Hi to all,



I have to design an evaluation sheet (has to be Word with radio buttons): 34 questions/4 possible options per question. The corresponding scores slightly differ from question to question (0 - 2 - 3 - 4; 0 - 4 - 6 - 8; …). I thought it would be a good idea to take ActiveX radio buttons (4 per question, which then make up one group) and use the respective caption(s) as score. In fact this is a simple method to compute the selected values, BUT it takes 10 seconds until this file with 136 radio buttons is opened. Is there something wrong with this document, or must I cope with 10 seconds waiting time?

I also had the idea to use Content Control checkboxes ('alienated' as radio buttons: http://gregmaxey.com/word_tip_pages/...n_buttons.html. But I cast away this idea because it seems to be much more complicated.

Anything I could do to speed up my ActiveX radio button document?


Thanks

NP

I'd go with the content controls. See: https://www.msofficeforums.com/word-...html#post33489
You might even find a lot of the work's been done for you...

__________________
Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]

Hi Paul,

thanks a lot for your answer / link.

I stepped through the code and unsterstand that you have to leave the selected control to trigger any further action. But I'm sure: being used to the ActiveX click event for many, many years, 'my guys' won't accept the next button to be selected instead of the one they just clicked. Is there a chance to return to the control control just clicked (simulate the long-known radio button behaviour)? I tried with a bookmark on entry, but that - of course - fails, as each on entry creates a new bookmark. How can I bookmark the last (user) selected content control and then return to it?

Again thanks for your help
NP

You don't have to click on the next check-box at all. All you need do is exit the content control, by clicking anywhere else in the document.
I'm not sure why you'd want to do that, unless the idea is to allow the user to save the document, then come back to it later on. In that case, though, Shift-F5 should take you to do the last edit.

That said, adding a bookmark isn't at all difficult. For example, after:
If ContentControl.Type = wdContentControlCheckBox Then
in the 'ContentControlOnExit' macro, you could insert:
ActiveDocument.Bookmarks.Add Name:="LastUpdate", Range:=ContentControl.Range.Characters.Last.Next.N ext
Note that the same bookmark name is used in each case. Of course, you'd probably want to add some extra logic to test whether the exit state was different to the entry state. Just adding the above on its own will bookmark any checkbox you exit. Adding the logic would require modifying the ContentControlOnEnter macro to capture the entry state so it can be tested before doing the update.

__________________
Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]

Good morning,

I hope, this post will help to understand my problem/appraoch.

That's what I did: I downloaded the linked file, did nothing but protect the file (allow form fields only) and clicked some check boxes. The protection makes the selection change from the just selected check box to the next check box.

This automatic 'change selection' behaviour triggers the further actions. Basicly perfect, BUT I'd like to have the just selected check box to be selected (again):
1. user clicks (selects) check box which leads to
2. an automatic selection change (to next check box) as the document is protected
3. then back to previous check box to pretend an ActiveX radio button behavior.

I simply do not know to return to (address) the previous check box.

Hope it's a bit clearer now.

NP

Why are you using Forms Protection? You don't need that with content controls. That's what is unnecessarily forcing another checkbox to be selected. If you use read-only editing restrictions and mark the content controls as exceptions, you won't have to select another checkbox - you'll be able to click anywhere outside the checkbox.

As for re-selecting the check box, how then is the user to ever select a different one?

__________________
Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]

Hi Paul,

I know, that I don't need Forms Protection with content controls.

I use it because it seems to be 'the lesser evil'. My users have been clicking on ActiveX radio buttons for lots of years now. They are used to one click = immediate change, which is the common behavior for radio buttons. They simply DO NOT WANT to click elsewhere before the change is triggered. And - to be honest - I can understand them.

So I though it might be a solution to use content control check boxes (with the almost appearance of radio buttons). But the problem now is, that whenever they (the users) click a check box, they either have to cope with
a) Forms Protection on: selection changes to next check box = not the radio button behavior they are used to, OR
b) Forms Protection off: they have to click somewhere else to trigger the on exit event = again not the radio button behavior they are used to.

Why shouldn't that be possible: Forms Protection selects the next check box without doing 'any harm'. You can click that check box or click another. Re-selection would just be another on entry - or am I wrong ...

Right now, I am not happy with any of the solutions - the users neither. If it wouldn't take 10 seconds (or more) to open the document with the radio buttons, I would stick to the ActiveX buttons (in that case). Maybe I'm a bit stubborn, but I'd like to have a solution, the users enjoy working with.

BTW: do you kow why Word needs 10 seconds to open a document with 136 grouped radio buttons, while Excel needs less than one?

NP

The only thing that isn't instantaneous is the recalc - as soon as you click on a checkbox, it changes state. And, if it's a form with multiple checkboxes, I'd have thought the only time the recalc issue might matter is when the last checkbox is checked. Quite obviously, you need to ensure that one gets exited.

Whether you're using
a) Forms Protection; or
b) Editing restrictions; or
c) no restrictions,
nothing happens until you exit the checkbox.

No, you don't need an on-entry macro. Rather, the on-exit one can handle the re-selection. That will trigger the on-entry macro of its own accord. BUT... Visualize this -
1. Select Checkbox
Do While not tired
2. Exit Checkbox
3. Macro kicks in
4. Checkbox re-selected
Loop
No, but I do know it's old technology that MS moved away from long ago. It's probably only being retained for backwards compatibility and may be deprecated in another version or two.

__________________
Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]

Just some feedback

But many of the users I know still use and love radio buttons. Unfortunately there is no appropiate replacement for them ...

After some lengthy discussions we will implement the evaluation sheet in Excel. A decision that moves the radio button issue to a formatting issue ... .

Cheers
NP