PowerPoll® FAQ

Can I make changes to the Poller properties without scrolling through the toolbox properties list?

Yes, by calling up the toolbox properties list and clicking on 'Custom'. A tabbed dialog will appear that lets you modify a variety of PowerPoll® properties.

The tabbed dialogue is easier to use. You can also easily get to this by right-clicking on the poller and selecting PowerPoll Object and Properties.

Can the response graph highlight the correct choice with a special color?

Yes. First put the number of the correct choice in the 'Correct' property box – polling tab on the tabbed dialogue. Then select a color for the bar to be highlighted in the 'Bar color #2' box – graph colors tab and bar 2. Finally, set 'Custom graph' to "False" – custom colors check box on the graph tab. (PowerPoll 2 it is vary bar colors check box on the graphing tab)

All bars will be the color of Bar #1 and the correct answer highlighted with Bar color 2.

What should I do if I begin a session and find that I forgot to turn off the 'Test Data' in a Poller slide?

Just position the mouse cursor over the graph and hold down the <Ctrl> key as you click the left mouse button. This has the same affect as making test data false or un-checking the test data box on the polling tab.

How do I save my response data when my presentation is over?

The response data is stored in the Poller object, which is a part of the PowerPoint® slide itself. To save the data for future review or printing, just save your .PPT file when the presentation is finished. If you plan to reuse the presentation to poll another audience, you should use the 'save as' option on the File menu to save the presentation containing your response data under a different name.

It is a good idea to set up the Output file to save individual responses for a back-up, just in case you forget to save the overall presentation, you will not totally lose your data. To set the Output file in PowerPoll, you go to Start > Programs > ARS Applications > PowerPoll Help files > Set Output. This pops up a dialogue box for you to indicate the location and the name of the file you want to use for the output. In PowerPoll 2, you set the file name on the Polling tab of the PowerPoll 2 Support program.

Once you have set the output, an entry will be written to this file each time you poll a poller. To make this information more meaningful, you should change the default name poller1 to a unique name in the individual poll. In the help files, there is a .pdf formatted file detailing how to import this file into an Excel spreadsheet.

Once I have set a Poller object's properties to my liking, can I copy it to other slides to save time and effort?

Yes, just left click on the Poller object, and then copy and paste it as you would any document element.

Can I poll more than 250 keypads with PowerPoll®?

Not if you are using the Reply Standard or WorldWide keypad model. PowerPoll® is limited to a single channel of wireless keypads, with a maximum of 250 keypads on the channel. Using CLiKAPAD, you can poll up to 650 keypads.

If I lose or forget my Security Key, is there any way I can still poll for response data in my presentation?

Yes, you need to call ARS to receive an authorization code to run the software without the hasp. You will run a program that came with PowerPoll called PPAuthorizer.exe and provide the code that is displayed. The ARS representative will provide you with a code to enter in to authorize the program's use for x hours. If your computer is turned off in this time frame, you will need to call ARS for another code in order to proceed. If you need to shut your computer down, you can shut down in standby mode and it will retain the code.

With PowerPoll 2, you use the Hasp Bypass tab in the PowerPoll 2 Support program to get the code to call ARS for authorization.

How do I check my hasp's expiration date?

To check the hasp's expiration date, make sure the hasp is plugged into your parallel or USB port on your computer. Start PowerPoll, if it is not already running, and right click on the PowerPoll Graph Poller and go to properties. From here, go to the Alphabetic tab, click to the right of the About box in the empty field. If the hasp is programmed to expire, you will see that information displayed from this dialog. Otherwise, it lists only the current date and is not programmed to expire.

With PowerPoll 2, you will see the date at the bottom of the first dialogue box that appears when you run the PowerPoll 2 Support program.

Can I poll a before and after question with PowerPoll?

Yes, you can, but the operation is a little tricky. You can place two pollers on a page – one for the before, a second one for the after. The first time you poll the question, you left-click the first poller to poll for and display the “before” results. After reviewing results, but advancing to the next slide, you need to right-click and hide the before graph so that it does not show when you come back to it to poll the question again for the “after” results. Note the right-clicking on a graph after it is displayed will hide and right-clicking again will re-reveal the results.

When you are ready to go back and poll the after portion, you will need to use your PowerPoint navigation or “Go to slide” command to move back to the slide. You will then left-click on the “after” poller, to poll and reveal the “after” results. To show a comparison of the two pollers, you right-click on the first poller to reveal the “before” results. It is tricky, because if you accidentally left-click, you will poll it again and lose your results. So be careful which way you click – left or right mouse button.