Using check boxes

If you want to provide users with individual choices that are either turned on or off, add check boxes to the form. The user can toggle the state of a check box. When the check box is selected, its state is on. When the check box is deselected, its state is off. Check boxes can be turned on and off in any combination and may be used to set the properties of a selection.

After you add a check box to the form design, you can edit the caption text and manipulate the object’s properties in the Field, Value, and Binding tabs of the Object palette. You can define these properties:

Check boxes support scripting and calculations. If a user is to supply data, you can define whether the input is recommended or required, and you can set up messages to prompt users appropriately. All user input may be validated through scripting.

You can bind check box objects to data elements in a source data file to derive the On and Off values from the source file when the form is rendered

To specify the size for the check box

  1. To set the size for a check box, in the Object palette, click the Field tab.

  2. In the Size box, type a different value (in points) and press Enter.

    Depending on the size you enter, you may have to resize the check box.

To specify the check style

  1. In the Object palette, click the Field tab.

  2. Select an option in the Check Style list:

    • To set the check style to the default, which is an X, select Default.

    • To set the check style to a check mark, select Check.

    • To set the check style to a circle, select Circle.

    • To set the check style to a cross, select Cross.

    • To set the check style to a diamond, select Diamond.

    • To set the check style to a square, select Square.

    • To set the check style to a star, select Star.

To specify the states for the check box

  1. In the Object palette, click the Field tab.

  2. Under States, select an option:

    • To specify that the check box will have On (selected) and Off (clear) states, select On/Off.

    • To specify that the check box will have On (selected), Off (clear), and Neutral (not selected or clear) states, select On/Off/Neutral.

    Values for each state must be defined in the Binding tab of the Object palette.

To define the behavior of the check box

  1. In the Object palette, click the Value tab and select one of these options:

    • To allow users to choose whether to enter data, select User Entered - Optional.

    • To make the field read only and display a data value that is calculated and displayed through an attached script, select Calculated - Read Only. Users will not be able to edit the calculated value.

    • To make the field editable and display a data value that is calculated and displayed through an attached script, select Calculated - User Can Override. Users can edit the value if the calculation script has been written to accept the input. If a user does edit the calculated value, the custom message you specify in the Override Message box appears.

    • To make the field read only and display a data value that is merged or calculated and displayed at run time, select Read Only. Users will not be able to edit the value.

  2. If the value will be calculated, attach the calculation script to the object by using the Script Editor.

  3. (Optional) If a calculated value can be overridden, type a message in the Override Message box.

    You can dynamically populate a validation pattern or script message with a value from a data source. This allows you to ensure that users enter the correct value in the field.

To specify the default state of the check box

  1. In the Object palette, click the Value tab.

  2. Select a state from the Default list:

    • To set the default state to On, select On. The check box is selected initially.

    • To set the default state to Off, select Off. The check box is deselected initially.

    • To set the default state to Neutral, select Neutral. The box is filled with grey initially.

    Note: The Default list is available only when the Type option is set to User Entered or Read Only. The Neutral option is available from the Default list only when the States area in the Field tab is set to On/Off/Neutral.

To change the values assigned to check box states

By default, check boxes use numbers to represent values in the form data. The default values are “1” for On, “0” for Off, and “2” for Neutral. You can change these values to match existing values in a data source or to provide more meaningful terms related to the purpose of the check box in the data file.

  1. In the Object palette, click the Binding tab.

  2. In the On Value box, specify the value of the check box’s On state in the data source

  3. In the Off Value box, specify the value of the check box’s Off state in the data source.

  4. If On/Off/Neutral was selected in the Field tab, in the Neutral Value box, specify the value of the check box’s Neutral state in the data source.

To define custom data-binding properties for a check box

Binding options enable you to build a form that captures data for enterprise infrastructures and/or use an external data source to populate a form at run time. Set data-binding properties in the Binding tab of the Object palette.

  1. Select the check box.

  2. Enable the form to connect to the data source when the form is opened.

  3. Bind the check box to its corresponding data node.

For information about how to bind objects to a data source, see Binding fields to a data source .

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