title: IE7 & Radio Button .checked issues. Is .defaultChecked the answer?
body: <p>A quick question which is driving me a little insane. I have some radio buttons on a lightbox that is fired when a user wishes to edit some entered values. This is an old system which I didn't write. Now the problem/solution is relatively easy however when testing in IE7 I've noticed some issues with:</p>
  
  <pre><code>document.getElementById(thisID).checked = true; // thisID is the ID of a radiobutton
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Basically the above code doesn't set the checked value on a radio button.</p>
  
  <p>I thought I could sort this by using:</p>
  
  <pre><code>document.getElementById(thisID).defaultChecked = true;
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>However if I return and change my radio button values previous radio buttons remain selected, as their .defaultChecked status hasn't been updated! I can't control the number of radio buttons as they are generated on the server (as are their IDs) and the values for the radiobuttons are stored on the client until the form is submitted.</p>
  
  <p>Is there a way around the <code>document.getElementById(thisID).checked</code> bug in IE7?</p>