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Build a survey


SaranacLake

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Hello.  I would like to build a survey that I can use on an iPad so that I can go out in the field and gather data from people.

What would be the best way to accomplish this?

I'm not sure what limitations even exist on an iPad - like can you have a webserver like MAMP?

It seems to me that using something like Angular or whatever might make sense since you can build a working app all in one, but then I don't even know traditional Javascript.

Just looking for a quick way to build something to allow me to survey people without making this a major project.\

Thanks.

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I think the question we need to ask is - will you have internet access 'in the field' or not?  Using MAMP would imply (?) that you are completely self-contained on the iPad and not relying on a connection.

Edited by ginerjm
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10 minutes ago, ginerjm said:

I think the question we need to ask is - will you have internet access 'in the field' or not?  Using MAMP would imply (?) that you are completely self-contained on the iPad and not relying on a connection.

I guess I was assuming that I wouldn't have Internet connectivity. 

That's an interesting angle that I never thought of...  if I had Internet access, then I could just build a website.

Let's assume that I do not have Internet access...

So what would be the easiest way to do what I want, which to be clear, is a survey form that I could complete while standing somewhere talking to Mrs. Jones, click "Submit" and have the survey results written to a local database.  Then when I got how, I could at the very lest export the results into a spreadsheet and be able to see what people said.

I'm pretty sure that things like Angular are designed for such self-contained applications, but I fear that it would take me forever to learn Javascript and Angular plus things like OOP.

 

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5 minutes ago, requinix said:

What they're getting at is, do you want a survey tool or do you want to make a survey tool? Because if you have internet access then there's plenty of free options you can use without needing to create something new.

What would those be?

If I have Internet access I could utilize it, but I am assuming that if i was walking door to door or in a building or out in the country relying on working Wi-Fi/Internet to be able to take surveys would be risky at best.

So I guess I would like to build something *IF* I can avoid it taking me 6 months.

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59 minutes ago, requinix said:

If you won't have reliable internet access, MDN has a good write-up about a couple common tools you can use through Javascript.

Interesting, but probably not a scalable solution (e.g. surveying hundreds of people).

Is it even possible to run a webserver like MAMP on an iOS device?

If I don't have reliable Internet, then what are my other options?

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2 hours ago, SaranacLake said:

Interesting, but probably not a scalable solution (e.g. surveying hundreds of people).

Using IndexedDB you'd have a fair bit of persistent storage available at your disposal.  Easily enough to handle a full day's worth of surveying, probably much longer, unless your doing something that's crazy data intensive like recording video or lots of photos.

You could code things to sync data to somewhere online when you do have an internet connection available such as when you connect to WiFi somewhere.

You'll have to look into any compatibility issues for these features.  I've not used most of them personally, nor do I use iOS so I have no idea what it does and doesn't support.

Bottom line is these days you can do quite a bit if you're willing to put the time into researching what is available and how to use it properly.

 

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