Month: April 2008

When adding audio to your Captivate project, you may be surprised to learn that you can actually attach audio to any of the following:

• The Project (Audio > Background Audio)
• The Slide (Audio > Import)
• Or Slide Objects (show the Properties of an object, and use the Audio tab)

If you are adding narration to your project, I recommend audio directly to the slide instead of an object on a slide. Once you do, the audio will appear on the Timeline as a waveform.

Why should you attach audio clips to the slide instead of slide objects? Simply put, if you keep the number of slide objects to a minimum (we try not to put more than one text caption and a click box or button on a slide), you’ll find that you will speed up the production process. In addition, adding the audio to the slide tends to be faster than having to show the properties of a slide object and then attaching the audio to the object.

Over the years, I’ve added hundreds, if not thousands, of audio clips to Captivate projects. When previewing the project, the audio typically played wonderfully. However, from time to time the first one-tenth of a second of audio would get cut off from the published version of the project.

Re-importing the audio would not fix the problem. Re-recording the audio would not fix the problem. Cursing didn’t seem to help.

We stumbled across a simple workaround that solved the problem:

1. Open a slide that contains audio attached to the slide (as mentioned above, you’ll see a waveform on the Timeline if you’ve attached audio to a slide)
2. On the Timeline, drag the audio waveform right so that the audio starts approximately 1/2 of a second after the slide starts

   

   And that’s it. When the slide appears in the published version of your project, the 1/2 second delay will not be noticeable to your users and will ensure that the first second of audio isn’t lost (cut off) as the slide is appearing onscreen.

Got a Captivate production problem that’s making you pull your hair out? Email your problem and let others learn solutions from your experience.

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Want to learn more about Captivate? Click here.

Question: What’s Up with the Click to Activate Message?

I am still using Macromedia Captivate. On my introduction screen, I have a Start button for my Captivate Demo.  However, the first click (on the Start) seems to "activate" the entire screen, which makes it "jump" and then the second click activates the Start button.  Any ideas on how I can alleviate this? 

Answer

A few years ago, Microsoft released updates to Internet Explorer that changed how the browser handles active content viewed in Adobe Flash Player, Authorware Player, Shockwave Player, and Adobe Reader and other ActiveX controls. Users were suddenly required to acknowledge a SWF by clicking to activate it.

Beginning with Adobe Captivate 2, the issue was addressed when Captivate developers published their projects with the creation of a JavaScript file called standard.js. All a developer needed to do was post the JavaScript with the other published files. (Standard.js is a JavaScript that acknowledges the Microsoft control. Without the script, users have to click an extra time on the control–which is exactly what you are describing.)

Of course, there is no elegant way to resolve the issue if you are using an older version of Captivate. As an alternative, you could create a first slide that contains the words "Click anywhere on this screen to begin the lesson (if the lesson does not start after your first click, please click a second time)." Then add a large click box to the slide. That’s what we did when the problem first cropped up (before Captivate 2 appeared).

Question: Where is My Browse Sequence?

I’m using Adobe RoboHelp 7 and creating Microsoft HTML Help. I’m trying to add a browse sequence. When I view the CHM file on my computer, the browse sequence is there. But when I view the CHM file on my home desktop computer (rather than my tablet PC where I created the project), the browse sequence is missing. Since the CHM file does not seem to be using a browser for viewing purposes, I don’t think it’s a browser setting and I use FireFox rather than IE anyway. Can you figure this one out?
 

Answer

HHACTIVEX.DLL must be installed and registered on any machines looking to use the browse sequence.

Here is a link with more information.

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Got a question you’d like answered? Email me.

Adobe Captivate Exchange

If you haven’t visited the Adobe Captivate Exchange lately, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by some of the new additions:

• Restart Captivate from Last Viewed Slide
  Prompt a user to start from the last viewed slide of a published Captivate file.
• Grouped Buttons
  Sick and tired of the way Captivate presents your button choices? Wish it could be different? Wish no more.
• Faster & Slower Buttons for Captivate
  Enable users to control speed of presentation.
• Speed Control Widget for Captivate
  This little flash widget allows the user to change speed of the Captivate presentation.

Click here to visit the Captivate Exchange.

by Quinn McDonald

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Rene Descartes walks into a bar.

The bartender recognizes him and says, "So, Rene, do you want a martini?"

"I think not," Descartes replies.

POOF! He disappears.

(Clarification needed?)

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The web is a funny place. For the last month the most popular website on WordPress has been I Can Has Cheezburger, a site to which people submit pictures of their pets, complete with funny captions. The captions are written in pet language. Yes, I said pet language. LOLCat, to be precise.

What amazes me is not that the site exists, or that thousands of people caption and send in pictures of their pets, which, according to the site’s rules, become the property of the site’s owners who can do anything they want with it (including advertising their site or making money without royalties to the owner.)

Nope, what amazes me is that the rules for the pet language, which are spelled out on the site–written in LOLCat–are being followed by everyone who submits a picture. I am amazed. I haven’t seen so much strict rule following since I arrived at the airport in what was then East Berlin.

The same people who won’t move out of their lane when a blaring fire engine is behind them, know "kitteh" in the subjunctive.  My clients don’t want to follow simple grammar rules, all the while telling me they can’t learn them now.

Yet all these people on a funny picture website know the ins and outs of Caturday and the walrus’s bukkit. Cheezburger has ’em lined up speaking fluent ‘lolcat’ fluently. Amazing. Must be an immersion language.

About the Author: Quinn McDonald is a writer and nationally-known speaker who has achieved the "Professional" designation from the National Speakers Association. Contact Quinn through her website, QuinnCreative.com.

What’s the difference between a Captivate simulation and demonstration? Typically speaking, a simulation is interactive; a demonstration isn’t. Between the two, I urge you to create simulations because simulations will encourage users to actively participate in your lessons. (Unless budget is not a concern, in which case by all means create both a simulation and demonstration for each and every lesson.)

While markedly different, simulations and demonstrations can both include Question Slides that can validate your lessons. But should you include the Question Slides in your project, or should you keep the Question Slides separate? Personally, I tend to keep the Questions Slides in a separate project and make the quiz available via a link on my LMS. Because you will have to worry about the Reporting options of the non-quiz slides, keeping the projects segregated is the cleanest/easiest way to go.

If you do decide to include Question Slides in a simulation, be warned–you could be throwing off your scoring results unless you take the appropriate evasive action. How so? I’ve had several customer’s who have included interactive slides (slides with Buttons, Click Boxes and/or Text Entry Boxes) and sprinkled Question Slides throughout the project. Upon playback, the scoring was off (the user failed even if they answered the questions correctly) or the Question Slide numbers were off (the first Question Slide would say it was number 2 of 5 when it was the first Question Slide).

When you add Question Slides in the middle of interactive slides, Captivate treats everything like a quiz, even though the interactive slides may not be an actual part of the quiz. What’s a developer to do? Well, as they say, "If you can’t beat them…" At IconLogic, if we include a quiz in a lesson, we treat the Interactive objects as part of the quiz without having the interactive elements actually count as points in the quiz.

Controlling How Objects Report Scores

1. Open an interactive slide and double-click the interactive object
2. Select the Reporting tab
3. Select Include in Quiz
4. Select Report Answers
5. Change the Points to 0
6. Select Add to total
   
   
7. Click OK

One important step to remember here:

1. Choose Quiz > Quiz Preferences
2. On the Settings category, ensure Allow backward movement and Allow user to review quiz are both selected in the Settings area (this will allow users to go back to the interactive slides–without this setting enabled, users would be able to click the Button or Click Box, to move to the next slide, but would not be able to go back and take the lesson again)

   

3. Click OK

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Got a Captivate production problem that’s making you pull your hair out? Email your problem and let others learn solutions from your experience.

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Want to learn more about Captivate? Click here.

Question: Captivate to AVI?

I am using Adobe Captivate to develop software demonstration video shorts and our Web developer is asking for AVI files rather than SWF.  To your knowledge, is it possible to generate AVI files in Captivate?  I have researched the Adobe Knowledge Base and have only found information on how to import AVI files to a project. Thanks for your help! 

Answer

You cannot publish AVIs with Captivate. However, there are aftermarket converters that may do the trick. I have an article on my BLOG that may help.

In addition, a quick Google search yielded several SWF to AVI converters you might want to investigate.

Question: Books for Captivate version 1?

I have recently attended a Captivate 3 course and used one of your books, "Essentials of Captivate 3 skills and drills learning." I found the book very helpful and easy to use however at my place of work we currently use Macromedia Captivate (Captivate version 1). Can you tell me where I can purchase a similar book, but for Captivate 1 please? 

Answer

You can still order that older book directly from IconLogic. Here’s a link. 

Question: Is there a Way to Reduce the Size of a Captivate Project?

Do you know what might cause a 6 min 41 sec Captivate file to bloat to over 200 MB? Is there something I can do to "de-bloat" it?

Answer

The culprit is likely unused assets in your project (such as backgrounds, animation or audio). Here’s a link to an article on my BLOG that will help you reduce the size of your project–often times significantly.

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Got a question you’d like answered? Email me.

Before You Install Adobe RoboHelp 7

Peter Grainge has written an article for RoboHelp users who are upgrading to Adobe RoboHelp 7 from an earlier version. (You will also find useful information if you are installing RoboHelp for the first time.)

Peter’s article explains:

• What you need to do before installing RoboHelp 7
• What to consider before installing RoboHelp 7
• Where to find out about changes in RoboHelp 7

Click here to read the article.

by Quinn McDonald

You are a contract writer. You freelance for a living. One of your clients asks you for help with a project, and you agree to a meeting. When you get to the meeting, your client tells you about the client–a company that needs some help organizing their website, creating a site that’s easier to navigate.

You ask a few questions, and the job seems like a good fit. The pay is in line with what you ask. You agree.

And then you find out your client’s client is a company whose goals you disagree with. Not just a little, but a lot. There’s a wide breach between your beliefs and the company’s. What do you do? Refuse to take on the job? Tell your original client that you disagree with the viewpoints and turn down the job? Take the job, send a big invoice, and run?

Here are a few things to think about while you are struggling with your authenticity and the money.

• If the client’s values are repugnant to you, if you find the company unethical or immoral, don’t take the job. No amount of money will make you feel right about it, and you can’t do a good job. While you are speaking with your client, ask who the organization is. If you recognize the name, you can turn it down right away. If your client can’t reveal the name of the organization, you might want to reserve the right to withdraw once you research them. Give a deadline-24 hours.
• If the client represents a different viewpoint from yours, even one you strongly disagree with, consider taking the job. Every writer should be exposed to views they don’t agree with. It’s good for you-it helps you question your assumptions, see facts from a different perspective, and open your mind.
• If you take the job, you are required to do your best work. Every web reader deserves to read clear, concise, well-written copy. Your calling as a writer is your priority. You deliver well-written, well-organized, logical and precise writing. This is what every organization should be required to put on the web.

There are more than 100 million websites in cyberspace. Many of them are badly reasoned, horribly written and cramped with confusing and irritating navigation. A few stand out as beacons of clarity. You can contribute to the small number of sites filled with intelligent writing and good explanations. You can help others understand what the client wants to say, what they stand for. Every company deserves to have their cause clearly spelled out to let the readers understand and choose.

It’s your choice to contribute or step away. Think before you do.

About the Author: Quinn McDonald is a writer and nationally-known speaker who has achieved the "Professional" designation from the National Speakers Association. Contact Quinn through her website, QuinnCreative.com.