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RefractSurvey Codes

From Pixel Refraction Studio

An access code is how someone gets permission to take a survey, without needing an account, an email address, or anything else. Each code works exactly once.

The Access Codes page for a survey, showing used and unused codes.

Getting a code

From a survey's Codes page, generate as many codes as you need, optionally with a batch label (for example, "Homeroom 4B" or "Discord giveaway") to help you keep track of where a group of codes went. Each code is formatted like XXXX-XXXX, using a character set that deliberately leaves out digits, vowels, and anything easy to mistake for another character — so a code that got a little smudged on a printed handout, or read aloud over a call, is still easy to type in correctly.

Handing codes out

  • On paper: print a sheet of codes straight from the Codes page — each one is laid out to be cut apart and handed out individually.
  • Online: copy a code and send it however you like — Discord, email, a giveaway post, whatever fits.

Whoever receives a code goes to your site's homepage, types in the code, and is taken straight into the survey. Typing is forgiving: the field automatically capitalizes what's typed and adds the dash for you.

One-time, and rate-limited

Once a code is used, it can't be used again — it's marked "used" and tied to the response it produced. Guessing codes at random is also slowed down automatically: repeated failed attempts from the same visitor trigger an increasing wait before they can try again, whether they're using the code-entry form or typing a code directly into a survey link.

Cleaning up

An unused code can be deleted if you want to invalidate it — useful if a batch of codes was accidentally sent to the wrong group, or a giveaway is over.

See also