Make it easier to do branching

[joelanman]

For example, we could let people add URLs to radio buttons. If a user selects that radio button, it automatically redirects to that URL, with no need for back end coding.

[etheya]

Has this moved at all? be good to have this feature moving forward...

[joelanman]

One potential solution is to significantly improve the documentation and examples for branching

[joelanman]

from #338:

[using radios to automatically redirect] has some more disadvantages:

It only works for radio buttons. This could influence people to design prototypes to use radios even if thats not the right solution, as its significantly easier. For any other kind of branching people will have to learn server-side code for branching anyway.

[alexnewmannn]

One product that does this really well is, https://github.com/DEFRA/digital-form-builder, it's a UI which decreases any learning curve, but we could take inspiration from the way they do branches and implement it into the prototype kit.

Initial suggestion is have a file specifically for adding branches, that file needs to be changed and everything else will work.

A really simple, rushed design for that could be something like

const redirects = branchRedirect([
  {
    fieldName: 'eligibilityQuestion',
    route: '/question-asked-here',
    values: {
      yes: '/go-here',
      no: '/go-there',
      'dont-know: 'go-anywhere',
    },
  }
]);

module.exports = redirects;

/question-asked-here.html

{{ govukRadios({
  classes: "govuk-radios--inline",
  idPrefix: "eligibilityQuestion",
  name: "eligibilityQuestion",
  fieldset: {
    legend: {
      text: "Are you the person paying?",
      isPageHeading: true,
      classes: "govuk-fieldset__legend--xl"
    }
  },
  items: [
    {
      value: "yes",
      text: "Yes"
    },
    {
      value: "no",
      text: "No"
    },
    {
      value: "dont-know",
      text: "I don't know"
    }
  ]
}) }}

[joelanman]

Another risk that would be good to get more research on: if we do radio button branching, is it then confusing to have 2 different ways to do branching? (radios vs routes)

[lfdebrux]

This needs a kickoff.

[Izabela-16]

Kick off session this week, 45min, whole team. @Izabela-16

[lfdebrux]

We discussed. Agreed following

• want to do user research
• try and find a technical solution to reduce amount of code first, fallback on better docs if that doesn't work
• maybe we can have a hack-a-thon, maybe including community?
• good way to test extensions also, maybe?

I'll create a new ticket for this.

Also @natcarey thinks it would be worth having a separate chat about extensions with the team, will organise that.

[lfdebrux]

Closing in favour of a new issue looking at the same thing, #1317.