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cgokul
cgokul
Inspiring
January 26, 2015
Question

Templates vs Themes

  • January 26, 2015
  • 1 reply
  • 811 views

Captivate 8.0.1.242 - Windows 7 - 64 bit


This is more in the lines of advice/guide.

Well, I'm just starting to create a course which will have a repetitive look and form. Now, I have created a theme for the course work with its color styling and layouts. But after that when I created a template, I realised that it's never the same. I almost always create extra slides and layouts which are added and saved to themes. So my question is (if at all it makes any sense) are templates really necessary?


I know this question may lead to answers such as personal choice and so on. Hence, let me share my reasoning for this question. Currently, I work alone. But in couple of months I expect 2-5 people working for me on creating such courses. So I need to set up the norm for the future.


Hence, how do you guys handle the template vs theme by yourself or with your colleagues? Please let me know if you had previously started with or without templates and reasons if you had gone other way later.

This topic has been closed for replies.

1 reply

Lilybiri
Lilybiri
Legend
January 26, 2015

To me, and I have posted this a lot everywhere, templates are rarely useful at all in version 8. They have some serious drawbacks: each project has to be based on the template (which means a fixed resolution, didn't create one yet for responsive project, wondering if it is possible), you cannot apply it after creation of the project. I know, a lot of vendors provide so-called templates which are not templates at all because they were not created as a cptl-file. You don't have to search a lot to see that almost no one provides real templates. They were very useful in the past, before themes, shared actions and the ability to copy a slide/object that takes along the advanced action attached to them. Perhaps this old post explains better why I did use templates more in previous versions: Template for reusing script? - Captivate blog

You are perhaps aware of that, but for the sake of other users: a theme is not only the Object styles (with colors etc) but also Master slides (with their placeholders) and Skin. And the new Themes color feature makes it also a lot flexible. I did write two articles recently

Colorful 2015 with Adobe Captivate - Captivate blog

Theme Colors - Captivate blog

Big advantage of a theme, and of a theme colors palette, is that you can apply them also after creation of the project contrary to a template. And it is less dependent on resolution, you can create a responsive theme (if you start from one of the available responsive themes in a responsive project). Why and when should you use a template? I use them when I need to create a bunch of courses about one subject. Example: I created a whole course about using MS Project, with theoretical chapters and software training simulations. To make the work flow smoother, in the template besides the custom Theme (with a custom theme palette), I had defined some data that I needed in all the tutorials, and inserted in title slides and similar using the system variables from the category Movie MetaData. Sometimes I added shape buttons for custom navigation on a master slides or timed for the rest of the project, no always. And besides that I have a separate file with a lot of shared actions that I open as an external library to use when necessary. As you probably also know, this means that variables used in a shared action will automatically be created in a new project. Lot better than in a template.

Captiv8r
Captiv8r
Legend
January 26, 2015

Hi there

I see templates as being very useful in a corporate environment where you are creating content that needs to be deployed via a LMS. I'm not sure how often it happens as it is likely LMS dependent, but I've heard of some LMS that provide a certain space to present the Captivate. So you need to design for a specific pixel dimension. And using a template would allow you to configure that dimension so it's "just done" and you don't have to constantly change it each time you create a project. Additionally, it can serve as a nice workflow by always having consistent things in consistent places. Perhaps your courses always begin with a title slide that uses the company or department name or logo with maybe some animation. With a template, boom! It's there and aside from maybe changing a course name, it's done. Additionally, when working with LMS, you may find that you always have to remember to configure Quiz settings with specific values. If that's done via a template, it's one less thing to worry about.

I also see templates as being helpful when bringing new folks to the process. By having a sort of "fill in the blanks" approach to the workflow, it can make the transition smoother.

But like you acknowledged in your initial post, it's totally up to you and personal preference when it comes to choosing whether to use them or not. As I've become fond of saying recently: Hey, it's your circus to run and you get to have as many monkeys as you like!

Cheers... Rick

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