The Diary

Consumer Expenditure Surveys: Quarterly Interview and Diary

Attachment D(a) - Online Diary Specifications

The Diary

OMB: 1220-0050

Document [pdf]
Download: pdf | pdf
CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
1 General Specifications:
These specifications apply to all pages in the web/mobile instrument
1.

Desktop Page Banner: The Census logo and survey name should appear at the top of every page of
the web version in place of the BLS logo.

2.

Mobile Page Banner: The following banners should appear at the top of every page of the mobile
version. The BLS logo should be replaced by the Census logo.

3.

Save a record unless user selects ‘Back’. (All that is required to save an item is the date of purchase,
business, category, and any ONE of the other fields.) When an item is not saved because a required field
is empty, a popup should appear that says “Please enter the date, business, type of expense, and the
total cost”. When an item is saved, a popup should appear that says “Item Saved”. Popup should
automatically disappear in 5 seconds.

4.

Diary should be able to record all purchases during the household’s two seven-day recording periods and
should have a single username for each household.

5.

BLS wants respondents to use their mobile devices (phones and tablets.)

6.

Respondents should be able to switch between using a mobile device and a PC or laptop.

7.

Respondents will record purchases by category, rather than by expense.

8.

Respondents should be able to scroll vertically on the Welcome/Summary Screen if there are expenses
entered and date dropdowns selected (depending on how many expenses are displayed).

9.

Located in the banner of the Welcome/Summary Screen and the Add Expense Screen, add two gray
buttons that will allow the user to toggle between Week 1 and Week 2. Whichever week they have active
the button should be green. This toggle feature will only be available during Week 2.

10.

For the Business variable, the grey prefill in the empty field should say “Enter Business Name”. The
Business name will remain in the field until the user changes it or exits to the Summary screen. This is to
allow ease of entry for multiple purchases made from a single business/outlet.

11.

Range of dates should be derived as datebegin through datebegin plus 6 for the first week of the diary.

12.

Range of dates should be derived as datebegin plus 7 through datebegin plus 13 for the second week of
the diary.

13.

A dollar sign ($) should appear to the left of every cost field.

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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
14.

There should be one set of credentials for each respondent/household.

15.

Users who change their passwords should receive an Email stating their password was changed.

16.

On the last day of the reporting period for each week (datebegin + 6 and datebegin + 13), BLS would like
a new item added to the Summary screen for users who have logged in, but have not entered any
expenses for that week. In this situation, they would like to have a checkbox added for respondents who
did not have any expenses during the reporting week.

17.

ADSD will provide the standard for background color scheme, font size, and font colors for all screens
similar to or the same as what is provided in the screenshots throughout. ADSD will ensure that the
application is 508 compliant, as applicable.

The colors used in Westat’s css file are listed below. If possible, these colors should be maintained or kept as
consistent as possible.

@greyButton: #d5dfee;
@greyFooter: #d4dbe3;
@grey: #666666;
@greyDark:#414141;
@greyLight: #eaeaea;
@greySilver: #e5e9ee;
@navy: #022b57;
@navyLight:lighten(@navy, 25%);
@navyLighter: #bfcad5;
@blue: #2b60a8;
@blueLight:#8095ab;
@blueDark:darken(@blue, 20%);
@blueHeaderBar: #cad7e9;
@brown:#c0b399;
@brownDark:#776849;
@brownLight:#d6d1c8;
@black:#000000;
@green:#66bb6a;
@red: #bc0d07;
@white: #fff;

18.

After 10 minutes, the screen displays a warning message regarding session expiration. It should read as
follows,” Your session is about to expire. Press OK to keep working or you will be logged out. Time
Remaining X:XX”, with the time remaining counting starting at 5 minutes.

19.

After 15 minutes of non-active time, the screen displays a session expiration warning as follows,
“Your session has expired. Please reenter your Username and Password to continue.”
The application should time out after 15 minutes of inactivity. No information entered in current field
should be saved. To close the warning, user will need to hit the blue “Close” button. Once the user
selects close, the timer is reset back to 15 minutes.

20.

When the user saves the website as a bookmark, the description should be “CE Diary”

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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
21.

The user should be able to save partial information and be able go back to edit, complete, or delete the
entry using the Welcome/Summary Screen.

22.

In the Desktop Online Diary, it is important that a respondent can use the tab button to move between
fields.

23.

Normal 2019 placement and pick-up procedures used in the CE Diary Survey, including early and late
placement dates, should be followed.

24.

All text fields (such as OTLNAME or ITEMDESC) should allow the following characters:






All uppercase and lowercase English letters and numbers
Allow all special characters, including !@#$%^&*

Allow all brackets, including (){}[]
Allow all punctuation, including , . : ; ” ’ ?/
Allow all uppercase and lowercase Spanish letters

2 Detailed Specifications
2.1
Page Name/ID:
2.1.1 General Instructions
a. Layout:

Login

Vertical

b. Title and Subtitle:
c. Pre-Instructions:

CE Diary (Heading)

d. Main Question Wording:
Username: ________
Password: ________

e. Post-Instructions:
Forget your password? (link)
Forgot your username? (link)

f.

‘Login’ button

Special Instructions:
1. Include four boxes (links) at bottom of screen, “Burden Statement”, “Accessibility”, “Privacy” and
“Security”.


Privacy button opens the URL  in a
new window.

2. List OMB Number and Expiration Date (i.e. currently listed as “Approval Expires 9/30/2022) below
those four boxes. OMB control number is 1220-0050 and the Expiration Date is MM/DD/YYYY.

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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
3. Screen displays standard Census computer access warning at the bottom of screen.
4. List “Forgot your password?” below password box
5. List “Forgot your username?” below “Forgot your password?”
6. The Username fields are numbers and letters so the alphanumeric keyboard should automatically
appear when user clicks in these fields.
7. After 5 unsuccessful attempts, lock out user and display: “For security reasons, your account has
been locked. Please contact your Help Desk for assistance in unlocking your account.”
8. Display ‘Login’ button to the right of the Forgot your password and username links.

2.1.2 Online Layouts
2.1.2.1

Web Layout:

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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
2.1.2.2

Mobile Layout:

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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
2.1.3 Data Elements
2.1.3.1

DataElement Name/ID:

USER_ID

Label
Required
Tab Index
Type

USER_ID
Yes
1
Text

Min Length
Max length
Read Only
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern

4
30
No
No

On entry
Allow numeric, character and
special. Do not allow spaces.

Username

All responses go to
PASSWORD

Special Instructions
2.1.3.2

DataElement Name/ID:

PASSWORD

Label
Required
Tab Index
Type

PASSWORD
Yes
2
Text

Min Length
Max length
Read Only
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern

8
40
No
No

Allow numeric, character and
special. Do not allow spaces.

Password



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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
1. [goto Post_Login]
2. [goto
Welcome/Summary Screen]
3.  display: “Login
Failed.” (on the top of the
Username box in red font)
Special Instructions

2.2

Page Name/ID:

2.2.1 General Instructions
a. Layout:

Burden
Vertical

b. Title and Subtitle:
c. Pre-Instructions:

CE Diary (Heading)

d. Main Question Wording:
How long will the interview take?
We expect that it will take about 9 minutes per day to record your expenditures in the diary.

By law (Title 13, U.S. Code), we must keep your information confidential; we use it for
statistical purposes only.
This survey is collected under OMB control number 1220-0050. This survey could not be conducted
without a valid OMB control number.
If you have comments regarding this survey, please send them to: CEComments@bls.gov.

e. Post-Instructions:
f.

‘Return to Diary’ button

Special Instructions:
1. Upon click of “Burden Statement” link, open new window with Burden Screen.
2. At the bottom of the screen there should be a ‘Return to Diary’ button that takes the user back to
the previous screen.

2.2.2 Data Elements
2.2.2.1
DataElement Name/ID:
Label
Required
Tab Index
Type
Min Length

Burden
Burden
Yes. Screen opens on clicking
“Burden Statement” link
Clickable
n/a
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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
Max length
Read Only
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern

n/a
Yes
No
n/a

 [goto previous screen]

Special Instructions

2.3

Page Name/ID:

2.3.1 General Instructions
a. Layout:

Security
Vertical

b. Title and Subtitle:
c. Pre-Instructions:

CE Diary (Heading)

d. Main Question Wording:

Data are Encrypted at all Times
Our secure servers use "HTTPS", Hypertext Transfer Protocol over Secure Socket Layer, to ensure the
encrypted transmission of data between your browser and the U.S. Census Bureau. This means that
instead of sending readable text over the Internet, both your browser and our server encode (scramble)
all text using a security key. That way, personal data sent to your browser or data you send back are
extremely difficult to decode in the unlikely event it was intercepted by an unauthorized party.
All browsers connecting to our secure server must use a minimum encryption key size of 128 bits. If you
cannot connect to our secure server and you are using an older browser, please upgrade to a newer
browser capable of using the required encryption key size. In addition to data being encrypted while
transmitted, all data are strongly encrypted when stored on our servers (even if stored temporarily).

Third Party Identity Proofing
Our secure server uses a digital certificate (digital ID) issued by a trusted, third party Certificate Authority
(CA) as proof of identity. The only way to be sure of a web site's authenticity is to view their digital ID. In
this way, you can be assured that you are not being "spoofed" or tricked by an imposter. The digital ID
will contain information such as:

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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021




The name of the organization that owns the web site (e.g., "U.S. Census Bureau")
The site's registered Internet name/address (e.g., "respond.census.gov/diary")
The name of the Certification Authority under which the digital ID was issued (e.g., "VeriSign
Trust Network")

The method for viewing a web site's Digital Certificate/ID varies depending on the web browser. (For
example, Mozilla's Firefox will display a clickable locked padlock icon in the lower right corner of your
screen when in secure mode, Microsoft Internet Explorer shows a clickable locked padlock icon in the
menu bar.) Please see your browser's ‘Help’ information for instructions on how to verify a web site's
identity.

e. Post-Instructions:
f.

‘Close’ button

Special Instructions:
1. Upon click of “Security” link, open new window with Security Screen.
2. At the bottom of the screen there should be a ‘Close’ button that closes the popup screen and
returns the user back to the previous screen.

2.3.2 Data Elements
2.3.2.1
DataElement Name/ID:
Label
Required
Tab Index
Type
Min Length
Max length
Read Only
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern

Security
Security
Yes. Screen opens on clicking
“Security Link”
Clickable
n/a
n/a
Yes
No
n/a


[close popup and goto previous
screen]

Special Instructions
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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
2.4
Page Name/ID:
2.4.1 General Instructions
a. Layout:

Forgot_Password

Vertical

b. Title and Subtitle:
c. Pre-Instructions:

CE Diary (Heading)

d. Main Question Wording:
Forgot Password
Please enter either the email address associated with your account or the username or your account.
Email or username: ______________________

e. Post-Instructions:
f.

Back(button)

Submit(button)

Special Instructions:
1. Upon click of “Forgot Password” link, open new window with Forgot_Password Screen.
2. If the email matches an email provided and the user for that email address did not previously
create a new password for this account, display: “That account doesn't have the required
information for a password reset. Please call 877-744-1522 if you need assistance.” (in red text
underneath Email or username field)Else if Email matches an Email provided, goto
Security_Question Screen.
Else if the Email address does not match an Email provided, display: “That Email address does
not match with any existing accounts. Please contact 877-744-1522 if you need assistance”
(Error message in red text underneath Email or username field)
3. If Username matches a username provided and the user did not previously create a new
password for this account display: “That Username cannot reset their password online. Please
contact 877-744-1522 if you need assistance.” (Error message is in red text under the Email or
username field)
Else If Username matches a Username provided and user has previously changed their
password, goto Security_Question Screen.
Else if the username does not match a username provided, display: “That account doesn't have
the required information for a password reset. Please call 877-744-1522 if you need assistance.”
(on the top of the screen in a yellow box)
4. Display ‘Submit’ and ‘Back’ buttons below Username. The ‘Back’ button takes the user back to
the previous screen.

2.4.2 Data Elements
2.4.2.1

DataElement Name/ID:
Label
Required
Tab Index

FORGOT_EM
FORGOT_EM
Yes. Screen opens on clicking
“Forgot your password”
1
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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
Type

Text

Min Length
Max length
Read Only
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern

4
50
No
No

Allow numeric, character and
special. Do not allow spaces.

Email Address

If the email matches an email
provided and the user for that
email address did not previously
create a new password for this
account, display: “That account
doesn't have the required
information for a password reset.
Please call 1-877-744-1522 if you
need assistance.” (on the top of
the screen in a red box)
Else if Email matches an Email
provided and user previously
changed their password, goto
Security_Question Screen.
Else if the Email address does not
match an Email provided, display:
“That Email address does not
match with any existing accounts.
Please contact 1-877-744-1522 if
you need assistance” (on the top
of the screen in a yellow box)

Special Instructions

2.4.2.2

DataElement Name/ID:
Label
Required
Tab Index
Type
Min Length

Do not allow entry in both
FORGOT_EM and
FORGOT_UN.
FORGOT_UN
FORGOT_UN
Yes. Screen opens on clicking
“Forgot your password”
2
Text
4

Allow numeric and character.
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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
Max length
Read Only
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern

30
No
No
Username

If Username matches a username
provided and the user did not
previously create a new password
for this account display: “That
Username cannot reset their
password online. Please contact
1-877-744-1522 if you need
assistance.”
Else If Username matches a
Username provided and user has
previously changed their email,
then goto Security_Question
Screen.
Else if the username does not
match a username provided,
display: “That account doesn't
match with any of our existing
accounts. Please call 1-877-7441522 if you need assistance.”” (on
the top of the screen in a yellow
box)

Special Instructions

2.5
Page Name/ID:
2.5.1 General Instructions
g. Layout:

Do not allow entry in both
FORGOT_EM and
FORGOT_UN.
Security_Question

Vertical

h. Title and Subtitle:
i.

Pre-Instructions:

j.

Main Question Wording:

CE Diary (Heading)

Forgot Password

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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
Please provide the answer to the security question you provided when you changed your
password or username.
Security Question [Enter Security Question user selected on Change_Password / Username screen)
Answer _________________

k. Post-Instructions:
l.

Submit(button)

Back(button)

Special Instructions:
1. Upon verification of email or username on Forgot_Password Screen or upon verification of email
on Forgot_Username Screen, open new window with Security_Question Screen.
2. If security question answer matches the security question selected previously by the user,
display: “A message has been sent to your Email address. Click on the link in that Email to reset
your password” (on top of the screen in a green box)]
Else if security question answer does not match the security question selected previously by the
user, display: “That answer does not match our records. Please try again or contact 877-7441522 if you need assistance.”
3. If security question answer matches, close the current window and go back to previous window to
attempt to login with new login info.
4. Display ‘Submit’ and ‘Back’ buttons below the security answer. The ‘Back’ button takes the user
back to the previous screen.

2.5.2 Data Elements
2.5.2.1

DataElement Name/ID:
Label
Required
Tab Index
Type
Min Length
Max length
Read Only
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern

Security_Ck
Security Question
Yes. Verification of email or
username
Text

Allow numeric, character and
special. Do not allow spaces.

4
50
Yes
No

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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
Special Instructions

2.5.2.2

DataElement Name/ID:
Label
Required

Enter Security Question user
selected in Change_Password or
Change_Username screen
Security_Ans_chk
Answer
Yes. Verification of email or
username
1
Text
4
30
No
No

Tab Index
Type
Min Length
Max length
Read Only
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder Security Question Answer
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
If Security_ans_chk is the same
Skip Pattern

Allow numeric and character.

as security_ans then display
message saying, “A message has
been sent to your Email address.
Click on the link in that Email to
reset your password.”
If Security_ans_chk is the same
as security_ans and
Forgot_Username was clicked
then display message saying,
“We have sent an email to the
email address you provided..”
Else if security_ans_chk is not the
same as security_ans than
display message saying, “That
answer does not match our
records. Please try again or
contact 877-744-1522 if you need
assistance.”

Special Instructions

If security_ans_chk is the same
as security_ans and Forgot
Password clicked, send

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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
password reset email to user’s
email address.
If security_ans_chk is the same
as security_ans and Forgot
Username clicked, send
username reset email to user’s
email address.

2.6
Page Name/ID:
2.6.1 General Instructions
a. Layout:

Retrieve_Password
Vertical

b. Title and Subtitle:
c. Pre-Instructions:

CE Diary (Heading)

d. Main Question Wording:
Retrieve Password
Please enter and confirm new password
Passwords must contain all of the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

At least 8 characters
At least 1 uppercase letter
At least 1 lowercase letter
At least 1 number
At least 1 special character from the following: ! # $ * & ? ~



New Password - text box



Confirm New Password - text box

e. Post-Instructions:
f.

‘Save’ button

Special Instructions:
o
o
o
o
o

This page will only be reached by personalized URL link sent to users in an email after successfully
completing the Forgot_Password and Security_Question Screens.
All fields must be filled in before Password change can be accepted.
The headers “New Password” and “Confirm New Password” should be left justified.
Entries in new Password and Confirm New Password should be the same.
When the save button is selected and password criteria is met, a popup should appear that says
“Your password has been changed”. Popup should automatically disappear in 3 seconds.

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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
2.6.2 Online Layouts
2.6.3 Data Elements
2.6.3.1

DataElement Name/ID:
Label
Field name
Required

New_PW
New_PW
New_PW
Yes. User clicks on Forgot
Password link sent to their
email.
1
Text, manual entry
8
40
No
No
New Password

Tab Index
Type
Min Length
Max length
Read Only
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern
Goto Confirm_PW
Special Instructions
2.6.3.2

DataElement Name/ID:
Label
Required
Tab Index
Type
Min Length
Max length
Read Only
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text

Confirm_PW
Confirm_PW
Yes. User clicks on Forgot
Password link sent to their
email.
2
Text
8
20
No
No
Confirm New Password

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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern

 if
New_PW is not the same as
Confirm_PW, then display
message saying ‘Your New
and Confirm Passwords do not
match.’
Else if New_PW and
Confirm_PW are the same, but
New_PW does not fit the
following criteria: at least 8
characters, at least 1 uppercase
letter, at least 1 lowercase
letter, at least 1 number, at
least 1 special character from
the following: ! # $ * & ? ~,
then display message saying
‘Your new Password must
meet the following criteria:
1.
At least 8 characters
2.
At least 1 uppercase
letter
3.
At least 1 lowercase
letter
4.
At least 1 number
5.
At least 1 special
character from the following: !
# $ * & ? ~.’
Else change Password to
New_PW and display message
saying ‘Your password has
been changed’ Then, goto
Login Screen.

Special Instructions

2.7

Page Name/ID:

2.7.1 General Instructions
a. Layout:

Forgot_Username
Vertical

b. Title and Subtitle:
c. Pre-Instructions:

CE Diary (Heading)

d. Main Question Wording:

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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021

Forgot Username
Please enter either the email address associated with your account. Your username will be mailed to the
email address you provided

e. Post-Instructions:

Submit(button)

‘Back’ button

a. Special Instructions:
1. Upon click of “Forgot Username” link, open new window with Forgot_Username Screen.
2. At the bottom of the screen there should be ‘Submit’ and ‘Back’ buttons. The “Back’ button takes
the user back to the previous screen.
3. If the email matches an email provided and the user for that email address did not previously create a
new username for this account, display: “That account doesn't have the required information for a
username reset. Please call 1-877-744-1522 if you need assistance.” (on the top of the screen in a
red box)
Else if Email matches an Email provided, goto Security_Question screen.
Else if the Email address does not match an Email provided, display: “That Email address does not match with any
existing accounts. Please contact 1-877-744-1522 if you need assistance” (Text appears in red under the Email entry
box))

2.7.2 Data Elements
2.7.2.1

DataElement Name/ID:
FORGOTUSERNAME
Label
FORGOTUSERNAME
Required
Yes. Screen opens on clicking
“Forgot your username”
Tab Index
1
Type
Text
Min Length
Max length
Read Only
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern

Allow numeric, character and
special. Do not allow spaces.

4
30
No
No
Email Address

If the email matches an email
provided and the user for that

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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
email address did not previously
create a new username for this
account, display: “That account
doesn't have the required
information to recover a username.
Please call 877-744-1522 if you
need assistance.” (in red text
below the Email entry screen)
Else if Email matches an Email
provided and user previously
changed their password, goto
Security_Question Screen.
Else if the Email address does not
match an Email provided, display:
“That Email address does not
match with any existing accounts.
Please contact 877-744-1522 if
you need assistance” (Text
appears in red under the Email
entry box)

Special Instructions

2.7b
Page Name/ID:
2.7.1 General Instructions
g. Layout:

Retrieve_Username
Vertical

h. Title and Subtitle:
i.

Pre-Instructions:

j.

Main Question Wording:

CE Diary (Heading)

Retrieve Username
Please enter and confirm new username
Username must be at least 8 characters


New Username - text box



Confirm New Username - text box

k. Post-Instructions:
l.

‘Save’ button

Special Instructions:
o

This page will only be reached by personalized URL link sent to users in an email after successfully
completing the Forgot_Username and Security_Question Screens.

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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
o
o
o
o

All fields must be filled in before Username change can be accepted.
The headers “New Username” and “Confirm New Username” should be left justified.
Entries in new Username and Confirm New Username should be the same.
When the save button is selected and username criteria is met, a popup should appear that says
“Your username has been updated”. Popup should automatically disappear in 5 seconds.

2.7.2 Online Layouts
2.7.3 Data Elements
2.7.3.1

DataElement Name/ID:
Label
Field name
Required

New_UN
New_UN
New_UN
Yes. User clicks on Forgot
Username. Link sent to their
email.
1
Text, manual entry
8
20
No
No
New Username

Tab Index
Type
Min Length
Max length
Read Only
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern
Goto Confirm_UN
Special Instructions
2.7.3.2

DataElement Name/ID:
Label
Required
Tab Index
Type
Min Length
Max length
Read Only
Multiple Responses

Confirm_UN
Confirm_UN
Yes. User clicks on Forgot
Username. Link sent to their
email.
2
Text
8
20
No
No
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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
Main Question Text
Confirm New Username
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern
 if
New_UN is not the same as
Confirm_UN, then display
message saying ‘Your New
and Confirm Usernames do not
match.’
Else if New_UN and
Confirm_UN are the same, but
New_UN does not fit the
following criteria: at least 8
characters, then display
message saying ‘Your new
Password must meet the
following have at least 8
characters
Else change Username to
New_UN and display message
saying ‘Your username has
been changed’ Then, goto
Login Screen.
Special Instructions

2.8

Page Name/ID:

Post_Login_Screen

2.8.1 General Instructions
a. Layout:

Vertical

b. Title and Subtitle:
c. Pre-Instructions:

CE Diary (Heading)

‘Help’ button

‘Logout’ Button

d. Main Question Wording:
Select the date you are scheduled to begin entering expenses into your Diary: _______
(calendar icon)
Email address (optional): ________

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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
We will not share your email address with any 3rd parties.

e. Special Instructions:
1. The date selection should be a calendar displaying the possible start dates for the
respondent based on the Earliest Placement Date (EPD) and the Latest Placement Date
(LPD.) The dates displayed should be from the EPD+1 to the LPD+1.
2. Include a ‘Continue’ button below the email field.
3. Place a ‘Help’ button (for information) at the top right corner of the screen from this screen
forward.
Place a ‘Logout’ button at at the top right corder of the screen to the left of ‘Contact Us’.

4. 2.8.2 Data Elements

2.8.2.1

DataElement Name/ID:
DateBegin
Label
DateBegin
Required
Yes. Screen opens after first
successful user/ID - pw entry
Tab Index
Type
Calendar, Manual Entry
Min Length
8
MM/DD/YY format
Max length
8
MM/DD/YY format
Read Only
No
Multiple Responses
No
Main Question Text
n/a
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder MM/DD/YY
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern

1. If DateBegin <> EMPTY or
date selected is from EPD+1 to
LPD+1 Goto EMAIL
2. Else display: “Please verify
the responses marked below.”
(on top of screen) and “Please
provide a date between EPD+1
and LPD+1”” (above email
address), where the dates are
22

CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021

Special Instructions

displayed in MM/DD/YY
format.
User can enter date in
MM/DD/YY format or can
click on calendar icon and
click on relevant dates.
Calendar icon should only
allow the user to select the
dates EPD+1 to LPD+1. This
is from the 2nd date of the
production month, to the first
date of the next month. For
example, 01/02/18-02/01/18.
Add italicized text under the
start date box, “Your start Date
is the day after your Census
Field Representative issued
you a username and
password”.

2.8.2.2

DataElement Name/ID:
EMAIL
Label
EMAIL
Required
Yes. Screen opens after first
successful user/ID - pw entry
Tab Index
1
Type
Text
Min Length
Max length
Read Only
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern

Allow numeric, character and
special. Do not allow spaces.
Allow empty

0
50
No
No
Email Address

[goto Welcome_Summary]

Special Instructions

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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
2.9
Page Name/ID:
2.9.1 General Instructions
a. Layout:

WelcomeSummary
Vertical

b. Title and Subtitle:
c. Pre-Instructions:

CE Diary (Heading)

CE Diary

Help

Logout

d. Main Question Wording:
Expenses

Week 1(button)

Week 2(button)

(List all seven dates for the relevant Diary week under the Expenses heading.)
(Show collapse/expand entry for particular day)

e. Post-Instructions:
f.

‘Search’ button

‘Add Item’ button

Special Instructions:


Screen has header on top of page with Census logo to the left, “Consumer Expenditure
Diary” in the middle, and ‘Logout’ and ‘Help’ links to the right



List of seven dates for the highlighted diary Week should be the dates DateBegin to
DateBegin +6 for Week 1 and dates DateBegin +7 to DateBegin +13 for Week 2. Dates
should be displayed with Day number as an icon (1-7), followed by the Day of the Week,
Month (abbreviated), and day, and then followed by the number of items recorded that day
[i.e. 1 Monday, Nov 27 (3)]. If the current date < DateBegin +7 then display Week 1 dates
(DateBegin to DateBegin +6). If current date > DateBegin +6 then display Week 2 dates
(DateBegin +7 to DateBegin +13).



Under the heading, Expenses should be left justified and the Week 1 and Week 2 buttons will
be right justified. These buttons will allow the user to toggle between each week’s diary. The
active week will be highlighted in green, while the other week will be gray. The week 1 button
should be green while week 2 is gray unless the user selects week 2.

1. Once users have entered at least one expense, a delete option (i.e. a trash icon) and an edit
button (a pencil icon) should appear to the right of each expense to the right of the cost.


Have an expandable/collapsible feature under each date, where if the user clicks to expand a
specific date, all expenses made on that date will be listed underneath. Expenses will display
Category Icon, ItemDesc (or Business if Category=Meals, Snacks, and Drinks Away from
Home), Cost_Com, Delete (button), Edit (button). If there are no expenses made for that
date, then display the message “No expenses reported”. ItemDesc/Business field should
display up to 32 characters to avoid text wrapping. Cost_Com field should be capped at six

24

CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
digits in addition to the decimal point, and cents (i.e. $100,000.00). The Cost field should
also be right justified. Each of the Cost_Com and ItemDesc/Business fields need to be
sortable. The default sort should be where the most recent expenses should appear on top.
The Cost field should be sorted as a value and not as text so that the ordering would appear
as 3, 4, 5, 48 and not 3, 4, 48, 5.

2.9.2 Online Layouts

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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
2.9.3 Data Elements
2.9.3.1 DataElement Name/ID:
Label
Field Name
Required

NoExpW1
No Expenses Week 1
NoExpW1
If current date =/gt
DateBegin+6 and no expenses
entered from DateBegin
through DateBegin+6 and
respondent has already logged in
at least once.

Tab Index
Type
Min
Max
Read Only
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text

1
Checkbox
0
1
No
No

.

You haven’t entered any
expenses for Week 1 –
DateBegin to DateBegin+6.
(Dates are in Mon DD format. For
example, “Week 1 – Jan 02 to Jan
08”).
If you had no expenses during
this week, check here.
(checkbox)

Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern
On Click in Checkbox, stay at
WelcomeScreen.
Special Instructions
If checkbox is selected,
output NoExpW1 as 1.
Dataset
FDAY
2.9.3.2 DataElement Name/ID:
Label

NoExpW2
No Expenses Week 2
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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
Field Name
Required

NoExpW2
If current date =/gt
DateBegin+13 and no expenses
entered from DateBegin+7
through DateBegin+13 and
respondent has already logged in
at least once.

Tab Index
Type
Min
Max
Read Only
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text

1
Checkbox
0
1
No
No

.

You haven’t entered any
expenses for Week 2 –
DateBegin+7 to DateBegin+13.
(Dates are in Mon DD format. For
example, “Week 2 – Jan 09 to Jan
15”).
If you had no expenses during
this week, check here.
(checkbox)

Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern
On Click in Checkbox, stay at
WelcomeScreen.
Special Instructions
If checkbox is selected,
output NoExpW2 as 1.
Dataset
FDAY

2.9.3.3

DataElement Name/ID:
Edit
Label
Edit
Required
Yes. Appears after every
expense if date has been
expanded.
Tab Index
Type
Clickable
Min Length
n/a
Max length
n/a
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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
Read Only
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern

2.9.3.4

Yes
No
n/a

 [if
CATEGORY=1 then goto
ExpenseMLS, else if
CATEGORY=2 then goto
ExpenseFDB, else if
CATEGORY=3 then goto
ExpenseCLO, else goto
ExpenseOTH.]

Special Instructions
DataElement Name/ID:
Delete
Label
Delete
Required
Yes. Appears after every
expense if date has been
expanded.
Tab Index
Type
Clickable
Min Length
n/a
Max length
n/a
Read Only
Yes
Multiple Responses
No
Main Question Text
n/a
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern
 [If user clicks
‘OK’ then delete expense from
online and output records. Stay
28

CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
on WelcomeSummary Screen.
Else if user clicks ‘Cancel’,
stay on WelcomeSummary
Screen.]
Special Instructions
2.9.3.5

DataElement Name/ID:
Logout
Label
Logout
Required
Yes. Appears at the header at
the top of every screen.
Tab Index
Type
Clickable
Min Length
n/a
Max length
n/a
Read Only
Yes
Multiple Responses
No
Main Question Text
n/a
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern
On Click of ‘Logout’ button,
logout of user’s profile and
goto the Home_Login Screen.
Special Instructions
1.
On Home_Login
screen, display: “You have
successfully logged out of the
Consumer Expenditure Diary.
Please log in again to enter any
additional expenses.”
2.
After 15 minutes of
inactivity, any screen displays
a session expiration warning as
follows: “Your session has
expired. Please re-enter your
Username and Password to
continue.” No information
entered in current field should
be saved.

2.9.3.6

DataElement Name/ID:
Help
Label
Help
29

CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
Required
Tab Index
Type
Min Length
Max length
Read Only
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern

Yes. Appears at the header at
the top of every screen.
Clickable
n/a
n/a
Yes
No
n/a



Special Instructions

2.10
Page Name/ID:
2.10.1 General Instructions
a. Layout:

DateScreen
Vertical

b. Title and Subtitle:
c. Pre-Instructions:

CE Diary (Heading)

Help

Expenses

Week 2(button)

Week 1(button)

Logout

d. Main Question Wording:


Select date of expense: (Dropdown list of 7 dates).




Business: _________
Type of Expense: (List of 4 categories-no dropdown) (‘I’ icon)

e. Post-Instructions:
f.

‘Back’ button

‘Save’ button

Special instructions:
1. Screen has header on top of page with Census logo to the left, “CE Diary” in the middle, and
‘Logout’ and ‘Help’ links to the right
2. List of seven valid dates for the date dropdown menu should be dates DateBegin to DateBegin
+6 for Week 1 and dates DateBegin +7 to DateBegin +13 for Week 2. Dates should be displayed
with Day number as an icon (1-7), followed by the Day of the Week, Month (abbreviated), and
day (i.e. 1 Monday, Nov 27).
3. All that is required to save an item is the date of purchase, business, category, and any ONE of
the other fields. Upon click on ‘Save’, save record to database and popup should appear that
says “Item Saved”. Popup under the banner should automatically disappear in 5 seconds, and

30

CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021

4.

5.
6.
7.

then goto blank DateScreen. When an item is not saved because a required field is empty, a
popup should appear that says “Please enter the date, business, type of expense, and the total
cost”. Popup should automatically disappear in 5 seconds. Else if, upon click on ‘Back’, goto
WelcomeSummary Screen. Do not save the expense and clear the current fields on the Add
Expense page
Under the heading, Expenses should be left justified and the Week 1 and Week 2 buttons will be
right justified. These buttons will allow the user to toggle between each week’s diary. The active
week will be highlighted in green, while the other week will be gray. By default, the buttons
should be gray. The week 1 button should be green while week 2 is gray unless the user selects
week 2.For the Business variable, the empty field should say “Enter Business Name”. The
business name will remain will remain in the field until the user changes it or exits to the summary
screen. This is to allow ease of entry for multiple purchases made from the same store,
restaurant, or website
Clicking ‘I’ icon next to each of the four categories opens a popup window with description of that
specific category. See Appendix A 3.1 Categories for pictures of the popups.
Upon first entry to DateScreen, display popup that says "Tips. Select I(icon) to see what's
included in an expense type category." User selects “Close” to close the popup.
All four expense categories should be listed under “Select date of expense”

2.10.2 Online Layouts

Clicking ‘I’ icon opens a popup window with
description of category. See Appendix A 3.1
Categories for pictures of the popups.

31

CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021

Popup only appears
on first visit to the
DateScreen.

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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
2.10.3 Data Elements
2.10.3.1 DataElement Name/ID:
Label
Field Name
Required
Tab Index
Type
Min Length
Max length
Read Only
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels

Edits
Skip Pattern
Special Instructions

2.10.3.2 DataElement Name/ID:
Label
Field Name

Date_Purchased
Date Purchased
Date_Purchased
Yes. When Add Expense button
is clicked
1
Dropdown list

.

No
No
Select date of expense:

List of all seven valid dates
(DateBegin to DateBegin +6 for
Week 1 and dates DateBegin +7 to
DateBegin +13 for Week 2 Dates
should be displayed with Day
number as an icon (1-7), followed
by the Day of the Week, Month
(abbreviated), and day (i.e. 1
Monday, Nov 27).

Goto OTLNAME
1. If Date_Purchased is not
empty, then save Day
Number from
Date_Purchased into
ORIGDAY.
2. If Date_Purchased is not
empty, then save Week
Number (1 or 2) from the
Week in the Expenses
heading into WEEKPT.

ORIGDAY
ORIGDAY
ORIGDAY
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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
Required
Tab Index
Type
Min
Max
Read Only
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern
Special Instructions
Dataset

2.10.3.3 DataElement Name/ID:
Label
Field Name
Required
Tab Index
Type
Min
Max
Read Only
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern
Special Instructions

**OUTPUT VARIABLE**
1
NUMBER
01
07
No
No
N/A

.

01-07

N/A
If Date_Purchased is not empty,
then save Day Number from
Date_Purchased into ORIGDAY.

EFDB, EMLS, EOTH, or
ECLO depending on
CATEGORY
WEEKPT
WEEKPT
WEEKPT
**OUTPUT VARIABLE**
1
NUMBER
1
2
No
No
N/A

.

1 or 2

n/a
If Date_Purchased is not empty,
then save Week Number (1 or 2)
from the Week displayed in the
Expenses heading into WEEKPT.

34

CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
Dataset

2.10.3.4

EFDB, EMLS, EOTH, or
ECLO depending on
CATEGORY
DataElement Name/ID:
OTLNAME

Label
Field Name
Required
Tab Index
Type
Min Length
Max length
Read Only
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern
Special Instructions

Business
OLTNAME
Yes. Date_Purchased is not
empty
Textbox. Manual entry

Allow numeric, character and
special. Allow spaces.

1
50
No
No
Business:
Enter Business Name
Enter Business Name

Pre-filled grey

Goto Category
1. When the user selects
this field, the text keypad
will appear allowing the
user to enter the outlet
of the expenditure. After
the user enters the
outlet, the entered text
will change to black
2. The text entered will
remain will remain in the
field until the user
changes it or exits to the
summary screen. This is
to allow ease of entry for
multiple purchases made
from the same store,
restaurant, or website

35

CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
Dataset

2.10.3.5

EFDB, EMLS, EOTH, or
ECLO depending on
CATEGORY
Category

DataElement Name/ID:
Label
Field Name
Required
Tab Index
Type
Min
Max
Read Only
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels

Category
Category
Yes. Business(OLTAME) is
not empty
Clickable
01
10
No
No
Select type of expense:






Edits
Skip Pattern

Meals, Snacks, and Drinks
Away from Home
Food and Drinks for Home
Consumption
Clothing, Shoes, Jewelry, and
Accessories
All Other Products, Services,
and Expenses

Category icons are the right of
each item. Each category
should be listed (no drop
down). An ‘I’ button is to the
right of each category.

1. If Category = Meals, Snacks,
and Drinks away from home
goto ExpenseMLS Screen
2. If Category = Food and
Drinks for Home
Consumption goto
ExpenseFDB Screen
3. If Category = Clothing,
Shoes, Jewelry, and
Accessories goto
ExpenseCLO Screen
4. If Category = “All Other
Products, Services, and

36

CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
Expenses” goto
ExpenseOTH Screen
5. Else if, upon click on ‘Save’,
save record to database and
popup should appear that
says “Item Saved”. Popup
should automatically
disappear in 3 seconds, and
then goto blank DateScreen.
6. Else if, Upon click on ‘Back’,
goto WelcomeSummary
Screen. Do not save the
expense and clear the
current fields on the Add
Expense page
When the user selects the
category, the 4 categories (Meals,
Snacks, and Drinks Away from
Home, Food and Drinks for Home
Consumption, Clothing, Shoes,
Jewelry and Accessories, All
Other Products, Services, and
Expenses) will appear, allowing
the user to choose one.

Special Instructions

2.11

Page Name/ID:

2.11.1

General Instructions

a. Layout:

ExpenseMLS

Vertical

b. Title and Subtitle:
c. Pre-Instructions:

CE Diary (Heading)

Help

Expenses

Week 2(button)

Week 1(button)

Logout

d. Main Question Wording:







Date: ___________
Business: _________
Type of Expense: Meals, Snacks, and Drinks Away from Home
Total cost (include tax, tip, and fees) (‘I’ icon)
o Where did you make this purchase? - Buttons for:Fast food, Take-out, Delivery,
Concession
o Full Service places
o Vending Machines or Mobile Vendors/Food Trucks
o Employer or School Cafeterias
Were alcoholic beverages included? – Checkboxes for:
 Yes
 No

37

CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021


Cost of alcoholic beverages: _______

e. Post-Instructions:

f.

‘Back’ button

‘Save’ button

Special Instructions:
1. Date, Business, and Type of Expense should be prefilled with information from DateScreen. Type
of Expense is Meals, Snacks, and Drinks Away from Home.
2. After the user selects a button, make selected button appear suppressed/selected so that it’s
clear to the user that they’ve made a selection. Prior to selection, the buttons should all be
identical in appearance. Only allow one option to be selected for the meal question. If ‘No’ is
selected for ALC_HOL, then no other option can be selected. Total cost of alcohol should only be
available if ”Were alcoholic beverages included? Is marked “yes”.
3. Character values will not be allowed in the Total cost field. When a non-numeric value other than
a “period” is entered into the field an error message should prompt the user to this rule.
4. Else if, upon click on ‘Save’, save record to database and popup should appear that says “Item
Saved”. Popup should automatically disappear in 5 seconds, and then goto blank DateScreen.
When an item is not saved because a required field is empty, red text above the back and save
button should appear that says “Please enter the date, business, type of expense, and the total
cost”. Else if, upon click on ‘Back’, return to the WelcomeSummary Screen. Do not save the
expense and clear the current fields on the Add Expense page
5. If reached this screen after clicking on the “Edit” button at the WelcomeSummary screen, then
the button ‘Delete’ will appear. If the user clicks on the ‘Delete’ button a warning should appear to
prevent the user from deleting an expense by mistake. The warning reads, “Are you sure you
want to delete this item?” along with the Type of Expense listed, Description, Business, and Total
Cost fields with the respondent’s responses. Only fields with data are included. The user can click
on the red“Delete” button to delete or the gray “Cancel” button to keep the expense.
6. Under the heading, Expenses should be left justified and the Week 1 and Week 2 buttons will be
right justified. These buttons will allow the user to toggle between each week’s diary. The active
week will be highlighted in green, while the other week will be gray. The week 1 button should be
green while week 2 is gray unless the user selects week 2.
7. Once users have entered at least one expense, a delete option (i.e. a trash icon) and an edit
button (a pencil icon) should appear to the right of each expense to the right of the cost
8. Clicking ‘I’ icon next to the total cost opens a popup window with a receipt example for the Meals,
Snacks, and Drinks Away from Home category. See Appendix B 4.1.1 Meals, Snacks, and Drinks
Away from Home for picture of the popup.
9. If ALC_COST > COST_COM, then display the following soft error message, “The cost for alcohol
must be less than or equal to the total cost.”

10. If user selects “No” for the alcohol question, or edits their entry to “No”, clear the alcohol
cost field.

2.11.2

Online Layouts

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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021

Clicking ‘I’ icon opens a popup
window with a receipt example for
the Meals, Snacks, and Drinks Away
from Home category. See Appendix
B 4.1.1 Receipt Example for Meals,
Snacks, and Drinks Away from
Home for picture of the popup.

IF COST_COM>999.99, then
display the following soft error
message, “Please confirm the cost
you entered is correct.”

Change text
to read,
include tax,
tip, and fees

Replace meal type with VENDOR
and replace all answer options to the
following:
Where was the food purchase made?




Change to: Were alcoholic
beverages included? – Buttons
for: Yes and No.



Fast food, Take-out, Delivery,
Concession
Full Service places
Vending Machines or Mobile
Vendors/Food Trucks
Employer or School Cafeteria

Change to: Cost of alcoholic
beverages

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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
Alternative Text for Receipt Example
The Alternative Text for the Receipt Example for Meals, Snacks, and Drinks Away from Home category is
shown below. The receipt example is shown in Appendix B 4.1.1.






“Business” is the name of the store or establishment that provided the food, drink, and/or services and is
usually printed at the top of the receipt.
“Date” is the month, day, and year usually printed at the top or bottom of the receipt.
“Were alcoholic beverages included?” is answered “Yes” if alcohol is included in the list of items purchased
on an itemized receipt. Otherwise select “No”.
“Cost of alcoholic beverages.” is determined by adding up all of the costs for any alcohol purchased.
“Total cost” is the purchase total, including tax, tip, and fees, and is usually printed in the bottom half of the
receipt.

2.11.3 Data Elements
2.11.3.1

DataElement Name/ID:
Label
Required
Tab Index
Type
Min
Max
Read Only
Length
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern
Special Instructions

Dataset

COST_COM

COST_COM
Yes. Screen opens after
CATEGORY=1
1
Real number, decimal
0.00
99997.99

No
8
No
Total cost (include tax and/or
tip)

Allow two decimal places
Allow two decimal places
Allow Empty

0.00
0.00

Goto VENDOR
If COST_COM>999.99, then
display the following soft
error message, “Please
confirm the cost you
entered is correct.”
EMLS

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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
2.11.3.2

DataElement Name/ID:
Label
Required
Tab Index
Type
Min
Max
Read Only
Length
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text

VENDOR
Yes. Screen opens after
CATEGORY=1. Entry in
COST_COM
1
Buttons
1
No
1
No
Where did you make this
purchase?





Dataset
2.11.3.3

Allow Empty

Fast food, Take-out, Delivery,
Concession
Full Service places
Vending Machines or Mobile
Vendors/Food Trucks
Employer or School Cafeteria

Goto ALC_HOL
Can only select one button.
Save as values 1-4 for output,
where Fast food food, delivery,
take-out, concession is 1, Full
Service places is 2, Vending
Machines or Mobile
Vendors/Food Trucks is 3, and
Employer or School Cafeteria
is 4.
EMLS

DataElement Name/ID:
Label
Required

Allow Empty

4

Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text

Answer Option Values
and Labels

Edits
Skip Pattern
Special Instructions

VENDOR

ALC_HOL

ALC_HOL
Yes. Screen opens after
CATEGORY=1. Entry in
COST_COM
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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
Tab Index
Type
Min length
Max length
Read Only
Length
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text

1
Buttons
1
No
1
No
Were alcoholic beverages
included?

Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text

Answer Option Values
and Labels

Edits
Skip Pattern
Special Instructions
Dataset
2.11.3.4

Tab Index
Type
Min
Max
Read Only
Length
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels

Allow Empty

Yes
No

Goto ALC_COST
Can only select one button.
Save as values 1-2 for output,
where Yes is 1, No is 2.
EMLS

DataElement Name/ID:
Label
Required

Allow Empty

2

ALC_COST

ALC_COST
Yes. Screen opens after
CATEGORY=1. If options
1,2, and/or 3 selected in
TYPEALC
1
Real number, decimal.
0.00
99997.99

No
8
No
Cost of alcoholic beverages.

Allow two decimal places
Allow two decimal places
Allow Empty

0.00
0.00

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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
Edits
Skip Pattern

 save
record to database and
message should appear at the
top of the page that says “Item
Saved”. Popup should
automatically disappear in 5
seconds, and then goto blank
DateScreen.
 do
not save expense and goto
WelcomeSummary Screen. Do
not save the expense and
clear the current fields on the
Add Expense page

Special Instructions

Only display this category if
“yes” button is selected in
ALC_HOL. Do not display if
“No” is selected in ALC_HOL.
If ALC_COST > COST_COM,

then display the following soft
error message, “The cost for
alcohol must be less than or
equal to the total cost.”
If user selects No or edits their
entry to “No”, clear the alcohol
cost field

Dataset
2.11.3.5
Label
Required

EMLS
DataElement Name/ID:
Delete
Delete
Appears if user clicked on the
“Edit” button at the
WelcomeSummary screen OR
if respondent clicks on the
“trash” icon next to each item
in the Expenses section.

Tab Index
Type
Min Length
Max length
Read Only
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder

Clickable
n/a
n/a
Yes
No
n/a

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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern

 [If user clicks
“Delete” from the Expenses
screen then delete expense
from online and output
records. Stay on
WelcomeSummary Screen.
Else if user clicks ‘Cancel’,
stay on WelcomeSummary
Screen.]
[If user clicks “Delete” from
edit panel then return to
WelcomeSummary screen.
Else if user clicks “Cancel”,
return to edit panel.

Special Instructions

2.12
Page Name/ID:
2.12.1 General Instructions
a. Layout:

ExpenseFDB
Vertical

b. Title and Subtitle:
c. Pre-Instructions:

CE Diary (Heading)

Help

Expenses

Week 2(button)

Week 1(button)

Logout

d. Main Question Wording:







Date: ___________
Business: _________
Type of Expense: Food and Drinks for Home Consumption
Describe item or expense – text box (‘I’ icon)
Total cost (do not include tax) (‘I’ icon)
How was the item packaged - Buttons for:
o Fresh
o Frozen
o Bottled/Canned
o Other

e. Post-Instructions:

‘Back’ button

‘Save’ button

44

CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
f.

Special Instructions:















Date, Business, and Type of Expense should be prefilled with information from DateScreen.
Type of Expense is Food and Drinks for Home Consumption.
After the user selects a button, make selected button appear suppressed/selected so that it’s
clear to the user that they’ve made a selection. Prior to selection, the buttons should all be
identical in appearance. Only allow one option to be selected for the packaged and
purchased questions.
Character values will not be allowed in the Total cost field. When a non-numeric value other
than a “period” is entered into the field an error message should prompt the user to this rule.
Else if, upon click on ‘Save’, save record to database and popup should appear that says
“Item Saved”. Popup below the banner should automatically disappear in 5 seconds, and
then goto blank DateScreen. When an item is not saved because a required field is empty
when you select “Save”, a red warning appears above the back and save button that says
“Please enter the date, business, type of expense, and the total cost”. If you click on ‘Back’,
return to the WelcomeSummary Screen. Do not save the expense and clear the current fields
on the Add Expense page If select “save” with a completed entry, then save record to
database and popup should appear that says “Item Saved”. Popup should automatically
disappear in 5 seconds, and return to the WelcomeSummary Screen.
If reached this screen after clicking on the “Edit” button at the WelcomeSummary screen,
then the button ‘Delete’ will appear. If the user clicks on the ‘Delete’ button a warning should
appear, “Are you sure you want to delete this item?” to prevent the user from deleting an
expense by mistake. The user can click on “Delete” to delete the expense or “Cancel” to
keep the expense. Selecting “Cancel” will return the respondent to the edit screen.
Under the heading, Expenses should be left justified and the Week 1 and Week 2 buttons will
be right justified. These buttons will allow the user to toggle between each week’s diary. The
active week will be highlighted in green, while the other week will be gray. The week 1 button
should be green while week 2 is gray unless the user selects week 2.
Once users have entered at least one expense, a delete option (i.e. a trash icon) and an edit
button (a pencil icon) should appear to the right of each expense to the right of the cost.
Clicking ‘I’ icon next to the description item or expense opens a popup window with
description of expenses in Food and Drinks for Home Consumption category. See Appendix
A 3.2.1 Description for Food and Drinks for Home Consumption for picture of the popup.
Clicking ‘I’ icon next to the total cost opens a popup window with a receipt example for the
Food and Drinks for Home Consumption category. See Appendix B 4.1.2 Food and Drinks for
Home Consumption for picture of the popup.

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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021

Add business autosuggest feature (see section
2.10.3.4 special instructions)

When ‘I’ clicked, instruction box
for FDH will appear, under
section 3.2.1

When ‘I’ clicked, receipt
example pops up in new window.
See Appendix B 4.1.2 Receipt
Example for Food and Drinks for
Home Consumption for picture
of the popup.
Soft error/inline message
displays if cost_com>$299.99,
“Please confirm that the cost you
entered is correct.”

2.12.2 Online Layout

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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
Alternative Text for Receipt Example
The Alternative Text for the Receipt Example for Food and Drinks for Home Consumption category is
shown below. The receipt example is shown in Appendix B 4.1.2.





“Business” is the name of the store or establishment where the item was purchased and is usually printed at
the top of the receipt.
“Describe the food or drink item” is a brief description of the item purchased on the itemized list. For
example, “strawberries” or “ground beef.”
“Total cost” is the purchase price of the item without tax.
“Date” is the month, day, and year usually printed at the top or bottom of the receipt.

2.12.3 Data Elements
2.12.3.1

DataElement Name/ID:
ITEMDESC
ITEMDESC
Yes. Screen opens after
CATEGORY=2.
Tab Index
1
Type
string
Min Length
1
Max Length
50
Read Only
No
Length
8
Multiple Responses
No
Main Question Text
Describe item or expense
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder Enter description
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern
Goto COST_COM
Special Instructions
Dataset
EFDB
Label
Required

2.12.3.2

DataElement Name/ID:
Label
Required
Tab Index
Type
Min

Allow Empty

COST_COM

COST_COM
Yes. Screen opens after
CATEGORY=2. Entry in
ITEMDESC
1
Real number, decimal
0.00

Allow two decimal places
47

CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
Max
Read Only
Length
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern
Special Instructions

Dataset
2.12.3.3

99997.99

No
8
No
Total cost (do not include tax)

Allow two decimal places
Allow Empty

0.00
0.00

Goto PKG_TYPE
If COST_COM>299.99, then
display the following soft error
message, “Please confirm the
cost you entered is correct.”
EFDB
DataElement Name/ID:
PKG_TYPE

Label
Required
Tab Index
Type
Min
Max
Read Only
Length
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels

Edits
Skip Pattern

PKG_TYPE
Yes. Screen opens after
CATEGORY=2. Entry in
ITEMDESC
1
Buttons
1
4

No
1
No
How was the item packaged?






Allow Empty

Fresh
Frozen
Bottled/Canned
Other

 save
record to database and popup
should appear that says “Item
48

CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
Saved”. Popup should
automatically disappear in 5
seconds, and then goto blank
DateScreen.
 red text
should appear over the Back and
Save button that says “Please
enter the date, business, type of
expense, and the total cost”.

 do
not save expense and goto
WelcomeSummary Screen. Do
not save the expense and clear
the current fields on the Add
Expense page

Special Instructions

Dataset
2.12.3.4
Label
Required

For output, save values as
numbers where Fresh is 1,
Frozen is 2, Bottled/Canned is
3, and Other is 4.
EFDB

DataElement Name/ID:
Delete
Delete
Appears only if user clicked on
the “Edit” button or selects the
trash icon at the
WelcomeSummary screen

Tab Index
Type
Min Length
Max length
Read Only
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern

Clickable
n/a
n/a
Yes
No
n/a

 along with the
Type of Expense, Business,
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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
and Description if entered by
the respondent [From the trash
icon, if user clicks ‘Delete’
then delete expense from
online and output records. Stay
on WelcomeSummary Screen.
Else if user clicks ‘Cancel’,
stay on WelcomeSummary
Screen.]. [From the edit icon,
if user clicks ‘Delete’ then
delete expense from online and
output records. Return to the
WelcomeSummary Screen;
Else if select “Back, prompt
the box “Do you want to save”.
If select Yes or No, return to
WelcomeSummary Screen]
[From the edit icon, if user
clicks ‘Delete’ then delete
expense from online and
output records. Return to the
WelcomeSummary Screen;
Else if select “Back”, prompt
the box “Do you want to save”.
If user selects Yes, return to
WelcomeSummary Screen and
save the new entry]. Else if
select “Back”, prompt the box
“Do you want to save”. If user
selects No, return to
WelcomeSummary Screen and
keep the prior entry]. If user
does not select an answer, the
“Do you want to save?” screen
remains open. User may also
select the box in the top right
corner to close this box and
return to the
WelcomeSummary Screen.
Special Instructions

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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
2.13

Page Name/ID:

ExpenseCLO

2.13.1 General Instructions
a. Layout:

Vertical

b. Title and Subtitle:
c. Pre-Instructions:

CE Diary (Heading)

Help

Expenses

Week 2(button)

Week 1(button)

Logout

d. Main Question Wording:







Date: ___________
Business: _________
Type of Expense: Clothing, Shoes, Jewelry, and Accessories
Describe item or expense – text box (‘I’ icon)
Total cost (do not include tax) (‘I’ icon)
Was this item for: - Buttons for;
o Child under 2
o Boy 2 – 15
o Girl 2 – 15
o Man 16 & over
o Woman 16 & over

e. Post-Instructions:
f.

‘Back’ button

‘Save’ button

Special Instructions:
1. Date, Business, and Type of Expense should be prefilled with information from DateScreen. Type
of Expense is Clothing, Shoes, Jewelry, and Accessories.
2. After the user selects a button, make selected button appear suppressed/selected so that it’s clear
to the user that they’ve made a selection. Prior to selection, the buttons should all be identical in
appearance. Only allow one option to be selected from the age/gender and the purchased
questions.
3. Character values will not be allowed in the Total cost field. When a non-numeric value other than a
“period” is entered into the field an error message should prompt the user to this rule.
4. Else if, upon click on ‘Save’, save record to database and popup should appear that says “Item
Saved”. Popup should automatically disappear in 5 seconds, and then goto blank DateScreen.
When an item is not saved because a required field is empty, a popup should appear that says
“Please enter the date, business, type of expense, and the total cost”. Popup should automatically
disappear in 5 seconds. Else if, upon click on ‘Back’, popup should appear that says “Do you want
to save?” with Yes/No options. If yes then save record to database and popup should appear that
says “Item Saved”. Popup should automatically disappear in 5 seconds, and return to the
WelcomeSummary Screen. If no then goto WelcomeSummary Screen. Do not save the expense
and clear the current fields on the Add Expense page.
5. If reached this screen after clicking on the “Edit” button at the WelcomeSummary screen, then the
button ‘Delete’ will appear. If the user clicks on the ‘Delete’ button a warning should appear, “Are
you sure you want to delete this item?” to prevent the user from deleting an expense by mistake.
The user can click on “Delete” to delete or “Cancel” to keep the expense.

51

CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
6. Under the heading, Expenses should be left justified and the Week 1 and Week 2 buttons will be
right justified. These buttons will allow the user to toggle between each week’s diary. The active
week will be highlighted in green, while the other week will be gray. The week 1 button should be
green while week 2 is gray unless the user selects week 2.
7. Once users have entered at least one expense, a delete option (i.e. a trash icon) and an edit button
(a pencil icon) should appear to the right of each expense to the right of the cost.
8. Clicking ‘I’ icon next to the description item or expense opens a popup window with description of
expenses in Clothing, Shoes, Jewelry, and Accessories category. See Appendix A 3.2.2 Clothing,
Shoes, Jewelry, and Accessories for picture of the popup.
9. Clicking ‘I’ icon next to the total cost opens a popup window with a receipt example for the Clothing,
Shoes, Jewelry, and Accessories category. See Appendix B 4.1.3 Clothing, Shoes, Jewelry, and
Accessories for picture of the popup.

52

CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
2.13.2 Online Layouts

Clicking ‘I’ icon opens a popup window
with description of expenses in Clothing,
Shoes, Jewelry, and Accessories
category. See Appendix A 3.1.3
Description for Clothing, Shoes, Jewelry,
and Accessories for picture of the popup.
Clicking ‘I’ icon opens a popup window
located in Appendix A 3.2.2
IF COST_COM>9999.99, then display the
following soft error message, “Please confirm
the cost you entered is correct.”

Clicking ‘I’ icon opens a popup
window with a receipt example
for the Clothing, Shoes, Jewelry,
and Accessories category. See
Appendix B 4.1.3 Receipt
Example for Clothing, Shoes,
Jewelry, and Accessories for
picture of the popup.

53

CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
Alternative Text for Receipt Example
The Alternative Text for the Receipt Example for Clothing, Shoes, Jewelry, and Accessories category is
shown below. The receipt example is shown in Appendix B 4.1.3.








“Business” is the name of the store or establishment where the item was purchased and is usually printed at
the top of the receipt.
“Date” is the month, day, and year usually printed at the top or bottom of the receipt.
“Describe item or expense” is a brief description of the item purchased on the itemized list. For example,
“sweater” or “pants.”
“Total cost” is the purchase price of the item without tax.
“Age” is for whom the item was purchased and answered by choosing one of three options: Under 2, 2-15,
and 16 & Over. This can sometimes be determined by using the description if the description mentions
baby, child, adult etc.
“Gender” is for whom the item was purchased and answered by choosing one of two options: female or
male and can sometimes be determined using the description if the description mentions girls, boys,
women's, men’s, etc.

2.13.3 Data Elements
2.13.3.1

DataElement Name/ID:
Label
Required
Tab Index
Type
Min Length
Max Length
Read Only
Length
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern
Special Instructions
Dataset

2.13.3.2

ITEMDESC
Yes. Screen opens after
CATEGORY=3.
1
string
No
50
No
Describe item or expense
Enter description

Goto COST_COM
ECLO

DataElement Name/ID:
Label

ITEMDESC

COST_COM

COST_COM
54

CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
Required
Tab Index
Type
Min Length
Max Length
Read Only
Length
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern
Special Instructions

Dataset
2.13.3.3
Label
Required

Yes. Screen opens after
CATEGORY=3.
1
Real number, decimal
0.00
99997.99
No
8
No
Total cost (do not include tax)

Allow two decimal places
Allow two decimal places
Allow Empty

0.00
0.00

Goto AGE_SEX
If COST_COM>9999.99, then
display the following soft error
message, “Please confirm the
cost you entered is correct.”
ECLO
DataElement Name/ID:
AGE_SEX
AGE_SEX
Yes. Screen opens after
CATEGORY=3. Entry in
COST_COM
1
Buttons
1
5
No
1
No
Was this item for:

Tab Index
Type
Min Length
Max Length
Read Only
Length
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
o Child under 2
Answer Option Values
and Labels
o Boy 2-15
o
o

Allow blank

Girl 2-15
Man 16 & over

55

CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
o

Woman 16 & over

Edits

After the user selects a button,
make selected button appear
suppressed/selected so that it’s
clear to the user that they’ve
made a selection. Prior to
selection, the buttons should all
be identical in appearance.

Skip Pattern

 save
record to database and popup
should appear that says “Item
Saved”. Popup should
automatically disappear in 3
seconds, and then goto blank
DateScreen.
 popup
should appear that says
“Please enter the date,
business, type of expense,
and the total cost”. Popup
should automatically disappear
in 5 seconds. do not save expense
and goto WelcomeSummary
Screen. Do not save the
expense and clear the current
fields on the Add Expense
page

Special Instructions

Dataset
2.13.3.4
Label
Required

Tab Index
Type
Min Length
Max length

For output, save value as
numbers (1-5) where Child
under 2 is 1, Boy 2-15 is 2,
Girl 2-15 is 3, Man 16 & over
is 4, and Woman 16 & over is
5.
ECLO
DataElement Name/ID:
Delete
Delete
Appears only if user clicked on
the “Edit” button or trash icon
at the WelcomeSummary
screen
Clickable
n/a
n/a
56

CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
Read Only
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern

Yes
No
n/a

 [From the trash
icon, If user clicks ‘Delete’
then delete expense from
online and output records. Stay
on WelcomeSummary Screen.
Else if user clicks ‘Cancel’,
stay on WelcomeSummary
Screen.] [From the edit icon,
if user clicks ‘Delete’ then
delete expense from online and
output records. Return to the
WelcomeSummary Screen;
Else if select “Back, prompt
the box “Do you want to save”.
If select Yes or No, return to
WelcomeSummary Screen]

Special Instructions

2.14
Page Name/ID:
2.14.1 General Instructions
a. Layout:

ExpenseOTH
Vertical

b. Title and Subtitle:
c. Pre-Instructions:

CE Diary (Heading)

Help

Expenses

Week 2(button)

Week 1(button)

Logout

d. Main Question Wording:






Date: ___________
Business: _________
Type of Expense: All Other Products, Services, and Expenses
Describe item or expense – text box (‘I’ icon)
Total cost (do not include tax)- text box (‘I’ icon)

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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
e. Post-Instructions:
f.

‘Back’ button

‘Save’ button

Special Instructions:
1. Date, Business, and Type of Expense should be prefilled with information from DateScreen. Type
of Expense is Meals, Snacks, and Drinks Away from Home.
2. Character values will not be allowed in the Total cost field. When a non-numeric value other than
a “period” is entered into the field an error message should prompt the user to this rule.
3. Else if, upon click on ‘Save’, save record to database and popup should appear that says “Item
Saved”. Popup should automatically disappear in 5 seconds, and then goto blank DateScreen.
When an item is not saved because a required field is empty, a popup should appear that says
“Please enter the date, business, type of expense, and the total cost”. Popup should
automatically disappear in 5 seconds. Else if, upon click on ‘Back’, popup should appear that
says “Do you want to save?” with Yes/No options. If yes then save record to database and popup
should appear that says “Item Saved”. Popup should automatically disappear in 5 seconds, and
return to the WelcomeSummary Screen. If no then goto WelcomeSummary Screen. Do not save
the expense and clear the current fields on the Add Expense page.
4. If reached this screen after clicking on the “Edit” button at the WelcomeSummary screen, then the
button ‘Delete’ will appear. If the user clicks on the ‘Delete’ button a warning should appear, “Are
you sure you want to delete this item?” to prevent the user from deleting an expense by mistake.
The user can click on “Delete” to delete or “Cancel” to keep the expense.
5. Under the heading, Expenses should be left justified and the Week 1 and Week 2 buttons will be
right justified. These buttons will allow the user to toggle between each week’s diary. The active
week will be highlighted in green, while the other week will be gray. The week 1 button should be
green while week 2 is gray unless the user selects week 2.
6. Once users have entered at least one expense, a delete option (i.e. a trash icon) and an edit
button (a pencil icon) should appear to the right of each expense to the right of the cost.
7. Clicking ‘I’ icon next to the total cost opens a popup window with a receipt example for the All
Other Products, Services, and Expenses category. See Appendix B 4.1.4 All Other Products,
Services, and Expenses for picture of the popup.
8. Clicking ‘I’ icon next to the description item or expense opens a popup window with description of
expenses in All Other Products, Services, and Expenses category. See Appendix A 3.2.3 All
Other Products, Services, and Expenses for picture of the popup.

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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
2.14.2 Online Layouts

Clicking ‘I’ icon opens a popup window
with description of expenses in All Other
Products, Services, and Expenses category.
See Appendix A 3.1.4 Description for All
Other Products, Services, and Expenses for
picture of the popup.

Clicking “I” icon opens popup
window located under Appendix
A.3.2.3.

IF COST_COM>99999.99, then
display the following soft error
message, “Please confirm the cost
you entered is correct.”

Clicking ‘I’ icon opens a popup
window with a receipt example for
the All Other Products, Services,
and Expenses category. See
Appendix B 4.1.4 Receipt Example
for All Other Products, Services,
and Expenses for picture of the
popup.
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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
Alternative Text for Receipt Example
The Alternative Text for the Receipt Example for All Other Products, Services, and Expenses category is
shown below. The receipt example is shown in Appendix B 4.1.4.





“Business” is the name of the store or establishment where the item was purchased and is usually printed at
the top of the receipt.
“Date” is the month, day, and year usually printed at the top or bottom of the receipt.
“Describe item or expense” is a brief description of the item purchased on the itemized list. For example
“handsoap” or “trash bags.”
“Total cost” is the purchase price of the item without tax.

2.14.3 Data Elements
2.14.3.1

DataElement Name/ID:
Label
Required
Tab Index
Type
Min Length
Max Length
Read Only
Length
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern
Special Instructions
Dataset

2.14.3.2

ITEMDESC
Yes. Screen opens after
CATEGORY= 4
1
string
No
50
No
Describe item or expense
Enter description

Goto COST_COM
EOTH

DataElement Name/ID:
Label
Required
Tab Index
Type
Min Length
Max Length

ITEMDESC

COST_COM

COST_COM
Yes. Screen opens after
CATEGORY= 4
1
Real number, decimal
0.00
99997.99

Allow two decimal places
Allow two decimal places
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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
Read Only
Length
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern

No
8
No
Total cost (do not include tax)

Allow Empty

0.00
0.00

 save
record to database and popup
should appear that says “Item
Saved”. Popup should
automatically disappear in 3
seconds, and then goto blank
DateScreen.
 popup
should appear that says “Please
enter the date, business, type of
expense, and the total cost”.
Popup should automatically
disappear in 3 seconds.

 do
not save expense and goto
WelcomeSummary Screen. Do
not save the expense and clear
the current fields on the Add
Expense page

Special Instructions

Dataset
2.14.3.3
Label
Required

Tab Index
Type
Min Length
Max length

IF COST_COM>99999.99,
then display the following soft
error message, “Please confirm
the cost you entered is
correct.”
EOTH
DataElement Name/ID:
Delete
Delete
Appears only if user clicked on
the “Edit” button or trash icon
at the WelcomeSummary
screen
Clickable
n/a
n/a
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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
Read Only
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern

Yes
No
n/a

 [From the trash
icon, If user clicks ‘OK’ then
delete expense from online and
output records. Stay on
WelcomeSummary Screen.
Else if user clicks ‘Cancel’,
stay on WelcomeSummary
Screen.]
[From the edit icon, if user
clicks ‘Delete’ then delete
expense from online and
output records. Return to the
WelcomeSummary Screen;
Else if select “Back, prompt
the box “Do you want to save”.
If select Yes or No, return to
WelcomeSummary Screen]

Special Instructions

2.15

Page Name/ID:

2.15.1 General Instructions
a. Layout:

Help
Vertical

b. Title and Subtitle:
c. Pre-Instructions:

CE Diary (Heading)

d. Main Question Wording:
User Settings (link)
User Guide (link to pdf)
Video Tutorials (link to Census YouTube playlist)
How to Fill Out Your Diary (link)

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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
Diary Examples (link)
FAQs (link)
Definitions (link)
Contact Us

Please contact us with any questions or concerns. We will get back to you as soon as
possible.
CE Diary Help Desk: Census.CE.Helpdesk@census.gov (Monday-Friday 9am-5pm EST)
You can reach the Help Desk by email at Census.CE.Helpdesk@census.gov or by
telephone at 877-744-1522. Our Help Desk representatives are available: Monday through
Friday from 9 am to 10 pm ET, Saturday from 9 am to 9 pm ET and Sunday from 11 am to 9
pm ET.
After hours: Please leave your name, phone number, and a detailed message. We will get
back to you as soon as possible.

e. Post-Instructions:
f.

‘Closebutton

Special Instructions:
1. Upon click of ‘Help’, open new window with Help Screen.
2. At the bottom of the screen there should be a ‘Close’ button that takes closes Help window.
3. Clicking on ‘General Instructions’ link should open the window General Instructions Screen.
4. Clicking on the ‘How to Fill Out Your Diary’ link should open the window How to Fill Out Your Diary
Screen.
5. Clicking on the ‘Diary Examples’ link should open the window with the Diary Examples Screen.
6. Clicking on the ‘FAQs’ link should open the window with the FAQs Screen.
7. Clicking on the ‘Definitions’ link should open the window with the Definitions Screen.
8. User Settings link should only be visible after a successful login. Clicking on the ‘User Settings’ link
should open the window with the User Settings.

2.15.2 Data Elements
2.15.2.1
DataElement Name/ID:
Label
Required
Tab Index
Type
Min Length
Max length
Read Only
Multiple Responses

Help

Help
Yes. Help Screen opens on
clicking ‘Help’ button.
Clickable
n/a
n/a
Yes
No
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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
Main Question Text
n/a
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern

[close Help Window]
Special Instructions
2.15.2.2
DataElement Name/ID:
Ch_UN
Label
Required
Tab Index
Type
Min Length
Max length
Read Only
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern

Ch_UN
Yes.
Clickable
n/a
n/a
Yes
No
n/a

< From the User Settings
Screen, click ‘Change Update
button> [goto
Change_Username Screen]

Special Instructions
2.15.2.2b
DataElement Name/ID:
Label
Required
Tab Index
Type
Min Length
Max length
Read Only
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text

Ch_PW

Ch_PW
Yes.
Clickable
n/a
n/a
Yes
No
n/a
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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern
 [goto
Change_Password Screen]
Special Instructions
2.15.2.3
DataElement Name/ID:
Gen_Ins
Label
Required
Tab Index
Type
Min Length
Max length
Read Only
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern

Gen_Ins
Yes.
Clickable
n/a
n/a
Yes
No
n/a

 [goto
General Instructions screen]

Special Instructions
2.15.2.4
DataElement Name/ID:
Label
Required
Tab Index
Type
Min Length
Max length
Read Only
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}

How_to

How_to
Yes.
Clickable
n/a
n/a
Yes
No
n/a

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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern
 [goto How
to Fill Out Your Diary screen]
Special Instructions
2.15.2.5
DataElement Name/ID:
DiaryEx
Label
Required
Tab Index
Type
Min Length
Max length
Read Only
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern

DiaryEx
Yes.
Clickable
n/a
n/a
Yes
No
n/a

 [goto Diary Examples
screen]

Special Instructions
2.15.2.6
DataElement Name/ID:
Label
Required
Tab Index
Type
Min Length
Max length
Read Only
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder

FAQs

FAQs
Yes.
Clickable
n/a
n/a
Yes
No
n/a

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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern

 [goto
FAQs screen]

Special Instructions
2.15.2.7
DataElement Name/ID:
Label
Required
Tab Index
Type
Min Length
Max length
Read Only
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern

Definitions

Definitions
Yes.
Clickable
n/a
n/a
Yes
No
n/a


[goto Definitions screen]

Special Instructions

2.16
Page Name/ID:
2.16.1 General Instructions
m. Layout:

Change_Password
Vertical

n. Title and Subtitle:
o. Pre-Instructions:

CE Diary (Heading)

p. Main Question Wording:
Change Password
Passwords must contain all of the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.

At least 8 characters
At least 1 uppercase letter
At least 1 lowercase letter
At least 1 number

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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
5. At least 1 special character from the following: ! # $ * & ? ~

New Password _________________
Confirm New Password ____________

q. Post-Instructions:
r.

‘Save’ button

‘Back’ Button

Special Instructions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

All fields must be filled in before Password change can be accepted.
The headers “New Password” and “Confirm New Password” should be left justified.
Entries in new Password and Confirm New Password should be the same.
Entries in Email address and Confirm email address should be the same.
At the bottom of the screen there should be a ‘Back’ button that takes the user back to the previous
screen.
6. Upon click ‘Save’ button and all criteria are met, popup should appear that says “Your password has
been updated”. Popup should automatically disappear in 5 seconds.
7. If user has previously changed password or username and has an email and security answer saved,
do not ask for Email and Security questions.

2.16.2 Online Layouts
2.16.3 Data Elements
2.16.3.1

DataElement Name/ID:
Label
Required
Tab Index
Type
Min Length
Max length
Read Only
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits

New_PW

New_PW
Yes. User clicks on Update
link under User Guide Settings
under Help menu.
2
Text
8
20
No
No
New Password

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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
Skip Pattern
Special Instructions
2.16.3.2
DataElement Name/ID:
Label
Field name
Required

Confirm_PW
Confirm_PW
Confirm_PW
Yes. User clicks on Update link
under User Guide Settings
under Help menu..
1
Text, manual entry
8
40
No
No
New Password

Tab Index
Type
Min Length
Max length
Read Only
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern
 if
New_PW is not the same as
Confirm_PW, then display
message saying “Your New and
Confirm Passwords do not
match.”
Else if New_PW and
Confirm_PW are the same, but
New_PW does not fit the
following criteria: at least 8
characters, at least 1 uppercase
letter, at least 1 lowercase letter,
at least 1 number, at least 1
special character from the
following: ! # $ * & ? ~, then
display message saying “Your
new Password must meet the
following criteria:
1.
At least 8 characters
2.
At least 1 uppercase
letter
3.
At least 1 lowercase
letter

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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
4.
At least 1 number
5.
At least 1 special
character from the following: !
# $ * & ? ~.”
Else if goto new_email
Special Instructions
2.16.3.3

DataElement Name/ID:
Label
Required

New_PW

Confirm_PW
Yes. User clicks on Update
link under User Guide Settings
under Help menu.
2
Text
8
20
No
No
Confirm New Password

Tab Index
Type
Min Length
Max length
Read Only
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern
 if
New_PW is not the same as
Confirm_PW, then display
message saying “Your New
and Confirm Passwords do not
match.”
Else if New_PW and
Confirm_PW are the same, but
New_PW does not fit the
following criteria: at least 8
characters, at least 1 uppercase
letter, at least 1 lowercase
letter, at least 1 number, at
least 1 special character from
the following: ! # $ * & ? ~,
then display message saying
“Your new Password must
meet the following criteria:
1.
At least 8 characters
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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
2.
At least 1 uppercase
letter
3.
At least 1 lowercase
letter
4.
At least 1 number
5.
At least 1 special
character from the following: !
# $ * & ? ~.”
Else if goto new_email
Special Instructions
2.16.3.4

DataElement Name/ID:
Label
Field name
Required
Tab Index
Type
Min Length
Max length
Read Only
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern

Special Instructions

New_email
New_email
New_email
Yes. User clicks on “Update”
under User Settings under Help
menu.
1
Text, manual entry
8
50
No
No
Email Address
Confirm
Email Address

After After hitting “save” if
email addresses match display
““Your Email Address has been
updated” and return to User
Setting Screen. After selecting
“Back” return to User Settings
screen.
After selecting “Save”, If email
addresses don’t match red
display message, “Email
addresses do not match”. The
warning should stay up until the
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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
user selects a either the “Save”
or “Return” button again.

2.16b
Page Name/ID:
2.16.1 General Instructions
a. Layout:

Change_Username
Vertical

b. Title and Subtitle:
c. Pre-Instructions:

CE Diary (Heading)

d. Main Question Wording:
New Username

e. Post-Instructions:
f.

Confirm New Username

‘Save’ button

‘Back’ Button

Special Instructions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

All fields must be filled in before Username change can be accepted.
The headers “New Username” and “Confirm New Username” should be left justified.
Entries in new Username and Confirm New Username should be the same.
Entries in Email address and Confirm email address should be the same.
At the bottom of the screen there should be a ‘Back’ button that takes the user back to the previous
screen.
6. Upon click ‘Save’ button and all criteria are met, popup should appear that says “Your username has
been updated”. Popup should automatically disappear in 5 seconds.

2.16.2 Online Layouts
2.16.3 Data Elements
2.16.3.1

DataElement Name/ID:
Label
Required
Tab Index
Type
Min Length
Max length
Read Only
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}

New_UN

New_UN
Yes. User clicks on on the
Update link under User
Settings.
2
Text
8
20
No
No
New Username

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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern
Special Instructions
2.16.3.2
DataElement Name/ID:
Label
Field name
Required
Tab Index
Type
Min Length
Max length
Read Only
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern

Confirm_UN
Confirm_UN
Confirm_UN
Yes.
1
Text, manual entry
8
20
No
No
Confirm New Username

On Selecting “Save”, if
New_UN and Confirm_UN do
not match or are empty, display
“Your New and Confirm
Usernames do not match” and
stay on screen, else if New_UN
and Confirm_UN match display
“Your Username has been
updated” for 5 seconds and
return to previous screen. If you
select “Back” return to previous
screen.

Special Instructions
2.16.3.3
2.16.3.4

DataElement Name/ID:
Label
Field name

New_email
New_email
New_email
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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
Required
Tab Index
Type
Min Length
Max length
Read Only
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern
Special Instructions

2.16.3.5

Yes. User clicks on Update link
under User Settings.
1
Text, manual entry
8
50
No
No
Email:

DataElement Name/ID:
Label
Required

Confirm_email

Confirm_email
Yes. User clicks on Change
Username link.
2
Text
8
50
No
No
Confirm Email Address

Tab Index
Type
Min Length
Max length
Read Only
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern
 if
New_email is not the same as
Confirm_email, then display
message saying “Email
addresses do not match.”; If
New_email OR
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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
Confirm_email are empty
display, “Please enter an email
address.”
If New_email and
Confirm_email are the same
but that email is already
registered display “That email
address is already registered.
Please try a different email
address.
Else if New_email and
Confirm_email are the same
but the email address is new,
display “Your e-mail address
has been updated” for 5seconds.
 return to
previous screen.
Special Instructions

2.17
Page Name/ID:
2.17.1 General Instructions
a. Layout:

General Instructions
Vertical

b. Title and Subtitle:
c. Pre-Instructions:

CE Diary (Heading)

d. Main Question Wording:

General Instructions
Complete this diary for Week 1 and Week 2 of the two-week period. Enter EVERYTHING you and the people in
your household spend money on each day – the products you buy, the services you use, the household
expenses you have during the week – no matter how large or small they are.
We recommend that you record your expenses each day. Think about where you went and what you did.
Include payments by:
Cash
Credit/Debit Card
Check
Money Order
Food Stamps

Automatic Withdrawal/Payroll Deduction
Store Charge Card
WIC Voucher Gift Certificate

Keep receipts and other records so that you will remember to record what you bought or paid for.
Some record types include:
Receipts Bank Statements
Bills
Pay Stubs

Catalog/Internet Purchases
Credit Card Statements

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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
Include items that you bought for people who are not in your household, such as gifts.

DO NOT RECORD:
♦ Expenses while you were away from home overnight.
♦ Business or farm operating expenses
♦ Sales tax except for Meals, Snack, and Drinks Away from Home.

e. Post-Instructions:
f.

‘Back’ button

Special Instructions:
1. Upon click of ‘General Instructions’ link, open new window with General Instructions Screen.
2. At the bottom of the screen there should be a ‘Back’ button that takes the user back to the previous
screen.

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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
2.18
Page Name/ID:
2.18.1 General Instructions
a. Layout:

How to Fill Out Your Diary
Vertical

b. Title and Subtitle:
c. Pre-Instructions:

CE Diary (Heading)

d. Main Question Wording:

How to Fill Out Your Diary
For each category, please record:


Meals, Snacks, and Drinks Away from Home
 Select the date of purchase.
 Enter the name of the restaurant, vendor, or cafeteria where you made this purchase.
 Enter the total cost with tax, tip, and fees. Include any delivery fees in the total cost.
 Mark one of the four choices that best describes where you made the purchase.
 Mark whether alcoholic beverages were included or not, and if yes, enter the cost of the
alcoholic beverages.
 Food and Drinks for Home Consumption
 Select the date of purchase.
 Enter the name of the store, business, or website where the item was purchased.
 Describe the item.
 Enter the cost without tax and deduct any discounts or coupons.
 Mark whether the item was fresh, frozen, bottled/canned, or other.
 Clothing, Shoes, Jewelry, and Accessories
 Select the date of purchase.
 Enter the name of the store, business, or website where the item was purchased.
 Describe the item and enter the cost without tax.
 Mark the appropriate sex and age range of the person for whom the item was bought.
 All Other Products, Services, and Expenses
 Select the date of purchase.
 Enter the name of the store, business, or website where the item was purchased.
 Describe the item and enter the cost without tax.
e. Post-Instructions:
‘Back’ button
f.

Special Instructions:
1. Upon click of ‘How to Fill Out Your Diary’ link, open new window with How to Fill Out Your Diary
Screen.

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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
2. At the bottom of the screen there should be a ‘Back’ button that takes the user back to the previous
screen.

2.19 Page Name/ID: Diary Examples
2.19.1 General Instructions
b. Layout:

Vertical

c. Title and Subtitle:
d. Pre-Instructions:

CE Diary (Heading)

e. Main Question Wording:

Diary Examples
1. Meals,

Snacks, and Drinks Away from Home

■ Fast

Food, Take-out, Delivery, Concession (you pay BEFORE you eat/drink)
Full Service Places (you pay AFTER you eat/drink)
■ Vending Machines or Mobile Vendors/Food Trucks (include vending machines, carts, & food trucks that
move from place to place)
■ Employer and School Cafeterias (includes elementary school pre-payments)
■

2. .

Food and Drinks for Home Consumption

■ Grain

Products (cake mixes, cereal, cornmeal, flour, pasta, rice, spaghetti, etc.)
Products (cakes, cookies, frozen waffles, pies, white bread, other bread, etc.)
■ Beef (briskets, ground beef, round & other roasts, sirloin, etc.)
■ Pork (bacon, ham, pork chops, sausage, etc.)
■ Poultry (chicken parts, duck, whole turkey, etc.)
■ Other meats (bologna, frankfurters, lamb, liverwurst, organ meats, salami, etc.)
■ Fish & Seafood (fish, shellfish, etc.)
■ Oils, Fats & Dressings (salad dressing, shortening, vinegar, etc.)
■ Eggs & Dairy Products (butter, cream, cheese, ice cream, skim milk, powdered milk, etc.)
■ Fruits & Fruit Juices (apples, bananas, cranberry juice, oranges, orange juice, etc.)
■ Sugar, Sugar Substitutes & Sweets (artificial sweeteners, candy, gum, jams, jellies, etc.)
■ Vegetables & Vegetable juices (beans, corn, lettuce, potatoes, tomatoes, tomato juice, etc.)
■ Other Food Items (baby food, pet food, frozen foods, gourmet/specialty items, sauces, seasonings, soups,
etc.)
■ Non-Alcoholic Beverages (carbonated & non-carbonated waters, cola & other carbonated beverages, fruitflavored beverages, instant & ground coffee, tea, etc.)
■ Alcoholic Beverages (beer, champagne, liqueurs, whiskey, wine, etc.)
■ Food & Beverages Purchases as Gifts for someone not in your household (candy, cheese, fruit baskets,
wine, etc.)
■ Bakery

3. Clothing,
■ Casual,

Shoes, Jewelry, and Accessories

Sportswear, Formal (dress, pants, shirt, shorts, suit, sweater, etc.)

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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
■ Undergarments

& Sleep Clothes (hosiery, lingerie, pajamas, socks, etc.)
Work, School, Costumes (coat, jacket, thermals, uniform, windbreaker, etc.)
■ Shoes (boots, dress, sandals, slippers, sneakers, etc.)
■ Sports-team Clothes & Sports Shoes (cleats, golf shoes, ski boots, team uniform, etc.)
■ Jewelry, Accessories, & Sewing Items (belt, buttons, hairpiece, hat, ring, thread, umbrella, etc.)
■ Outdoor,

4.

All Other Products, Services, and Expenses

Medical Supplies & Services (bandages,canes & other medical equipment, doctor &
dentistservices, prescription eyeglasses, health insurance, prescription drugs, ointments, vitamins,
wheelchairs,etc.) 
■ Entertainment/Amusements & Sports/Recreation (admissions to movies, clubs, sporting &
culturalevents, camping, CDs, concert tickets, hunting, sports & exercise equipment, tapes, toys, TVs,
video/stereo equipment, video purchase/rental, etc.)
■ Housekeeping Supplies & Services (bathroom tissue, brooms, laundry & cleaning detergents, light
bulbs,maid service, mops, paper towels, sponges, etc.)
■ Housewares & Small Household Appliances (blenders, coffee makers, cooking utensils,dinnerware,
glassware, irons, utensils, pots & pans, telephones, & toasters, etc.)
■ School Expenses (daycare, high school & collegetuition, room & board, school supplies, textbooks,
■ Medicines,

etc.)
Expenses (airline fares, buses, car rental, commuter fares, new & used
cars,maintenance and repair, parking fees, taxis, tolls, trainfares, etc.)
■ Personal Care Products & Services (cosmetics, dental products, deodorants, hair care products, hand
soap, men’s & women’s haircuts, perfume, shaving products, skin care products, etc.)
■ Clothing Services (alterations, dry cleaning, shoe repairs, storage, tailoring, etc.) 
■ Tobacco & Smoking Supplies (cigarettes, cigars, pipes, smoking accessories, tobacco, etc.)
■ Gasoline, Oil, & Additives (brake fluid, coolants,gasoline, motor oil, etc.)
■ Home Furnishings, Decorative Items, Linens, & Major Appliances (art work, clocks, curtains, lamps,
picture frames, pillows, plants, refrigerators, rugs, sheets, sofas, stoves, table cloths, tables, towels,
vases, etc.)
■ Home Maintenance, Hardware, Lawn Supplies &Services (hand tools, improvement & repair
equipment, lawn/garden equipment, nails, power tools, screws, supplies, services, etc.) 
■ Housing Expenses (cable service, electricity, garbage removal, heating/cooling, insurance,
maintenance fees, mortgage payments, property taxes, rent, telephone, etc.)
■ All Other Expenses (alteration and repair ofhousehold furnishings, ATM service fees, babysitting,
books, club dues, diaper services, donations, legal & accounting fees, magazines, newspapers, pet
supplies & veterinary services, photographic supplies, postage, sewing goods, shipping & handling,
stationery, etc.)
■ Transportation

f.

Post-Instructions:

‘Back’ button

g. Special Instructions:
4. Upon click of ‘Diary Examples’ link, open new window with Diary Examples Screen.
5. At the bottom of the screen there should be a ‘Back’ button that takes the user back to the previous
screen.

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2.20
Page Name/ID:
2.20.1 General Instructions
a. Layout:

FAQs
Vertical

b. Title and Subtitle:
c. Pre-Instructions:

CE Diary (Heading)

d. Main Question Wording:

Frequently Asked Questions
1. What should I do if I forget my Username and Password? Click on the “Forgot Username” and/or “Forgot
Password” links on the login screen. Follow the relevant directions. If you have any issues, call the CE
Help Desk at 877-744-1522 or email Census.CE.Helpdesk@census.gov
2. How detailed should my descriptions be? Refer to the Examples Page for examples of the level of detail
needed in each part. [insert hyperlink to Diary Examples Screen]. Do not rely solely on brand names.
3. How can I delete or make changes to an expense that I’ve saved? Locate the saved expense listed under
the relevant date in the Expenses section of the main page. Click on the saved expense and make any
changes. Click the ‘Save’ button to save your changes. Click the ‘Delete’ button to delete your expense.
4. How should I record multiple quantities? You may group identical items on the same entry and enter a
total cost of all the items, or you may write each item on a separate entry with the individual cost.
5. How should I record pre-payments such as a subway fare card? Record the expense when you pay for it,
not when you use it.
6. How should I record credit card purchases? Record the purchase on the day that you use your credit card
to pay for it, not the day you receive or pay your credit card bill.
7. Should I record automatic deductions taken from my paycheck or bank account? Yes, record automatic
deductions (such as health insurance premiums taken out of your account or paycheck) only if they are
deducted that week.
8. Should I record typical monthly bills? Yes, record typical monthly bills only if you pay them during the
week that you have the diary. Enter them in the section called All Other Products, Services, and Expenses.
9. What should I do when I use coupons, discount cards, or loyalty cards? Subtract the discount from the
original price and enter the amount that you paid.
10. Can I just give you receipts instead of entering the information online? No, we need you to enter the
information into the online diary. We encourage you to save your receipts to review them with your Field
Representative at the end of the week.

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11. How should I record items if I don’t know whether it includes tax? Write down the amount paid.
12. What if I make a contribution or charitable donation? Record money contributions or donations in the
section called All Other Products, Services, and Expenses.
13. What about gift cards or gift certificates? If you buy a gift certificate to give to someone, enter it as a
regular expense. If you buy a gift card or gift certificate to give to someone, enter the cost of it in All Other
Products, Services, and Expenses. If you use a gift card, enter the full amount for your purchase as if paid with
cash.
14. What do I do about returns and exchanges? If an item is bought and returned during the diary period, it
can be deleted (see FAQ 3). If it was bought outside the diary period and returned during the period, do not
make any entry. If an item is exchanged during the diary period, change or edit the item that was returned to
the new item and its cost on the day the exchange was made (see FAQ 3).
15. Should I record subsidized/reimbursed expenses? Yes, but if someone not in your household pays for or
helps pay for an expense or if you will be reimbursed for an expense, only record the amount that you or
someone in your household has to pay.
16. What should I do about shipping & handling costs? Include the shipping & handling cost in the total
price of the item. If the shipping & handling covered multiple items, include the shipping & handling in the
total price of one item from the order.
17. How do I know what items to report for each type of expense? Click or tap on the icon next to each
expense type category.
e. Post-Instructions:
f.

‘Back’ button

Special Instructions:
1. Upon click of ‘FAQs’ link, open new window with FAQs Screen.
2. At the bottom of the screen there should be a ‘Back’ button that takes the user back to the previous
screen.

2.21
Page Name/ID:
2.21.1 General Instructions
a. Layout:

Definitions
Vertical

b. Title and Subtitle:
c. Pre-Instructions:

CE Diary (Heading)

d. Main Question Wording:

Definitions
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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
Date Purchased – select the date from this list on which the meal or item was purchased. The dates available
reflect the data collection period for your household’s diary keeping period.
Describe item or expense – Type in a brief description of your purchase. Be as specific as possible.
Where did you make this purchase? (Meals, Snacks, and Drinks Away from Home) – Select the type of place
where the Meals, Snacks, and Drinks Away from Home was purchased by someone in your household. For
example:
Fast Food, Delivery, Take-out, Concession: you pay before you eat or drink;
Full Service places: you pay after you eat or drink;
Vending Machines or Mobile Vendors/Food Trucks: include vending machines, carts, and food trucks
that move from place to place;
Employer or School Cafeteria: includes school meal pre-payments.
Were alcoholic beverages included? (Meals, Snacks, and Drinks Away from Home) – If beer, wine, or other
alcoholic beverages were purchased, select the yes box.
Is this item? (Food and Drinks for Home Consumption) – Select the nature or type of packaging for the Food
and Drinks for Home Consumption that was purchased. For example: Fresh, Frozen, Bottled/Canned, or Other.
Business (Enter Business Name) - Type in the name of the store, restaurant, or website where the item was
purchased.
Was the item for: (Clothing, Shoes, Jewelry, and Accessories) – Select the age range and gender of the
person for which clothing, shoes, jewelry, or accessories was purchased. For example: Under 2 years old, Boy
2 to 15 years old, Girl 2 to 15 years old, Man 16 year and over, or Woman 16 year and over.

e. Post-Instructions:
f.

‘Back’ button

Special Instructions:
1. Upon click of ‘Definitions’ link, open new window with Definitions Screen.
2. At the bottom of the screen there should be a ‘Back’ button that takes the user back to the previous
screen.

2.22

Page Name/ID:

2.22.1 General Instructions

Accessibility

I.

Layout:

Vertical

II.

Title and Subtitle:

III.

Pre-Instructions:

IV.

Main Question Wording:

CE Diary (Heading)

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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
The Census Bureau is committed to making online forms and other public documents on
its Internet server accessible to all. Currently, we are reviewing our web sites and making
modifications to those pages, which are not in compliance with the Americans with
Disabilities Act. We use Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) to create pages that are
generally accessible to persons using screen-reading devices, and we are careful in our
construction of HTML documents to ensure maximum accessibility. We include alternate
text describing graphics.
Many Census Bureau Internet documents are in ASCII or HTML formats. These documents
are accessible to persons using screen-reading software. We also have a large number of
documents in Adobe Acrobat PDF (Portable Document Format) files. Currently, many
people using screen-reading devices cannot read documents in PDF format, specifically
those that were created from a scanned hard copy.
Adobe Systems, Inc. is producing various products designed to make Adobe Acrobat
documents accessible to persons using screen-reading software. Adobe's accessibility
web pages describe their efforts.
To allow us to better serve those with visual disabilities who are having difficulty
accessing PDF documents; you may contact us directly for further assistance at 301-763INFO (4636), 800-923-8282, or by submitting a request at ask.census.gov.

V.

Post-Instructions:

VI.

Special Instructions:

‘Close’ button

-

Upon click of “Accessibility Statement” link, open new window with Accessibility Screen.

-

At the bottom of the screen there should be a ‘Close’ button that takes closes the Accessibility
popup.

2.22.2 Data Elements
2.22.2.1
DataElement Name/ID:
Label
Required
Tab Index
Type
Min Length
Max length
Read Only
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}

Accessibility

Burden
Yes. Screen opens on clicking
“Accessibility” link
Clickable
n/a
n/a
Yes
No
n/a

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Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern

[close popup window]
Special Instructions

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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
2.23

Page Name/ID:

2.23.1 General Instructions
a. Layout:

User Settings
Vertical

b. Title and Subtitle:
c. Pre-Instructions:

CE Diary (Heading)

d. Main Question Wording:

User Settings
Follow the links below to change either your Username or Password

‘Change Password’ Button
‘Change Username’ button
I.

Post-Instructions:

‘Return to Diary’ button

II.

Special Instructions:
1. Upon click of ‘Change Password’, go to Change_Password page.
2. Upon click of ‘Change Username’, go to Change_Username page.
3. At the bottom of the screen there should be a ‘Return to Diary’ button that takes the user
back to the previous screen.

2.23.2 DataElement Name/ID:
Label
Field name
Required

Tab Index
Type
Min
Max
Read Only
Multiple Responses
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels

Security_Question
Security_Question
Security Question
Yes. User clicks on Change
Username link. User must add a
security question to enter a
username or password.
1
Dropdown list; clickable
1
5
No
No

1. What is the name of your
first pet?

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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
2. In what city were you
born?
3. What is your paternal
grandfather’s first name?
4. What was the last name of
your third grade teacher?
5. Who was your childhood
hero?
6. What is the name of your
favorite pet?
7. When you were young,
what did you want to be
when you grew up?

Edits
Skip Pattern

Special Instructions

2.23.3 DataElement Name/ID:
Label
Required

 if
security_question is empty, then
display message saying, “Please
select a security question.”
Else goto Security_ans
User must add a security
question to enter a username or
password. Until a user has
entered a security question
display in red under Username
and Password under User
Settings the text, “Please add a
security question and answer in
order to change your
username”.
Security_ans
Security_ans
Yes. User clicks on Change
Username link.
2
Text
8
20
No
No

Tab Index
Type
Min Length
Max length
Read Only
Multiple Responses
Security Question Answer
Main Question Text
Title {mouse over text}
Answer Space Placeholder

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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
Answer Space Pre-text
Answer Space Post-text
Answer Option Values
and Labels
Edits
Skip Pattern

 if
security_ans is empty, then
display message saying,
“Please answer security
question.”
Else if user entered an answer
then display message, “Your
security question and answer
has been updated” and return
user to previous screen.

Special Instructions

3. APPENDIX A: “I” POPUPS
3.1

Categories:

The following popups are for each category of expenditures. These popups appear in the Category section on the
DateScreen, when the user clicks the “I” icon for each of the four expenditure categories.

3.1.1 Meals, Snacks and Drinks Away from Home

3.1.2 Food and Drinks for Home Consumption:

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3.1.3 Clothing, Shoes, Jewelry and Accessories:

3.1.4 All Other Products, Services, and Expenses

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CE Online Mobile Diary - Detailed Specifications (8.31.21) 2021
3.2

Descriptions:

These popups appear when the ‘I’ icon next to the description item or expense variable on the ExpenseFDB,
ExpenseCLO, and ExpenseOTH screens is clicked.
NOTE: There is no description field for Meals Snacks and Drinks away from Home.

3.2.1 Food and Drinks for Home Consumption:

3.2.2 Clothing, Shoes, Jewelry and Accessories:

3.2.3 All Other Products, Services, and Expenses

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4. APPENDIX B: Receipt Examples
4.1

Receipt Examples:

Receipt examples popup when the ‘I’ icon next to the Total Cost variable on the ExpenseMLS, ExpenseFDB,
ExpenseCLO, and ExpenseOTH screen is clicked.
Alternative Text for these receipt examples is displayed in the specs for each relevant screen (Page 40 for
ExpenseMLS, page 47 for ExpenseFDB, page 52 for ExpenseCLO, page 57 for ExpenseOTH)

4.1.1 Meals, Snacks and Drinks Away from Home

4.1.2 Food and Drinks for Home Consumption:

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4.1.3 Clothing, Shoes, Jewelry and Accessories:

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4.1.4 All Other Products, Services, and Expenses

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File Typeapplication/pdf
File TitleMicrosoft Word - April 2024 Online Diary Specs_OMB.docx
AuthorMurphy, Peggy - BLS
File Modified2023-11-22
File Created2023-11-22

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