The Check Box Element

The check box element represents an html input of type 'checkbox' and is used to allow a form user to provide a yes (checked) or no (unchecked) response:

Create a check box by clicking 'Check Box' under the Form Elements heading in the 'Add New Element' menu:

Then edit the attributes for the check box

and click the 'Create' button.

ID

ID is the document object model identifier for the check box. The important thing to remember about any id you assign is to make it unique among all the elements in the form. The editor will remind you if you try to assign a duplicate id to any element.

Name

Name is an identifier applied to a check box (or to a group of check boxes). When a form is submitted, all check boxes the form user has checked (and only those that have been checked) are sent to your form processing script as either a name=value pair or, in the case of multiple check boxes with the same name,a comma-separated list of name=value1,value2,value3,etc.

For example, say you create a group of check boxes as follows:

all with a name attribute of 'choose' and with values of one, two, and three respectively. If a user were to check CheckBox One

and submit the form, a name=value pair of choose=one would be sent to your form processing script. If CheckBox One and CheckBox Three were chosen

a name=value list of choose=one,three would be sent to your form processing script.

Label

Label represents an html label element that serves as a caption for the check box, telling the form user what choice he or she is making by checking the check box. Enter the text of the label here.

One of the useful features of the label is that a form user can check the check box by clicking on the check box itself, or on the text of the label also.

The label doesn't have a fixed position in relation to the check box (like the relationship between a fieldset and a legend) and can be moved above, below, or to either side of the check box in the presentation pane of formArchitect.

Value

This is the value that will be assigned in the name=value pair/list if this check box is checked by the form user. For instance, in the example above, CheckBox One has a value of one and CheckBox Three has a value of three.

Selected?

Choose 'Yes' and this text box will initially be checked when the form is loaded on your web page.

Access Key

Access Key allows you to specify a character that will allow a user to select the check box without using the mouse or another pointing device. The actual key combinations (shift-[key], alt-[key], etc.) vary by browser.

Although designed to make forms more accessible to those unable to use a mouse, this attribute can cause conflicts with other assistive technology (like screen readers) and is poorly implemented at best. I've included it here for completeness, but be sure to research the implications of specifying an Access Key before doing so.

Tab Order

By using the 'tab' key on their keyboard, a user can cycle through and access all the elements in your form without using the mouse to select them. Tab Order allows you to specify the position of the check box in your form's tabbing order.

If this attribute is left blank (or set to 0), this check box will be placed in the tabbing order as it appears in the form.

If Tab Order is set to a negative number, this check box will be removed from the tabbing order.

If set to a positive number, elements in the form will be selected in increasing Tab Order with this check box being selected in the position you enter here.

Title

The title attribute offers advisory information about the check box and is displayed in various ways depending on the browser in use. Visual browsers may display Title as a 'tool tip' (appears when the mouse pauses over the check box) whereas audio browsers may speak the Title.

Disabled

When Disabled is set to 'yes', a user will be unable to check the check box. Additionally, a disabled check box cannot receive focus, will be skipped in tabbed navigation, and it's value will not be sent to your form processing script.

Read Only

When Read Only is set to 'yes', a user will be unable to check the check box. However, unlike a disabled check box, a check box set to read only can receive focus, will appear in tabbed navigation, and, if checked, it's value will be sent to your form processing script.

Editing / Deleting a Check Box

The "Edit Check Box" form is the same as the "Add New Check Box" form with two exceptions.

First, the current values for each attribute are filled in. Edit these attributes as you wish then click the 'Save' button at the bottom of the form to save your changes.

Additionally, a link to delete the check box can be found below the 'Save' button:

Click this link to permanently delete the check box.