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Re: radiobuttons and checkboxes

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On 16/10/12 01:17, Andrew Poulos wrote:

> The user needs to select one or more items. I can't use radio button
> sets because that limits you to only one selected item, but if I use
> checkboxes it means users can have no selected items.

Have you considered a select element with the `multiple` boolean
attribute? Using that particular element may notify users that
something should be selected. Of course, textual instructions
should be present to precisely guide users.

> 1. Use checkboxes and when the user submits the form tell them to make a
> selection if no selection has been made. This seems the obvious choice
> but I'd rather solve the problem with design rather than message boxes.

But it will not work without JavaScript as you doubtless know.
As I suggested above, provide clear textual instructions to the user.
Empower the user to use the form as intended.

> 2. Use checkboxes and don't let the user uncheck the last checked
> checkbox in the set. This means that a checkbox may not behave as expected.

This is a perilous suggestion. Users--especially those who know little
about computers or the Web--dislike greedy controls. Treat those users
like human beings.

-- 
`The theologian Meric Casaubon argued--in his 1668 book, *Of Credulity
and Incredulity*--that witches must exist because, after all, everyone
believes in them. Anything that a large number of people believe must
be true'--Carl Sagan--*The Demon-Haunted World*.

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Thread

radiobuttons and checkboxes Andrew Poulos <ap_prog@hotmail.com> - 2012-10-16 16:17 +1100
  Re: radiobuttons and checkboxes "Jukka K. Korpela" <jkorpela@cs.tut.fi> - 2012-10-16 11:09 +0300
  Re: radiobuttons and checkboxes "Tom de Neef" <tdeneef@qolor.nl> - 2012-10-16 12:27 +0200
    Re: radiobuttons and checkboxes "Jukka K. Korpela" <jkorpela@cs.tut.fi> - 2012-10-16 15:20 +0300
    Re: radiobuttons and checkboxes Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn <PointedEars@web.de> - 2012-10-16 21:02 +0200
  Re: radiobuttons and checkboxes Scott Sauyet <scott.sauyet@gmail.com> - 2012-10-16 04:30 -0700
  Re: radiobuttons and checkboxes SAM <stephanemoriaux.NoAdmin@wanadoo.fr.invalid> - 2012-10-16 16:44 +0200
    Re: radiobuttons and checkboxes "Jukka K. Korpela" <jkorpela@cs.tut.fi> - 2012-10-16 19:32 +0300
      Re: radiobuttons and checkboxes SAM <stephanemoriaux.NoAdmin@wanadoo.fr.invalid> - 2012-10-17 00:51 +0200
  Re: radiobuttons and checkboxes JJ <jaejunks_at@_googlemail_dot._com> - 2012-10-16 14:58 +0000
  Re: radiobuttons and checkboxes Matt McDonald <matt@fortybelow.ca> - 2012-10-16 12:00 -0400
    Re: radiobuttons and checkboxes "Jukka K. Korpela" <jkorpela@cs.tut.fi> - 2012-10-16 19:30 +0300
  Re: radiobuttons and checkboxes Denis McMahon <denismfmcmahon@gmail.com> - 2012-10-16 17:23 +0000
  Re: radiobuttons and checkboxes Denis McMahon <denismfmcmahon@gmail.com> - 2012-10-16 17:33 +0000
  Re: radiobuttons and checkboxes Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn <PointedEars@web.de> - 2012-10-16 21:00 +0200

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