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Shari_B1
Participant
September 22, 2006
Question

Keeping Demos, Tutorials & Simulations Current with the Application

  • September 22, 2006
  • 1 reply
  • 342 views
I have read the article "Using Captivate to Retouch Images in Recorded Demos and Simulations" by Mark Fletcher. But my question pertains to how you keep demos and simulations up-to-date in the face of an ever-changing web app.

The company I work for is developing a web-based application where "skins" can change the look of the app in seconds. Which means that all the recorded demos and screenshot images would have to be re-recorded and replaced so as not to confuse the end-user.

Translation is another issue, not so much with respect to the captions since they can be exported, changed, then imported back into the slide, but again with the images. How does everyone deal with a changing GUI? Re-record? Or have I missed something in the help that addresses this issue?

I look forward to any tips, suggestions, experiences.

Shari Banks
Technical Writer
    This topic has been closed for replies.

    1 reply

    CatBandit
    CatBandit
    Inspiring
    September 22, 2006
    There are a few things, like the use of templates, or different colored backgrounds (where they are used) that might make it easier to make wholesale changes when the "target" application changes. But as a rule, I think you are going to have to accept the fact that when the target changes, so must the Help documentation for that target . . . unless we want to go back to the days of text-only Help and tutorials.

    Think of it as job security (he said, tongue-in-cheek).

    Welcome to the Captivate User Community, Shari!

    .
    Captiv8r
    Captiv8r
    Legend
    September 22, 2006
    Hi Shari and I too welcome you

    In addition to Larry's normal and absolutely awesome advice, I would also add that the answer may be as simple as a small explanatory slide indicating the application is subject to having a skin applied. Thus, it may appear slightly differently for different users. I've seen many skinned environments that simply change the overall color scheme of the application without actually changing locations of certain objects. Hopefully your application falls into this category.

    But then you have others, such as WinAmp, or even the Windows Media player, where a skin can actually change locations of certain fields, controls and other objects. So if your application is one of this variety, I feel for you big time, because there is simply no way short of recording a different movie for each skin. I suppose in this case, I'd simply pick one possible skin and run with it, advising that the process is the same, but the actual location may vary (to protect the innocent - LOL)

    Larry! Shudder the thought. Going back to the days of text only based help? (oh please someone, where ARE my "Pirin" tablets?)

    Cheers all... Rick
    S
    Shari_B1Author
    Participant
    September 22, 2006
    Captiv8r, my situation is definitely the latter where the skin can change not just the location of objects but also their size! I fear that because I have received basically the same answer from two highly experienced users that when I report back to the powers-that-be about this issue that they'll turn thumbs down on Captivate. That's a shame, because I was really looking forward to using Captivate. It is a very enjoyable tool: it's easy to learn, feature-rich--they're is just so much you can do with it.

    Thanks for your responses.

    --Shari
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