Keep-Apart and Sit-Together Seating Rules, Explained

Rules are the most powerful part of a seating plan generator, and the easiest to overuse. A few precise rules give you a plan you trust; a long list of vague ones gives you a plan that’s impossible, or one that hides what matters among what doesn’t.

This guide explains each rule type in the free seating chart maker, what it means exactly, and how to write rules that help.

The four rule types

Rule	Means	Default in classroom, band, orchestra	Default at weddings and events
Keep apart	Listed people are not close	Not in adjacent seats	Not at the same table
Sit together	Listed people are close	In adjacent seats	At the same table
Preferred area	Listed people sit in chosen tables, rows or seats	—	—
Avoid previous neighbors	People who sat next to each other in a saved version don’t again	—	—

The meaning is written next to every rule in the Rules panel, so there’s never any doubt about what a rule will do.

What “adjacent” means

Two seats are adjacent when their centers are within a set distance — 100 units by default, roughly the gap between two side-by-side desks. You can change the distance in Layout and check it: select any seat and turn on Show which seats count as adjacent.

In the default classroom templates:

desks side by side in a row are adjacent,
desks in the row in front and behind are not,
two seats at a pair desk are adjacent,
seats facing each other across a pod are adjacent.

If “keep apart” should also cover front-to-back neighbors, increase the distance until those desks light up.

What “same table” means

For table rules, a table is any object with seats: a round or rectangular table, a pod, a desk (single or pair) or a row. So “not at the same table” in a classroom of pods means “in different pods”; in theater rows it means “in different rows.”

Must or preference?

Every rule is one or the other:

A must (hard rule) is never broken. Automatic arranging won’t break it, and a manual move that would break it is refused with the rule’s name.
A preference is met where possible. Unmet preferences are listed so you can decide whether they matter.

A useful test: if this rule were broken, would I have to change the plan before using it? If yes, it’s a must. Otherwise, it’s a preference.

Writing better rules

Keep rules small

A keep-apart rule with eight people forces all eight to be mutually non-adjacent. In a full room, that’s very restrictive. If what you really mean is three specific pairs, write three pair rules.

Prefer table-level rules for groups

“Sit together · adjacent seats” for six people requires a connected cluster of six seats. “Sit together · same table” just needs six seats at one table. Use adjacency for pairs and small groups; use table level for households and teams.

Name your rules

Give a rule a name — “Twins in different pods,” “Haddad family,” “Lab partners” — and messages become much clearer: “Not moved: Twins in different pods — Sam and Alex are at the same table.” No reason is required, and none is stored beyond the name you choose. Avoid putting sensitive information in names.

Use preferred areas sparingly

Preferred areas are best as preferences. Forcing many people into a small area is one of the most common causes of “no arrangement found.” Make it a must only for the few people who truly need it.

Retire rules when they expire

Project groups end, new students settle in. A rule that’s no longer needed still constrains every shuffle. Turn it off (it stays in the list) or delete it.

Checking rules on the plan

Rules with problems are outlined in Rules: red for broken musts, amber for unmet preferences.
Show on plan highlights the seats involved.
The status bar shows the number of rule problems; clicking it opens Rules.
When you choose a person to place, seats that would break a must are shaded so you can see the safe options before you click.

Examples

Classroom (adjacent):

Keep apart · must: Ben H., Owen P.
Sit together · preference: Kai N., Rosa D. (new arrivals)
Preferred area · must: Lena F. → Desks 1–6

Wedding (table):

Sit together · preference, one per household (added automatically from households)
Keep apart · must: two relatives at different tables
Preferred area · preference: grandparents → tables nearest the exit

Band (adjacent):

Sit together · must: two players sharing a part
Avoid previous neighbors · preference, comparing with last concert’s version

When rules can’t all be met

The tool never relaxes a must on its own. It tells you whether it found a contradiction, checked every arrangement, or simply ran out of time — see How to Fix Conflicting Seating Rules.

Put this guide into practice — it’s free and takes a few minutes.

Create a chart

New here? Read the complete guide to the free seating chart maker or the Classroom seating chart maker page .

Seating Plan Generator Editorial Team

Written and tested by the people who build Seating Plan Generator. Every step in this guide was checked against the current version of the tool. We don’t publish invented statistics or endorsements; if something here is unclear or out of date, tell us.

How to Use Keep-Apart and Sit-Together Rules Well