Hitting Back Button Changes Total

[kevin_stagg]

I've created an advanced action involving the following:

If I enter in the values in the respective TEBs (bob_cost1 thru bob_cost5), and then click on the next button - It gives me exactly the value I am looking for. Everything is great. But if the student wanted to go back and see what that value were again on the previous page, that value doubles. If they go forward and then back to the page yet again - the process repeats.

Am I missing something?

[TLCMediaDesign]

You'll have to create a variable that is set on the next page. Create a variable along the lines of v_visited = 0, then set it to 1 on the next page. If v_visited = 0 execute the advanced action, if 1 do nothing.

[Lilybiri]

The approach described by TLCMediaDesign is OK if your navigation is strictly linear, if there is no chance that the user proceeds to another slide than the next slide  because the action is executed on the next slide (be careful with rearranging slides while editing). Practical: don't allow a playbar, don't allow navigation by TOC. And it will also lead to problems if the user submits empty values in the TEB's because he will never be able to correct it.

Have often been talking about preparation for advanced actions: you have to consider all possible situations, and those details are not in your question:

• do you allow navigation by other means than the custom Next button (asking this because you talk about going back)?
• is it allowed to leave some TEB's blank?
• there is no validation needed, clearly, except maybe testing if any or all of the values are empty (depending on the second question); do you need that?
• do you ever want to repeat everything, so that you need variables to be reset?
• if you want to offer only one attempt to fill in the TEB's, why not replace the Next button that triggered this action by another Next button that only jumps to the next slide, with that same standard action?

I know, lot of questions, but from my experiences I am hesitating to have an action on another slide deciding what happens on this slide, lot of pitfalls. If you want to answer my questions, can provide you with more solutions.

Lilybiri

[kevin_stagg]

Thank you both -

• All navigation is linear and via the standard playbar built within Cp7
• No TOC
• I want to keep the playbar because I want the user to be able to toggle on/off the CC controls and mute/unmute all in one location
• They are allowed to leave some TEB's blank, yes. The way it is working now - that doesn't seem to be presenting a problem.
• I would love to have them be able to reset the values placed in the TEBs, but I had thought this could only be done by clearing browser history? I know this is a setting that really can't even be reset by javascript

Thanks for all your help -

Kevin

[Lilybiri]

You can easily create custom CC and mute/unmute toggle buttons.

http://blog.lilybiri.com/toggle-shape-buttons

Resetting values is only possible for SWF output with a widget created by Jim Leichliter: http://captivatedev.com/2012/09/16/adobe-captivate-6-x-free-widget-text-entry-box-with-variables/

I never blogged about that one, but the use is similar to the TextArea widget that he extended: http://blog.lilybiri.com/extended-textarea-widget-more-functionality

Lilybiri

[kevin_stagg]

Lieve -

Yes, I have read about Jim's widget, but am not ready to spend the money at this time. If I can just make it so the total doesn't continually change, that'd be great.

As far as custom mute/unmute and CC buttons? I'd just rather keep everything neat and tidy on the playbar if at all possible and I like all nav options in one location.

Thanks in advance...

Kevin

[Lilybiri]

Widget is free   or did you want to give a donation?

Playbar can cause issues in this case as I explained.

[TLCMediaDesign]

If your course is linear then my solution should work. Just make your advanced action a conditional and set the condition on the next page. Where are you triggering the Advanced Action? On Slide Exit?

An option would be to create a "calculate" button and when clicked the calculation would be performed, condition set and could navigate also.

Otherwise if your project wasn't linear you would have to attach an action to every slide and check for cpInfoLastVisitedSlide or some other variable to set the condition to stop the calulation from being triggered again. Cumbersome.

[Lilybiri]

Still think that just replacing the Next button that triggered the advanced action by a simple Next button that goes to the next slide is even easier. And it has the advantage that everything happens on the same slide.

• Create a button Bt_NextBis with the default action Go to Next slide and make it invisible in the Properties panel
• Add these commands to the standard action with the calculations that is already linked to the original Next button Bt_Next
  • Hide Bt_Next
    
  • Show Bt_NextBis
    

[kevin_stagg]

TLCMediaDesign and Lieve -

• The Advanced Action would be triggered On Slide Exit. 
• Unfortunately Lieve, this will be published HTML5 as it will be pushed to iPad so I cannot use the widget. If only, eh?

I could turn off the control bar for those slides with the TEBs (http://forums.adobe.com/message/6023166#6023166#6023166) and insert Next, Back, Mute, and CC buttons for those specific pages I s'pose. Then turn on the control bar when the user is back onto a page without TEBs? Not ideal, but it would work.

Kevin

[Lilybiri]

Why trigger On Exit and not with the Next Button. The On exit event is the only event I almost never will use. If the Next button is set to 'Go to Next Slide' the Exit event will not happen and the action will not be done.

Trigger everything with the Next button, add Go to Next Slide as last action on the original button, as only action on the Duplicate button. That is fhe safest solution.

[kevin_stagg]

Ok -

Am going to take off the strip the playbar of everything but the progress indicator. Will need to search on how to insert the CC and Mute actions, but shouldn't be too hard to find.

Thank you everybody.

Kevin