Re: Dilemma with Radio Buttons

Michael,
Thanks for your considerate suggestion.  Actually the application is a quote
request form for my company.  I do not work on the site but was asked about
the problem and I'd like to help.  I basically suggested something along the
lines of what you are describing as well as the option of just changing to a
drop down box instead.  The radio button seems to be the only type of input
that won't allow you to UNDO your action once you've taken it.

One application of this is in using old quotes as templates that you'd want
to allow the customer to tweak for a revised quote.  Many of our customers
use very similar specs for all of their jobs.  We'd need to be able to
revise any field on the template.  So is the conclusion that radio buttons
don't work in this scenario?

I can't yet answer all of your questions.  I don't know how the form would
be sent but it would go to someone in our Estimating Department and so we
could taylor it as needed.
Kate Pollara

----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Jon Muehlendorf" <haoka(at)wi.tds.net>
To: "Kate Pollara" <kpollara(at)home.com>; <hwg-basics(at)mail.hwg.org>
Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2000 9:32 PM
Subject: Re: Dilemma with Radio Buttons


> Hello Kate!
>
> I'm not sure about this, but couldn't you have a button labelled "None",
or
> "No Value", or "Deselect", or whatever label would be in context with the
> labels of the other buttons? And have it set as the default, with a value
> of "", "0", or "Null" ,or "Nada"?
>
> Something to consider, however, is the script that processes the form. It
> might b*tch at you if it receives a null value. If the script has error
> trapping, it might be ok. I guess it also sort of depends on what you are
> outputting TO. Is it another HTML page that the user is served after
> submitting the form? Is the data e-mailed to someone? If the data is
> written to a file, then whatever mechanism uses that file will have to
deal
> with it, too.
>
> I'm sure the answer(s) is/are lurking here in the list somewhere. Ladies?
> Gentlemen?
>
> Happy HTMLing...
>
> Mike
>
> At 08:11 PM 11/14/00 -0500, Kate Pollara wrote:
> >A colleague asked me if there is a way to set the radio buttons so that
you
> >may deselect them without making an alternate choice.  For example, we
don't
> >want to have anything selected as a default, then someone goes to the
item
> >and selects one item.
> >
> >It seems that the only way to deselect it is to select another.  But we
> >don't want that.  We want to CLEAR ONLY this field (since it might be a
> >mistake) without clearing the entire form.  Is there any way to either:
> >a) program that in  OR
> >b) instruct the user how to deselect it.
> >
> >Your help, as always, is greatly appreciated.  I can't send the URL for
the
> >page since it isn't up yet.
> >Kate Pollara
> >
> >
> >

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