Tag: articulate storyline

Posted on

ARTICULATE STORYLINE: Logical Scene Numbering

When I work with scenes in Articulate Storyline, I like it when the number that accompanies each scene is logical. Take the three scenes below for instance. I'm creating an eLearning project for a zoo, so naturally I have scenes for Big Cats, Elephants, and Exotic Birds.
 
 
Because I created the Big Cats scene first, it was automatically tagged as my Starting Scene (as indicated by the red flag in the image above).
 
Next, I created the Elephants scene, followed by the Exotic Birds scene. Notice in the image above that in addition to having appropriate names, the scenes are logically numbered (1, 2, and 3).
 
The scene numbers are based on their creation order. While logical, the numbers do not indicate the order in which any scene might be seen by my learners. In fact, I can make any scene the Starting Scene and, using Triggers, I can make the third scene appear before the second scene.
 
I created a fourth scene and named it Home. On the Home scene, I added three buttons to a slide. Each of the buttons were given Triggers that jumped to a different scene in the Story.
 
 
I then made the Home scene the Starting Scene (this is easy to do with a simple right-click on the scene via the Story View).
 
After making the fourth scene (the Home scene) the Starting Scene, the drama started. In the image below, notice that the pesky Home scene is positioned correctly (above the other scenes). And you can clearly see the arrows indicating the button jumps between the Home scene and the other scenes.
 
 
But do you also see the horror in the image above? Look at that number 4 to the left of the Home scene's name. Noooooo! The Home scene is my first scene, and as far as I'm concerned, it should be numbered with a 1, not a 4. Of course, Storyline doesn't agree with me… a numbering sequence of 4, 1, 2, 3 is perfectly fine!
 
At the end of the day, the scene numbers don't truly matter. Learners will be able to move freely around the zoo, they'll never see the numbers, and won't ever know that the scene numbers are out of order.
 
But I'll know the numbers are out of whack… and so will you!
 
Fortunately, while not obvious, the fix is easy.
 
While in Story View, select the scene that's out of order and cut it to the clipboard. Without selecting anything, immediately paste the scene back into Story View.
 
And that's that. If you're like me, you'll be delighted to see that the scenes are numbered logically in the Story View (which is truly the only way to go, right?).
 
 
Looking for Storyline training or support? Check out these awesome live, online, instructor-led classes. Also, if you need help with Storyline development or if you'd like one-on-one Storyline mentoring, we've got you covered.
Posted on

eLearning Development: Hide desktop icons while recording software simulations

When recording software simulations or video demos using Adobe Captivate, Articulate Storyline, or TechSmith Camtasia, you might need to record something that includes your desktop. Of course, that begs the question: how cluttered is your desktop?

Does the image below remind you of a desktop of someone near and dear to your heart? 

Look, your desktop is your desktop, so clutter away. However, including the clutter–the icons–in your eLearning project is not a good idea. Besides being a security risk, nobody wants to see your desktop icons.
 
Fortunately, you don't have to clean up your desktop before recording your screen. All you need to do is right-click your desktop and choose View > Show desktop icons. 
 
 
If the icons were there, they are gone. If they were hidden, they're back.
 
Remember this little gem the next time you're getting ready to click the Record option on your eLearning tool of choice, and you'll save yourself a bunch of work de-cluttering.
 
Looking for live, instructor-led training? Check out our vIILT offerings.