I know how to show things at certain times in the timeline, i.e. 10secs, or at a cue point or when the timeline starts/ends, etc. But how do i make something show up 3 seconds before the timeline is over on every slide when different slides are having different durations? Is there a variable or condition for that?
I want to have next and back buttons show only shortly before the timeline ends.
Interesting idea. As far as I know (which, admittedly, might not be very far), there's no way to collect the amount of time in the timeline. In other words, I don't think it's possible to create a variable that automatically subtracts 3 from the full time of the current slide.
The easiest solution, of course, is to just let the users wait the extra 3 seconds for the NEXT button to enable.
The next easiest solution would be to create a "Change state of NEXT to Normal when timeline reaches..." trigger on one slide. Then copy and paste the trigger on all other slides, editing it as necessary so the "timeline reaches" point is where you want it to be. Which, I'm guessing, is the task you were trying to avoid by asking your question. :-)
A possible longterm solution is to make a feature request: ask Articulate to make the full time of each timeline accessible to variables.
thanks for the info, i see why it might not be possible. Unfortunately different slides have different lengths, so it looks like the best way to do it is to just adjust when on the timeline the buttons appear and can't be automated.
Your initial post implies that the user needs to select the Next/Previous buttons in order to navigate away from the current slide (i.e. the slides do not advance automatically). As a result, you should be able to set your buttons to Hidden when the timeline starts for a particular slide and Normal when the timeline ends.
Once your slide timeline ends, the slide will still remain visible until the user navigates away from it and so there is no need to have the buttons appear 3 seconds prior to the timeline ending. You should be able to set up triggers in your master slides to change the state of these buttons and it shouldn't matter how long the actual timeline is in a particular slide because the buttons will only appear once all components/interactions on the timeline have completed.
My apologies for mixing you and Judy up when I replied to you previously, but glad that I was able to help.
I wouldn't worry about beating yourself up because it is often the obvious solution (and usually the simplest) that is the easiest to miss. We have all been there !! :)
If the goal is to ensure the user remains on a slide while the entire timeline runs, then the easiest method is to simply set the course to Restricted navigation. With that setting, the program will automatically disable the NEXT button until the timeline ends. And it will only do that the first time the slide plays, so a user can revisit the slide without having to sit through its timeline. No triggers needed (unless you want to ensure a user completes an interaction on a given slide).
IMHO, it is best to disablethe NEXT button instead of hidingit. Why? Because a disabled NEXT is still visible, which means it and the PREV button remain in their usual places. When you hide NEXT, the PREV button moves over to take its place. And while it would be nice to think that everyone will pay attention, chances are that some people will have their mouse positioned over the NEXT-button area, will inadvertently click the PREV button when it moves over, and they'll be confused about why they're back on a slide they just viewed.
Judy, i didn't know about that. That's cool. I'd disabled the next and forward buttons on the player entirely and put next and forward buttons in the course itself but it might be better to do it your way because then on the second go-around it won't be annoying. Where do i find this setting?
In the Player settings, (1) go to Menu, (2) click the gear icon to open the Menu Options, and (3) select Restricted on the Menu drop-down list.
BTW, I suggest you check out Articulate's tutorials and user guides (for example: https://community.articulate.com/series/articulate-storyline-360). They provide a good foundation for how to use the software. Or, if you prefer books (like I do), I recommend "E-Learning Uncovered: Articulate Storyline 360" (other versions also available).
9 Replies
Interesting idea. As far as I know (which, admittedly, might not be very far), there's no way to collect the amount of time in the timeline. In other words, I don't think it's possible to create a variable that automatically subtracts 3 from the full time of the current slide.
The easiest solution, of course, is to just let the users wait the extra 3 seconds for the NEXT button to enable.
The next easiest solution would be to create a "Change state of NEXT to Normal when timeline reaches..." trigger on one slide. Then copy and paste the trigger on all other slides, editing it as necessary so the "timeline reaches" point is where you want it to be. Which, I'm guessing, is the task you were trying to avoid by asking your question. :-)
A possible longterm solution is to make a feature request: ask Articulate to make the full time of each timeline accessible to variables.
Hi Judy,
thanks for the info, i see why it might not be possible. Unfortunately different slides have different lengths, so it looks like the best way to do it is to just adjust when on the timeline the buttons appear and can't be automated.
Hi Judy,
Your initial post implies that the user needs to select the Next/Previous buttons in order to navigate away from the current slide (i.e. the slides do not advance automatically). As a result, you should be able to set your buttons to Hidden when the timeline starts for a particular slide and Normal when the timeline ends.
Once your slide timeline ends, the slide will still remain visible until the user navigates away from it and so there is no need to have the buttons appear 3 seconds prior to the timeline ending. You should be able to set up triggers in your master slides to change the state of these buttons and it shouldn't matter how long the actual timeline is in a particular slide because the buttons will only appear once all components/interactions on the timeline have completed.
Hopefully this may solve your problem.
*slaps forehead* of course! If the slides don't advance automatically this would absolutely be the solution, thank you so much! :)
I love these sorts of problems and great that you found the solution. With Storyline you often have to think very laterally to find the solution.
Hi Stefanie,
My apologies for mixing you and Judy up when I replied to you previously, but glad that I was able to help.
I wouldn't worry about beating yourself up because it is often the obvious solution (and usually the simplest) that is the easiest to miss. We have all been there !! :)
If the goal is to ensure the user remains on a slide while the entire timeline runs, then the easiest method is to simply set the course to Restricted navigation. With that setting, the program will automatically disable the NEXT button until the timeline ends. And it will only do that the first time the slide plays, so a user can revisit the slide without having to sit through its timeline. No triggers needed (unless you want to ensure a user completes an interaction on a given slide).
IMHO, it is best to disable the NEXT button instead of hiding it. Why? Because a disabled NEXT is still visible, which means it and the PREV button remain in their usual places. When you hide NEXT, the PREV button moves over to take its place. And while it would be nice to think that everyone will pay attention, chances are that some people will have their mouse positioned over the NEXT-button area, will inadvertently click the PREV button when it moves over, and they'll be confused about why they're back on a slide they just viewed.
Ned, no worries! :)
Judy, i didn't know about that. That's cool. I'd disabled the next and forward buttons on the player entirely and put next and forward buttons in the course itself but it might be better to do it your way because then on the second go-around it won't be annoying. Where do i find this setting?
In the Player settings, (1) go to Menu, (2) click the gear icon to open the Menu Options, and (3) select Restricted on the Menu drop-down list.
BTW, I suggest you check out Articulate's tutorials and user guides (for example: https://community.articulate.com/series/articulate-storyline-360). They provide a good foundation for how to use the software. Or, if you prefer books (like I do), I recommend "E-Learning Uncovered: Articulate Storyline 360" (other versions also available).
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