Help With Feedback Captions for Click Boxes

[samamara]

Hello all;

I am in need of some help, please. I am working in Captivate 2019 on a Mac.

I'm trying to work on a simple simulation where users need to click on a click box. If they get it right, they click to continue. If they don't: 

- first, they will get a box that tells them where they should have clicked and an arrow pointing to the same

- then they click a continue button that clears the screen of the hints so they can try again

- if they get it right the project advances

- if they don't get they get another text box that says sorry, click to continue. 

I was struggling with figuring a way to do this since you can't have more than one failure message on click box and I found this older post  that was very helpful in getting me started. 

1. I first made it so all elements on the screen (other than the click boxes) were hidden on entry. 

2. I created a user variable named cb_attempt with a value of 0.

3. Then, as directed in that post post I created one large click box that covered the screen (cb_false) that had unlimited attempts and an advanced action for success, and one proper click box (cb_true) where the user is meant to click. 

4. I created an advanced action so that when the user clicked the box correctly, a text box and a click button would show to advance the project: 

5. I created an advanced action (cb_hint) so that when the user clicks on the greater (false) click box they would get a first error message and a button to continue (see first decision below):

6. I created another advanced action so that when the user got that first error message and clicked on the button to continue to the second try, the screen would clear again:

*Up to this point, everything works perfectly. After this step, though, things don't work. 

7. In the advanced action shown above in #5, there is a second decision. When learners click to clear the screen as desribed in #6, they get a second chance to click the box correctly. If they click correctly they get the get the box and continue button to advance as described in #4; if wrong, they are *supposed* to get a section failure message, which I tried to rig as a second decision on the advanced action cb_hint, but since this is where things stop working, I'm assuming it has something to do with the increments or condition in the Fail decision (I have tried to set the condition as "if cb_attemp is equal to __" 1 and 2 but nither worked): 

When the user click to clear the screen (point #6), the screen clears. But when the click in the wrong place a second time, nothing happens, i.e. the Fail decision above doesn't work. 

I've tried to figure it out but I can't seem to sort it. Does anyone have any ideas?

Here is the screen from my tester (ignore the white box, as it is there to cover the project for privacy, and it is under the main full-slide click box (cb_false):

In the older post I linked to it did say the text boxes should all be in the same place and they have been - I just separated them here so you could see; it didn't help when they were all on top of each other. 

Finally, here's my timeline: 

The elements under cb_false aren't relevant to this issue as they are design things (a small shape or image for example). 

If anyone has any thoughts or ideas here I'd appreciate it. I can't seem to understand why this process, which should be simple, isn't working. 

Thanks!

samamara

[Lilybiri]

I will try to read everything very carefully tomorrow (is late here in Belgium). You referred to a very old post (2014) where I provided the correct answer but so much has changed since 8 years. My first intuition tells me to use a multistate object instead of several captions (shapes they should be now).

The idea of the big Click box is still valid but only for non-responsive projects. My most recent blog post used it for a slightly different use case, and Shared actions were used. You may have a look until I find the energy to dive into your present situation:

https://blog.lilybiri.com/software-assessment-different-failure-messages-slash-attempts

BTW: to show a multi-decision advanced/shared action, please use the Preview window for the screenshot, because it will show all decisions in one view. Use the button in this screenshot ot see that window:

That way we are able to see the complete advanced action instead of only one small part.

[samamara]

Thank you for your reply @Lilybiri and definitely for the tip of showing the multi-decision shared action; that will be much more helpful to readers I'm sure. 

Also, yes, I mis-wrote: I used shapes, not captions. Regardless, it's not working and I'm sure I've messed up somewhere in the decision script or some other silly mistake. The idea of multi-state objects sounds interesting; I'm going to see if I can figure how to make that work since it seems the process I'm doing here is wrong/inefficient.

I will have a look at your link once I get to the office this morning. It was also very late here when I wrote that message, nearly 1:00am after I spent the night trying to make this (should be) simple process work.

Thanks again!

samamara

[Lilybiri]

I try now to understand the situation. A first important question: do you really insist to keep click boxes? It would be a lot easier if you accepted to replace the CB by a shape button which you can make invisible to the learner by setting its Opacity and Stroke to zero. Such a shape button can have multiple states which is impossible for a click box. There are more advantages but I'll wait for your answer. Shape buttons didn't exist in 2014 if my memory is correct? 

I am a Windows user, not on Mac. Are you sure your version is compatible with the Mac version you are using?

Can you post the Preview window of that multistate decision, easier to see the idea. Your second decision is checking the user variable for a value of 2? Did you increment the variable already twice?

[samamara]

Thanks for coming back to this disaster @Lilybiri - I have nearly given up. No, I'm not at all insistent on keeping click boxes. I just want the user to click in a certain place and give them two chances to do it, with a hint message if they don't click it the first time and a failure message if they don't click it the second time. I have been playing around with the multistate object idea since you mentioned it this morning, but couldn't move forward, like because as you say "such a shape button can have multiple states which is impossible for a click box" <-- that is something I didn't know. 

When I read your response I felt that I understood - but the more I think about it the more confused I feel. If I have a shape button on the area I want the user to click (with opacity and stroke to 0 as you say), and there will be different states (presumably three: one to say 'good job', one to say 'not quite, try again' and one to say 'sorry, better luck next time' for example), how do I set that up so that each click on the same shape returns a different state. 

I tried it with a click box which I now know is wrong, but here's what I had tried for the multistate decision: 

Would that be on the right track if it were a shape instead of a click box?

I'm sorry...I think that I'm going in a direction here that's turning out to be more trouble than it's worth. I just wanted users to click, have two opportunities to get it right, and have two separate messages for their two mistakes (plus one if they got it right). 

Thanks,

samamara

[Lilybiri]

I will try to offer you a possible workflow this afternoon.

First problem with your solution: you have the Success and the Failure messages in the same advanced action. In the old post the Failure actions should be at the Success event of the big click box behind the smaller one, and the Success at the Success event of the small click box.

However with a shape button and multistate objects, all could be a lot easier. Just a little bit of patience, I am preparing lunch now. 

[samamara]

Thank you @Lilybiri - I really do appreciate your time and efforts with this 🙂

[Lilybiri]

Can you test this sample project?

https://www.lilybiri.com/published/FailureMessages/index.html

[samamara]

@Lilybiri - yesss! That's exactly what I need to happen. How did you do it? Again, I really appreciate this 🙂

[Lilybiri · Accepted solution]

I is a bit similar to the blog post which I referred to, but I used a multistate object for the Failure messages and for the Retry button. I have at this moment duplicate advanced actions for the back shape (FailureActx), and for the Retry button (CleanActx). The reset action (On Enter) is the same for both slides. I am just wondering if it would be better to replace the duplicate actions by shared actions. 

Before writing out the workflow (probably in another post), to make it as efficient as possible, need to know:

• Do you need this workflow in many slides? 
• If yes, are those slides in sequence?
• Do you need the same failure messages in each slide, or do you want a different message in each slide?
• Do you allow the learner to revisit slides? If yes, what needs the situation to be on revisit? Same as the first time?

I solved this problem, including the creation of that small test project of course, in less than 1hr.  Writing out the post may even take longer. Just a reflection...

[samamara]

@Lilybiri - amazing! You certainly have lots of knowledge and expertise; thank you for sharing it with the community. 

I don't need the workflow for so many slides, but I will replicate it in three small projects (maybe 10-15 slides each). Yes, the slides are in sequence as it's a simulation for a process. The first failure message will be different (as it's an instruction of what to do); the last failure message will be the same on all. There will be no reverting. 

Thanks again for all the time you've taken. I don't want to assume that you'll spend much more time on this at all, but if you could just give me a bit of direction to add with this great scorable objects view, I would be grateful. I'd hate for you to take so much extra time to write the post. Shared actions make me nervous at this stage; I'd rather do the extra work than tackle that particular new thing right now!

Thanks!

[Lilybiri]

I took a screenshot of the Advanced Interaction panel (F9), unknown to many developers:

https://blog.lilybiri.com/advanced-interaction-panel-q-and-a

Lot of my answers here have been stolen and published somewhere without mentioning the source. That is the reason I want this to be on my personal blog. Will do it today, so don't panic, blame those who claim expertise and abuse without shame.

You need to learn about Shared actions, I have a crash course both as blog and as video: an intro and two short lessons.

https://blog.lilybiri.com/who-is-afraid-of-dot-dot-dot-shared-actions-crash-course-introduction

You'll find the other posts easily.

[samamara]

Thanks so much for your continued efforts on this @Lilybiri! It must be frustrating to have people steal your answers. I will look for the post on your blog and will conquer my fear and look at shared actions as soon as I get this project off my desk. Thanks again! 

[Lilybiri · Accepted solution]

I am stubborn, and have forced you in this workflow to use ONE shared action. Sorry...

Here is the link:

https://blog.lilybiri.com/multiple-failure-messages-for-shape-button

I can send you the shared action if you want, just send me a private message.

[samamara]

Thanks so much @Lilybiri - and I guess forcing me to use a shared action is going to make me start learning which is always a good thing. I would appreciate if you send me the shared action...I will send you a message 🙂

Thanks again - I couldn't have hoped for better support!

[Lilybiri]

Is it possible to mark one or more answers as being correct?

[samamara]

Yes, I'll do so - thanks 🙂