Using the LooprAI Workspace
The LooprAI Workspace is an AI-powered XLSForm editor. You describe what you want in plain English, and LooprAI edits the spreadsheet for you — adding questions, attempting guided repairs, translating supported survey text, and more. This guide walks through every part of the interface while keeping review and field testing in your hands.
How do I talk to the LooprAI agent?
Type a request in the chat panel on the right and press Enter. LooprAI reads your current workbook, makes the edit directly in the spreadsheet, and explains what it changed.
Keep requests specific and action-oriented. Good examples:
- "Add a consent question at the start of the form."
- "Add respondent age and sex after the name question."
- "Make the age question required and constrain it between 0 and 120."
- "Add a household roster section after the demographics."
- "Rename the form title to Baseline Survey 2026."
You can keep the conversation going — LooprAI remembers the context of the session, so follow-ups like "now make that question optional" work as expected.
Describe what you want, not how to build it in XLSForm syntax. LooprAI handles the type, name, relevant, and constraint columns for you.
The chat input
The input area sits at the bottom of the chat panel. It has three things to know about: the attachment button, slash commands, and the send shortcut.
Commands
/fixFix validation errors in your form/translateManage multi-language forms (add/remove/validate translations)/suggestGet AI suggestions for improving your form/revertRevert the latest LooprAI workbook change or a specific revision
Ask LooprAI for help with your form… (Type / for commands)
Attach a questionnaire for LooprAI to convert or reference. Only PDF, Word (.doc/.docx), and Excel (.xls/.xlsx) files are accepted — other file types are rejected automatically.
Type / to open the command menu. Selecting a command inserts it into the input so you can add details before sending.
Attaching a questionnaire
Use the paperclip button to attach an existing questionnaire for LooprAI to convert or reference. Production imports support PDF, DOCX, and XLSX files; legacy DOC and XLS files are not supported. LooprAI builds an editable workbook that you should review and test. (See the dedicated guide: How to Convert a Word or PDF Questionnaire Using LooprAI.)
What are the slash commands?
Type / in the chat input to open the command menu. Slash commands are shortcuts for the most common form operations. Selecting one inserts it into the input so you can add details before sending.
| Command | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
/fix | Fix validation errors in your form | /fix validation errors |
/translate | Manage multi-language forms (add / remove / validate translations) | /translate add French |
/suggest | Get AI suggestions for improving your form | /suggest |
/revert | Revert the latest LooprAI change, or a specific revision | /revert |
A few more useful forms:
/translate add Spanish— add a Spanish translation column/translate remove German— remove the German translation/translate validate French— check the French translation for gaps/revert 8f6c2a6e-4b0c-4c0a-9a1f-93a217f3fd8c— revert one specific revision by ID
Machine translation is available in 27 named languages across selected survey text columns. It does not translate every choice label, and a fluent reviewer should check the result before fieldwork.
/revert vs. the spreadsheet Undo button
These two look similar but do different jobs — knowing the difference saves you from losing work.
/revert reliably undoes LooprAI's changes. It rolls back the latest AI edit (or a specific revision you name). Use it when the agent made a change you don't want.
The spreadsheet Undo button (Univer) undoes your manual edits — the cells you typed or changed by hand. Use it for your own keystrokes, not for AI changes.
In short: if the AI changed something, use /revert. If you changed something by hand, use the spreadsheet's Undo button.
Reading the top bar
The top bar shows your form's status and the actions you'll use most. Here's what each control does:
Status badge — shows the form has not yet been published to an ODK Central server. It flips to your server name once published.
Save the current workbook. LooprAI also auto-saves your edits as you work.
Download the form as an .xlsx XLSForm file to your computer.
Manage images and media files referenced by your form.
Open the Publish wizard to send the form to an ODK Central server.
Live validation status. A green check means the form is valid; a red warning with a count appears when ODK finds errors — click it to view them and ask LooprAI to fix.
Switch between the spreadsheet editor (Form) and a live, mobile ODK preview of how enumerators will see the form (Preview).
Validation and "Ask LooprAI to fix"
LooprAI validates your form against the real ODK Validate engine as you work. When something is wrong, a red warning with an error count appears in the top bar. Click it to see the details.
1 error
Error 1:
ODK Validate Errors: >> XForm is invalid. : Encountered a problem with display condition for node [${schoolage_inschool}] at line: selected( ../../hhr_current_school , '1', Mismatched brackets or parentheses The following files failed validation: ${tmpcqfcgk13} Result: Invalid
Instead of decoding ODK error messages yourself, click Ask LooprAI to fix. The full error is sent to the agent, which can attempt guided repairs and run validation again. Review every change and test the form; validation does not guarantee field readiness. You can also trigger this with the /fix command.
Validation errors block publishing. Resolve them manually or review a LooprAI repair attempt before opening the Publish wizard.
Publishing to SurveyLoopr-hosted ODK Central
When ODK validation passes, click the Publish button (the cloud icon) in the top bar to open the Publish wizard. It walks you through five steps. Click the numbered dots below to preview each one:
Direct publishing is limited to SurveyLoopr-hosted ODK Central; use the downloaded XLSX elsewhere.
Publish Form to ODK
Follow the steps to publish your XLSForm workbook to an ODK Central server.
Select Server
Choose the ODK server to publish this form to
https://mehrab.surveyloopr.com
- Select Server — choose which of your SurveyLoopr-hosted ODK servers to publish to (or create a new one).
- Enter Credentials — sign in with your ODK Central admin email and password.
- Select Project — pick the ODK project that will hold the form.
- Choose Form — update a form that already exists on the server, or create a brand-new one.
- Review & Publish — confirm the details, then publish as a draft for testing or as a live form after your team completes its review.
Don't have a server yet? Step 1 lets you create one without leaving the wizard. See Getting a Server for the full walkthrough.
Next steps
You now know how to talk to LooprAI, use slash commands, fix validation errors, and publish. Put it to work on a real instrument.
For a shorter end-to-end form-building workflow, see How to Build an XLSForm with AI.
Build my first form freeFrequently Asked Questions
What is the LooprAI Workspace?
The LooprAI Workspace is SurveyLoopr's AI form-building environment. You describe your survey in plain English, and it builds and edits an XLSForm workbook for review. It checks ODK rules and can publish directly to SurveyLoopr-hosted ODK Central.
How do I fix validation errors in LooprAI?
LooprAI flags validation errors against ODK rules before you publish. You can fix them manually or ask LooprAI to attempt a guided repair, then review and validate again. Validation errors block publishing, but clearing them does not guarantee field readiness.
What are slash commands in LooprAI?
Slash commands are shortcuts you type with a leading slash, such as /fix to resolve validation errors, /translate to manage languages, /suggest for improvements, and /revert to undo a change. Type / in the chat to open the command menu.
Can I publish to my ODK server directly from LooprAI?
Yes, for SurveyLoopr-hosted ODK Central. The Publish wizard guides you through server, credentials, project, form, and draft or live status. For another compatible platform, download the XLSX, upload it manually, and test it there.
Do I need to know XLSForm to use the LooprAI Workspace?
No. You can describe the survey in plain English and LooprAI drafts the XLSForm for you. You can still edit the workbook directly. Review, validate, preview, and test the resulting form before publishing or fieldwork.
No Credit Card Required
Build the form first. Add hosting when you need it.
Start free with LooprAI, then deploy a managed ODK Central server or run DataSnap checks when your project is ready.
Automation handles the mechanical work.
Researchers decide what the evidence means.