Creating a Spreadsheet custom question

The Spreadsheet custom question type lets you create, configure, and enter data into a spreadsheet.

In this article

1. Choose your item type

In your subject, select Create New Item to open the Question Types menu. Choose Custom Question to create a blank Custom Question item and go to the Edit screen.

2. Name your item

Enter the item’s name in the Name field.

3. Enter your question text

Enter your question text in the question stem. Select Add text Area to add an additional question stem. You can have a maximum of five question stems per item.

Open Additional Options to add source material or assistive media to your question stem.

4. Add your custom question type

Select Select Type to open the Select Type dialog.

Select the ZIP file you want to add to your item.

Select Add to add your Custom Question type to the item.

Uploading custom question ZIP files to the Media Library

Custom Question type ZIP files must be uploaded to the Media Library.

5. Configure your Spreadsheet custom question

Select Configure to open the custom ZIP file. This allows you to change how the item displays in delivery.

The Spreadsheet custom question type lets you create, configure, and enter data into a spreadsheet.

The spreadsheet displays 200 rows and 20 columns of blank cells on one worksheet.

To enter data into the spreadsheet, select a cell, then type directly into the cell or enter the data into the text entry bar. Select Accept or press Enter to commit the data to the cell, or select Reject or press Delete to delete all data entered into the text entry bar or cell.

Select Insert Function fx to bring up the Insert Function menu, where you can choose a function from a list sorted by function category.

The nine menu ribbons in the spreadsheet dialog contain the following features:

• File and Home menus.
• Insert, Formulas, and Data tools.
• View and Settings options.
• About information.
• Design options for any inserted media.

File

Select File to access the Import function.

This allows you to import data from a pre-created spreadsheet. Select the file type of the spreadsheet to be uploaded (CSV, JSON, or XLSX), then select Import.  

Home

Select Home to access formatting tools for cells and text.

The Home ribbon contains the following tool sections:

Section	Description
Undo	Enables Undo and Redo actions.
Clipboard	Accesses the Cut, Copy, and Paste actions, including further paste options.
Fonts	Changes the font, font size, font colour, and font effects. Adds cell borders and cell fill colour.
Alignment	Changes the text alignment within cells. Enables text wrapping and cell merging.
Numbers	Formats numeric text entry, including percentage adjustment, decimal adjustment, and data type.
Cell Type	Cell Type adds pre-set functions to cells, including Button, Checkbox, and Hyperlink. Cell Dropdowns embeds spreadsheet functions into a cell, including Colour Picker, Calculator, and Slider.
Styles	Adds formatting styles to cells and tables, cell rules, and cell states.
Cells	Enables the Delete and Format cell options.
Editing	Accesses the Sum function, the Fill Cells function, and the Clear Cells function. Accesses Sort and Filter options, and the Find function.

Insert

Select Insert to access options for inserting media into your spreadsheet.

The Insert ribbon contains the following tools:

Section	Description
Table	Creates a table of selected cell data.
Chart	Creates a chart of selected cell data, chosen from several chart types including Line, Pie, and Graph.
Illustration	Inserts an image file uploaded from your computer into the spreadsheet.
Shapes	Adds basic shapes which can be configured by size, colour, and dimensions.
Barcode	Allows you to insert readable codes, including QR codes, into the spreadsheet.
Hyperlink	Inserts a hyperlink as cell text.
Sparklines	Creates a graph of selected cell data at cell level, chosen from several types including Win/Loss, Cascade, and Variance.

Formulas

Select Formulas to access options for inserting spreadsheet formulae.

The Formulas ribbon contains the Functions Library, which is sorted into the following categories:

Section	Description
Insert Function	Opens a list of all available functions sorted by function category.
AutoSum	Performs a simple sum calculation on numerical cell data, including Average, Count, and Min/Max.
Financial	Contains functions relating to financial data, including PRICE, RATE, and YIELD.
Logical	Contains functions to perform logical tests on cell data, including AND, IF, and OR.
Text	Contains functions to manipulate text-based data, including FIND, SEARCH, and UNICODE.
Date and Time	Contains functions to manipulate data relating to date and time, including DATEVALUE, WEEKNUM, and YEAR.
Lookup and Reference	Contains functions to manipulate cell data organisation, including CHOOSE, INDEX, and VLOOKUP.
Math and Trig	Contains functions to perform mathematical and trigonometrical calculations on numerical cell data, including DECIMAL, ROUND, and SUBTOTAL.
More Functions	Contains the function categories for Statistical, Information, Engineering, and Database functions.

The Name Manager tool allows you to add names to cell ranges, and opens the dialog box to manage all named cells and cell groups. The Show Formulas tool changes all cells containing data inputted via a formula to instead display the formula value.

Data

Select Data to access options for sorting and organising your spreadsheet content.

The Data ribbon contains the following tools:

Section	Description
Sort & Filter	Applies data sorting and filtering functions to cells, including alphabetising and rules-based filters.
Data Tools	Allows you to impose data rules on values entered into cells, and to verify that cell data follows those rules.
Outline	Allows row and column grouping and subtotaling, and contains display settings for row and column details and outlines.
Design Mode	Contains tools to design new templates and styles for your spreadsheet, including the Template Design function, the ability to load or save schema via a JSON file, and data label generation.

View

Select View to access options for adjusting the display of your spreadsheet.

The View ribbon contains the following tools:

Section	Description
Show/Hide	Toggles the headers, gridlines, and tabs.
Zoom	Adjusts the zoom levels.
Viewport	Allows you to freeze sections of the spreadsheet so that they remain visible when scrolling.

Settings

Select Settings to access options for changing general spreadsheet settings.

The Settings ribbon contains the following tools:

Section	Description
Spread Settings	Contains options to enable or disable various spreadsheet abilities including Drag and Drop, scroll bars, and the Clipboard.
Sheet Settings	Contains options to toggle the gridlines and headers, change the sheet tab colour, and add or remove rows and columns.

About

Select About to view the version ID number of the spreadsheet package file.

Design

Select Design to adjust the appearance and properties of inserted tables, charts, or images. The contents of the Design tab depend on what type of media has been inserted. For multiple types of media, select an individual piece to display design options relevant to its type.

The Design ribbon for Tables contains the following tools:

Section	Description
Properties	Allows you to enter a name for the table and adjust the size.
Tools	Contains the Convert to Range function, the Auto Expand toggle, and the ability to insert a slicer.
Table Style Options	Contains various options to adjust the layout of the table, including row and column banding, filter buttons, and handle resizing.
Table Styles	Provides a dropdown of pre-designed table styles that can be applied.

The Design ribbon for Charts contains the following tools:

Section	Description
Chart Layouts	Add Chart Element contains additional elements that can be added to your chart, including axis options, gridlines, and labels. Quick Layout provides a selection of pre-designed chart layouts that can be applied.
Chart Styles	Allows you to add a colour scheme to your chart, and apply a pre-designed chart style.
Data	Allows you to change the way the data is plotted on the chart axes.
Type	Allows you to switch the selected data into a different chart type.
Location	Creates new worksheets ands allows you to move the chart between them. IMPORTANT: The Spreadsheet Custom Question does not support multiple worksheets. Any worksheets created with this tool will not be accessible to the candidate during delivery.
Accessibility	Allows you to add descriptive text for screen readers.

The Design ribbon for Shapes contains the following tools:

Section	Description
Insert Shapes	Allows you to insert a new shape, or to change the selected shape to a different one.
Shape Styles	Allows you to apply a pre-designed shape style or colour scheme.
Accessibility	Allows you to add descriptive text for screen readers.
Rotate	Allows you to rotate or flip the shape.
Group	Allows you to group or ungroup elements.
Size	Allows you to manually adjust the shape dimensions.

The Design ribbons for Barcodes and Sparklines contain a Settings tool to edit aspects such as location, data values, and colours.

The Design ribbon for Images contains the Alternative Text accessibility tool to add descriptive text for screen readers.

6. Save your configuration

To save your configurations, select Close .

Select Save .

Removing custom question types

Once uploaded, Custom Question types can be removed from your item.

7. Set the question’s marks

Set the item’s total marks in the Mark field.

8. Select a workflow status

Set the item’s workflow status in the Status drop-down menu. Only items set to Live can be used in a test.

9. Saving and closing your item

Select Save  to save your item to your subject.

To see additional saving options, use the Save  arrow to open the Save Options menu. Select Save & Close  to save the item and return to the Subjects screen. Select Save & New  to save the item and create another Custom Question item.

Select Close  to leave the Edit screen. If you have unsaved changes, you are prompted to either save or discard them.