9 Replies Latest reply: Dec 3, 2014 2:21 PM by joel9 RSS

    Update scrolling text with variable

    joel9 Community Member

      I'm trying to use the scrolling text interaction to show long messages that will change as the lesson progresses.  I can read the text with the interaction variable, but changing it has no visible effect.  Is this supposed to work? If not, is there a better approach?

        • 1. Re: Update scrolling text with variable
          Lilybiri CommunityMVP

          Which version are you using? Being able to control what is displayed, by changing the associated variable for interactions like Scrolling Text, Checkboxes, Radiobuttons has been added only recently (to get rid of my continuous begging for that extension). I illustrated it in this blog post:

          Custom Short Answer Question - Captivate blog

           

          You'll read that this is only the case for CP8.

          • 2. Re: Update scrolling text with variable
            joel9 Community Member

            The latest, 8.01.

             

            I did read your blog post, but did not see where you were actually changing the text. By the way, I'm using html5 output running in Safari, if that makes a difference.

            • 3. Re: Update scrolling text with variable
              Lilybiri CommunityMVP

              When you remain on the slide, you can choose to change and then I blank out the content in the scrolling text by an advanced action that resets the variable to a blank variable.

              Output doesn't matter.

              • 4. Re: Update scrolling text with variable
                joel9 Community Member

                Okay, so it should work for me, but doesn't.  I've tried some simple tests:

                 

                1) An advanced action On Enter for the slide assigns a string to this variable and others in regular text captions.

                 

                2) Another advanced action On Success for a button assigns a different string to the interaction variable (and others).

                 

                In neither case does the new string show up in the scrolling text area, although the captions behave as expected.  I've verified that the right interaction variable is being used by showing it in a caption box and changing it by hand in the interaction.

                 

                Do I need to do something special to refresh the interaction after changing the text?

                • 5. Re: Update scrolling text with variable
                  Lilybiri CommunityMVP

                  Hmmm, normally it should work, I did it with the same approach and just double-checked -  see screenshots.

                  Two questions: did you define the variable in the Variables dialog? It is not created automatically when you assign it in the Properties of the Learning interaction.

                  How did you test? Like all interactions, you have to do a preview.

                  Scroll1.png

                   

                  Scroll3.png

                  Scroll4.pngScroll2.png

                  • 6. Re: Update scrolling text with variable
                    joel9 Community Member

                    Very odd. Yes, I defined a user variable and tried both Preview and Publish (to my local web server).

                     

                    After some testing, I've discovered that it does work if I start with a blank project, but not with a responsive project. Unfortunately I did want the latter.

                    • 7. Re: Update scrolling text with variable
                      Lilybiri CommunityMVP

                      That was important information that you left out. Sorry about that.

                      • 8. Re: Update scrolling text with variable
                        joel9 Community Member

                        It's a bit hard to know what's important!

                         

                        Upon further work, it seems that the problem is not confined to responsive projects.  I added some more elements to the slide (created in black project) and then it stopped working again.

                         

                        I've tried setting the text from a button, a web object, and in javascript attached to On Enter for the slide.  I've verified in my browser console that both the button and the web object have made the correct change, but the new text is not displayed.  For some reason, the initialization script for the slide fails to set it, but I suspect that's some unrelated timing problem.

                         

                        By the way, in case it's not obvious, I'm new to Captivate.   Thanks for your help.

                        • 9. Re: Update scrolling text with variable
                          joel9 Community Member

                          I meant "blank project", not "black project"!