Hi all! I'm developing a set of drill and practice math calculation activities using Storyline 2. I've mostly been working in Captivate over the past few years (client's choice, not mine!) for this type of development and am starting to dig in deep with Storyline variables, triggers, layers, etc.
I'm looking for your Storyline best practices and tips for larger projects like this. Best practices for using a lot of variables? Any resources you can recommend (beyond the basic tutorials)?
Here's my best practice: Determine in advance how to name your variables in a way that helps you program triggers and troubleshoot issues.
For example, I use T/F variables to ensure the learner completes interactions to enable the NEXT button. I start the name of each of those variables with "x" (which, to me, means "done"), followed by the scene number, and then a short version of the slide title. For example: "x2Process." With this naming convention, all of those variables appear together in the variables list, and they're grouped by scene, so it's easier to find the one I'm looking for. (I don't include the slide number in the name because those can change.) Other kinds of variables get other kinds of names, as needed.
I also highly recommend naming everything on the slide -- again, using a helpful naming convention.
For example, on a given interaction, my button names start with "b" followed by a number and a short title (e.g., b1-Intro, b2-Steps, b3-Tips). When the buttons access a layer, the layer gets the same name as the button, except the name starts with "L" instead of "b" ( (e.g., L1-Intro, L2-Steps, L3-Tips). That makes it super easy to look at the trigger panel and verify that b1 shows layer L1, etc.
Yes, it takes a little time up front to name objects, but it can save time (and frustration) later on when you're troubleshooting. And it's especially helpful if another developer will be working on the file (now or later).
4 Replies
Here's my best practice: Determine in advance how to name your variables in a way that helps you program triggers and troubleshoot issues.
For example, I use T/F variables to ensure the learner completes interactions to enable the NEXT button. I start the name of each of those variables with "x" (which, to me, means "done"), followed by the scene number, and then a short version of the slide title. For example: "x2Process." With this naming convention, all of those variables appear together in the variables list, and they're grouped by scene, so it's easier to find the one I'm looking for. (I don't include the slide number in the name because those can change.) Other kinds of variables get other kinds of names, as needed.
I also highly recommend naming everything on the slide -- again, using a helpful naming convention.
For example, on a given interaction, my button names start with "b" followed by a number and a short title (e.g., b1-Intro, b2-Steps, b3-Tips). When the buttons access a layer, the layer gets the same name as the button, except the name starts with "L" instead of "b" ( (e.g., L1-Intro, L2-Steps, L3-Tips). That makes it super easy to look at the trigger panel and verify that b1 shows layer L1, etc.
Yes, it takes a little time up front to name objects, but it can save time (and frustration) later on when you're troubleshooting. And it's especially helpful if another developer will be working on the file (now or later).
Good luck!
Thanks, Judy! This is helpful :-)
Thank you for this week's blog post: http://blogs.articulate.com/rapid-elearning/easy-way-to-troubleshoot-courses-with-variables/
Exactly what I need! :-)
Great tip. Thanks!.
This discussion is closed. You can start a new discussion or contact Articulate Support.