click box and buttons off-setting pause

Report · May 11, 2012

I am having trouble with click box and buttons.

On the last slide of my project I have 5 buttons linking to various URLs and one click box, all are set to pause the slide .5 seconds before the end so the buttons don't fade out.

I want the background music to continue to play as the user visits the links and returns to the movie, but checking the "Continue playing the project" option causes the movie to un-pause after the first button is used; the movie ends causing the buttons to stop working.

Is there a way around this?

Les

Report · May 14, 2012

Hi Les,

For Stopping fadeout : click on Edit - Preferences - under 'Project' click on 'Start and End' and uncheck 'Fade Out on last slide'

For background audio to continue playing even the when the project is paused : place a button and add audio on that button. make sure that button stays for the rest of the slide and if you dont want to show that button, you can make it transparent and change the color to match with the background.

For all the buttons to work, add action as 'Execute advanced action' and create an action to open a particular URL/file. Advanced action will pause the project.

for moving ahead create a next button on the slide.

if you need more help on this, please provide your contact detail so that we can contact you.

Aditya Kalania

Report · May 14, 2012

Did offer a webinar last Thursday where I started by explaining this typical behavior. If you have a click box/button clicking on it to execute a simple action (defined in the Action accordion of the Properties panel) will cause also the playhead to be released. On the contrary, a standard advanced action, even with only one statement (like opening a URL) will not release the playhead. So project will remain paused. But this means also that the button can be clicked again. If you do not want this to be possible you'd better add another statement to the standard advanced action to disable or hide the button. Be sure to open the URL in another window (like New - see screenshot) and the background audio will continue playing. I just checked it out. I do not understand why Aditya explains to replace the background audio by an object audio, because I do not think that is what you want, since this audio clip will start only to play when the object is appearing, so when the slide is started if the object is visible for the duration of the slide.

I suppose the click box is meant to have the user navigate to the Next Slide? Because when attaching an advanced action to each of the buttons, the slide will remain paused, you'll need something to release it. If there is some sequence imposed for the buttons, it would also be possible to create a simple action for the last button, which will release the playhead.

But I totally agree with the fading out for the file. I always start by changing Preferences in Cp when installed to delete those fading effects.

Lilybiri

Report · May 17, 2012

Lilybiri or anyone else, does this work in Captivate 4?

I've got a one-slide menu where I'd like users to be able to click any option as many times as they'd like without the screen moving on (it's the last slide in the project).

Thought I followed your instructions: I have 12 click boxes with advanced actions set (ex: Open3-1, where the only action is to open a link in a new window) and a transparent button down in the corner to pause the slide.

When I preview in the browser, the slide progresses after a click on any of the click boxes.

What have I missed?

Report · May 17, 2012

You've probably lined up all the pause points of the click boxes. A click on any one of them will move them all past their pause points and continue the play. If you want the slide NOT to continue play then you need to set up some Advanced Actions that rewind the playhead each time they get clicked. Lilybiri's blog has examples of how to do this.

Report · May 17, 2012

Tara,

Should check it out in CP4, because I'm not sure that the playhead was stopped there as it does in CP5/5.5 by an advanced action.

Try perhaps to rewind the playhead 1 frame by using rdcmndGotoFrame = rdinfoCurrentFrame - 1 (in CP4 there was no Expression, think it should be like this)

You can check the frame number while testing by inserting a Text Caption with the system variable rdinfoCurrentFrame.

Rod, this is CP4, and I forgot about everything about the advanced actions in that version. My blog posts are all using CP5 or 5.5.

Lilybiri

Report · May 17, 2012

RodWard, Lilybiri - thanks, but no luck.

I added a rewind of 5 frames to the advanced action, and this time it allowed 4 clicks before continuing. Checked all the click boxes and the button on the page, and all have infinite clicks allowed.

Any other suggestions?

Report · May 17, 2012

As I told, I should check in CP4 because I do not remember all of the quirks of AA in that version.

Is this correct: you have multiple Click boxes, each of them is opening an URL (or file) in a new window. Is there (do not remember either) a setting to not let the Project continue while opening that URL? And you want to be able to click the CB's in any sequence, multiple times eventually without having the playhead moving on?

Lilybiri

Report · May 17, 2012

Well, that was easy! Yes, Lilibiri, there is an option to not continue the project when the URL is clicked.

FYI for anyone else using CP4 who didn't know where to look:

Next to the URL box, there's the drop-down arrow for how the link opens. At the bottom, there's an option (auto-selected) for "Continue the project." Unchecking that option allows me to click my click boxes as many times as I want to. Problem solved!

Thank you!

Report · May 17, 2012

What a relief! I was not looking forward to having to use the UI for advanced actions in CP4. Thanks a bunch for saving me from that

Lilybiri