OSuCre is a feature-rich software program, developed in Borland Delphi, that enables anyone to create an online survey for use with a MySQL database combined with any PHP enabled web server.
MySQL is a very powerful database system. Combined with the power of an Apache web server and the PHP programming language, almost anything is possible in respect of web studies. The basic idea behind a web survey is that data are collected through a webpage that are then automatically stored into a database. Some scripts enable you to e-mail data from a web form to a specific e-mail address, but this has several disadvantages. OSuCre creates a web form and the necessary scripts to input the data into a remote database and thus providing you with a tool to perform studies with anyone who has an internet connection, no matter where they live or what operating system they use. Until now, developing this kind of websites was a very laborious task. Although several other comparable software packages exist to create custom surveys, none of them has the needed flexibility to easily set up experimental studies. OSuCre enables you to create a survey in a matter of minutes. You can change the lay-out of the survey with your favourite web editor to fit your needs. Afterwards you can use the built-in upload function to put your files on a server.
When using your own server, it is important to know that you need access to a database that contains a table with the same name as the database itself. You will need to provide a username (which should in most cases be the same as the database name) as well as a password to access the data. Of course, if you want to use an existing database or table, you could edit the source code of the generated survey yourself. This is not advised for first time users!
Basically you will need a server to host your survey. You have two options: either you can set up a server yourself or you can learn how to use a free webhost to publish your survey online on the OSuCre website (http://www.osucre.be). Setting up your own server is not complicated if you have ample computer experience. The author of OSuCre has also written some tools for use with existing software (XAMPP, Slimftpd) and to facilitate the process of creating and removing users. Contact him for this manual. The best way to get your survey online is probably through one of the many free webhosts that can be found under the free servers section on the OSuCre homepage.
OSuCre should be installed correctly after setup. If you experience any problems, a solution may be available online at the following address: http://www.osucre.be. Make sure you always use the most recent version of the software.
How does OSuCre work?
This survey creator converts a basic syntax file into an online survey. Once you have created your first project, a new syntax file is generated that can be opened in a spreadsheet such as Microsoft Excel. The syntax file has a basic structure that needs to be respected. Each cell in the file is separated by a semicolon but you shouldn't notice this when completing your syntax (see important notice if you are experiencing problems).
Once your syntax file is completed, use OSuCre to convert it to a web survey. The survey files will be generated on your own computer (in a folder named "files" inside the My Documents). In order to view them properly, you can either upload them to a server or you can use a web editor such as Microsoft Frontpage or NVU to get a preview. If you are pleased with the basic structure of the survey, you can edit the layout or start using it immediately.
Basic procedure when using OSuCre (schematically):
Write down
your questions
=> complete the syntax file(s)
=> convert syntax file(s)
=> upload web pages
=> fully test website, check data (through fetch.html)
=> edit web pages with web editor
=> upload final version of web pages to server
Please read this manual until the end. It is very short and can above all save you a lot of time and energy when designing your survey.
IMPORTANT FOR ENGLISH WINDOWS VERSIONS: OSuCre uses comma separated value files (.csv) that have semicolons (;) as list separators. Some computers (most English versions of windows for example) use a comma (,) as a list separator. OSuCre will NOT function if this is the case: the syntax file will look as it is not properly formatted once opened in your favourite spreadsheet software. You should change this setting while working with OSuCre. It will not affect any other software. You can change it back to the original value once your survey is operational.
How to change the list
separator:
A) Via OSuCre: open OSuCre and click Options => Set List separator
B) Via
Windows control panel:
1) Open the windows control panel
2) Double click on "regional and language settings". A screen will open: click
customize
3) In the screen that appears, change the list separator to a semicolon (;)