Unable to set "column settings" of Yes/No (Check Box) values "Required, Optional, Hidden" of content type column

Question

Hi, SharePoint 2010 and I have created a number of site columns of type Yes/No (check box). I have created a number of content types and used these column types but when I try to change the column setting within the content type to "Required, Optional or Hidden" I am unable as the settings are greyed out and I am unable to change them.

Even in the Parent content type I am unable to change this particular type of column value so it isn't an inheritence setting as it's the parent content type. Am I doing something wrong?  

Note - I am recreating a list from a SharePoint 2007 site and I am able to change the setting here, have i configured this incorrectly or was this something that could be done in SP 2007 but not SP 2010.

Thanks fo any help.

Answer 1

HI,

I can reproduce your issue. 

I have reported to Microsfot, maybe this is a bug.

let's wait for responsing.

Answer 2

Hi,

Thank you for looking into this, I appreciate your help. 

Answer 3

This looks like an expected behavior.
Columns Yes/No require an input from the user and cannot be hidden.
This change seems to be starting with SharePoint 2010.

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Fred Ellis - MSFT - "Please remember to click “Mark as Answer” on the post that helps you, and to click “Unmark as Answer” if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread."

Answer 4

Hi Fred,

One cannot asume a Yes/No requires an input from the user, only if indeed the field is marked as a required field - you can leave a yes/no field unmarked, or default to a yes or no, and this should allow you to hide it?

Otherwise you could say the same for all field types not just yes/no fields?

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Nicholas Demos

Answer 5

Hi

I agree with Nicholasd1980.

Fred, your answer isn't quite satisfactory.

A yes/no field doesn't automatically require input from a physical user. Such a field can be changed through a workflow in the background, and having it show up in an Edit form wouldn't be needed and could even cause issues.

From my own experience, that the 'Column Settings' choices are grayed out is either evidence of a bug or evidence of a "feature." If it's a feature then it's one that requires further explanation and clarification for us to work with.

The reasons I say this is because this behavior is occurring not just on yes/no fields but on calculated fields (in my environment). Column settings are grayed out with the default choice stuck on optional and these fields should NOT be showing up in Edit or New forms.  The list is like the OP's - an upgraded 2007 list in a 2010 site.

Answer 6

I agree that the Yes/No boolean field should be controllable in the content type "Required, Optional or Hidden" settings. The field requires a default value by design which is specified when you create the field. Thus, regardless of user input, it should always get this value. I would have to suppose that there is some design limitation necessitating the value be set in the UI upon new item creation.

There is a way to achieve some of our goals which may contradict this assumption: Using PowerShell, you can change the ShowIn... properties of the field after it is created. In our case, we want the field to show but it should not be editable by the users. I simply set ShowInEditForm and ShowInNewForm to false. For those who want a truly hidden field, you can make the modification in PowerShell in the same manner.

I know this won't help much for those of you who are in the cloud, but it's a good thing to consider if you have access to the SharePoint 2010 Management Shell.

   ---PaulE---

Answer 7

Edited: Sorry I didn't realize this was such an old post! oops...

 

There might be a sneaky way to do it in SharePoint Designer if you have access to it.

https://www.nothingbutsharepoint.com/sites/eusp/Pages/SharePoint-How-to-hide-the-Workspace-checkbox-on-a-calendar-without-code-or-customization.aspx

That was an instruction for getting rid of a meeting workspace checkbox - I'd assume it's the same column type so this trick might work in your situation as well.

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Robin

Answer 8

I had the same problem and got around it by switching my field type to Single Line of Text. I defaulted the value to be "No" and am using workflow to change the value to "Yes". I am now able to switch the Content Type to "Hidden".

Answer 9

@reub77 - changing the field to TEXT is a good solution.  However, has anyone found out why we cannot hide Y/N fields?  This makes no sense to me.....

Answer 10

@RobinInOr Here is the updated link to that article:

http://www.nothingbutsharepoint.com/2011/10/31/sharepoint-how-to-hide-the-workspace-checkbox-on-a-calendar-without-code-or-customization-aspx/

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-- washbucket --

Answer 11

There is a solution to manage this. While creating yes/No field, just uncheck "Add To All Content Types".

If you already added, then remove it from content type.

Answer 12

There is a solution to manage this. While creating yes/No field, just uncheck "Add To All Content Types".

If you already added, then remove it from content type.

This works, but the real solution would be for Msft to fix this so it works as anyone with a pulse would expect. But after 7 years, it's safe to assume this will join the list of things Msft doesn't care about.

Answer 13

Lol, I found the solution a year or so ago. Open up the list in SharePoint Designer, select the content type and edit its columns. Under the property column, you have to click on "Required" over and over and over again then it will let you change it.... 

Answer 14

This isn't a problem that needs resolution, IMHO.

Yes/No is just that - yes or no.  That is what a boolean field is.

You wish to have Yes/No/Null.  That is not a boolean field, and thus Microsoft provides the Choice field for this type of information.

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Chris Mang>> JDA Software Group, Inc.

Answer 15

I have the same problem with SharePoint online

Removing the field from a content type just so it doesn't appear on a form is a backward step Microsoft need to get this fixed.

You should be able to hide Yes / No field just like any other, as these like other fields can be used solely by workflows, and thus may not need to be visible to users