Resume base layer timeline when layer is closed?

Hi Dale, 

You'll only be able to insert a trigger to  "resume timeline" for the layer you're on or another new layer - but not the base layer. Have you looked at using something such as a variable or something similar to let the base layer slide know when the user has closed the layer? 

(I’ll have to try the variable method. I don’t know if Storyline will react to a variable being changed without a trigger of some kind telling it to go, now, look at the variable.)

For now, I’ve got it to working this way:

I set up the slide using 2 cue points, one immediately after the other (with the smallest fraction of a second in between).

1) Slide loads
2) Base layer timeline plays audio
3) Base layer timeline pauses (when it reaches cue point #1)
4a) User clicks on object
4b) Time resumes
5) Layer opens in response to timeline hitting cue point #2 (after an imperceptibly short amount of time, as far as the learner is concerned)
* Base layer timeline pauses in response to layer opening. (There is no trigger telling the base layer timeline to pause when reaching #2.)
6) When done reading layer, user clicks button to close layer
7) Base layer timeline resumes in response to layer being closed

I'll try testing the variable method, though.

Dale that method actually sounds better! I'd stick with that. :-)

Hi Dale,

I had the exact same wish with an audio track on the base layer that needed to be paused at a certain time and resume when user take action.

The way I worked it out is to actually split my audio file, put the slices on different layers. When user click to close the warning box layer, it calls the next part of audio on the next layer and so on.

Worked like a charm. I had to try your version first to come out with what worked best for my case. Just another workaround.

Thank you for your solution.

Thanks Richard for that update and I'm glad this worked for you as well. 

I know this post was over a year ago, but still relevant. The close cue points is just brilliant!

Cheers,

Julie

DALE! That is brilliant. That "pause on Cue then resume on click" works like a charm. thanks

Glad to see that this thread is still assisting users here Peter. Thanks for popping in to share.

I have the opposite issue. I have created my own navigation with play/pause toggle buttons. If the user pauses the timeline, then opens the "help" layer, and closes the layer, the timeline resumes and my pause button is still showing as paused. Is there a way to prevent this? 

Hi Jacqui 

hard to say without seeing your setup. I've done a rough sample with a trigger on the layer to change the state of the playPause button to normal if it is in a pause state. Not sure if this will work with your setup.

Hi, I came to this thread looking for help but have ended up with a different solution which I thought I'd document for someone else coming along.  I wanted the user to be able to pause and resume the timeline repeatedly from a hotspot on the screen, but I wasn't pausing audio or at a particular spot, just wanted to basically toggle the animation on and off.

My final solution:
Add an offscreen button that has a selected state.  Set the button to normal.
Add a layer called 'Pause Layer' or something similar.
Add a hotspot to the base layer that has two triggers - to pause the timeline on the slide, and to show the Pause Layer.
On the Pause Layer, I have another hotspot that has two triggers - to change the off screen button to selected, and to close the Pause Layer. 
Then on the base layer I have another trigger that resumes the timeline if the off screen button is selected.

So that it works repeatedly, I added a trigger to the layer than reset the button to normal when the layer starts, which means that the button will 'change to selected' when the layer is closed and therefore know to resume the timeline.

Voila!  Hope that helps someone!

Love it Miriam!

Thanks for chiming back in to share :) I'm sure that could help someone in the future.

If all you need is to turn animations on or off, or if you need to pause a video or audio, here's a simpler method, using the built-in functions.

I did have to build an object with an animation, so you can see that the animation does stop. Otherwise, one object to click, with two states and two triggers, a layer with nothing on it, set to pause timeline on base layer.

I'd like to post here my suggestion using variables:

In the main timeline:

1_ Create a boolean variable (true/false) and assign it as false
2_ Create a trigger to assign false to this variable again when the timeline starts (in case you need to return to this slide)
3_ Create clue point in the timeline where you want to pause
4_ Create a trigger to resume the timeline when the boolean variable changes

In the layer:

Use a button or timeline trigger to  adjust the boolean variable to true

I hope it helps someone.

Hey Renato, 

Thanks for chiming in and sharing your suggestion with the community.

I'd set up an example like this by jumping back to the base layer slide from the layer.

I'm attaching my example for anyone following along as well.

Hi Leslie, That is a great solution. Thanks for sharing!