remove decoration from radio button

[Darren]

Steps I took:

1. Switch to coloring tool.
2. Right-click border of Radio Buttons Control to bring up color palette.
3. Move mouse up to transparent 'T' in the upper-right corner.
4. Press 'Tab' on the keyboard to switch to assigning both the foreground and background color.
5. Click mouse to dismiss color dialog.

You'll know you did it right if the bottom corner showing the color assignment shows two 'T's...one for foreground color, and one for background color.

-D

Message Edited by Darren on 10-23-2007 10:02 AM

[tst]

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@Darren wrote:

Press 'Tab' on the keyboard to switch to assigning both the foreground and background color.

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I prefer the space bar, which is even mentioned at the bottom of the dialog, although it seems no one notices or understands it.

[Darren]

Yup, I mentioned both options (tab and space) in this nugget.  I want to start using 'f' and 'b' but old habits (e.g. the tab key) die hard.

-D

[altenbach]

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@Darren wrote:

1. Switch to coloring tool.
2. Right-click border of Radio Buttons Control to bring up color palette.
3. Move mouse up to transparent 'T' in the upper-right corner.
4. Press 'Tab' on the keyboard to switch to assigning both the foreground and background color.
5. Click mouse to dismiss color dialog.

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OK, we are up to five steps now. 🙂

Yes, it works after bending over backwards, jumping through some flaming hoops, and tap head and rub belly at the same time. 🙂

For comparison, try the following:

(A) Using the classic radio button control:

1. place on diagram
2. shift-right-click to get the function palette
3. select coloring tool, right-click on the control background, and select transparent (at this time, both colors (FG and BG are selected to transparent).
4. Now the background is already transparent. Simply click on the remaining border to turn it transparent too.

(B) On the modern control, step 4 does not work directly. Even if the tools palette is open and shows BG anf FG as "T", and automatic tools selection is off, and the coloring tool is the active tool, it is NOT possible to just paint the border transparent by left-clicking it with the brush tool (set to "T,T"!). If I right-click, the color dialog shows only one color as transparent, in direct conflict with the tools palette setting. We need the space-bar to resolve the conflict.

This one one extra step that is not necessarily intuitive to the casual user such as me. :D.

Now, I am sure this is probably by design (why? we ask!), but I would definitely say things are easier and more intuitive with the classic controls. 🙂

Message Edited by altenbach on 10-23-2007 08:57 AM

[Darren]

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@altenbach wrote:

OK, we are up to five steps now. 🙂

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I'm really used to those five steps...I've probably been doing them since before the Auto-Tool.  I guess I could save a step by using the Radio Buttons Control from the classic palette, but then again, it would probably take me longer to find the classic palette than my extra step takes... 😉

-D

[altenbach]

I think the main question is:

Why is the procedure we need to use different and dependent on the control style?

I guess the shaded border is a special case, because it is not really colored but contains shading that is overlayed over whatever color is underneath it. Using the coloring tool to have the shaded border disappear is thus an overloading of this tool, especially since it only works if the order of steps is just right (see above). 😉

In a perfect world, I probably would have divorced the shaded borders from the coloring tool completely, in lieu of a right-click property of the control (e.g. "Visible item...shaded border"). Well, there's always the product suggestion center. 🙂