AI Seating Chart Generator with Rules

How to make a seating chart from restrictions

1. Choose a room and add names. Try the classroom or reception example. Use this layout keeps its chairs and removes the example people; paste your own roster or import CSV or XLSX.
2. Describe supported restrictions. Open Describe seating rules and write one supported English instruction per line. Use full names, an existing group or tag, and real room or table labels.
3. Review, then apply. Press Review rules. Check the resolved names, rule type and Must or Prefer setting. Correct any errors, then apply the new rules. Reviewing does not change your plan.
4. Run Smart arrange. Press Smart arrange to seat the list using the visible rules. Locked chairs stay fixed. Check unseated names and warnings; revise a restriction or add chairs when needed.
5. Print or keep a backup. Export a Letter or A4 PDF, CSV or Excel assignments. Save a plan file to keep editable rules with the room. A read-only share link contains a snapshot of the chart.

The classroom example has 28 students in pairs and four existing Must rules: three keep-apart pairs and a front-row need. The reception example has 42 guests. Try a new restriction, or choose Use this layout for your own names. Examples in the rule dialog use the current roster and wait for you to apply them.

Describe a rule, then check what it means

Open Describe seating rules above, or Describe rules in Arrange. Write one instruction per line. These patterns map to the same rules you can add manually:

Use labels from your own plan. A full name avoids guessing which “Sam” you mean. Put a label in double quotes when it contains command words; a typed reference such as person "Aiden Brooks" distinguishes a person from a similarly named group or tag. Command words are English in this version; roster names can use other scripts.

Review is a separate step

Review rules shows the matched labels and strength for each line. Typing and reviewing change neither seats nor saved rules. An unsupported sentence, unknown label or ambiguity needs correction before the batch can be applied. Existing rules are identified so they are not added again. Check the review after changing your roster or switching plans.

Applying adds the reviewed new rules together; Undo removes that batch and Redo restores it. The rule list in Arrange lets you edit or delete individual restrictions. Press Smart arrange separately when you are ready to move people.

Restrictions for teachers

Start with specific decisions: two named students apart, a support pair together, or a student at the front. The whiteboard or teacher’s desk marks the front in the example. To apply a need to several students, add an explicit tag and use that label in the instruction.

The parser does not infer ability, behavior or friendships. A request such as “put compatible students together” needs to become named people or a real group/tag. For rows, groups or a U-shape, use the classroom seating tool.

An automatic table plan with your restrictions

Import households with your guest names, then specify who should sit together or apart. A near rule can refer to a named person or room item; a table rule uses an actual table label. Together follows the layout’s same-table or nearby-seat meaning, rather than guaranteeing two particular adjacent chairs. Lock head-table positions you want to keep. The wedding tool offers a larger starting room.

Must, Prefer and a room that can satisfy them

Supported commands default to Must; prefix one with Prefer for a preference. Review makes that choice visible. Locked chairs, available capacity and existing rules still matter. A contradiction or a search that cannot find a satisfying chart produces warnings for you to inspect. Applying a sentence does not guarantee that the room can accommodate it.

Add chairs, adjust a rule or unlock a position when appropriate. For a fresh chart without writing restrictions, use the random seating generator.

Excel lists and examination seating

Paste cells or import CSV/XLSX, lay out the desks, review supported restrictions and arrange. CSV or Excel exports give you the resulting assignments to open in a spreadsheet. The tool does not autofill a live workbook or perform exam subject/roll-number alternation.

Keep the rules with your plan

Parsing and optimization run locally. Applied rules autosave in this browser; download a plan file to keep editable rules when changing devices. Read-only links share a fixed chart snapshot and omit rules, notes and locks. Draft instructions are a review step until you apply them. See the classroom example as a Letter PDF or an A4 PDF.

Frequently asked questions