Registering for different events, with each event having its own registration questions

Question

I'm attempting to map out and build a fundraising website that would allow for an organisation to set up multiple events during the year. Users would be able to register for these events and get notifications relating to the specific event.

Each event, however, is to have custom questions relating only to that event. For instance, one fun-run type event might ask the user whether they wish to complete the short run or the long run, while another event may ask whether they user is over eighteen years of age.

The way I was originally thinking of creating it was to have a registrants channel (using an add-on like Zoo Visitor or Profile:Edit), an events channel and a third channel that would link the two (with one field relating to the registrant channel and one relating to the events channel). This third channel is required to record the registrant's fundraising for that specific event.

I thought that perhaps I could then add a custom field in this channel for every question possible to be asked, then hide the ones that weren't relevant to the event chosen (through Javascript).

Am I just going about this in the completely wrong way? Is there something simpler that I've missed or perhaps I'm trying to stretch too far with one install of EE. Perhaps I need to move towards having one install for each event (or investigate MSM).

Any help, suggestions or guidance would be appreciated!

Answer 1

I would take a look at using an add-on like FreeForm to manage the actual event Registration. You would then be able to use the Form Composer functionality to build a form for each event with the specific questions.

So you would have your Event channel which would have the custom fields that you needed to display info about the event and to that you would add the included FreeForm fieldtype as a field. This would allow you to then select from a dropdown the Form that you built for the specific event. They have a bit of information about doing this in their docs http://www.solspace.com/docs/freeform/channel_entry_fieldtype/