Show/Hide Glossary in Captivate 8

[jonda1974]

Hi - I am working on developing a template for my team to use in creating Captivate projects. Our projects are always a mix of slides and software simulation. I would like to add the glossary interaction on specific slides throughout the project, but not have the glossary show unless a button is pressed on the slide, and be able to use that same button to close the glossary again. I have tried watching the video from captivate and it is not at all helpful in making this work, as it seems there are steps left out of the instructions. I have tried creating a user variable

if v_visib is equal to 0

Show Glossary

Toggle v_visib

else

Hide Glossary

Toggle v_visib

I then saved it as a shared variable.

This did not work, I feel that I am missing steps or the steps I am finding are assuming a level of knowledge rather than starting as if walking through an absolute new user to create this. Can someone please help?

[Lilybiri]

Which video? If it is one on YouTube, lot of them are missing steps or are even not totally correct.

That variable sounds like you found it somewhere on my blog, but I don't have a tutorial about show/hide glossary. A lot of users have taken over the way I am labeling variables, and v_visib is a much used one.

A shared variable doesn't exist, maybe you saved it as a shared action? What did you define as parameter?

Are you triggering this action by the toggle button? Is that a shape button that you time for the rest of the project? You cannot put it on the master slide, since you want to take out that button on certain slides.

Avoid using words that are reserved words. I'm not sure 'Glossary' which is the name of the learning interaction you are using, is not a reserved word.

Did you time that learning interaction for the rest of the project, and always on top?

[jonda1974]

Hi Thanks for your response. I actually found that information in one of your responses to another user on this course. I have placed the toggle which is a transparent smart shape placed over one of our icons on the individual master slides that I want the action to appear. Yes, I typed it wrong I had saved it as a shared action. I could not find an answer on what to save the Glossary parameter as.

I would like to trigger this action by having the user tap the button causing the Glossary to open, and if they tap it a second time, the glossary would close. I can rename the interaction to another name is Glossary is reserved. I had named it that based on the recommendation from one of the youtube videos. I have learned they are poorly done with lots of steps missing.

[Lilybiri]

I thought you wanted to offer this toggle button only on specific slides? Then you cannot put it on the master slide, but you need to put it on the first slide, time it for the rest of the project and always on top. Same for the Glossary interaction: did you time it for the rest of the project and always on top, only way to have a unique ID for the interaction and to have it available on each slide?

As for the shape button: why don't you put the image (icon) in the shape button: Turn an Image into a Button - Captivate blog

That conditional action is OK, have used it multiple times for anything that has to be made visible/invisible. It is in my script library with shared actions. The only parameter will be the object (or group) for which you want to toggle the visibility. You can use it later on for other objects or groups. Do not define the variable as a parameter: if you drag this shared action to a new project the variable will be automatically created: Parameters in Shared Actions - Captivate 7 vs. 8 - Captivate blog    and   Reuse Shared Actions in other Projects - Captivate 7 vs. 8 - Captivate blog

[Lilybiri]

You'll have to be patient for my answer. When I post links to my blog,

since a couple of days it takes a while before the mail is 'approved'?

Whitelists do not exist in these limited Jive forums. Too bad, it was not

the case until a couple of months ago.

2015-07-29 19:44 GMT+02:00 jonda1974 <forums_noreply@adobe.com>:

Show/Hide Glossary in Captivate 8 created by jonda1974

<https://forums.adobe.com/people/jonda1974> in Adobe Captivate - View

the full discussion <https://forums.adobe.com/message/7808000#7808000>

[jonda1974]

Would the same work if I just wanted the interaction to show/hide on one individual slide?

[Lilybiri]

You talk about the advanced or shared conditional action when you say 'interaction'? Yes, if it is a shared action, you just have to define the parameter. It can be anything, an image, a shape, a text caption, a learning interaction, or a group of objects of all types.

[jonda1974]

Sorry, I was meaning if there is an individual slide that I want the Glossary learning interaction to have a shared conditional action that will show and hide it, I would use the same as I listed above?

[Lilybiri]

I don't understand now. Glossary interaction is a static interaction, it doesn't have events and cannot trigger a shared or advanced action at all.

Or do you mean that the Glossary is on one specific slide? Then you have to set up navigation to and from that slide, which is totally different from what you asked at the beginning, what you tried to do with the toggle button.

Suspecting you don't really know what you are doing, right? You just took that code somewhere, but there are some lacks in the understanding of basic functionality of Captivate.

Try to explain exactly what you want to do.

[jonda1974]

Yes, I am new to Captivate, It is a new system that I have been tasked with uncovering the functionality of it. I have a basic understanding of Captivate in this regards, but when it comes to advanced actions and variables, I am the only one currently researching this functionality.  I'm doing my best to find and research how and if it is possible to do various functions. I originally was trying to have a button appear that would open the Glossary and close it from view while the user was on that slide.

The other challenge is that our videos are a mix of slides and software simulation. I discovered with the notes widget that applying it to appear for the rest of the project also allowed it to show up on the software simulation slides which we did not want. I only want the Glossary to perform the same way. I would like for it to be able to appear on a slide when a button is tapped and disappear when the button is tapped again.

It sounds like that is not possible from what you are saying. So would you suggest creating a slide with the glossary on it, and have any slide with the glossary button redirect to the glossary slide and then have a button that redirects them back to the previous slide?

[Lilybiri]

Not really mastering the basics, sorry. That is the problem, terminology is also totally confusing the way you use them.

It is perfectly possible, the way I explained at the start. Summary:

• Insert the Glossary interaction on the first slide, time it for the rest of the project, always on top. Then make it invisible on output by clicking on the eye icon in the Properties panel. I will suppose the name of this interaction is 'In_Glossary'
• Same work flow for the toggle button, Bt_Glossary, except that it remains visible.
• Create the user variable v_visib
• Create the advanced action SAVisible using the code you already showed before. You don't understand shared actions, keep with the advanced action for the moment.
• Attach that advanced action to the button Bt_Glossary

Test, the button should work on each slide.

For the slide where you do not want the button nor the interaction, create another advanced action that you'll trigger with the On Enter slide event of the first slide where you don't want the toggle button, nor the interaction:

•   Hide In_Glossary
•   Hide Bt_Glossary
•   Assign v_visib with 0                this is for safety reasons, if the user comes to the slide with an open Glossary

On the first slide where you want to see the toggle button again, you can even use a simple action On Enter: Show Bt_Glossary

[jonda1974]

Thank you for your help. I will test this out. I appreciate your patience as I am entering this without training on the program and am learning as I go. Gotta start somewhere.

[Lilybiri]

It would be better to start with the real basics: understanding interactive objects, the timeline, the pausing, the panels, the question slides before dabbling with advanced actions and variables.

A little bit of training time could save you a lot of time later on.

[jonda1974]

I have actually all of that under my belt. I have been creating using just the basics, I have created multiple assessments, multiple videos with simulations, used PowerPoint import, I know how to branch between slides, adjust timing and effects, publish, creating buttons, text entry boxes, I have configured projects to utilize the certificate learning interaction and the notes interaction. However, I have found a lack of intuitive training to take me from point A to point B in terms of adding advanced actions and variables which is the next step. I'm happy for any feedback or recommendations.

[Lilybiri]

Maybe, but the terminology you use is often wrong.

My blog is almost completely about advanced and shared actions. I'm busy with an e-book about them as well.