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Check boxes

scarpenter
Registered: Oct 30 2006
Posts: 2

How do I make two check boxes mutually exclusive. For instance: For a simple question that requires Yes and No check boxes -- should exclude the other.

My Product Information:
Acrobat Pro 8, Windows
tedpadova
ExpertTeam
Registered: Dec 31 2005
Posts: 848
Name the checkboxes using the same field name and visit the Options tab in the field properties. For the export value, use Yes on one field and No on the other. When Radio Buttons/Checkboxes have the same field names and export values are different, one field is checked while the other unchecked.

ted

The author of numerous books on Acrobat, Photoshop, Illustrator and the Adobe Creative Suite, and an international speaker on Adobe Acrobat, Ted Padova is a well-known PDF guru.

charlie6067
Registered: Nov 22 2006
Posts: 37
Ted - I just had Acrobat 8 Pro installed this week. Is your answer applicable to Livecycle Designer forms? I'm just starting to get my feet wet with Designer but have a project coming up that will use it. I tried naming both check boxes the same but they didn't mimic the actions of a radio button. Thanks, Charlie
charlie6067
liztapanes
Registered: Jun 13 2007
Posts: 40
Me too - I have the same question. I don't see an option box in the livecycle field properties and how about 7 or 8 checkboxes and wanting only one checked?
tedpadova
ExpertTeam
Registered: Dec 31 2005
Posts: 848
I find little things like this inconsistency between Acrobat and Designer aggravating as I'm sure you have likewise felt.

By default when you create a Radio Button and add additional Radio Buttons to your layout in Designer, Designer assumes you want an either/or condition.

When you add Check Boxes and name them with the same name, Designer does not assume you want an either/or circumstance. You need to do a few things to set up Ckeck Boxes in Designer like you would in Acrobat for either/or conditions.

Add Check Boxes to your layout and edit the field name so all the Check Box fields in a group have the same name.

In the Binding panel, edit the On Value for each field so each On Value is a unique value (such as 1, 2, 3, 4, etc).

Under Default Bindinng (also in the Binding panel) where you see Normal, open the panel fly-out menu and select Global. Click OK in the warning dialog box and your Check Boxes now support clicking one in a group on while the other Check Boxes are turned off.

Best wishes,

ted

The author of numerous books on Acrobat, Photoshop, Illustrator and the Adobe Creative Suite, and an international speaker on Adobe Acrobat, Ted Padova is a well-known PDF guru.