How to Set Up Redirect Links and External Parameters

How to Set Up Redirect Links and External Parameters

Introduction

It is usual practice in survey distribution and panel administration to use third-party providers for email invites and reward processing. Typically, these external services include a link that takes recipients to their own server. When panelists click this link, they are sent to the EyeQuestion server, where further information such as language, panelist ID, and project ID are transmitted. To enable continuous communication and status updates, EyeQuestion must redirect back to the external server, reporting success along with the panelist and project IDs. This article will explain you how to set up redirect links and external parameters in EyeQuestion utilizing the URL Redirect and URL Call functionalities, allowing for seamless connection with external systems.

External Parameters

The first step is to run a test with external parameters. After you've deployed a test, use the anonymous R1 link in the Distribution page.  
This is the base link from which you will work. Make sure have access to EyeQuestion using the same server name as a panelist.
That means the link should look something like this: 
 
Your external party can use this link and add their own specific parameters, like this :
 
To summarize, the link is built up on 2 components separated by a question mark. The first component  is your anonymous test link and the second component are the parameters of your external party :
<anonymous link to EQ questionnaire> ? <parameter1>=<value1> & <parameter2>=<value2>
 
Calling this URL will start the test on EyeQuestion and store the parameters together with the panelist's session. These "external parameters" can be used in conditions and can be passed on during a redirect back to an external system.

Redirect Back to the External System

On every screen of your questionnaire you can set a redirect to an external system or a background call in de screen settings.  Go to the advanced settings and choose URL Call or URL Redirect in the Action field. Then the field for the URL will appear. A redirect results in a browser in redirecting to the given Url. The URL Call will call the given Url on server level (in the background) and the test will continue. In case of a redirect to an external system, use action URL Redirect.

Suppose you want to redirect to your external party and pass on information like panelist ID, project ID and status. The external party requires a URL with a format that is something like :
 
To build up the correct URL you will need to call the given "external parameters" again. You can do this by using the following placeholder: $externalparameter:<name>$ . Using the example given, the actual URL that you should enter in the Url field would be :
 
The following will happen during the test: as soon as the panelist hits this page, the page will not be shown, but the browser will redirect to the URL.

Storing the External Parameter

If you want to store the given panelistid together with the data for future reference, you will need to add an extra question to one of the screens in your questionnaire (preferably the first one). First open the first screen of your questionnaire and add a TEXT question. Give it a name and set the FORMAT to Hidden in the Advanced settings.


Secondly, set the DEFAULT value to $$externalparameter:<parameter>$$ in the Standard settings, in this example that would be $$externalparameter:panelistid$$.


During the test this question will not be shown, but the given external parameter is will be stored as the default value.



Make sure that you also set Close Session to YES. This will save the panelists data before continuing on the server of the external party. Otherwise the panelists session will remain an "open" session.

External parameters you should refrain from using, as they are currently already used by EyeQuestion:
  1. UniqueId
  2. language
  3. accessId
  4. unid
  5. projectGroupId
  6. room
  7. booth
  8. logoffscreen
  9. linkthrough
  10. xid (extra URL)
  11. xlogin (extra URL)
  12. label
  13. oldsession
  14. project
  15. ajax
  16. referrer 
  17. alttp (alternate "thank you" page)
  18. sp (sub project)
  19. rp (run project)
  20. ap (Auto pick-up)
  21. ts (test session: s1,s2,etc.)
  22. ff (sets next question based on current question)
  23. p (project unique ID)
  24. u (user ID)
  25. s (session)


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