HTML Forms: Radio Buttons

The Radio type means that the user can only select one checkbox at one time; clicking on another causes the existing one to become unchecked. RADIO buttons are similar to CHECKBOXES, but only one option may be chosen among many.

<Form	ACTION="/cgi-bin/web-exe">
<table border=2>
<tr>
    <td align=right>
	<INPUT	TYPE="radio" NAME="group" VALUE="Title" Checked>
	<font size="4">				 Title</font>
    </td>
    <td align=center>
	<INPUT	TYPE="radio" NAME="group" VALUE="Description">
	<font size="4">				 Description</font>
    </td>
    <td align=left>
	<INPUT	TYPE="radio" NAME="group" VALUE="URL">
	<font size="4">				 URL</font>
  </tr>
</table>
</form>

NAME

VALUE

Specifies the value of the option to be sent to the server.

If not defined, a value of "on" is sent to the server.

CHECKED

This tag specifies which radiobutton to be selected by default. Since it is implied that a selection will be made, it is best to provide a default selection.

• RADIO buttons are not good for lists with many items, because the browser has trouble displaying a lot of buttons. It would be best to use a SELECT menu element.

• Once a radiobutton is selected, it cannot be deselected without choosing a radiobutton with the same NAME. The default selection can be restored with the use of the RESET button.

• If you have a bunch of RADIO buttons with the same NAME and no VALUES specified, the server won't be able to tell which is selected, since a default value of "on" will be sent.