Touring the Captivate interface
In this book, we shall cover the three steps of the process requiring the use of Captivate. You will discover that Captivate has specific tools to handle each of these three steps. Actually, each step requires so many options, tools, and features that Captivate has a very large number of icons, panels, dialog boxes, and controls available. When developing Captivate, Adobe's designers were, therefore, confronted by a very significant issue: how to display all those tools, features, boxes, and controls on a single computer screen?
To address the issue, the designers at Adobe decided the following:
- Depending on the production step you are working on, you do not need the same set of tools at all times.
- Some tools relevant for a given project are useless in another project.
- Each teacher has different working habits, so each teacher should be able to display the tools of Captivate as he/she sees fit.
- While some Captivate users have large screens, others have a much smaller display area available.
These simple considerations helped the Captivate design team create a very flexible user interface.
If you already use other Adobe Applications, you'll be on known ground as the Captivate 6 user interface works the same way as the user interface of the most popular Adobe Applications.
A first look at the Captivate interface
When you open the application for the first time, you'll get a default set of tools available. Let's check it out using the following steps:
- Open Captivate.
- On the left-hand side of the Welcome screen, click the open icon.
- Open the
final/drivingInBe.cptxfile situated in the exercises folder that you have downloaded from the Internet. - Your screen should look like the following screenshot:
The Captivate user interface is composed of panels laid out around the stage (1). The stage is the main area of the screen. It is where we lay out the objects that make up each slide of the project.
At the very top of the screen is the menu bar (2). The menu bar gives us access to every single feature of Captivate.
Right below the menu bar, is the Main Options toolbar (3). Each icon of the Main Options toolbar is a shortcut to a feature that also exists in the menu bar.
A special toolbar spans across the left-hand side of the screen from the top down. It is the Object toolbar (4). The Objects toolbar lets you insert new objects on your Captivate slides. This is one of the most important toolbars of Captivate and one that we will use a lot during the course of this book.
The next panel is called the Filmstrip (5). It shows the sequence of slides that makes up your Captivate project. The primary use of the Filmstrip is to enable navigation between the slides of the project, but the Filmstrip can also be used to perform basic operations on the slides such as reordering slides or deleting slides.
At the bottom of the screen is another important panel: the Timeline (6). As its name implies, this panel will be used to arrange the objects of the slide in time. This panel is also used to set up the stacking order of the objects.
The right-hand side of the screen shows a group of four panels. The one that is shown by default is the Properties panel (7), while the Library panel, the Quiz Properties panel, and the Project Info panel are hidden. The Properties panel is a dynamic panel. It means that its content depends on the currently selected item.
Such a set of panels is known as a workspace. Depending on the project you are working on, the size of your computer screen, your working habits, and so on, this basic workspace might not be exactly the one you need. The name of the workspace in use is displayed at the top right corner of the screen. Currently, the Classic workspace is the one in use.
- Click on the word Classic in the top right corner of the screen to reveal a list of available workspaces.
- In the workspace switcher, choose the Quizzing workspace, as shown in the following screenshot:
When done, take a close look at the screen. The set of available panels is not exactly the same as before. First of all, the Filmstrip is displayed at the bottom of the screen, where the Timeline used to be. The Timeline panel is still there, but hidden by default, while two new panels (Master Slide and Question Pool) are shown between the Filmstrip and the Timeline panels. The left-hand side of the screen has also changed. Right where the Filmstrip used to be, a big empty panel called Quiz Properties is now displayed.
This example clearly shows what a workspace is: a set of panels arranged in a specific layout. While the Classic workspace we explored earlier was perfect to perform some basic tasks, the Quizzing workspace currently in use is perfect when developing a Captivate quiz.
- At the bottom of the screen, click on the Question Pool tab to open the Question Pool panel.
- The Question Pool panel displays four question slides. Click on each question slide one by one while taking a look at the Quiz Properties panel on the left-hand side of the screen.
As you go through each of the question slides listed in the Question Pool panel, the Quiz Properties panel displays the properties relevant to the currently selected question slide. Notice at the very top of the quiz properties panel, the type of the active question slide (True/False, Sequence, hot spot, and so on), as shown in the following screenshot:
This tells us that the Quiz Properties panel of Captivate is a dynamic panel. It works like the Properties panel we discussed earlier. It means that it displays information relevant to the current selection. Consequently, as the selection changes, the content of the panel changes as well.
- Reopen to the Workspace switcher at the top right corner of the screen.
- In the list of available workspaces, choose Navigation.
The Navigation workspace is applied, and again the panels are rearranged. This time, the Branching panel pops up and covers most of the available screen area. The Branching panel is known as a floating panel because it floats freely on the screen and is not attached (docked) anywhere.
Branching is an important concept in Captivate. When we ask the student to perform an action, he/she might do either the right or the wrong action. Captivate allows the teacher to set up two different reactions when the right or wrong answers are performed so that the student experiences the Captivate application differently (in other words, takes different branches) based on his/her actions and answers. The branching view offers a visual representation of this concept.
- At the top right corner of the screen, reopen to the workspace switcher.
- Choose the Classic workspace to reapply the original default workspace.
These little experiments tell us some important things about the Captivate interface. Before moving on, let's summarize what we have learned so far:
- The Captivate interface is composed of panels laid out around the main editing area called the stage.
- A workspace shows a selection of panels in a specific arrangement. No workspace shows every available panel, so there are always tools that are not shown on the screen.
- Captivate ships with different workspaces. These workspaces are available in the workspace switcher at the top right corner of the screen.
- When we open Captivate the workspace applied is the last workspace used. When the Captivate application is executed for the first time, the Classic workspace is applied by default.
We have rapidly inspected three of the workspaces available in Captivate. Before moving on to the next topic, feel free to inspect the remaining workspaces. You will uncover some more panels along the way. Just make sure you reapply the Classic workspace when you are done.
Working with panels
Captivate has a very flexible interface. You can move the panels around, open more panels, or close the ones you don't need. You can enlarge and reduce the panels or even turn them into icons to gain some space on your screen. Perform the following steps to reduce/enlarge the panels:
- Double-click on the Filmstrip tab at the top of the Filmstrip panel. This collapses the Filmstrip panel.
- Double-click on the Filmstrip tab again to expand the panel, as shown in the following screenshot:
- Do the same experiment with the other panels of the screen including the Timeline (at the bottom) and the Properties panel (on the right-hand side).
- When you are done, reset the Classic workspace to its original state by going into the Window | Workspace | Reset 'Classic' menu.
As you can see, collapsing and expanding the panels is very simple and is the first tool at our disposal to customize the Captivate interface. The second tool we will discuss is the very small double arrow icon that is displayed on top of every panel or groups of panels. For the Properties/Library/Quiz Properties/Project Info panel group, this very small icon is located at the far right-hand side of the interface, as shown in the following screenshot:
Perform the following steps to expand/collapse the panels:
- Click on this very small double arrow to reduce the Properties/Library/Quiz Properties/Project Info panel group to a set of four icons.
- Click on the Properties icon to reveal the Properties panel. Click on the same icon again to hide the Properties panel.
- Reveal and hide the Library, Quiz Properties, and Project Info panels by clicking on their respective icons.
- Click on the double arrow to toggle the panel group back to its original state.
If you have a small screen, you probably want the stage to cover most of the available area. Reducing the panels to icons is a very simple and effective way to gain space on your computer screen, so this very little double arrow might be a great tool for you!
Notice that such double arrows are also available at the top of the Objects toolbar. Clicking on that one puts the icons of the Objects toolbar in two columns while a second click on the same icon toggles the Objects toolbar back to a single column display.
Another possible customization is to enlarge/reduce the panels present on the screen. This is particularly interesting when working with the Filmstrip. Perform the following steps to reduce/enlarge the Filmstrip panel:
- Place your mouse above the vertical line that separates the Filmstrip from the stage until the mouse pointer turns to a double arrow.
- Click-and-drag the vertical separator to the right until the Filmstrip covers more or less half of the screen.
The Filmstrip now displays (more or less) all the slides of your Captivate project in columns, as shown in the following screenshot:
This layout is very practical if you have to work with a large number of slides as it helps you see the "big picture" more efficiently. This view of the Filmstrip can be compared to the Slide sorter view of Microsoft PowerPoint.
Of course, the other areas of the screen can be resized the same way. Take the Timeline for instance. Resizing Timeline might be very interesting if you have a large number of objects on a given slide using the following steps:
- Open the Window menu and click on the Workspace | Reset 'Classic' command. This resets the current workspace to its default state.
- In Filmstrip, select slide 15. It should appear on the stage.
Slide 15 contains a large number of objects. If you take a look at Timeline, you'll notice that it is not high enough to display every object of the slide and that a vertical scrollbar appears on the right-hand side of the Timeline panel. In order to have a clearer view on the objects that compose this slide and of their timing, we will now enlarge the Timeline panel.
- Place your mouse above the horizontal separator that spans between the Timeline panel and the stage until the mouse pointer turns into a double arrow.
- Click-and-drag the horizontal separator towards the top of the screen until the Timeline is high enough to display all the objects of the slide, that is, when there is no more vertical scroll bar in the Timeline panel.
The Timeline panel now displays every object present on the slide and we have a much clearer view of the stack of objects present on slide 15.
So far, the panels that we have manipulated were already displayed in the Classic workspace. But what if we need to access tools situated in panels not present in the Classic workspace? How can we add more panels to the interface and how can those panels be arranged to fit our needs?
The Window menu holds the answer. If you open it, you'll see a list of all the panels that exist in Captivate. When a checkmark is displayed in front of a panel name, it means that the corresponding panel is currently displayed on the screen, as shown in the following screenshot:
Perform the following steps to add the Slide Notes panel:
- Open the Window menu.
- Click on the Slide Notes to add the Slide Notes panel to the workspace. It should appear at the bottom of the interface right next to Timeline.
It is the first time we see this panel. This illustrates the fact that some panels are simply hidden from the default workspace unless you explicitly ask Captivate to display them. If you are looking for a tool that you cannot find on the screen, there is a good chance that the tool you are looking for is available in a panel that is currently hidden. In such a case, simply open the Window menu and select the panel you want to see.
Of course, the same is true when you want to hide a panel.
- Open the Window menu again.
- Click on the Filmstrip menu item to hide Filmstrip from the screen.
The Filmstrip panel is now completely gone. To reopen it, the only solution is to go back to the Window menu and select the Filmstrip entry back on.
Another way to close a panel (or even an entire panel group) is to use the small menu associated with every group of panels.
- Click on the small icon associated with the Properties/Library/Quiz Properties/Project Info panel group.
- Choose Close Group from the available options.
This operation removes the whole group (four panels) from the interface. The following screenshot shows how to close a group:
- Go in the Window | Properties menu item to turn the Properties panel back on.
Notice that this operation restores the entire panel group (four panels) back on.
The last thing we will discuss about the panels is how you can move them around. The Slide Notes panel is currently displayed at the bottom of the slide. It is its default-predefined location. Perform the following steps to move the Slide Notes panels:
- Place your mouse on the Slide Notes tab at the top of the Slide Notes panel.
- Click-and-drag the Slide Notes panel away from its current location.
- Release the mouse when the panel floats in the middle of the screen.
Your screen should look like the following screenshot:
Unlike the other panels that are docked, the Slide Notes panel now floats in the middle of the screen. This is known as a floating panel. Captivate allows the panels to be either docked or floating.
- Place your mouse on the Slide Notes tab again.
- Click-and-drag the Slide Notes panel toward the left-hand side of the screen until you see a blue line spanning across the entire height of the window.
- When the blue line shows, release the mouse.
- The Slide Notes panel should now be docked to the left-hand side of the screen, where the Filmstrip used to be.
As you can see, docking a panel is very easy. Feel free to move other panels around before going forward to the next topic. For example, take the Properties panel at the right-hand side of the screen and make it float. Then, try to dock it at the bottom of the screen before moving it back to its original location. When a panel is moved above a possible docking location, a blue bar appears on the screen. Releasing the mouse at that moment docks the panel at the location highlighted by the blue bar.
- When you are done, reset the Classic workspace to its original state using the Window | Workspace | Reset 'Classic' command.
This concludes our exploration of the Captivate panels. Let's make a quick summary of what has been covered in this topic:
- Double-click on a panel tab to open, expand, or collapse it.
- Use the very small double arrow icon to turn a panel or a set of panels into icons. This saves a lot of space on the screen and is especially useful if you have a small screen.
- The Window menu shows a list of all the available panels. Use it to display a panel that is not present on the screen, or to completely remove a panel from the interface.
- The panels can be either docked or floating.
- To dock a panel, move the panel around with the mouse and release the mouse button when a blue line shows.
- If your screen becomes messy, use the Window | Workspace | Reset 'XXX' menu item to put the current workspace back to its original state.
Creating a custom workspace
By hiding and showing panels on the interface and by moving them around the screen to lay them out as you see fit, you actually create new workspaces. Captivate allows you to save these new workspaces. So when you come up with a workspace you like, save it, give it a name and you will be able to reapply it later on.
Make sure you have reset the Classic workspace to its original state before doing this exercise:
- Open the Window menu and click on Slide Notes to display the Slide Notes panel. It should appear at the bottom of the screen, right next to the Timeline.
- Click on the Timeline tab to make it the active panel of the bottom panel group.
- Double-click on the same Timeline tab to collapse the Timeline panel.
- Click on the very little double arrow associated with the Properties panel. This will turn the Properties, Library, Quiz Properties and Project Info panels to icons.
- In the Window Menu, click on Align. This will add the Align toolbar at the top of the screen.
When done, your screen should look like the following screenshot:
Let's pretend that this new panel layout is something we are very happy with. In such a case, we can save it as a new workspace. Perform the following steps to save the new panel layout:
- Click on the Window | Workspaces | New Workspace menu item.
- In the box that pops up, give the workspace your first name and click OK.
Once this is done, take a look at the workspace switcher, at the top right corner of your screen. Your name should be written there, indicating that the workspace currently in use is your very own customized workspace!
- Click on the workspace switcher to reveal the list of available workspaces.
- In the list, choose any workspace, but the one that bears your name. The chosen workspace is applied and the screen is rearranged.
- Open the workspace switcher again.
- Click on your name to reapply your custom workspace.
Awesome! We now have a way to create custom workspaces and make Captivate look exactly the way we want.
If you need to rename or delete a custom workspace, perform the following steps:
- Go to the Window | Workspace | Manage Workspace menu item.
- In the box, choose the workspace to delete/rename. In this case, only one workspace is available for renaming/deletion.
- Click on the Rename or Delete button. In this example, click on the OK button to close the box without doing any changes.
- Open the workspace switcher one last time to reapply the Classic workspace before moving on to the next topic.
Note that there is no menu item to update an existing workspace. If you want to update an existing workspace, you must use the New Workspace command and give the new workspace the name of the existing workspace you want to update.
Also notice that you cannot delete or rename the default workspaces of Captivate.
Before moving on to the next topic, these are the key points to keep in mind when creating custom workspaces:
- When you make changes to your interface, you actually create new workspaces.
- Use the Window | Workspace | New Workspace menu item to save the current panel layout as a new workspace.
- Use the Window | Workspace | Manage Workspace menu item to rename or delete your custom workspaces.
- To update an existing workspace, use the New Workspace command and give the new workspace the same name as the workspace you want to update.
- The default workspaces of Captivate cannot be deleted or renamed.