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Subject:Re: Radio Button From:Scott Browne <sbrowne -at- UNICOMP -dot- NET> Date:Mon, 14 Oct 1996 11:51:27 -0600
Rebecca Phillips wrote:
<snip>
> What do you call the round buttons that appear in some GUIs? There
> are checkboxes, which are square and can
<snip>
Again, you are correct...radio button is the official name. And
although it is not common in end-user documentation, lately, I have
seen it used more often.
The term comes from the old analog car radios with the push-buttons
that could be used to preset stations. When one button was pushed
in, the other ones would all be out. In other words, only one choice
could be made from the group. (You couldn't select 2 of your preset
radio stations at the same time). This is unlike checkboxes which
can have several selected at one time.
I have also seen the term "Option Buttons" used in documentation to
refer to radio buttons.
Scott Browne "Writing is like Prostitution. First you do
Web Author it for the love of it, then you do it for a
COREComm, Inc. few friends, and finally, you do it for the
Dallas, TX money."
sbrowne -at- unicomp -dot- net -Moliere
