I have 10 checkbox fields. However, they each only have 1 value. When you select checkbox1, a subcategory1 is displayed, which is unique to that checkbox1. (subcategory1 is hidden if checkbox1 is not selected). This is the same for all the 10 checkboxes and their subcategories.
However, I need to check that the use only selects one of the 10 checkboxes. Is this possible at all? Similar to the functionality of a Radio Button. However, I need to display and allow the users to check and enter the subcategory (as stated above), but how would I restrict the user to only select 1?
Subject: Check Boxes with Radio Button functionality
Possible, yes, but OMG don’t even think about actually doing it. Checkboxes are BY DEFINITION multi-value. You should never torture UI conventions that way – it does bad things to the users’ minds.
If the users are only allowed one top-level choice, then give them a widget that only allows one value. A radio button would leave all of the unselected values displayed, and that would be just as bad. You should probably be using a combobox at the top level – that way, when the user selects a top-level value, only that value (and the unhidden subcategory entries) will be displayed.
Subject: RE: Check Boxes with Radio Button functionality
Hi Stan,
Thanks for your response. I wish it was that simple. I am trying to accommodate the user, the form was done by a previous developer. The user say, they need to see all the options, that’s the problem. Why? only they will know. I would’ve done it by having them select from a combobox and then fromt he subcategory. But the user want’s to see all the values and select.
Subject: RE: Check Boxes with Radio Button functionality
In that case, a radio button would serve the purpose. If users (or whoever) insist on checkboxes because “they are prettier”, explain that radio buttons were invented for precisely such use - offering and displaying multiple choices but allowing only one to be selected. And as Stan said, tell them to quit torturing the UI to shoehorn one type of widget into the proper domain of another.
Just so you understand the difficulty of doing this with checkboxes, the checking of one checkbox would necessitate on refresh that you remove the previously checked value and then cause another refresh to occur (to hide the previously displayed section). You may be able to use JavaScript to help this happen (along with formula and LotusScript) but you will probably get errors from Notes complaining about “attempting to execute nested form events” which is what happens when code that runs in a refresh event forces another refresh (potentially setting off an endless loop of refreshes). Just something to think about…