00), and switches the field to the second Max length limit. |
The symbol is shown around the field, never saved into the answer — the exported value is always a plain number, so quotas, logic and analytics can compare it. Because it is decoration, screen readers are told the unit separately ("Enter an amount in $", "Enter a percentage").
Numeric Entry vs the Validation tab's "Number" format. Both still work and they are independent. The Validation tab's Content Format → Number checks the answer when the respondent hits Next; Numeric Entry stops the wrong characters from being typed in the first place. You can use either, or both.
To cap the allowed range, open the Validation tab and set Content Format to Number — the Min and Max value boxes appear only under that format, and they belong to it. Two things follow: Numeric Entry on its own has no range limit, and changing Content Format away from Number clears whatever range you had entered.
Switching back to Text removes the numeric settings; nothing is left behind.
Text Entry — Long#
A multi-line text area for longer, open-ended responses.
When to use it:
- Comment boxes.
- "Please explain why…" follow-ups.
- Any question where respondents need room to write.
Email#
Specialized single-field type with built-in email format validation.
When to use it:
- Newsletter sign-up or contact follow-up.
- Any field where you need a deliverable address.
Phone#
Phone number input with format validation appropriate to your survey settings.
When to use it:
- Callback requests.
- SMS follow-up studies (where permitted).
ZIP / Postal Code#
Country-aware postal code patterns.
When to use it:
- Geo screening or regional quotas.
- Shipping or store-locator follow-ups.
Tip: For several validated fields on one page (name + email + phone), consider a Form Fields composite question instead of separate items.
Related guides#
- Question Types — overview and when-to-use table
- Date, Upload & Form Fields — composite form fields
- Logic, Flow & Conditions — text operators and piping
- Display Blocks & Plugins — Guided Story for voice narratives
Was this page helpful?