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Question:
Is there a way in Captivate to group a text button with its caption so that you don’t have to move the button every time you move/resize the caption?
Answer:
Sorry to say, but Captivate does not currently have a Group feature. Perhaps Captivate version 3? If you would like to request a feature be added to Captivate, click here.
I was teaching a RoboHelp 6 HTML class recently and came across the following error message when attempting to edit the properties of project topics (it’s an error I had never seen before).
Clicking OK to the message proved lethal (not that there was an alternative). The topic(s) are unceremoniously deleted from the project and thrown into the Recycle Bin. The Project Manager then shows the topic(s) as missing. Ouch! You can fix the immediate problem by removing the poor topic from the Recycle Bin and re-importing the topic back into the project.
But what was causing the problem? Long story short, the training center I was working with had RoboHelp X5 installed prior to class. When the tech installed RoboHelp 6 on every machine, he was prompted to remove the old version of RoboHelp—which he did. However, the old RoboSource version control software was still installed.
I removed the old RoboSource software (via Start > Settings > Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs) and the problem went away for every PC in the room.
The person who installed the new RoboHelp software incorrectly assumed that the installer would remove all components of RoboHelp, including RoboEngine and RoboSource, which is not the case.
The moral to the story: RoboHelp HTML X5 and the new RoboHelp 6 HTML cannot coexist on the same machine. Prior to installing RoboHelp HTML 6, uninstall RoboHelp HTML X5 and all of its supporting software including RoboEngine, RoboSource and RoboPDF.
During a recent visit to the Adobe Captivate Developer Center, I browsed the following articles for free:
Underwhelmed? Geeze, you’re a hard sell. How about this:
Click here to visit the Adobe Captivate Developer Center.
As mentioned last week, parallelism is the gimmick that allows us to get away with a longer sentence. The brain says, “I’m out of here,” after about twenty words. But often we can keep our reader with us if we make sure that all parts of each sentence are in the same grammatical form. Parallelism means that coordinate or balanced ideas are expressed in the same constructions. Nouns must be parallel with nouns, verbs with verbs, phrases with phrases, clauses with clauses, and so forth. For example, that was forwarded last week and that was delivered by my courier service are parallel constructions. On the other hand, that was forwarded last week and to have been delivered by my courier service are not parallel. Lack of parallelism is a very common problem.
Maintain parallelism in the following instances:
Items in a Series
A series consists of three or more elements. Although the repetition of the construction is essential, the repetition of the tag word (in, the, of, for, to) is optional. If the parallel elements are long or deserve special emphasis, use the tag word. If not, omit it.
Coordinate Ideas
Coordinate ideas are connected by coordinating conjunctions such as for, and, nor, but, or, yet. Also, maintain parallelism for ideas in comparisons created by than or as.
Ideas in a Vertical List
Don’t mix complete sentences, single words, and different types of phrases in the same list.
The order of business will be as follows:
Items with Two-Part Connectives
Two-part connectives (correlative conjunctions) include either/or, neither/nor, not only/but also, both/and. Make sure that the type of construction following the first connective is the same type following the second connective. Helping verbs such as “have” and “can” are especially troublesome. If the helping verb is shared by both main verbs, place the helping verb before the first connective. If the helping verb is not shared, place it after the connective. Notice that all three of the following sentences are parallel.
Want to learn more about Grammar? Click here.
When creating new master pages in Adobe InDesign CS 2, you can select Based on Master from within the Master Options dialog box. By using this feature, changes made to the "parent" master page trickle down to the "children," potentially saving you significant development time.
In the following scenario, you have already created a 3-column master page called A-3 Columns. Here are the steps you would take to duplicate A-3 Columns and use it as the "boss" of the other master pages.
There should now be two master pages: A-3 columns and A-3 columns copy.
The Master Options dialog box appears again.
Master page B-2 Columns will be “hooked” to master page A-3 Columns. Future changes you make to A-3 Columns will also appear on B-2 Columns. However, changes made to B-2 Columns will not affect A-3 Columns. The relationship between the two master pages is very much like a parent passing attributes to a child (A-3 Columns is the parent, B-2 Columns is the child).
When importing audio files into Captivate, the files can be in WAV or MP3 format.
The WAV format was developed jointly by Microsoft and IBM as the standard format for sound on PCs. WAV sound files end with a .wav extension and can be played by nearly any computer that supports sound. Since WAV files are not compressed, they can get huge.
MP3 (MPEG Layer 3) is a compressed audio format that allows for high quality sound that is significantly smaller than its WAV cousin.
If you add a WAV file to a project, Captivate converts the WAV file to MP3 format when you publish. And while imported audio files generally perform well in Captivate, consider the following true story:
A few audio clips were giving us fits in a recent Captivate project. The project contained several audio clips that had each been imported onto the slides. The clips played as expected if previewed via the Play button on the Audio toolbar. However, when previewed or published, the same audio clips dropped the last few syllables. We spent several maddening hours deleting and re-importing the troublesome clips, all to no avail.
Here’s how we solved this pesky problem:
That should solve the problem of the "dropsies."
Using Adobe Captivate 2, you can create computer- based simulations from anything you can access from your computer. The simulations you create can be interactive—you can add captions, rollovers, clickable areas, typing areas and sound effects. During these lessons you will learn the skills essential to mastering Captivate.
Lessons include:
The Captivate Interface | Insert Text Captions | Edit Text Captions | Modify Text Captions and Add Highlight Boxes | Align Objects | Control Caption Timing | Insert and Manipulate Images | Image Stacks | Insert Click Boxes and Set Caption Options | Adding Buttons | Duplicate Slides and Hide the Mouse | Change Slide Timing | Insert Text Entry Boxes | Change the Pointer Path | Text Animation | Frames Rates and Animation | Export and Import Movie Captions | Add Background Music | Resize a Movie | Import PowerPoint Slides | Link to Other Movies | Link a Movie to a Web Site | Checking | Bandwidth and Publishing Movies | Publish to Word | Set Reporting | Options and the Manifest File | Insert a Question Slide | Edit a Question Slide | Set Question Slide Options | Create a Menu Builder Project | Edit and Export a Menu Builder Project | Publish SCOs | Upload Course Content into an LMS.
Click here to register.
Click here to test-drive some of the lessons for free.
We are proud to announce that our newest book, "Essentials of Adobe RoboHelp 6 HTML," is just about ready to ship.
RoboHelp is the industry standard for Help authoring. It’s the preferred program if you are a Help author, technical writer, or programmer tasked with creating Help systems for desktop or Web-based applications.
HTML stands for Hypertext Markup Language. Simply put, HTML is a formatting language. You put codes (markups) inside text files so that they can be read by browsing software. Currently, the most popular browsing program is Microsoft’s Internet Explorer.
RoboHelp 6 HTML has the letters HTML in its name; therefore, many people think that RoboHelp HTML is strictly an HTML authoring tool—it is not. Although you can create terrific Web sites with RoboHelp HTML, its primary mission is to let you quickly, and easily, create Help systems.
This easy-to-use tutorial that will have you creating your own HTML Help systems (complete with topics, books, links, tables, forms, glossaries, frames, skins, templates, DHTML, cascading style sheets and more) within three days.
Note: This book has entered the final production phase. We expect it to begin around February 23, 2007. Order your copy now and we will ship your book to you "hot off the press."
Ready to order? Click here. Hurry, the coupon expires February 23, 2007.
Question of the Week:
"I was told never to record a Captivate movie higher than 800 x 600. I don’t recall the reasoning behind this. What are the advantages to recording at this height and width? Will the resolution make the output file bigger?"
Answer:
Determining the resolution and capture area settings for your Captivate movies is one of the most important first steps before recording any movies.
The issue of resolution is really one of usability. If your screen resolution is 1024×768 and you capture the whole screen (1024×768), users will have to scroll to keep up with your demonstration. (Even if the user’s resolution is 1024×768 since the browser’s scroll bars and menu’s will take up a chuck of that space.)
If the user’s screen resolution is 800×600, their experience is not typically a good one. The settings I recommend are a screen resolution of 1024×768 and a capture area not to exceed 800×600. Using these settings you get the best of both worlds. If 800×600 is not possible due to target software limitations, use the smallest capture area that does work.
As for file size, certainly the larger the capture area, the more pixels you capture and the larger your movies will be. However, the primary culprit behind “project bloat” is animation and, to a greater extent, audio.
Shortcut of the Week:
Kudos to Gregg J Wanciak who stumbled upon this Captivate shortcut:
"I haven’t seen this documented anywhere yet," said Gregg. "In Edit view (not Storyboard or Branching), as long as your focus is not in the Slide Notes pane, typing the letter D on your keyboard will bring up the Slide Properties."
Interesting. D for Properties. Makes perfect sense to me! How did you discover that one Gregg? You weren’t kidding about the whole "stumbled" thing, were you? It works, though. Thanks for the tip.
Parallelism is the gimmick that allows us to get away with a longer sentence. The brain says, “I’m out of here,” after about twenty words. But often we can keep our reader with us if we make sure that all parts of each sentence are in the same grammatical form. Parallelism means that coordinate or balanced ideas are expressed in the same constructions. Nouns must be parallel with nouns, verbs with verbs, phrases with phrases, clauses with clauses, and so forth. For example, that was forwarded last week and that was delivered by my courier service are parallel constructions. On the other hand, that was forwarded last week and to have been delivered by my courier service are not parallel. Lack of parallelism is a very common problem.
Parallel sentences can add coherence to passages that deserve special attention. This rhetorical device is often used in the best speeches. In the following excerpt from John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address, note how the repetition of words and constructions not only creates coherence but lifts the emotional impact of the passage.
And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.
My fellow citizens of the world, ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.
Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us here the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on Earth God’s work must truly be our own.
Use the device of parallel sentences sparingly. If it is overused, your letters and reports will have an overblown quality.
Next week: Maintaining Parallelism.
Want to learn more about Grammar? Click here.