Hi, all: Has anyone every created a storyboard that includes a section on each screen for the triggers and variables that create the interactions the storyboard describes? I am not a natural programmer-type, and keeping track of which elements of which triggers are responsible for creating which interactions on each slide is driving me crazy. I've searched, but haven't found anything ready-made, and I'm planning to try to draft something on my own. But I thought I'd ask first.

Lerissa, Interesting concept. I'm not sure I would want my clients to see all the triggers, variables, and conditions in a course via the storyboard. That being said, it would be pretty nice to be able to print them out when troubleshooting why one slide works but another doesn't. At the moment, my go-to solution for viewing and troubleshooting triggers and understanding which triggers are associated with a specific action/event is to use a screen capture tool! I know this is a feature that has been requested in the past. Perhaps adding your request to the list might help move it along? https://articulate.com/support/contact/feature-request Richard

A little something to help you get a grasp on what variables are and how they can be used: I got home last night, and the cat insisted he had not been fed all day, and was STARVING. I hadn't been there all day, so I didn't know, and my wife was off to her quilting party, so I couldn't ask her. Fortunately, she left a note on the counter that said "I fed the cat", so I knew not to feed him again. The note she left me is the variable. I couldn't see her feed the cat, but I could see the note and know what went on while I was gone. Storyline is just like I was. One slide has no way of knowing what happens on another slide, but it can read a message left for it in a variable, and know what the learner did on another slide, provided you, the developer used those actions on that other slide to change the contents of a variable. The cat got pretty insistent, so I gave him a snack, crossed out her message, and wrote, "He's also had a bedtime snack", and went to my meeting. The note is the variable. Everybody can see it, and it never changes unless you, the author, create a trigger to change it. My wife is getting older (I'm not, just she), and takes a bunch of medicines. She puts them in one of those little plastic gadgets with seven boxes. Every night, (if she remembers :) ) she looks in the box for that day. If it is empty, she knows she has taken her pills that day. The pill box is the variable. She can't always remember everything, but if the box has pills in it, she knows to take them. Variables are designed to be seen everywhere, but not heard (much like small children of a previous generation). SL cannot multi-task, so only one slide at a time can be active. SL has no memory, so when a slide becomes active, it can't know what went on while it was hibernating. That's why variables were invented. Each slide can look at the note (variable) and by seeing what is on there now, it can know what went on somewhere else, or some other time. I couldn't hear my wife write the note, but I can read it and know what went on at home while I was not there. Like Matthew says, a specific question here will almost always get quick and useful help.

I would document on the slide use off-stage objects and add explanations there, it is much easier writing code as you can document it as you go along, but even then it is often meaningless when you leave that moment of building. There is no right way to build anything, there are more elegant ways to build things. My mantra is always to build parts and test and then build on top of what I know works (a bit like lego). I Try to separate different functions so they can be easily switched on and off for example, if I need a calculator function I will build it on a layer or a hidden object (that I change to normal) so I can reduce the triggers on the base layer. this way even the most complex interaction can look 'neat & tidy'. Personally, I think you will waste a lot of time creating a document to capture all of this, as often a build is fluid and a lot can change in a day. As Matt suggested, if you are having issues post them here, ask support or even message someone who appears amenable. We have all been there, I definitely get buried sometimes and cannot work out why something doesn't work. On these days I often go and do something less boring instead.

I always include a section in my design document that details the variables, their type and function.Keep your naming convention consistent. Make the names easy to understand so someone else has an idea of what is going on. Use names that make since to an outsider. Don't use variable numbers that reference scene numbers. Scene are numbered in the order of creation. Adding new scenes in revision will mess up the naming convention and it's hard to fix later on. Learned that the hard way.

See if this will save you from being skinned, or at least give you enough ideas to get started. Look at Scene 2 of the attached sample. If everything works, please note that I set up the error messages only for the 36 slide, and not the others. Any questions, ask.

Keeping track of triggers and variables with storyboards?

24 Replies

LerissaPatri540
Community Member
4 years ago
Good morning, Matthew et al:

I just wrote all this out and tried to submit and got a Sorry... can't find that page error. Grr. Trying again. This time, copying/saving all my sparkling explanatory text.

I figured out that I can record the screens in zoom, showing only the three fields I'm struggling with. That file is attached. As you will see, the raw recording doesn't separate the three fields.

I want to replicate what happens in RL: the user clicks in the first field, types a number, hits Tab/Enter to go to the second field, types a number, hits Tab/Enter to go to the third field, types a number.

I've fiddled with this over and over to try to make it happen as it does in real life, but have not had success.

Thank you all in advance!
Three_Fields.story3.7 MB
ThaddeusAshclif
Community Member
4 years ago
I think we all do. I need to go back to my project and style guides and update them. Really should do that now...
WaltHamilton
Super Hero
4 years ago
See if this will save you from being skinned, or at least give you enough ideas to get started.

Look at Scene 2 of the attached sample. If everything works, please note that I set up the error messages only for the 36 slide, and not the others.

Any questions, ask.
Three_Fields.story3.8 MB
- LerissaPatri540
  Community Member
  4 years ago
  This is wonderful - thanks!
  
  I wish there was a tutorial somewhere that explained how to choose which triggers and variables the way you explained variables in the cat story. I'm going to study this Three Fields file and see if I can figure it out. I'll get back to you to see if I got it right.
  
  BTW - the part about being skinned alive refers to the (feared) consequences of sharing company materials. If they knew what I have shared in hopes of getting help ... ;-)
WaltHamilton
Super Hero
4 years ago
Read the triggers in order, but start with the when. Then ask yourself when this happens, what does this trigger cause to happen? Take it one step at a time, and you can figure out triggers. Remember, a series of triggers that have the same "when" all execute in the order they are listed in the panel, and all of them happen, unless they are interrupted by a jump trigger. If there is an "if" part, they don't do anything unless the "if" is true.
LerissaPatri540
Community Member
4 years ago
Good morning and Happy New Year to Walt, Thaddeus, Matthew et al:

I was pulled off this project to work on something else, and I'm finally back.

Walt, I am re-creating your triggers in my project. I can't figure out how the "Set TextEntry1 equal to the typed value" trigger starts off. Where do I find the "equal to" parameter?

After trying and failing several times, and not finding anything here, I thought, "Well, just copy it!" But the copy command is not available for that trigger.

Can you help (again)?

TIA -

Lerissa
LerissaPatri540
Community Member
4 years ago
I've attached the trigger box to show how far as I got on that trigger (should be Set TextEntry1 equal to the typed value when Test Entry loses focus).
- LerissaPatri540
  Community Member
  4 years ago
  THAT is very good to know.
  
  Do you know why the copy function is available for some triggers but not others?
  
  Still struggling to make mine match yours ...
WaltHamilton
Super Hero
4 years ago
It looks good. I think if you click on value, you may get more options. I do know for sure that when you create a text box, it automatically creates the "Set text box 1 to typed value when text box 1 loses focus."
ThaddeusAshclif
Community Member
4 years ago
I have an example of setting numerical variables from text.

https://360.articulate.com/review/content/4ed78ccf-3c32-4286-8052-3fa255fb157c/review
ThaddeusAshclif
Community Member
4 years ago

Hopefully with this file it will make more since.

MATH.story387 KB
LerissaPatri540
Community Member
4 years ago
Hi everyone:

I have edited the triggers on my slides to match the triggers on the slides that Walt sent ... and still it doesn't work. I've attached a side-by-side comparison of the trigger sets as well as my not-functioning slides and Walt's slides.

When the triggers don't work - when it seems they should - where do you look for the culprit? I sent the whole mess to a friend who has six+ years experience in SL, and she couldn't figure it out - she said that text entry fields are such a pain that she works around them by just providing the text instead of having the user enter it.

TIA -

Lerissa
Three_Fields__3_.story3.7 MB

Forum Discussion

Keeping track of triggers and variables with storyboards?

24 Replies

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