How to create EDX type navigation for project?

Report · May 26, 2017

Hi

There must be a way.

I'm building a lesson/course that has 5 slides. An intro, video, knowledge check, video, knowledge check, and summary.... Some lessons will have a different number of slides and associated content.

Rather than a TOC or skin or set of next/previous buttons I'd to create a navigation system similar to what EDx uses

The graphic indicates the type of content on the slide, the blue under bar indicates which slides the student is viewing (doubles as a progress bar), along with previous and next.

I have created image buttons and included in first slide within fluid box (CP 2017), this pretty much works as expected. Except I'm not able to set the first image for the intro to jump to the first slide.

also, I've not been able to sort out how to either add an under color bar, or change the image (reverse colors) to indicate the current slide the student is viewing.

Is there a way to click the current slide button and restart the slide timeline? This isn't critical, yet is it possible?

Any suggestions or hints tips?

thanks,

Fred

Report · May 26, 2017

Most thinks like this are possible with enough variables and Advanced Actions. But you cannot put it on the Master Slides because you cannot address objects on the Masters using Advanced Actions (to change their appearance).

You could set up this navigation using Smart Shapes that have some custom Object Styles on one of the initial slides and then set those objects to time for Rest of Project. Then the Smart Shapes will appear all through the rest of the project.

The idea is that you use Advanced Actions to change to a different Object Style and thus change the look of each navigation button as that part of the course is completed.

I haven't got an example of this for you, but there might be others on this forum that do.

Report · May 26, 2017

thanks Rod - my knowledge pretty much ends with placing text boxes and buttons on the screen... so an example or a bit more on how to use 'enough variables and advance actions... would be helpful. I suspect it is possible, yet not sure of the right direction nor of all the hurdles that will be between what I know and getting it done. cheers, Fred

Report · May 26, 2017

Start Googling for information about using the Change Object State To action in Captivate. There are lots of forum threads on that particular topic.

However, if you know nothing about Advanced Actions and Variables to begin with, there's some information on my website here:

Using Adobe Captivate's Advanced Actions to 'Program' E-learning Interactivity | Infosemantics Pty L...

Report · May 27, 2017

I have no idea what EDX means. If you want an example of changing object states for toggle buttons:

1 action = 5 Toggle Buttons - Captivate blog

I'm using shared actios in that example. You can browse my blog which has a lot of use cases for shared/advanced actions and variables.

This article was written before the release of CP2017, hence the 4th InBuilt state, labeled 'Visited' is not mentioned.

Report · May 27, 2017

Hi Lilybiri,

Edx.org is the host to university MOOCs from around the world. The system they use for course navigation is a sidebar menu, and within a lesson which may include vidoes, reading, quizzes, etc. is what I'm referring to.

edX | Free online courses from the world's best universities

It's free to sign up and attend classes, check out a few lessons and it's the menu bar with icons that I'm trying to emulate within my lesson level captivate projects.

Thanks for the reference to your blog, I'll be diving into the deep end on advanced actions and see if I can ask specific questions.

For example, why is it that the jump to slide action will not permit jumping to the current slide? I set up a button for each slide, five of them on the first slide of the project and have them show for the reminder of the project. The idea is to allow the student to jump to the specific segment of the lesson as desired. Except when I do that, the button to take a person to the first slide is not an option to select.

I did see a work around in the forums, maybe from you Lilybiri... to set up a blank zero slide and set it's timing to very short so it quickly moves to the first slide. That seems rather crude, there must be a better way.

The next challenge is to change the state of a button when viewing a specific slide. I did see a variable that indicated the current slide, I think it returns the number of the slide. So when on slide 2 (three if using the work around noted above) the variable returns a 3... my current search is for a way to use that variable to set the state of a button.

Off to read blogs and view videos...

Thanks for the hints.

Cheers,

Fred

Report · May 27, 2017

I have been taken MOOC's but that word was unknown to me. After all I am not a native English speaker, English is only my third language.

You can perfectly jump ro the present slide, not with a simple but with an advanced action:

Expression cpCmndGotoSlide = cpInfoCurrentSlide - 1

Reason for the expression is that the two system variables have an index that doens't start both wtih 0. The info variable starts with 1 so that it can be used to insert as slide number on slides The command variable starts with 0. Download my table from:

System variables in Captivate 8/9 and 2017 - Captivate blog

The workaround you mention is necessary at this moment because there is a bug in CP2017 for HTML5 output. The On enter action when using micronavigation is not executed. This means that the second scenario described in this post is not working at this moment,although it did in CP8:

Replay (slide) Button - Captivate blog

I have over 100 blog posts, majority about advanced actions.

Report · May 27, 2017

Thanks Lilybiri - fooled me on not being native english speaker...

Yes, you have a wealth of blogs posts and feeling a bit overwhelmed. Partly because I'm not sure what I'm looking for to know I've found it. Plus, each post I open provides another set of ideas that i'd like to explore and use... which is enjoyable, yet not helping to get this particular project built.

Sometimes there just is too much good information out there. I do appreciate the power and flexibility of CP which is why I'm using it. For the few projects I do create I'm barely scratching the surface of what it can do. In my current project I know it's possible, now to sort out how to make it so.

Thanks for sharing all the information you do, it is very very helpful.

Cheers,

Fred

Report · May 27, 2017

Well, you need to create (toggle) buttons, correct? That is why I offered the first link about 1 action = 5 toggle buttons.

Because that action is using system variables, I proposed to download the explanatory table with all system variables. That table has also several links to other posts, but you need at least to understand the variables you want to use.

Since I mostly use shape buttons because they can be used on master slides and/or on the first slide and timed for the rest of the project, here are two posts explaining the importance of those buttons, and how you can create a shape button filled with an image:

Why I like Shape Buttons - Captivate 6! - Captivate blog

Turn an Image into a Button - Captivate blog

At this moment you have to use a bitmap image as fill for the shape buttons, it is not (yet) possible to use a SVG which would be much better both for rescaling and for file size.