Siebel SmartScript Administration Guide > Working with Questions, Answers, and Translations > Creating Questions >

Displaying Answers Within a SmartScript

Each question within a SmartScript can be defined to contain answer controls, or be informational in nature. Informational questions do not require answer controls, and usually provide instructions, information or dialog to the user. You use answer controls when you want the user to provide responses to questions.

If you want to limit the possible answers a user may select from, you have the option of defining these answer options within the SmartScript definition as Question Answers, or reusing an existing pick or MVG applet already defined in Siebel Tools.

NOTE:  SmartScripts cannot be configured to handle association applets.

In the simplest case, users select answers to a question from a simple drop-down list of answers that you define specifically for that question, using the Answer list menu options. These drop-down lists of answers are defined with respect to a unique question, and are actually an extension of the question definition.

To use a drop-down list, you chose the Pick Only option in the Question Form. To use single or multiselect pick applets, or detail applets, you would not check Pick Only.

To use radio buttons or multiselect check boxes, your answers must be set up as part of the SmartScript definition.

The following sections list Question Answer options.

Information Text

A question can be set up simply to display as informational or instructional text without any solicitation of a user answer to the question. This is useful for providing guidance to a user to answer subsequent questions or to display dynamically provided text using Text Substitution.

Text Box

A simple input control for users is a text box, where the user does not have the option to select from a fixed list of answer options, but instead can enter free text.

Drop-Down Lists

If the answers to a question are simple, single value answers, then you can create a simple drop-down list by defining each answer option in the Answers form in the script definition. You define a unique domain of answers for the question. Fields which are based on LOV's will also display the LOV values in a drop-down list based on the save field value.

Radio Buttons

You can display your answer choices as radio buttons in employee or customer applications. Radio buttons are similar to drop-down lists in that a only a single selection can be chosen by the user from a fixed list of answer options.

Multiselect Check Boxes

You can define answer options for a question, then have these options display as multiselect check boxes. You must include your answers as part of your SmartScript definition, then choose Check Box for your answer control in order to have your answer options display with heck boxes. If you select Boolean for your answer type, only one check box will appear.

Pick Applets

Any question can employ a pick applet for users to select answers to that question. In order to set up a question with a pick applet or MVG applet, it must be set to save the selected record to the appropriate field in the business component. Therefore, the save Business Object, save Bus Comp, and save field must all be entered. Branching cannot be defined for answers selected from pick applets. The pick applet or MVG applet selected must be set up in Siebel Tools to save to the Save Field in the entered business component.

NOTE:  The listed applets that appear in each dialog box are not necessarily all valid. Valid applets must include a field that maps to the Save Field in the Save Buscomp. Selecting an appropriate applet requires some familiarity with Siebel Tools and the buscomps to which SmartScript must be linked. For guidelines on working with applets, see Siebel Tools Reference.

Detail Applets

Some applets have a detail applet defined for a control or list column. These are specialized applets that operate on that control or list column in a very specific way. Usually these are pop-up applets that allow end users to enter data that is configured or formatted for a specific purpose.

The detail applets that are most commonly used are the Currency Popup applet, and the File Attachment applet. If you use the Currency Popup applet, the agent sees an icon next to the question's input box at runtime. Clicking this icon causes the applet to pop up, allowing the agent to specify the currency when entering an amount. Without this detail applet, a calculator appears, and the currency cannot be changed from one answer to the next. In the case of a file attachment applet, the user will be able to add a file to the record.

NOTE:  Branching from a question can only be defined for answers that are defined as part of the script definition and not those selected from pick applets or based on LOV's. In the case of branches defined on a question using multiselect check boxes, if multiple answers are selected by a user, the default branch will be used.


 Siebel SmartScript Administration Guide 
 Published: 23 June 2003