# Groups Groups are used to organize related questions in your form. A group is defined using the `begin_group` and `end_group` types. You can control how a group behaves using the `appearance` column. ## πŸ“„ Group with appearance: field-list When you use `field-list` as the appearance of a group, all questions inside the group will appear on the **same screen**. This creates a page-style layout where users can answer multiple related questions at once. Each row inside the group is treated as an **individual question**, and the group label (if used) may be shown as a section header depending on the platform. Example – field-list group with mixed question types | type | name | label | appearance | required | | ------------------ | ------------ | ------------------------- | ---------- | -------- | | begin\_group | contact | Contact Details | field-list | | | text | fname | First name | | yes | | text | lname | Last name | | yes | | select\_one gender | gender | Gender | | | | select\_multiple | contact\_way | Preferred contact methods | | | | end\_group | | | | | ### Choices sheet | list\_name | name | label | | ------------ | ------ | ------ | | gender | male | Male | | gender | female | Female | | gender | other | Other | | contact\_way | email | Email | | contact\_way | phone | Phone | | contact\_way | sms | SMS | What happens:\ This group will be displayed as a single page with the following fields: * First name (text) * Last name (text) * Gender (select one option) * Preferred contact methods (select multiple options) All inputs are on one page, allowing the user to enter multiple related pieces of information at once. ## πŸ”  Group with appearance table-list When you apply `appearance: table-list` to a group select questions that share the same choice list, they can appear as a matrix/grid β€” one row per question, one column per choice. **survey sheet** | type | name | label | appearance | | --------------------------- | ------------ | -------------------------------- | ---------- | | begin\_group | opinion\_grp | Please indicate your opinion: | table-list | | select\_one agree\_disagree | q1 | I trust online pharma services. | | | select\_one agree\_disagree | q2 | The website is easy to use. | | | select\_one agree\_disagree | q3 | I would recommend this platform. | | | end\_group | | | | **choices sheet** | list\_name | name | label | | --------------- | -------- | -------- | | agree\_disagree | agree | Agree | | agree\_disagree | disagree | Disagree | ## ⁉️ Group without appearance When no appearance is set, the group is treated more like a structured question with different answer types. The label of the group becomes the main question prompt, and each row inside the group is treated as a separate answer. Example – no appearance | type | name | label | | ------------ | ------- | ---------------------------- | | begin\_group | contact | Provide your contact details | | text | fname | First name | | text | lname | Last name | | text | address | Street address | | integer | zip | ZIP code | | end\_group | | | As a bonus you can add a constraint to the ZIP code question to make sure it's a valid US ZIP code (5 digits): | type | name | label | constraint | constraint\_message | | ------- | ---- | -------- | ------------------- | ----------------------------- | | integer | zip | ZIP code | regex(., '^\d{5}$') | Must be a 5-digit US ZIP code | What happens: The form will show a series of related questions under the prompt "Provide your contact details", with each field considered part of that single prompt. #### Summary Group behavior changes based on whether or not you use the `field-list` appearance: | Appearance | Behavior | | ---------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | | field-list | Shows all questions in the group on the same screen | | (none) | Treats the group as a single question with multiple parts or subfields | ## πŸ“° Group with appearance: field-list containing a nested group You can create a group with `appearance: field-list` and place other elements inside it, including: * A nested group without any appearance (which behaves like a structured multi-part question) * Other individual questions (like select\_one or text) This allows you to show a full page of related inputs while still benefiting from structured sub-sections inside that page like a page layout with a contact info block and a preferred contact method In this example: * The main group uses `field-list`, so everything appears on one page. * Inside it, there's a nested group (with no appearance), which acts as a block of related text questions. * After the nested group, there's a select\_one question asking how the respondent prefers to be contacted. ### **survey sheet** | type | name | label | appearance | | ------------------ | ------------ | ---------------------------- | ---------- | | begin\_group | full\_block | Contact Page | field-list | | begin\_group | contact | Provide your contact details | | | text | fname | First name | | | text | lname | Last name | | | text | address | Street address | | | integer | zip | ZIP code | | | end\_group | | | | | select\_one method | contact\_way | Preferred contact method | | | end\_group | | | | ### **choices sheet** | list\_name | name | label | | ---------- | ----- | ----- | | method | email | Email | | method | phone | Phone | | method | sms | SMS | What happens: * The respondent sees one one page. * At the top, they’re prompted to fill in their contact details (first name, last name, etc.) β€” these appear grouped together but are treated as parts of one structured section. * Below that, on the same screen, they can choose their preferred contact method. This approach keeps related information neatly organized and efficient to fill out.