Record and preserve question order for randomized surveys

[Copilot]

Overview

Fixes #[issue-number] by implementing comprehensive question order tracking for surveys with randomized questions. This change enables researchers to analyze order effects while providing users with a consistent experience across page re-renders.

Problem

When surveys use questionsOrder: "random" to randomize question presentation:

1. There was no way to know what order questions were shown to each user
2. Questions would re-randomize on every page re-render (refresh, navigation)
3. Researchers couldn't analyze potential order effects in responses
4. Users experienced inconsistent question ordering during a single survey session

Solution

Implemented a solution that captures the visual order of questions after initial randomization, preserves that order across re-renders, and includes it in survey completion data.

Key Technical Approach:

• After the survey renders with randomized questions, capture the visual order using surveyModel.getAllQuestions()
• Store both the order array and a modified survey JSON where questionsOrder: "random" is changed to questionsOrder: "initial"
• On subsequent renders, use the stored JSON instead of the original, which preserves the question order
• Include the questionOrder array in the completion callback data

Changes

Core Implementation (src/surveyFactory.jsx)

Added two helper functions:

• getQuestionOrder(): Extracts question names in visual order, filtering out HTML elements
• preserveQuestionOrder(): Recursively converts all questionsOrder: "random" to "initial" throughout the survey JSON

Modified state management:

• Survey initialization now uses stored survey JSON (with preserved order) when available
• saveState() captures question order and stores modified JSON in localStorage
• scoreResponses() includes questionOrder in the completion callback

Testing (src/surveyFactory.cy.jsx)

Added three comprehensive test cases:

1. Verifies question order is stored in localStorage with correct structure
2. Confirms question order is included in completion callback
3. Validates that randomized order is maintained across component re-renders

Documentation (README.md)

Updated the example completion callback to show the new questionOrder field and explained its purpose for randomized surveys.

Impact

Automatic Benefits for 19+ Surveys:
All existing surveys with randomized questions automatically gain this functionality, including:

• discussionSelfInsight, teamViability, SVI, TIPI
• attitudeAttributes, autonomyNeedSatisfaction
• bipartisanshipUS, conflictAndViability
• And many more...

For Researchers:

• Can now analyze order effects in survey responses
• Complete data capture for replication studies
• Better understanding of presentation context

For Users:

• Consistent experience - questions stay in the same order throughout a session
• Can safely refresh the page without losing question context
• No confusing re-randomization mid-survey

For Developers:

• Zero breaking changes to existing code
• Fully backward compatible
• No API changes required
• Works automatically with all surveys

Example

// Completion callback now includes questionOrder
{
  surveyName: "discussionSelfInsight",
  responses: { 
    "reflectOnAttitudes": 4,
    "newInsights": 5,
    "thinkDeeply": 3,
    // ...
  },
  result: {
    rawScore: 3.6,
    normScore: 0.433,
    completion: 1
  },
  questionOrder: [           // ← NEW FIELD
    "reflectOnAttitudes",
    "newInsights",
    "thinkDeeply",
    "understandSelf",
    "thinkDifferently"
  ],
  secondsElapsed: 12.5
}

Testing

All new tests pass and existing tests continue to work. The build succeeds without errors.

Warning

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Original prompt

---

This section details on the original issue you should resolve

<issue_title>Record order of questions that are randomized</issue_title>
<issue_description>When we randomize questions on the page, we want to know the order that those questions appear to the user, and save this with the response. Recording and saving with the state might help with: #151</issue_description>

Comments on the Issue (you are @copilot in this section)

@JamesPHoughton Copilot suggests this: ```js let questionOrder = [];

survey.onAfterRenderQuestion.add(function(survey, options) {
questionOrder.push(options.question.name);
});

// After the survey is completed, you can see the order of questions
survey.onComplete.add(function(result) {
console.log(questionOrder);
});

Strictly speaking, this only records the chronological order they were displayed in, not the visual order on the page</body></comment_new>
<comment_new><author>@JamesPHoughton</author><body>
Currently, when the page re-renders, randomized surveys change their order. If we store the order, we should be able to also ensure that it stays the same.</body></comment_new>
<comment_new><author>@JamesPHoughton</author><body>
We could store the randomized state in the parent component, and just implement callbacks and take parameters that set the order and report it.</body></comment_new>
</comments>

Fixes #170

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