Next button question! I have layers and have the next button disabled. Triggers to set next button to normal are working, when all layers are visited (specifically, all buttons to show layers are set to the visited state). The issue is when learner replays that slide or goes back to previous slide, the next button stays disabled - even when all buttons are visited again. Is there another trigger that needs to be created to stop this craziness? :) Thanks!
Here's how to ensure that the Next button only disables the first time the user visits the slide:
Create a T/F variable with an initial value of False.
Add a condition to the trigger that disables the Next button. Make the condition that the variable = False.
Add a trigger that adjusts the value of the variable to True when the student completes the interaction. In other words, a trigger like the one that enables the Next button.
Hi Judy - I am having the same issue and have been reading a number of recent posts on this. Do you know if there is a tutorial, video, etc... that can give me more detailed guidance. I'm pretty new and not comfortable yet with using variables. Thanks!
If you can write on a post-it note, and leave it for someone else in the family to read later when you aren't there, you know everything you need to know about variables.
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.
To answer your questions, 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 into the box (variable) and by seeing what is in 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.
If you have Articulate 360, you could also watch their tutorials. They have a short one on variables at https://training.articulate.com/videos/storyline-360-variables. There are also recorded webinars about each type of variable (T/F, text, and number). But you do need a 360 license to access those.
I am a new user and very green. Like the description above, when a learner clicks prev in my course they go back to the prev slide but when they go back to the original slide the next button is greyed out. Could you help me with what the trigger looks like exactly and where to put it? Does it go on every slide? Forgive my ignorance just needing help.
This post has info about various ways to control the NEXT button, including how to ensure that the NEXT button doesn't get disabled again when a user returns to an interactive slide. It includes a demo file, so you can see how the triggers look:
Welcome to authoring in Storyline 360 and the E-Learning Heroes community!
I see that Judy has been helping you out, but I just wanted to pop in and invite you to our tips and tricks webinars. Once each month at 11am ET, our training team hops on a live call to answer top questions from our customers.
It's super casual (and they're super smart!), so it's a great place to get expert tips and answers to frequently asked questions from our online community. In short, everything you need to create incredible online learning! You can register for the next call here: https://articulate.fyi/3ZiKgu9
And don't worry if you can't make it, because everyone who registers will get a recording sent to them afterward! There's also a huge list of on-demand past trainings available.
7 Replies
Hi, Cindy,
Here's how to ensure that the Next button only disables the first time the user visits the slide:
Hi Judy - I am having the same issue and have been reading a number of recent posts on this. Do you know if there is a tutorial, video, etc... that can give me more detailed guidance. I'm pretty new and not comfortable yet with using variables. Thanks!
Jill,
If you can write on a post-it note, and leave it for someone else in the family to read later when you aren't there, you know everything you need to know about variables.
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.
To answer your questions, 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 into the box (variable) and by seeing what is in 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.
This discussion has a sample that will get you started:
https://community.articulate.com/discussions/articulate-storyline/free-sample-restricted-and-free-random-navigation-using-variables-and-triggers
The Restricted Navigation does not show the link to the next section until the previous section has been viewed. The Mixed Navigation allows the various sections to be visited in any order, but does not allow going to the End until all sections have been viewed. The Free Navigation allows the sections to be visited in any order, and the End to be visited at any time.
Hi, Jill,
I love Walt's comparison of a variable to a post-it note.
If even his demo seems too much for you at this point, I suggest starting with the info in Articulate's User Guide:
https://community.articulate.com/series/articulate-storyline-360/articles/articulate-storyline-360-user-guide-how-to-work-with-variables
If you have Articulate 360, you could also watch their tutorials. They have a short one on variables at https://training.articulate.com/videos/storyline-360-variables. There are also recorded webinars about each type of variable (T/F, text, and number). But you do need a 360 license to access those.
I am a new user and very green. Like the description above, when a learner clicks prev in my course they go back to the prev slide but when they go back to the original slide the next button is greyed out. Could you help me with what the trigger looks like exactly and where to put it? Does it go on every slide? Forgive my ignorance just needing help.
Nancy
This post has info about various ways to control the NEXT button, including how to ensure that the NEXT button doesn't get disabled again when a user returns to an interactive slide. It includes a demo file, so you can see how the triggers look:
https://community.articulate.com/discussions/articulate-storyline/tip-controlling-the-next-button-101
Hi Nancy!
Welcome to authoring in Storyline 360 and the E-Learning Heroes community!
I see that Judy has been helping you out, but I just wanted to pop in and invite you to our tips and tricks webinars. Once each month at 11am ET, our training team hops on a live call to answer top questions from our customers.
It's super casual (and they're super smart!), so it's a great place to get expert tips and answers to frequently asked questions from our online community. In short, everything you need to create incredible online learning! You can register for the next call here: https://articulate.fyi/3ZiKgu9
And don't worry if you can't make it, because everyone who registers will get a recording sent to them afterward! There's also a huge list of on-demand past trainings available.
Hope to see you there!