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M
michelewrites
Inspiring
October 18, 2016
Question

Apply effect as advanced action - interfering with functionality

  • October 18, 2016
  • 2 replies
  • 580 views

I am using a custom TOC with a button that has a show action and a different button that has a hide action. The show/hide actions work beautifully and I can toggle between them all day on the same slide as desired. However, I'd also like to add an effect. When I add an entrance effect on the show and an exit effect on the hide, it looks great; however, now I can't click the button again right away as I could when it was just show/hide.

Anyone know why this is or a work around?

This topic has been closed for replies.

2 replies

M
michelewritesAuthor
Inspiring
October 27, 2016

I've done some additional trial and error and suspect this has something to do with the motion path itself, or the fact that I'm having it move off the stage (or the relative position of the object when the button is selected). When I use some of the other effects, it works fine, it just doesn't achieve the look I'm after.

I just tried the idea of saving custom motion paths out as an XML file and bringing that back into the project. Not a very intuitive process, and I didn't find the blog providing instructions for that.

It still doesn't work right, but now I can see my object move across the screen each time, so maybe I'm getting closer.

carlosspicyweinr
carlosspicyweinr
Participating Frequently
October 27, 2016

Think I came up with a fair workaround. I say fair because if you have audio running when you hit the close button you may notice a tiny hiccup, but at least you get to use the Exit effect you want.

First, add a blank slide to the project. I chose to put it as slide#1, with all my rest-of-project buttons on it but nothing else, and set the OnEnter action to what you see in the screenshot below. Having that slide in 1st also obviates the need for an expression in the GoToSlide command line below; a simple Assign does the trick. Created 2 user variables at the same time, 1 to track the frame# when the AA executes (value left blank), and the other to track the slide# with the value set to 1 so that it skips straight to the 2nd slide upon opening the project.

Then created this AA and attached to my volume button. The stretch and collapse effects each have a 0.3 sec duration.

Hopefully this or some adaptation of it works out for you. Good luck.

-C

Lilybiri
Lilybiri
Legend
October 19, 2016

Can you give more details: a screenshot of the timeline and the stage, and of the advanced (or shared) actions that you are using?

M
michelewritesAuthor
Inspiring
October 19, 2016

Here is the timeline with the applicable objects:

Here is the stage with the custom TOC showing (including the close button/but the open button is no longer visible)

Here is the open advanced action - which works as is, and I can reopen the menu immediately after closing written as is:

And here's the problem close advanced action. When I remove the apply effect, I can reopen the menu immediately. If I include the apply effect, I can't seem to reopen the menu.

Both apply effects are set for .5 sec.

Thanks for any insight.

Lilybiri
Lilybiri
Legend
October 19, 2016

Can you check the motion paths, both for Fly in and Fly out? Since you made that duration so long, if you click the opposite button again within the duration of the effect, you are sort of breaking the effect. To avoid that you could disable all buttons until the effect is done but that will be a very cumbersome work because it is impossible to disable all buttons in a group (could be done with the CpExtra widget for HTML output).  Moreover if per chance the user clicks twice the same button, since motion effects are always relative to the present location, the group would be out of reach for the fly in effect, would remain outside of the stage.

Not totally sure, but I would try a conditional action to track first if the TOC is open or not, using a user variable (Boolean). That will already avoid that the action is unwantedly repeated. I would also use a toggle button (with states) but that is just personal prefrence, not linked with a solution to your problem.

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