Using a Simple Storyline Number Variable to Show Learners How Many Objects They've Found

Jeanette Brooks
By Jeanette Brooks

I love Storyline variables. Which might come as a surprise if you know me, because I am SO not a programmer! But that's the cool thing about Storyline—variables and other concepts that used to feel way above my head are now actually really easy and <gasp> fun if you use Storyline. Even cooler is the fact that variables can be great tools for making a course more interactive and responsive to your learners.

Check out the example below. It's a simple demo that was shared in a forum conversation with fellow community member Anne England. Anne wanted to create a seek-and-find interaction in which a visible counter shows learners how many correct objects they've found so far. Storyline variables to the rescue! By using a number variable and just a few simple triggers, you can easily create a tally to keep track of how many items the learner has clicked.

Want to learn more? Take a five-minute tour of how to build the interaction:

And if you'd like to take a look at the source project, you can download the .story file here.

How are you using Storyline variables in your projects? Head over to the Storyline forum and share your tips, tricks, and samples with the rest of the community! Or, if you have a project where you think variables might be useful but you're not sure how to incorporate them, post your questions in the Storyline forum and let the community help you out!

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37 Comments
Shwetha Bhaskar
over 11 years ago01/11/13 at 9:04 am (UTC)
I LOVE variables! It was the biggest edge Captivate had over Articulate in the past but Storyline has changed that. I'm no programmer but I found that knowing basic programming concepts related to variables, 'if-then' statements, etc. helps open up all kinds of possibilities in Storyline. I would highly recommend playing around with 'Scratch' to get a hang of these http://scratch.mit.edu/ I actually just posted a sample using variables in response to a General Discussion post. I'll add it to the Storyline forum now as well...
Thor Jormun
11 years ago02/06/13 at 8:47 am (UTC)
Variables working inconsistently on iPad Safari (HTML5). 1. Inserted a numberic variable reference into a text field. 2. Used a trigger on Next and Previous nav buttons to increment & decrement value. Results - works in Flash, displaying updated variable reference. On iPad - the variable is visibly updated, then it reverts back. I'm experiencing other issues as well. - Is there a "best practices" guideline for optimizing published content for HTML5? This would be really helpful in deciding whether to invest in Articulate Storyline for publishing content to iPad. Thank you.
Jeanette Brooks
11 years ago02/06/13 at 8:51 am (UTC)
Hi Thor - Would you mind submitting a case to our support team on those issues? http://www.articulate.com/support/contact/submit.php Regarding a best practices doc, there is a grid on this page which identifies how HTML5, Flash, and the Articulate Mobile Player handle features differently: http://www.articulate.com/support/kb_article.php?product=st1&id=1568gg1ayot2
Rainey Blackwell-Bullock
11 years ago04/01/13 at 10:44 am (UTC)
Hi Jeanette, I'm unable to find a way to post a question directly to you anymore, and hope you'll understand that I'm asking an unrelated question here. I've created a quiz, but need to delete two questions. How can I ensure that my total point system won't be thrown off when I delete the questions? Is there a trick or a helpful page in Quizmaker that will assist with this? The quiz has two questions that assess the same content, so that if the participant misses the first question they are required to take the second question. Thanks! Rainey
Jeanette Brooks
11 years ago04/01/13 at 5:46 pm (UTC)
Rainey, Quizmaker calculates pass/fail based on percent, so if you need to delete thise two questions you would probably want to also reevaluate your pass/fail cutoff. If you need some specific guidance though, the best thing to do would be to start a new thread in the Quizmaker forum, and describe in detail what you're having trouble with. https://community.articulate.com/forums/articulate-quizmaker. It's also really helpful if you can attach your .quiz file to your post so the community has a clear idea of what you're working with.
Jeanette Brooks
almost 11 years ago05/04/13 at 12:21 pm (UTC)
@Lisa: Here's a tutorial by Mike, which shows how to create a name variable. It's super easy! :) http://www.screenr.com/Xlw8 @Yogesh: I'm not sure what you have in mind - can you start a new thread in the Storyline forum with a little more info about what you're wanting to do? Here's where you can create a new post: https://community.articulate.com/forums/articulate-storyline
Ellen Lones
almost 11 years ago05/12/13 at 1:11 pm (UTC)
Hi Jeanette, I have some gamelike interactions built in storyline and want to import them individually into an already created PowerPoint presentation, but when I go to the Articulate tooolbar, there is no choice titled "Storyline" or .story in the toolbar. How can I load them into my Articulate presentation and edit them if needed as I do with other interactions in the presentation itself? Thanks, Ellen
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