Category: training

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Adobe RoboHelp: Master Pages for Word Headers and Footers

by Willam Van Weelden Follow us on Twitter View our profile on LinkedIn
 
When importing or generating Microsoft Word documents with RoboHelp, one of the chief weaknesses has always been the lack of support for Word's headers and footers. When importing, the Word headers and footers were ignored. When generating Printed Documentation, there was no support for controlling the resulting headers and footers from within RoboHelp. Instead, you had to edit them in the Word document.

With the new Adobe RoboHelp 11, you can now control the headers and footers for Printed documentation with Master Pages. This allows you to control the information displayed in the headers and footers of Word and PDF documents generated by RoboHelp.

A master page is a template for your topics. You can assign a style sheet to a master page, and set up headers and footers. If you apply a master page to a topic, the topic will use the style sheet and display the header and footer. When you create printed documentation, the printed documentation can use the header and footer you set up on the master page.

Setting up headers and footers in a Master Page

To change the header and footer of a master page, follow these steps:

  1. Open the Project Set-up pod. (View > Pods > Project Set-up)
  2. Open a master page (or create a new one)
  3. Choose View > Header to open the header pane
  4. Add content to the header just as you would add content to a topic
  5. Choose View > Footer to open the footer pane
  6. Add content to the footer, just as you would add content to a topic 
Using the Master Page for Printed Documentation

Once you have set up the master page, you can use the master page when generating printed documentation.

  1. Open the Single Source Layouts pod (View > Pods > Single Source Layouts). 
  2. Double-click a Printed Documentation layout to open the Print Document options.
  3. From the Header/Footer area, select the master page you set up earlier. 
  4. Click Save and Generate to create the printed documentation.

***

Looking to learn RoboHelp? We offer a live, two-day online RoboHelp class once a month. Feel free to contact us to learn other ways to meet your RoboHelp training requirements.
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eLearning: Determining the Best Size for Today’s Lessons

by Kevin Siegel Follow us on Twitter View our profile on LinkedIn View our videos on YouTube

When developing eLearning lessons using any of the top development tools (Adobe Captivate, Articulate Storyline, or TechSmith Camtasia Studio), you need to take the size of your learner's device into account. If you make your eLearning lesson too large (I'm talking width and height, not how many megabytes the lesson might be), learners with small displays may have to scroll to see your content. If your published lesson has the ability to scale to fit the learners display, your content could scale down so small that your content will become unusable.

While you can create a project at one size and resize it smaller later, it's not an ideal workflow. Resizing a project once you've started will likely result in shifting of screen objects that require additional editing on your end. For that reason, it's best to pick a width and height that will work for the widest possible range of devices right from the start.

Several years ago, the typical desktop computer display resolution was 800×600 pixels. If you developed eLearning content for a screen resolution that low, a project size of 640×480 was recommended. A few years later, 1024×768 was the standard screen resolution, resulting in typical eLearning lessons sized to 800×600. According to w3schools.com, the standard desktop screen resolution today is 1366×768 and it's trending higher. (You'll find that available resolutions vary from system to system. For instance, I use an HP 22 inch display that doesn't support 1366×768. Instead, my closest options are 1360×768 and 1376×812.)

Because screen resolutions are higher than ever, developers are seeking an optimal viewing experience for learners. But what's the ideal size for an eLearning lesson? Unfortunately, there isn't a cookie-cutter answer. The size of the lesson you create depends largely on your customer. What is the typical device you expect your learner to be using? How big is its screen? Is the device typically used vertically (portrait) or horizontally (landscape)? What is its typical resolution?

If you are creating content for learners using standard desktop computers (Windows or Mac), a project size of 800×600 still works well. However, if you plan to post your content to YouTube, stay away from 800×600. At that size, your lesson won't look quite right when viewed on YouTube (you will likely see black bars on one or both sides of the video, and the video might look distorted during playback).

What's the Relationship Between Project Size and Screen Resolution?

Let's say that you create a project that is sized to 800×600. I view your lesson on a 17-inch monitor with a resolution of 1024×768. In this scenario, your lesson is going to look fine on my monitor. But what if I have a large screen (a 27-inch monitor for instance), and I'm using a high resolution? Your lesson is going to have a lot of white space to the left and right. Will that white space make the lesson look silly? Who's to say?

It's a delicate balancing act between the size of the capture area and an ideal screen resolution. When I create YouTube videos, I set my eLearning tool's capture size to 1024×568 and my screen resolution to 1440×900. While I could go higher with my screen resolution and capture more of the screen, the captured screen text at a higher screen resolution is small and hard to read. When I upload videos to YouTube, the already small text gets worse because YouTube makes my videos smaller.

More information on sizing eLearning projects:  

I'd love to hear from you. What is the best project size you've come up with? (Please post your comments below. Let me know who your target end-user is and the eLearning development tool you use.)

***

Looking for instructor-led training on the top eLearning tools? We offer live, online training on Adobe Captivate, Articulate Storyline, Adobe Presenter, and TechSmith Camtasia Studio. We can also bring the same great training onsite to your facility. Interested? Contact us for details.
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Localization: Training & Development in Costa Rica

by Jen Weaver Follow us on Twitter View our profile on LinkedIn

Take a few minutes over this morning's café con leche to learn about the beautiful country of Costa Rica. Let's explore some common cultural facts about Costa Ricans and their expectations when it comes to training and development.

Pop Quiz (no Googling the answer):

  1. True or False? Costa Rica means "Rich Coast."
  2. True or False? Costa Rica is the wealthiest country in Central America.

Quick Tips for Training & Development in Costa Rica1:

  • Costa Ricans often refer to themselves as Ticos, a name based on their tendency to add tico to the end of words to imply fondness.
  • English is commonly spoken in business settings, but translating materials into Spanish is still the preference. Spanish is the official language, but a small percentage of people also speak Caribbean Creole English and a handful of local dialects.
  • As is common in many Latin American cultures, Costa Ricans interpret facts through feelings and may use their faith (86% are Catholic) as the foundation of truth.
  • More than citizens of many other countries, Costa Ricans believe in the value and equality of all people and emphasize the dignity of work independent of social class.
  • Many Costa Ricans exhibit a strong sense of group responsibility and favoritism toward family and close relationships.
  • Sociologists describe Costa Ricans as being high in uncertainty avoidance. They rely on strict rules to limit risk and avoid change and conflict when possible. To keep from losing face, Ticos may provide indirect answers rather than offer a less-than-preferable response.
  • Decisions are made by group consensus, so be sure to allow additional time for these discussions and deliberations.
  • Timelines and deadlines are seen as suggestions rather than hard dates, causing late payments to be a common occurrence. Be tolerant of and anticipate delays.

Pop Quiz Answers:

  1. True.
  2. False. Panama is the wealthiest nation in Central America.

References:

1Morrison, Terri, & Conaway, Wayne A. (2006). Kiss, bow, or shake hands (2nd ed.). Avon: Adams Media.

***

Developing international training and development materials? Contact Jen at Carmazzi Global Solutions.

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Adobe eLearning Community Formed Supporting Maryland, DC, and Virginia

IconLogic's Kevin Siegel has been named the manager of Adobe's new eLearning Community supporting eLearning developers living in or around DC, Virginia, and Maryland.

Kevin and the IconLogic team will be hosting regular meetings featuring tips and tricks on creating effective eLearning using such tools as Adobe Captivate and Adobe Presenter.

Join the group on LinkedIn to keep up to date on meetings and share your experiences with other developers.

More information.

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Adobe Captivate: No More Empty TEBs

by Lori Smith

During my beginner Adobe Captivate class, I am often asked if it's possible to ensure that learners do not leave a Text Entry Box (TEB) blank. When working with a TEB, you can set specific correct values using the Validate Entry option in the General group on the properties panel.

Adobe Captivate: Validate Entry option  

But what if you want to ensure that learners put something in the box, not a specific value? While there is no setting in Captivate to ensure that a TEB isn't left blank, using a little variable and some advanced action magic can make it happen. 

Create User Variables

    1. Choose Project > Variables and create a new variable. Do not fill in the default value. (I named my variable empty.

      Adobe Captivate: Empty Variable

      Note: This would be a great variable to put in all your templates!

    2. Create another variable to store the TEB data. (I named mine UserData.)

      Adobe Captivate: UserData Variable

    3. Attach the UserData variable to the TEB (using the General group on the TEB's Properties panel).

      Adobe Captivate: Attach the variable to the TEB.

    4. Create a Text Caption on your slide that tells the user they need to fill in the data. Name the caption error and deselect the Visible in output option.

      Adobe Captivate: Caption named

Create a Conditional Advanced Action

This advanced action will compare the UserData to the empty variable. If the UserData is empty, show the error message and jump back to the beginning of the slide to allow for another try. If the UserData is not empty, Go to Next Slide.

(Note: To make this action generic so it will work with any slide, do not hard code the slide it needs to jump to. Instead, determine which slide you are on and jump to it as needed. You will do this using an additional user variable named thisSlide, and two system variables, cpInfoCurrentSlide and cpCmndGotoSlide.)

Adobe Captivate: Advanced Action

 Adobe Captivate: Advanced Action 2

The last step is to assign the advanced action to Execute when the learner clicks the Submit button. You can do this via the Properties of the selected TEB (on the Action group).

Adobe Captivate: Execute the Advanced Action

And there you have it. No more tearing your hair out trying to force a learner to enter information into a TEB instead of just skipping over it.

Got other Captivate challenges? Send them to me and maybe you'll see your problem solved in a future article.

***

Looking for instructor-led training on the top eLearning tools? We offer live, online training on Adobe Captivate, Articulate Storyline, Adobe Presenter, and TechSmith Camtasia Studio.We can also bring the same great training onsite to your facility. Interested? Contact us for details.
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eLearning: Playbar or No Playbar? Let the Debate Begin

by Kevin Siegel Follow us on Twitter View our profile on LinkedIn View our videos on YouTube

I was teaching Adobe Captivate recently when a student asked a few questions about the value of a playbar that fueled an interesting and heated, discussion (some folks love playbars, others hate them). Here are the questions that got the debate rolling:

  • Is the playbar necessary? 
  • If a playbar is included, how can you encourage learners to interact with screen objects instead of skipping them using the playbar navigation controls?
  • Where is the best place to position the playbar (top, bottom, left, or right of the lesson)?

All of the top eLearning development tools (Articulate Storyline, Articulate Presenter, Adobe Captivate, Adobe Presenter, and TechSmith Camtasia Studio) allow you to control the appearance of the playbar. In addition, each of the tools can accomplish the suggestions outlined below. In some instances, the option I discuss isn't easy to find in a particular tool. If you have trouble locating the playbar options, feel free to contact me.

Is the Playbar Necessary?

Should you include a playbar in your eLearning lessons? In my opinion, absolutely! If you've created a video like those commonly posted on YouTube or Lynda.com, there isn't any interactivity. The only way learners can navigate through a video is via the Play, Rewind, and Pause tools found on a typical playbar. While a video's playbar doesn't offer much in the way of learner engagement, at least it's something. In my experience, videos without playbars are ineffective. The lack of a playbar can be disconcerting if not flat-out annoying. 

How Can You Encourage Interaction With Screen Objects?

If your eLearning lesson is interactive (perhaps it's a software simulation with a quiz, or a soft skills lesson with buttons for navigation), the learner who navigates via the playbar instead of the interactive slide objects can derail the lesson. For example, you've created a button on a slide that, when clicked, reports a score to your Learning Management System (LMS). If the learner clicks the forward button on the playbar, not the interactive button on the slide, no score is reported to the LMS. As far as the LMS is concerned, the learner skipped the slide.

How can you encourage the learner to interact with the slide objects and not simply race through the lesson by clicking the forward button on the playbar? 

  • Add an animation in combination with an interactive slide object.
      In one of my projects, I inserted an arrow animation that pointed to the buttons on the first several slides (not all of them, since I was worried about the animation being a distraction). While short and sweet, the animation was enough of a visual cue that very few people missed the opportunity to click the buttons.
  • Hide the playbar for the entire lesson by default, but have it automatically appear when the learner mouses over the screen.
  • Hide the playbar on any slides where clicking an interactive object is critical.

Playbars and Quizzes…

If you've included a quiz in your lesson, most of the eLearning development tools require the learner to answer the question and submit before it is recorded and graded. If the learner answers a question correctly but clicks the forward button on the playbar instead of a Submit button on the slide, the LMS will likely treat the question as unanswered. In this instance, the learner will not get credit, even though the question was answered correctly. 

In this scenario, you can set up your lesson so that the playbar will disappear when the learner is taking the quiz but reappear on non-quiz slides. Most eLearning development tools offer a "hide playbar during the quiz" feature. (For example, in Adobe Captivate, it's a simple check box found on the Quiz Preferences dialog box.)

What Is The Best Screen Position for the Playbar?

If you elect to include the playbar, where is the best place to position it? The most common location for the playbar is below the video or simulation. In my experience, this position works the best since the majority of your learners are conditioned to look there first. The biggest problem with the bottom-position occurs when the video is very tall. In this case, many of your learners won't know there's a playbar at all since they'd need to scroll down. In this scenario, positioning the playbar at the top of the lesson would be ideal.

I'd love to hear if you think playbars belong in eLearning or not. I'd also like to know where you place them and how you encourage users to avoid the playbar when screen interactivity is critical. Please post your comments below.

***

Looking for instructor-led training on the top eLearning tools? We offer live, online training on Adobe Captivate, Articulate Storyline, Adobe Presenter, and TechSmith Camtasia Studio. We can also bring the same great training onsite to your facility. Interested? Contact us for details.
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PowerPoint: Create Tables with Rounded Edges

by AJ Walther Follow us on Twitter View our profile on LinkedIn

You've created a PowerPoint slide with a table showing quarterly service subscriptions for your three regional divisions.

Microsoft PowerPoint: Slide with a standard table 

You feel good about it, but when you show the higher ups they say, "That's great pal, but we want to take the company look in a more rounded direction. Go ahead and round out those corners." You of course say "No problem!" but when you get back into PowerPoint you realize that there is no option to round out the corners of a table.

There may not be a direct way to insert a table with rounded edges, but there are two easy ways to get the job done. I'll cover one method this week and the second next week.

The first option is to edit the pieces of the table.

  1. In PowerPoint, select your table so the thick gray table border is visible.
    Microsoft PowerPoint: Table selected  
  2. On your keyboard, press [ctrl] [x] to cut the table to the clipboard.
  3. From the Ribbon, choose Home > Paste > Paste Special to open the Paste Special dialog box.
    Microsoft PowerPoint: Paste Special  
  4. From the Paste As: area, select Picture (Windows Metafile) and click the OK button.
    Microsoft PowerPoint: Paste as Metafile 
  5. With the pasted table selected, press [ctrl] [shift] [g] on your keyboard twice to convert the picture to a drawing object and ungroup it.
    Microsoft PowerPoint: Table converted to picture and ungrouped 
  6. Click outside of the table to de-select all of its pieces.
  7. On your keyboard, hold down the [shift] key as you click the shapes making up each of the four corners of the table (and then release the [shift] key).
    Microsoft PowerPoint: Four corners selected  
  8. From the ribbon, choose Drawing Tools Format > Insert Shapes > Edit Shape > Change Shape and select the Round Single Corner Rectangle. (Hovering over each shape will reveal the tooltip with the shape's name.)
    Microsoft PowerPoint: Drawing shapes  

The top right cell is now nice and rounded, but the other three cells' shapes are facing the wrong direction. You'll fix that next.

Microsoft PowerPoint: Cells facing the wrong way.  

  1. Click the top left cell of your table and, from the ribbon, choose Home > Drawing > Arrange > Rotate > Flip Horizontal.
    Microsoft PowerPoint: Flip Horizontal  
  2. Click the bottom left cell of your table and, from the ribbon, choose Home > Drawing > Arrange > Rotate > Flip Vertical and then, with the same cell still selected, choose Home > Drawing > Arrange > Rotate > Flip Horizontal.
  3. Click the bottom right cell of your table, and from the ribbon, choose Home > Drawing > Arrange > Rotate > Flip Vertical.
    Microsoft PowerPoint: Finished table with rounded corners  
  4. Drag over all of the table's pieces, and then, on your keyboard, press [ctrl] [g] to group the table back into one piece.

The benefit of going this route is that you can easily edit the text and colors on the table. The downsides are: 1) this method is a bit time consuming and 2) if you want those corners rounded more, it will take even more time to ensure that all of the corners are rounded the same. I'll cover a second method to get the job done next week, so check back then!

UPDATE: Click here for a second method for creating tables with rounded edges in PowerPoint.

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Localization: Training & Development in Colombia

by Jen Weaver Follow us on Twitter View our profile on LinkedIn

Continuing on our journey around the world, today we arrive in the Republic of Colombia. Let's explore some common cultural facts about Colombians and their expectations when it comes to training and development.

Test your knowledge of Colombian culture with the Fun-Fact questions below:

  1. What is the difference between Colombia and Columbia?
  2. True or False. Colombia is named after Christopher Columbus, even though he never set foot on Colombian soil.
  3. What are hormigas culonas?

Quick Tips for Training & Development in Colombia1:

  • Introductions and greetings can take a long time in Colombia and include many polite questions about one's family, health, and travels. Be mindful of this, and refrain from cutting these interactions short, as this is considered impolite.
  • Colombia's official language is Spanish, and English is not widely spoken, so translation must be a priority.
  • While the threat of kidnapping has greatly diminished, it is still a risk for foreign visitors. Take appropriate precautions if training on location.
  • Because of the country's high altitude, be prepared to give your body time to adjust if you come from lower land areas.
  • Colombians tend to interpret truth through feelings and are typically risk-averse and hesitant towards change. Be sure to craft your training materials with these factors in mind.
  • This country has a high masculinity index and may be rigid regarding gender roles in the workplace. Consider the impact of this perspective when giving examples or selecting images for your training materials.
  • Foreigners are expected to be on time for business meetings, while their Colombian counterparts may arrive 20 minutes late and still be considered "on time." Priority is given to meeting objectives and building relationships rather than to starting or ending promptly.
  • The further you move inland, the more formality you can expect in attire and business interactions. Coastal areas are more casual. No matter the location, do not address anyone by his or her first name unless invited to do so.

Fun-Fact Answers:

  1. Colombia is a South American country. Columbia is a university in New York.
  2. True. The first Europeans to arrive in Colombia were led by Alonso de Ojeda in 1499.
  3. Big-bottomed ants served as a salty snack.
    Big-bottomed ants  

References:

1Morrison, Terri, & Conaway, Wayne A. (2006). Kiss, bow, or shake hands (2nd ed.). Avon: Adams Media.

***

Developing international training and development materials? Contact Jen at Carmazzi Global Solutions.

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Adobe FrameMaker and Captivate: Merging Multimedia With Print PDFs

by Kevin Siegel Follow us on Twitter View our profile on LinkedIn View our videos on YouTube

There's no trick to creating a PDF these days. Simply open a document and, if you've got Adobe Acrobat on your computer, choose Adobe PDF when you print.

Creating a PDF that will engage your reader is another story. One way to engage the reader, besides stellar content, is to add images. Of course, there's no trick to adding images either… and everyone's doing it.

If you really want to make a splash when it comes to PDFs, you've got to engage the reader like never before… and interactive eLearning is the way to go.

In the image below, I've created a FrameMaker document. You can see there's nothing particularly special about the text (beyond the promise of an Adobe Captivate simulation). 

 

After clicking where I wanted the simulation to appear, I chose File > Import > File and opened a SWF I had published earlier using Adobe Captivate. Just like when importing a graphic, I was met with the Imported Graphic Scaling dialog box. I selected 150 dpi to make the imported Captivate simulation a bit smaller in my FrameMaker document.

After clicking the Set button, the Captivate simulation appeared in my FrameMaker document as a large box.

I wanted the simulation positioned below the text, and I didn't want it to be cropped. I right-clicked the frame and selected Anchored Frame.

I changed the Anchoring Position to Below Current Line, changed the Alignment to Right, and removed the check mark from Cropped. Then I clicked Edit Frame.

And that was all there was to it. I created a PDF by choosing File > Save as PDF. Upon opening the PDF, the simulation appeared immediately after being clicked. And I was delighted to see that the simulation remained as interactive from within the PDF as it was when accessed via a web server.

Even better, when I found an error in the Captivate simulation, I was able to return to the FrameMaker document, right-click the imported SWF, and chose Edit With Adobe Captivate.

The source Captivate project opened pretty quickly in Adobe Captivate. I fixed the error and exited Captivate, at which point the project was republished and the SWF contained in FrameMaker automatically updated.

After re-saving as a PDF and opening the PDF with Adobe Reader, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the Captivate simulation had been updated.

If you would like to see a demonstration of the Captivate-to-FrameMaker-to-PDF workflow, click here to see a video I created on the IconLogic YouTube channel.

***

Looking for training on Adobe Captivate? We offer multiple live, online Adobe Captivate classes each month including Introduction to Adobe Captivate and Advanced Adobe Captivate. Need the training in-person? We can also bring the same great training onsite to your facility. Interested? Contact us for details.
 
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PowerPoint: Free Proportional Comparison Diagram Calculation Tool

by AJ Walther Follow us on Twitter View our profile on LinkedIn

While browsing Dave Paradi's PowerPoint Blog recently, I found how easy it is to create a Proportional Comparison Diagram (allowing viewers to compare numbers using shapes that are sized proportionally).

In the example below, I'm illustrating the large number of emails sent versus the small number of sales made. Using proportionally-sized shapes is a clean and visually appealing way to get my point across. 

Pair numbers with shapes that are of proportional sizes 

The tricky part may be doing the math to figure out the correct proportions for each descending shape. No worries, Dave has developed a tool to do the dirty work for you. Here's how it works:

  1. In PowerPoint, use the drawing tools to insert your shapes, format them using your desired colors and set the Line color to No Line. Don't worry about the sizes, you'll handle that next. (For my example above, I drew four rectangles.)
  2. Navigate to the Proportional Shape Comparison Diagram Calculation Tool.
  3. Scroll down and in the Larger Value field, type the largest value you'd like to represent. (For my example above, that would be 8,456.)
  4. In the Small Value field, type the second largest value you'd like to represent. (For my example above, that would be 5,627.)
  5. In PowerPoint, right-click the shape that you would like to represent your largest value and choose Format Shape > Size. Copy and paste the dimensions from the Dimensions for Overlapping Rectangles area of the Proportional Shape Comparison Diagram Calculation Tool, including the "cm." (The dimensions appear in the calculation tool in cm, but PowerPoint will automatically convert the dimensions to inches for you when you paste them.)
  6. Repeat step 5 for the shape you would like to represent your second largest value.
  7. Repeat steps 4 and 5 for the remainder of the shapes.
  8. Overlap you shapes. If you find that you would like all of your shapes to be a different size, you can save time by grouping all the shapes (select all of the shapes and press [ctrl] [g] on your keyboard). Resizing the group will keep the proportions the same for all of the shapes.

Pretty cool, eh?

Note: If my color scheme for the proportional comparison diagram above looks familiar, it's because I used the same colors in my Pictaculous article. Told ya having a pre-made color scheme would come in handy!