Class MultipleChoiceItem

  • MultipleChoiceItem is a question type in Google Forms allowing single selection from a list or an "other" field, and is autograded when used in a quiz.

  • You can create or access MultipleChoiceItem objects from a Form object in Apps Script.

  • Key methods include creating choices with or without correctness and page navigation, creating item responses, duplicating the item, and setting properties like title, help text, required status, and the "other" option.

  • Methods are available to get information about the item, such as its choices, feedback for correct/incorrect answers, help text, ID, index, points, title, and type.

  • Setting choices can be done using an array of strings or an array of Choice objects.
MultipleChoiceItem

A question item that allows the respondent to select one choice from a list of radio buttons or an optional "other" field. Items can be accessed or created from a Form. When used in a quiz, these items are autograded. 

// Open a form by ID and add a new multiple choice item.
const form = FormApp.openById('1234567890abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz');
const item = form.addMultipleChoiceItem();
item.setTitle('Do you prefer cats or dogs?')
    .setChoices([item.createChoice('Cats'), item.createChoice('Dogs')])
    .showOtherOption(true);

Methods

MethodReturn typeBrief description
createChoice(value)ChoiceCreates a new choice.
createChoice(value, isCorrect)ChoiceCreates a new choice.
createChoice(value, navigationItem)ChoiceCreates a new choice with a page-navigation option that jumps to a given page-break item.
createChoice(value, navigationType)ChoiceCreates a new choice with a page-navigation option.
createResponse(response)ItemResponseCreates a new ItemResponse for this multiple-choice item.
duplicate()MultipleChoiceItemCreates a copy of this item and appends it to the end of the form.
getChoices()Choice[]Gets all choices for an item.
getFeedbackForCorrect()QuizFeedbackReturns the feedback that is shown to respondents when they respond correctly to a question.
getFeedbackForIncorrect()QuizFeedbackReturns the feedback that is shown to respondents when they respond incorrectly to a question.
getHelpText()StringGets the item's help text (sometimes called description text for layout items like ImageItems, PageBreakItems, and SectionHeaderItems).
getId()IntegerGets the item's unique identifier.
getIndex()IntegerGets the index of the item among all the items in the form.
getPoints()IntegerReturns the point value of a gradeable item.
getTitle()StringGets the item's title (sometimes called header text, in the case of a SectionHeaderItem).
getType()ItemTypeGets the item's type, represented as an ItemType.
hasOtherOption()BooleanDetermines whether the item has an "other" option.
isRequired()BooleanDetermines whether the respondent must answer the question.
setChoiceValues(values)MultipleChoiceItemSets the choices for an item from an array of strings.
setChoices(choices)MultipleChoiceItemSets an array of choices for an item.
setFeedbackForCorrect(feedback)MultipleChoiceItemSets the feedback to be shown to respondents when they respond correctly to a question.
setFeedbackForIncorrect(feedback)MultipleChoiceItemSets the feedback to be shown to respondents when they respond incorrectly to a question.
setHelpText(text)MultipleChoiceItemSets the item's help text (sometimes called description text for layout items like ImageItems, PageBreakItems, and SectionHeaderItems).
setPoints(points)MultipleChoiceItemSets the number of points a gradeable item is worth.
setRequired(enabled)MultipleChoiceItemSets whether the respondent must answer the question.
setTitle(title)MultipleChoiceItemSets the item's title (sometimes called header text, in the case of a SectionHeaderItem).
showOtherOption(enabled)MultipleChoiceItemSets whether the item has an "other" option.

Detailed documentation

createChoice(value)

Creates a new choice.

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
valueStringthe choice's value, which respondents see as a label when viewing the form

Return

Choice — the new choice

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms

createChoice(value, isCorrect)

Creates a new choice.

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
valueStringthe choice's value, which respondents see as a label when viewing the form
isCorrectBooleanwhether the choice is a correct answer

Return

Choice — the new choice

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms

createChoice(value, navigationItem)

Creates a new choice with a page-navigation option that jumps to a given page-break item. This is equivalent to createChoice(value, navigationType) with navigationType set to FormApp.PageNavigationType.GO_TO_PAGE. Choices that use page navigation cannot be combined in the same item with choices that do not use page navigation.

The page navigation occurs after the respondent completes a page that contains the option, and only if the respondent chose that option. If the respondent chose multiple options with page-navigation instructions on the same page, only the last navigation option has any effect. Page navigation also has no effect on the last page of a form.

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
valueStringthe choice's value, which respondents see as a label when viewing the form
navigationItemPageBreakItemthe item to navigate to

Return

Choice — the new choice

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms

createChoice(value, navigationType)

Creates a new choice with a page-navigation option. Choices that use page navigation cannot be combined in the same item with choices that do not use page navigation.

The page navigation occurs after the respondent completes a page that contains the option, and only if the respondent chose that option. If the respondent chose multiple options with page-navigation instructions on the same page, only the last navigation option has any effect. Page navigation also has no effect on the last page of a form.

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
valueStringthe choice's value, which respondents see as a label when viewing the form
navigationTypePageNavigationTypethe choice's navigation type

Return

Choice — the new choice

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms

createResponse(response)

Creates a new ItemResponse for this multiple-choice item. Throws an exception if the response argument does not match a valid choice for this item, unless showOtherOption(enabled) is set to true.

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
responseStringa valid answer for this multiple-choice item

Return

ItemResponse — the item response

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms

duplicate()

Creates a copy of this item and appends it to the end of the form.

Return

MultipleChoiceItem — a duplicate of this MultipleChoiceItem, for chaining

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms

getChoices()

Gets all choices for an item.

Return

Choice[] — an array of choices

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms

getFeedbackForCorrect()

Returns the feedback that is shown to respondents when they respond correctly to a question.

Return

QuizFeedback — the feedback, if any.

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms

getFeedbackForIncorrect()

Returns the feedback that is shown to respondents when they respond incorrectly to a question.

Return

QuizFeedback — the feedback, if any.

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms

getHelpText()

Gets the item's help text (sometimes called description text for layout items like ImageItems, PageBreakItems, and SectionHeaderItems).

Return

String — the item's help text or description text

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms

getId()

Gets the item's unique identifier.

Return

Integer — the item's ID

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms

getIndex()

Gets the index of the item among all the items in the form.

Return

Integer — the index of the item

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms

getPoints()

Returns the point value of a gradeable item.

Return

Integer — the number of points a question is worth.

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms

getTitle()

Gets the item's title (sometimes called header text, in the case of a SectionHeaderItem).

Return

String — the item's title or header text

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms

getType()

Gets the item's type, represented as an ItemType.

Return

ItemType — the item's type

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms

hasOtherOption()

Determines whether the item has an "other" option.

Return

Boolean — true if the item has an "other" option; false if not

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms

isRequired()

Determines whether the respondent must answer the question.

Return

Boolean — whether the respondent must answer the question

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms

setChoiceValues(values)

Sets the choices for an item from an array of strings. Throws an exception if the given array is empty. 

// Open a form by ID and add a new list item.
const form = FormApp.openById('1234567890abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz');
const item = form.addListItem();
item.setTitle('Do you prefer cats or dogs?');
item.setChoiceValues(['Dogs', 'Cats']);

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
valuesString[]the array of choice values, which respondents see as labels when viewing the form

Return

MultipleChoiceItem — this MultipleChoiceItem, for chaining

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms

setChoices(choices)

Sets an array of choices for an item. Throws an exception if the given array is empty or contains a null element. 

// Open a form by ID and add a new list item.
const form = FormApp.openById('1234567890abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz');
const item = form.addListItem();
item.setTitle('Do you prefer cats or dogs?');
item.setChoices([item.createChoice('Cats'), item.createChoice('Dogs')]);

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
choicesChoice[]an array of choices

Return

MultipleChoiceItem — this MultipleChoiceItem, for chaining

Throws

Error — if the given array is null, empty, or contains a null element

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms

setFeedbackForCorrect(feedback)

Sets the feedback to be shown to respondents when they respond correctly to a question. 

// Open a form by ID and add a new list item.
const form = FormApp.openById('1234567890abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz');
const item = form.addListItem();
item.setTitle('Do you prefer cats or dogs?');
// Set "Dogs" as the correct answer to this question.
item.setChoices([
  item.createChoice('Dogs', true),
  item.createChoice('Cats', false),
]);
// Add feedback which will be shown for correct responses; ie "Dogs".
item.setFeedbackForCorrect(
    FormApp.createFeedback().setDisplayText('Dogs rule, cats drool.').build(),
);

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
feedbackQuizFeedbackthe new feedback. A null value will clear the feedback.

Return

MultipleChoiceItem — this MultipleChoiceItem, for chaining

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms

setFeedbackForIncorrect(feedback)

Sets the feedback to be shown to respondents when they respond incorrectly to a question.

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
feedbackQuizFeedbackthe new feedback

Return

MultipleChoiceItem — this MultipleChoiceItem, for chaining

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms

setHelpText(text)

Sets the item's help text (sometimes called description text for layout items like ImageItems, PageBreakItems, and SectionHeaderItems).

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
textStringthe new help text

Return

MultipleChoiceItem — this MultipleChoiceItem, for chaining

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms

setPoints(points)

Sets the number of points a gradeable item is worth. The default for new items is 0.

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
pointsIntegerthe number of a points a question item is worth

Return

MultipleChoiceItem — this MultipleChoiceItem, for chaining

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms

setRequired(enabled)

Sets whether the respondent must answer the question.

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
enabledBooleanwhether the respondent must answer the question

Return

MultipleChoiceItem — the current item (for chaining)

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms

setTitle(title)

Sets the item's title (sometimes called header text, in the case of a SectionHeaderItem).

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
titleStringthe new title or header text

Return

MultipleChoiceItem — this MultipleChoiceItem, for chaining

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms

showOtherOption(enabled)

Sets whether the item has an "other" option. The default for a new CheckboxItem or MultipleChoiceItem is false.

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
enabledBooleantrue if the item has an "other" option; false if not

Return

MultipleChoiceItem — this MultipleChoiceItem, for chaining

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/forms