Repeatable Sections let you group a set of questions into a section your respondent can repeat as many times as they need. They are the right tool whenever a single submission needs to describe several similar things — a batch of product returns in one RMA, multiple children enrolled by one parent, a list of assets being audited, or several line items inside a single claim.
When to Use a Repeatable Section
- Multi-item forms — RMA / returns with several products per request, insurance claims with multiple incidents, expense reports with many line items.
- Per-child or per-dependant sections — parent/guardian intake forms, benefits enrollment.
- Per-asset audits — facility checklists where each room or device needs the same handful of questions.
- Batch feedback — one respondent giving feedback on several products or courses at once.
If the number of “things” is fixed (e.g. exactly three products, always), a plain page works fine. If the count varies per respondent, use a repeatable section.
Adding a Section
- Open your survey in the designer.
- On the page where you want the section, click Add Section from the page toolbar.
- Drop the questions you want repeated into the section (drag them in, or create new questions inside).
- Open the section’s settings panel to configure it.
Configuring a Section
- Name — shown to respondents above the section (and above every instance as “{Name} · Item 1”, “{Name} · Item 2”, etc.). Translate the name into every language your survey supports.
- Repeatable — turn this on to allow respondents to add more instances. Turn it off and the section becomes a simple grouped block shown once.
- Repeat button label — the call-to-action on the “Add another” button (for example “Add another product”, “Add another child”). Translatable.
- Max instances — optional cap on how many times the section can repeat. Leave blank for unlimited.
- Visibility rules — sections respect the same visibility rules as questions; hide a whole section based on earlier answers.
Question Types You Can Put Inside a Section
Almost all question types are supported inside a section, including Signature. Two are not, because they have global side-effects that don’t make sense repeating:
- Payment — payments are collected once per submission.
- Appointment — appointments schedule on external calendars and can’t be duplicated per instance.
The builder will block these types with a clear message if you try to drop them in.
A note on Test / Quiz surveys: non-repeatable sections are fine as a way to group questions on a quiz. Repeatable sections inside a scored quiz are not currently supported.
The Respondent Experience
When a respondent reaches the section they see the first instance labelled as “Section name · Item 1″. Below it:
- A prominent + Add another button (with the label you configured) adds a new instance — up to the max you set.
- Each instance past the first has a small × Remove control; removal asks for confirmation so people don’t lose work by accident.
- The layout is mobile-responsive — on small screens the repeat button stretches full-width and sticks to the bottom when there are many instances.
Repeated Answers in Reports and Exports
If a respondent fills in three items inside a “Returns” section, their submission contains three sets of answers for the questions in that section — one set per item. In response details, exports, and report widgets you’ll see each item listed separately so you can review or analyze them individually. Item numbers stay stable for the life of the response, even if the respondent later removes one of them.
Analytics on Section Data
Widgets and reports aggregate repeated answers automatically:
- By default analytics use a merged shape — all instances are rolled up into the base question so NPS, CSAT, counts, and charts work without extra setup.
- Per-instance aggregations (first, last, mean, mode, count, any) are available for more advanced queries; you’ll find the picker on widget configuration where it matters.
- Text analytics (sentiment, entities, classification) runs per instance — so if three return items each have a free-text comment, each one is analyzed individually.
Limitations
- No nesting — a section cannot contain another section. Keep the hierarchy flat.
- Payment and Appointment questions cannot live inside a section.
- Repeatable sections inside Test / Quiz surveys are not supported today (scoring policy for repeats is pending). Non-repeatable grouping sections are fine in quizzes.
- Rules inside a section evaluate within the same instance — you cannot, today, have a rule in instance 2 depend on an answer given in instance 1. Cross-instance rules are on the roadmap.
FAQ
How many instances can a respondent add? Whatever you set in “Max instances”, or unlimited if you leave it blank.
Can I pre-fill a respondent with a set number of instances? The first instance always renders. If you need to start with more than one, that’s coming — today you’d configure the section to be repeatable and let respondents add.
Will existing reports break if I add a section to a live survey? No. The default merged aggregation preserves backwards compatibility — existing widgets continue to show one row per base question.
Can a respondent edit an instance after submitting? Yes, if you have Allow response editing enabled on the survey. See the Survey Distribution & Collectors guide for details.