Creating form with de-selectable option buttons

[Livia]

Dear community,

I created a form with option buttons and now I wonder if it is possible to change the settings of these buttons in order to be able to unselect them.
So when somebody is filling out the form in a PDF application and selected an option button by accident and want to unselect it (without changing the selection to the other button).
Is this possible or is it only possible with check boxes?

Thank you in advance and best regards
Livia

[floris v]

Yes. If you have several unconnected options, use check boxes instead of option buttons.
Option buttons, also called radio buttons, are normally grouped, and in that case, only one can be selected. Selecting one item automatically unselects the item that was selected before that. The only way to unselect an option button is to select another option button in that group. Check boxes on the other hand can be selected regardless of the status of the other check boxes in a group, and clicking one toggles its status.

[Livia]

Thank you for your reply!
The option/radio buttons are grouped. So I will rethink if I use check boxes and hope that no one will select two check boxes that differ. Or insert a 3rd radio button named "unselect the others" ...
Or is it possible to do a grouping for check boxes also?

[Livia]

Another idea I have is rather complicated - is this possible?:
The radio buttons are in the same row like a text box. Is it possible to do this setting: If the text box is not filled (or the text inside of it was deleted after entering something) the radio buttons in this row will be unselected automatically?

[floris v]

Here's an example of how to use option buttons and check boxes.
Consider you have a questionnaire. One question is how often you go to a supermarket. Options are: * every day * weekly * monthly. You should use option buttons here. IN a question like: what supermarkets do you visit, you can have items like * Aldi * Walmart * Lidl. Here, you should be able to select all of them, so here you use check boxes.

[floris v]

Another idea I have is rather complicated - is this possible?:
The radio buttons are in the same row like a text box. Is it possible to do this setting: If the text box is not filled (or the text inside of it was deleted after entering something) the radio buttons in this row will be unselected automatically?

This all is a little abstract. Can you give a proper example, that is, upload a document with that form?

[Livia]

I attached a screenshot of the row with the text box and two groups of option buttons (2x2).

[floris v]

You will probably need macros for that. But you should upload an odt file so that we can study how you achieved this and what's the best way to go on. A screenshot doesn't give enough information.

[Livia]

Sorry, here is the .odt-file with the relevant content (I deleted some text which isn't relevant for the table and contains some contact data etc.). The tables with the text boxes and radio buttons are unmodified.
I hope it's okay that it is in german text. It's an invoice template for a music school. In one row it says from left to right: Pupil name, type of lesson given, lenght of the lesson.

[floris v]

Your best options here are probably that you make a database with a data table in Calc that you use as data source for your table. You can then simply order to delete a row when a pupil leaves.

[Livia]

It's a form for other teachers to fill out. Sometimes pupils, who have booked 10 lessons in advance, have lessons in one month, in the next one not, and then they have again a lesson. That is why it can't be connected to a data base.
My idea was that it is easier to fill it out for the teachers when they save the filled out form and then can use it for next month and change what is different in the month. But then there is the problem that you can't unselect the boxes, only delete text.
But perhaps it would be better to do everything with calc, so the fees can be calculated automatically. Now you have to calculate on your own.

[Bidouille]

when somebody is filling out the form in a PDF application

Build a PDF form is very simple if you stay with basic. But you can not do fields input control with macro.