Hover and visited states

Jun 14, 2012

Hi there,

I have a list of text items on a slide that have both hover and visited states. Each has a trigger that takes the learner to another slide, and then they return back to this one.  Is there a way I can remove the hover state effect once that item has been visited?

13 Replies
Greg Damron

Hi Gordon,

Here's a sample file- see if this helps to do what you are looking for. The sticky spot seems to be with the hover action taking place without a trigger once a hover state is added to the text box. I couldn't find a way to stop/remove the effect, but I've used a trigger to basically say - when hovering over the text box after it has been visited do not show the hover state and show the the visited state instead. So the hover state action is still working, but it just re-displays the visited state whenever activated. The last piece to make it work was unchecking the "restore on mouse leave" box when setting up the trigger, that way a separate action isn't created when you stop hovering and the last state change is always to visited.

Natalie Sikes

You can also use custom states to solve the problem. It requires some extra steps, but it solves the problem without needing the use of a reset button. This could get a little cumbersome if you have a lot to click on, but if not, it's a nice solution.

1.  Instead of using the standard Hover and Visited states, create custom states with the titles "Hover1" and "Visited1."

2.  Set a trigger to the object:

      -Change state on object (Name of object)

      -To state "Hover1"

      -When: Mouse hovered over

      -Object:  Name of object

      -On the condition that (shape) Object is not equal to "Visited1"

3.  Set another trigger on the same object:

      -Change state of object (Name of object)

      -To "Visited1"

      -When: User clicks

      -Object: Name of object

4.  In the slide properties, select "Resume Saved State."

5.  Make sure your triggers for Hover1 and Visited1 are before your trigger to jump to the next slide.

Natalie Sikes

You're welcome.  I was struggling with this issue myself   The great thing about Storyline is that there are many different ways to tackle an issue.  It's possible that the next version of Storyline will address this issue and other issues identified in the comments.

I plan to post more comments as time permits.  One day, I'd like to create some screenrs/tutorials on using variables to expand upon what's already available.

Christie Pollick

Hi, Jenna -- Thanks for your question! As this is an older thread, you are welcome to reach out to participants directly using the 'Contact Me' link on their individual profile pages. Or, if you would prefer, you can share your file here using the ADD ATTACHMENT button in the bottom left corner of the reply box, and others in the community can take a closer look at your setup itself. 

Greg Damron

Hi Jenna,

Your question comes at a good time. I've been meaning to get back to the forum more often and would be happy to help sort out the issue on having the layer display properly. It sounds like you are pretty close, however, with multiple triggers in use it's usually best to take a look. Christie had a great suggestion, can you post or send a copy of your story file?

Jenna Grant

After further consideration, I realized that I didn't want the layer to show until I was sure they had finished view all of the content.  And since a couple of the layers also included some videos, the timing was such that it would work better if the user manually selected a button to reveal the final instructional layer.

What I did was use the states to identify when a certain layer was selected.  Then at the bottom of the slide a button to select or indicate the user was finished and ready to move to the final layer.  However I put conditions on when that button would be active, meaning each layer had to have a state of "visited" before the button would be enabled.

I hope this makes sense!

Greg Damron

Great to hear you got it worked out ...and it sounds like you've added a more control for your learner in the timing of actions as a nice bonus.

Sure, the "visited" state for the layers makes sense the way you've stated it to meet the condition you were checking for (although for the record, layers don't directly have states).

Best of luck as you continue on your project!

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