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Add and Display a Learner’s Name in Storyline 360

CommunityTeam's avatar
11 years ago

Community members often ask how to add and display a learner’s name in their Storyline 360 courses. I love that feature because it’s a really simple way to personalize your project and boost learner engagement. Let me walk you through this easy three-step process to show you how.

1. Add a text-entry box to capture the name

The first thing you’ll want to do is insert a text-entry field where learners will input their name. From the Insert tab select Input and then choose Text Entry Field.

From there, you can format your text entry any way you want.

View the Demo and Download the Template

A best practice is to include both a simple instruction telling the user what text to enter and a button to click to submit that information. This button can have a trigger that links to the next slide in your course.

2. Edit the variable associated with your text-entry field

Next, rename the variable associated with your data-entry field. By default, a variable named “TextEntry” will be assigned to the text-entry field, but it’s a good best practice to give your variables meaningful and descriptive names.

Open the variable manager by clicking the Manage Project Variables icon in the trigger panel and then double-clicking on the TextEntry variable that Storyline 360 just created.

Click inside the name field and rename the variable “LearnerName” or something similar that describes the variable. Be sure to leave the default value blank so no information appears until the user enters his or her name.

3. Insert a variable reference to display the name

Now that you’ve created the text-entry field where the learner enters his or her name, and you’ve stored the information in a variable with a clear and descriptive label, the final step is to show the user name inside a caption further along in your course. You do this by inserting a reference to a variable.

Insert a text-entry box and type the text you want to appear on the slide. Now, with the cursor inside the textbox, choose the spot where you want to reference the user’s name. On the Insert tab, you’ll see the Insert Reference icon. 

Click that icon to insert a reference to that variable everywhere you want your user’s name to appear.

And that’s all there is to it! In just a few clicks, you’ve added a personal touch to your e-learning course. And if you’re in a hurry, save yourself a little time and download this template.

Do you have any tips or best practices about using text variables in Storyline 360? If you do, leave a comment below. We love to hear your feedback! 

Want to try this out, but don’t have Articulate 360? Start a free 30-day trial, and come back to E-Learning Heroes regularly for more helpful advice on everything related to e-learning. If you have any questions, please share them in the comments.

Published 11 years ago
Version 1.0
  • question. How can I make an entry into the text field mandatory? I.E. user cannot advance without entering something in the text field? Way I have it now, it works and calls the variable and puts user name in, but they can also just click the 'next' button and have no name. I feel the answer is right in front of me but I cant see it :)
    • NicoleLegault1's avatar
      NicoleLegault1
      Community Member
      Hi Caroline! Thanks for the question.

      Here's one solution: add a trigger to the next button that only jumps to the next slide IF the value of username variable is NOT equal to a blank value.

      To do that, add a new trigger to the next button or submit button the user clicks after they enter their name. At the bottom of the Trigger click "Show Conditions" and add a condition. From List make sure "Variable" is checked, and from the drop down with variables select your username variable. Next, under "operator" choose "NOT equal to", under type leave "Value" and then in the Value field, leave it blank.

      Once you do this, the submit or next button will not work so long as the text entry field is blank. There has to be at least one value (letter) in it when the user clicks Next or Submit, to be able to move along to the next slide. Hopefully this helps and you understand the directions. Let me know if you need further help!
  • AmyHarry's avatar
    AmyHarry
    Community Member
    A text variable is causing my course to crash. I have followed the steps above--insert text entry field, get reference. It crashes my course every time, even after deleting the original variables and the text entry box. Is there something else to this?
  • mohammeddib's avatar
    mohammeddib
    Community Member
    this is so great , i like it ; can you please send me this template .story please ;; i really need it in my project if you want :) ^^
  • This is a fantastic idea! I just tested this and it even works in quiz questions/answer choices. I can't wait to show this off! Thank you for sharing!!
    • MattMcGuire-280's avatar
      MattMcGuire-280
      Community Member
      Hi Julie- I had the same issue, but I finally found it. Insert>Input>Text Entry Field is under Date Entry.
      • JulieSullivan-9's avatar
        JulieSullivan-9
        Community Member
        Matt...thank you, I found it and will try it now, appreciate the note. Julie
  • Thanks! I also developed the same but, I want to validate it so that person can not be able to add the wrong name or special character or symbols in the name field.
  • MicheleMiner's avatar
    MicheleMiner
    Community Member
    I ran into an issue with the reference variable not working when I used a text-entry box like it describes in section 3. In order for the variable to display on other screens, I had to insert a text box, not a text-entry box and reference the variable.

    Did anyone else run into this issue?
  • BrianDaji's avatar
    BrianDaji
    Community Member
    Hi,

    Does anyone know of a way to do this in Rise 360 (without having to add Storyline blocks)?

    Cheers :-)
  • KurikoA's avatar
    KurikoA
    Community Member
    Just a heads-up that if you have used this feature in any of your courses, your course is not compliant with WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility guidelines. You will need to either inform your client or employer that their courses are not accessibility-compliant, or remove the 'Enter your name' text entry fields from your courses altogether. Please refer to this discussion thread for more information: https://community.articulate.com/discussions/articulate-storyline/storyline-360-not-compliant-with-wcag-2-1-aa-accessibility-guidelines. Articulate is yet to provide a time frame for when Storyline will support purpose declaration on text entry fields. Until then, Storyline is not capable of meeting Criterion 1.3.5 of WCAG 2.1 AA.