Support exporting labels for selects in the data

[ukanga]

Proposal

Add an boolean export parameter show_choice_labels that will accept true or false. This option will allow the labels of choices to be included in the submission data being exported. There are two possibilities:

1. For each row where there is a choice was selected the user will see the label of the choice instead of the choice itself.
2. We add an extra column, 'field_name:label' that will include the label of the choice in the 'field_name'.

Given the XLSForm:

| survey  |
|         | type              | name  | label  |
|         | select one fruits | fruit | Fruit  |
|         |                   |       |        |
| choices | list name         | name  | label  |
|         | fruits            | 1     | Mango  |
|         | fruits            | 2     | Orange |
|         | fruits            | 3     | Apple  |

The export currently will look like:

| fruit | meta/instanceID |
| 2     | a1234567890abcd |
| 1     | b1234567789efgh |

With the export parameter show_choice_labes=true then we have the same export as:

| fruit  | meta/instanceID |
| Orange | a1234567890abcd |
| Mango  | b1234567789efgh |

Or with the option to have an extra labels field column, with the export parameter show_choice_labels=true then we have the same export as:

| fruit | fruit:label | meta/instanceID |
| 2     | Orange      | a1234567890abcd |
| 1     | Mango       | b1234567789efgh |

For select multiple questions:

| survey  |
|         | type                   | name  | label  |
|         | select_multiple fruits | fruit | Fruit  |
|         |                        |       |        |
| choices | list name              | name  | label  |
|         | fruits                 | 1     | Mango  |
|         | fruits                 | 2     | Orange |
|         | fruits                 | 3     | Apple  |

The export currently will look like:

| fruit | meta/instanceID |
| 1 2   | a1234567890ijkl |
| 2 3   | b1234567789mnop |

With the export parameter show_choice_labes=true then we have the same export as:

| fruit        | meta/instanceID |
| Mango Orange | a1234567890ijkl |
| Orange Apple | b1234567789mnop |

Or with the option to have an extra labels field column, with the export parameter show_choice_labels=true then we have the same export as:

| fruit | fruit:label  | meta/instanceID |
| 1 2   | Mango Orange | a1234567890ijkl |
| 2 3   | Orange Apple | b1234567789mnop |

For select multiple questions where the parameter value_select_multiples is true and split_select_multiples is also true, the export will be as:

| fruit | fruit/1 | fruit/2  | fruit/3 | meta/instanceID |
| 1 2   | Mango   | Orange   |         | a1234567890ijkl |
| 2 3   |         | Orange   | Apple   | b1234567789mnop |

With label as separate column:

| fruit | fruit/1 | fruit/1:label | fruit/2  | fruit/2:label | fruit/3 | fruit/3:label | meta/instanceID |
| 1 2   | 1       | Mango         | 2        | Orange        |         |               | a1234567890ijkl |
| 2 3   |         |               | 2        | Orange        | 3       | Apple         | b1234567789mnop |

With include_labels=true:

| fruit | fruit/Mango | fruit/Orange  | fruit/Apple | meta/instanceID |
| 1 2   | Mango       | Orange        |             | a1234567890ijkl |
| 2 3   |             | Orange        | Apple       | b1234567789mnop |

With include_labels=true and label as a separate column:

| fruit | fruit/Mango | fruit/Mango:label | fruit/Orange  | fruit/Orange:label | fruit/Apple | fruit/Apple:label | meta/instanceID |
| 1 2   | 1           | Mango             | 2             | Orange             |             |                   | a1234567890ijkl |
| 2 3   |             |                   | 2             | Orange             | 3           | Apple             | b1234567789mnop |

Decision required

Should we replace the select field or add an extra field:label column to show the labels?

Ref

• https://github.com/onaio/onadata/blob/export-import-features/docs/proposals/export-labels-for-selects.md

Aha! Link: https://ona.aha.io/features/PROD-342

[msschroeder]

For the 2 possibilities:

1. For each row where there is a choice was selected the user will see the label of the choice instead of the choice itself. 2. We add an extra column, 'field_name:label' that will include the label of the choice in the 'field_name'.

Both options are practical, but my only concern with option two is the number of columns, especially for already wide forms. I would probably opt for option 1 for this reason.

[ukanga]

I also lean towards option 1.

[ukanga]

Implementation issue is #1427