New to Captivate

Report · Mar 18, 2010

Thanks for the speedy response.

Can you point me in the right direction on how to:

1. Turn the scrubber on/off

2. Allign the images.

The images are dragged onto the presized workspace and then seem to become one with the workspace.

I can't find any way to do anything with them once they are on the workspace. 😞

Robert E

Report · Mar 18, 2010

Hello,

To turn the playbar off when published:

open Skin editor in menu Project
deactivate 'Show playbar control'

If you want to turn in off/on only on certain slides, you will have to toggle the system variable cpCmndShowPlaybar when entering the slide; If it has the value=1 the playbar is shown, if it has the value 0 it is not shown. You can achieve this:

open the Properties of the slide (right mouse click menu)
under Navigation, for 'On Slide Enter' choose 'Assign'
next to 'Assign:' choose the variable cpCmndShowPlaybar
next to 'with' type 1 if you want to show the playbar or 0 if you want to hide it.

Do you see the image on the Timeline? How did you insert them? It seems that you are saying that they are merged into the Background?

Lilybiri

Report · Mar 18, 2010

Thanks

The first part was easy once you pointed me in the right direction.

As for the images, I dragged them onto the "stage" from an Explorer window where I could which images I needed.

I do see the image as well as the actions that I'm trying to add in the timeline accross the bottom of the project.

Report · Mar 18, 2010

Hi,

Still do not understand quite well, think it is something with terminology. Could you perhaps insert a screenshot of the timeline (you can use the small camera from the toolbar in the message box)?

Lilybiri

Report · Mar 18, 2010

Since you asked me "How", I took that to mean there was more than one way to get the image on the stage so I looked a bit further and low and behold found what is most likely the correct way to do it. 🙂

This time I used "Insert" and then selected "Image" and selected the image that I wanted to appear on that slide.

Low and behold I can now drag and drop the image anywhere on the stage I want.

I gues my way is easy if you don't have to worry about moving it afterwards and all images are the same size as the project.

Thanks again

Report · Mar 18, 2010

Hello again

Whether you are able to move the image or not depends on exactly where in the application you elected to drop it. If you are dragging from Explorer or a browser and you drop the image on the Stage or edit area, it should be able to be moved around. (Well, as long as it's smaller than the stage is. If not, it will simply fill the stage.)

But if you instead dropped the image on the thumbnails area of the Film Strip that runs from top to bottom on the left side, you likely created a new slide where the image is the background. And with background images, you cannot reposition them.

Cheers... Rick

Helpful and Handy Links

Report · Mar 19, 2010

I made the mistake of dragging from an Explorer window. As you explained that makes the image the background.

Once I realized the error of my ways and now "Import" the image onto the stage I'm off an running.

All is well and all my CURRENT questions have been answered.

I'm just getting started so I'm sure there will probably be more.

Thanks again to all who responded.

Report · Mar 18, 2010

Hello,

Still do not understand why the image was merged into the background? Just tried dragging an image from Explorer on the CP-stage, and it was there as a separate image (visible on the Timeline on top of the background). But perhaps your image was resized to the size of the stage, and then you cannot move it since it takes up the whole stage. If the image is smaller you should be able to move it.

BTW: you can also import an image in the library (if Library is not open, use the Window menu). Second icon on top of the Library is 'Import'. You can then import the images you want and drag them from the library onto the stage.

For alignment: you can show the grid (View menu) and eventually 'Snap to grid'. Aligning different selected objects to each other: right mouse click menu has an Align option.

Hope you enjoy Captivate, it is powerful software, be patient with your learning.

Lilybiri

Report · Mar 19, 2010

Hi Lilybiri

Hopefully you saw my reply before yours. It all depends on where the image was dropped when dragging. If an image is dropped onto the FilmStrip area, it creates a slide where the image is the background.

Cheers... Rick

Helpful and Handy Links

http://robertensing.com/help/Time_Capsule_5.5_Assisted.html

Report · Mar 19, 2010

Hi Rick,

No, did not see yours, was typing at that moment. Thanks for the information, never really drag things and certainly not on the filmstrip.

Learnt something, great! Will not forget it, and thankful to you,

Lilybiri

Report · Mar 20, 2010

I'm trying the player bar as you suggested.

I turned it off in the Project Skin Editor

Then I went to the last few slides of the project and put in:

* under Navigation, for 'On Slide Enter' choose 'Assign'

* next to 'Assign:' choose the variable *cpCmndShowPlaybar*

* next to 'with' type 1 if you want to show the playbar or 0 if you want to hide it.

I saved the project and published it but can't get the player bar to show in those three slides that I enabled it on towards the end.

(The ones that don't have any highlight boxes on them)

Thanks.

Report · Mar 20, 2010

Hi there

I'm not sure you can work in this manner. If you have turned off the playbar for the project, I believe it simply omits it from the mix when you publish. This would explain why you aren't seeing it appear.

Likely you will have to include the playbar, but hide it on all slides where you don't wish to see it. Then elect to show it where you want it visible.

You could accomplish the hiding by either manually assigning the variable on slide entry or by creating an Advanced Action to do it, then evoking the Advanced Action on slide entry.

Cheers... Rick

Helpful and Handy Links

Report · Mar 20, 2010

Bang on Rick

Thanks.

So to summarize, it's either on or off during the entire project.

If you only want it available on some slides you have to turn it on in the project and just turn it off on the slides you don't want it and "On" on the slides you do.

Thanks again.

Report · Mar 20, 2010

Yep! You got it!

I am always looking for analogies to explain things. This one is odd to me as most of them use Food.

In this case I suppose it's like this. A car may be equipped with a switch that will operate Fog Lights if they are installed. If the Fog Lights weren't added at the factory and aren't present, the switch doesn't do anything. But if you add them, presto!

Cheers... Rick

Helpful and Handy Links

Report · Mar 20, 2010

Thanks.

I can hardly wait to get the full version.

Robert

Report · Mar 20, 2010

Hi Robert

Just to note that you already have the "full version". I'm assuming you meant to convey that you are using the trial and are waiting for the paid version to either arrive or to become available to you for installing.

There is no difference whatsoever between the Trial and the Paid versions of Captivate. You simply have a limited amount of time to use the trial.

Cheers... Rick

Helpful and Handy Links

Report · Mar 20, 2010

You are correct. I only have 27 days left and that's not near enough time to finish what I'm working on.

It's apparent that the product is what I need and the support is outstanding so I'm confident i'm making the right choice by choosing this product over some of the free programs floating arround that claim to do the same thing.

Right from the start I was able to figure enough of this program out without much effort to get me started.

Although my drag-n-drop habit from my Mac could have got me in some trouble it was sorted out quickly and I can get on with the task at hand.

Too bad there isn't a Mac version.

Robert

Report · Mar 20, 2010

Hang in there a few months. Captivate for Mac is coming!

And dragging images and dropping should work fine. I do it all the time with no issues. I also ensure to point out the ability in any Captivate class I facilitate.

The key is to ensure you drop the image into the correct location in the application.

I also will always describe Captivate as being "deceptively simple". This is because it seems drop-dead stupid simple to create something in rapid order. But when you begin sprinkling in objects such as Click Boxes, Buttons and especially Advanced Actions and Variables, the complexity spikes big time.

Cheers... Rick

Helpful and Handy Links

Report · Mar 20, 2010

Hmm, makes me wonder if I should hold off until the Mac version is out.

Do they have it Beta or has it gone past that stage already?

Report · Mar 20, 2010

Hi again

Unfortunately I cannot say how near it actually is to being released. Only Adobe knows that. But if I were in your shoes and were considering purchasing, I'd be asking some serious questions of Adobe about what would happen if I chose to purchase today and perhaps two months later a new version appears that works on Mac. I'd want to know if they would say I would have to purchase again, if I'd have to pay an upgrade fee or if I'd get the upgrade at no charge, given the timing.

Cheers... Rick

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