Creating Custom Previous Next Controls and including them in template

May 18, 2016

Is it possible to create custom previous, next and other controls and include them in a template or slide master so that when I or someone else inserts a new slide the controls will be consistent across presentations?

If I edit the slide master I can add shapes that I'd like to use as my navigation controls but when I exit the slide master view, the objects become unavailable to associate with triggers or to interact with. 

Can I specify custom navigation controls and where they should be placed on a slide?

16 Replies
Pierre Jouan

Hi Michael,

You actually lose any control over buttons in slide master.

What I've done is a spare Master with only elements to copy and paste in slides where you need custom actions (like "go to next scene"). Users open Master View and copy and paste those controls where needed (they are positioned at the exact same place as the ones in masters).

One other annoying thing is that you lose links between slides when you disable default controls and you get horizontal tiny thumbs. What we do is disabling default buttons just before publishing.

Jiayu Dudderidge

No problem, I'll try.

Click Vew > Slide Master > In the left panel , use a blank page to add your custom navigation control( with triggers)   > Close Slide Master View > Now you are back to slide view > on the left panel where you can see all your slides, right mouse click > choose "new slide" option > in the pop out window under "Basic layout" , the template you just created in the slide master view should be visible. > Click insert and the new slide you just created will have all the control and triggers.

Hope I am clear and this is what you trying to achieve.

 

Michael O'Brien

When I do that the triggers don't show up on the slide designer but do actually work if I preview the scene. Also the "Story View" doesn't show my slides as being in sequence even though they are linked. 

Is there a way to make it more generic so that I can decide on each slide as I design it where the "next" and "previous" buttons go to?

Michael O'Brien

Actually it gets a bit stranger. If I duplicate the slide layout in Slide Master and rename it to Navigation. I can apply it to new slides and the triggers and story view does show the new sequence but when I preview the project the new slides don't execute the trigger.

If I change the layout on the 2 slides I had added earlier to use the new Navigation layout the trigger details don't appear in the slide designer view.

I've updated the attached story with more details. 

Pierre Jouan

Your right arrow has lost its target in your master. But branching is actually very specific (absolute) to Slide 1 from Scene 1 so its nearly useless to have it as a master. I think it would make sense only if you could say "Jump to first slide of this scene" or "Jump to first slide of this story" from within the master.

Michael O'Brien

Thats it while the triggers are now showing up, it doesn't matter what I change them to as it will be the value in the slide master that gets executed.

I know the theory falls down when it comes to specifics but ideally I'd like to be able to control from the design view where the navigation controls go to (more then likely it will always be next and previous) but also associate other triggers with the same navigation buttons so in 1 use I could set variables, before going to the next slide another time I could execute javascript (for example) by adding the correct trigger. 

As it stands I can add triggers only to the slide master level that would apply to every slide that used that layout or copy and paste the navigation controls into each slide each time I add a new slide. 

Pierre Jouan

Exactly. That's why I have those spare buttons on a blank master so that users copy & paste them over the "background" ones.

I had high hopes about customizing Master Slides but they don't even keep variables so that's why we ended up with bit to copy and paste...

https://community.articulate.com/discussions/articulate-storyline/variables-in-slide-master-not-saved-with-template-or-themes

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