The Logical Blog by IconLogic

Adobe Captivate 4: Hide and Seek

by Lori Smith

In our Essentials of Adobe Captivate online class we teach a lesson covering rollover captions. In the lesson, attendees are taught to add four rollover captions to a slide that are positioned above images. Learners who take the lesson are encouraged to point to the numbers on the slide which, in turn, makes the associated rollover caption appear.

After the lesson, a student commented "that's great, but could I force my students to point to the numbers in a specific order?"

Hmmmm... interesting request. And to be honest, it's quite impossible in versions of Captivate older than version 4. However, in Captivate 4 this kind of interaction is quite possible. In fact, click this link to see a sample of the solution (there are four images on a slide and you will be forced to mouse over them in order, and one at a time).

It may seem daunting to create this kind of interactivity in Captivate, but it's really quite simple by hiding and showing objects at the correct time. During the steps that follow, I will teach you how to implement this concept for the first two rollover areas shown in the sample.

To prepare for the lesson, create a Captivate project. Insert two images to a slide and then insert two Rollover Slidelets and one button (Insert > Standard Objects).

Name the first Rollover Slidelet rolloverNumber1, the second Rollover Slidelet rolloverNumber2 and the button DoneButton.









Make rolloverNumber2 and DoneButton initially invisible by deselecting the Visible checkbox on the Options tab.

Position rolloverNumber1's Slidelet over the first picture.

Insert a text caption in the Slidelet that says something like Congratulations, you found item number 1!

Place rolloverNumber2's Slidelet over the second picture.

Insert a text caption within the Slidelet that says something like You found the second object! Good job.

Preview the lesson and note that rolloverNumber2 is not visible, thus it is not available for the student to roll over. The only interactive option on the slide is rolloverNumber1. After the student rolls over the first picture, you need to activate rolloverNumber2. You can do this by "showing" the rollover area.

Show the Properties of rolloverNumber1.

On the Advanced tab, select Show from the On rollover drop-down menu and select rolloverNumber2 from the Show drop-down menu.



Finally, after the student finds the second picture, we want to show the "Done" button.

Display the Properties of rolloverNumber2.

On the Advanced tab, select Show from the On rollover drop-down menu and then select DoneButton from the Show drop-down menu.



Not too tricky and you didn't even need any multiple or advanced actions!

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About the Author: Lori Smith is IconLogic's lead programmer and Adobe Certified Expert (ACE) in Adobe Captivate. She will be teaching our Adobe Captivate 4: Advanced Actions online, instructor-led class. Click here for details.

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Need to learn the basics of Adobe Captivate 4 fast? Attend a live, instructor-led online training class. Click here for more information. Looking for more Advanced Captivate 4 training? We've got you covered. Click here for more information.

Worried about your class canceling? You'll be happy to hear that IconLogic never, ever cancels classes (even if there's just one student registered).

Troubleshooting: Parallels Mouse Synchronization

by AJ George

We had a bit of a panic here at IconLogic. When doing a routine install of a wireless mouse onto our iMac running Parallels, we somehow managed to anger the computer gods and found ourselves unable to run Parallels in Coherence mode (the mode allowing Windows and the Mac operating system to operate seamlessly as one).

Furthering our frustration were the hoops we were being made to jump through to get technical support from the Parallels website. To access the site's live chat, a service code was needed, one which none of us seemed to possess. To get a service code we'd need to register the software, but none of us could remember if we'd already done that.

We thought calling might be the better solution. However, Parallells charges a fee for technical support (it wasn't an entirely exorbitant amount, but having to pay to get help with a glitch in their software really ruffled our feathers). In addition, even if we weren't put off by the service charge, we needed that pesky service code.

Luckily, the light at the end of our tunnel was an industrious Parallels forum member named Michael who posted the following simple solution:

1. Click Start.
   
   
2. Select Control Panel.
   
   The Control Panel window opens.
   
   
3. Select System.
   
   The System Properties dialog box appears.
   
   
4. Select the Hardware tab.
   
   
5. Click the Device Manager button.
   
   The Device Manager window opens.
   
   
6. Expand the Mice and other pointing devices category.
   
   
7. Double-click Parallels Mouse Synchronization Device.
   
   The Parallels Mouse Synchronization Device Properties dialog box appears.
   
   
8. Select the Driver tab.
   
   
9. Click the Update Driver button.
   
   The Hardware Update Wizard appears.
   
   
10. Select No, not this time and click Next.
    
    
11. Select Install from a list or specific location (Advanced) and click Next.
    
    
12. Select Don't search. I will choose the driver to install. and click Next.
    
    
13. Select Parallels Mouse Synchronization Device and click Next.
    
    
14. Click Finish.
    
    
15. Restart your computer, and all is right in the world again.

Microsoft PowerPoint 2008 for the Macintosh: Skills & Drills Workbook

We are pleased to announce that our newest book, Microsoft PowerPoint 2008 for the Macintosh: The Essentials is now available.

The step-by-step workbook is a powerhouse jammed-full with step-by-step lessons. There is no faster way to master PowerPoint 2008 anywhere, at any price! Pick up this book on Monday morning, and you'll be on your way to being an expert by Tuesday afternoon.

Here's a sample of what you will earn:

Themes, Slide Masters and Color Schemes

Apply a Theme | Change the Font on a Slide Master | Change Master Bullet Characters | Change the Bullet Space | Add a Footer to the Slide Master | Add Clip Art to the Slide Master | Rename Slide Masters | Choose a Color Scheme | Edit a Custom Color Scheme.

Slide Shows, Transitions and Builds

Review a Slide Show Without Transitions | Give a Presentation From Your iPod | Use the PowerPoint Pen | Set Slide Transitions | Set Animation Effects and Builds | Change Build Order and Object Timing | Play a CD During a Presentation | Insert Music | Record Audio for a Presentation

... and much, much more!

Click here for more information about the book or to order.

eLearning/Captivate Development: Let IconLogic Lend a Hand

Do you have an immediate need to develop eLearning using Adobe Captivate? Need an eLearning script written? Our team of writers and Adobe Certified Experts (ACE) in Captivate can assist you in developing eLearning courses. We can do it all, from story-boarding to script development to voiceover script development to turn-key Captivate production. We can even provide live, world-wide support or mentoring online.

Call 1.888.812.4827, ext. 711 or email us for more information.

Question of the Week

Adobe Captivate: Can I Control Slide Delays?

In Captivate is there a way to control/change the duration of the slide after audio completes and the user clicks the "Continue" button?  There seems to be a bit of a delay before the next slide which I would like to eliminate.

Answer:

Take a look at your button navigation. You should be using Go to Next Slide instead of Continue. That should take care of the delays. (The same is true of question slides... navigation should be Go to Next Slide instead of Continue).

Review my BLOG article for more details.

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

Acrobat 9: Scanning into a PDF Portfolio

by David R. Mankin

Here's the scenario: You work at a law firm. "Client Z" has a date in court coming soon. You have created a PDF Portfolio for "Client Z." This portfolio contains dozens of individual documents. There is one document that is still missing--It's a police report from another district. The report arrives just in time... via mail. This paper document needs to be added to the PDF Portfolio, and quickly! Not to worry. This can be accomplished with a few mouse clicks (you'll also need a scanner).

Place the document in the scanner and start Acrobat 9. Click the Create Task button and then select PDF From Scanner (or choose File > Create PDF > From Scanner).

Select Custom Scan.

Select your scanner from the Input options and any other appropriate settings (such as Color Mode and Resolution).

In the Output section, select Append to existing file or portfolio and browse for your target PDF Portfolio (or PDF file if you simply wish to add pages to an existing PDF file).



Click the Scan button and Acrobat will ask you for a file name (if you are appending a PDF Portfolio). The scanning process progresses and, when complete, the target portfolio will be opened automatically with the newly-scanned document included.

I was the guest presenter an AcrobatUsers.com eSeminar this past week. The topic was Scanning and OCR in Acrobat 9. This one-hour eSeminar is available for viewing online and covers this and other amazing scanning and OCR capabilities of Acrobat 9.

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Learn how to make your PDF files interactive and capable! Sign up for my live, online Acrobat 9 Professional class.

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About the author: David R. Mankin is a Certified Technical Trainer, desktop publisher, computer graphic artist, and Web page developer. And if that wasn't enough, of course David is an Adobe-certified expert in Adobe Acrobat.

mLearning: Some Technical Tips

by AJ George

Back in February I discussed the growing adoption of mobile learning as a viable means for eLearning and communicating ideas. Now I'd like to take a brief look at a few technical aspects to keep in mind when developing mLearning.

• Keep file sizes relatively small. A typical mLearning lesson should be no more than 2-3 megabytes.
  
  
• Be mindful of how many images you use and their sizes. Large images take longer to load and should only be used if they are actually enhancing the information you are presenting.
  
  
• Minimize the use of audio. Not only does audio make file sizes larger, but it will often be a wasted addition. Think about where your learner will be accessing this learning. An airport? A metro line? A doctor's waiting room? None of these places are conducive for learning with the sound turned on.
  
  
• While PDAs can usually play stereo sound, often mobile phones can only play mono sound, so when you do create sound files, consider creating a mono version specifically for mLearning.
  
  
• Limit lengthy text to avoid scrolling. Instead provide links to further information.
  
  
• Ensure that you stick to high contrast text that can be easily seen on a mobile device. My personal preference is for dark text on a light background, but light text on a dark background can also be perfectly readable. Take into consideration that mobile users might access your learning outside. Will they be able to read it on a sunny day?
  
  
• Mobile devices like the iPad and the iPhone have screens that can be flipped and viewed horizontally or vertically, so design your mLearning with easily adjustable aspect ratios.

It should be noted that these tips are all generally speaking. For instance, your mLearning topic may be better, if not completely dependent upon a heavy use of audio. Just keep your audience in mind and stick to the old "less is more" mantra when catering to on-the-go learners.

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About the author: AJ George, a cum laude graduate of Towson University, is IconLogic's lead Technical Writer and author of the book "PowerPoint 2007: The Essentials" and the just-released "PowerPoint 2008 for the Macintosh: The Essentials." You can follow AJ on Twitter at http://twitter.com/andrayajgeorge.

Writing & Grammar Workshop: To Outline or Not to Outline

by Jennie Ruby

In school I had a teacher who insisted on receiving an outline before every writing assignment. I would love to be able to report that the experience made me an outlining fiend. It did not. I found that I could not write an outline until I knew what I was going to say! I had to write my essay, then create an outline based on what I had said. I took from this experience the idea that I was just a person who could not write outlines ahead of time. Not until I started writing training materials as an adult did I really learn to create outlines. That is when I learned that different kinds of writing lend themselves to pre-writing outlines, and others do not.

The writing I was doing in school was essay writing. Essay writing can be a kind of exploratory writing, where you write in order to develop what you think about a topic. Seldom do you already have a well-thought-out, logical schema in your head of why you hold the opinions you hold. Essay writing is a method of clarifying what you think and why you think it. No wonder I could not outline in advance.

Writing training materials is a completely different matter. The first time I was assigned to write an outline for a two-day class, I was terrified. I knew I was not an outline writer. But I sat down and created the outline with very little trouble. Training materials lend themselves to pre-outlining. It is fairly straightforward to decide what needs to be covered first, second, and third because the learning topics build on one another. In fact, writing without an outline on these kinds of materials can get you into a bind: I learned the hard way that it is very difficult to teach the difference between who and whom before you have covered what is a relative clause.

So should you outline or not? Yes, for the overall plan of training materials, what will be covered and in what order. Yes, for developing the order of steps to be performed in sequential training materials. Yes, for getting approval of the overall training content from a client. No, for writing essays, opinion pieces, reviews, and the more creative sections of training materials, such as introductory narratives and voiceovers.

Are you an outliner or a non-outliner? We would love to hear from you about your experiences with outlining before writing.

Next time: the beauty of a "reverse outline."

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About the Author:  Jennie Ruby is a veteran IconLogic trainer and author with titles such as "Editing with Word 2003 and Acrobat 7" and "Editing with MS Word 2007" to her credit. She is a publishing professional with more than 20 years of experience in writing, editing and desktop publishing.

Jennie teaches two classes popular online classes: Writing Effective eLearning Voiceover Scripts and Writing Training Documents and eLearning Scripts.

Adobe Captivate 4: Crop It!

by Kevin Siegel

I've been teaching Captivate for years. One of my favorite parts of any class is showing features of the software that even veteran developers of the program did not know were available. Case in point: during a recent class a student asked if it was possible to crop imported images directly within Captivate. She had been told that while you could resize images, you could not crop them. The answer to her question was a resounding yes. It's not only possible to crop images in Captivate, it's very easy.

In the picture below, my goal was to crop most of the pink bucket out of the image.



I right-clicked the image and chose Properties.

The Image Properties dialog box appeared. On the Image tab, I clicked the Crop button (located in the lower right corner of the dialog box).

A warning appeared foretelling the dangers of proceeding. I bravely clicked the Yes button.



The Resize/Crop Image dialog box appeared. I deselected Constrain proportions on the lower left of the dialog box (if I had left this option selected, I would have cropped more of the image than I wanted).



The final step was to drag the resizing handle in the lower left of the image up and to the right until most of the bucket was outside the boundary of the image.



After that, a few clicks on the OK button (one to close the Resize/Crop Image dialog box and another to close the Image Properties dialog box) sealed the deal.

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Need to learn the basics of Adobe Captivate 4 fast? Attend a live, instructor-led online training class. Click here for more information. Looking for more Advanced Captivate 4 training? We've got you covered. Click here for more information.

Worried about your class canceling? You'll be happy to hear that IconLogic never, ever cancels classes (even if there's just one student registered).

Links of the Week

Flash isn't BAD and HTML5 isn't GOOD

In the seemingly never ending Flash vs. HTML wars, Streaming Learning Center's Jan Ozer decided to run a simple test (using YouTube) to compare both players' CPU utilization. In summary: Flash isn't always bad and HTML5 isn't always good. Click here for his findings.

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Free PHP Code Starter Kit: Re-start Your Web Development Career

Wander over to monster.com today and you will see there are currently 2079 job listings by companies looking for Web developers who know PHP.

Do you know PHP? According to Mary Gillen, "PHP is not going away, and its popularity gets stronger every day. Statistics on Wikipedia indicate that PHP is installed on more than 20 million websites and one million web servers."

You can get started with PHP by downloading Mary's free PHP Code Starter Kit. The kit includes step-by-step instructions on how to set up the PHP development framework and a MySQL database on your Windows machine. You also learn how to query and display dynamic content from the database to a PHP page for display on the Web.