# HIDE not Hiding control

**URL:** <https://clarionhub.com/t/hide-not-hiding-control/6816>\
**Category:** questions\
**Tags:** form, language\
**Created:** [November 28, 2023, 9:29pm UTC](https://clarionhub.com/t/hide-not-hiding-control/6816 "2023-11-28T21:29:29Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![NeutronBoy](https://clarionhub.com/user_avatar/clarionhub.com/neutronboy/32/4355_2.png) [@NeutronBoy](https://clarionhub.com/u/NeutronBoy)\
**Post date:** [November 28, 2023, 9:29pm UTC](https://clarionhub.com/t/hide-not-hiding-control/6816/1 "2023-11-28T21:29:29Z")

</div>

I want to hide a checkbox if a string control has data in it. I test like this:

`IF LEN(FullName0900AM) > 0 THEN DISABLE(Check0900AM).`

Both data elements are local. I am looking at the value of FullName0900AM just before the above line like this:

`message('FullName0900AM = ' & FullName0900AM & '|' & 'LEN FullName0900AM = ' & LEN(FullName0900AM))`

It returns a length of 30. However, checkbox Check0900AM does not disable. I can still check/uncheck it.

I have tried the code in both Before and After Opening the Window EMBEDS.

Any ideas?

Using C8 Legacy templates.

thanks all

Mark

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Clarion\_clarion](https://clarionhub.com/user_avatar/clarionhub.com/clarion_clarion/32/636_2.png) [@Clarion\_clarion](https://clarionhub.com/u/Clarion_clarion)\
**Post date:** [November 28, 2023, 9:35pm UTC](https://clarionhub.com/t/hide-not-hiding-control/6816/2 "2023-11-28T21:35:22Z")

</div>

> [@NeutronBoy](#):
>
> DISABLE(Check0900AM)

You miss `?` Before control

`DISABLE(?Check0900AM)`

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![NeutronBoy](https://clarionhub.com/user_avatar/clarionhub.com/neutronboy/32/4355_2.png) [@NeutronBoy](https://clarionhub.com/u/NeutronBoy)\
**Post date:** [November 28, 2023, 9:58pm UTC](https://clarionhub.com/t/hide-not-hiding-control/6816/3 "2023-11-28T21:58:36Z")

</div>

UGHHH! That was it … I was looking at this for way too long. Just needed that little question mark.  
Thanks for the catch!

Mark

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![vitesse](https://clarionhub.com/user_avatar/clarionhub.com/vitesse/32/837_2.png) [@vitesse](https://clarionhub.com/u/vitesse)\
**Post date:** [November 29, 2023, 4:37am UTC](https://clarionhub.com/t/hide-not-hiding-control/6816/4 "2023-11-29T04:37:27Z")

</div>

Hi Mark,

as well as the ? that Guennadi mentioned, I am wondering about you having:

> [@NeutronBoy](#):
>
> IF LEN(FullName0900AM) \> 0

that might work if FullName0900AM is a CString but you would be better to simply have:

```auto
if FullName0900AM

```

that way it will work for a String as well. Otherwise if FullName0900AM is a string, doing len() will just return the declared length. In that case you could say

```auto
if len(clip(FullName0900AM)) 

```

but better to simply say

```auto
if FullName0900AM

```

although some prefer

```auto
if FullName0900AM <> ''

```

hth

Geoff R