Repeat groups in XLSForm

Last updated: 25 Nov 2025

Repeat groups in XLSForm allow you to ask the same set of questions multiple times within a form. This is especially useful when collecting similar information about several people, items, or events.

For example, if you’re gathering details about each member of a household, you can use a repeat group to ask the same demographic questions for every individual.

This article covers the following topics:

• Creating a repeat group

• Setting repeat counts to limit the number of repetitions

• Counting the number of repetitions within a repeat group

• Retrieving values from repeat groups

Note: This article focuses on repeating groups in XLSForm. To learn about repeating groups in the KoboToolbox Formbuilder and to preview repeat groups in action, see Grouping questions and repeating groups.

Creating a repeat group

To create a repeat group in XLSForm:

1. In the type column of the survey worksheet, enter begin_repeat to indicate the start of the repeat group.

2. In the name column of the begin_repeat row, enter the unique identifier for the group.

3. In the label column, enter the title of the group as you want it displayed in the form. The label is optional and can be left blank.

4. Enter each question of the group in its own row, as you normally would.

5. In a new row after the repeating questions, enter end_repeat in the type column to indicate the end of the repeat group.

   • In the end_group row, leave the name and label columns blank.

survey worksheet

type	name	label
begin_repeat	household_members	Household Members
text	name	What is the person’s name?
integer	age	How old are they?
select_one yn	married	Are they married?
end_repeat
survey

Repeat groups function similarly to question groups. With repeat groups, you can:

• Use the field-list appearance to display all questions on the same page.

• Add skip logic to repeat groups in the relevance column.

• Create nested repeat groups, where one repeat group is added inside another.

Note: Adding repeat groups to your form creates a different data structure compared to standard variables or groups. When you download your data in .xlsx format, you will find a separate sheet for each repeat group. For more information on exporting and using repeat group data, see Managing repeat group data.

Setting repeat counts

By default, repeat groups can be repeated as many times as needed. To limit the number of times a repeat group is repeated in the form, you can set a repeat count. The repeat count can be either a fixed number or dynamically determined based on a previous response.

To set a fixed number of repetitions:

1. Add a repeat_count column in the survey worksheet.

2. Input a number in the repeat_count column.

survey worksheet

type	name	label	repeat_count
begin_repeat	participant_profile	Participant profile	3
text	name	Name
select_one gender	gender	Gender
integer	age	Age
end_repeat
survey

To dynamically determine the number of repetitions based on a previous response:

1. Add a repeat_count column in the survey worksheet.

2. Enter the question reference in the repeat_count column.

   • The referenced question must be an integer question type.

survey worksheet

type	name	label	repeat_count
integer	participants	Total number of training participants
begin_repeat	participant_profile	Participant profile	${participants}
text	name	Name
select_one gender	gender	Gender
integer	age	Age
end_repeat
survey

Note: Inside the repeat_count column, you can also include advanced conditional statements to determine if repetitions will continue. For more information, see ODK documentation.

Counting number of repetitions inside a repeat group

When using repeat groups, you may need a field that counts how many times the group has been repeated. This can be useful for calculations or form logic. For example, you can apply skip logic after a specific repetition or dynamically include the repeat number in a question label (e.g., Child 1, Child 2).

To count how many times a repeat group has been repeated:

1. Add a calculate question inside the repeat group.

2. Enter position(..) in the calculation column.

This variable stores the current repeat index. You can use it in form logic or to create dynamic question labels.

survey worksheet

type	name	label	calculation	relevance
begin_repeat	profile	Participant profile
calculate	number		position(..)
note	instructions	Answer the questions below for each participant.		${number} = 1
text	name	Name of participant ${number}
select_one gender	gender	Gender of participant ${number}
integer	age	Age of participant ${number}
end_repeat
survey

Counting total number of repeat group repetitions

You can also add a separate question outside the repeat group to count the total number of repetitions. This is useful, for example, to confirm the number of participants or children listed in the repeat group.

To count how many times a repeat group was filled in:

1. Add a calculate question after the repeat group.

2. In the calculation column, enter count(${repeat_group_name}), where repeat_group_name is the name of the repeat group.

This variable stores the total number of group repetitions. You can use it in calculations or to create dynamic question labels in your form.

survey worksheet

type	name	label	calculation
begin_repeat	children	Children roster
text	name	Name
select_one gender	gender	Gender
integer	age	Age
end_repeat
calculate	count_children		count(${children})
acknowledge	confirm_children	Confirm that there are ${count_children} children in the household.
survey

Retrieving values from repeat groups

Advanced forms often use question referencing to include responses from earlier questions in question labels, calculations, or skip logic. You can also use question referencing within repeat groups or to refer to repeated data elsewhere in your form.

Within a repeat group, you can reference a response from another question in the same repetition using question referencing, as shown below.

survey worksheet

type	name	label
begin_repeat	children	Children roster
text	name	What is the child’s name?
integer	age	How old is ${name}?
select_one gender	married	What is ${name}’s gender?
end_repeat
survey

Outside a repeat group, you can retrieve data from the repeat group for use in form logic or question labels:

1. Add a calculate question after your repeat group.

2. Include one of the formulas listed below in the calculation column.

3. The calculate question stores the retrieved value, which you can then use in form logic or question labels.

Formulas to retrieve data from repeat groups

Formula	Description
max(${question-name})	Retrieves the maximum value entered for one question in the repeat group.
min(${question-name})	Retrieves the minimum value entered for one question in the repeat group.
sum(${question-name})	Computes the sum of numerical values entered for one question in the repeat group.
join('; ', ${question-name})	Lists all responses to a given question inside a repeat group, separated by a semi-colon.
indexed-repeat(${question-name}, ${repeat-name}, n)	Retrieves the value for ${question-name}, in the repeat group called ${repeat-name}, in the nth repetition.

survey worksheet

type	name	label	calculation
begin_repeat	children	Children roster
text	name	Name
select_one gender	gender	Gender
integer	age	Age
end_repeat
calculate	max_age		max(${age})
acknowledge	confirm_age	Confirm that the oldest child in the household is ${max_age} years old.
survey