I don't think this is possible but it surely would be useful... I'd like to have several different SL modules linked together to appear as a single experience for the user. I'd like to have the full menu (contents of all the SL files) appear in each of the modules. Clicking a menu item in any of the modules would either jump you to the appropriate slide if it was in the same module or open one of the other modules (in the same browser window) for a nearly seamless experience. Anyone know if you can do that?
SL does not provide this functionality. The course menu items only link to an internal path in teh story.
There are many work-arounds, however, you need to know that almost all workarounds will open a new story in a new window out-of-box. You are looking for a "multi-SCO" pacakage. Adobe Captivate can import SL zip files into it's multi-SCO packager for this.
If you actually do not care about tracking, I have attached a html file that will provide you the ability to display SL projects in a frame.
That's an interesting idea but not quite what I'm looking for. I really want to keep the navigation internal to SL using the built in menu function. I wasn't thinking about tracking for this particular example but that is an important consideration going forward. I can think of a few workarounds that don't use the menu that could work (like a lightbox menu trigger from the top bar a la Resources) but I certainly appreciate your help.
You could add a slide (that is visible in your menu) with two triggers one to open your webpage in a new window on timeline start and another to jump to previous slide on timeline start, in that order their may be a slight flicker which could be made better with good design of that slide.
Thanks for the reply but I'm not sure I understand your suggestion.
I've made 3 SL files that I want to appear to the user to be a single unit sharing the same left-side menu. At the end of the first file the Next button opens file 2 in the same browser window and at the end of the 2nd file the Next button opens file 3 in the same browser window. Likewise the Back button on the first slide of file 2 open the last slide of file 1 (and the Back button on the first slide of file 3 opens the last slide of file 2) in the same window. (All files need to have "Always resume where left off" for this to work.) If I don't display a menu on the left for any of the 3 files this all works seamlessly, with the exception of the brief spinning gear as each new file loads in the window.
The problem is I can't have a unified menu on the left that let's me jump around among the 3 files. I don't think it's currently possible but maybe I'm missing something.
I think a unified menu is not really going to work well here, you can jump to another presentation using the method |I describe but not make it look seamless or make the menu work well
Are you trying to keep file size down or is it editing concerns that prevent you from importing each program into a scene in one storyline file?
Or are you trying to track completion by individual program?
What if the menu linked to slides with web objects that opened the other courses? Each program would have it's own menu plus slides in the menu for Module X and Y that go to the web objects. I did this a couple years back in Studio and it worked there but I have not played with it in Storyline.
In alignment with Tim, If all your story files total no more than, let's say, 300 MB, you can simply import the stories into a master story file. Importing each story into a new scene will create the integrated multi-SCO menu for you and IS the proper solution.
If all else fails, you can always create a multi-SCO using the reload editor and hide you menus in SL. The resulting manifest file will be large, however, so you need to test this on your LMS very well.
Tim, I'm not concerned with tracking at all but keeping the file size down is important. I have a course (a systems help file essentially) that could potentially have many modules of screen recordings each several hundred megabytes in size. It isn't really feasible to import them all into one huge single file as editing would be cumbersome at best and then just opening, saving and publishing would take ages. It makes more sense to have individual modules all linked together.
Dennis, I'm not concerned with loading this to an LMS or tracking it; it won't even be on an LMS, just a webserver that can be accessed from the application via a Help button as necessary by the user.
I know there are all kinds of other ways I can create menus to link modules together and I've used many of them for other courses. I was just trying to explore whether or not it was possible to use the built in menu function in SL to do so. I think we've established that it's not. But I sure appreciate the creative suggestions you guys have come up with.
I understand cost is a major factor for builting a help system using SL, however, MadCap, Adobe, and others as well as many free open-source help systems that you install on your platform will best fit your requirement.
9 Replies
Hi Brett:
SL does not provide this functionality. The course menu items only link to an internal path in teh story.
There are many work-arounds, however, you need to know that almost all workarounds will open a new story in a new window out-of-box. You are looking for a "multi-SCO" pacakage. Adobe Captivate can import SL zip files into it's multi-SCO packager for this.
If you actually do not care about tracking, I have attached a html file that will provide you the ability to display SL projects in a frame.
Best Regards,
Dennis Hall
Hi Dennis,
That's an interesting idea but not quite what I'm looking for. I really want to keep the navigation internal to SL using the built in menu function. I wasn't thinking about tracking for this particular example but that is an important consideration going forward. I can think of a few workarounds that don't use the menu that could work (like a lightbox menu trigger from the top bar a la Resources) but I certainly appreciate your help.
Regards,
Brett
You could add a slide (that is visible in your menu) with two triggers one to open your webpage in a new window on timeline start and another to jump to previous slide on timeline start, in that order their may be a slight flicker which could be made better with good design of that slide.
That is the way I would do it.
Hi Phil,
Thanks for the reply but I'm not sure I understand your suggestion.
I've made 3 SL files that I want to appear to the user to be a single unit sharing the same left-side menu. At the end of the first file the Next button opens file 2 in the same browser window and at the end of the 2nd file the Next button opens file 3 in the same browser window. Likewise the Back button on the first slide of file 2 open the last slide of file 1 (and the Back button on the first slide of file 3 opens the last slide of file 2) in the same window. (All files need to have "Always resume where left off" for this to work.) If I don't display a menu on the left for any of the 3 files this all works seamlessly, with the exception of the brief spinning gear as each new file loads in the window.
The problem is I can't have a unified menu on the left that let's me jump around among the 3 files. I don't think it's currently possible but maybe I'm missing something.
I think a unified menu is not really going to work well here, you can jump to another presentation using the method |I describe but not make it look seamless or make the menu work well
Brett;
Are you trying to keep file size down or is it editing concerns that prevent you from importing each program into a scene in one storyline file?
Or are you trying to track completion by individual program?
What if the menu linked to slides with web objects that opened the other courses? Each program would have it's own menu plus slides in the menu for Module X and Y that go to the web objects. I did this a couple years back in Studio and it worked there but I have not played with it in Storyline.
Just grasping at straws trying to help.
Tim
Hi Brett:
In alignment with Tim, If all your story files total no more than, let's say, 300 MB, you can simply import the stories into a master story file. Importing each story into a new scene will create the integrated multi-SCO menu for you and IS the proper solution.
If all else fails, you can always create a multi-SCO using the reload editor and hide you menus in SL. The resulting manifest file will be large, however, so you need to test this on your LMS very well.
Best Regards,
Dennis Hall
Tim and Dennis,
Thanks again for commenting and suggesting.
Tim, I'm not concerned with tracking at all but keeping the file size down is important. I have a course (a systems help file essentially) that could potentially have many modules of screen recordings each several hundred megabytes in size. It isn't really feasible to import them all into one huge single file as editing would be cumbersome at best and then just opening, saving and publishing would take ages. It makes more sense to have individual modules all linked together.
Dennis, I'm not concerned with loading this to an LMS or tracking it; it won't even be on an LMS, just a webserver that can be accessed from the application via a Help button as necessary by the user.
I know there are all kinds of other ways I can create menus to link modules together and I've used many of them for other courses. I was just trying to explore whether or not it was possible to use the built in menu function in SL to do so. I think we've established that it's not. But I sure appreciate the creative suggestions you guys have come up with.
Hi Brett:
I understand cost is a major factor for builting a help system using SL, however, MadCap, Adobe, and others as well as many free open-source help systems that you install on your platform will best fit your requirement.
Best Regards,
Dennis Hall
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