Has anyone every created a storyboard that includes a section on each screen for the triggers and variables that create the interactions the storyboard describes?
I am not a natural programmer-type, and keeping track of which elements of which triggers are responsible for creating which interactions on each slide is driving me crazy. I've searched, but haven't found anything ready-made, and I'm planning to try to draft something on my own. But I thought I'd ask first.
Interesting concept. I'm not sure I would want my clients to see all the triggers, variables, and conditions in a course via the storyboard.
That being said, it would be pretty nice to be able to print them out when troubleshooting why one slide works but another doesn't.
At the moment, my go-to solution for viewing and troubleshooting triggers and understanding which triggers are associated with a specific action/event is to use a screen capture tool!
I know this is a feature that has been requested in the past. Perhaps adding your request to the list might help move it along?
Ah - not that kind of storyboard! This would be an in-house document only - not for client eyes.
Screen capture is kind of pain for troubleshooting. Often I need to set a working screen side by side with one that isn't and should work in a similar way.
Sure! I'll add it to the list. In the meantime, I'm drafting ... :-)
Sounds like a plan! I know this feature has been requested several times but has not made its way to a production release. As I don't work for Articulate, I am not privy to what features will be coming out. We can hope that it makes the cut in the near future! :)
Excellent point Matthew. I've learned by back-engineering tons of Storyline samples! Not sure I would have the patience to document that many triggers, conditions, and variables. :)
As it is, I am building stuff ... and re-building, and re-building, and re-building because I really don't understand what I'm doing. There's no time to undertake a thorough study of triggers and variables (although, believe me, I've consulted help articles galore) and absolutely no time to make "a few little samples." Such is the life of the working ID. I'm in the trenches, Matthew. I need a few crutches, not a course of study. :-)
A little something to help you get a grasp on what variables are and how they can be used:
I got home last night, and the cat insisted he had not been fed all day, and was STARVING. I hadn't been there all day, so I didn't know, and my wife was off to her quilting party, so I couldn't ask her. Fortunately, she left a note on the counter that said "I fed the cat", so I knew not to feed him again.
The note she left me is the variable. I couldn't see her feed the cat, but I could see the note and know what went on while I was gone. Storyline is just like I was. One slide has no way of knowing what happens on another slide, but it can read a message left for it in a variable, and know what the learner did on another slide, provided you, the developer used those actions on that other slide to change the contents of a variable.
The cat got pretty insistent, so I gave him a snack, crossed out her message, and wrote, "He's also had a bedtime snack", and went to my meeting.
The note is the variable. Everybody can see it, and it never changes unless you, the author, create a trigger to change it.
My wife is getting older (I'm not, just she), and takes a bunch of medicines. She puts them in one of those little plastic gadgets with seven boxes. Every night, (if she remembers :) ) she looks in the box for that day. If it is empty, she knows she has taken her pills that day.
The pill box is the variable. She can't always remember everything, but if the box has pills in it, she knows to take them.
Variables are designed to be seen everywhere, but not heard (much like small children of a previous generation). SL cannot multi-task, so only one slide at a time can be active. SL has no memory, so when a slide becomes active, it can't know what went on while it was hibernating. That's why variables were invented. Each slide can look at the note (variable) and by seeing what is on there now, it can know what went on somewhere else, or some other time. I couldn't hear my wife write the note, but I can read it and know what went on at home while I was not there.
Like Matthew says, a specific question here will almost always get quick and useful help.
I would document on the slide use off-stage objects and add explanations there, it is much easier writing code as you can document it as you go along, but even then it is often meaningless when you leave that moment of building.
There is no right way to build anything, there are more elegant ways to build things. My mantra is always to build parts and test and then build on top of what I know works (a bit like lego). I Try to separate different functions so they can be easily switched on and off for example, if I need a calculator function I will build it on a layer or a hidden object (that I change to normal) so I can reduce the triggers on the base layer. this way even the most complex interaction can look 'neat & tidy'.
Personally, I think you will waste a lot of time creating a document to capture all of this, as often a build is fluid and a lot can change in a day. As Matt suggested, if you are having issues post them here, ask support or even message someone who appears amenable. We have all been there, I definitely get buried sometimes and cannot work out why something doesn't work. On these days I often go and do something less boring instead.
Thank you all for your suggestions and perspective. Phil, I really like your explanation of variables. It's the first explanation I've read that makes sense to me. I like it because it addresses the underlying logic. Most of the tutorials I have found don't do that - they explain how to use a variable (or a trigger) for a specific situation. I have trouble applying that to the next situation, because the underlying principle is not clear. This is true of the forum content, too. Everyone is willing to help (which is a lovely thing in a forum), but I often come away with an answer to my specific question but no wider understanding of the function I'm trying to learn.
Matthew, I'm not exactly on a deadline, but I've been struggling with a single interactive software simulation for over a week, and my manager keeps asking when I'll be done.
The software has drop-down lists and fields. The drop-downs are easy. The fields became a little easier once I realized that SL places the text entry boxes off into the gray area instead of on the screen, but I'm still trying to figure out what makes one or two of them work (or not). The first one is a series of three fields to indicate the height, width, and length of a box. The user must enter a number in each, tabbing or Entering to move from one to the next. SL records these as a single field containing a single number (362824) instead three fields containing 36 and then 28 and then 24.
I can't send a clip - I would be skinned alive. But I have attached a word document with the triggers for each slide. Right now, they are a mess. I can type 36 in the first one and move to the second one by pressing Enter, but that's it. I hope it's clear enough this way.
Yeah, I know ... it's not that there is sensitive information, it's just the company's insanely strict policies. Let me think ... maybe I can blot out the majority of the screen in the video. Or something ...
I always include a section in my design document that details the variables, their type and function.
Keep your naming convention consistent. Make the names easy to understand so someone else has an idea of what is going on.
Use names that make since to an outsider. Don't use variable numbers that reference scene numbers. Scene are numbered in the order of creation. Adding new scenes in revision will mess up the naming convention and it's hard to fix later on. Learned that the hard way.
I just wrote all this out and tried to submit and got a Sorry... can't find that page error. Grr. Trying again. This time, copying/saving all my sparkling explanatory text.
I figured out that I can record the screens in zoom, showing only the three fields I'm struggling with. That file is attached. As you will see, the raw recording doesn't separate the three fields.
I want to replicate what happens in RL: the user clicks in the first field, types a number, hits Tab/Enter to go to the second field, types a number, hits Tab/Enter to go to the third field, types a number.
I've fiddled with this over and over to try to make it happen as it does in real life, but have not had success.
Thanks, Thaddeus. I have not been giving unique names to variables, although I have been doing that with triggers. I have bad habits w/r/to design and development. I start off with a design document, but when I get an idea about something and want to try it out in SL, I start working it out there and abandon the design doc. It hasn't caused any problems yet, but I should update the design doc after experimenting in SL.
I wish there was a tutorial somewhere that explained how to choose which triggers and variables the way you explained variables in the cat story. I'm going to study this Three Fields file and see if I can figure it out. I'll get back to you to see if I got it right.
BTW - the part about being skinned alive refers to the (feared) consequences of sharing company materials. If they knew what I have shared in hopes of getting help ... ;-)
Read the triggers in order, but start with the when. Then ask yourself when this happens, what does this trigger cause to happen? Take it one step at a time, and you can figure out triggers. Remember, a series of triggers that have the same "when" all execute in the order they are listed in the panel, and all of them happen, unless they are interrupted by a jump trigger. If there is an "if" part, they don't do anything unless the "if" is true.
Good morning and Happy New Year to Walt, Thaddeus, Matthew et al:
I was pulled off this project to work on something else, and I'm finally back.
Walt, I am re-creating your triggers in my project. I can't figure out how the "Set TextEntry1 equal to the typed value" trigger starts off. Where do I find the "equal to" parameter?
After trying and failing several times, and not finding anything here, I thought, "Well, just copy it!" But the copy command is not available for that trigger.
I've attached the trigger box to show how far as I got on that trigger (should be Set TextEntry1 equal to the typed value when Test Entry loses focus).
It looks good. I think if you click on value, you may get more options. I do know for sure that when you create a text box, it automatically creates the "Set text box 1 to typed value when text box 1 loses focus."
I have edited the triggers on my slides to match the triggers on the slides that Walt sent ... and still it doesn't work. I've attached a side-by-side comparison of the trigger sets as well as my not-functioning slides and Walt's slides.
When the triggers don't work - when it seems they should - where do you look for the culprit? I sent the whole mess to a friend who has six+ years experience in SL, and she couldn't figure it out - she said that text entry fields are such a pain that she works around them by just providing the text instead of having the user enter it.
24 Replies
Lerissa,
Interesting concept. I'm not sure I would want my clients to see all the triggers, variables, and conditions in a course via the storyboard.
That being said, it would be pretty nice to be able to print them out when troubleshooting why one slide works but another doesn't.
At the moment, my go-to solution for viewing and troubleshooting triggers and understanding which triggers are associated with a specific action/event is to use a screen capture tool!
I know this is a feature that has been requested in the past. Perhaps adding your request to the list might help move it along?
https://articulate.com/support/contact/feature-request
Richard
Ah - not that kind of storyboard! This would be an in-house document only - not for client eyes.
Screen capture is kind of pain for troubleshooting. Often I need to set a working screen side by side with one that isn't and should work in a similar way.
Sure! I'll add it to the list. In the meantime, I'm drafting ... :-)
Lerissa,
Sounds like a plan! I know this feature has been requested several times but has not made its way to a production release. As I don't work for Articulate, I am not privy to what features will be coming out. We can hope that it makes the cut in the near future! :)
Richard
Excellent point Matthew. I've learned by back-engineering tons of Storyline samples! Not sure I would have the patience to document that many triggers, conditions, and variables. :)
Richard
As it is, I am building stuff ... and re-building, and re-building, and re-building because I really don't understand what I'm doing. There's no time to undertake a thorough study of triggers and variables (although, believe me, I've consulted help articles galore) and absolutely no time to make "a few little samples." Such is the life of the working ID. I'm in the trenches, Matthew. I need a few crutches, not a course of study. :-)
A little something to help you get a grasp on what variables are and how they can be used:
I got home last night, and the cat insisted he had not been fed all day, and was STARVING. I hadn't been there all day, so I didn't know, and my wife was off to her quilting party, so I couldn't ask her. Fortunately, she left a note on the counter that said "I fed the cat", so I knew not to feed him again.
The note she left me is the variable. I couldn't see her feed the cat, but I could see the note and know what went on while I was gone. Storyline is just like I was. One slide has no way of knowing what happens on another slide, but it can read a message left for it in a variable, and know what the learner did on another slide, provided you, the developer used those actions on that other slide to change the contents of a variable.
The cat got pretty insistent, so I gave him a snack, crossed out her message, and wrote, "He's also had a bedtime snack", and went to my meeting.
The note is the variable. Everybody can see it, and it never changes unless you, the author, create a trigger to change it.
My wife is getting older (I'm not, just she), and takes a bunch of medicines. She puts them in one of those little plastic gadgets with seven boxes. Every night, (if she remembers :) ) she looks in the box for that day. If it is empty, she knows she has taken her pills that day.
The pill box is the variable. She can't always remember everything, but if the box has pills in it, she knows to take them.
Variables are designed to be seen everywhere, but not heard (much like small children of a previous generation). SL cannot multi-task, so only one slide at a time can be active. SL has no memory, so when a slide becomes active, it can't know what went on while it was hibernating. That's why variables were invented. Each slide can look at the note (variable) and by seeing what is on there now, it can know what went on somewhere else, or some other time. I couldn't hear my wife write the note, but I can read it and know what went on at home while I was not there.
Like Matthew says, a specific question here will almost always get quick and useful help.
I would document on the slide use off-stage objects and add explanations there, it is much easier writing code as you can document it as you go along, but even then it is often meaningless when you leave that moment of building.
There is no right way to build anything, there are more elegant ways to build things. My mantra is always to build parts and test and then build on top of what I know works (a bit like lego). I Try to separate different functions so they can be easily switched on and off for example, if I need a calculator function I will build it on a layer or a hidden object (that I change to normal) so I can reduce the triggers on the base layer. this way even the most complex interaction can look 'neat & tidy'.
Personally, I think you will waste a lot of time creating a document to capture all of this, as often a build is fluid and a lot can change in a day. As Matt suggested, if you are having issues post them here, ask support or even message someone who appears amenable. We have all been there, I definitely get buried sometimes and cannot work out why something doesn't work. On these days I often go and do something less boring instead.
Thank you all for your suggestions and perspective. Phil, I really like your explanation of variables. It's the first explanation I've read that makes sense to me. I like it because it addresses the underlying logic. Most of the tutorials I have found don't do that - they explain how to use a variable (or a trigger) for a specific situation. I have trouble applying that to the next situation, because the underlying principle is not clear. This is true of the forum content, too. Everyone is willing to help (which is a lovely thing in a forum), but I often come away with an answer to my specific question but no wider understanding of the function I'm trying to learn.
Matthew, I'm not exactly on a deadline, but I've been struggling with a single interactive software simulation for over a week, and my manager keeps asking when I'll be done.
The software has drop-down lists and fields. The drop-downs are easy. The fields became a little easier once I realized that SL places the text entry boxes off into the gray area instead of on the screen, but I'm still trying to figure out what makes one or two of them work (or not). The first one is a series of three fields to indicate the height, width, and length of a box. The user must enter a number in each, tabbing or Entering to move from one to the next. SL records these as a single field containing a single number (362824) instead three fields containing 36 and then 28 and then 24.
I can't send a clip - I would be skinned alive. But I have attached a word document with the triggers for each slide. Right now, they are a mess. I can type 36 in the first one and move to the second one by pressing Enter, but that's it. I hope it's clear enough this way.
And thanks. Again!
Yeah, I know ... it's not that there is sensitive information, it's just the company's insanely strict policies. Let me think ... maybe I can blot out the majority of the screen in the video. Or something ...
I always include a section in my design document that details the variables, their type and function.
Keep your naming convention consistent. Make the names easy to understand so someone else has an idea of what is going on.
Use names that make since to an outsider. Don't use variable numbers that reference scene numbers. Scene are numbered in the order of creation. Adding new scenes in revision will mess up the naming convention and it's hard to fix later on. Learned that the hard way.
Good morning, Matthew et al:
I just wrote all this out and tried to submit and got a Sorry... can't find that page error. Grr. Trying again. This time, copying/saving all my sparkling explanatory text.
I figured out that I can record the screens in zoom, showing only the three fields I'm struggling with. That file is attached. As you will see, the raw recording doesn't separate the three fields.
I want to replicate what happens in RL: the user clicks in the first field, types a number, hits Tab/Enter to go to the second field, types a number, hits Tab/Enter to go to the third field, types a number.
I've fiddled with this over and over to try to make it happen as it does in real life, but have not had success.
Thank you all in advance!
Thanks, Thaddeus. I have not been giving unique names to variables, although I have been doing that with triggers. I have bad habits w/r/to design and development. I start off with a design document, but when I get an idea about something and want to try it out in SL, I start working it out there and abandon the design doc. It hasn't caused any problems yet, but I should update the design doc after experimenting in SL.
All good advice. Thanks.
I think we all do. I need to go back to my project and style guides and update them. Really should do that now...
See if this will save you from being skinned, or at least give you enough ideas to get started.
Look at Scene 2 of the attached sample. If everything works, please note that I set up the error messages only for the 36 slide, and not the others.
Any questions, ask.
This is wonderful - thanks!
I wish there was a tutorial somewhere that explained how to choose which triggers and variables the way you explained variables in the cat story. I'm going to study this Three Fields file and see if I can figure it out. I'll get back to you to see if I got it right.
BTW - the part about being skinned alive refers to the (feared) consequences of sharing company materials. If they knew what I have shared in hopes of getting help ... ;-)
Read the triggers in order, but start with the when. Then ask yourself when this happens, what does this trigger cause to happen? Take it one step at a time, and you can figure out triggers. Remember, a series of triggers that have the same "when" all execute in the order they are listed in the panel, and all of them happen, unless they are interrupted by a jump trigger. If there is an "if" part, they don't do anything unless the "if" is true.
Good morning and Happy New Year to Walt, Thaddeus, Matthew et al:
I was pulled off this project to work on something else, and I'm finally back.
Walt, I am re-creating your triggers in my project. I can't figure out how the "Set TextEntry1 equal to the typed value" trigger starts off. Where do I find the "equal to" parameter?
After trying and failing several times, and not finding anything here, I thought, "Well, just copy it!" But the copy command is not available for that trigger.
Can you help (again)?
TIA -
Lerissa
I've attached the trigger box to show how far as I got on that trigger (should be Set TextEntry1 equal to the typed value when Test Entry loses focus).
It looks good. I think if you click on value, you may get more options. I do know for sure that when you create a text box, it automatically creates the "Set text box 1 to typed value when text box 1 loses focus."
I have an example of setting numerical variables from text.
https://360.articulate.com/review/content/4ed78ccf-3c32-4286-8052-3fa255fb157c/review
THAT is very good to know.
Do you know why the copy function is available for some triggers but not others?
Still struggling to make mine match yours ...
Hopefully with this file it will make more since.
Hi everyone:
I have edited the triggers on my slides to match the triggers on the slides that Walt sent ... and still it doesn't work. I've attached a side-by-side comparison of the trigger sets as well as my not-functioning slides and Walt's slides.
When the triggers don't work - when it seems they should - where do you look for the culprit? I sent the whole mess to a friend who has six+ years experience in SL, and she couldn't figure it out - she said that text entry fields are such a pain that she works around them by just providing the text instead of having the user enter it.
TIA -
Lerissa
Oops! "Three Fields" is the wrong file. The correct file - the one that Walt sent - is attached. Scene 1 is my work. Scene 2 is Walt's.