Buttons: Click them without pausing the project or jumping to the next slide.

[irina.huw]

So I have a button issue.

I have built a slide with content that blends in step by step, while a voice speaks and explains the stuff blended in. On exit, the slide pauses. The project has a playbar.

I have a pop up with information in it (the pop up can be closed through a close button inside the pop up). So I built a button for blending in the pop up. This button appears at the beginning of the timeline and stays until the end. Because I want the users to be able to get the info in the pop up whenever they want to, while the audio/slide is still running.

So my problem is, that no matter what, at some point the click on the buttons will always cause the users to jump onto the next slide.

the function on the open button you see is alpha from-to, to make it look more smooth when landing on the slide.

tried it without the function too, but this is not the problem it seems.

Scenario 1:

I move the pause of the buttons on the timeline to the very end of the slide and tick "keep playing the project" (properties>actions). So while the slide is running and the button is clicked, all is good. But if the user decides to click it, when the slide is at the end, the button makes the user jump to the next slide.

Scenario 2:

I untick "continue playing the project", which makes the project/animations stop as soon as the button is clicked. the audio still runs. It's absolutely user-unfriendly to make the users click the play button on the playbar to make the project/blend ins running again. Most of them wouldn't even understand. So this is no option.

Scenario 3:

I untick "pause after" for the popup button and exit popup button (under timing), so the pause on the object in the timeline disappears. I also tick "keep playing the project" (properties>actions) because I don't want Scenario 2 to happen. This works fine until the slide is at the end and pauses. So if the users decide to wait with clicking on the button until they have seen & listened everything, or to click it again at the end, the button makes them jump onto the next slide.

Is there some trick I can work around this issue?

[Lilybiri]

My daily Timeline understanding question. Wonder why I put understanding the timeline as number one of the list of each training?

The pausing point of an interactive object is NOT pausing the slide audio by default. Besides unchecking Continue Playing the project, you need to switch to the Options tab for that button and check the option 'Stop Slide audio'.

Have a look at:

Pausing Captivate's Timeline - Captivate blog

Of if you prefer Captivate output, the interactive version of my presentation a couple of years ago at two summits.... now neglected again.

Captivate's Timeline

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[irina.huw]

Hey Lilybiri,

thank you very much for your quick answer!

This sure is a better option than having the slide animations stopped, while the audio is still running.

However, my wish is actually not to pause the audio. I want the audio to be running, while the users can click buttons and listen to the audio, and while the animation just goes on.

Actually something like the brown round button you created at the bottom of the slide. It is clickable endlessly without jumping onto the next slide or pausing something.

How did you do that?

I am right now going through your captivate training about the timeline timing, if the part i am looking for is also inside the training, it would be very good to know where exactly!

Thank you and kind regards,

Irina

[Lilybiri]

That shape button was timed for the rest of the project always on top. It didn't have any pausing point, all slides are paused by other interactive objects. It just did show/hide the frame number which is a text shape with the system variable cpInfoCurrentFrame.

What is the action attached to those buttons at this moment? You need at least one pausing point on the slide or the playhead will continue to the next slide when it reaches the last frame of the slide, maybe you don't want that? You showed only a small part of the timeline vertically and horizontally, cannot conclude anything. I wonder why you need a group for the popup, could have been done by adding a custom state to the button? Hope it is a non-responsive project.

[irina.huw]

Ah, I see. This won't work for me. The actions are the following:

Very simple actions. I don't use a state, because that's how I am supposed to do a pop up for the company I work for.

Now I just tried something else:

Create an invisible button with a pause (vertical line in timeline) AFTER the pauses of the popup buttons.

the pop up buttons have a pause on the time line too, under properties is set "continue playing project" for these two buttons.

What I thought would happen:

The pause of the invisible button pauses the slide, no matter what. because it's not clickable and not visible.

What happened:

Jump onto the next slide, pause of button_invisible is ignored by playhead.

Is there like an unjumpable super-pause i could add to button_invisible? This would solve the problem I guess.

[Lilybiri]

Both the popup button and the close button still have 'Continue Playing project' checked, has to be unchecked.

Any object which is invisible in output loses all its functionality, it is just not present.

You really need to learn about the Timeline, you are very confused from what I read.

Let us be practical. What do you want to happen with that slide when it is finishedd? Do you want the slide to remain paused? You wrote in the original question 'On Exit slide is paused' which is very bad practice because the On Exit event cannot be trusted. Or do you want to move automatically to the next slide. I will try to offer you a step-by-step explanation, hoping you would try to learn to know the Timeline better. Have published many articles... but you need to have a solution now.

In the timeline I see only one popup group. I suppose learner can view that group multiple times if wanted. Do not forget that if the group is not hidden by the learner it will remain visible also when returned to the slide.

[irina.huw]

Yes that is true, but I want the project to keep playing even if the button is clicked.

I want the slide to be paused, no matter what button is clicked on the slide.

Easy as that...did I think.

No automatic move onto the next slide. No jump onto the next slide.

The move to the next slide only should happen via the playbar.

In this example slide I do have only one pop up, the learner indeed can/should be able to open and close it as often as they want to.

I also have slides with up to three pop ups.

I sure will have a deeper look into the timeline pause functions, but you assumed totally right that I am in a hurry right now.

[irina.huw]

*I want the slide to be paused at the end, no matter what button is clicked on the slide.

[Lilybiri]

If you want multiple slides to pause at the end, the easiest way is to add a tiny shape button to the main master slide. You set its alpha to 0 and the stroke to 0. The command is 'No Action'.  By default that shape button will pause each slide at its last frame.

Take out pausing points of all other interactive objects on the slide.

If you don't want all slides to pause at their end, add a similar shape button as I described for the master slide, but make sure it is timed for the rest of the slide, and that its pausing point is almost at the end of the slide.

Advantage of the master slide approach is that you don't have to edit the pausing point, will always be at the end of each slide whatever its duration. One of the trick in this post:

Easy Timeline Tweaks - Captivate blog

[irina.huw]

Thank you!

I created an invisible tiny button on the main master, the pause at the very end, with no action and with the checkbox ticked pause project until user clicks:

under "timing" i can't set up anything, also not the position of the pause. everything is greyed out. i also cannot drag

it on the timeline or shorten it with the arrow. so i could not try out your 2nd suggestion. i think the 2nd suggestion might be better, as this button is likely to mess with the quiz slides...

however, that is my setup, absolutely no pauses, also no "pause on exit" on the slide itself:

i tested it:

created a html5 preview (chrome) and watched the slide until its end. the slide paused. the first time i clicked the button, nothing happened, just the play/pause button of the playbar flicked. good! better than before.

however, the 2nd time i clicked the pop up button, it jumped to the next slide

what did i do wrong?

[Lilybiri]

Please, why are you not simply doing what I told?  Timing has o sense on a master slide at all. If you insert a shape button on the master slide, default setting is OK. Each slide based on the master slide will pause at its end. I promised you a simple solution, but you seem not to believe me.

I can explain here everything, but you asked for such a solution. Second solution is only necessary when you need more control over the button which is pausing.

Pop up button needs to have 'Continue Playing the Project ' UNCHECKED.

Shape button on master slide needs command 'No Action'.

Both need Infinite attempts, so that you don't have a Last Attempt event.