UI Automation Support for the Radio Button Control Type

This topic provides information about UI Automation support for the Radio Button control type. In UI Automation, a control type is a set of conditions that a control must meet in order to use the ControlTypeProperty property. The conditions include specific guidelines for UI Automation tree structure, UI Automation property values and control patterns.

A radio button consists of a round button and application-defined text (a label), an icon, or a bitmap that indicates a choice the user can make by selecting the button. An application typically uses radio buttons in a group box to permit the user to choose from a set of related, but mutually exclusive options. For example, the application might present a group of radio buttons from which the user can select a format preference for text selected in the client area. The user could select a left-aligned, right-aligned, or centered format by selecting the corresponding radio button. Typically, the user can select only one option at a time from a set of radio buttons.

The following sections define the required UI Automation tree structure, properties, control patterns, and events for the Radio Button control type. The UI Automation requirements apply to all list controls, whether Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), Win32, or Windows Forms.

This topic contains the following sections.

  • Required UI Automation Tree Structure
  • Required UI Automation Properties
  • Required UI Automation Control Patterns
  • Required UI Automation Events
  • Related Topics

Required UI Automation Tree Structure

The following table depicts the control view and the content view of the UI Automation tree that pertains to radio button controls and describes what can be contained in each view. For more information on the UI Automation tree, see UI Automation Tree Overview.

Control View Content View
  • Radio Button

  • Radio Button

There are no children in the control view or the content view.

Required UI Automation Properties

The following table lists the UI Automation properties whose value or definition is especially relevant to the Radio Button control type. For more information on UI Automation properties, see UI Automation Properties for Clients.


UI Automation Property Value Notes

AutomationIdProperty

See notes.

The value of this property needs to be unique across all controls in an application.

BoundingRectangleProperty

See notes.

The outermost rectangle that contains the whole control.

IsKeyboardFocusableProperty

See notes.

If the control can receive keyboard focus, it must support this property.

NameProperty

See notes.

The radio button control’s name is the text that is displayed beside the button that maintains selection state.

ClickablePointProperty

See notes.

The radio button control’s clickable point MUST be a point that sets selection on the radio button if clicked with a mouse pointer.

LabeledByProperty

Null

Radio buttons are self-labeling controls.

ControlTypeProperty

RadioButton

This value is the same for all UI frameworks.

LocalizedControlTypeProperty

"RadioButton"

Localized string corresponding to the Edit Control Type.

IsContentElementProperty

True

The radio button control is always included in the content view of the UI Automation tree.

IsControlElementProperty

True

The radio button control is always included in the control view of the UI Automation tree.

Required UI Automation Control Patterns

The following table lists the UI Automation control patterns required to be supported by all radio button controls. For more information on control patterns, see UI Automation Control Patterns Overview.

Control Pattern/Control Pattern Property Support/Value Notes

ISelectionItemProvider

Yes

All radio button controls must support the Selection Item pattern to enable themselves to be selected.

SelectionContainer

See notes.

The SelectionContainerProperty must always be completed so that a UI Automation client can determine what other radio buttons within a specific context relate to one another. For the Win32 version of the radio button, this property will not be supported because it is not possible to obtain this information from that legacy framework.

IToggleProvider

Never

The radio button cannot cycle through its state once it has been set. This pattern must never be supported on radio button.

Required UI Automation Events

The following table lists the UI Automation events required to be supported by all radio button controls. For more information on events, see UI Automation Events Overview.


UI Automation Event Support Notes

ElementRemovedFromSelectionEvent

Required

None

ElementSelectedEvent

Required

None

ToggleStateProperty property-changed event.

Never

None

BoundingRectangleProperty property-changed event.

Required

None

IsOffscreenProperty property-changed event.

Required

None

IsEnabledProperty property-changed event.

Required

None

AutomationFocusChangedEvent

Required

None

StructureChangedEvent

Required

None

See Also

Reference

RadioButton

Concepts

UI Automation Control Types Overview
UI Automation Overview