Articulate 360: Installing, Updating, and Managing the Articulate 360 Desktop App
The Articulate 360 desktop app gives you quick access to all the authoring tools and resources in your subscription. It’s where you: Install, update, and open desktop-authoring apps, such as Storyline 360 and Studio 360. Get notifications when new software updates are available. Open web apps, such as Rise 360 and Review 360. Manage your profile, account, and preferences. Run diagnostics. The Articulate 360 desktop app is always just a click away. It runs quietly in your computer’s system tray (by the clock). Click the Articulate 360 icon when you need it. In this user guide, you'll learn how to: Installthe Articulate 360 Desktop App Updatethe Articulate 360 Desktop App Snooze Notifications Manually Check for Updates Launch Third-Party Software Report Set Your Preferences Installthe Articulate 360 Desktop App Before you get started… Articulate 360 requires a Windows PC running Windows 10 or Windows 11. Click here for system requirements. If you're using a Mac, here's what you need to knowabout installing Articulate apps in a Windows virtual environment. You may also need to add these websites to your allowlistto access all Articulate 360 resources. Go to https://id.articulate.com/redirect/360 and sign in with your Articulate ID.(Your Articulate ID is the email address and password you used when you signed up for a free trial or bought a subscription. It’s also the email address and password you use to sign in to the E-Learning Heroes community. If you don’t remember your password, you can reset it.) After signing in, click Download Desktop Apps on the right sidebar. Click Start Download and save the installation fileon your computer. (If you see aMicrosoft Defender SmartScreen warning, click More info and then click Run anyway.) Right-click the installation file and choose Run as administrator. Select your preferred interface language when the installer launches by clicking the English (United States) drop-down list on the upper-right corner. If you want to change the directory where you install the apps, click the folder icon beside the language drop-down list. Learn how to customize your install folder. Click Install Now. When the installation is complete, click Finish. The Articulate 360 desktop app will automatically open. If you're prompted to sign in, use your Articulate ID email address and password again. (Articulate 360 usesyour default browser to sign in.) That's it! When you click the X in the upper right corner of the desktop app, it'll shrink to your computer's system tray (by the clock) and continue to run quietly in the background. When you need it again, just click the Articulate 360 icon in your system tray or double-click the shortcut on your desktop. Now that you’ve installed your desktop app, check out these user guides to learn more about using it: Articulate 360: Using the Desktop-Authoring Apps Articulate 360: Using the Web Apps Articulate 360: Managing Your Profile and Account Articulate 360: Running Diagnostics Updatethe Articulate 360 Desktop App One of the benefits of an Articulate 360 subscription is that you get continuous updates when new features are available. Articulate 360 can install updates automatically as they become available. If you choose to disable automatic updates and enable notifications in your preferences, you’ll get an instant Windows notification when an update is available. And you’ll always know when an update is available as soon as you open the Articulate 360 desktop app, as shown here. To install an update for the Articulate 360 desktop app, simply click the blue Update button in the top right corner. The update will automatically download and install without any additional prompts. It couldn’t be easier! After updating the Articulate 360 desktop app, you can then update your authoring apps, such as Storyline 360. Learn more. Snooze Notifications If you choose to disable automatic updates and you’re not ready to install the new version, you can snooze the notification for a day, a week, or until the next update is available. Click the bell icon on the blue status bar and choose one of the options. Snoozing a notification temporarily hides the blue status bar. If you’d also like to turn off Windows notifications for Articulate 360 updates,see below for details. Manually Check for Updates You can manually check for updates at any time, even if you’ve temporarily snoozed notifications. Click the drop-down arrow in the upper right corner of the Articulate 360 desktop app and choose Check for Updates. Launch Third-Party Software Report We appreciate the open-source community's contributions to Articulate 360. To view a list of attribution notices for third-party software in Articulate 360, click the drop-down arrow in the upper-right corner of the Articulate 360 desktop app and choose 3rd Party Software. Set Your Preferences There are two ways to access your preferences. Open the Articulate 360 desktop app, then click the drop-down arrow in the upper right corner and choose Preferences. Or, right-click the Articulate 360 icon in your computer's system tray (by the clock) and choose Preferences. At the top, you’ll find the version number of your Articulate 360 desktop app. This information is helpful when you’re working with Articulate Support on an issue. Learn more about each setting below. Notifications Notifications are enabled by default. You’ll get Windows notifications, like the one shown below, for Articulate 360 events, such as when new updates are available. To hide these notifications, uncheck the Show notifications box. Updates Automatic updates are enabled by default, saving you time and ensuring you always have the latest enhancements. To stop automatic updates, uncheck the Install updates automatically for the Articulate 360 desktop app box. (If you don't see this option, it either means your Articulate 360 desktop app is out of date, or your organization has disabled automatic updates.) Privacy You can help improve Articulate 360 desktop products by sending usage data to our servers. We analyze feature metrics and error reports from Articulate 360 desktop products as well as device and browser data when learners view published output. To opt out of these analytics, uncheck the Privacy box. Learn more. Language The language setting controls the interface language for the Articulate 360 desktop app, Storyline 360, Studio 360, Replay 360, and Peek 360. You can display your Articulate 360 desktop apps in English, French, German, or Spanish. Choose your preferred language from the drop-down list, click Save, then restart all your Articulate apps, including the Articulate 360 desktop app itself. Tip: To restart the Articulate 360 desktop app, right-click the Articulate 360 icon in your system tray by the clock and choose Quit. Then launch it again from your desktop shortcut or your Start menu. Proxy If your organization is behind a proxy server that requires you to enter security credentials to access Articulate 360 services, switch your Proxy setting to Manual, then enter your username and password in the fields that appear. Legacy Access 64-bit Storyline 360 is the default Storyline version in the desktop app. To restore access to 32-bit Storyline 360, check the Restore 32-bit Storyline 360 box. (After you click Save, an optional "Product Feedback" dialog for 32-bit Storyline 360 appears before restoring legacy access.) Note: Click Save when you've finished updating your preferences.Storyline 360: Working with Triggers
Triggers make things happen. They're the keys to creating activities in Storyline 360. And we made them super easy to use so that you can build interactions without any coding at all. Just choose an action and decide when you want it to occur. For example, you might change the state of a character when the learner clicks a button. Adding Triggers Adding Conditions to Triggers Managing Conditions Understandingthe Sections in the Triggers Panel Selecting Multiple Triggers Editing Triggers Disabling Triggers Copying and Pasting Triggers Copying Triggers by Duplicating Objects Pasting Conditions Across Triggers Deleting Triggers Rearranging Triggers Grouping Triggers Collapsing and Expanding Objects and Sections Adding Triggers At their core, triggers are pretty simple. A trigger has two main elements: What action occurs? When does it happen? To create a trigger: Click the Create a new trigger icon in the Triggers panel, or go to the Insert tab on the ribbon and click Trigger. The trigger wizard will guide you through the process using a series of drop-down lists, as shown below. Select the action you want to occur and fill in the related parameters, such as the object that’s affected. For example, you might change a character’s expression. Choose when you want it to happen—e.g., when the learner clicks a button. Optional: You can add conditions to your trigger so it only occurs in certain circumstances. Learn more about conditions below. When you’re done, click OK. Tip: Check out this resource to learn about the available actions, events, and conditions. Adding Conditions to Triggers If you want to trigger an action only when certain criteria are met, you can add one or more conditions to it. If the trigger wizard isn’t already open, double-click the trigger you want to edit in the Triggers panel. Click the + if drop-down list on the Conditions card to add your first condition. A condition can be based on a variable, an object on the slide or any of its layers, or the window in which the slide is displayed, as shown below. After selecting a variable, object, or window, click the underlined portions of the conditional sentence and make your selections from the drop-down lists. For example, you might want your trigger to occur only on the condition that the state of a button is not visited, as shown below. Repeat the steps above to add as many conditions as you need. Then decide how your conditions should interact. Should they be AND conditions where all the conditions must be met? Should they be OR conditions where only one condition must be met? Or should they be a combination of both? Click AND or OR to switch back and forth, as shown below. New: Create conditional triggers with alternative actions. As of November 2022, you can add an optional "else" action. Here's how. In the trigger wizard, click + Add Else. Storyline 360 automatically adds a default action based on the main action. Click the default "else" action to change it to a different one if you'd like. Click OK to save your changes and close the trigger wizard. Managing Conditions It’s easy to reorder, duplicate, and delete conditions. Here’s how. Reorder Conditions Change the order of conditions in the new trigger wizard without deleting and recreating them. Just drag them up and down the list. Install the November 2019 update or later for Storyline 360 to take advantage of this time-saving feature. Duplicate Conditions When you need multiple conditions that are similar, save time by duplicating them. Create the first condition, as shown above, then hover over it and click the Duplicate Condition button that appears. Use the inline editing lists to tweak the new condition as needed. Delete Conditions Hover over the condition you want to delete and click the Remove Condition button that appears. That’s it! Understanding the Sections in the Triggers Panel It’s helpful to know how the Triggers panel is arranged so you can quickly find the triggers you’re looking for. The Triggers panel is divided into sections based on the “when” parameter in your triggers. The following table lists sections in the order they appear in the Triggers panel. Section Description Slide Triggers Slide triggers always appear at the top of the Triggers panel. They often rely on the timeline of the slide or layer—e.g., when the timeline starts, ends, or reaches a certain point. Key Press Triggers Key press triggers occur when the learner presses a specific key after clicking the slide or layer. Variable Triggers Variable triggers occur when a variable changes. For example, you might show a layer when a true/false variable changes to true. Unassigned Triggers If you accidentally leave the “when” parameter blank, your trigger will appear in this section so you can immediately see which triggers are incomplete. Object Triggers Object triggers apply to objects on the slide (images, characters, text boxes, etc.), and they generally occur when the learner performs an action, such as clicking a button, hovering over a hotspot, or dragging an object. Object triggers can also occur when other events take place—e.g., when the state of another object changes, an animation completes, or an object leaves the slide. Player Triggers Player triggers always appear at the bottom of the Triggers panel. They apply to the built-in navigation buttons: Previous, Next, and Submit. Here’s an example of the Triggers panel with each of the sections defined above: Selecting Multiple Triggers Select multiple triggers and edit them all at once. Easily copy and paste, move, disable, and deletetriggers in bulk. Here are five ways to multi-select triggers: Click an object on the slide to select all the triggers associated with it. In grouped view, click a "When …" event to select all the triggers in that group. Ctrl+click to select multiple triggers that aren't next to each other. Shift+click the first and last triggers in a series to multi-select all the triggers in between. Press Ctrl+A to select all the triggers in a sectionof the triggers panel, such as Slide Triggers or Object Triggers. This feature is exclusive to the new trigger workflow. Install the January 2020 update or later for Storyline 360. Editing Triggers You can easily edit your triggers right in the Triggers panel. Click the segments of each trigger description, and then choose an option from the drop-down list or enter a value in the field. Here’s a demo: You can also edit triggers in the trigger wizard. Just double-click the trigger you want to edit. Or, select the trigger and click the Edit button at the top of the Triggers panel. After making your selections, click OK to save your changes and close the trigger wizard. Disabling Triggers Temporarily disable individual triggers when you’re troubleshooting an interaction that isn’t working or when you’re experimenting with new ideas. Simply hover over the trigger you want to disable and click the Disable Trigger icon that appears (it looks like a lightning bolt with a slash through it). Click the icon again to re-enable your trigger. When a trigger is disabled, its text is struck out so you can tell at a glance that it’s disabled. Disabled triggers won’t work in your published output. If you need them to work, remember to re-enable them before you publish. Compatibility Tip: Disabled triggers are exclusive to the new trigger workflow in Storyline 360. They’ll be present but hidden if you open your project file in the classic trigger workflow in Storyline 360 or Storyline 3. Copying and Pasting Triggers Save time by copying and pasting triggers from one object to another. Then make any necessary adjustments to the new triggers. Select the trigger you want to copy in the Triggers panel. Copy the trigger by pressing Ctrl+C on your keyboard or by clicking the Copy button at the top of the Triggers panel. Select one or more objects on the slide where you want to paste the trigger, then press Ctrl+V on your keyboard or click the Paste button. If you need to tweak the pasted trigger, click the segments you need to edit in the Triggers panel or double-click the trigger to open it in the trigger wizard. See the section aboveto learn more about editing triggers. Copying Triggers by Duplicating Objects Another way to quickly copy triggers is to duplicate an object that already has the triggers you want. Just select the object on the slide and press Ctrl+D on your keyboard. This is helpful when you need several variations of an object that you’ve already customized to fit your course. For example, let's say you need several buttons that look the same and perform similar actions. Pasting Conditions Across Triggers Save time by copying conditions from one trigger and pasting them on another. Copy the trigger that has the conditions you want to reuse. Select one or more triggers where you want to paste the conditions. Right-click the selected trigger(s), scroll to Paste, and choose Paste Conditions from the context menu. This feature is exclusive to the new trigger workflow. Install the January 2020 update or later for Storyline 360. Deleting Triggers To delete a trigger, select it in the Triggers panel and do any of the following: Press the Delete key on your keyboard. Click the Delete button at the top of the Triggers panel. Right-click the trigger and select Delete from the context menu. Rearranging Triggers You can add triggers to slides, layers, and slide masters. You can also add multiple triggers to a single object. The order of all these triggers is important and determines when they execute. Slide master triggers execute before slide and layer triggers. When there are multiple triggers on the same object that are triggered by the same action (e.g., when the learner clicks a button), triggers execute in the order they appear in the Triggers panel. To reorder triggers, use the Up and Down arrows at the top of the Triggers panel, or simply drag triggers up and down the panel with your mouse. Grouping Triggers You can group triggers together by event (e.g., when the learner clicks a button or when the timeline starts) so triggers are easier to see and understand. They’re also easier to troubleshoot if your interaction isn’t working the way you expect. To group triggers by event, mark the Group box at the top of the Triggers panel. Uncheck the box if you want to ungroup your triggers. Here’s a comparison of the same triggers ungrouped on the left and grouped on the right. Collapsing and Expanding Objects and Sections Collapse all the triggers for an object or even an entire section of the Triggers panel when you need to focus on specific triggers. Click the triangle to the left of an object to collapse or expand its triggers. Click the arrows to the right of a section to collapse or expand the whole section, such as Slide Triggers or Object Triggers. Want to learn more about working with triggers? As an Articulate 360 subscriber, you have unlimited access to live online training webinars and recorded videos on a variety of e-learning topics. Check out Articulate 360 Training to register for webinars and search our video library.Rise 360: Use Your Dashboard to Manage Content
Create fully responsive e-learning content with Rise 360, an easy-to-use web app included with your Articulate 360 subscription. There’s nothing to install, so you can get started right away. Just sign into Articulate 360, then click Rise 360 to see your dashboard. (Click here for a list of supported web browsers.) Let’s explore the Rise 360 dashboard. Check out the video below for a guided walkthrough. Then take a look at the following image and refer to the numbered list below it to learn about each feature for managing Rise 360 content. Click image to view larger # Feature Description 1 Switch Apps Switch to another app—collaborate with stakeholders in Review 360, take and manage training in Reach 360 (if available), register for Articulate 360 Training webinars, or return to your Articulate 360 dashboard. 2 Switch to Classic Dashboard, Edit Your Account, and Update Your Profile Click your avatar to switch to the classic dashboard, edit your account, update your profile settings, or sign out of Articulate 360. 3 Select Deliverable Type The content tab is selected by default. ClickQuestion Banks to access your and your team's question repositories. 4 Export Your Courses to Rise.com Click the Rise.com logo to sign in and export your Rise 360 content to Rise.com. 5 Change the Layout View your content tiles in a grid layout, which is the default view, or switch to list view. 6 Search Quickly find content you've created by entering the title and pressing the enter key. 7 Change the Sort Order Sort content by date or alphabetically by title. Rise 360 will remember your choice the next time you open your dashboard. 8 Filter by Content Type View all types of content or filter to see only Courses or Microlearning content. 9 Filter by Owner View all content or filter to see only content you own. 10 Create New Content To create new Rise 360 training, click the Create button. It’s always visible at the top of your dashboard. 11 All Content See all your training, including content on which you've been added as a collaborator. 12 Shared With Me Quickly access just the training on which you've been added as a collaborator. 13 My Shortcuts Create shortcuts to both private and team content you don't want to lose track of and organize them into folders only you can see. 14 Private Directory Work on content you aren't collaborating on with other team members. Create folders and subfolders only you can see to organize your content. 15 Team Directory Work on content you're collaborating on with your team or that's been shared with you. Organize content into folders the whole team shares and modify share permissions at the folder level to quickly manage content collaborators. External Connections (not shown) Appears if you collaborate with external teams, provides access to external content outside of your organization. 16 Deleted Content View recently deleted content and restore it or delete it forever. 17 Interact with Tiles As you use Rise 360, a new tile appears for each piece of content you create. Each tile displays the cover photo, title, lesson count, and last modified date. Articulate 360 Teams subscribers who collaborate on content will also see the owner's avatar on the course tile. Click a tile to open the content for editing and previewing. Learn more about creating new content. Learn more about previewing content. Hover over a tile, then click the ellipsis that appears to see options for publishing, sending, duplicating, moving, and deleting the content. When accessing a tile in My View, you have options for the original file and the My View bookmark. Tip: Collaborators' options will depend on their role. Only course owners can delete content. Collaborators can remove themselves. 18 Show file location Click to jump to the actual location of the content. 19 Publish Content You can publish content for Reach 360 (if available), LMS distribution, web hosting, or PDF download. Only the course owner and course managers can publish content. Rise 360 supports xAPI (Tin Can API), SCORM 2004, SCORM 1.2, AICC, and cmi5 learning management systems. 20 Send a Copy to Other Rise 360 Authors Need to send the source file for content to other Rise 360 authors? Choose Send a copy. (Only the course owner and course managers can send a copy of the content.) Enter the email addresses of the Rise 360 users who should receive the content (separated by commas), change the default message if you’d like, and click Send. The recipients receive an email notification, and the content automatically appears on their Rise 360 dashboards. Note: AI Assistant source documents used in content generation aren't included with the copy. You all have independent copies of the same project. Changes one author makes to the content won’t appear in other authors’ versions, and vice versa. If an author sends a copy of the content back to you later, a new version will be added to your Rise 360 dashboard, meaning you have the original version and an updated copy. 21 Duplicate Content Duplicate existing content when you want to translate it or create new content with the same layout. Choose Duplicate. Enter a name for the new project and click Save. (Only course owners and course managers can duplicate content.) 22 Move Content to a Folder Organize content in folders so it's easier to find with Move. Select an existing folder from the list or click the Create new folder icon and give your new folder a name, then click Move. Move content to a team folder to share it with other team members. 23 Share Content Add content editors and managers as collaborators. 24 Delete Content To delete content from your Rise 360 dashboard, choose Delete and confirm the prompt. Deleted content can be restored or permanently deleted from the Deleted section. Only the course owner can delete and restore content. Collaborators can remove themselves. 25 My View Options In private or team folders, add content to or remove it from My View. In My View, move or remove content. 26 Content Count Displays the total number of projects in your dashboard and the current range you're viewing. Only 16 tiles are displayed per page. 27 Pagination Use this bar to quickly jump to another page of content or navigate with the Next and Previous buttons.Storyline 360: Working with Variables
Use variables to remember information—such as a learner's name or a numeric value—then display dynamic content based on that information (view Working with Variable References). Variables are also a great way to add conditional interactivity to courses (view Working with Triggers). And the good news is you don't have to know anything about coding! Adding Variables Using Triggers to Adjust Variable Values Evaluating Variables in Trigger Conditions Referencing Variable Values in Slide Text Editing Variables Copying and Pasting Variables Deleting Variables Finding Variables in the Variables Window Finding Variables in Your Course Translating Variables Understanding the Difference Between Variables and States Adding Variables Click the Manage project variables icon in the Triggers panel. When the Variables window opens, click the Create a new variable icon (looks like a plus sign) in the upper right corner. Give your variable a recognizable nameso it's easy to identify later. Choose the Type of variable you want to create. Storyline 360 supports three types: True/False: True/False variables are often called Boolean variables. They're either true or false. They're great for creating toggle buttons and restricting learners' options. For example, you might use a true/false variable to track whether a certain event has occurred, then let learners proceed to the next slide only when the variable is true. Text: Text variables hold text values. Common uses include personalizing content by displaying the learner's name throughout a course and evaluating text-based interactions. Text variables can hold up to32,767 characters. Number: Number variables hold numeric values. Common uses for number variables include tracking the number of times a particular event has occurred and performing mathematical calculations. Number variables can hold static values, or you can make them random by entering starting and ending values for a range of numbers. Learn more about random number variables. Enter a default Value. (The default value for text variables can be blank.) Click OK to save your new variable. Click OK again to close the Variables window. Storyline 360 automatically creates variables for you in the following cases: When you create a... These variablesare created for you... Result slide Four number variables are added for scoring purposes by default. If you have a combined result slide that requires learners to pass each quiz, Storyline 360 also adds a true/false variable. Learn more. Dial A number variableis added to track the dial value. Slider A number variableis added to track the slider value. Text-entry field A text variable isadded to track learners' input. Numeric-entry field A number variableis added to track learners' input. Using Triggers to Adjust Variable Values Need to change the value of a variable during a course? Easy. Just add an Adjust variable trigger. View this user guide to learn more about triggers. Evaluating Variables in Trigger Conditions You can use variables to add conditions to triggers. View this user guide for details. For example, let's say you want to change the state of an object when a true/false variable is true. It'd look something like this: Referencing Variable Values in Slide Text Variables store data. Triggers let you adjust the data. And variable references let you display the data anywhere in your course, making your content dynamic and interactive. For example, you might ask learners to enter their names on the first slide in your course. You store that information in a variable. Then you use variable references to personalize the rest of the course with their names. In another example, you might ask learners to enter their weight and height. You store both values in variables. You use triggers to calculate their body mass index based on those variables. Then you use variable references to display the results. Variable references can be added to any text-based object, including text boxes, captions, shapes, and buttons. View this user guide to learn more about variable references. Tip: Quickly replace a variable reference with another variable from the context menu. Right-click a dynamic variable placeholder, scroll to Reference, and select a Project, Built-In, or Slide Numbers variable. Editing Variables Click the Manage project variables icon in the Triggers panel. Select the variable you want to edit and click the Edit icon (looks like pencil and paper) in the upper right corner. Rename the variable and/or change its default value. (You can't change its type.) Click OK twice to save your changes and close the Variables window. Tips for editing variables: You can also rename variables and change their default values just by clicking in the grid. When you rename variables, all references to those variables in your slide text and triggersare updated automatically. Copying and Pasting Variables Click the Manage project variables icon in the Triggers panel. Select the variable(s) you want to duplicate. You can multi-select variables by pressing Ctrl+click, Shift+click, or Ctrl+A. Click Copy and/or Paste in the upper right corner. Deleting Variables Click the Manage project variables icon in the Triggers panel. Select the variable(s) you want to delete. You can multi-select variables by pressing Ctrl+click, Shift+click, or Ctrl+A. Click the Delete icon in the upper right corner or press the Delete key on your keyboard. Tip for deleting variables: When you delete a variable, all references to that variable in your slide text will remain intact. You'll need to edit or delete those references manually. Triggers that involve deleted variables will also remain intact, but they'll become "unassigned." You can either edit or delete those triggers. Finding Variables in the Variables Window Because variables are so easy to use and perfect for building interactive courses, your variables manager could quickly become crowded. To find variables in the variables window, use the Project and Built-In tabs in the upper left corner to switch between variables you created and those provided by Storyline 360. And use the search field to locate the exact variable you're looking for. Finding Variables in Your Course If you use variables extensively, it can be difficult to remember where they're referenced throughout your course. No problem. You can generate a variable usage report. Click the Manage project variables icon in the Triggers panel. Click the hyperlinked number in the Use Count column for the variable you want to find. Storyline 360 will display all references to that variable in a separate window. Translating Variables Storyline 360 has built-in translation features to help you localize content in different languages. However, it's important to note that the translation features let you translate default values for variables and references to variables in your slide text, but not the names of those variables. If you translate variable references in your slide text, you'll also need to manually translate the variable names in your project (view Editing Variables). If variable names and references don’t match, variable references in your slide text won't work. Understanding the Difference Between Variables and States Variables and states both track information and add interactivity, but they differ in scope and behavior. States control visual elements for a single slide, while variables control elements across slides, scenes, or an entire project. Here are some examples of when to use variables and when to use states. Use variables when you want to: Use states when you want to: Remember values entered by the learner Count the number of times a button is clicked Perform mathematical calculations Trigger actions based on learner input Remember which objects have been clicked Change how objects look based on learner interaction Trigger actions based on learner interaction
