How do I limit a group of check box choices to allow only 1 choice?

http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/TblsFldsFm...FmFldChbxs.htm
--
Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide

See also the MVP FAQ: http://www.mvps.org/word which is awesome!
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"diana" wrote in message
...
How do I limit a group of check box choices to allow only 1 choice?

See http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/TblsFldsFm...FmFldChbxs.htm

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

"diana" wrote in message
...
How do I limit a group of check box choices to allow only 1 choice?

Users expect option buttons to be mutually exclusive, but any number of
check boxes to be selectable at the same time. That's the whole point
of them being a different shape. Why go to the trouble of breaking a
standard Windows User Interface design principle and, by doing so,
confusing people?!

Take a look at the following Interface Hall of Shame :

http://www.frankmahler.de/mshame/Controls.htm

Martin


"diana" wrote in message
...
How do I limit a group of check box choices to allow only 1 choice?

Why?

Because often what is wanted is an online protected form. The forms toolbar
has checkboxes but not radio buttons. Putting actual radio buttons in an
online form adds a whole additional level of complexity.
--
Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide

See also the MVP FAQ: http://www.mvps.org/word which is awesome!
--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
This message is posted to a newsgroup. Please post replies
and questions to the newsgroup so that others can learn
from my ignorance and your wisdom.

wrote in message
ups.com...
Users expect option buttons to be mutually exclusive, but any number of
check boxes to be selectable at the same time. That's the whole point
of them being a different shape. Why go to the trouble of breaking a
standard Windows User Interface design principle and, by doing so,
confusing people?!

Take a look at the following Interface Hall of Shame :

http://www.frankmahler.de/mshame/Controls.htm

Martin


"diana" wrote in message
...
How do I limit a group of check box choices to allow only 1 choice?

Martin,

You're correct about the difference, but Microsoft has unfortunately
left designers of protected forms with no choice -- the form field
tools don't include any option buttons. The alternatives -- ActiveX
option button controls from the Control Toolbox, or reworking the form
to employ userforms with option buttons -- also require VBA.

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP FAQ: http://word.mvps.org

On 7 Jun 2005 08:21:25 -0700, wrote:

Users expect option buttons to be mutually exclusive, but any number of
check boxes to be selectable at the same time. That's the whole point
of them being a different shape. Why go to the trouble of breaking a
standard Windows User Interface design principle and, by doing so,
confusing people?!

Take a look at the following Interface Hall of Shame :

http://www.frankmahler.de/mshame/Controls.htm

Martin


"diana" wrote in message
...
How do I limit a group of check box choices to allow only 1 choice?

Charles/Jay,

Thank-you for your reponses.

I wasn't aware of the two different toolbars. I did check the Control
Toolbox before posting and I saw the Option button control, but I
hadn't picked up on the form field toolbar. I am not a serious Word
user, as you probably gathered, but I code in VB for a living and have
a passion for well designed interfaces so it does annoy me that
Microsoft took the decision that they did.

I lurk around the Word groups from time to time and have learnt a lot
(for example, how to use styles); today I have learnt something else,
which I will now follow up in order to find out the differences between
the two toolbars. Thank-you.

Martin