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Subject Author Date
radio button question William Gill 03-26-2008
Posted by William Gill on March 26, 2008, 10:15 am
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 I have a simple registration form that needs a binary answer (one or the
other) in several places, using radio buttons. Since at least one radio
button in a group should be checked initially, and I don't want it to
default to either, I am using a third option as the default (checked).
Rather than have that third option say something like "you must pick one
of the other two", I am styling it as hidden like this:

<label style="visibility:hidden">Huh!<input name="Permission"
type="radio" value="Huh!" checked ></label>

Does anyone see any unintended consequences to doing it this way?

I realize that once they check either one of the visible options they
can't get back to the default, but that's really what I want.


Posted by Beauregard T. Shagnasty on March 26, 2008, 10:34 am
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 William Gill wrote:

> I have a simple registration form that needs a binary answer (one or
> the other) in several places, using radio buttons. Since at least
> one radio button in a group should be checked initially, and I don't
> want it to default to either, I am using a third option as the
> default (checked). Rather than have that third option say something
> like "you must pick one of the other two", I am styling it as hidden
> like this:
>
> <label style="visibility:hidden">Huh!<input name="Permission"
> type="radio" value="Huh!" checked ></label>
>
> Does anyone see any unintended consequences to doing it this way?

Yes. You still need to test in the action script.

> I realize that once they check either one of the visible options they
> can't get back to the default, but that's really what I want.

Why can't you simply use two buttons, with neither hidden and neither
selected as "checked"? Such as:

<input type="radio" name="q1" value="ayup">&nbsp;Yes<br>
<input type="radio" name="q1" value="nope">&nbsp;No

Have your action script test for one being selected, and if not, return
to the form.

--
-bts
-Friends don't let friends drive Vista

Posted by William Gill on March 26, 2008, 10:56 am
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Beauregard T. Shagnasty wrote:

> Yes. You still need to test in the action script.

Or in the cgi that processes the data, but I have to do that anyway.

>

> Why can't you simply use two buttons, with neither hidden and neither
> selected as "checked"? Such as:

Per the spec (html401 17.2.1 Control types),
"At all times, exactly one of the radio buttons in a set is checked. If
none of the <INPUT> elements of a set of radio buttons specifies
`CHECKED', then the user agent must check the first radio button of the
set initially."

In the past I have had problems with different browsers complying to
varying degrees, and I don't want an inadvertent default to give me
permission the used didn't intend.

Posted by Jonathan N. Little on March 26, 2008, 12:03 pm
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William Gill wrote:
> Beauregard T. Shagnasty wrote:
>
>> Yes. You still need to test in the action script.
>
> Or in the cgi that processes the data, but I have to do that anyway.
>
>>
>
>> Why can't you simply use two buttons, with neither hidden and neither
>> selected as "checked"? Such as:
>
> Per the spec (html401 17.2.1 Control types),
> "At all times, exactly one of the radio buttons in a set is checked. If
> none of the <INPUT> elements of a set of radio buttons specifies
> `CHECKED', then the user agent must check the first radio button of the
> set initially."
>
> In the past I have had problems with different browsers complying to
> varying degrees, and I don't want an inadvertent default to give me
> permission the used didn't intend.

Drop list box? Ain't pretty but would satisfy your situation

<select name="permission">
<option value="">Please Select</option>
<option value="ayup">Yes</option>
<option value="nope">No</option>
</select>

--
Take care,

Jonathan
-------------------
LITTLE WORKS STUDIO
http://www.LittleWorksStudio.com

Posted by William Gill on March 26, 2008, 1:10 pm
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Jonathan N. Little wrote:
> Drop list box? Ain't pretty but would satisfy your situation
>
> <select name="permission">
> <option value="">Please Select</option>
> <option value="ayup">Yes</option>
> <option value="nope">No</option>
> </select>
>

Same "trinary" approach with a "don't accept this one" default, but if I
"hide" the default, it seems to make more sense to the user who only see
two acceptable choices.


<label style="visibility:hidden">Select One <input name="Permission"
type="radio" value="unanswered" checked></label>
<label>Yes<input name="Permission" type="radio" value="yes"></label>
<label>No<input name="Permission" type="radio" value="no"></label>

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