Option Buttons

[Rob Parker]

Using both Excel97 and Excel XP:

Could someone please explain how I can set up several independent sets of
option buttons on a worksheet, reliably. I'm about to throw something! And
the Help facility is absolutely no help with my problem.

What I need is three sets of options buttons (with 2, 3 and 3 buttons in
each). Sometimes I can get two independent groups set up, but when I try to
add a third, its buttons interact with those in an existing group.
Sometimes I can get them all to work (if I set them up well separated), but
when I move them to their required positions, suddenly they're no longer
independent.

The group boxes are close to one another, but not overlapping. They also
don't overlap a common cell.

I've also tried assigning different cell links to buttons in each set - that
also fails to keep them independent.

Why is this so hard???

TIA,

Rob

 

[TJTH - ExcelForums.com]

You need to set the GroupName from the Option Buttons setting

 

[Rob Parker]

Sounds good. I've been looking for something like that, but I can't find
how it. Exactly where can I set this property/setting - it's not accessible
via the Format - Properties menu for the Option Button.

Rob

 

[TJTH - ExcelForums.com]

Switch on the edit mode and select the option button on sheet an
press the button next to the edit mode button (properties)

 

[Rob Parker]

Sorry, you've lost me! (and I thought I was pretty competent with Excel!)

What is "edit mode", and where do I switch it on?
(I'm currently working with XL97 - the XP version is on my notebook, which
is not currently
online. Is there a difference between XL97 and XL-XP in this regard?)
Are you referring to the VBA editor? I'm not using that, as there is no VBA
code in my application - the client won't allow it. I'm using only the
Forms toolbar to add the option button controls to my sheet.

Rob

 

[TJTH - ExcelForums.com]

I have XL97 too

With edit mode I mean the mode where you can move and resize the
objects. Try right mouse button over the option button on sheet. Do
you see properties option in popup menu?

 

[TJTH - ExcelForums.com]

You could also check if you can add the Control Toolbox in tool bar
Right Click over the tool bar

 

[TJTH - ExcelForums.com]

Oh you were using the objects from Form toolbar. You need to but th
option buttons to their own groupbo

 

[Rob Parker]

I can move and resize an object after I select it (either by Control-click
or by using select mode for the Drawing toolbar - ie, clicking the "Select
Objects" arrow in that toolbar). With an Option Button selected, the
right-click menu options I have are:
Cut
Copy
Paste (disabled - there is nothing in the Paste buffer (clipboard))
Edit Text
Grouping > (no applicable options in the sub-menu)
Order > (no applicable options in the sub-menu)
Assign Macro ... (not what I need)
Format Control ...

The last one seems like the only possible one. It give a tabbed dialog,
with the tabs offering:
Colors and Lines
Size
Protection
Properties
Control
The only options in the Properties tab are related to object positioning
(three radio buttons) and a checkbox for "Print Control".

What am I missing? Is there some global setting that I've got screwed up
(I'm pretty sure that for this toolbar/menu, I've got the install defaults)?

I've added the control from the Forms toolbar; I've got both the Forms
toolbar and Controls toolbar visible, but still no joy!

Thanks for advice to date, and hope you can add more ...

Rob

 

[Rob Parker]

Sorry, we seem to be overlapping in postings ...

Yes, I've been using Option Buttons from the Forms toolbox. For an Options
Button from the Controls toolbox, I get a Properties box like the one in the
VBA editor - which makes perfect sense to me ;-)

Ho-hum! Why does MS offer two virtually identical toolbars, with completely
different behaviour for the (nominally identical) objects selected from
them. AND PROVIDE ABSOLUTELY NO EXPLANATION IN THEIR HELP
DOCUMENTATION!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks heaps for your help,

Rob

PS. I'm still utterly confused by the behaviour of the Option Buttons
selected from the Forms toolbox - sometimes one thing, sometimes another.
But why not ... ? Good for the soul! NOT!!!



Just tried adding an Options Button form the Controls toolbox, and I do find
th

 

[TJTH - ExcelForums.com]

Rob Parkerwrote:

PS. I'm still utterly confused by the behaviour of the Option Buttons
selected from the Forms toolbox - sometimes one thing, sometimes another.

I think they should work ok if you but each set in own group box.
Never used those but thats the way they seem to work.

 

[Dave Peterson]

I'm not sure if you've got your solution...

If you used optionbuttons from the Forms toolbar, put a nice groupbox (also from
the forms toolbar) around each group.

If you use optionbuttons from the control toolbox toolbar, go into design mode
(icon on that same toolbar) and rightclick and provide a unique groupname
property for each optionbutton group.

(each optionbutton within the same group should have the same groupname--but
different than the other groups (did that last sentence help????))

The default groupname is the sheetname, so they're all grouped together.


===
The control toolbox toolbar was added in xl97. The controls from the Forms
toolbar are still supported (thank goodness no one has to update all their
workbooks that used Forms Controls!). The controls from the Forms toolbar are
still supported on Dialog sheets and charts.

In fact, I find the controls from the Forms toolbar easier to work with in many
cases. Although, there are lots more stuff available with the newer Control
toolbox toolbar icons.

 

[Rob Parker]

Sure hope I have (got the solution)! As you'll see in my original post,
problem with optionbuttons from Forms toolbar was that they would choose -
with no help from me, all I did was move things on sheet - to change which
Group they were in. I certainly had separate group boxes for each set.

The ability to access the optionbutton properties directly that adding
controls from the Controls toolbar gives should certainly help. It will be
better than having no access to them, and needing to rely on Excel to keep
things sorted - which in my case it definitely couldn't do :-(

Note: I'd usually set up the sort of thing the client wants in Access, where
form design tools are much better and more intuitive. Having optionbuttons
without properties was an entirely new experience for me - and one I'd
rather not repeat ;-)

Rob