Reference lists

Some answers are the same in every survey. Which country someone lives in, which district they work in, which language they speak at home. Miqyas keeps those lists so you do not have to. Reference them by name in your XLSForm, and there is nothing to upload.

What you get

Answers arrive as stable codes rather than typed text, which is what makes them comparable across surveys and across time. Two studies that both use the district list can be put on one breakdown with no reconciliation. An administrative answer can be mapped without ever asking for a location or storing a coordinate.

How to use one

Write a select question whose type names the file, exactly as shown in each entry below. When you upload the form, Miqyas recognises the name and marks that attachment as provided. You neither can nor need to upload a file for it. Copy the snippet as it stands; it works unmodified.

Choosing the language of the options

By default an option reads in both languages at once (“حلب / Aleppo”), because a form’s language switch does not reach labels that came from a file. If your form is in one language, name that language’s column explicitly with the parameters row shown in each entry.

Your form keeps the version it was published with

When you publish, the exact contents of each list are fixed to that version of your form and stay there. A later correction to a place name does not change what your respondents see or what your collected answers mean. Your form’s design tab shows which version it holds, tells you when a newer one exists, and lets you move to it deliberately, after showing you exactly what would change.

When these lists are not the right answer

They are not editable, and they will not carry a place your organisation names differently or a category we do not publish. Nothing stops you supplying your own file for a question instead, exactly as before. That path is unchanged and always available.

Getting the place name into your exported data

Exports carry the code that was submitted and nothing else. Miqyas does not add columns your form did not collect. If you want the name in your data as well, collect it deliberately with a calculated question that looks the chosen code up in the list. Each administrative entry below shows the exact expression.

Browser fill only, for now

Reference lists work when respondents fill your form in a web browser. They do not yet work in the offline mobile app: files the platform provides are not included in what that app downloads, which affects every platform-provided attachment and not just these lists. If your fieldwork is offline, supply your own file for now.

The lists

miqyas-countries.csv

Dropdown

Every country, by its ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code. Carries a demonym column, so a nationality question can reuse the same codes instead of inventing a second set.

Covers: Everywhere
Source: ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 codes; display names from the Unicode CLDR — Unicode License v3

Columns

name	The stored answer
label	Shown to respondents by default
label_ar	Arabic name only
label_en	English name only
demonym_ar	demonym_ar
demonym_en	demonym_en

Add to your form

type: select_one_from_file miqyas-countries.csv
name: country

Show one language only

type: select_one_from_file miqyas-countries.csv
name: country
parameters: label=label_en

miqyas-sy-adm1.csv

Dropdown

Syria's 14 governorates, as a dropdown.

Covers: Syria only, at adm1
Source: UN OCHA Common Operational Dataset, via HDX — CC BY 3.0 IGO

Columns

name	The stored answer
label	Shown to respondents by default
label_ar	Arabic name only
label_en	English name only
adm0	Parent adm0 code, for filtering

Add to your form

type: select_one_from_file miqyas-sy-adm1.csv
name: governorate

Show one language only

type: select_one_from_file miqyas-sy-adm1.csv
name: governorate
parameters: label=label_en

Also store the name in your data

type: calculate
name: governorate_label
calculation: instance('miqyas-sy-adm1')/root/item[name=${governorate}]/label_en

miqyas-sy-adm1-map.geojson

Map

Syria's 14 governorates, as shapes a respondent picks on a map.

Covers: Syria only, at adm1
Source: UN OCHA Common Operational Dataset, via HDX — CC BY 3.0 IGO

Columns

id	The stored answer
title	Shown to respondents by default
label_ar	Arabic name only
label_en	English name only
adm0	Parent adm0 code, for filtering

Selecting a shape shows the respondent every column above, not just the name.

Add to your form

type: select_one_from_file miqyas-sy-adm1-map.geojson
name: governorate

Pick on a map

type: select_one_from_file miqyas-sy-adm1-map.geojson
name: governorate
appearance: map

Show one language only

type: select_one_from_file miqyas-sy-adm1-map.geojson
name: governorate
parameters: label=label_en

miqyas-sy-adm2.csv

Dropdown

Syria's 62 districts, as a dropdown. Filterable by governorate.

Covers: Syria only, at adm2
Source: UN OCHA Common Operational Dataset, via HDX — CC BY 3.0 IGO

Columns

name	The stored answer
label	Shown to respondents by default
label_ar	Arabic name only
label_en	English name only
adm0	Parent adm0 code, for filtering
adm1	Parent adm1 code, for filtering

Add to your form

type: select_one_from_file miqyas-sy-adm2.csv
name: district

Show one language only

type: select_one_from_file miqyas-sy-adm2.csv
name: district
parameters: label=label_en

Narrow by the answer above

type: select_one_from_file miqyas-sy-adm1.csv
name: governorate

type: select_one_from_file miqyas-sy-adm2.csv
name: district
choice_filter: adm1=${governorate}

Also store the name in your data

type: calculate
name: district_label
calculation: instance('miqyas-sy-adm2')/root/item[name=${district}]/label_en

miqyas-sy-adm2-map.geojson

Map

Syria's 62 districts, as shapes a respondent picks on a map. Filterable by governorate.

Covers: Syria only, at adm2
Source: UN OCHA Common Operational Dataset, via HDX — CC BY 3.0 IGO

Columns

id	The stored answer
title	Shown to respondents by default
label_ar	Arabic name only
label_en	English name only
adm0	Parent adm0 code, for filtering
adm1	Parent adm1 code, for filtering

Selecting a shape shows the respondent every column above, not just the name.

Add to your form

type: select_one_from_file miqyas-sy-adm2-map.geojson
name: district

Pick on a map

type: select_one_from_file miqyas-sy-adm2-map.geojson
name: district
appearance: map

Show one language only

type: select_one_from_file miqyas-sy-adm2-map.geojson
name: district
parameters: label=label_en

Narrow by the answer above

type: select_one_from_file miqyas-sy-adm1.csv
name: governorate

type: select_one_from_file miqyas-sy-adm2-map.geojson
name: district
choice_filter: adm1=${governorate}

Large file. On a slow connection or an older phone this will take a noticeable moment to load.

miqyas-sy-adm3.csv

Dropdown

Syria's 272 sub-districts, as a dropdown. Filterable by district or governorate.

Covers: Syria only, at adm3
Source: UN OCHA Common Operational Dataset, via HDX — CC BY 3.0 IGO

Columns

name	The stored answer
label	Shown to respondents by default
label_ar	Arabic name only
label_en	English name only
adm0	Parent adm0 code, for filtering
adm1	Parent adm1 code, for filtering
adm2	Parent adm2 code, for filtering

Add to your form

type: select_one_from_file miqyas-sy-adm3.csv
name: subdistrict

Show one language only

type: select_one_from_file miqyas-sy-adm3.csv
name: subdistrict
parameters: label=label_en

Narrow by the answer above

type: select_one_from_file miqyas-sy-adm2.csv
name: district

type: select_one_from_file miqyas-sy-adm3.csv
name: subdistrict
choice_filter: adm2=${district}

Also store the name in your data

type: calculate
name: subdistrict_label
calculation: instance('miqyas-sy-adm3')/root/item[name=${subdistrict}]/label_en

miqyas-sy-adm3-map.geojson

Map

Syria's 272 sub-districts, as shapes a respondent picks on a map. The largest list in the catalogue.

Covers: Syria only, at adm3
Source: UN OCHA Common Operational Dataset, via HDX — CC BY 3.0 IGO

Columns

id	The stored answer
title	Shown to respondents by default
label_ar	Arabic name only
label_en	English name only
adm0	Parent adm0 code, for filtering
adm1	Parent adm1 code, for filtering
adm2	Parent adm2 code, for filtering

Selecting a shape shows the respondent every column above, not just the name.

Add to your form

type: select_one_from_file miqyas-sy-adm3-map.geojson
name: subdistrict

Pick on a map

type: select_one_from_file miqyas-sy-adm3-map.geojson
name: subdistrict
appearance: map

Show one language only

type: select_one_from_file miqyas-sy-adm3-map.geojson
name: subdistrict
parameters: label=label_en

Narrow by the answer above

type: select_one_from_file miqyas-sy-adm2.csv
name: district

type: select_one_from_file miqyas-sy-adm3-map.geojson
name: subdistrict
choice_filter: adm2=${district}

Large file. On a slow connection or an older phone this will take a noticeable moment to load.

miqyas-languages.csv

Dropdown

A curated set of languages, by ISO 639-1 code: the ones encountered across the region and its diaspora, rather than all 184.

Covers: Everywhere
Source: ISO 639-1 codes; display names from the Unicode CLDR — Unicode License v3

Columns

name	The stored answer
label	Shown to respondents by default
label_ar	Arabic name only
label_en	English name only

Add to your form

type: select_one_from_file miqyas-languages.csv
name: language

Show one language only

type: select_one_from_file miqyas-languages.csv
name: language
parameters: label=label_en

miqyas-currencies.csv

Dropdown

Every active currency, by its ISO 4217 code.

Covers: Everywhere
Source: ISO 4217 codes; display names from the Unicode CLDR — Unicode License v3

Columns

name	The stored answer
label	Shown to respondents by default
label_ar	Arabic name only
label_en	English name only

Add to your form

type: select_one_from_file miqyas-currencies.csv
name: currency

Show one language only

type: select_one_from_file miqyas-currencies.csv
name: currency
parameters: label=label_en