Open an external HTML file from a Captivate 6 project

[Burner1809]

Hi,

So I'm using Captivate 6 and trying to achieve the following. I've inserted a smartshape on one of my slides. When the user clicks this, I want to open an HTML file in a separate (new) window. The thing is that the HTML file not a web URL but an HTML file that I've designed. I'm struggling with this and know that I'm missing something here.

• Where do I need to place this external file (lets call it external.htm for now) in my published folder?
• I am publishing using the SWF option and not HTML5
• What action do I set on the smartshape that's supposed to open external.htm? Should it be the "Open URL or File" or should it be the "Execute JavaScript"?
• Would this be the same logic if I were to replace the HTML file to say a PDF?

Would be great if someone could help me out with this.

Thanks,

Sean

[Jim_Leichliter]

Hi Sean,

Where is the project going to ultimately reside?  On a web server on an LMS?  If that's the case, then you won't be able to test the smartshape button until you've deployed your project to the a web server.  Once you do that, the HTML file you created will have a web address / URL. 

I would recommend that you place the HTML file you created in the same folder as the published SWF.  For the "Open URL" action, type in the name of the html file only.  "myfile.html".  This is considered a relative web address vs. an absolute web address.  "Relative" meaning that when the user clicks the button, the browser will try to resolve the location of the HTML file.  It will begin it's search by looking into the root folder of the published project.  If it finds the HTML file there, it will open it.

"Absolute" web addresses usually begin with http or https and end in .htm or .html so that it contains the FULL path to the HTML file.  If you had your HTML file already on the web server, you could type the full URL into the "Open URL" action... and you could successfully test the project by doing an F12 (SWF web preview) or a F11 (HTML5 web preview).  But in your case, the file is not yet on the web server so adding a "relative" link and deploying your project is the way to go.

Hope that clears things up!

[Burner1809]

This is really useful. Thanks a ton Jim. I will try this out and let you know if it worked. Yes, I will use a relative URL and load it to our internal LMS and check. However, does this take care of the fact that the external file ("myfile.html") will open in a new window? I really need that to happen because I dont want that html to open in the browser window that the course is running on.

-Sean

[Jim_Leichliter]

Captivate gives you control over how to open the file (see screen shot):

Use the drop down to the right of the URL to choose how the file is opened and whether or not to continue to play the project when the action occurs.