Creating Image Map Shapes

1. In the Draw Shapes area, click the down-arrow beside the Shape property to open the drop-down, and select the type of shape you wish to use.
2. Select whether you wish to display the automatically-created codes.

Display Code is only available in the Configuration tab. The Codes will not be visible to respondents in the survey.

3. If you are creating a rectangle and wish to divide this into squares, check the Split Rectangle… box and specify an edge length for the squares (in pixels) (go to Splitting a Rectangle for more information).

Note: No more than 300 areas are allowed in an Image Map question.

4. Select the color you wish to use whilst drawing the shape. Note that this will change to the color and opacity selected in the upper set of properties once the shape is saved.
5. Move the mouse pointer to the image and position it at the start point for your shape.
6. Click the left mouse button and create the shape.
• Rectangle – start at one corner, click and drag in any direction to the diagonally opposite corner. Once you release the mouse button, the shape will be locked until it is created and you select Modify.
• Circle – start at the center of the intended circle and drag in any direction to the desired radius. Once you release the mouse button, the shape will be locked until it is created and you select Modify.
• Polygon – position the mouse pointer at the point where you wish to start drawing and click-and-hold the left mouse button. Move the pointer to the next “corner”, release the mouse button, then click-and-hold again. Continue moving and clicking until you have created the desired shape.

In all cases, a “provisional” shape is created in the selected color.

Note: Shapes cannot touch or overlap. If you move the mouse pointer out of the image or into an existing shape before you have confirmed the creation (see below), then the provisional shape will be removed from the image.

7. Once your provisional shape is as you want it (note that you can modify it and move it later), right-click on the shape to open the Confirmation dialog - .



Figure 1 - The Confirmation dialog

An answer code is automatically generated, this being the next available number in numerical order. You can change this code if required. You may use an alpha-numeric code that matches a code in the question's Answers tab, however for simpler access Forsta recommends that you use simple numeric codes.

8. Click Create to create the shape, Cancel to remove it from the image.

Note: Every shape code number in the image must have a corresponding answer code in the question’s Answers tab. The answer codes in the Answers tab are not created automatically – you must create them manually.

To modify the shape, right-click on the shape and select Modify or double-click on the shape.

9. On completion, click Apply & Save to save the shape.

Note: If you are creating several shapes, when you select a new shape type in the Shape drop-down the image map will be saved automatically. Note that Autosave is only applied when a new shape is selected from the drop-down; if you create more of the same shape then Autosave will not occur until a new shape type is selected.