I cannot seem to find where I can add or have page numbers to display within the slides themselves. Some presentations we do not display the "menu tab', thus we will need am alternatively to display page numbers/ date/ revision numbers and other header type information.
I had the same problem. I was able to get halfway there...by creating a custom variable (I called mine SlideNum), then adding a Player Trigger that increments SlideNum by 1 everytime the Next button is clicked. The trigger for this needs to be positioned above the trigger that sends the learner to the next page or it gets ignored.
Here's the problem with this approach -- Storyline doesn't appear to let you attach a trigger to the Previous button. The only player button that appears as a selectable object when you are setting up a trigger is the Next button. So, if the learner clicks backward, then goes forward again, the count continues to increase because you cannot subtract from the count using the Prev button. I was successful by creating my own back and forward buttons, but then had duplicate nav buttons on the screen as I haven't figured out how to suppress the player nav buttons.
I saw in a UK post that you cannot attach a Player Trigger to a Prev button, although I have no idea why that would be...perhaps it's just an oversight in the code.
We are still evaluating this product prior to us purchasing it. However this is an issue for us, as are regulators (Transport Canada) mandates us to include slide numbers for each and every page.
Thus if we did try to us the custom variable, it would have to work for moving forwards and backwards.
Even if I import a powerpoint with header and or footers with slide numbers, StoryLine seems to remove them.
I am not sure why they removed this option, slide numbers, in the first place.
One of the problems in terms of applying page numbers was that various routes that users can take - and sometimes have to take via directions -- to work their way through a non-linear Storyline file. If you have a single slide that's layered with 6 layers, does each layer get a slide number? When you give users an option to "drill down" via a lightbox loop, do those extra slides that play in the lightbox get numbered? If the user skips the drilldown loop, does that change the numbers in the remaining to-be-seen slides? And, as you pointed out Laura, if you use the Back button, does that decrement the count, or increment it.
The same issues are reflected in terms of the time spent in the presentation; it's nigh impossible to predict accurately how much time it will take a user to get through a Storyline because users will spend more time or less time on a slide than will others; If they don't take a branch in the presentation, that actually results in a shorter time for the user. Some slides they'll skip. Thus, you'll see estimates that say "approximately 15 minutes" instead of "15:00"
There are so many variations that developers can come up with that throw an extra mnkey wrench in the mix that the developers opted for the structured numbers in the menu, but forewent (foregonned?) the numbering of slides.
If course if you have a straighforward linear presentation, you can add page numbers to the slides or use a variable to increment a displayed count. Straying from that straight and narrow, however, could confuse users...
Irregardless of the possible paths, why would they not have included some sort of function to allow for this if a user opted to? Such as the old header/footer.
Instead, I may have to add page numbers on each page, one by one, so for 100 slides. This seems not to be a viable solution.
I was successful by creating my own back and forward buttons, but then had duplicate nav buttons on the screen as I haven't figured out how to suppress the player nav buttons.
You can "turn on" the slide numbers from the Menu Options - the slide numbers will only be presented in the Menu, but if you have the menu open on the left or right side bars this may not be a problem.
I have a solution (and thanks so much to Gerry for the link to the instructions for turning off the nav.) My challenge is that I'm a consultant creating digital literacy training for people who have never used computers. My audience includes seniors, ELL students, and many people of all ages who have found themselves unemployed and lacking the tech skills needed to find a new job.
Since technology and language literacy are both issues for many of my learners, I'm using a minimalist approach on the navigation and on-screen text. I have been using a combination of Engage, Captivate and Flash for development which has worked well, but I wanted to try out Storyline to see if it would work better than combining the other three...I believe it will. Although the paging is important in order to eliminate the menu (visual overwhelm for my learners,) and still let reviewers and teachers be able to provide me with succinct feedback.
I'm attaching a Word doc here that details how I set up custom navigation buttons and added in automatic page numbering to eliminate the need to hard code the page numbers.
I just checked your solution regarding implementing the page numbering solution....Just one question: If the user jumps directly some 3 to 4 slides, will the page numbering still be intact......because your code just adds 1 to the current page number and displays it.....?
Once again, I would suggest that as course techniques move from "linear" to "non-linear", and "must-look-at" to "look at if you need to", the concept of "page numbers" becomes less and less relevant.
OK, so various official bodies may demand them, however, our job is to educate them into doing things in new ways - our profession is one of dynamism and action, not status-quo.
I always ask that clients provide feedback by using the image "I'd like the picture of the aardvark to have a red border", or the main titling "Could you please delete the picture of the ferret from the image entitled "Managing Director?", or whatever.
New paradigms, new ways of thinking have ripple effects, and this is one of thise ripples that we need to consider, explain and promote in order to be seen as the thought-leaders we need to be.
Well I understand what concept you are asking to practice.....I think page numers do not carry any relevance when the navigation is "look at if you need", but to be in a position to educate somebody I should be at the first place be knowing all the if's and but's to be ready with the further queries.....I mean if my client still insists to have the page numbers then I would be in a helpless position.....I think some system variables should be provided to the developer as they provide in Lectora!
Well Vinayak - I understand what you are saying, but the question to the client IMHO is more fundamental:
"Why do you feel Page Numbers will be useful?", and also "Let me explain to you why they are not there..."
My Storyline clients have always assumed they need these. I have always explained why they are optional in today's world, and they have (and I cannot think of any exceptions..)., gone "Ah! We see now!".
Perhaps the thing about SL in comparison to Lectora is that the users/developers/Articulate understand the learning market BETTER THAN Lectora, and see where it is going, so have not made them something that is standard.
The lack of numbers can be used as a perfectly strong selling point, and can help the process of moving your clients away from "linear thinking". We always had "scenes", "titles", and "pictures" to refer to, we just always let our eyes and minds drift to the bottom of the page, usually at the right-hand corner. There are plenty of ways to make a temporal reference that do not rely on Page Numbering.
If they link to e.g. a social learning site (using TinCan technology), or a video on YouTube - does that have a "page number"? No. Page numbering is harking back to, and reminding everyone of the PowerPoint days that we are (struggling?) to move away from. Sometimes educating and guiding clients means some tough debates. Perhaps I just enjoy the challenge of those too much
With due respect to your thoughts.....I just feel the same way you did. Educating the client is lot important and thats really a very good as challenge.....Well but I dont think Articulate would mind giving the feature of page numbering in their future versions.....though not now!
I'm with Bruce , though I sometimes wonder if something like a bar graph or series of hollowed circles that get filled in as the user progresses through the course (where, even if non-linear, the user has to visit all the pages), might sometimes be helpful for some. Or doing something easy with variables like "X of Y pages completed".
Don't get me wrong - I use a "hub" menu that changes states based on completion, but there's just no "Page Numbers".
I just do not "get" thinking of a course like a book now that we are in an age when pretty much anyone can now design and build a course that's more like a programme, website or piece of AI.
Would you expect Amazon to have page numbers? Why should a course? Amazon uses categories, and breadcrumb indicators, and Departments, and Featured Categories. Sticking religiously to page numbers as a default is, in my own humble and oft challenged opinion, lazy thinking.
We should point that sort of learning behaviour out more often if we want to be sen as adding something to business/learning thinking.
True--but I was trying to get at more of a "volume of material" concept as opposed to a strict page number concept. I sometimes think the learner is due that, or, at the very least, the amount of time usually required, though recently I've not used page numbers at all either.
I seem to remember Steve Flowers and I bantered around this, and suggested that a better way of thinking was not to look at "volume-based" thinking any more, but to try and move to "learning-based" measurement.
To do this, you would need to ensure that e.g. Scenes, or even slides in scenes, or perhaps even concepts in slides in scenes had markers associated to them, and that the learnig objectives of the course consisted of aggregations of these.
That way, in some whizzy programming way, you could say "You have now completed x% of the learning objectivs within this course".
I think this is a much better paradigm in which to think, and in fact, is the basis of the way that I try and construct my hub-menu based courses.
I think this is certainly the way things are going, learning-based, not "volume-based".
Quite a scary change for many people, especially the Institutes and Certifying bodies who still insist that the measurement of success is someone completing "X hours of learning..." !!!!
Okay, I can go with that learning objectives approach. Makes sense. Still volume-based in the broadest of sense--you have a volume of objectives to complete. (Just looking at ways to convince the most anal of customers to your approach. )
One of the things I like about Storyline are all the ways it lets you skin the cat. So, if you need page numbers for a particular client there's a way to pull it off.
Check out the example file here. This involves manual update of quite a few variables but it's not hard to do and doesn't take a heap of time.
I think some type of visual indication of the journey is really helpful. Whether thats a row of circles that show hollow or full or a grid of colored squares that "check off" as you succeed in the journey. Lots of options
But, yeah... I think "increments of accomplishment" are a more real and meaningful measure than pages in and pages to go. Breaking things down into increments of activity and mapping those to the completion indicators is an idiomatic way to deal with progress info (it may feel uncomfortable at first but once you see how it works "it clicks")
Bruce, Steve and Gerry....thanks a lot for discussing this thread which I updated yesterday. It's really been a very informative sesion in last few hours and I would pick up a few lines from all of you and put them hard on my client.....lets see if he agrees and updates himself.....
Thanks once again.....This is going to help others a lot!
Don't get me wrong - I use a "hub" menu that changes states based on completion, but there's just no "Page Numbers".
I just do not "get" thinking of a course like a book now that we are in an age when pretty much anyone can now design and build a course that's more like a programme, website or piece of AI.
Would you expect Amazon to have page numbers? Why should a course? Amazon uses categories, and breadcrumb indicators, and Departments, and Featured Categories. Sticking religiously to page numbers as a default is, in my own humble and oft challenged opinion, lazy thinking.
We should point that sort of learning behaviour out more often if we want to be sen as adding something to business/learning thinking.
Isn't that the job we get paid to do?
Yours rebelliously.
Bruce
Bruce, could you elaborate on your hub menu? Sounds like a great idea, (if you don't mind sharing that is ;o))
However being in the aviation industry and being regulated andscrutinized by Transport Canada and the FAA we are currently mandated toinclude page numbers on all pages for standards and compliancy documentationpurposes. Until TC and the FDA fully understand that online LMS Courses are nolonger linear, and for a new method for page documentation to be record, wemust abide by such standards or face certain penalties.
67 Replies
I had the same problem. I was able to get halfway there...by creating a custom variable (I called mine SlideNum), then adding a Player Trigger that increments SlideNum by 1 everytime the Next button is clicked. The trigger for this needs to be positioned above the trigger that sends the learner to the next page or it gets ignored.
Here's the problem with this approach -- Storyline doesn't appear to let you attach a trigger to the Previous button. The only player button that appears as a selectable object when you are setting up a trigger is the Next button. So, if the learner clicks backward, then goes forward again, the count continues to increase because you cannot subtract from the count using the Prev button. I was successful by creating my own back and forward buttons, but then had duplicate nav buttons on the screen as I haven't figured out how to suppress the player nav buttons.
I saw in a UK post that you cannot attach a Player Trigger to a Prev button, although I have no idea why that would be...perhaps it's just an oversight in the code.
Hello Laura,
Thanks for your reply.
We are still evaluating this product prior to us purchasing it. However this is an issue for us, as are regulators (Transport Canada) mandates us to include slide numbers for each and every page.
Thus if we did try to us the custom variable, it would have to work for moving forwards and backwards.
Even if I import a powerpoint with header and or footers with slide numbers, StoryLine seems to remove them.
I am not sure why they removed this option, slide numbers, in the first place.
I hope there is some sort of fix or alternative.
Hi all,
One of the problems in terms of applying page numbers was that various routes that users can take - and sometimes have to take via directions -- to work their way through a non-linear Storyline file. If you have a single slide that's layered with 6 layers, does each layer get a slide number? When you give users an option to "drill down" via a lightbox loop, do those extra slides that play in the lightbox get numbered? If the user skips the drilldown loop, does that change the numbers in the remaining to-be-seen slides? And, as you pointed out Laura, if you use the Back button, does that decrement the count, or increment it.
The same issues are reflected in terms of the time spent in the presentation; it's nigh impossible to predict accurately how much time it will take a user to get through a Storyline because users will spend more time or less time on a slide than will others; If they don't take a branch in the presentation, that actually results in a shorter time for the user. Some slides they'll skip. Thus, you'll see estimates that say "approximately 15 minutes" instead of "15:00"
There are so many variations that developers can come up with that throw an extra mnkey wrench in the mix that the developers opted for the structured numbers in the menu, but forewent (foregonned?) the numbering of slides.
If course if you have a straighforward linear presentation, you can add page numbers to the slides or use a variable to increment a displayed count. Straying from that straight and narrow, however, could confuse users...
M
Irregardless of the possible paths, why would they not have included some sort of function to allow for this if a user opted to? Such as the old header/footer.
Instead, I may have to add page numbers on each page, one by one, so for 100 slides. This seems not to be a viable solution.
You can easily suppress the player nav buttons: http://community.articulate.com/tutorials/products/controlling-a-slide-s-advance-behavior-and-other-slide-properties.aspx
I do it all the time and personally like the flexibility and possibilities with my own nav buttons.
Hi,
You can "turn on" the slide numbers from the Menu Options - the slide numbers will only be presented in the Menu, but if you have the menu open on the left or right side bars this may not be a problem.
Hi Matt,
I have a solution (and thanks so much to Gerry for the link to the instructions for turning off the nav.) My challenge is that I'm a consultant creating digital literacy training for people who have never used computers. My audience includes seniors, ELL students, and many people of all ages who have found themselves unemployed and lacking the tech skills needed to find a new job.
Since technology and language literacy are both issues for many of my learners, I'm using a minimalist approach on the navigation and on-screen text. I have been using a combination of Engage, Captivate and Flash for development which has worked well, but I wanted to try out Storyline to see if it would work better than combining the other three...I believe it will. Although the paging is important in order to eliminate the menu (visual overwhelm for my learners,) and still let reviewers and teachers be able to provide me with succinct feedback.
I'm attaching a Word doc here that details how I set up custom navigation buttons and added in automatic page numbering to eliminate the need to hard code the page numbers.
Regards,
Laura
Hi Laura,
I just checked your solution regarding implementing the page numbering solution....Just one question: If the user jumps directly some 3 to 4 slides, will the page numbering still be intact......because your code just adds 1 to the current page number and displays it.....?
Awaiting your reply ....
This has come up a number of times.
Once again, I would suggest that as course techniques move from "linear" to "non-linear", and "must-look-at" to "look at if you need to", the concept of "page numbers" becomes less and less relevant.
OK, so various official bodies may demand them, however, our job is to educate them into doing things in new ways - our profession is one of dynamism and action, not status-quo.
I always ask that clients provide feedback by using the image "I'd like the picture of the aardvark to have a red border", or the main titling "Could you please delete the picture of the ferret from the image entitled "Managing Director?", or whatever.
New paradigms, new ways of thinking have ripple effects, and this is one of thise ripples that we need to consider, explain and promote in order to be seen as the thought-leaders we need to be.
Bruce
Well I understand what concept you are asking to practice.....I think page numers do not carry any relevance when the navigation is "look at if you need", but to be in a position to educate somebody I should be at the first place be knowing all the if's and but's to be ready with the further queries.....I mean if my client still insists to have the page numbers then I would be in a helpless position.....I think some system variables should be provided to the developer as they provide in Lectora!
Well Vinayak - I understand what you are saying, but the question to the client IMHO is more fundamental:
"Why do you feel Page Numbers will be useful?", and also "Let me explain to you why they are not there..."
My Storyline clients have always assumed they need these. I have always explained why they are optional in today's world, and they have (and I cannot think of any exceptions..)., gone "Ah! We see now!".
Perhaps the thing about SL in comparison to Lectora is that the users/developers/Articulate understand the learning market BETTER THAN Lectora, and see where it is going, so have not made them something that is standard.
The lack of numbers can be used as a perfectly strong selling point, and can help the process of moving your clients away from "linear thinking". We always had "scenes", "titles", and "pictures" to refer to, we just always let our eyes and minds drift to the bottom of the page, usually at the right-hand corner. There are plenty of ways to make a temporal reference that do not rely on Page Numbering.
If they link to e.g. a social learning site (using TinCan technology), or a video on YouTube - does that have a "page number"? No. Page numbering is harking back to, and reminding everyone of the PowerPoint days that we are (struggling?) to move away from. Sometimes educating and guiding clients means some tough debates. Perhaps I just enjoy the challenge of those too much
Bruce
With due respect to your thoughts.....I just feel the same way you did. Educating the client is lot important and thats really a very good as challenge.....Well but I dont think Articulate would mind giving the feature of page numbering in their future versions.....though not now!
I'm with Bruce
, though I sometimes wonder if something like a bar graph or series of hollowed circles that get filled in as the user progresses through the course (where, even if non-linear, the user has to visit all the pages), might sometimes be helpful for some. Or doing something easy with variables like "X of Y pages completed".
Don't get me wrong - I use a "hub" menu that changes states based on completion, but there's just no "Page Numbers".
I just do not "get" thinking of a course like a book now that we are in an age when pretty much anyone can now design and build a course that's more like a programme, website or piece of AI.
Would you expect Amazon to have page numbers? Why should a course? Amazon uses categories, and breadcrumb indicators, and Departments, and Featured Categories. Sticking religiously to page numbers as a default is, in my own humble and oft challenged opinion, lazy thinking.
We should point that sort of learning behaviour out more often if we want to be sen as adding something to business/learning thinking.
Isn't that the job we get paid to do?
Yours rebelliously.
Bruce
True--but I was trying to get at more of a "volume of material" concept as opposed to a strict page number concept. I sometimes think the learner is due that, or, at the very least, the amount of time usually required, though recently I've not used page numbers at all either.
I seem to remember Steve Flowers and I bantered around this, and suggested that a better way of thinking was not to look at "volume-based" thinking any more, but to try and move to "learning-based" measurement.
To do this, you would need to ensure that e.g. Scenes, or even slides in scenes, or perhaps even concepts in slides in scenes had markers associated to them, and that the learnig objectives of the course consisted of aggregations of these.
That way, in some whizzy programming way, you could say "You have now completed x% of the learning objectivs within this course".
I think this is a much better paradigm in which to think, and in fact, is the basis of the way that I try and construct my hub-menu based courses.
I think this is certainly the way things are going, learning-based, not "volume-based".
Quite a scary change for many people, especially the Institutes and Certifying bodies who still insist that the measurement of success is someone completing "X hours of learning..." !!!!
Bruce
Okay, I can go with that learning objectives approach. Makes sense.
Still volume-based in the broadest of sense--you have a volume of objectives to complete. (Just looking at ways to convince the most anal of customers to your approach. 
)
One of the things I like about Storyline are all the ways it lets you skin the cat. So, if you need page numbers for a particular client there's a way to pull it off.
Check out the example file here. This involves manual update of quite a few variables but it's not hard to do and doesn't take a heap of time.
http://community.articulate.com/forums/p/13541/83370.aspx#83370
I think some type of visual indication of the journey is really helpful. Whether thats a row of circles that show hollow or full or a grid of colored squares that "check off" as you succeed in the journey. Lots of options
But, yeah... I think "increments of accomplishment" are a more real and meaningful measure than pages in and pages to go. Breaking things down into increments of activity and mapping those to the completion indicators is an idiomatic way to deal with progress info (it may feel uncomfortable at first but once you see how it works "it clicks")
"Increments of accomplishment" is my new favourite ID phrase.
Bruce
ID Bro fest in session.
Guys,
Bruce, Steve and Gerry....thanks a lot for discussing this thread which I updated yesterday. It's really been a very informative sesion in last few hours and I would pick up a few lines from all of you and put them hard on my client.....lets see if he agrees and updates himself.....
Thanks once again.....This is going to help others a lot!
Bruce, could you elaborate on your hub menu? Sounds like a great idea, (if you don't mind sharing that is ;o))
Thanks
Sure thing Margharita.
Run the attached .story file and you will get the idea.
**NOTE - it does NOT work using "Visited" states on the Hub Menu options - you need to create a custom state and variables.
Hopefully youi can play around with the attached and see how it all works.
Bruce
HelloBruce,
Fully agree with you on the page numbers etc.
However being in the aviation industry and being regulated andscrutinized by Transport Canada and the FAA we are currently mandated toinclude page numbers on all pages for standards and compliancy documentationpurposes. Until TC and the FDA fully understand that online LMS Courses are nolonger linear, and for a new method for page documentation to be record, wemust abide by such standards or face certain penalties.
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