Talk:Checkbox

Image

Can we get an image of one of these? Mark Richards 22:57, 1 Apr 2004 (UTC)

Looks like this request was fulfilled in http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Check_box&diff=176761583&oldid=174860523 by User:Simeon87. Thanks! (There was an earlier image, too, but it was apparently removed for copyvio reasons.) -- era (Talk | History) 06:00, 2 May 2008 (UTC)

Two-way vs multiple options

I don't think the description as the control allowing "multiple selections from a number of options" is quite accurate, or very informative. It's not informative in that this description could apply to a list, drop-down list, radiobox, or a number of other control types; and it isn't accurate in that the checkbox's primary function really is to allow selection between two states. The tri-state checkbox is an unusual variant which is definitely worth including, but shouldn't be included in the primary definition of what a checkbox is, in my opinion. --VinceBowdren 10:49, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

"checkbox" vs "check box"

Google Trends shows that "checkbox" is much more common than "check box". Should the article be changed to reflect this? Herorev 13:53, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

The difference is pretty minor so I wouldn't bother unless an authoritative source declares one the 'correct' term. And I'm not convinced that google trends is a sufficiently authoritative source. --VinceBowdren 19:51, 24 June 2007 (UTC)

Please, NOOOO. Bad English usage, Junk English, whatever you want to call it: it's bad enough to rely on the term "check box." You have to select one, you can't "check" one. cb

Check is perfectly good english as a synonym for tick (both as a verb and a noun) cf dictionary.com. --VinceBowdren 19:51, 24 June 2007 (UTC)

Please DO change it to checkbox/tickbox, which are proper English. Moreover, just by seeing checkbox, I know it is a noun, whereas check box is unclear without context. Many people only look up Wiki, so you have a duty for linguistic clarity.

1 To search for "check box" vs "checkbox" is a fallacy as the first expression can be a combination of verb and noun. You would have to add a definite or an indefinite article.

2 MS Glossary

3 http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/MANUALS/ntcmanual/glossary/checkbox.htm

81.105.160.157 (talk) 11:24, 10 December 2010 (UTC)

Checkbox is a compound noun, which are common; windshield, keyboard, etc. —ᚹᚩᛞᛖᚾᚻᛖᛚᛗ (ᚷᛖᛋᛈᚱᛖᚳ) 11:59, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

Wiktionary lists check box as an alternative form, but why is it list box, combo box, and group box then? --Mortense (talk) 15:34, 24 June 2017 (UTC)

In Unicode

No Unicode codepoints? --Kjoonlee 10:18, 24 February 2008 (UTC)

Remedied in http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Check_box&diff=193674477&oldid=190870227, by none other than Kjoonlee.-- era (Talk | History) 06:05, 2 May 2008 (UTC)

Keyboard shortcut?

So... what is it? Shouldn't the article give examples of keyboard shortcuts? For instance, if I wanted to log into a Windows computer on a network how would I select the checkbox that says "Log in using dial-up connection"? -PatPeter 22:51, 18 October 2008 (UTC)

Keyboard shortcuts vary according to operating system and application (unlike mouse-clicking, which is pretty much universal). In any case, wikipedia is not a manual --VinceBowdren (talk) 16:57, 19 October 2008 (UTC)

I know Wikipedia is not a manual, but the article says "or by using a keyboard shortcut", without an example. Can we use a keyboard shortcut to log in on Windows as I said in my initial post, or is there no keyboard shortcut? If there is no keyboard shortcut we should delete that part of the sentence. -PatPeter 18:16, 4 November 2008 (UTC)

The article doesn't give an example for mouse-clicking either - examples just aren't that important. What's the particular importance of remotely logging in to windows? Neither windows in itself, nor any apps which do remote connections to windows computers are definitive of how you use a checkbox. --VinceBowdren (talk) 00:00, 5 November 2008 (UTC)

... why would the article have to give an example for mouse-clicking? I only ask for an example because I will remove that fragment if proven false. If that example that I gave was too literal for you, how would I enable the check box when logging into Wikipedia that says "Remember me"? There is no importance to remotely logging into windows, and I have no idea where you went in the last line of your previous post. You obviously did not understand my example. -PatPeter 00:47, 13 November 2008 (UTC)

Actionable?

Something that is missing is that setting or clearing a checkbox normally changes the checkbox's state with no other side-effects, although this guideline is sometimes violated (regretably so in most cases) in practice. This should be contrasted with a pushbutton whose purpose is to cause an action.Scottnelsonsmith (talk) 23:51, 5 February 2010 (UTC)

I feel that you take the Alertbox article in an overly broad context. Its central point is that checkboxes should not be used as "action buttons", (e.g. a checkbox labelled "I agree to these terms" should not proceed to the next screen when checked). My interpretation is that it is verboten to create a checkbox which performs an action that cannot be not undone by unchecking it. The article assumes that there is a command button to go with the checkbox and, in much new software, this is not the case. Sidney (talk) 23:57, 15 December 2010 (UTC)

Terminology

The Microsoft Manual of Style (Version 3) suggests you "select a check box" and "cancel your selection by clearing the check box." A check box that is unavailable (so-called "grayed-out" or greyed-out") is "dimmed." —Preceding unsigned comment added by 63.226.104.225 (talk) 20:34, 30 November 2009 (UTC)

Copyright Issue

I don't think we can just use this, see also comments here. --82.171.70.54 (talk) 20:02, 3 December 2010 (UTC)

Same problem with this. That one was removed because of copyright issues and then someone just uploaded something from a newer Windows version and used .PNG instead of .png. This is not the proper way to deal with copyright issues. --82.171.70.54 (talk) 20:05, 3 December 2010 (UTC)

Tristate checkbox as search criterion

The more obvious use of tristate checkboxes, than an aid in multiple selection, is a criterion in search functionalities. The indeterminate state means "don't care". 195.205.192.10 (talk) 14:55, 8 February 2012 (UTC)

Greyed out

Shouldn't we mention that checkboxes can be pre-selected and can't be ticked by the user? Or that one checkbox disables another one etc. I can't formulate it well, so if someone can and thinks it's a good idea, please include it. The image could also include these options (grey checked, grey unchecked). — Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.110.186.126 (talk) 12:11, 30 March 2012 (UTC)

Horizontally pushable switch

Currently the checkbox is often replaced by a round switch, pushable in horizontal direction, which can be either in left or right position to indicate on or off state (and sometimes it is not obvious which is which). It was found mostly on the web, and now also desktop software that imitate web design with low information density. I did not find a separate entry in Widget (GUI) for this. Maybe it belongs here, as it is functionally identical, along with a mention of its name and first occurrence. -- J7n (talk) 21:37, 21 March 2019 (UTC)

There was a "light switch" section but I removed it and created a separate Toggle switch (widget) page. These kind of switches are common nowadays and semantically quite different from checkboxes. Kriomet (talk) 00:37, 24 December 2020 (UTC)

nsfas 41.121.19.41 (talk) 18:36, 16 January 2024 (UTC)