1What FoxPlug reads from Tally
These are the exact things it reads, and nothing else.
| What | The details it takes |
|---|---|
| Your API key | pasted by you. It is sent to Tally as a bearer token. Without it the read stops with an error |
| Your most recently changed published forms (name only) | the first 50 forms Tally lists, with drafts and blank forms left out, the 8 changed most recently kept. Only the form id and its name are used |
| Submissions from the last 30 days, counted | completed submissions since 30 days ago, up to 500 per page and 2 pages per form. The count of completed submissions Tally reports is used; otherwise the submissions seen are counted |
| Each form's questions and their options | the question wording and the list of options you offered, for multiple choice, checkbox and dropdown questions only |
| Which option each person picked, counted | an answer counts only when its value is one of that question's own options, either by the option id or by the option text. A value that is not one of your options is dropped |
| What comes back from the read | up to 20 'form name: question: option' lines with a count each, plus up to 10 'form name: responses in the last 30 days' lines. Each count is a request with that many votes |
2Moments it finds, and what each becomes
A moment is one thing that happened in Tally worth a second look. Each one is scored, then it becomes a post, a changelog entry, a thing to fix or an idea to email, or it is skipped.
An option on one of your forms was picked by at least 3 people in the last 30 days and its words match something you shipped in the last 30 days
The moment is titled like this: Looks like you shipped what 4 people asked for: CSV export
Your 'What do you want next?' form got 4 picks for 'CSV export' this month, and one of your updates is 'Added CSV export to reports'. FoxPlug writes 'Looks like you shipped what 4 people asked for' and says it counted 4 votes in 30 days. At most 3 such moments come out of one read.
3How the brain uses it
The rules below are the ones that apply to Tally. The same rules, with worked examples, are on the brain page.
- Tally is read for counts only: completed submissions per form over 30 days and how many people picked each option of a choice question. Each 'form: question: option' line becomes a request with that many votes. How the brain decides
- An answer is counted only when it is one of the options you offered. Typed text never becomes a line. How the brain decides
- Option lines with at least 3 votes whose words match something you shipped in the last 30 days become a 'looks like you shipped it' say line. Matching is by words and you should check it before you post. The per-form submission counts are never matched. How the brain decides
- FoxPlug keeps wording and counts, not who answered, so it cannot write to the people who voted. How the brain decides
4Set up Tally in a few steps
Access: an API key from Tally's settings, pasted by you. What to give it: API key (Tally keys cannot be limited to reading; FoxPlug only reads).
- In Tally, open Settings and then API keys.
- Click Create API key and copy it. Tally does not show it again.
- Paste it into FoxPlug.
- Press Check for what's new.
5Limits worth knowing
Where it stops, so nothing surprises you.
- Reads at most 8 forms, the most recently changed first.
- At most 2 pages of 500 completed submissions per form feed the option counts.
- Tally allows 100 requests a minute; a read makes at most 17 calls.
- A Tally API key belongs to one user and reaches everything that user can reach; Tally has no read-only key. FoxPlug only sends GET requests, but the key itself is not limited, so the page does not call it read-only.
- NOT confirmed by the Tally pages that were read: what the answer value looks like for a choice question (the reference says only that its type varies by question type and gives no example), where an option's text is kept, and how the question types are named. The reader therefore counts an answer only when it matches an option id or option text found on the same question, and it may count nothing for question kinds laid out differently. The first real read is the test.
- NOT confirmed: whether Tally requires a particular plan to create an API key.
6What it never reads
Read only means read only, and the list below is what the code leaves alone.
- Typed answers, names and email addresses on a submission
- Any question that is not a multiple choice, checkbox or dropdown question
- Anything that writes to Tally: it creates no form, changes no form and deletes no submission
7How Tally differs from the tools next to it
Same idea as Typeform: choice counts from your own forms, no completed state, only 'Looks like you shipped it' moments. Differences: Tally signs in with an API key that cannot be limited to reading, and its reference does not show how a choice answer is laid out, so FoxPlug matches answers to the question's own options. Canny and Featurebase give feature requests with votes and status.
8Questions
Does FoxPlug read what people typed into my forms?
No. It reads the options you offered and counts how many people picked each one. Typed answers, names and email addresses are not read or kept.
Why might a choice question show nothing?
Tally's reference does not show how a choice answer is laid out, so FoxPlug only counts an answer that matches one of the question's own options. If Tally lays a question out differently, that question counts nothing rather than guessing.
Can the Tally key be limited to reading?
No. Tally keys cannot be limited. FoxPlug only reads, but the key you paste can do more, so keep it private and revoke it in Tally if you stop using FoxPlug.
Has the Tally connection been tested against a real account?
No. It is marked code-path-only: the code path exists and its offline checks pass, but no real Tally account of ours has exercised it. Treat the first read as the test.
FoxPlug reads this tool only when you press Check for what's new, and only to read. Plans and limits are on the pricing page. Questions: support.