Advanced Actions making slides run slow

[franclemon]

Hi,

I'm trying to display different content to different users based on their role. 

I used the radio button widget on an opening slide to ask a question about their job and place the answer in a variable.  Later I use an advanced action in the 'On Enter' of the slide to evaluate that variable and either display the slide or go to the next slide. 

I get VERY poor performance on the slides that use the AA.  I remove the AA and the presentation performs like normal.

Is there something different about the radio button widget that would cause this or something about my design that might cause this?  I could build the same thing without the widget, but it's so handy I would like to use it.

Thanks

Captivate 6.0.1

[Lilybiri]

Could you show the advanced actions?

[franclemon]

It's pretty straight forward.  Nothing fancy...  Is it a problem to name my action the same as the value I am testing for in the variable?  In this case "S".

[Lilybiri]

You have to be careful with names, would never do myself what you did, but I think that cannot be the cause of your problems. You want to skip that slide if the var = S.  And if the var is not S you want to continue? Can you explain in normal words what exactly you want to achieve? Maybe with a flow chart?

[franclemon]

No, I want to show the slide if the variable is S.

I have a Captivate file with about 40 slides.  Not everyone in the company needs to see all of these slides.

Slide 1 - Ask question - What is your department?  (Marketing, Supply, Other) Puts M, S, or O in the variable called var_dept

Slide 2 - Everyone gets this slide

Slide 3 - Everyone gets this slide

Slide 4 - Only Marketing people see this slide - Advanced Action called "M" that evaluates the var_dept for an M.

Slide 5 - Only Marketing people see this slide - Advanced Action called "M" that evaluates the var_dept for an M.

Slide 6 - Everyone gets this slide

Slide 7 - Everyone gets this slide

Slide 8 - Only Supply people see this slide - Advanced Action called "S" that evaluates the var_dept for an S.

Slide 9 - Only Supply people see this slide - Advanced Action called "S" that evaluates the var_dept for an S.

Slide 10 - Everyone gets this slide

Slide 11 - Everyone gets this slide

Etc...

This all works, it's just really slow. For instance, if the variable does not contain an M, it takes a good 15 seconds to go from slide 3 to slide 6. If the variable does not contain an S, it takes a good 15 seconds to from from slide 7 to slide 10.

[Lilybiri]

If it is not M, both slides 4 and 5  have to be skipped. Why not use Jump to Slide 6? I think you use twice the AA on slide 5 and 6, which makes already lose a lot of time. 6 had the On Enter and On Exit events changed a bit, did see slowing down as well (was better in 6.1 and now in 7). How is navigation on slide 3? Do you use a button Next there? If yes, trigger the AA with the condition with that button and use Jump to  instead of On Enter for slide 4 and slide 5.

[franclemon]

Lilybiri, I appreciate your efforts here and that would actually be a great solution, but I have simplified the explanation for this forum.  Here is what is actually happening.  if not M - 6,7,8,& 9 are skipped; if not S - 4,5,8, & 9 are skipped.  If not O - 4,5,6, & 7 are skipped.

Your idea of putting the AA on the next button of slide 3 can't work, because I don't have any "everyone" slides between each of the special slides.

Sorry to keep adding information.

Slide 1 - Ask question - What is your department? (Marketing, Supply, Other) Puts M, S, or O in the variable called var_dept

Slide 2 - Everyone gets this slide

Slide 3 - Everyone gets this slide

Slide 4 - Only Marketing people see this slide - Advanced Action called "M" that evaluates the var_dept for an M.

Slide 5 - Only Marketing people see this slide - Advanced Action called "M" that evaluates the var_dept for an M.

Slide 6 - Only Supply people see this slide - Advanced Action called "S" that evaluates the var_dept for an S.

Slide 7 - Only Supply people see this slide - Advanced Action called "S" that evaluates the var_dept for an S.

Slide 8 - Only OTHER people see this slide - Advanced Action called "O" that evaluates the var_dept for an O.

Slide 9 - Only OTHER people see this slide - Advanced Action called "O" that evaluates the var_dept for an O.

Slide 10 - Everyone gets this slide

Slide 11 - Everyone gets this slide

Slide 12 - Everyone gets this slide

Slide 13 - Everyone gets this slide

Slide 14 - Only Marketing people see this slide - Advanced Action called "M" that evaluates the var_dept for an M.

Slide 15 - Only Marketing people see this slide - Advanced Action called "M" that evaluates the var_dept for an M.

Slide 16 - Only Supply people see this slide - Advanced Action called "S" that evaluates the var_dept for an S.

Slide 17 - Only Supply people see this slide - Advanced Action called "S" that evaluates the var_dept for an S.

Slide 18 - Only OTHER people see this slide - Advanced Action called "O" that evaluates the var_dept for an O.

Slide 19 - Only OTHER people see this slide - Advanced Action called "O" that evaluates the var_dept for an O.

Slide 20 - Everyone gets this slide

Slide 21- Everyone gets this slide

etc...

[Lilybiri]

Each conditional action can have multiple decisions, so it should be possible to have it on the Next button of slide 3, but moreover on Slides 5, 7 and 9 the Next button should jump to Slide 10, etc.

The action on Next button of slide 3 could be:

First decision Marketing

    IF v_dept is equal to M
       Jump to slide 4

Second decision Supply

  IF v_dept is equal to S

       Jump to slide 6

Third decision Other

  IF v_dept is equal to O

      Jump to slide 8

Duplicate that action and edit for the Next button on slide 13

Your slowing down IMO is due to the fact that you have so many conditional actions, whereas I have only one (bit more complicated) triggered by one button for each sequence of 9 slides, you'll have 6 conditional actions triggered by 6 events. The Next buttons on the end of the specific slides are with simple actions, will not slow down

Lilybiri

[franclemon]

OK, very intriuging. 

Then just a "jump to slide 10" on the next buttons of slides 5 & 7?

That should work...

[Lilybiri]

Yup. Why intriguing? I have been creating so many advanced actions, my blog has its focus on them. Learned everything by practice.

[franclemon]

New wrinkle.  Slides 5, 7, & 9 are quiz slides and cannot control where the button jumps to.  I put a .1 sec microslide after 5 and 7 with jump to 10 (now 12).  That worked but hate using workaround techniques.  Any other suggestions?

[Lilybiri]

Quiz slides have actions both on Success and Failure, set both to jump to slide 10. Those actions are performed after the two-step submitting process:

http://blog.lilybiri.com/question-question-slides-in-captivate

If really necessary (but don't think it is) you can use shape buttons on question slides

http://blog.lilybiri.com/want-a-button-on-question-slide-in-captivate

Lilybiri

[franclemon]

Awesome.  Not intriguing.  Just awesome.

Thanks lilybiri!

[Lilybiri]

Thread still marked unanswered? More problems?

[franclemon]

Sorry, just now back in the office and have chance to try.

What if the Quiz slides are Survey questions with no correct/incorrect actions?  The Action accordian contains "After Survey" and when I put in a "jump to slide" action like we discussed, it doesn't work. It must be referring to after the entire survey is complete?  Not just the individual survey question?

[Lilybiri]

Don't understand this question, and that thread is so long ago, cannot remember what I have answered.

[franclemon]

Here is a look at the widget properties too.  I have an AA called M, one called S (pictured in another post) and one called O.  This determines which slides are displayed to the learner based on their department (Marketing, Supply, or any Other employee)