# Changing caption order

Captivate allows you to add multiple captions to each slide. You specify the order in which these captions appear. There are two ways to change caption order: changing the z-order and using the Timeline.

### Changing caption order by changing the z-order

Changing the caption z-order (stacking order) is a fast and easy way to change caption order. This method might be a good option if you are working with a simple slide that contains only a few captions and no other elements. Changing the z-order consists of moving captions to the back and front of the slide "stage." The key point to remember is that captions at the back of the stage appear first, while captions at the front of the stage appear later. (Example)

You can think of the captions being stacked in 3-D fashion (even though they can be anywhere on the slide and do not need to appear over each other). For example, in the image below, the yellow caption would appear first, the green second, and the blue last.

#### To change caption order by changing the z-order:

1. Open a Captivate movie.

2. Navigate to the slide containing the captions whose order you want to change.

3. Right-click a caption and select one of the caption order options:

   Bring to Front: This option brings the selected caption to the foreground. When the movie plays, the caption is the last to appear.

   Send to Back: This option sends the selected caption to the background. When the movie plays, the caption is the first to appear.

   Bring Forward: This option moves the caption one layer forward. When the movie plays, the caption appears one level later.

   Send Backward: This option moves the caption one layer back. When the movie plays, the caption appears one level earlier.

4. If necessary, right-click other captions on the slide and adjust their order.

### Changing caption order using the Timeline

You can also change caption order using the Timeline. The Timeline enables you to precisely adjust the timing of all objects, including captions, on a slide. Macromedia recommends using this method when you have a complicated slide comprising many objects or when you must time the appearance of captions exactly.

#### To change caption order using the Timeline:

1. Open a Captivate movie.

2. Navigate to the slide containing the captions whose order you want to change.

3. To expand the Timeline, click the display arrow.

   Click the black arrow.

4. Change the order and timing of captions as required.

For example, move the mouse over the left or right edge of a caption on the Timeline until the resize cursor appears, and then drag the edge left or right. This changes the time at which the caption appears or ends and the length of time the caption appears.

Alternatively, if you have a caption that is currently displayed at the same time the slide is displayed, but you want a slight delay, move the mouse over the center of the caption on the Timeline until the hand cursor appears, and then drag the entire caption so the left edge aligns with 2s (a 2-second delay) or 4s (a 4-second delay) in the header. (Example)

The red arrow points to the left edge of the caption object bar, which is aligned with the 2-second mark on the Timeline.