Captivate – Page 8 – The Logical Blog

July 31, 2013

Adobe Captivate: Removing Words from the Custom Dictionary

by Kevin Siegel

Using Captivate's Spell Check feature is as simple as choosing Project > Check Spelling. It's a good bet that if you've spent any amount of time developing projects within Captivate, you've used the Check Spelling command at least once. I'm betting that you found using the Check Spelling feature just like the Check Spelling command in common word processors such as Microsoft Word.

If you work in the healthcare or legal industries, spell checking a project can be a laborious task. For instance, in the healthcare industry, hundreds of words in a given project could be medical terms. While correctly spelled, the medical terms are not included within Captivate's main dictionary and are flagged as potential errors. Those errors need to be corrected… over and over and over again.

If I were a betting man, I'd bet that you've already found and used the Add to Dictionary button within the Check Spelling dialog box. When you click the Add to Dictionary button, the selected words are added to Captivate's personal dictionary and flagged as properly spelled.

It's another good bet that you have "accidentally" clicked the Add to Dictionary and inadvertently added a word or two to the custom dictionary. Given the fact that there is no "unlearn" button or "Remove from Dictionary" button in the Spell Check dialog box, I'd wager one final bet that you would like to learn how to remove erroneous words from the personal dictionary. If so, read on…

Remove a Word from Captivate's Dictionary

Search your computer for a file called added.txt (the file might have a simplistic name, but it is actually the custom dictionary). I've listed the default location for users running Windows 7… of course the location will be different for every version of Windows and the Mac. (That's why it's probably best to simply search your computer for the file by name.)
Default location of the added.txt file on Windows 7: C:\Users\UserAccount\AppData\LocalLow\Adobe\
Linguistics\UserDictionaries\
Adobe Custom Dictionary

Once you've found added.txt, open it with a word processor such as Notepad (Windows) or TextEdt (Mac).
Select and delete any words in the added.txt file that you want Captivate to flag as misspelled. (Conversely, you can add any words you want to be ignored during future spell checks.)
Save and close the added.txt file.
Restart Captivate and run spell check again. The word(s) you removed from the custom dictionary will once again be flagged as misspelled.

If you would like to see a demonstration of editing the custom dictionary, check out the video I created on the IconLogic YouTube channel.

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Looking for training on Adobe Captivate? IconLogic offers multiple live, online Adobe Captivate classes each month including Introduction to Adobe Captivate and Advanced Adobe Captivate.

July 25, 2013

Adobe Captivate: A Great GIFT

by Kevin Siegel

When it comes to adding question slides to a Captivate project, you can always visit the Quiz menu and choose Question Slide. You'll be presented with the Insert Questions dialog box giving you access to several types of questions you can add including Multiple Choice, True/False and Matching. Once the questions have been added to your project, the next step is to edit the questions and answers.

If you need to add a large number of question slides to a project, creating the quiz is going to take a significant amount of time. There is a better way to go, especially if a Subject Matter Expert who does not own Adobe Captivate is going to create the quiz: GIFT files.

GIFT stands for General Import Format Technology. You can create a GIFT file in plain text using a simple word processor (like Notepad or TextEdit), and then import the file into Adobe Captivate.

In the image below, I've created a GIFT file in NotePad that will result in one multiple choice question.

Adobe Captivate: An example of a GIFT file.

The syntax is simple. The Question Title goes between the colons (::Multiple Choice::). Next comes the question itself. The answers are contained within the {}. The correct answer is preceded by an equal sign (=); the incorrect answers are preceded by a tilde (~).

Once the GIFT file has been created, importing it into Captivate is beyond simple. Choose Quiz > Import GIFT Format File and open the GIFT file. In the image below, you can see the imported Multiple Choice question based on the GIFT file above.

Adobe Captivate: A question that was imported from a GIFT file.

All that would be left to do would be to format the question as you would any slide or apply a Theme.

If you would like to see how the GIFT feature works, check out the video I created on the IconLogic YouTube channel.

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Looking for training on Adobe Captivate? IconLogic offers multiple live, online Adobe Captivate classes each month including Introduction to Adobe Captivate and Advanced Adobe Captivate.

July 17, 2013

Adobe Captivate: Anchors Away?

by Kevin Siegel

You've seen them… and you've ignored them. But what, exactly, are they? I'm referring to those pesky red arrows you often see to the right of objects on the Timeline.

The red arrows indicate that the Timeline object is anchored to the end of the slide's play time. In the image below, all three of the Timeline objects are anchored to the END of the slide.

Adobe Captivate: The red arrow indicates that the object is anchored to the end of the slide's playtime.

The red arrow (anchor) will automatically appear any time you stretch the right edge of an object on the Timeline right and bump up against the word END. The word END indicates the moment in time when all of the action on the slide has concluded. Unless something has been added to the slide to override the default behavior, once END has been reached, the next slide on the Filmstrip will appear.

So now that you know what the red arrows mean, I bet you're wondering if anchoring an object to the END of a slide is good or bad.

Personally, I don't like the anchors. Why? Try this experiment: Go to any slide in your project and create an anchor. Next, extend the play time for the slide by four or five seconds (on the Timeline, drag the right edge of the slide's object to the right). As you drag, notice that the anchored objects move to the right and end at the slide's new end time.

Adobe Captivate: Extending a slide's playtime also alters the appear time for the objects.

But look at the left edge of those objects (the left edge is when the objects will appear on the slide). You'll notice that the Appear After timing has changed–something that most Captivate developers don't want to happen every time the timing for a slide is adjusted.

What's a Captivate developer to do? Since the anchors will appear every time an object touches the END of a slide's timing and you can't disable the anchors, you'll need to perform a quick workaround. (Okay, so maybe the term workaround is a bit harsh. Anchors aren't a bug in Captivate; they're a feature.). Simply select all of the slide's objects, right-click and choose Show for the rest of the slide. If you extend the play time for a slide now, the slide's objects will extend as if they were anchored but their start times will not change. Nice!

If you would like to see object anchors in action, check out the video I created on the IconLogic YouTube channel.

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Looking for training on Adobe Captivate? IconLogic offers multiple live, online Adobe Captivate classes each month including Introduction to Adobe Captivate and Advanced Adobe Captivate.

July 12, 2013

“Adobe Captivate 7: The Essentials” Workbook Now Available

I'm happy to report that my newest book, "Adobe Captivate 7: The Essentials" is now available for purchase. A hard copy of the book can be purchased directly from IconLogic's website.

"Adobe Captivate 7: The Essentials" is a self-paced training manual that teaches the core Adobe Captivate skills needed to create interactive eLearning and mLearning content. By following step-by-step instructions, you will learn how to record and produce software demonstrations, interactive training simulations, and soft skills training. You’ll learn how to control the mouse pointer and add such standard objects as text captions, images, and highlight boxes. You’ll learn to record, import and edit audio, and further enhance the learner experience by adding interactivity via click boxes, buttons and text entry boxes. You’ll learn to leverage and enrich existing Microsoft PowerPoint presentations by importing and linking into new or existing Captivate projects. Finally, you’ll learn to publish your project in SWF and HTML5 formats so that your content can be uploaded to a web server for consumption on virtually any device, including the iPad, iPhone and other mobile devices.

If you prefer a digital version of the book that you can download immediately, you have three options:

July 2, 2013

Adobe Captivate: Now You See Me, Now You Don’t… Hide a Slide Object

by Kevin Siegel

A client wanted an image to appear on most of the Filmstrip slides, but not all. Controlling the appearance of slide objects can be set in multiple ways. You can use Master Slides or Object Timing (you can set the Display time for an object to Rest of the Project). However, the client wanted to control the appearance of a slide object (it was an image) based on a simple action performed by the learner.

The client had set an image to display for the Rest of the Project. When applying a Theme, the image displayed on some slides when it wasn't wanted.

The easiest way to temporarily suspend the Rest of the Project option is to apply the Hide action to a slide. When the learner advances from one slide to the next, the image will be hidden from view. As the learner leaves the slide, the image can be forced to automatically reappear using the Show action. (While the learner is the one making the image disappear and then reappear, they don't realize it since the action is occurring behind the scenes.)

To use the Hide action, select the slide object and, at the top of the Properties panel, give it a name. In the image below, I've named an image Watermark Logo. Notice that I've left Visible in output (the default condition) selected. When the learner watches the lesson, I want the learner to see the slide object.

Adobe Captivate: Name a Slide Object

Using the Filmstrip, select a slide. On the Properties panel, Action group, select Hide from the On Enter drop-down menu. From the Hide drop-down menu, select the object that you named a moment ago. In the image below, I've selected the Watermark Logo.

Adobe Captivate: Hide a Slide Object

Preview the project. If you left the object set to Visible in output like I did, the object that you named will still be visible on the slide. However, when you get to the slide where you applied the Hide Action, the object (in my case, the Watermark logo), will magically disappear from view. You could force the image to automatically reappear by using the Show Action on a slide lower down the Filmstrip.

If you would like to see a demonstration of naming and then hiding slide objects, check out this video on the IconLogic YouTube channel.

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Looking for training on Adobe Captivate? IconLogic offers multiple live, online Adobe Captivate classes each month including Introduction to Adobe Captivate and Advanced Adobe Captivate.

June 26, 2013

Adobe Captivate: Learner Notes

by Kevin Siegel

Thanks to a really slick interaction found in the new Adobe Captivate 7, you can allow learners to add notes throughout an eLearning lesson. The notes added by the learner will be available even after the learner closes and then returns to the lesson down the road.

To add learner notes, open or create a project in Adobe Captivate 7. Select the first slide and choose Insert > Interactions.

Select the Notes Interaction and click the Insert button to open the Configuration interaction screen.

Adobe Captivate 7: Notes Interaction.

I went with the Default Notes Icon. If you're not a fan of the default image (shown in the screen capture below), you can elect to use a Transparent Icon and simply position the interaction over your own image on the slide.

Adobe Captivate 7: Configure the Notes interaction.

After clicking OK to dismiss the Configure interaction screen, position the interaction on the slide. On the Timeline, ensure that the Notes interaction is the top-most object.

Adobe Captivate 7: Ensure that the Notes Interaction is the top-most object on the Timeline.

On the Timing group, set the Display For time to Rest of Project.

Adobe Captivate 7: Set the Timing for the Notes Interaction to Show for the Rest of the Project.

And that's it. Once the lesson is published, learners will be able to click the Note icon on any slide and add their notes. And as I mentioned earlier, they'll be able to review the notes later (even after closing and re-opening the lesson).

Adobe Captivate 7: Add a Slide Note.

Note: Don't resize or add Effects to a Notes interaction. Doing so may diminish the appearance of the interaction and/or cause it to not work at all.

If you would like to see a demonstration of the Notes interaction, check out this video on the IconLogic YouTube channel.

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Looking to learn Adobe Captivate training? IconLogic offers multiple live, online Adobe Captivate classes each month including Introduction to Adobe Captivate and Advanced Adobe Captivate.

June 19, 2013

Adobe Captivate 7: Tab Order

by Kevin Siegel

Learners have always been able to select screen objects on published Captivate lessons by either clicking the mouse or using the [tab] key on the keyboard. However, your ability to control which screen objects came into focus when the learner pressed the [tab] key was non-existent… until now.

What about controlling how a screen reader reads the text to a visually impaired learner? Perhaps you'd like the text on a specific button to be read before another?

With the recent introduction of Adobe Captivate 7, you can now control the order of screen objects that come into focus when the learner presses the [tab] key, and when the text on those objects is read aloud by a screen reader.

To begin, add objects to a slide. In the image below, I've added three simple buttons to a Captivate slide.

Adobe Captivate 7: Three buttons on a slide.

Upon previewing the project and pressing the [tab] key on my keyboard, the navigation worked as expected. I moved from Button 1, to Button 2 and then to Button 3.

However, when my learners pressed the [tab] key, I wanted Button 2 to be selected first, then Button 3 and finally Button 1. Plus I wanted the text on those selected buttons to be read aloud by a screen reader in that specific order.

First, I made sure that none of the slide objects were selected. Then, on the Properties panel, I clicked the Tab Order button.

Adobe Captivate 7: The Tab Order button.

Within the Tab Order dialog box, I selected the button I wanted to be accessible first, and then I clicked the Move Selected Row Up arrow to move it into the first position.

In the image below, you can see that I've set it up so that Button 2 will be the first accessible button, followed by Button 3.

Adobe Captivate 7: Setting the Tab Order.

After clicking the OK button, testing the Tab Order was a simple matter of previewing the project and pressing the [tab] key on my keyboard.

Changing the Tab Order is simple. And keep in mind that the Tab Order dialog box determines the order that a screen reader will read the accessibility text aloud. This is a huge deal for anyone required to deliver eLearning content that meets (or exceeds) compliance standards.

If you'd like to see a demonstration of the Tab Order feature, check out the demonstration I created on IconLogic's YouTube channel.

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Looking to learn Captivate quickly? IconLogic offers multiple live, online Adobe Captivate classes each month including Introduction to Adobe Captivate and Advanced Adobe Captivate.

June 18, 2013

Adobe Captivate 7 Bug Workaround For the Spell-Check Crash

If you're using Adobe Captivate 7 for the Macintosh, it's possible you've been bitten by the spell-check bug… Captivate 7 crashes when you choose Project > Check Spelling.

I've learned that the crash does not occur if you already have Captivate 6 installed on your Macintosh (or you own another CS6 application). Of course, if you don't have the older version of Captivate, and find that your Captivate 7 software is crashing, follow this workaround. (I'm hoping that Adobe will release a patch sooner rather than later… until then, these steps will do the trick.)

Note: The spell check crash/bug only affects Mac users. Windows users… see ya.

Part 1

Close Captivate.
Choose Go > Go to Folder.
Type/Library/Application Support/Adobe
Click the Go button
Create a new folder and name it Linguistics.
Inside the Linguistics folder, create another folder and name it 6.0. (Open the 6.0 folder and leave it open until the end of Part 2.)

Part 2

Open new finder window (File > New Finder Window)
Choose Go > Go to Folder.
Type /Applications/Adobe Captivate 7/required/Plug-Ins/mac/Linguistics
Click the Go button.
Select the folders LanguageNames2 and Providers and copy them to your clipboard.
Go back to the 6.0 folder you created earlier and paste the folders within the 6.0 folder.
Restart Captivate and run the Spell Check command. (The spell check feature should work as expected this time… goodbye crash!)

June 11, 2013

eLearning: What’s the Best Microphone for Voiceover Audio?

by Kevin Siegel

I received an email asking the following:

What specific advice can you give about the kind of microphone to purchase for making good quality audio narrations to accompany my Captivate training sessions, minimizing echo and other audio problems? It needs to connect to my Dell laptop PC.

I would prefer the versatility of a standalone microphone on a stand that could sit on my desk rather than a microphone built into a headset. I had in mind trying to limit the cost to around $100, but if that isn't reasonable please tell me.

***

It doesn't matter if you use Adobe Captivate, Articulate Storyline or TechSmith Camtasia Studio as your eLearning tool of choice… each can produce awesome eLearning content that will be enhanced if you include voiceover audio.

When it comes to selecting a headset or microphone, it will often come down to personal preference. Personally, I prefer boom microphones built into the headset since I think the boom keeps your mouth a consistent distance from the microphone. As for brands, I've had good luck using a $50 microphone readily available at Staples and Best Buy. The manufacturer is Micro Innovations. You can see reviews of their headsets here.

If you have some extra cash in your piggy bank, the Sennheiser PC 350 is simply awesome. It's got a built-in sound card (built right into the cord) that does a great job of cancelling out internal computer noises. My main complaints with the Sennheiser are (now don't laugh)… it makes your head sweaty. No foolin! Also, I noticed when I moved my head, the microphone sometimes picked up a sound that reminded me of crumpling paper.

I've discussed two sides of the price spectrum ($50 and over $200). Looking for free? I've had wonderful luck using the microphone built into my MacBook Pro. I was surprised by how good the audio was considering the poor experiences I've had with most built-in microphones in the past. While I'm not saying that the resulting audio is world-class, when it comes to creating "just in time eLearning," it works great. You can hear samples of audio created using the Mac's built-in headset by viewing any of the videos I've created within the past 6 months on our YouTube channel.

I wanted to get some opinions on good microphones from other eLearning developers. I originally asked skills & drills readers their opinion on the best microphones a few years ago. Last week I posed the question again. Here is some of the feedback I received, then and now:

From Alveno Smith, eLearning & Development, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Information Technology Services

Do you use a microphone or a headset? I use a Microphone.

Do you record your audio in a studio or in the office? I record in my office. It is a small 10×10 and the sound is consistent. What manufacturer do you prefer? Audio-Technica. What model microphone/headset… and why? I use the Audio-Technica USB microphone. It adds great sound to the finished product.

From Bob Cunningham, Training Specialist and Adobe Certified Instructor, Captivate, U.S. Courts

We have a couple of mics we use for our Captivate recordings. We use either the Sennheiser PC 163D headset USB mic or the Rode Podcaster USB mic. My personal preference is the Sennheiser headset. It has great noise cancellation and produces a very nice sound. And the mic placement doesn't vary as I move my head. Others in our group prefer the Rode Podcaster. In both cases, we record our audio narration in one of five recording/editing rooms, with acoustic foam padding on the walls. On occasion I record voiceovers at home on my laptop. I use the Sennheiser headset, and I record in my walk-in closet. The clothes (mostly my wife's ;-)) do a great job of absorbing the sound and reducing the noise.

From Toni Wills, eLearning Developer, The University of Kansas Hospital

We use the Snowball by Blue. It was recommended to us by our vendor, Epic. I got it at Amazon for about $100. It plugs right into my laptop with a USB connector. It has a swivel mount and a tripod, so it's really easy to use just about anywhere. It's probably more than we need but the good news is that if we decide to pursue a singing career, at least we will already have the mic for it. I have a radio background so I do the voice overs. We have no place to record at work because we work in a cube farm; and even if we could reserve a conference room, the air handlers here are so loud that it sounds like you're recording next to a waterfall. I record in my guest room at home and use pillows behind the mic to prevent any reverberation. Not ideal, but it works surprisingly well.

The other nice thing about the Snowball is how cool it looks… check it out at bluemic.com.

From Mike Baker, Information Resource Consultant II

Staff Development & Training

I use an Edirol UA25 to connect my Audio-Technica 3035 cardioid condenser mic to my PC via a USB port. That gives me awesome, studio quality sound. I am also using a sound filter to prevent any echoes, hollow sound, etc. This setup was a little pricey (all items can be found on Amazon). If you are looking for something around $100, we have one laptop setup with a BlueMic Snowball microphone. It is a straight USB microphone and gives us great sound.

From M. Kristin Westrum, Metafile Information Systems, Inc., User Assistance Development

I've had experience with two microphones:

A simple Altec headset that plugs into my laptop. This produces poor quality sound; it's almost impossible to get enough volume, every "s" sounds like a lisp, and it picks up both breathing and background noises. And if the microphone component moves half an inch further from your mouth, there's an audible difference. For online demos the quality is bad to borderline.
We recently switched to a handheld JVC microphone; the difference is amazing. While you have to hold it manually, there's no variation in voice. The sound is sharp and clear. What amazed me the most was when my phone rang in the middle of a recording session and the microphone didn't pick it up! This is a hand-held dynamic microphone designed to plug into a computer; cost about $50 5-10 years ago.

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Looking to learn Captivate quickly? IconLogic offers multiple live, online Adobe Captivate classes each month including Introduction to Adobe Captivate and Advanced Adobe Captivate. Is Articulate Storyline your tool of choice? We've got your training needs covered there too. How about TechSmith Camtasia Studio? We've teamed with ASTD and offer a one-day class on that tool as well.

June 3, 2013

Adobe Captivate: Say Hello to Version 7

by Kevin Siegel

In the good old days, software companies released major upgrades to their products every 2-3 years. Like it or not, the upgrade cycles have gotten shorter and shorter. How long was it between Adobe Captivate 5 and 6? 14 months? 18?

Adobe has promised a more aggressive upgrade cycle for its programs that will make even the recent upgrade cycles look almost snail-like. Case in point: version 7 of the Captivate software was released today.

Top features to be found in Adobe Captivate 7:

Drag-and-drop Components
Make eLearning fun with drag-and-drop games, quizzes, and lessons that can run on desktops and mobile devices (such as the iPad). Provide audio feedback in response to the learner's drag-and-drop actions.

HTML5 Support for Microsoft PowerPoint
Import your PowerPoint project, including text, shapes, audio, and animations, into Adobe Captivate 7 and publish them directly to HTML5.

Enhanced Accessibility Support
Expand your outreach to defense, government, and educational organizations. Easily create simulations and demonstrations that address accessibility standards such as Section 508 and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG 2.0). Define text equivalents, insert clickable areas that allow keyboard access and more, to help ensure that everyone can access your content.

Enhanced Interactions Library
Insert aesthetically designed interactive elements to eLearning content with just a click. Select from a wide range of out-of-the-box interactions, like Hangman, Jigsaw, Process Cycle, Glossary, Accordion and Pyramid, customize the content and appearance, and you're done.

In-course YouTube Videos For greater impact and retention, stream YouTube videos directly into your courses. To make the YouTube video contextually relevant, you can even which section of the video you want the learner to view.

In-course Web Browsing
Enable more effective learning by embedding a browser interface within your courses. Allow your learners to access additional web-based reference material that complements course content.

Learning Notes
Enable learners to add and edit personal notes within a lesson, allowing learners to place cues within the course for future reference.

System Audio Recording and Editing
Record your system's audio along with your audio narration. Simultaneously record narration, capture screen motion, and synchronize audio with slides and timed objects. Edit audio to correct mistakes and pauses, add an external track, or attach sound effects or narration to individual objects.

Enhanced Quizzing with HTML5
Leverage HTML5 support in your quizzes to include more question types like matching, short answer, and fill-in-the-blank.

Support for GIFT Format
Easily convert offline questions into a GIFT format question bank that you can draw on to create quizzes. Import GIFT format questions quickly and conveniently into Adobe Captivate projects to create assessment modules. Maximize instructor time by using the same questions in multiple quizzes.

Integration with Tin Can-compliant LMSs
Your scoring data will integrate smoothly within a TinCan enabled Learning Management System (LMS).

Adobe Captivate App Packager
Embed a range of HTML5 animations and synchronize them with your Adobe Captivate course. Publish the course as an app to multiple mobile platforms including Windows RT (Metro apps).

Equation Editor
Easily add complex mathematical equations, with operators and scientific symbols, to courses using the multi-purpose equation editor from [Math+Magic].

Improved Social Media Engagement
Instantly enable social conversations within Adobe Captivate courses with the enhanced Twitter widget. Help learners collaborate with you and other learners in real time by selecting a specific area within a course and tweeting a question. Track all conversations using the Learning Analytics dashboard.

Shared Advanced Action
Use Advanced Actions to configure and modify the learning experience by enabling conditional or multiple actions in an interaction. Now create Shared Action templates which can be reused across projects.

Over the coming weeks, we'll touch on all of these new features… so stay tuned.

Notes: If you have created content using older versions of Captivate, rest assured that your projects will upgrade to Captivate 7 without issue (at least that has been our experience). Also, if you rely on our Captivate books for your classes, we are hard at work on our Captivate 7 books. We expect those books to be available for purchase on our website and through our re-sellers within the next 30 days.

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Looking to learn Captivate quickly? IconLogic offers multiple live, online Adobe Captivate classes each month including Introduction to Adobe Captivate and Advanced Adobe Captivate. While the posted classes are for Captivate version 6, anyone using version 7 is welcome to attend (the interface for version 7 is very similar to the interface found in version 6).