Storyline 360: Enabling Right-to-Left Language Support
Use Articulate Localization to include right-to-left languages seamlessly in a single multi-language course. You can enable right-to-left language support for player features when you're using a right-to-left language, such as Hebrew or Arabic. Here's how. Enabling Right-to-Left Orientation for Player Elements Enabling Right-to-Left Orientation for Slide Content Moving the Sidebar to the Right Side of Your Course Saving Player Changes Enabling Right-to-Left Orientation for Player Elements Here’s how to change the text direction for player elements, such as navigation buttons, sidebar tabs, and pop-up messages. First, make sure you're using a player font that supports right-to-left text, such as Arial Unicode MS or Microsoft Sans Serif. Next, select a language for your player text labels (such as Arabic or Hebrew) or customize your text labels in another language (such as Farsi or Urdu). Then, follow these steps: Go to the Home tab on the Storyline ribbon and click Player. When the player properties appear, click Other on the ribbon. Use the Text is read from drop-down list to select Right to Left. Click OK. Player elements switch positions for right-to-left languages to give learners a more intuitive experience. Enabling Right-to-Left Orientation on Slide Content To display your slide content in a right-to-left orientation, make sure the Right-to-Left Text Direction button is selected when you enter or edit text. You'll find the right-to-left button on the Home tab of the Storyline ribbon, but it'll only show if you have a right-to-left keyboard input language installed on your computer. Moving the Sidebar to the Right Side of Your Course If your player includes a sidebar, you might also want to move it to the right side of your course. To make this change, click Features on the player properties ribbon and select On Right from the Sidebar drop-down list. Saving Player Changes When you click OK to close the Player Properties window, Storyline saves your changes in the current project file. If you'd like to use the same customizations in other projects, click Current Player on the ribbon and choose Save. Enter a name for your custom player, if prompted, and click OK. To learn more about the Current Player options, see this user guide. You Might Also Want to Explore: Interactive Demo: Which classic player features are supported on tablets and smartphones?Storyline 360: Choosing Player Features
Storyline 360 lets you choose which features and controls are included on your course player. You can add navigation buttons, a seekbar, a menu, and much more. To customize your player, go to the Home tab on the ribbon and click Player. When the player properties appear, the Features button will already be selected on the ribbon. Just choose the options you want, as described below. When you make changes on the left side of the window, the preview area on the right will update to reflect your choices. Why are the features grayed-out? When the Menus & Controls option on the ribbon is turned off, most player features are automatically disabled and grayed-out. Only the course cover photo remains active when menus and controls are turned off. Turning off all player features gives your course a chromeless look, meaning your course won’t have a player at all. Learn more. To enable all features, switch the Menus & Controls option to On. Jump to the following sections in this user guide to learn more about customizing your player features. Choosing Player Tabs Adding Custom Tabs Editing Custom Tabs Removing Player Tabs Rearranging Player Tabs Displaying Different Tabs for Different Slides Turning Off the Sidebar Choosing Features Choosing Player Controls Showing or Hiding Navigation Buttons Turning Off All Player Features for a Chromeless Design Saving Player Changes Choosing Player Tabs Use player tabs to display additional content in your course. Player tabs can be added to the sidebar or the topbar of your course player. Just mark the box for each tab you want to include. Menu Mark this box to add a menu or table of contents to your course. Learn how to customize the menu. Glossary Mark this box to add a glossary to your course player. Learn how to add terms and definitions to the glossary. Notes Mark this box to show your slide notes in the player. Learn how to add notes. Resources Mark this box to give learners supplemental resources. You can add file attachments, links to websites, or both. Learn how to add resources. Adding Custom Tabs In addition to the four built-in player tabs described above, you can also add your own player tabs. Custom tabs can display additional slide content or trigger actions (e.g., exit course). Here's how to add a custom player tab: Click the Add button (it looks like a blank piece of paper) below the list of player tabs. When the trigger wizard appears, fill out the following fields: Name: Enter a name for the tab as you want it to appear in on your player. Alignment: If you’re using the classic player style, use this drop-down list to choose where to display the tab. Choose Topbar Left or Topbar Right. If you’re using the modern player style, you won’t see an alignment field. Topbar tabs always appear on the side of the player opposite the sidebar. Action: Use this drop-down list (and the contextual fields that follow) to define what should happen when learners click your custom tab. For example, if you want to display content in a lightbox, select Lightbox slide, then choose the slide you want to lightbox. Learn more about triggers. When you're finished, click OK. Editing Custom Tabs To edit a custom player tab, just select it and click the Edit button (it looks like a pencil). When the trigger wizard appears, you can change the tab's name, location, and action. See above for details. Built-in player tabs can't be edited, but you can change their names. Learn more about customizing text labels. Removing Player Tabs To turn off a player tab, simply uncheck its box. To permanently delete a custom player tab, select it and click the Delete icon. (Built-in player tabs can't be deleted. They can only be hidden.) Rearranging Player Tabs You can position player tabs in the sidebar or on the topbar. And multiple tabs can be located in each area of the player. For example, you might add the menu and notes to the sidebar, while the glossary and resources are on the topbar. To move a tab from one location to another, select the tab name, then use the Up and Down buttons to move it to a different location on the player. The built-in player tabs can be added to the sidebar or topbar. Custom player tabs can only be added to the topbar. The location of topbar tabs is different in the modern and classic players, as described in this table. Modern Player Classic Player Topbar tabs are always on the side of the player opposite the sidebar. If your sidebar is on the left, your topbar tabs are on the right. And if your sidebar is on the right, your topbar tabs move to the left. And on small screens where there isn’t enough room to display topbar tabs, they’ll collapse into a drop-down menu represented by three dots. Click the dots to see your topbar tabs. You can have topbar tabs on both the right and left sides of the player. On tablets and smartphones, topbar tabs automatically collapse into the responsive mobile player. Click the menu icon (☰) to see your topbar tabs. Displaying Different Tabs for Different Slides By default, player tabs display for all slides in your course, but you can hide built-in player tabs on a slide-by-slide basis. Turning Off the Sidebar You can turn off the sidebar for your entire course or individual slides. You just need to disable the sidebar tabs. And if you're using the classic player style, you also need to turn off the logo. Here are the details. Modern Player Classic Player To turn off the sidebar for an entire course, disable all sidebar tabs or move them to the topbar. If your course has a logo, it won't show when all the sidebar tabs are disabled. To turn off the sidebar for an entire course, disable all sidebar tabs or move them to the topbar, and also turn off the logo. To turn off the sidebar for individual slides, enable the sidebar tabs that you want in the player properties, then disable the sidebar tabs in the slide properties for each slide where you want the sidebar to disappear. If your course has a logo, it’ll disappear on slides where the sidebar is turned off. To turn off the sidebar for individual slides, enable the sidebar tabs that you want in the player properties, then disable the sidebar tabs in the slide properties for each slide where you want the sidebar to disappear. If your course has a logo, it’ll still be visible when the sidebar tabs are disabled. If you want the sidebar to disappear completely, turn off the logo in the player properties. Choosing Features Below the player tabs, you can add a course title, logo, and cover photo. And you can choose where to display the sidebar. Title Mark this box if you want the course title to appear in the top left corner of your player. If you’d prefer not to display a title, uncheck this box. The title defaults to the name of your project file, but you can change it. Just edit the text in the corresponding field. (Changing the title won’t change the name of your project file; it'll only change the title that displays in your published course.) The maximum length for a project title is 80 characters. Sidebar A sidebar will appear in your published course if you include any player tabs in the sidebar or add a logo. If you don’t want a sidebar in your player, turn off all sidebar tabs and the logo. By default, the sidebar appears on the left side of your player, but you can move it to the right side of your player. Choose a location from the Sidebar drop-down. If you’re using the modern player style, you can collapse the sidebar by default, allowing learners to expand it when they need it. Mark the Sidebar starts collapsed box. (This option isn’t available for the classic player style.) Logo To add a logo to the top of the sidebar, mark the Logo box, then use the Click to add a logo link to browse for an image. You can also add alt text to your logo in the modern player so it's accessible to screen readers and other assistive technologies. If the visibility box is checked but there isn’t any alt text, screen readers will read the file name of the logo. If you’d prefer to hide the logo from screen readers altogether, uncheck the visibility box. For the modern player, the maximum height of the logo is 170 pixels. The width varies since the sidebar changes size to fit the learner's browser. Storyline will scale your image to fit the available space. (When you use the modern player, your logo won’t display on smartphones. Nor will the logo show when you disable all the sidebar tabs.) For the classic player, the maximum width of the logo is 200 pixels, and the maximum height is 220 pixels. If your image is bigger than these dimensions, Storyline will scale it to fit. (When you use the classic player, your logo won’t display on tablets and smartphones.) Cover Photo Sometimes it’s helpful to add an image to your course start page—for example, when learners use mobile devices or the first slide has media. You can add a course cover photo in the modern player. Mark the Cover Photo box, then click the + Photo link to browse for an image. Choose the first slide, a media library asset, a Content Library 360 photo, or an image from your computer. Want to see how the image looks? Click the file name link to refresh the preview area on the right. If you prefer the image to fill the player frame, mark the Fill player frame box. Choosing Player Controls In the Controls area of the player properties window, mark the boxes for the controls you'd like to add to your player. Volume This displays a volume controller in the lower left corner of your player when learners view your course on desktop computers. The volume controller won't display on tablets and smartphones since they have their own volume buttons. Search This adds a search field to the bottom of the Menu tab. Learners can use it to search for text in your course. Since the search field is part of the Menu tab, it'll only appear in your published course if you've enabled the Menu tab. Captions This enables the closed captioning button at the bottom of the player. When the closed captioning button is enabled, it'll display when there are captions available on the current slide or layer. If no captions are available, the button will disappear. This is a visual indicator for learners so they know which slides have captions and which don't. When the closed captioning button is visible, meaning there are captions available on the current slide or layer, learners only need to click it to turn the captions on or off. Seekbar This adds an interactive seekbar to the bottom of your player. It's a good visual indicator of each slide's timeline. Use the corresponding radio button to choose how the seekbar behaves: Allow user to drag seekbar: This lets learners drag the seekbar to review content they've already seen or skip ahead. Seekbar is read-only: This locks the seekbar so learners can't rewind or skip ahead. Allow drag after completion: This locks the seekbar the first time learners view a slide. After that, they can drag the seekbar back and forth. We call this the conditional seekbar. Learn more. Pro Tip: By default, the seekbar is enabled or disabled for the entire course, but you can show or hide it on a slide-by-slide basis if you prefer. Play/Pause This option is only available for the modern player style. It adds a play/pause button to the bottom of your player. The classic player style also has a play/pause button, but it’s combined with the seekbar as a single unit. When you enable the seekbar (above), the play/pause button is also enabled. When you disable the seekbar, the play/pause button is also disabled. Playback speed Let learners explore content at their own pace by choosing a course playback speed that's comfortable for them—between 0.25x and 2x. The course playback speed control is exclusive to the modern player style in Storyline 360. Accessibility controls Empower learners to personalize their learning experience according to their needs and preferences. When you enable the accessibility settings menu, a gear icon appears on the player, allowing learners to change the zoom mode, turn accessible text on or off, toggle keyboard shortcuts, and turn background audio on or off. The accessibility controls are enabled by default for new projects. They're disabled by default for existing projects and saved custom players. Learn more about these adjustable accessibility settings. Full-screen Add a player toggle to let learners view courses in full-screen mode. Full-screen toggle is currently exclusive to the modern player in Storyline 360. You can open, edit, and publish project files that use this feature in Storyline 3 and earlier versions of Storyline 360. In Storyline 3, the player returns to the classic style without a full-screen button; the modern player won't have a full-screen button in earlier versions of Storyline 360. Showing or Hiding Navigation Buttons Navigation buttons are automatically added to all slides. By default, content slides have previous and next buttons, and question slides have submit buttons. However, you can show or hide navigation buttons on a slide-by-slide basis. Turning Off All Player Features for a Chromeless Design You can turn off all player features for a chromeless look. Saving Player Changes When you click OK to close the Player Properties window, Storyline saves your player customizations in your project file. If you'd like to use the same customizations in other projects, click Current Player on the ribbon and choose Save. If prompted, enter a name for your custom player and click OK. Learn more about the Current Player options. You Might Also Want to Explore: Interactive Demo: Which classic player features are supported on tablets and smartphones?Storyline 360: Adding Math Equations
Create formulas using an intuitive LaTeX editor built right into Storyline 360 with these steps: Go to the Insert tab on the ribbon and click Equations. In the Insert Math Equation window, enter your formula in the LaTeX markup field. It will display as a graphic at the bottom of the window in real time. Enter descriptive alt text in the short and long description fields on the right. Use the Color selector to choose a color for the equation. Click Insert to add the equation to your slide. Note: Storyline 360 supports the MathJax TeX font. Edit Math Equations To update an equation, use any of the following methods to get started: On the slide stage, select the equation and click the pencil icon on the top right corner of its sizing handles. Right-click the equation and choose Edit Math Equation from the context menu. When you’re ready, click Replace to replace the existing equation with the modified one. Resize Math Equations The quickest way to resize a math equation is to drag any of its sizing handles. For more control over an equation’s exact size, go to the Size and Position window to enter your preferred values. Make Math Equations Accessible Math equations are rendered as scalable vector graphics (SVG), which means they’ll stay sharp when resized or zoomed in. You can further enhance math accessibility with these steps: Add short and long descriptions (alt text). Use a two-part text alternative for complex images to make them more accessible to all learners, including screen reader users. Short descriptions are meant to identify the image, while long descriptions represent essential information conveyed by the image. The alt text should spell out the name of each symbol in the equation. (1.1.1 Non-text Content) Meet color contrast guidelines. When using the color option, use a web-based contrast checker or download a contrast checker tool to test the contrast ratio of your math equation. (1.4.11 Non-text Contrast) Determine whether text within an image is necessary. Use text over images when conveying information. However, having text within a math equation SVG is acceptable if it gives learners essential context. (1.4.5 Images of Text)Storyline 360: Using the Size and Position Window
The Size and Position window lets you control an object’s height, width, rotation, scale, crop, and location. You can also add alternative text and closed captions. Accessing the Size and Position Window Sizing, Rotating, and Cropping Objects Positioning Objects Adding Alternative Text to Objects Adding Closed Captions to Narration and Videos Accessing the Size and Position Window Select the object you want to customize, then use any of the following methods to open the Size and Position window. Press Ctrl+Shift+Enter on your keyboard. Go to the Format tab on the ribbon and click the arrow in the lower right corner of the Size group. Right-click the object and choose Size and Position. When the Size and Position window appears, click the tabs along the left edge to set your options. See below for details. Sizing, Rotating, and Cropping Objects Height Width Enter the height and width in pixels. If the Lock aspect ratio box is marked, the width will automatically adjust when you change the height—and vice versa—to maintain the object’s proportions. (Another way to quickly change an object’s size is to go to the Format tab on the ribbon, then enter values in the Height and Width fields.) Rotation Enter a rotation value in degrees. A positive number rotates the object clockwise; a negative number rotates it counterclockwise. (Another way to rotate an object is to drag its rotation handle.) Scale Height Scale Width Use these fields to adjust the size of the object using percentages (of the original size). If the Lock aspect ratio box is marked, the scale width will automatically adjust when you change the scale height—and vice versa—to maintain the object’s proportions. Lock aspect ratio Mark this box to maintain the object’s proportions when resizing. It's enabled by default for pictures, screenshots, characters, and videos. Crop from Use these fields to crop the object by a specific number of pixels. The cropping options are only available for pictures, screenshots, and characters. (Another way to crop an object is to go to the Format tab on the ribbon, click Crop, then drag the black cropping handles that appear on the edges of the object.) Reset Click this button to reset the object to its original size. This option is only available for pictures, screenshots, characters, and videos. Positioning Objects Although it's easy to move an object on your slide just by dragging it, sometimes you need more control over its exact position. Select the Position tab on the left edge of the window, then enter pixel values in the Horizontal and Vertical location fields. Use the From selectors to choose a relative location. Adding Alternative Text to Objects Use the Accessibility tab on the left edge of the window to set accessibility options for screen readers and keyboard navigation. By default, screen readers announce each object on the slide according to its name in the timeline panel. Here are two ways to modify this behavior: Object is visible to accessibility tools: This box is marked for all objects by default. Uncheck it if you don’t want the selected object to be detected by screen readers or part of the keyboard navigation. For example, if you have objects on the slide that don't contribute to the meaning of the content, such as aesthetic elements (rectangles, lines, etc.), it's a good idea to uncheck this box for those objects. Alternative text: If you'd like screen readers to use a description that's different from what appears in the timeline panel, enter that alternative text here. Another way to add or edit alternate text is to use the Focus Order window. Adding Closed Captions to Narration and Videos Also on the Accessibility tab, you can create, edit, import, delete, and export closed captions for audio tracks and videos. Just click the icons to the right of Captions. To learn more about working with closed captions, see these user guides: Creating and Editing Closed Captions with the Built-In Editor Importing Closed Captions for Narration and Videos
