Help with subdue on menu

Apr 19, 2019

I have made a master layout with a 'menu' layer that shows when users click on a 'hamburger' icon. Each text box has a hover state so it highlights as you move down the list. Each box jumps to its section in the presentation. Navigation back to the menu is via the line icon in the upper right corner.

I want to have the text boxes show a 'visited' state when you go back to the main menu from each section. I have made a visited state for each text box, but when I go back to the menu, it always shows the initial state. I've tried setting the master to resume saved state but I get the same result.

I've also tried writing variables to change the states of the rectangles with no success.

I am attaching a screen grab of the master showing the main menu. The 'hamburger' is on the base and the text boxes are on a layer.

I'm hoping someone has a sample file that behaves the way I've described so I can view the programming.

Thanks, any help is appreciated.

9 Replies
Walt Hamilton

1. Duplicate Visited state and name it Completed.

2. Delete Visited state

3. create NavVariable1 as T/F with default value of False

4. When slide 1.2 Introduction opens, set variable NavVariable1 to True.

5. When Timeline starts on Menu layer, set Rectangle 1 state to completed if NavVariable 1 = True.

6. Repeat for menu items 2 - 6, giving each its own unique NavVariable number.

There is a sample here: https://community.articulate.com/discussions/articulate-storyline/free-sample-restricted-and-free-random-navigation-using-variables-and-triggers  

that show how that works. The menu isn't on a layer, but the principles are the same.

Charles Radanovich

Thanks Walt, that was helpful, but I can't get the menu to work in a 'free' way.

When I view a section, then click on the menu the text box is in the completed state, but when I view another section and click on the menu agin, the one I had first looked at goes back to its normal state. In other words, the menu is not 'remembering' what I've already viewed.

I tried to find the solution in the file you sent, but I couldn't see anything wrong in my file unless it has to do with your Method variable (which I tried both on the master and the individual slides) or maybe this can never work because I have the menu on the master.

I don't want to put the menu on each screen because this will be getting translated by hand in different markets.

If you can look at the file, please email me cr@frontscreenconsulting.com

Charles Radanovich

Per earlier posting, I made variables named NavVariable1 through 6, the total number of my menu items with a default value of false.

On the master menu I used a the trigger 'Change state of Rectangle[x] - [text name] to completed when NavVariable[1] changes to True'. This worked fine except that the menu didn't remember which sections had been completed. The menu items kept reverting back to their initial state.

Walt stepped in again and told me that the trigger I was using didn't remember which sections had been visited because they only fire at the moment the variable is changing, and only on the slide that changes the variable.

Per his additional instruction, I changed the triggers on the master menu layer to "Change state of Rectangle [x] -[text name] to Completed when timeline starts if NavVariable[1] is equal to true'. 

I wrote this same trigger for each of the Rectangles on the master layer and added the specific trigger to each slide affected by the menu links. 

This works now so if users complete a section and go back to the menu, the Completed state shows so they know where they've been.

Charles Radanovich

Hello, I'm back again with a new problem on a new version of the same screen.

Currently, my 'menu' screen has 4 text box items with a picture next to each one.

The problem is that when I click on the box and jump to it's section, I want to have both the box AND it's picture subdue when I go back to the menu.

I wan't users to be able to choose whether they click on the box OR the picture. Now it only subdues one or the other.

I can't figure out what variable to add and I think maybe the states are wrong on the 'box'.

In this sample, only the top left box and picture are functional.

Thanks in advance.

Charles Radanovich

To add to my problems, if user chooses to navigate using the 'hamburger' icon, when navigating back to the main menu screen via the 'menu' text button, the drop down is still visible and all the drop down rectangles are in their 'normal' state.

The drop down shouldn't ever show when you go back, but it does -- that's why client asked me to add a button to close the drop down, which I'd rather not have. But even if the client insists on having the 'X' button for their own reasons, the state should show as 'completed' when going back via the 'menu' button.

Oddly, if you initially navigate using the hamburger, then go to a different drop down item, the previous one correctly shows the prior rectangle as 'complete'. This really has me stumped.

The behavior overall seems to be the worst when you navigate using a combination of the section title boxes on the menu screen, then switch to using drop down menu. If you stick to one or the other, everything seems to work as planned.

I've put in placeholder screens so all items on the menu screen now jump to placeholder screens for each section which may make the problems a little clearer.

So to put this all  more concise, what I'd like to do is:

Have the section title boxes and their pictures on the main menu screen show as 'completed' (subdued) when users navigate using either the 'hamburger' drop down OR the text boxes OR their pictures.

The drop down menu should not show when navigating back to the menu screen via the 'menu' text button. 

I have attached the more complete file here. I am thoroughly confused and would appreciate help again!

Walt Hamilton

Charles,

You are on the right track with the triggers on the Master, you just didn't follow through far enough. I worked on the Peer Coaching menu items, and they are doing what I think you want. Here is what I did.

1. What you want to do is too complicated to rely on "Visited" states, and "Resume Saved State", so you have to personally command everything. To do that, you need something to fire all your triggers, and the most reliable option available is the start of the timeline of the slide. To get it to start, you have to set the slide to "Reset to Initial State", and use the start of the slide timeline to fire all your menu triggers. This action has the added bonus of starting the slide with the menu layer hidden, which solves the problem of hiding the menu.

2.For the same reason, on the menu layer of the Master, each menu item is set to change to "Completed" state when timeline starts if NavVariable[#] is true. It currently fires on the start of the timeline of each item, and needs to be changed to the start of the timeline of the layer instead.

3. For the Peer Coaching picture, I copied the "Visited" state and named it "Completed". I deleted "Visited", because as a built-in state, it carries its own automatic activities, which may conflict with yours. I created a trigger to Change the state of Menu1 to Completed when the timeline of the slide starts On Condition NavVariable1 = True.

4. For the Peer Coaching text, I copied the "Selected" state and named it "Completed". I left the selected state, so it changes color when clicked. I created a trigger to Change the state of Introduction to Completed when the timeline of the slide starts On Condition NavVariable1 = True.

Under all circumstances I could think of, once you visit the Peer Coaching page, no matter how you return to the menu page, the drop down menu is closed, the menu item, the picture, and the text pointing to Peer Coaching are all in subdued color.

 

Charles Radanovich

Thank you again Walt,

I never would have figured this out. I followed you instructions and now everything works perfectly. I turned off the "X" on the master because I don't need it now. I hope the client doesn't dream up more functionality challenges since this method needs to be used in multiple modules! 

I really appreciate your help.

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