Array questions ask several sub-questions in one grid, so participants answer a set of related items in one go instead of working through the same question over and over. LimeSurvey offers five of them, and they differ by shape — what runs down the side, what runs across the top, and what participants fill in.

Add an array

1. Click the + button in the top bar.
2. Pick the one you want from the Array group.

Which array do I want?

• Array (Point choice) — your sub-questions down the side, your own answer options across the top. Every sub-question is rated on the same scale you define. This is the one most people want.
• Array (Texts) — a grid of text boxes. Sub-questions run down the side and across the top, and participants type into each cell.
• Array (Numbers) — the same grid, but each cell is a numbered dropdown instead of a text box.
• Array by column — Array (Point choice) with the axes swapped: answer options run down the side, sub-questions across the top.
• Array dual scale — each sub-question gets two answer scales side by side, each with its own heading. Use it to rate the same items on two dimensions at once, such as importance and satisfaction.

A No answer option is added automatically to the choice-based arrays when the question is not mandatory.

Setting your own scale

With Array (Point choice) you write the answer options yourself, so the scale is however long you need it. Older LimeSurvey versions had fixed variants for this — Array (5 point choice), Array (10 point choice), Array (Yes/No/Uncertain) and Array (Increase/Same/Decrease) — each hard-wired to one set of answers. Those are no longer offered: create the question as Array (Point choice) and type the answers you want. Surveys built on the old types keep working.

Array or question group?

An array is a single question with several sub-questions inside it, all sharing one answer scale. A question group is a container that holds separate questions, usually shown as one page. If your items need different answer options, use separate questions in a group rather than an array.