These forums are now Read Only. If you have an Acrobat question, ask questions and get help from one of our experts.

Radio Buttons are Synched Together. How do I fix this?

Forum Index > Forms: Acrobat > Radio Buttons are Synched Together. How do I fix this?
2011-03-30 10:17:30
DanaUnderw
Registered: Mar 30 2011
Posts: 7
Answered

I am using Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro. I am creating a form where users can choose from a series of options. I like using the radio buttons because somehow they can only choose one of the options, which is great.
 
The problem is that I also needed a radio button elsewhere on the form, and somehow it seems all of them got synched up together. I did not copy and paste them.
 
Any advice? Thank you.
 
Dana U.

My Product Information:
Acrobat Pro 9.0, Windows
Top
2011-03-30 10:44:09
#1
The X
Registered: Mar 27 2011
Posts: 24
Accepted Answer
Probably you created radio button who share the same Group name. I think acrobat gives by default the last used group name to any new radio button you create. You need to change it manually each time you create a new one.
Top
2011-03-30 10:51:19
#2
DanaUnderw
Registered: Mar 30 2011
Posts: 7
Hi! Thank you so much for your quick response. Would you be so kind as to explain a little about how to change the group name?

Or do you think I can find that on here?

I really appreciate the help.

Thanks again,
Dana U.
Top
2011-03-30 10:53:00
#3
DanaUnderw
Registered: Mar 30 2011
Posts: 7
Do you mean the actual name assigned to the button? So if I right click on the button and change the name on it, that will help?

Thanks again!

Dana U.
Top
2011-03-31 03:34:15
#4
The X
Registered: Mar 27 2011
Posts: 24
DanaUnderw wrote:
Do you mean the actual name assigned to the button? So if I right click on the button and change the name on it, that will help?
Exacly. Upon drawing the button, the yellow dialog box that appears has two lines. The first one is the choice field and the second one is the name field.

Suppose you want the user to choose between two colors and and two types of car, you'll need 4 buttons, two named "color" with a choice of blue or red, and two named "car" with a choice of compact or sedan as an example.
Top
2011-03-31 09:27:06
#5
gkaiseril
Online
Expert
Registered: Feb 23 2006
Posts: 4308
Using the same name for a radio button or check box creates what is known as an exclusionary group or a group of buttons or boxes that allow only one value to be selected from the group. Each member field, widget, with in the group should have unique export values, if they do not and one uses JavaScript to modify the value then they all become checked. It is also harder to identify the checked item if the export values are all the same, since the value of the group will always have the same value no matter which button is selected.

The difference between a radio button group and a check box group is once a any radio button is selected one can not uncheck the selection except by selecting another radio button within the group. Check boxes can be unchecked. To clear a group of radio buttons one needs to set the value of the radio button group to 'Off' and capitalization is important. Setting a check box group to 'Off' will also clear all of the check boxes.

George Kaiser

Top