Reconsider how render_settings_field_multibox() works

[afercia]

render_settings_field_multibox() perfectly works for a group of checkboxes sharing the same name attribute. That is, a multi-choice where users can check multiple values for the same group.

This works in HTML but it's arguable useful for settings since there's rarely (never?) a setting with multiple values.

Instead, the current group of checkboxes in core are all single settings with a unique name attribute. They're visually grouped because logically related. However, the don't use the same setting name.

How to render a group like the following one?

The only way right now would be a custom callback 😞

[afercia]

P.S. also, some checkboxes use the same value, for example the three ones above use: 1 open open

and only two of them get printed out.

[felixarntz]

I think the use-case for what the multibox field currently does should be left untouched. While there's no use-case in core (I think), it's a farely common functionality (often used in favor of select multiple).

For what you describe, in the context of the above three checkboxes, shouldn't this actually become a settings section ("Default article settings") with three individual checkboxes? This would match our idea of #5 as well.

[afercia]

Well actually they're not just three checkboxes, the Discussion page is full of single checkboxes grouped logically but used for different settings. Then maybe we should consider to have 2 separate functions:

• the current multibox is actually for a group of checkboxes to be used for a single setting with multi-choice
• a new one, to be used for logically grouped checkboxes that need to be within a fieldset but used for settings with a different setting name

Wort noting this second case, which as far as I see is the only one of the twos used in core, needs a different structure of the passed array because there are multiple settings names, so for each checkbox:

• setting name
• setting value
• setting label

shouldn't this actually become a settings section ("Default article settings") with three individual checkboxes? I think no, because we should also provide the ability to use groups of checkboxes that are single-choice (single setting) but logically related.

[felixarntz]

shouldn't this actually become a settings section ("Default article settings") with three individual checkboxes?

I think no, because we should also provide the ability to use groups of checkboxes that are single-choice (single setting) but logically related.

I think a settings section does exactly that, it groups fields that are logically related. We already have the functionality in place that we'd need for this.

a new one, to be used for logically grouped checkboxes that need to be within a fieldset but used for settings with a different setting name

Actually, this use-case would be a good argument for our idea to make settings sections actual fieldsets (see #14). If a settings section was a fieldset and contained the three checkboxes as single fields, it would have exactly the structure you're describing.