Video – Nextra

The video question type enables respondents to record video or upload an existing video file as part of their survey response. It is useful for capturing visual evidence, demonstrations, environmental conditions, or any information that benefits from motion and audio together.

VIDEO question type appearance variants

Basic XLSForm Specification

type	name	label
video	demo_video	Please record a short demonstration

For more details on the standard video question type, see the XLSForm specification (opens in a new tab).

Uses

Video questions are commonly used for:

Documenting field conditions — road damage, infrastructure state, crop health
Recording product demonstrations or procedural compliance checks
Collecting video testimonials from respondents
Capturing evidence that requires spatial context (e.g., the size and extent of a problem area)
Before/after documentation for monitoring and evaluation surveys

Data format

Video files are stored as binary attachments:

Format: MP4 or MOV (mobile recording)
Naming: {instanceID}-{fieldname}.mp4 (or equivalent)
Storage: Uploaded to the server media folder and linked to the submission record
Access: Playable and downloadable from the submission management interface

rtSurvey extensions

Maximum duration

Use the parameters column to limit the recording length:

type	name	label	parameters
video	site_visit	Record the site conditions	`max-duration=60`

max-duration is in seconds. The recording stops automatically at the limit.

Quality / resolution

Control the recording resolution via parameters:

type	name	label	parameters
video	evidence	Record video evidence	`quality=low`

Supported values: low (faster upload), normal (default), high. Use low in areas with limited connectivity.

Upload existing video

On mobile, the respondent can choose to upload an existing video from the device gallery instead of recording a new one. This is enabled by default in the native camera/gallery integration.

Playback before submission

On mobile, the recorded clip can be reviewed before proceeding. No additional configuration is needed.

Inline button layout

Add inline to render the camera as a circular icon button next to the label instead of a full-width capture area.

| type  | name  | label        | appearance                              |
|-------|-------|--------------|----------------------------------------|
| video | clip  | Record video | inline display{right}                  |
| video | clip  | Record video | inline display{left, large}            |
| video | clip  | Record video | inline display{center, large, #0099FF} |

Button position — left, right (default), top, center, bottom

Button size — small (default), medium, large

Button color — add a hex color inside display{} to override the primary color:

inline display{right, large, #FF5500}

Post-capture control — results{}:

Appearance	Effect
`results{hide(capture)}`	Hides the record button after a video is captured
`results{hide(review)}`	Hides the playback thumbnail after capture
`results{hide(filename)}`	Hides the filename and duration
`results{left}`	Moves icon to the left after capture

Example — hide record button, keep playback:

inline display{right} results{hide(capture)}

`thumbnail-square-[WxH]` — fixed-size video preview

After capture, displays the video as a fixed-size inline player instead of full-width. Combine with inline for a compact layout.

inline display{right} thumbnail-square-[120x90]
inline display{center} thumbnail-square-[200x150]

Width and height are in pixels.

`invisible auto-show` — auto-open recorder

Hides the question widget from the layout but automatically opens the video recorder when the page loads.

invisible auto-show
inline invisible auto-show

Suppress the label

inline text-nolabel display{center, large}

Example usage

Site inspection video with limit

type	name	label	hint	parameters
video	site_video	Record the water point	Walk around the entire facility. Max 90 seconds.	`max-duration=90 quality=normal`

Conditional video — only if damage is reported

type	name	label	relevant	required
select_one yesno	damage_found	Was damage found?
video	damage_video	Record video of the damage	`${damage_found} = 'yes'`	`${damage_found} = 'yes'`

Best Practices

Set max-duration — unrestricted video recordings can easily exceed 100 MB and fail to upload on weak connections.
Use quality=low for monitoring surveys where visual evidence is required but fine detail is not — it cuts file size dramatically.
Write specific recording instructions in the hint column (e.g., "Walk around the entire building, hold camera steady").
Consider whether video is necessary — a photo (image) is usually sufficient for static evidence and produces much smaller files.
Test upload performance on the actual field network before deployment.

Limitations

Video files are very large — a 1-minute video at normal quality is typically 20–60 MB depending on device.
Uploading large video files requires a good network connection; consider requiring Wi-Fi sync for video-heavy forms.
Not all web browsers support video recording via MediaRecorder — Chrome is the most reliable.
Analysis of video responses is manual and time-consuming; use sparingly and only when video content adds unique value.

audio file