Adobe Captivate Article

Using animations to extend Adobe Captivate for right-click capability

Most software today uses right-click functionality to accomplish various software tasks. In Adobe Captivate, you can add click boxes that support left and double-click. The right-click functionality is trapped by the Flash Player to display the player menu. This article describes how to add right-click functionality to a simulation. Right-click functionality is an essential tool for creating software testing using Adobe Captivate, and it greatly enhances the ability of Adobe Captivate to teach software applications. The approach described in this tutorial allows you to size and place the right-click area almost as intuitively as adding a Adobe Captivate Click box. The solution will work with Adobe Captivate 1.01, Adobe Captivate 2, and Adobe Captivate 3.

Fortunately, Adobe Captivate already provides the ability to add Macromedia Flash animations into a Adobe Captivate project. Since Flash ActionScript can incorporate logic, it is possible to create intelligent animations that work with Adobe Captivate to enhance its capabilities.

In this tutorial, I provide a Flash file, RightClickAnimation.swf, that you can add to a Adobe Captivate slide to very easily add right-click functionality to a Adobe Captivate simulation. Adobe Captivate allows you to place and size animations so that it is possible to add an animation and at the same time, define a right-click area when you place the animation on the slide. In this way, the Flash SWF file mimics right-click functionality for your end user in your Adobe Captivate content.

Most Flash SWF files work the same whether playing within or outside of Adobe Captivate content. The right-click SWF file, however, is a rare exception since Flash displays its own menu when a user right-clicks. In short, you must block the Flash menu when running the SWF file standalone or in a browser so that it does not interfere with the right-click menu you want to show in your demo or simulation. This document provides you with the steps and HTML code required to overcome this issue.

The detailed instructions below allow anyone, even non-programmers, to add right-click functionality to your Adobe Captivate simulations. Once you have done it a few times you will find it only takes a few minutes to add right-click functionality to any slide.

If you have questions, please e-mail me. If you want to know more about OpenSky Learning please visit our website at: http://www.openskylearning.com.

This tutorial differs from the article called, Adding right-click functionality to Adobe Captivate content by Steven Shongrunden in the following ways:

1. It interfaces tightly with Adobe Captivate so you can place and size the animation to outline the area for your right-click. This is much easier than adding JavaScript to define your click area.
2. It allows for scoring, which is essential for software testing.
3. It allows for separate right-click functionality on as many slides as you like.
4. It is designed so that non-programmers can quickly and efficiently add right-click functionality.

Requirements

In order to make the most of this article, you need the following software and files:

Adobe Captivate (versions 1.01, 2, or 3)

• Try
• Buy

Adobe Dreamweaver (or any text editor)

• Try
• Buy

Sample files:

• rightclickanimation3.zip (ZIP, 868K)

Seeing an Example

It is usually a good idea to see a working example before trying to create one. I have created a Adobe Captivate simulation that is a mock task to be completed in Microsoft Word. The instructions for the task are displayed in gold. You will no doubt find more creative ways to use the right-click animation but this example, even if it is a bit over simplified, demonstrates the concept. View the simulation and follow the instructions.

http://www.openskylearning.com/CaptivateAnimations/RightClickDemo/RightClick_Skin.htm

Page 1 of 4

Next Page

About the author