State changes, seekbar scrubbing, and timeline on the devleoper side...

Jan 23, 2020

There were similar notes I found that are over a year old and I was curious if a workaround has been found or if we can expect something like this with a coming update.

1) When scrubbing the seekbar on a slide with state changes, those changes do not revert when going back in time.

For example, I was experimenting using state changes for character reactions in a timed slide. Let's say that Atsumi is to start with a "talking" expression and then takes on a "thinking" expression at ten seconds via a state change. When viewing, if I'm past ten seconds and I click back before that trigger point, she will still be thinking even though it doesn't make sense for content on the rest of the slide. The issue is that if the action is caused by the timeline, then the timeline must hit that specific instant for the trigger to work.

What I'd like is a new sort trigger that can be enabled between certain points - like "When the timeline is between 10s to 20s, change state of Atsumi to ___." That way, if the user scrubs to anywhere between those points, the content and the state of whatever is on the screen will make sense.

2) If this can't happen, then some QoL changes on the development side need to be made (and perhaps should be made anyway). The alternative to using state changes for this is to have everything that needs to change built on the slide - in other words, multiple Atsumis lined up and timed to appear on cue.

However, that leads to a jumble of objects on top of one another since on the development end, Storyline displays every single thing that will ever be on the slide all at once. This is difficult to edit and more difficult still if someone other than the original developer has to modify the course at a future date.

I'd like an option on the development side to only see slide objects if they'd be on screen at the point the playhead currently rests. Layers are certainly another alternative, but they don't always play nicely with the timeline or content on the base slide (and present their own challenges when it comes to use of Review 360).

---

I'd be happy to clarify either of these items. Both would be helpful.

1 Reply
Lauren Connelly

Hi David!

Thank you for sharing your ideas with us! I can see where both would be helpful additions in Storyline 360.

Right now, the only way to change an object to a previous state is by restarting the slide. Having a custom trigger based on a period of time would be impressive!

Secondly, all of the objects on the timeline will show up on the designated slide. If there are multiple objects that I can see how that could become crowded! 

I'm going to share your ideas with our team. I'd also encourage you to submit a feature request which is shared with our Engineering team. 

This discussion is closed. You can start a new discussion or contact Articulate Support.