Forum Discussion

BelindaHodgk252's avatar
BelindaHodgk252
Community Member
12 years ago

Triggers - change state on different slide using Storyline

I would like to change the state of an object on one slide while being on another slide. For example the module image on slide 1 needs to change to a colour image when I click the next button on ...
storyline 360
WaltHamilton's avatar
WaltHamilton
Super Hero
4 years ago

Once you create the variable, it is behind the scenes, available to the entire project.

In your case, on the slide you want them to visit, you need to put a trigger to set the variable.
For example, Set variable Slide6Visited to true when action [thatjumps to slide where you want state changed] occurs. Best practice is to choose the action that shows completion of the slide (learner clicks I'm done here, or Timeline ends on slide 6) as the action.

Then on slide where you want to change the state, put a trigger to Change state of object  to [new state] when timeline of this slide starts if variable Slide6Visited = true Don't name the new state Visited, because it is a built-in state and all the built-in states have their own hard-wired superpowers, and don't take kindly to competition. (Your trigger may cause conflicts.)

Here is something that may help you grasp variables and their use.

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.
MelanieElick-af's avatar
MelanieElick-af
Community Member
4 years ago

You have been extremely patient and helpful! One last question-do I need to create the variable for each screen or can I use the same one? I have 6 different states that I want to change. I am using the T/F variable and changing it to T if the timeline ends on the visited screen; then having a trigger on the home page to set the state of one of the objects to visited. Should I have 6 different T/F Variables?

Melanie Elick M.Ed
Curriculum Designer
She/Her/Hers
Enterprise Business Operations Learning & Development

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