Forum Discussion
Match multiple items Drag & Drop
I suggest using a simple Freeform Pick Many.
See it work in the attached file.
This is for a SL 360 course. The graphic shows what I'm after. We want the learner to be aware of the types of energy used in each of the machines/applications on the bottom row; top row are the energy types. The baler uses everything but pneumatic, the elevator pit, only gravity, and so on. The type of energy used relates to how the hazards of that energy type are mitigated. I used different color arrows only to make it easier to see which energy type is used by which machine in this example graphic. The learner won't see this of course..the interactive / drag n drop is meant to make them exercise their understanding of the equipment. So often, we use machines without thinking about the granularities of what makes them go. In this course, they need to know what powers each machine. Thank you!
While this interaction might seem simple at first, it's actually quite complex to implement with Storyline alone. The setup involves multiple drop targets and multiple drag items, where some drag items need to be dropped on more than one correct target. To achieve this, you'd need to duplicate certain drag items (e.g., Electric used on both Baler and Trash Compactor), and configure them to be validated as correct on multiple drop zones.
This quickly leads to a large number of drag items and dozens of triggers just to track correct and incorrect placements. The trigger panel becomes extremely cluttered and difficult to manage.
While it’s certainly doable, it’s very time-consuming and fragile. If the scenario needs to change slightly (e.g., adding another energy type or machine), you'd likely need to rebuild or significantly reorder triggers, which becomes messy and inefficient in an already crowded setup.
For these reasons, I don't think the payoff is worth the effort. This kind of interaction might be better handled in a custom-coded solution using a JavaScript.
See example
Thank you for your answer and excellent example, Nedim!
No problem! I've attached another example demonstrating how this interaction can be built using Storyline alone, without any JavaScript.
In this setup, there are 3 baler and 2 trash compactor drag items. Each drop zone accepts only one item, so you can’t place multiple balers or both trash compactors on the same target. As you’ll see, this setup requires a large number of triggers and several additional layers to handle validation and to reset the interaction at any time.
As I mentioned earlier, this approach is definitely doable, but it quickly becomes complex and harder to maintain, especially if the scenario changes later.
Nedim;
Thank you again..that is some impressive work; not only the functionality, but the light and accessible visual presentation as well!