Data Button behavior

I thought I had seen a discussion of this on the forum, but I’m not readily finding it: The behavior of data buttons assigned to the same field/variable with multiple values NOT allowed seems not to be correct in that once a button is selected, user has to click another button twice to select it. The first click only de-selects the prior button. Am I missing something??

There was some previous discussion about data buttons:

However, that bug (which has been fixed for the upcoming release) is different than what you are describing. I cannot duplicate what you are describing. In any case, what you might want to do is check the next release – I am pretty sure that all problems with data buttons are fixed. (If you want, the special version of Panorama I uploaded a couple of days ago already has this fix.)

Make 3 checkboxes assigned to the same field. Give them 3 titles and values like Yes, No, and Maybe. Do not check the box to allow multiple values.

Now if you check the Yes box, Yes will be entered into the field. If you then click on the No box, the field will be cleared, and the Yes box will be unchecked. Click it again, and the No box will be checked, and No will be entered into the field.

If you are not wanting multiple values, the more correct UI would be the radio buttons.

Robert Ameeti
(949) 422-6866

Exactly how it should be. But on my system it doesn’t behave that way. Once one box is selected it takes two clicks to select another one. I’m going to try the special version download as per Jim’s suggestion above. It that doesn’t work I’ll share an example to confirm whether there is something squirrly on my end. Thanks!!

Totally agree about the radio button thing…unless the option of allowing the user to select none after initially making a selection is important in a particular situation. Thanks!!

And if None is a viable option, that should be a radio button as well.

Checkboxes should be used where multiple values in a field (or fields) are acceptable.

Robert Ameeti

I agree. You are in fact reminding me that I initially tried radio buttons first, encountered some kind of problem behavior from them (I think it might have been discussed in this forum), and tried the one-value data buttons as a work around, and discovered the odd behavior discussed in this current thread. I need to play around with both some more…

For what it’s worth, I have just tried radio buttons on both the 0.1.025 version and my latest development version. Neither requires two clicks to activate a button under any circumstances. Of course the 0.1.025 version does have the problem of different button sets interfering with each other.

If you want to duplicate my exact test file just use the Fields and Variables constructor with this template on an empty form.

Question1
Question1<radio:Yes,No,Maybe>
Question2
Question2<radio:Yes,No,Maybe>
Question3
Question3<radio:Yes,No,Maybe>
Question4
Question4<radio:Yes,No,Maybe>

Just to be clear. Bill and I are describing the behavior of check boxes, not radio buttons. There is no interference between checkboxes assigned to different fields. If a box is already checked, and multiple selections are not allowed, then it takes two clicks to change your mind.

That’s what I said too. I just described it one click at a time.

Apologies to Dave as I misread his earlier post. He and I have observed the same phenomenon, and I appreciate his subsequently clarifying that the issue pertains to check boxes, not radio buttons. In parallel, Jim has referenced the ‘different radio button groups on same form’ bug that lead me to look at check boxes as a possible work around, hence observing the check box double click requirement. As Robert has correctly pointed out, radio buttons will be the better UI for my particular situation once I have the PanX version with that fixed. But, aesthetically, I think check boxes/mult choices not-allowed should work with one click.

It seems to me that we are saying that when we use the wrong tool, it hurts. My advice would be to stop using the wrong tool.

Should pliers be designed to also be good hammers?

Robert Ameeti
(949) 422-6866

Another alternative could be using a Segmented Button Object with the mode set to “Radio”.

Fence pliers do. :upside_down:

I’m pretty serious on this issue.

How many of us would complain to a pliers manufacturer that ‘Every time we used their pliers as a hammer, the pliers broke.”

I design a lot of stuff and if one of my clients told me that every time that they use a product wrong, it broke and they wanted me to fix that, I’d seriously consider dropping that client.

Robert Ameeti
(949) 422-6866

I’m still not following this. I can’t find any combination that takes two clicks to toggle a checkbox. Dave, if there is a bug (I’m not sure if you are saying there is or not), could you let me know exactly how to duplicate it?

Form A on this file has the illustration. On my system two clicks are required to select another check box (group on the left). [The two groups of radio buttons on the right illustrate the more than one group of radio buttons on a form bug]

Totally agree! This situation is different in that the hammer (radio button) was broken and a nail needed to be driven. In trying out the pliers instead, I discovered a separate problem with them! :wink:

In case the zip file works better…