You can control the layout of the survey form using groups, repeats, pages, and notes. In the Display and structure section of the Add panel, choose from the options described below.
Note
Note provides a label to display an extended message. This can include formatted text, hyperlinks, and images. There are no additional options available. A field will not be created in the feature layer for a note question.
In XLSForm, this is a note question.
Page
Page creates a separate page for the survey that can contain separate questions, either created inside of it or dragged into it. The design pane allows you to duplicate a page or merge with another page.
In XLSForm, this is a begin group and end group question pair using the pages style.
Group
Group improves form navigation by organizing questions into collapsible sections under a group heading. You can drag questions into the group and specify the group to be collapsed by default.
In XLSForm, this is a begin group and end group question pair.
Repeat
Repeat allows the capture of a set of questions multiple times inside a single survey response. When you publish a survey that includes repeats, each repeat is created as a related table in the feature layer or a related layer if the repeat contains a location question. Examples of how repeats are used include the following:
- Capture multiple answers to the same question in one survey.
- Capture separate, smaller collections of records, such as the name, age, and gender of every person in a household.
- Capture multiple map questions in one survey.
After adding a repeat to a survey, other questions can be placed inside the repeat, in the same way that questions are added to the form. Repeat records can be set to appear as one of the following:
- Start with one record—One record initially, the respondent can add or remove records.
- Start with no records—No records initially, the respondent can add or remove records.
- Specify the number of records—A fixed number of records is set by the survey author, or the number is determined by the response to another question.
In XLSForm, this is a begin repeat and end repeat question pair. For more information, see Repeats.
Grid layout
A grid layout can be applied to a page, group, or repeat by setting the number of columns and adjusting the width of each question across the columns. In the example below, the page has two columns, and the First name, Last name, Registration number, and Expiry date questions each span one of those columns. The Home address question spans two columns.
Note:
It is recommended that you set the number of columns before adding questions to the page, group, or repeat. Otherwise, click the side of the question and drag it inward to fit one or more of the columns. This will make space for other questions to be placed in the same row.
There are two styles of grid layout: dynamic layout (default) and fixed layout. The dynamic layout allows questions and groups to move on the form, depending on relevant conditions, to make best use of the space on the screen. The fixed layout creates a placeholder for each question, including those with a hidden appearance. A question will appear if its relevant conditions are met; otherwise, a blank space will occupy that place in the form.
Form width can help improve how the Survey123 web app displays a grid layout. Increase form width to fit more questions in a row. Form width can be set in pixels or a percentage of screen width. For example, setting form width to 100 percent will enable the form to take full width of your screen space.
In XLSForm, this design is a fixed-grid or dynamic-grid layout style.