Placeholder Smart Shapes in Master Slide

[Patrick_Graham]

Hello everyone! I am pretty new to Captivate, so I will try and explain my question as clearly as possible!

I am creating a template for a project I am working on. In Master Slide View, I have added Smart Shape placeholders for objects (eventually buttons) I want to appear on that type of slide. When I insert that Slide (Lets call it Slide 1) to the filmstrip, I double click to activate the smart shape, then press "Use as button." I am able to apply the action I want to the button. (Action 1)

However, when I create a additional slide (Slide 2) from the same master slide, and I follow the same steps above, but instead give a button a different action (Action 2), then button on Slide 1 changes from Action 1 to Action 2.

It seems somehow that by creating this type of smart shape placeholder, it links the type of action somewhere to the background code of the Master slide object. I have found that if I Cut, then Paste the button before I apply an action, they will no longer be linked and works as I am intending. Is there something that I am initially doing to cause this? Or are placeholders just weird?

I am using Captivate 19 on Windows, just updated the version.

Any help is appreciated! Thank you very much!

[Lilybiri]

Which version? Do you mean version 11.0.1.266 which is also indicated as CP2019? There is not yet a version 19., version 11 is the most recent.

A shape button is the only interactive object which you can use on the master slide. When used there it should always have the same action. It is not because a shape button can also be used as a non-interactive object or text container, that you can override that normal behavior. To me it seems very logical what happens. When you copy/paste the shape button you are not working on the master slide but on a normal slide.

Do not use a 'template' which is a cptl file, because it is very buggy especially when using actions and variables. All design components (which includes the master slides) are part of a theme. Advanced actions could be replaced by shared actions.

[Patrick_Graham]

Thanks so much for the quick response!

For clarification:

I have been making the smart shape a button and applying the action after I have created the slide on the filmstrip. (Until then, it is just a smart shape placeholder on the master slide)

The problem arises after I create a 2nd slide on the filmstrip, using the same master slide. I want smart objects to be placed on the same points, but able to be programmed to do different actions. Per the images below, I created a master slide with the 3 objects.

if I have put an action on the square in Slide one in the filmstrip, when I enable to the square in slide 2 as a button on the filmstrip, they become linked. If I change the action in one, it changes in the other.

I hope this clarifies! I appreciate your patience as I learn this new system! Thank you!

[Lilybiri]

I did understand what you mean.  Difficult to explain what I understand to be logical.  I would never use a plaeholder for a non-interactive item and then convert it to an interactive object on the slides. It is only possible with that powerful but hybrid item which is a shape.  Just tried to explain that my Captivate intuition, developed since over 10 years, understands what you experience. If you did convert the shape on the master slide to a button, it could only trigger one action on all slides where it would be applied.  Since you need different actions fot  the buttons, you should not use a placeholder in this case.

[MichaelStephens]

Not sure if this behavior is by design or a bug. Regardless of which it is, it looks like you can’t set a different action to both of them and they’ll always be linked together this way.

To get this to do what you want you’ll have to create a new SmartShape on one of your slides and then copy/paste it onto additional slides. This way each copy of the smart shape is a standard “unique” object that isn’t connected to anything else.