My Layers are not Showing in Preview?

Hi Doug

There is no reason why layers wont show.  But you have to make sure you are actually showing the layer

can you post the slide to see why it is not working

Phil

Hi Phil,

That is what I thought.  I posted my slide here:

http://files.everymind.org/intro.story.zip

I am not sure why the layer will not appear?  Thank you for looking at this.

Thank you,

Doug

Hi Doug

This was slightly strange, I think it is to do with grouped objects and their position in the timeline ( I may also have ungrouped it but cannot remember), I dragged your drop target to the top of the timeline and it worked for me.  I may have been easier to fix just to use a transparent shape instead of the png. 

I will not upload the file because it is huge for such a small fix.  If you really want it let me know

Phil

Hi Phil,

Thank you very much.  That was very helpful.  There is some bad karma between groups, layers and the timeline.  I had to ungroup everything and move the object I was moving to the top of the timeline to get it to work.

Thank you,

Doug

I am not sure if anyone reads these old posts....but here it goes. I am having exactly the same problem. This has nothing to do with objects grouped and/or the position on the timeline because I created a very simple file to test this issue and it shows up here as well.  I have a base layer with one or two text boxes. I created a new layer with 2 pictures that have triggers that move fwd and back 1 slide.  when I preview I can not see the images. I checked position in timeline, position of layers, visibility settings - nothing seems to be out of place.  This also happened with a text box (preview and can't see the text) but I put a border around the box and it was visible on preview.   I am posting the file.

Related question: is there any way to copy a layer from 1 slide to another?  thanks!

Robin

now posting the source file (didn't know it would only take 1)

Hi Robin,

I think perhaps I'm misunderstanding your question. But when I open your .story, I don't find a way to get to the "navigation" layer that you have on the first slide. If I add a trigger on the base layer of the first slide so that I can get to the navigation layer, then I can use the next button on that layer. That brings me to the base layer of the next slide. But again, the prev/next buttons that you've set up are on the navigation layer, so I can't access them.

Perhaps you can explain further?

Hmmm... on the 1st slide (practice course) there are 2 layers - introduction & navigation. I can select either of them. I'm a little confused about you not being able to "get to" the navigation layer. I can select it, it is not hidden, shouldn't it show on preview.? Thx.

The second layer, navigation in your case, does not show unless something on the first layer, introduction, has a trigger to show it. I think you are misunderstanding the purpose of layers in Storyline. Perhaps you're thinking of layers in Photoshop or Flash. This is not the same thing. 

You need to put your Previous and Next buttons on your main timeline with the text box that says Practice Course. 

Layers would be used if, for instance, you had a flipbook. The first page of the flipbook would be on your main timeline (your introduction) then each of the other pages of the flipbook would be on subsequent layers. The subsequent layers would then only show when something on the main layer was triggered to show them.

Hi Robin,

Not sure if this link will be helpful. It's a tutorial on States, Triggers, and Layers

I'm attaching your file. I've inserted a button on the first slide that you can click (in Preview mode) to get to your navigation layer for slide 1. When you get there, you'll see that the prev and next buttons are active. Prev won't work since there's no previous slide. Next works and bring you to the next slide, but again your "working" prev and next buttons are on a navigation layer, and there's currently no way to get there.

So, as Sandy said, you really want those navigation buttons on the main layer.