I am very new to this, and just began teaching myself Storyline last week, so excuse me if this question is elementary:
I have a slide with a base layer and 4 different slide layers. The issue is, you can select the slide layers to begin playing before the base layer is complete. This results in mutiple sound files playing at once- which is just creepy! I just can't figure out how to prevent the user from moving forward until that base layer is finished.
Any help would be appreciated- this community is AMAZING! I have learned so much reading these posts.
Hi Siobhan, How have you set up your layers? Do users have to click a button to go to a layer?
If this is the case, you can diable the buttons until the timeline ends.
To do this click the button on the screen and then click the States tab - you will see that the storyline buttons have a number of built in states and there is a drop down list that shows the initial state.
Change the inital state for the button to Disabled and save
Now when you try the button, you will notice you can't click on it.
To make it active again, you have to add a trigger to it.
Action: Change State of
On Object: Button 1 ( or whatever the button name is on the timeline)
To state: Normal
When: Timeline Ends
This will trigger the button to become active when the timeline ends.
Do this for each button.
If you are not using buttons, let me know how you are jumping to the layers and I can tell you how to make it work.
One thing that you should do in the properties settings for each slide layer is select "Pause timeline of base layer" this will stop the audio from playing multiple tracks.
Is there a way to control when people can select the "next button", or signify that its time to hit the next button (ex: it lights up when the slide is finished)?
Hi Siobhan - if you are talking about the next button that is part of the Storyline interface, I am afraid there is nothing you can do to make it light up, dance or whatever. It just kind of sits there like a big lump.
You do have some options though - one is to hide the build in next and previous buttons and then add your own buttons to the slide and then you could create a custom state and put a highlight on it - and then create a trigger to change the state of the button to the highlight state when the timeline ends.
or - if you want to keep the standard buttons, you could add an object ( a little arrow or something) that point to the button. Have the arrow hidden (initial state) and then create a trigger to have the arrow show when the time line ends.
or - even simpler - just place the arrow at the end of the timeline and it will display when the timeline reaches the end. You could even put an animation effect on the arrow to spice it up a bit.
Hi Siobhan, How have you set up your layers? Do users have to click a button to go to a layer?
If this is the case, you can diable the buttons until the timeline ends.
To do this click the button on the screen and then click the States tab - you will see that the storyline buttons have a number of built in states and there is a drop down list that shows the initial state.
Change the inital state for the button to Disabled and save
Now when you try the button, you will notice you can't click on it.
To make it active again, you have to add a trigger to it.
Action: Change State of
On Object: Button 1 ( or whatever the button name is on the timeline)
To state: Normal
When: Timeline Ends
This will trigger the button to become active when the timeline ends.
Do this for each button.
If you are not using buttons, let me know how you are jumping to the layers and I can tell you how to make it work.
One thing that you should do in the properties settings for each slide layer is select "Pause timeline of base layer" this will stop the audio from playing multiple tracks.
I'm having a hard time applying this advice to my situation, but I feel like it should fit. I have five boxes on my screen. I want to be able to click on any one, in any order to hear a narration, without having all the narrations play at the same time if the student decides to start clicking while a narration is still playing. I tried adding layers (first I just had a trigger to play a .wav when the box is clicked). When I add a layer, though, I'm unable to select the boxes to change the states. all the boxes in the base layer are grayed out. Thanks in advance!
I just experience your problem. I have a base layer with 5 buttons, each button calls up different layer. Each layer has its own sound file. When I clicked a button and activated a layer, two audio files played at the same time.
My solution was to stop the sound on the base layer when a user clicks a button (activating a layer). This means you need to target the sound object on the base layer and create 5 seperate triggers aligned to each button.
For example: Select the sound object "Sound 1"
Trigger:
Action - Stop media
Media - Sound 1
When - User clicks
Object - Button 1
Repeat for each button! Not elegant, but effective.
Hi all, there is an easy way to prevent more than one audio file from playing at a time.
There is a slider layer property that controls this - on each of the layers that contains an audio clip, click on the Slide Layer Properties icon (the little wheel icon) and make sure the "Pause timeline of base layer" option is selected.
Also make sure the "Hide other layers" option is selected.
This will allow you to click on the buttons regardless of the layer you are on but will stop the audio from the base layer or any of the other layers from playing at the same time.
I have a question similar to this but a bit different. When the user clicks an object on the slide, it jumps to a new slide and the user can return to this slide after viewing all the slides, to select the next objects. Similar concept as a layer, but there are several slides to get through so layers didn't work.
Is there a way I can disable the trigger until the audio is finished playing? I didn't use hot spots because I have variables set up based on the visited state of the objects.
Hi Leatrice, add a disabled state to the object and set the initial state of the object to disabled. Add a trigger to change the state of the object to normal when the audio media completes.
Hi, i am having the same problem as Siobhan, I have made the chances with the states, but it will only work on two of six buttons. Do any of you have a solution to this?
I have six buttons with each layer, and I want the user to hear the speak, before they can click on the buttons. I have set the initial state disable and then put a trigger on, to change the state to normal when the timeline ends. But it only works on two of the buttons!!
13 Replies
Hi Siobhan, How have you set up your layers? Do users have to click a button to go to a layer?
If this is the case, you can diable the buttons until the timeline ends.
To do this click the button on the screen and then click the States tab - you will see that the storyline buttons have a number of built in states and there is a drop down list that shows the initial state.
Change the inital state for the button to Disabled and save
Now when you try the button, you will notice you can't click on it.
To make it active again, you have to add a trigger to it.
Action: Change State of
On Object: Button 1 ( or whatever the button name is on the timeline)
To state: Normal
When: Timeline Ends
This will trigger the button to become active when the timeline ends.
Do this for each button.
If you are not using buttons, let me know how you are jumping to the layers and I can tell you how to make it work.
One thing that you should do in the properties settings for each slide layer is select "Pause timeline of base layer" this will stop the audio from playing multiple tracks.
THAT'S IT! Thank you so much.
Follow-up question:
Is there a way to control when people can select the "next button", or signify that its time to hit the next button (ex: it lights up when the slide is finished)?
Thanks so much.
Hi Siobhan - if you are talking about the next button that is part of the Storyline interface, I am afraid there is nothing you can do to make it light up, dance or whatever. It just kind of sits there like a big lump.
You do have some options though - one is to hide the build in next and previous buttons and then add your own buttons to the slide and then you could create a custom state and put a highlight on it - and then create a trigger to change the state of the button to the highlight state when the timeline ends.
or - if you want to keep the standard buttons, you could add an object ( a little arrow or something) that point to the button. Have the arrow hidden (initial state) and then create a trigger to have the arrow show when the time line ends.
or - even simpler - just place the arrow at the end of the timeline and it will display when the timeline reaches the end. You could even put an animation effect on the arrow to spice it up a bit.
Thanks again! I will add my own buttons...
I'm having a hard time applying this advice to my situation, but I feel like it should fit. I have five boxes on my screen. I want to be able to click on any one, in any order to hear a narration, without having all the narrations play at the same time if the student decides to start clicking while a narration is still playing. I tried adding layers (first I just had a trigger to play a .wav when the box is clicked). When I add a layer, though, I'm unable to select the boxes to change the states. all the boxes in the base layer are grayed out. Thanks in advance!
Hi Siobhan,
I just experience your problem. I have a base layer with 5 buttons, each button calls up different layer. Each layer has its own sound file. When I clicked a button and activated a layer, two audio files played at the same time.
My solution was to stop the sound on the base layer when a user clicks a button (activating a layer). This means you need to target the sound object on the base layer and create 5 seperate triggers aligned to each button.
For example:
Select the sound object "Sound 1"
Trigger:
Action - Stop media
Media - Sound 1
When - User clicks
Object - Button 1
Repeat for each button! Not elegant, but effective.
Hi all, there is an easy way to prevent more than one audio file from playing at a time.
There is a slider layer property that controls this - on each of the layers that contains an audio clip, click on the Slide Layer Properties icon (the little wheel icon) and make sure the "Pause timeline of base layer" option is selected.
Also make sure the "Hide other layers" option is selected.
This will allow you to click on the buttons regardless of the layer you are on but will stop the audio from the base layer or any of the other layers from playing at the same time.
Nancy W, this was exactly what I was looking for today. Thank you!
Hey Mary Ann, I'm glad I could help.
I have a question similar to this but a bit different. When the user clicks an object on the slide, it jumps to a new slide and the user can return to this slide after viewing all the slides, to select the next objects. Similar concept as a layer, but there are several slides to get through so layers didn't work.
Is there a way I can disable the trigger until the audio is finished playing? I didn't use hot spots because I have variables set up based on the visited state of the objects.
Hi Leatrice, add a disabled state to the object and set the initial state of the object to disabled. Add a trigger to change the state of the object to normal when the audio media completes.
Hi, i am having the same problem as Siobhan, I have made the chances with the states, but it will only work on two of six buttons. Do any of you have a solution to this?
I have six buttons with each layer, and I want the user to hear the speak, before they can click on the buttons. I have set the initial state disable and then put a trigger on, to change the state to normal when the timeline ends. But it only works on two of the buttons!!
Thanks - Ditte
If you want the learner to have to listen to the audio, change the state to normal when the audio ends, rather than when the timeline ends.
If this doesn't solve your problem, attach your .story file here.
This discussion is closed. You can start a new discussion or contact Articulate Support.