Component Name: RadioButton
States: Checked and Not-Checked

Description

Typically, a series of small round "hollow" circles beside a series of selections. Only one of the series or set can be pressed or selected at any given time. Selecting one, or "checking" one means that the others in the series can not be active at the same time. When one is checked, a small dark dot appears in the one checked to let the computer user know which one is "active". It is one selection or another. RadioButtons can appear in dialog boxes or as menu item choices. Traditionally navigating to a RadioButton means activation by default.

As with general buttons, RadioButtons can be Text RadioButtons, Image RadioButtons or Image and Text RadioButtons. Below are examples of each. In the cse of the Text RadioButtons, the small black dot is in the "One" of One, Two or Three. Only one of the Image RadioButtons is waving it's hand, and only the "left" RadioButton indicating "left" is a different colour than the other two.

Below is an example from the Swing Set of RadioButtons as a RadioButton MenuItem

Sound Rationale

The temporary sound for RadioButtons is an electronic three tone sound with the first tone being raised, the second at a lower pitch and the third raised again. This is for the "checked state of a RadioButton. For the "not-checked" state, the tones are reversed, the starting tone is the same as the ending tone, but the middle tone is raised to give the uauditory illusion of taking a check mark/selection off. This is the third try at finding a tonal solution that is "appealing and functional" for this component. Depending on the results of user testing, this sound might be replaced again.

Component Name: RadioButton - Checked

Navigation

1. Required navigation sound effect. navigate.wav
2. Optional disabled sound effect. disabled.wav
3. Optional combined component ID and state information sound effect. rad_but_check.wav
4. Required name/title of component as speech. <RadioButton label> [Alternate: "no label"].
5. Optional role as speech. <Radio Button> [Alternate: "unknown object"].
6. Optional state as speech. "checked" [Alternate: "status unknown"].

Activation

1. Required activation sound effect. rad_but_check.wav
2. Required name or label of component, as speech. <RadioButton label> [Alternate: "no label"].
3. Optional role as speech. <RadioButton> [Alternate: "unknown object"].
4. Required new state of component, as speech. "already checked". [Alternate: "status unknown"].

"Where Am I?"

1. Optional disabled sound effect. disabled.wav
2. Optional combined component ID and state information sound effect. rad_but_check.wav
3. Required name/title of component as speech. <RadioButton label> [Alternate: "no label"].
4. Optional role as speech. <Radio Button> [Alternate: "unknown object"].
5. Optional state as speech. "checked" [Alternate: "status unknown"].

Additional Information (Control + shift + E)

1. Hot Key – (if available) [Alternate: "no Hot Key available"] .
2. Shortcut Keys – (if available) [Alternate: "no Shortcut Key available"] .

Component Name: RadioButton - Not-Checked

Navigation

1. Required navigation sound effect. navigate.wav
2. Optional disabled sound effect. disabled.wav
3. Optional combined component ID and state information sound effect. rad_but_notcheck.wav
4. Required name/title of component as speech. <RadioButton label> [Alternate: "no label"].
5. Optional role as speech. <Radio Button> [Alternate: "unknown object"].
6. Optional state as speech. "not checked" [Alternate: "status unknown"].

Activation

1. Required activation sound effect. rad_but_check.wav
2. Required name or label of component, as speech. <RadioButton label> [Alternate: "no label"].
3. Optional role as speech. <RadioButton> [Alternate: "unknown object"].
4. Required new state of component, as speech. "checked". [Alternate: "status unknown"].

"Where Am I?"

1. Optional disabled sound effect. disabled.wav
2. Optional combined component ID and state information sound effect. rad_but_notcheck.wav
3. Required name/title of component as speech. <RadioButton label> [Alternate: "no label"].
4. Optional role as speech. <Radio Button> [Alternate: "unknown object"].
5. Optional state as speech. "not checked" [Alternate: "status unknown"].

Additional Information (Control + shift + E)

1. Hot Key – (if available) [Alternate: see below*] .
2. Shortcut Keys – (if available) [Alternate: see below*] .

*If there is neither a hot key nor a shortcut key, the general error is sounded.

Other RadioButton Options to Consider

Within the Swing Set Menu examples is a "List of Contributors" which is a list of names, beside which are colour coded "RadioButton" like components. At this point it is not clear whether they are in fact RadioButtons with colour "qualifiers" or how they might be set up. The example from the Swing Set is shown below.

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Last updated 11/02/98 by Karen McCall