SharePoint 2010: What does the web part checkbox do?

 

Here’s a question for everyone… What does the checkbox in the web part title bar do?

 

In user interface design, checkboxes generally imply the ability to select more than one item at a time, but you can only check one web part at a time:

 

Clicking the checkbox while the page is in Edit mode does reveal the web part ribbon tab, but then so does clicking in the title bar of the web part:

 

The checkbox might be the hint that that web part is selected, but so does the border that’s added when you click on the title bar.

 

Clicking an item in a list web part checkmarks the item, highlights the time, checkmarks the web part and adds a border around the web part!

 

 

So… Why the check box?

• Like an appendix, every web part just has one?
   
• It’s was part of a planed multi-select feature that was not completed by release time?
   
• It’s a secret?
   
• Someone on the SharePoint team thought that it was just cool?
   

If you know… please post a comment below!

 

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