I've developed some ActionScript 3 widgets for Cp4 that I've used in my projects and wanted to share them with the rest of the community. If you end up using them, please post a comment on my blog.Customize the TOC Expander ButtonVideo in the TOC (or logo, caption, ..etc)Use a Variable as the default text in a Text Entry BoxReposition the Closed Caption Box (Gives you room for a logo or video)Reposition the playbar and show/hide its buttonsEnjoy,Jim Leichliterhttp://jimleichliter.blogspot.com

Legend

Question

FREE WIDGETS!!!

Forum|Forum|16 years ago
February 6, 2010
12 replies
11818 views

I've developed some ActionScript 3 widgets for Cp4 that I've used in my projects and wanted to share them with the rest of the community. If you end up using them, please post a comment on my blog.

Customize the TOC Expander Button
Video in the TOC (or logo, caption, ..etc)
Use a Variable as the default text in a Text Entry Box
Reposition the Closed Caption Box (Gives you room for a logo or video)
Reposition the playbar and show/hide its buttons

Enjoy,

Jim Leichliter

http://jimleichliter.blogspot.com

This topic has been closed for replies.

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Jim LeichliterAuthor

Legend

All of these free widgets have a new home at http://CaptivateDev.com

RodWard

Community Expert

You can also download free trial versions of all Infosemantics AS3 widgets for Captivate 4, 5, and 5.5 at this page now: http://www.infosemantics.com.au/free_trial_widgets

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NL-illustrator

Participating Frequently

Dear Jim,

I am encountering problems with importing AS2-based interactive flash animations into CP4. The trouble is that I'm asked to reuse existing e-learning content (created by a competitor), loaded with AS2, within CP4. According to the CP4 Help files I should create a widget in Flash, via the CP4 File menu, and then modify the AS2 script on the first frame. OK, modify what exactly? No further explanations are given.
When I import the "flashbutton"-widget example provided in the CP4 program folder, I encounter no problems in CP4 and am able to use that button to jump one slide ahead. However, I have created a simple test movie with two arrow buttons that slide a blue square from left to right and back across the stage. When I publish the swf, it works fine. When I merge that movie with the "interactive widget" template in Flash and publish the swf, it still works fine. When I import the widget into CP4 and click the arrows in the "New interactive widget" panel it stil works fine, but when it's on a slide and I preview the project, I do see the cursor change into a hand when I move over an arrow button, but clicking it will not move the blue square. Do you have any suggestions for me on how to get this to work? I have several animations with far more complicated interactivity that I need to reuse, but if I can't get even this simple one to work... I can provide you with the animation of course.

Kind regards, André

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Jim LeichliterAuthor

Legend

Andre,

I PMed you with my email. I'd be happy to take a look.

Jim

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NL-illustrator

Participating Frequently

Hi Jim,

Thanx for your mails!

After I posted my question yesterday, I had already managed to stumble upon this article on the "_root issue in Captivate" http://blogs.adobe.com/preran/2009/02/_root_issue_in_adobe_captivate.html

and I was going to try that one out today, but the "_lockroot"-option looks to be a better solution, especially in regard to using more than one animation per CP4-file.

As I'm not a flash programmer, but merely a simple flash user (illustrator, yes), I'm not sure how and where to implement that _lockroot property in the AS2-code of the animation. Could you still take a look at my example animation for me and implement it there? I might be able to use that as a template for further exploration.

It seems I may have to take a course in actionscript after all... But then I'd much rather dive into AS3, instead of AS2 :o(

Anyway, thanx a million in advance, because if this _lockroot solution does what it promises, it will cure what has become an unbearable headache by now!

With kind regards,

André Kamer

Illustrator / Graphic Designer

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Jim LeichliterAuthor

Legend

Ahmet Cetin suggested on my blog that he wanted to use variables in the URL of a slide entry or exit action. He was integrating Cp with the DotNetNuke platform. I thought it was a great idea so here it is:

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Jim LeichliterAuthor

Legend

Created another widget that will open up your Cp4 projects to the world of web APIs and Web Services. It allows you to use system or user defined variables in the URL of a standard Cp4 Button. You can download it here.

Jim Leichliter

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Anonymous

Hello Jim,

Nice work. I didnt think it was possible. However when i try to use the TOC Expander Button widget it doesn work. The project is as3 but adding the widget appears to crash my captivate. any thoughts? The other comment is I wanted to test your Reposition the Closed Caption Box widget but I get an error message from google docs. Do you have that posted anywhere else? thnx for the help in advance.

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Jim LeichliterAuthor

Legend

lfogah,

In regards to the TOC Expander Button widget, make sure you're publishing in AS3, FP10. If you need another version, let me know. I'll also be happy to take a look at your project. Do you get any error messages?

I've fixed the link to the Reposition the Closed Caption widget. Thanks for pointing that out!

Jim Leichliter

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Anonymous

Hello Jim,

Thanks for the support and quick response. I have attached the file for you to play with. I am also wondering if you found a work around for linking from the TOC directly to an external project (e.g. captivate file) As you can see on the slide I sent you I can't directly link to another external project without first creating the slide and then creating a button that opens up that file. Thanks in advance

J

Jim LeichliterAuthor

Legend

Added another widget to send Cp4 variables (User or System) to a Google Form Spreadsheet.

Applications:

   1. Conduct Class Surveys and send the data to the spreadsheet
   2. Send Quiz results if you don't have an LMS
   3. Collect custom User Information

You can download it here.

Please PM me or leave a comment on my blog if anyone has any suggestions/ideas...

Jim Leichliter

A

Anonymous

Hi Jim,

I'm trying to get a streaming video to work in captivate. I finally did this by creating the access to the video in flash and then importing the flash file into captivate. The problem I'm having is that the closed caption that I created in flash is not working in captivate. If I run the swf file outside of flash it works fine. I can even see it in the preview in captivate, but the minute I load it into captivate it goes away. I can't create the closed caption in captivate as if I do and they pause the video the closed caption in captivate keeps playing. Any suggestins? Is there a widget for this?

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Jim LeichliterAuthor

Legend

SKWaters,

So you're saying the streaming video doesn't work in Captivate according to your earlier post? If you want to create the captions in Cp, this is what I would do:

I'm assuming you're using AS3 and that you have a controller on your .flv to play/pause it. If the user pauses your streaming flv, you could also pause the captivate movie which would also pause the closed captions. In your flash file, I'd get a reference to the captivate main movie like so:

//Get reference to main Cp movie

var mainmov:MovieClip = MovieClip(root);

//Detect if movie is using a skin

if (mainmov.cpHasSkinSWF){

mainmov = mainmov.parent;

}

//When user clicks the pause button in your flash .flv controller, you can pause the Cp movie as well:

mainmov.cpPbcBar_mc.pbcBar_mc.onPBCBtnClick("pause") //pauses Cp movie and freezes closed captions

//Whe user clicks the play button in your flash .flv controller, you can play the Cp movie as well:

mainmov.cpPbcBar_mc.pbcBar_mc.onPBCBtnClick("play") //plays Cp movie and resumes closed captions

Hope that helps,

Jim Leichliter

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Anonymous

Yes, I'm thrilled to have a possible solution. Forgive me for any obvious issue I'm having as I'm a bit of a newbie. I put your code in actions panel and I get this message:

1118: Implicit coercion of a value with static type flash.display:DisplayObjectContainer to a possibly unrelated type flash.display:MovieClip.

Any help would be apprecitated.

J

Jim LeichliterAuthor

Legend

Created a Google Spreadsheet widget to display dynamic data in your Cp4 projects. You can download it here. Use it as you like...

Here are some of the properties of the widget:

Jim Leichliter

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Jim LeichliterAuthor

Legend

Updated the video in the TOC widget. Made the settings more user friendly and there is less setup to do. It doesn't matter if you have a playbar or not, an external skin or not, you still get the amount of pixels above the TOC that you decide in the widget settings. I also squashed a few bugs. You can find it here.