Forum Discussion
Tab Order: Storyline skipping first object on non-base layers?
I'm using Storyline 360 v3.26.18601.0 and am having a problem with the tab order.
It appears that when I open a layer from the base layer and hit the tab key, I do not go to the first object listed in my Tab Order panel for that new layer. Instead, Storyline skips the first thing listed in the tab order and goes to the second object in the list. I then have to tab through the entire rest of the page before I am cycled back, finally, to that first object.
Of course, this completely messes up the learner experience since I get to the Next or Continue button before I get to the main content on the page.
Here is a concrete example:
Main Storyline edit screen:
This is a screen from an emergency management course in a module on responding to an earthquake. It consists of a base layer called Drop Cover and Hold On and three feedback layers, one for each of the highlighted regions on the slide. Two are incorrect feedback layers (No: Boxes and No: Bottles) and one is the correct feedback layer (Yes: Good Choice).
The idea is the learner clicks one of the highlighted regions, and in response, a trigger shows the feedback layer associated with that choice. If the learner clicks the correct place to drop, cover, and hold on, then the Yes: Good Choice layer displays:
This layer is set to Prevent the user from clicking on the base layer in its properties panel:
This prevents objects on the base layer from being tabbed to while the learner is on this layer. Also, every object on this layer is hidden from the accessibility tools except for the feedback text box and the Continue button.
Here's my Tab Order panel for this slide:
Here's a Peek video screencast of me trying to navigate through this page using the keyboard only (i.e., navigating with the Tab key and selecting with the Enter key):
Peek video of how this page behaves
The little teeter-totter video clip (meant to suggest the earthquake) at the start of the page in question didn't get captured too well by Peek, but otherwise the video shows the tab behavior quite well. Why does it skip the feedback text box?
Is anyone else experiencing this or am doing something wrong?
Thanks!
-Ray
48 Replies
OK thanks Leslie - With the EU directive on accessibility around the corner it really is important for us to have a solution. The lack of this functionality prevents us from making truly accessible courses with SL. Thank you.
Hi.
I'm having a similar issue...
Tabbing works on the base layer, but then when I press Enter on an object to show a layer, the tabbing starts cycling through objects on the base layer again and I can't tab through content on the layer.
I've discovered that the default tab order puts the content of the layers first in the running order, and the content of the base layer last. Then I get the problem above. If however, I move the base layer objects to the top of the tab order list, I don't get this problem. But this creates a huge amount of work, when you have multiple layers with lots of content. Each base layer object has to be moved individually all the way to the top using the up arrow.
If this is needed to ensure layers tab correctly, why are the base layer objects not at the top of the tab order list by default? Is this by design, an oversight or a bug?
With thanks
Dayn, if you go to each non-base layer in the Slide Layers panel and right click it, you'll see a checkmark labeled Prevent the user from clicking on the base layer. Checking that checkbox will prevent anything on the base layer from being tabbed to from the other layers.
Cheers!
-Ray
Hi Ray.
Many thanks, but that doesn't really work for me, as I still want the learner to be able to click on the base layer to open other layers.
A bit like a Tabs interaction - several items on the base layer that open different layers. They all need to stay active.
Dayn
I agree that it's not ideal, but when I want learners to be able to click objects on the base layer, I've taken to just duplicating the clickable elements on the other layers where necessary. That way, when learners are on a non-base layer, they can tab to elements on that non-base layer and tab to the specific clickable elements copied from the base layer, but not to anything else on the base layer.
Cheers!
Thanks again Ray.
That would be a solution. I can also solve it by manually changing the tab order, but either way is more work than it really should be.
I would still like to hear from Articulate staff on this, as it seems that it should just work, and a way to resolve it would be to change the default tab order to put the base layers objects first. Is this part of the bug mention above?
Hi Dayn,
Thanks for reaching out here and sharing all that detail. I know that our team is investigating a bug where the objects on a slide or feedback layer are listed first in tab order.
I've linked this discussion to the report so once we have more info from our team we'll let you know here!
OK thanks Ashley.
Has this been fixed? I am having this same problem now!
Hi Emily!
Thanks for checking back! This is still a software bug that our team is investigating. Software bugs tend to be a lengthy process so that we make sure it is perfect prior to release. We'll share in this discussion when we hear of an update.
