Choosing the right controls

Each data entry control in MedML is best suited to capturing a specific type of data. Keep the following recommendations in mind when designing data entry items:

Data entry control	Best used for this type of data
Pulldown list	A finite group of known answers, from which you want the user to select only one answer. Use a pulldown list control rather than a set of radio buttons when conserving space is important; for example, when the list of possible answers is longer than four items.
Radio buttons	A finite group of known answers. Use a set of radio buttons when the list of possible answers is short and the answers themselves are also short. Also, use radio buttons to enclose other controls—for example, a set of pulldown lists grouped with a text box control for capturing user-entered Other data.
Check boxes	A finite group of known answers from which the user can select one or more answers. Use check boxes when the list of possible answers is short and you want all options to be visible at the same time. Also, use check boxes to enclose other controls, as you would use radio buttons.
Text box	Descriptive or other data that cannot be captured with predefined labels. Since data entered in text boxes is not statistically useful until further analyzed, try to minimize the use of text boxes.