Resume Saved State of Layer properties Storyline 360 latest version

Dec 24, 2018

I have quite understood when to use and when not to use the resumed saved state when revisiting.  my boss advised to always set to initial upon revisits which makes the learner view every single layer over again and this is tedious and adds more time to an already exhausting course.  In almost every compliance training course, the learner must visit every single object which triggers to show a layer providing more information.  The learners are not able to advance to the next slide until visiting all of them.  I now have a slide with 16 objects with 16 layers, change a variable to true when the timeline of each layer begins and hides the layer automatically at the end of the layer's timeline - you then return to base for more object selection.   I've had to disable the next button when base timeline starts, and change it to normal when the base timeline  ends with the conditions that all 16 of the layers' variables are now true.  ugh.  I've used same trigger to every layer with the same conditions, in case they don't go in any order.    ok, so the problem I can't solve, is that if during all this tedious process, they hit the previous button to the previous slide, and eventually come back to this slide with all its layers, the states of the objects have changed to show they were visited and  I would assume that all the variables are still true as well.  However, now after revisiting this slide, the next button doesn't appear.  The variables are still true, no?  If I had never selected to go backwards using the previous button, regardless of the order, everything works, triggers a layer, changes variable, changes state, and eventually I get next button.  However if I hit the previous button, I mess it up and I can't go forward at all now.  please help me understand the proper functionality of the resume saved state if revisited (which I did not set at this point).  I have it set to automatically decide right now and want to avoid setting to initial state which they'd lose their progress.  Is it because the timeline of the base is starting again, and the next was disabled, until the timeline ends and the conditions of variables are true and I didn't wait long enough for the narration of the instructions to play (timeline ends)?  

11 Replies
Daniel Servan

Hi,

On Timeline Starts add a trigger:
Set Next button to Disabled when a Variable is not True

On Timeline ends on every layer:
Set Variable to True if all buttons are visited
Set Next button to True if all buttons are visited

See attached sample file for your reference and there are so many ways to do this.

Cheryl Powers

thank you for reply and assistance.  I’m apologizing that i now traveled outta state and don’t have my laptop with the SL tool on it.  

next button isn’t  stuck unless the previous button is used and next doesn’t appear.  It was fine until i revisited.  That’s the issue and I’m trying to ask what resume state if revisiting means.  I’m trying  to understand the nuances of the difference of what Daniel is saying and how it relates to the previous and revisit.  If i understand correctly,  the difference is he put the conditions on the button visitation (triggering the layer) and i put the state change of next button on all the variables being true (they visit turned and turn it true).   I have each layer set to true when timeline of each layer starts vs at the timeline end.  my condition was similar next button state to normal only if all layers’ variables are true (instead of button visited).  So for my understanding, my question is how does this last part detail affect the next button state change if the previous button being selected and a revisit?  

Katie Riggio

No apology necessary, Cheryl! 

Using the Resume saved state option in the slide properties, as well as the Player Property Always resume, will ensure that learners pick up right where they left off when they revisit the course.

If you're able to share the Storyline .story file here or privately via this link, it would greatly help us visual learners do a deep dive into the setup. 🤓

Cheryl Powers

Ahhh ok so to resume where they left off in the course, the properties needs to be configured on all the slides, and not in the player.  all this time I assumed incorrectly that it was only set in the player.  Thank you for explanation.  So yes when I return home and to work next week, I’ll share the file.

Shiela Marie Marcos

HI Cheryl, 

The resume saved state and reset to initial state in the slide properties window will not affect the variables. These options will tell Storyline to remember the states, and where the timeline was before advancing or going back to another slide.

The reason why the course is getting stuck on revisit if the slide is set to "Resume saved state" is because after the timeline ends on the first visit, revisiting the slide will resume with the timeline already ended. Because the timeline has ended already, the trigger that changes the state of the player Next button back to Normal will no longer fire since there is no actual transition from the timeline playing to the timeline ending.

A possible fix for this is to add some conditions on the trigger that disables the Next button when the timeline starts if any one of the 16 layer variables are false, in other words, the trigger will not fire if all the layers have been viewed and as a result keep the player's Next button enabled on revisits. This way, your audience will keep their progress, and the slide will only restrict the Next button if any one  of your 16 layers are not visited, I would also suggest setting each layer to pause the timeline of the base layer because if the timeline ends before all of the 16 layers are viewed, then the trigger will also not fire.  Here is what the modified trigger in my sample file looks like:

Modified Trigger

In the sample file I attached, I also created a couple of oval objects and a variable to visibly show what the timeline's state is. These can be ignored.

 

Ashley Terwilliger-Pollard

Hi Cheryl,

I also wanted to reiterate that there is a difference between the Resume on the slide properties and the Resume in the player.

Within your slide properties, you can set each slide to Resume or Restart and as Shiela mentioned that'll impact things like audio, object states, etc. You can read more about that here.

There is an overall course feature to adjust if the user will resume or not on the entire course if they exited or closed the browser window. That feature would return the user to the slide they left on or, or force them to start over. That's detailed a bit more here.  

Let us know if you have any other questions on the above or on the sample file Shiela mocked up! 

Cheryl Powers

Thank you super helpful explanation... I initially had it set to automatically decide on revisit on the base layers slide properties... it was after I tried selecting previous and getting stuck, I reached out to ask about the saved resume state.  Your explanation is what I needed to understand what was happened.  Thank you.  I can fix this when I return Wednesday and will report back

Ellen Slavitz

I have what I think is a similar problem. We have a game menu slide where the user selects a question. They answer the question and then return to the menu slide to select another question. Instructions need to appear on only the first visit to the menu slide.  I put the instructions in a text box with a trigger to hide when the user selects a question and selected Resume saved state. How do I get it to not appear on subsequent visits?