IntelliJ Platform Plugin SDK Help

Radio Button

Radio example

When to use

Use a radio button group to choose one option from 2 to 4 mutually exclusive options.

Do not use radio buttons if:

  • Several options in a group can be selected. Use a group of checkboxes instead.

  • There are only 2 opposite yes/no options. Use a checkbox instead.

Tworadio checkbox
  • There are 5 and more options that can be charted on an axis, e.g., time delay. Use a slider instead.

  • There are 5 and more options. Use a drop-down list:

    Incorrect

    Correct

    Dropdown incorrect
    Dropdown correct

Consider using a drop-down list if:

  • The screen space is limited.

  • The option might be used less often than other options on the screen.

  • There are other drop-down lists in the same group of UI components. A radio button group is more noticeable than a drop-down list, so it will look like a more important setting.

  • There is a combination of several UI components for one setting:

    Dropdown

    The automatic updates setting consists of a checkbox, three lengthy-labeled options in a dropdown and a button.

How to use

Label

A label accompanies each checkbox and is placed next to it.

Radiobutton label

If a label is long, split it into two lines. Avoid labels that take more than two lines. See recommendations on writing concise labels below.

Twoline label

To implement this, use HTML formatting:

radioButton( "<html>Show options before adding<br>to version control</html>")
new JRadioButton( "<html>Show options before adding<br>to version control</html>");

Writing guidelines

Use sentence-style capitalization.

Do not use ending punctuation.

Use the imperative form of verbs.

Do not use negation in labels as it complicates understanding.

Incorrect

Answeryes incorrect

Correct

Answeryes correct

Make labels short and intelligible — see Writing short and clear text.

Group label

Grouplabel

Always start a radio button group with a group label. It explains what the options are for.

Use a checkbox or another radio button as a group label if the radio button group needs to be turned on or off.

Use a colon at the end of a group label.

Sizes and placement

If a radio button group depends on another control, e.g., a checkbox, follow the rules for dependent colors. Otherwise, follow the rules for independent colors.

Last modified: 23 May 2024