# Repeat questions with loop sections

Make a section of a Pristo CX questionnaire repeat, so respondents answer the same questions for each item they add, such as each child or product.

In Pristo CX, a loop section repeats its questions for each item a respondent adds, such as each child in a family or each product in an order. You turn a section into a loop section in the form builder: select the section and turn on **This section is repeatable** in the settings panel. Respondents add the items themselves; the number of items does not come from another answer or from a list.

## Before you start

- Role: you need to be an account admin or a program admin. See [roles and permissions](https://docs.pristo.io/cx/users/roles-and-permissions).
- Setup: open the questionnaire in the form builder, as described in the [form builder overview](https://docs.pristo.io/cx/form-builder/overview). A published version is read-only, so select **Edit** first.
- Terms: a section is a block of questions on a page. See the [glossary](https://docs.pristo.io/cx/glossary).

## Steps

![Sketch of the form builder editor with a section selected and its settings panel on the right. Marker 1 is on the button that adds a new section, below the last section. Marker 2 is on the selected section. Marker 3 is on the switch that makes the section repeatable. Marker 4 is on the three layouts. Marker 5 is on the questions that name each item. Marker 6 is on the smallest and the largest number of items.](https://docs.pristo.io/_astro/fb-loop-section-settings.CdUtoI48.webp)

1. Select **Add new section** on the page, and add the questions to repeat to the new section.

2. Select the section. Its settings open in the settings panel.

3. Turn on **This section is repeatable**.

4. Under **Loop layout**, choose **Table**, **Cards** or **Combo Box**. To ask the questions on a page of their own instead, select **Show as inner page** and confirm.

5. Under **Loop section options**, choose the questions whose answers name each item in **Main title** and **Subtitle**. The builder fills in the section's first two questions for you.

6. In **Item limit**, enter the smallest and the largest number of items. Leave a box empty for no limit.

7. Select **Preview** and add a few items to check the result.

To make a loop section a plain section again, turn off **This section is repeatable**. A section shown as an inner page has no such switch: its questions move to the inner page, which you open with **Edit modal page** on the section in the editor.

## How respondents add items

| Layout | What respondents see |
|---|---|
| **Table** | The section's questions and an **Add** button. Each item they add becomes a row of a table below. Selecting a row opens the item to change or delete it |
| **Cards** | Each item as a card they can open to change or delete, with the questions for a new item below the cards |
| **Combo Box** | A dropdown list of the items, with arrows to move between them and a **New item** entry for adding one. The questions below show the selected item |
| **Show as inner page** | An **Add** button that opens the questions in a dialog, and a table of the items added |

Each item is named by its number and the answers to the main title and subtitle questions, for example `[2] Dana 7`. Respondents must answer at least one of an item's questions before they can add it.

## Result

Respondents answer the section's questions once for each item. With a minimum, the section is marked as required, and respondents cannot go on until they have added enough items. At the maximum, respondents cannot add more items, and the section shows **Cannot add anymore items**.

If an item has an error, such as a required question left empty, a **Validation error** dialog asks whether to save it anyway. An item saved with errors stops respondents from going on until they fix it.

A condition on a question inside a loop section is checked for each item on its own. See [Show or hide questions with conditions](https://docs.pristo.io/cx/form-builder/conditions).

In the response panel on the [Responses page](https://docs.pristo.io/cx/responses/view-responses), a loop section shows its number of items and a table with one numbered row per item. In an [export](https://docs.pristo.io/cx/responses/export-responses), each loop section gets its own table: a separate CSV file, or a sheet of the XLSX workbook, named after the first 16 characters of the section's title, with hyphens for spaces, and a number that starts at 0. Each row is one item. The first column holds the response number, the same as in the main table, and the second identifies the item.

## Limits

- A loop section counts toward the 15 sections on a page and holds up to 100 questions, like any section.
- Questions and sections outside a loop section cannot use a condition on a question inside it. Exit points treat such a question as unanswered.
- Respondents cannot add, change or delete items after they finish the questionnaire.

## Troubleshooting

**The issues panel says a loop item is missing.** The section has no question in **Main title** or **Subtitle**. Choose one, or leave it: the warning doesn't block publishing.

**Respondents cannot go on, and no message shows.** A condition hides a loop section that has a minimum in **Item limit**. In this release, the minimum still applies while the section is hidden. Remove the minimum, or the condition.

**Publishing is blocked because a field depends on a field in a loop section.** A question or section outside the loop section uses a condition on a question inside it. Base that condition on a question outside the loop section.

## Related

- [Add and organize pages in a questionnaire](https://docs.pristo.io/cx/form-builder/chapters-and-pages)
- [Show or hide questions with conditions](https://docs.pristo.io/cx/form-builder/conditions)
- [View responses](https://docs.pristo.io/cx/responses/view-responses)
- [Export responses](https://docs.pristo.io/cx/responses/export-responses)