The Logical Blog by IconLogic

Adobe Captivate: A Master Slide for All Occasions

by Kevin Siegel

Master Slides were first introduced in Adobe Captivate 5 and I've written a couple of articles about them including: Creating Master Slides, Placeholder Objects on Master Slides and how to Keep Master Slide Backgrounds at Bay.

Adobe Captivate 6 took the concept of Master Slides to a whole new level by creating two different types of slide master: a Main Master Slide and Content Master Slides.

In each project, there is always a single Main Master Slide and multiple Content Master Slides. During this article, I'll teach you the differences between Main and Content masters, and how best to utilize them.

In the image below, I've created a new project, applied the Blank theme (Themes > Apply a New Theme) and then inserted several blank slides (Insert > Blank Slide).

Each new project includes a collection of Master Slides (even if you use the Blank theme). In the image below, the Main Master Slide is the larger slide at the left; the smaller slides are the Content Master Slides.

If you make a change to the Main Master Slide, the change will affect every slide in the project (Filmstrip, Content Master Slides... everything). Changing the Main Master Slide is like using a very broad brush. If there's something on the Main Master Slide that you don't want to use on the other slides, you're pretty much stuck.

For instance, I want every slide in my project to use the same background image. In the screen capture below, I've inserted the image on the Main Master Slide.

Having modified the Main Master Slide, every Content Master Slide and every slide on the Filmstrip now sports the same image. Since there are Content Master Slides for regular Filmstrip slides and Question Slides, should I insert a quiz down the road, the question slides will automatically include my corporate branding. And that's awesome.

Now I wanted to add a copyright notice to some of the slides on the Filmstrip... to some Filmstrip slides, but not all. If I added the text to the Main Master Slide, the text would appear on every slide of the Filmstrip and every Content Master Slide. Since that wasn't my intent, I created a new Content Master Slide by right-clicking within the group of Content Masters and choosing Slides > Content Master Slide.

I used the Properties panel to name my new Content Master Slide.

Next I inserted and positioned a text caption on the Content Master Slide.

The final step was to select the slide(s) on the Filmstrip that I wanted to follow the new Content Master and, on the Properties panel, select the Content Master Slide from the Master Slide drop-down menu.

The Filmstrip slide below is using two Master Slides: the graphic is coming from the Main Master Slide; the copyright notice is coming from the Copyright notice Content Master Slide.

Note: If you'd like to see the process of working with both Main and Content Master slides, check out this video demonstration on our YouTube channel.

***

Looking to learn Captivate quickly? IconLogic offers multiple live, online Adobe Captivate 6 classes each month including Introduction to Adobe Captivate and Advanced Adobe Captivate.

Digital Publishing: Controlling Page Breaks in an ePub

by Robert Desprez  

 

Help Authoring Tools such as Madcap Flare and Adobe RoboHelp will quickly create an ePub file that includes a title page, table of contents, and the content that you authored. However, you can control the format of an ePub after it has been created by the Help Authoring Tool by performing some simple edits within a Cascading Style Sheet (CSS).

 

In this article, I'll briefly explain how to unzip the ePub file and edit the CSS so that you gain more control over page breaks.

 

A Few Basics

 

An ePub document is a zip file with the .epub extension. ePub files can be read using e-reader software on myriad devices including the iPad, iPhone, PCs, and smartphones running on Android.

 

For technical writers, I believe ePub files are one of the technologies to watch. The iBooks bookstore sells its ebooks in an ePub file format. With tablets and smartphones forecast to outsell PCs in the near future, users will increasingly be reading content--including technical communications--on these devices.

 

One of the key advantages of an ePub file is its ability to reflow on different devices. The following image shows how an ePub file appears on an iPad:

 

  

 

The next screen shot shows how the same file appears on an iPhone:

 

  

 

In contrast, a PDF file may look beautiful on your 24-inch monitor at home but is difficult to read on your smartphone. It does not resize-making it difficult and tedious to read on a small screen.

 

Controlling Page Breaks Inside Adobe RoboHelp

 

If you work as a technical communicator, you probably use a Help Authoring Tool, such as RoboHelp or Madcap Flare. These tools provide a lot of the "heavy lifting" for you: they create the title page, a table of contents, and the topics themselves. You can also use them to control some basic page breaks.

 

The following image shows how RoboHelp 10 allows you to set page breaks for certain heading levels. In this case, I've specified that every time I use Heading 2 ("h2" in the left list), RoboHelp creates a new page break or topic.

 

  

Help Authoring Tools, in short, provide you with rudimentary control over page breaks. But if more control is needed, edit your CSS.

Unzipping an ePub

1. Locate your ePub file.
2. Change the .epub extension to .zip.




3. Unzip the contents of the folder.
4. Double-click the OEBPS folder ("OEBPS" stands for Open eBook Publication Structure).



5. Locate the default.css folder. This is your CSS folder.

Controlling Page Breaks

Inside the CSS file add the following code using a text editor:

h2 {

page-break-before: always;           

}

In the CSS, it might appear like the following image:

  

This first entry adds a page break before every instance of a heading 2. This might be useful if you want to insert a page break before a chapter title.

Here are some other options to consider:

• H3 {page-break-before: avoid;} This entry prevents an element (in this case, a heading3) from beginning on a new page, unless absolutely necessary. You might want to use this code to try and ensure that content is grouped together.
• H3 {page-break-inside: avoid} This prevents an element such as a table or long list from being divided by a page-break. Keep in mind that if your table or list spans multiple pages, the e-reader needs to create a break somewhere.
• H3 {page-break-after: avoid;} This entry discourages a page break after an item. For example, this could prevent the heading3 that appears at the bottom of the following left page.

Next Steps

After you make changes to the CSS, re-zip the ePub project, rename so it uses an .epub extension, and test it on all the different e-readers that your users may be using. I've installed Adobe Digital Editions on my computer and iBooks for the iPhone and iPad. Different e-readers may render your ePub file differently so testing is vital.

In future articles, I'll explain how to control text alignment, widows and orphans, and fonts.

Additional Resources

ePub Straight to the Point by Elizabeth Castro.

Castro's web site on formatting ePub files: http://www.pigsgourdsandwikis.com

Adobe Captivate: Save Your Skin

by Kevin Siegel

Skins that are added to an eLearning lesson serve a similar role to clothes. Depending on the clothes you wear, you can convey a certain impression about yourself. Bored with yourself? Perhaps a visit to your clothes closet will help change your attitude?

Captivate includes a Skin Editor--in essence, your project's closet. Using the Skin Editor, you can, among other things, control the look of a lesson's Playback Controls, add Borders and add a Table of Contents.

Many new Captivate developers have no problem finding the Skin Editor, where making changes to the way a skin looks is simple. However, once those changes are made, the original skin is modified. Should you select another skin down the road, the modifications are lost. Read on and learn how to keep those modifications permanently.

Change Skins

1. Choose Project > Skin Editor.
   
   There are three buttons at the top left of the Skin Editor: Playback Control, Borders and Table of Contents.
   
2. Select a Skin from the Skin drop-down menu.
   
   

Observe the preview at the right of the Skin Editor window. Among other things, notice the buttons that appear on the player, color of the Playbar and the Playbar's position on the slide.

Ensure the Playback Control button is selected and observe the left side of Skin Editor. This is where you can select such options as hiding the Playbar in a Quiz, the Playbar's slide position and the buttons that will display on the Playbar (Closed Captioning, Mute, etc).

Click the Position drop-down menu and notice that you can force the playbar to appear on the Top, Left, Bottom or Right of the slide. From the Layout drop-down menu, you can decide if you want the playbar to extend the width of the slide (Stretched) and to simply center horizontally.

The Difference Between a Skin and the Playbar

Many new Captivate developers confuse a Skin and a Playbar, often treating them as one and the same. A Skin plays a larger role in your project than a Playbar. A Skin is the big picture--it controls which Playbar is used, where the Playbar appears on the slide, the Playbar's Layout (Stretched, Left, Right or Centered), the buttons that appear on the Playbar, the borders that appear on the slide, and many other options. Compared to the options available to a Skin, the Playbar is a bit player.

Edit and Save a Skin

1. Select a Playbar from the Playbar list.

You'll notice that the Skin you selected is now using the Playbar you selected. In addition, the Skin name now includes the word Modified.


2. From the list of playback buttons (lower left of the dialog box), remove the check mark from Mute and Closed Captioning.




3. Click the Save tool to the right of the Skin's name and give your new skin any name you like.




From this point forward, your new skin will be available in the Skin drop-down menu for use in any new or existing Captivate project.

See also: Branding the Skin's Playbar Using Your Corporate Colors

Note: If you'd like to see the process of editing and then saving a Skin via the Skin Editor, check out this video demonstration on our YouTube channel.

***

Looking to learn Captivate quickly? IconLogic offers multiple live, online Adobe Captivate 6 classes each month including Introduction to Adobe Captivate and Advanced Adobe Captivate.

Writing & Grammar: What You Need to Know About Lists

by Jennie Ruby 

Readers like lists, and as writers, we know that. But there are many ways to go wrong with lists. Here is a step-by-step approach to making sure your list is a help, not a hindrance, to your readers.

1. Decide whether the list should be bulleted, numbered, or lettered. If the order of the items does not matter, use bullets. If the order matters, use numbers. If you are going to need to refer back to items on the list by name, consider using letters. Then you can refer to item A, item B, and so on.


2. Decide whether to capitalize the first word of each item. This is an arbitrary decision. If you are using a specific style guide, consult it for this decision. For example, the Chicago Manual of Style indicates that in numbered lists, the first word after each number should be capitalized, unless the list is being written in sentence form rather than in vertical list form. Bulleted lists also have each entry capitalized, according to Chicago. But for lists of short items with no bullets or numbers, use lowercase.


3. Decide whether to use punctuation after each item in the list. You can omit all punctuation, or you can puctuate the list as one giant sentence. If you use the sentence method, you use a comma at the end of each item unless any of the items contain commas. If any item does contain one or more commas, you use a semicolon at the end of each item. Using and before the last item is optional.


4. Make sure the wording of the list items is parallel. If you have a list of adjectives, all of the items must be adjectives. You can have a list of nouns, a list of gerunds (-ing verbs), a list of infinitives (in the form to x, where x is a verb), or a list of predicates. You just cannot mix them.


5. Like this list itself, you can make a list of paragraphs. Here, each item has multiple sentences. That means each item has to be capitalized, and each item has to end with a period.

Challenge: Fix this list

To fix up the yard for spring, we need to do the following:

1. to get rid of dead stalks from last year's growth
2. Restack the stones for the edging
3. We also need to plant more grass seed.
4. tulips

Feel free to post your answers as comments below.

***

Looking for help with your writing technique? Jennie teaches two writing classes: Writing Effective eLearning Voiceover Scripts and eLearning: Writing Effective Scripts.

Already a writing wiz? Join Jennie to learn how to create effective quizzes and surveys.

Two Captivate Classes to be Held in Portland for ASTD Cascadia

I'm excited to announce that I'll be teaching two full-day classes on Adobe Captivate 6 later this year for ASTD Cascadia in Portland, OR.

I'll be introducing Captivate 6 on the first day and following that up on day 2 with Captivate 6 advanced concepts.

You can learn more about the introduction session here and the advanced session here. You can sign up for either session (or both). And you don't have to be an ASTD Cascadia member to sign up and attend (although members do get some nice discounts on the event prices).

Writing & Grammar: Quoting at Length

by Jennie Ruby

Most people who quote someone's words in a document understand the need to use quotation marks around the text (lest you be accused of plagiarizing!). But a more confusing situation occurs when you are quoting someone at length. Last week I received the following question via email:

"If quoting someone's feedback that is more than one paragraph long, what is the correct formatting for quotes? Right now we have open and close quotes around every paragraph, but is that correct?"

I have two possible answers for this issue, and one of them does not involve using quotation marks at all!

1. If you are going to use quotation marks at all (see answer 2 for why you might not), the first paragraph should have opening quotes, but no closing quotes. Then the next paragraph also starts with opening quotes, to kind of remind the reader that you are still quoting the same person. Then you use one closing quote at the complete end of that person's last paragraph, to show you've stopped quoting them.
2. For quotes that are more than one paragraph long, there is a tradition of giving a different format to the text instead of using quotes. So it might be indented on the left, indented on both sides, smaller type, or a different color. If you use any of these methods to indicate you are extensively quoting someone, then you do not use any quotation marks.

I hope this helps clear up this issue. If you have formatting, punctuation, or grammar questions, don't forget that you cansend me your question and I may include it in a future column.

***

Looking for help with your writing technique? Jennie teaches two writing classes: Writing Effective eLearning Voiceover Scripts and eLearning: Writing Effective Scripts.

Already a writing wiz? Join Jennie to learn how to create effective quizzes and surveys.

Adobe RoboHelp 10: Add a Logo to an HTML5 Catalog Layout

by Willam Van Weelden

A few weeks ago I showed you how to adjust the search highlight color in Multiscreen HTML5. This week, let's look at how you add your logo to the Multiscreen HTML5 Catalog Layout.

Not all Screen Layouts support logos by default. Fortunately, it is easy to add your logo to the Catalog Layout. To begin, ensure that your logo image meets these requirements:

• No more than 80 pixels tall
• No more than 400 pixels wide

Ensure that the Catalog Layout is Available in the Project:

1. With a RoboHelp project open, go to the Project Set-up pod.
2. Open Screen Layouts. If the Desktop_Catalog layout is in the list, you are ready to add your logo. If not, continue with the next few steps.
   
3. Right-click Screen Layouts and choose New Screen Layout.
4. From the Gallery list at the left, select Desktop_Catalog.
   
   
5. Click the OK button.

Add Your Logo to the Catalog Layout

1. With a RoboHelp project open, go to the Project Set-up pod.
2. Open Screen Layouts > Desktop_Catalog > Topic (Default).
   
3. On the Topic page, click in the text box located at the top of the page.
   
   
4. Choose Insert > Image and insert your logo as a regular image.
   
   

You may not see the entire logo while working within the Screen Layout Editor. No worries. When you generate the layout, the logo will display correctly.


5. Save the Topic page.
6. Right-click the logo and choose Copy.
7. Open the Search Results page.
8. Click in the text box located at the top of the Search Results page.
   
   
9. Right-click in the text box and choose Paste.
10. Save the project, Generate and then view the results.

***

Looking to learn RoboHelp? We offer a live, two-day online RoboHelp class once each month.

Adobe Captivate: Highlight Boxes in Reverse

by Kevin Siegel

Highlight Boxes added to a Captivate project provide an excellent way to direct a learner's attention to a specific area of a published eLearning lesson.

If you have spent any time in Captivate, you have likely added at least one Highlight Box to a project. If you haven't, you'll find that you can add them easily enough via Insert > Standard Object > Highlight Box.

After the Highlight Box appears on the slide, you can drag it to a desired location and resize it appropriately. You would then use the Timeline to control when the Highlight Box appears on the slide. Assuming you haven't made the Fill Transparency too high or too low (20% is typical), when a learner watches your published lesson, the area within the Highlight Box will darken just enough to command the learner's attention. As the middle of the highlighted area gets darker, the rest of the slide remains unchanged.

There is a Highlight Box feature you may not have realized is available: a Reverse Highlight Box. When inserting a Highlight Box, there is an innocent-looking option at the bottom of the Fill & Stroke group of the Properties panel: Fill Outer Area.



If you enable Fill Outer Area and raise the Fill Alpha (in the picture above, the value has been raised to 80), the Highlight Box will actually block everything outside the Highlight Box area (basically the reverse behavior of a typical Highlight Box).



While not appropriate for every situation, Highlight Boxes with filled outer areas are ideal if the interface you are discussing is cluttered. And you certainly don't have to raise the Fill Alpha all the way to 80. Instead, you can experiment with a value that works best for you.

Note: If you'd like to see a reverse highlight box in action, check out this video demonstration on our YouTube channel.

***

Looking to learn Captivate quickly? IconLogic offers multiple live, online Adobe Captivate 6 classes each month including Introduction to Adobe Captivate and Advanced Adobe Captivate.

Adobe Illustrator CS6: Rounding One (or Two) Corners

by Barb Binder

So you want to round just one or two corners of a rectangle? Illustrator CS6 makes it easy to round all of them. Select a rectangle and choose Effect > Stylize > Round Corners. Set the Radius, click the OK button and you are good to go.

But what if you just want to round one or two corners? It can be done, though it is definitely more fussy. Here's one way to do it:

1. Select a rectangle.
2. Select the Scissors tool and click two opposing corners to separate the single rectangle into two independent right angles.
   
3. Select one of the right angles, and choose Effect > Stylize > Round Corners to round one corner.
   
   
   
   As a visual learner, I like to see a process to fully comprehend it, so in the image above, I moved one right angle off of the other. This is only so that the visual learners amongst you can see that the Scissors tool cuts the single shape into two right angles. It is not a necessary step.
4. Repeat for the other right angle. (Note: Because I moved my right angles apart to illustrate the two independent shapes, I needed to re-align their top and left edges before continuing.)
   
5. Finally, select both angles and combine them back into a single shape by choosing Object > Path > Join.

***

Looking to learn Adobe Illustrator? We offer both a two-day Introduction to Adobe Illustrator class and a two-day advanced class.

eLearning & Training: Casting Cross-Cultural Voice-Over Talents

by Jen Weaver

Adding voice-overs to your eLearning lessons can increase the interaction a learner has with your content, often boosting the lesson's overall effectiveness.

Providing high-quality voice-overs is a tremendous feat in only one language or accent. It can grow into a monumental task when including regional dialects or alternate languages. Here are some facets to consider when casting cross-cultural voice talents.

• The desired voice-over role. A voice talent may function as a narrator, instructor, spokesperson, or actor in a storyline.
• The preferred demographics. This includes the age and gender being portrayed.
• The language, dialect and accent. This may go without saying, but the voice talent must be fluent in whatever language your eLearning materials will be provided in. Beyond the language requirement, there are also dialects and accents that may impact how your message is received by your intended audience. For example, English voice-overs may be provided in English (language) for the United States (dialect) with a southern twang (accent). It is valuable to identify how important accent accuracy is to your project. Many people may impersonate accents that seem acceptable to an unfamiliar listener but are entirely inaccurate (and even offensive) to recipients from that area. For example, a poorly executed fake accent may decrease receptivity from your target audience. Additional dialect and accent examples include:
  • Chinese in Mandarin (commonly referred to as "Northern dialect") perhaps with a Beijing accent.
  • Portuguese for Portugal.
  • Spanish for Latin America.
• The desired tone. The voice may be conveyed in a playful manner, factually, formally or informally.
• Localization of the voice-over script. Depending on your content, it may be valuable to localize the script for the target location, changing phrases or vernacular to be more conducive to that area. This can be done formally before the script is provided to the talent; or you may simply allow the talent discretion to make minor changes (such as changing "pop" to "soda") directly as they see fit.
• Voice-over experience. Ideal voice talents have multiple years in the industry and in providing the type of voice-over services necessary for your project.

The key for casting cross-cultural voice-over talents is to include appropriate requirements in your initial project scope. You should also allow time for your language service vendor to gather demos for approval as a part of the overall project timeline. Keep these facets in mind and you can rest assured that you will find the perfect talents for your project.

***

If you would like to learn best practices for managing translation projects, contact Jen at Carmazzi Global Solutions.