How to limit checkboxes to one exclusive box

[BKelley]

With radio buttons, the default condition that is that only one radio button can be selected at a time. There does not seem to be any way to place the same constraint on a collection of checkboxes (or I could not find a way). I would like to use checkboxes, but only allow the user to select one at a time. Is this possible, and if so, how can it be done?
thanks,
Brian

[Keith Hubert]

Re: How to limit checkboxes to one exclusive box

Hi Brian,

I'm sure there is a way, (which I dont know about) but that is the whole idea of using Radio buttons where a single result is required.

[2ninerniner2]

Re: How to limit checkboxes to one exclusive box

Brian -

+1 to what Keith says :)

What you are proposing with a group of check boxes sounds counter-intuitive to good UI/UX and would not be what the user would expect.

Perhaps if you could elaborate on the context in which these will be used you may be able to get the answers you need :)

Cheers!
Lyle

[Pat Bremkamp]

Re: How to limit checkboxes to one exclusive box

What have you got against radio buttons? They are designed to do what you want with no effort on your part. Doing what you want is a lot of time and effort...is it really worth it?

[Davidk]

Re: How to limit checkboxes to one exclusive box

I can understand why you want to do this... visually it's kind of nicer in some ways. I've run into many forms that present a list with an instruction to just check one. Quite easy to do. Using the ids of the checkboxes you can turn on and off each checkbox in an array of checkboxes. Thanks to mreyeros for a post found on stackoverflow who's elegant code worked great (and cut mine in half) but didn't allow for a checkbox to be re-checked after being unchecked. I'm assuming a grid... in the onClick event of your checkbox control put this...

toggle(this);

Then, in the Grid's Javascript Functions section put this...

var previousCheckId;
function toggle(chkBox) {
    if (chkBox.checked) {
         if (previousCheckId) {
              if (previousCheckId == chkBox.getAttribute('id')) {
              }
              else {
                   document.getElementById(previousCheckId).checked = false;              	
			  }                   
		 }
         previousCheckId = chkBox.getAttribute('id');
    }
}

This keeps track of what was last checked (previousCheckId). If the current checkbox is the same as the last check box, then allow it to stay checked. Otherwise, uncheck the previous checked. Hope that makes sense and helps. EDIT: previousCheckId code line didn't get pasted in... it's there now.

[jbrooks99]

Re: How to limit checkboxes to one exclusive box

Hi David
I have been looking for this for weeks. Thank you very much! http://msgboard.alphasoftware.com/al...303#post621303
I do however have a little problem which i hope you can help me with. I have a dialog with 3 repeating sections. Each repeating section has a checkbox field in it. When i run the code you provided it applies it across all 3 repeating sections instead of only with the applicable repeating section. You can look at my post to see what my dialog looks like. I assume that i will have to have 3 separate functions each pointing to the applicable repeating section. Problem is i don't know javascript and no idea how to do this

[jbrooks99]

Re: How to limit checkboxes to one exclusive box

Manage to solve the problem. Created 3 functions for each repeating section. Works like charm

[Davidk]

Re: How to limit checkboxes to one exclusive box

Was just going to look at this... glad it worked out.

[harrison4411]

Re: How to limit checkboxes to one exclusive box

primaryadd.JPG

How can this be applied to a Dialog form with a Repeating Section.

My field is a checkbox set as logical. The name of the field is Primary.

I tried adding the javascript code to the fields OnClick and the xBasic code to the fields Validation Xbasic section property.

PrimaryProperties.JPG

[Davidk]

Re: How to limit checkboxes to one exclusive box

So you have a repeating section of Addresses... and you want to select one of those addresses as the Primary address. One checkbox checked within a repeating section of checkboxes... and if one is already checked, and you check a different row within the section, the currently checked row will auto uncheck... is that right?

[Davidk]

Re: How to limit checkboxes to one exclusive box

You could do a kind of brute force thing...

1. Get the number of rows in the repeating section
2. Get the current row you're in
3. Loop through the rows turning everything off, except the current row.

var numRows = {dialog.Object}._getRepeatingSectionRowCount('CONTAINER_1');
var currRow = {dialog.Object}.getRepeatingSectionActiveRow('CONTAINER_1', 'true');

for (var i=1; i<numRows + 1; i++)
{ 
if (i != currRow){
	{dialog.object}.setValue('PRIMARY:' + i, 0);
	}	
}

[harrison4411]

Re: How to limit checkboxes to one exclusive box

Yes thats it.

[harrison4411]

Re: How to limit checkboxes to one exclusive box

Is this code for on click event of the Primary field ?

[Davidk]

Re: How to limit checkboxes to one exclusive box

Yes... the code goes into the onClick event of the Primary field.

I was thinking about the code a bit and feel it's doing too much work. Specially when you consider that performing a setValue actually dirties the row... and for every row, except two, you don't need to do that. Probably would result in way more server stuff going on than needed. So, in that light, I think this is a bit better...

var numRows = {dialog.Object}._getRepeatingSectionRowCount('CONTAINER_1');
var currRow = {dialog.Object}.getRepeatingSectionActiveRow('CONTAINER_1', 'true');

for (var i=1; i<numRows + 1; i++)
	{ 
	if (i != currRow){
		currValue = {dialog.Object}.getValue('PRIMARY:' + i);
		if (currValue==true){
			{dialog.object}.setValue('PRIMARY:' + i, false);
			}	
		}
	}

Now... loop through the rows... if the row in the loop is not the same as the current Row, then check first to see if it is checked. If it is checked, then uncheck it. If the Row is not checked then we don't have to worry about it... just leave it alone. And I'm using "true" and "false" to test and set the Logical value... just to make things really clear.

[harrison4411]

Re: How to limit checkboxes to one exclusive box

David, thanks for the updated code.
I put this in the Primary click event. Its not working because I can select all records primary. Is there more code I need to put somewhere ?

PrimaryClick.JPG