Visual Space manual, Articles, Create And Vote In A Poll
This walkthrough follows two people through one complete poll: an author creates and publishes the question, then a reader finds it, casts one choice, and checks the results. Use it when a focused set of answers will be more useful than an open-ended response.
This walkthrough follows two people through one complete poll: an author creates and publishes the question, then a reader finds it, casts one choice, and checks the results. Use it when a focused set of answers will be more useful than an open-ended response.
Prepare the Question and Audience
A poll uses an article title as its question and the poll summary as its answer choices. It can also include an article body when readers need background before deciding.
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Choose the destination - The author must be signed in, joined to the space, and allowed to create posts there. The destination determines where the poll appears and who can reach it.
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Write the decision first - Prepare a title that asks one clear question. Draft at least two distinct answers that respond on the same basis rather than overlapping or hiding important conditions.
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Check the reader's access - Readers may be able to view a public poll without being able to vote. Voting requires sign-in, membership in the space, access to the owning area when it is protected, and permission to add reactions there.
Editing the option set clears every vote already cast. Adding, removing, or correcting an option after people have voted restarts the results. Review the complete set carefully before publishing, and do not treat later option edits as harmless wording changes.
Start a Poll Draft
Starting from the main feed lets the author choose both the format and the owning space before the editor opens.
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Open the creation flow - From the main feed, select Publish a post or article to open Choose your space.
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Select Poll and a space - Choose Poll, then select one of the joined spaces where your role can create posts. Visual Space opens a private article draft with Poll as its selected summary.
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Convert an existing draft when needed - If you already opened an article draft, change its active summary type to Poll instead. Only the summary type currently selected will be published, so leave Poll selected when this is the introduction readers should see.
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Confirm the context - Check the owning space or area before writing. The unfinished draft stays outside ordinary published feeds until the author selects Publish.
The title and options must make sense together on a compact feed card. Put supporting explanation in the optional body instead of making the choices carry hidden context.
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Enter the question as the title - Replace Enter Title with a concise question or decision. The poll card has no separate question field, so readers depend on this title to understand what each option means.
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Replace both option prompts - A new poll starts with fields prompted as Option 1 and Option 2. Enter at least two real answers; untouched prompts and empty fields are not publishable choices.
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Add only useful choices - Select Add Option when the question genuinely needs another answer. Keep the choices distinct, comparable, and easy to understand before adding more.
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Remove an extra choice - Select Remove beside an option while more than two options remain. The editor keeps a minimum of two option fields.
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Add context when the decision needs it - Select Expand To Article and write a body when readers need criteria, definitions, evidence, or consequences before voting. A valid poll can be published without a body when the title and options are enough.
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Read the card as a voter would - Check the title and every option together. Correct ambiguous or accidental wording now, before anyone can vote.
Let the Draft Save and Pass Validation
Poll option edits save automatically through the article draft. Title and body fields show their own save feedback; the option card does not currently show a separate saved check.
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Pause after the final edit - Give the draft's saving process time to finish. Animated dots on a title or body field mean that field is still saving, while a check confirms its latest change.
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Recover a visible failure - If a field keeps a failure control, select Retry saving and wait for confirmation. Publishing waits for queued and active saves and stops when an autosave remains failed.
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Review the required content - Confirm that the title is not empty, Poll is still the active summary, and at least two fields contain authored choices rather than prompts.
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Use Publish as the validation checkpoint - Select Publish when the poll is ready. If publication stops, correct the highlighted title or poll content, resolve any save failure, and select Publish again.
The editor allows a quiet incomplete draft, so required-content messages may not appear until the first publication attempt. Authoring and Publishing explains save feedback and validation in more depth.
Publish and Check the Author's Result
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Publish the draft - Select Publish after the final save and validation checks. A successful publication returns the author to the destination's published posts.
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Inspect the feed card - Find the expected title and choices in the destination feed. Confirm that the poll no longer appears only under Draft Articles & Posts.
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Open the article - Select the card or title. The same poll should appear above the optional body, with the same choices and current vote count.
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Check the Polls area - Open Polls in the current space area to find poll-backed articles and folders. Selecting the poll opens its normal article page; Polls is a browsing shortcut rather than a separate voting page.
Polls follows the current space area and leads readers back to the articles that own each poll.
Successful publication releases the article and its linked feed post together. The poll is the selected summary in both places.
For more on these connected discovery surfaces, see Posts and Feeds.
Vote as a Reader
The reader can vote from the feed card or from the poll at the top of the article. Reading the optional body first is useful when the question depends on more context.
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Find the published poll - Open it from the main or destination feed, from its article page, or through Polls. These routes lead to the same article-backed poll.
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Confirm that voting is available - Sign in, join the owning space, and make sure you can access its area. Your role also needs permission to add reactions in that context. Someone who can read a public poll may still be unable to vote.
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Read before choosing - Review the title, every option, and any article body. Poll responses are not anonymous; names and avatars can appear in result previews.
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Select one option - Choose the single answer you want to submit. The controls become temporarily unavailable while the vote is being processed.
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Verify the result view - After a successful vote, confirm that the card shows the total vote count, a percentage for each option, a highlight on your selection, and voter previews where available.
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Load newer totals - Select Refresh Results after other people have had time to vote. Results do not update continuously on an already open card.
The current result view does not let a voter change their choice or remove it after submission. Check the option carefully before selecting it.
Resolve Common Blocks
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If Poll is not published - Reopen the draft and confirm that Poll, rather than another summary type tried earlier, is selected. Only the active summary is released with the article.
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If validation says content is missing - Enter a title and replace at least two option prompts with meaningful answers. Empty fields and prompts such as Option 1 do not count as finished content.
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If a reader is sent to sign in - Complete sign-in, return to the poll, and confirm membership, area access, and add-reactions permission before trying again.
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If results look old - Select Refresh Results or reopen the feed card or article. The feed and article represent the same poll, but an open result card needs a manual refresh to load newer votes.
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If an option must change after voting begins - Tell participants that the results will restart, then make the edit only when clearing every existing vote is acceptable.
Continue With Articles
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Polls explains the poll format, result view, and access boundaries from above.
