# Can I access the text of a choice

**URL:** <https://cl.desmos.com/t/can-i-access-the-text-of-a-choice/499>\
**Category:** Questions\
**Created:** [June 1, 2019, 11:33pm UTC](https://cl.desmos.com/t/can-i-access-the-text-of-a-choice/499 "2019-06-01T23:33:33Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![SeanMaths4EAL](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex031/user_avatar/cl.desmos.com/seanmaths4eal/32/289_2.png) [@SeanMaths4EAL](https://cl.desmos.com/u/SeanMaths4EAL)\
**Post date:** [June 1, 2019, 11:33pm UTC](https://cl.desmos.com/t/can-i-access-the-text-of-a-choice/499/1 "2019-06-01T23:33:33Z")

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I’m guessing the answer is no, but…

Is there any way to access the text of each choice in the CL?

Because I am catering for EAL students, it’s vital that I prove sentence frames to scaffold them in the “explain your thinking” boxes, and often that needs to include the text of their choice.

But repeating the text in the CL code is not very robust. Setting the text in the CL is okay, but less than optimal for other teachers.

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**Author:** ![cwinske](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex031/user_avatar/cl.desmos.com/cwinske/32/3106_2.png) [@cwinske](https://cl.desmos.com/u/cwinske)\
**Post date:** [June 2, 2019, 2:07am UTC](https://cl.desmos.com/t/can-i-access-the-text-of-a-choice/499/2 "2019-06-02T02:07:32Z")

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I think you’re right, there’s no easy way to get CL to insert the text from the choice. It sounds like you already tried this method, but this example sets the initial choices by using variables, but I think it’s more typing in the end.

> **[Custom Choice Explanation • Activity Builder by Desmos](https://teacher.desmos.com/activitybuilder/custom/5cf32b346394da6faf473727)**
>
> by Craig Winske

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**Author:** ![ldelaney](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex031/user_avatar/cl.desmos.com/ldelaney/32/4464_2.png) [@ldelaney](https://cl.desmos.com/u/ldelaney)\
**Post date:** [September 18, 2024, 1:26pm UTC](https://cl.desmos.com/t/can-i-access-the-text-of-a-choice/499/3 "2024-09-18T13:26:21Z")

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I use this, repeated as many times as I need to:

for something with 2 choices:  
_selectedContent = when this.isSelected(1) this.choiceContent(1) otherwise when this.isSelected(2) this.choiceContent(2) otherwise “”_  
for something with 4 choices:  
_selectedContent = when this.isSelected(1) this.choiceContent(1) otherwise when this.isSelected(2) this.choiceContent(2) otherwise when this.isSelected(3) this.choiceContent(3) otherwise when this.isSelected(4) this.choiceContent(4) otherwise “”_

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**Author:** ![Daniel\_Grubbs](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex031/user_avatar/cl.desmos.com/daniel_grubbs/32/719_2.png) [@Daniel\_Grubbs](https://cl.desmos.com/u/Daniel_Grubbs)\
**Post date:** [September 18, 2024, 1:29pm UTC](https://cl.desmos.com/t/can-i-access-the-text-of-a-choice/499/4 "2024-09-18T13:29:53Z")

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I very minor improvement for you @ldelaney, you only need the final “otherwise”!  
(i.e. when \_\_ when \_\_\_ when \_\_\_ … otherwise \_\_\_ )