Renaming Objects

Apr 26, 2016

Dan Epstein
By Dan Epstein

I generally give names to objects when I put them on the timeline, i.e. ButtonX, TextEntryY, TextBoxA, etc. But for some objects, the custom name really doesn't take, and it shows up when I'm working with triggers.

For example, on one slide I have three text entry boxes, and I want to manipulate variables, states, and show layers based on what the learner enters. I named the text entry boxes EnterFirstName EnterMI, and EnterLastName. When I added these originally, they were TextEntry, TextEntry1, and TextEntry2 respectively.

In the trigger panel, the system-assigned names are used, not the names I entered for these objects. 

Is there a way to show the custom names for these in the trigger  panel instead of the system-assigned names?

Thanks.

7 Replies
Christie Pollick
almost 8 years ago04/26/16 at 5:55 pm (UTC)

Hi, Dan -- Thanks for reaching out! My apologies if I am not clear on what you are asking, but may I ask if you have had a chance to review the information below from the article on Working with the Timeline?

Renaming Objects

We recommend giving objects recognizable names so they're easy to identify when working with triggers and freeform interactions. To rename an object, double-click its name, or right-click it and select Rename. Enter a new name for the object and press the Enter key on your keyboard.

If your object names are too long to fully display on the Timeline tab, hover your mouse over the beginning of the timeline (i.e., the 0-second mark) until a two-headed arrow appears, then click and drag to the right.

Dan Epstein
almost 8 years ago04/26/16 at 6:20 pm (UTC)

Christine-

Yes, that's how I'm renaming things. But apparently for some objects, like text and numeric entry boxes, the custom name doesn't track through.

Here's a shot of the timeline showing that I renamed things:

timeline

And here in the trigger panel, the objects do get the custom name, at least in part:

But when you're building triggers that reference these objects, the custom name is not used:

And it's here that having the custom name shown would be useful. I ended up having to make a list of each object's system name and custom name to make sure I was referencing the right one.

I don't understand why the custom name is not shown when making triggers. And the custom names don't show in the trigger wizard when you're selecting the object either.

Walt Hamilton
almost 8 years ago04/26/16 at 7:48 pm (UTC)

You are talking about two different classes of objects here.

EnterNewLocation is the name of the text entry box itself. Objects are the only items that can be renamed on the timeline.

TextEntry3 is the name of the variable that stores the entered text. Variables can only be renamed in the variable manager.

 

 

 

Christie Pollick
almost 8 years ago04/26/16 at 7:53 pm (UTC)

Hi, Dan -- Thanks for your reply, and I see that Walt has also stopped in to assist! And yes, naming the objects would not rename the variables associated with them, so if you want to organize your variable names, you'll want to create new variables by clicking on that x button Walt pointed out on the triggers panel. Then you can edit the triggers on the text entry objects to use the new variables. Hope that helps! :)

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