Survey Programmer, available in the Agent Exchange, converts a properly formatted .docx file into a Fuel Cycle (FC) Survey. Upload your file, then review and refine the programmed survey in FC Surveys.
Access the Survey Programmer through the Agent Exchange in your Research Tools.
- In the Fuel Cycle platform, click the Research Tools button in your left navigation menu.
- Click Autonomous Insights.
- Click Agent Exchange.
- Click Survey Programmer.
Survey Programmer does not run in the core Fuel Cycle user experience.
Supported File Types
Survey Programmer only accepts modern Microsoft Word files in .docx format.
It does not support .doc, .rtf, Portable Document Format (PDF) files, Google Docs links, screenshots, PowerPoint files, or Excel files. If your survey exists in Google Docs or another tool, export it as a .docx file before uploading.
The platform supports files up to 200 MB. There is no defined question limit. For stable processing, avoid extremely long or image-heavy documents. If a file fails to process, split the survey into smaller documents and upload them separately.
Each uploaded .docx file must contain a single survey. Do not combine multiple surveys into a single document. Prepare a separate file for each survey you want to program.
Survey Format
Survey Programmer reads plain, linear text in the order it appears in the document. Arrange all questions, answer options, and instructions exactly as you want them to appear to respondents.
Present each question as its own text block. For example:
Q1. How often do you shop online? List each answer option on a separate line directly below the question:
Daily
Weekly
Monthly
Less oftenAdd section headings as plain text in the document body, such as:
Section 1: Screening
Section 2: Main Survey Write skip logic and termination rules as clear sentences in the body of the document. For example:
If Q3 = 1, skip to Q5.
Terminate if Q2 = 3. Place logic near the related question or in a clearly labeled section. Use consistent phrasing throughout the document.
Avoid Tables and Complex Layouts
Survey Programmer is designed for text-based surveys. Do not place survey content inside tables, text boxes, shapes, SmartArt, or multi-column layouts. These elements can disrupt reading order and cause the agent to miss or misinterpret content.
If a question appears as an image, rewrite it as standard text. All respondent-facing content must be selectable text in the main document body. If you cannot highlight the content as normal text, the Survey Programmer cannot reliably read it.
You may use light formatting such as bold, italic, underline, numbered lists, and simple headings, as long as the content remains standard text. Avoid using visual formatting alone, such as color-coding, to communicate logic or quotas.
Logic and Quotas
The Survey Programmer can interpret logic and quota instructions when you write them explicitly in the document.
State logic in direct terms. For example:
If Q5 = 1, skip to Q8.
If Q4 = 3 or 4, terminate and show “Thank you” message.
Set overall quota to 400 completes.Keep instructions unambiguous. Do not rely on comments, tracked changes, or visual callouts to explain survey behavior.
Troubleshooting
If the programmed survey does not match your expectations, review the file structure first. Confirm that the file is saved as .docx, that no questions or answer options appear inside tables, and that all content is selectable text in the document body. Ensure the file contains only one survey.
If issues continue, create a new Word document and paste a small set of questions using the recommended structure. Upload that version to identify where formatting causes parsing errors.