Revisiting Slides, Slide Layers & Restricting Quizzes

Mar 25, 2021

I've built a course and have found several technical issues that I cannot resolve. I'd love some assistance.  This is  a teachable moment, so I am a student waiting on answers, direction, and insight. 

Problem 1: When revisiting a slide, the NEXT button becomes disabled.  I've tried changing the "When Revisiting" in Slide Properties to all three options: Resume saved state, Reset to initial state, and Automatically decide.  My preference is not to have the user click back through all the options again, so that's why I did not like the Reset to initial state.  I've also tried clicking back through each option/slide layer to see if the NEXT button would enable, but it did not. 

  • I've loaded the course in our LMS and noticed when I close the course and select RESUME course, the NEXT button remains disabled, causing me to restart the course altogether.  
  • If in a slide layer and want to return to the base layer, selecting PREVIOUS goes to the previous slide, but not the base layer.  How can the user return to the base layer?  

Problem 2: On the slide with the slider, somehow my slider turns dim when advancing.  I used slide layers on this one. Essentially, a different slide layer is associated with each value on the slider. 

Problem 3:  This course allows the user to take the quiz twice. On the Retry Quiz button, I've added triggers to restrict the user from taking the quiz more than twice, but it's not working.  I'm thinking I'm missing a trigger. Here are all the triggers associated with this button:

  • Reset results 3.1 Assessment Results when the user clicks Retry Quiz Button
  • Add Value 2 to Quiz Attempts when the user clicks Retry Quiz Button
  • Change the state of Retry Quiz Button "Retry Quiz" to disabled when the timeline starts on this slide if QuizAttempts =value 2.

I can send a zip file to an Articulate staffer if you need to see the entire project to analyze.  I'm open to any insight you all can provide me.  Thank you!!

7 Replies
Judy Nollet

Hi, Chintale,

PROBLEM 1

If you want to force the learner to view the full timeline of every slide in a (mostly) linear course, the easiest way to do that is to go to the Player and set the Menu Navigation to Restricted. With restricted navigation, Storyline will automatically disable the Next button the first time the user visits a slide. It will enable Next when the timeline ends. And it will keep it enabled (unless you add your own triggers.) Here's more info about restricted nav: 

https://community.articulate.com/series/articulate-storyline-360/articles/articulate-storyline-360-user-guide-how-to-customize-the-menu#restrict

If you're using your own triggers to disable and enable the Next button, you need to add a condition to the trigger that disables Next when the timeline starts. Why? Because there's a bug, and Storyline will execute that trigger even when the slide is set to Resume saved state. So do this:

  • Create a T/F variable with an initial value of False. 
  • Add a condition to the disable-Next trigger so it only does that when the variable = False.
  • Add a trigger that adjusts the variable to True when the timeline ends (or when the required interaction is done). 

PROBLEM 2

Can you still use the slider? If not, I'd guess that your layers have a semi-transparent shape over the slider. If that's not it, I suggest you upload a copy of the file that contains only that slide.  That'll help with troubleshooting. Another option would be to submit a case to the Articulate staff, which you can do here: 

https://articulate.com/support/contact 

PROBLEM 3

Trigger order matters. Storyline can't execute a trigger after it's left the slide with that trigger. So try moving the trigger that adjusts the QuizAttempts variable so it's the first trigger on the Retry button. 

I hope this helps!

Chintale Williamson

Good morning Judy!  Thank you so much for your quick and thorough reply!  I will try your recommendations to see if I have any success and check back with my updates!!  Using the Menu Navigation, I'd rather not restrict the learner. Rather, I'd like for them to drive their learning, so the previous button may be needed to revisit slides that they didn't really grasp the first time, etc. As far as the slider, it still works when the additional slide layers appear, but the slider is less prominent.  I can live with it for now, but want to know what action I took to cause this dimming effect on the slide layers.

Judy Nollet

Hi again, Chintale,

To clarify: Restricted navigation prevents the user from advancing to the next slide until they view the current slide. The PREV button is never disabled, so they can always go back to revisit any slide. Also, the program will jump to any previously-viewed slide when the user clicks the slide title in the built-in Menu (if you're showing that). But they won't be able to advance by clicking the Menu. They'll have to use the Next button (or available custom buttons) to do that. 

When I'm working on a compliance course that requires going through every slide in order, I turn on Restricted nav, because that's the fastest, quickest way to control the Next button. Then I add custom triggers for slides with interactions. 

As for problem 3, I hope you find out what's causing the slider to dim. That does seem like an issue for the staff. I've always found them to be quite helpful. 

Good luck!

Chintale Williamson

Hi Judy,

Wanted to give you an update on your recommendations.  

Problem 1 (Next Button):  The variable suggestion was helpful and resolved the issue on some slides, but not others. Still working through the challenges with a Storyline engineer. 

Problem 2 (Slider): Resolved.  Apparently the slider automatically reduces  transparency on slide layers.  I just had to return it to 100% under Format Background :)

Problem 3 (Quiz):  My values didn't align with what I wanted the action to do. 

Thank you again Judy!!