powerpoint developers guide

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The PowerPoint Developer’s Guide to AppCobra AppCobra Page 1 Contents Contents................................................................................................................................................. 1 Sample PowerPoint Presentation........................................................................................................... 1 PowerPoint Importers Guide.................................................................................................................. 1 Creating Questions and Other Interactions in PowerPoint..................................................................... 2 Creating Questions Directly in PowerPoint.......................................................................................... 2 What sort of Questions/Interactions Can I Create in PowerPoint?....................................................... 4 Multiple Choice .................................................................................................................................. 4 Fill in the Blanks ................................................................................................................................. 5 Drop Down Lists ................................................................................................................................. 6 Freeform Text Entry ........................................................................................................................... 8 Editing the Appearance of the Submit Button(s) ................................................................................. 9 Editing the Properties of the Submit Button(s) .................................................................................... 9 Hiding the Submit Button(s) ............................................................................................................... 9 Displaying a Message Box .................................................................................................................10 Visual Hotspots and Interaction ........................................................................................................11 Ensuring Objects are Scored ..............................................................................................................12 Creating Objective Names .................................................................................................................13 Using AppCobra Variables in PowerPoint..............................................................................................15 In this paper, we look at some of the ways you can set up PowerPoint presentations to take advantage of the power and feature set of AppCobra directly in PowerPoint, in preparation for import into AppCobra. Sample PowerPoint Presentation Want to try a sample PowerPoint to see some of the best ways to set them up for use in AppCobra? Download http://www.knowledgepresenter.com/appcobrahelp/pdf/sampleiapp.ppt and give it a try. PowerPoint Importers Guide We have another white paper – available at http://www.knowledgepresenter.com/appcobrahelp/pdf/PowerPoint%20Importers%20Guide.pdf , that covers the basics of importing PowerPoint presentations into AppCobra. This is recommended reading – or at least browsing – before looking through this white paper.

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Page 1: PowerPoint Developers Guide

The PowerPoint Developer’s Guide to AppCobra

AppCobra Page 1

ContentsContents................................................................................................................................................. 1Sample PowerPoint Presentation........................................................................................................... 1PowerPoint Importers Guide.................................................................................................................. 1Creating Questions and Other Interactions in PowerPoint..................................................................... 2

Creating Questions Directly in PowerPoint.......................................................................................... 2What sort of Questions/Interactions Can I Create in PowerPoint?....................................................... 4Multiple Choice .................................................................................................................................. 4Fill in the Blanks ................................................................................................................................. 5Drop Down Lists ................................................................................................................................. 6Freeform Text Entry ........................................................................................................................... 8Editing the Appearance of the Submit Button(s) ................................................................................. 9Editing the Properties of the Submit Button(s).................................................................................... 9Hiding the Submit Button(s) ............................................................................................................... 9Displaying a Message Box.................................................................................................................10Visual Hotspots and Interaction ........................................................................................................11Ensuring Objects are Scored ..............................................................................................................12Creating Objective Names.................................................................................................................13

Using AppCobra Variables in PowerPoint..............................................................................................15

In this paper, we look at some of the ways you can set up PowerPoint presentations to take advantage of the power and feature set of AppCobra directly in PowerPoint, in preparation for import into AppCobra.

Sample PowerPoint PresentationWant to try a sample PowerPoint to see some of the best ways to set them up for use in AppCobra? Download http://www.knowledgepresenter.com/appcobrahelp/pdf/sampleiapp.ppt and give it a try.

PowerPoint Importers GuideWe have another white paper – available at http://www.knowledgepresenter.com/appcobrahelp/pdf/PowerPoint%20Importers%20Guide.pdf, that covers the basics of importing PowerPoint presentations into AppCobra. This is recommended reading –or at least browsing – before looking through this white paper.

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The PowerPoint Developer’s Guide to AppCobra

AppCobra Page 2

Creating Questions and Other Interactions in PowerPointGenerally speaking, PowerPoint is not designed to create interactive questions that can be scored –apart from simply hotspot interactions.

Of course, you can import content in AppCobra, and then apply all sorts of interactive events in AppCobra once imported, to make the app into a quiz or assessment.

But we’ve made it even easier for you. Have a look at this slide in PowerPoint.

We’ve created what we want to be a multiple choice question, once imported into AppCobra. Previously the process would have been:

Import the presentation into AppCobra;

Locate and select the text object that you want to convert to a multiple choice quiz option;

Use the Objects/Event command to apply and edit the multiple choice quiz options.

But, as mentioned – we’ve made this even easier.

Creating Questions Directly in PowerPoint

All you have to do is this (the process may be different in different versions of PowerPoint – below, we illustrate the process in PowerPoint 2007).

Right-click on the border of the object in question – in this case, the single text object that contains the multiple choice quiz options. Select the Size and Position command from the menu that appears.

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The following dialog box appears. We’ve select the Alt Text tab, as you should. We enter the text MultipleChoice (one word), and click on Close.

That’s all you need to do. When this slide is imported into AppCobra, it looks like this:

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The multiple choice question is already set up for you – automatically. Note that a Submit Answerbutton has also been added, and this automatically uses the Check Answer event to allow a user to submit their selected answer (in a moment, you’ll see how you can edit or remove this Submit Answerbutton).

All multiple choice options can of course be edited in AppCobra by selecting the text object with the options, and selecting the Objects/Event command. You can edit the actual options by simply double-clicking on the text object.

What sort of Questions/Interactions Can I Create in PowerPoint?

You can create the following sort of questions in PowerPoint before import into AppCobra.

Multiple Choice

Fill in the Blanks

Drop Down List

Sequencing

Freeform Text Entry

Display Messages

Hyperlinks and Navigation

Additionally, you can also set which elements are scored when using hotspots and PowerPoint hyperlinks, and also denote an objective name for each question.

Following are the guidelines for creating each question type.

Multiple Choice

Create a text object in PowerPoint, and populate it with possible answers. Separate each possible answer by a carriage return or two uniformly.

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Ensure the correct answer is the first one in the list (you can change this in AppCobra later if need be). Options will be by default randomised when played back to the user.

Right-click on the border of the object in question. Select the Size and Position command from the menu that appears. Use the Size and Position command, as outlined above, to give the text object the Alternative Text MultipleChoice (no spaces).

All event options can of course be edited in AppCobra by selecting the text object with the options, and selecting the Objects/Event command. You can edit the actual options by simply double-clicking on the text object.

Fill in the Blanks

Create a text object in PowerPoint, and populate it with a complete paragraph of text. It will look something like this:

Now underline the word(s) you want the user to fill in.

Right-click on the border of the object in question. Use the Size and Position command, as outlined above, to give the text object the Alternative Text FillintheBlanks (no spaces).

When this is imported into AppCobra, it will be transformed into a Fill In the Blanks question.

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All event options can of course be edited in AppCobra by selecting the text object with the options, and selecting the Objects/Event command. You can edit the actual options by simply double-clicking on the text object.

Additionally, you can use all the AppCobra features to extend this command – for example, to include multiple correct answers (all details for this are found in our Fill in the Blanks white paper). The text below, for example, allows the user to answer either Crocodiles, or Crocs, and get the first part of this question correct.

Drop Down Lists

Create a text object in PowerPoint, and populate it with a complete paragraph of text. Create the dropdown options as you would directly in AppCobra – underline the options that will be in a drop down list, and separate the possible options with the pipe symbol (|) – this is the character you normally get by pressing Shift-Backslash (\). It may look something like this:

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Ensure the correct answer is the first one in the list of options (you can change this in AppCobra later if need be). Options will be by default randomised when played back to the user.

Right-click on the border of the object in question. Use the Size and Position command, as outlined above, to give the text object the Alternative Text Dropdown (no spaces).

Once imported into AppCobra, it is turned in a dropdown list. Here is how it may appear to the user.

Once the app is exported and run by the user, it looks more like this.

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All event options can of course be edited in AppCobra by selecting the text object with the options, and selecting the Objects/Event command. You can edit the actual options by simply double-clicking on the text object.

Additionally, you can use all the AppCobra features to extend this command – for example, to include multiple correct answers (all details for this are found in our Drop Down Lists white paper). The text below, for example, allows the user to answer either Crocodiles, or Crocs, and get the first part of this question correct.

Freeform Text Entry

With freeform text entry, this is like a fill in the blanks question, but in the text object you create, the whole thing has to be completed by the user. So, you enter the text, or possible text, the user has to enter to get the question correct.

So, a possible text object could purely say Crocodiles. The user has to enter this to pass. As you can use all the features of AppCobra, you can also enter a range of possible answers, separated by a pipe symbol(|) – this is the character you normally get by pressing Shift-Backslash (\). So if you entered Crocodiles|Crocs, then user could enter Crocodiles, or Crocs to get the question correct.

Right-click on the border of the object in question. Use the Size and Position command, as outlined above, to give the text object the Alternative Text Sequence (no spaces).

When imported into AppCobra, it becomes a freeform text entry object in AppCobra – and the user has to enter the correct text to answer the question.

All event options can of course be edited in AppCobra by selecting the text object with the options, and selecting the Objects/Event command. You can edit the actual options by simply double-clicking on the text object.

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Additionally, you can use all the AppCobra features to extend this command – for example, to include multiple correct answers (all details for this are found in our Freeform Text Entry white paper). The text below, for example, allows the user to answer either Crocodiles, or Crocs, and get this question correct.

Editing the Appearance of the Submit Button(s)

To edit the appearance of the Submit Button once in AppCobra – double-click on it. You’ll be taken to the Button Editor screen, where you change colors, text, everything about this button.

All Submit Answer buttons added in this form share a style – called SubmitButtons. So editing the appearance of one (not the text) will change all buttons to match this style.

Editing the Properties of the Submit Button(s)

To edit the properties of the event associated with the Submit Answer button, select this button, and then select the Objects / Event command.

Hiding the Submit Button(s)

If you do not want to use these automatic Submit Answer buttons at all (you will need some sort of Submit Answer button to allow users to submit their answers), follow these steps.

Select the View / Toolbars / Groups Toolbar command to show the Groups toolbar.

Right-click on the icon next to the SubmitButtons group, and select Hide Group from the menu that appears.

When this is selected, all Submit Answer button will disappear from the canvas. They can be made to reappear by select the Show Group option from the menu above.

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Displaying a Message Box

You can also get any object to display a message box. This can be done to any object.

Right-click on the border of the object in question. Use the Size and Position command, as outlined above, to give an object in PowerPoint the Alternative Text message: xxxxxx (where xxxxx is the message you want to display).

When the presentation is imported into AppCobra, it will display a message when the user clicks on the object.

So if we used the alternative text message: Hello There, here is what the user would see should they click on this object once you’ve exported from AppCobra.

You can also add a few features to a Message Box alternative text for a few more possibilities.

Here are some examples:

Message: Hello There|0 - This displays the message Hello There, and returns to the same step when the user clicks on OK.

Message: Hello There|1 - This displays the message Hello There, and moves to the next step when the user clicks on OK.

Message: Hello There|2 - This displays the message Hello There, and moves two steps ahead when the user clicks on OK.

Message: Hello There|3 - This displays the message Hello There, and moves ahead three steps when the user clicks on OK.

Message: Hello There|4 - This displays the message Hello There, and moves to the previous step when the user clicks on OK.

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Message: Hello There|5 - This displays the message Hello There, and moves back two steps when the user clicks on OK.

Message: Hello There|6 - This displays the message Hello There, and moves back two steps when the user clicks on OK.

Message: Hello There|7 - This displays the message Hello There, and moves to the next question when the user clicks on OK.

Note that in the above examples, we have used the pipe symbol (|) – this is the character you normally get by pressing Shift-Backslash (\), and then a number appended to the message.

Finally, you can also ensure this event is scored, by adding |1 to the very end of the message. See these examples:

Message: Hello There|1 - This displays the message Hello There, and moves to the next step when the user clicks on OK. Event is not scored.

Message: Hello There|1|0 - This displays the message Hello There, and moves to the next step when the user clicks on OK. Event is not scored.

Message: Hello There|1|1 - This displays the message Hello There, and moves to the next step when the user clicks on OK. Event is scored.

Visual Hotspots and Interaction

PowerPoint allows you to add interaction to any object, by adding a PowerPoint action. These actions allow you to launch external URLS, and also allow you to move to other slides in the app and back.

AppCobra will take all these interactions automatically. So you can just apply them as normal. See the Links section earlier in this document for more information.

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In the following example, we have four images imported into a PowerPoint presentation. In PowerPoint, we use the Action command to link each of these objects to different slides in the presentation.

When these are imported into AppCobra, all the links are maintained, and the links will work as per PowerPoint.

Ensuring Objects are Scored

If we look at the example below, we have created an example like the one above – we’ve imported four images, and each of these are linked, via the PowerPoint Action command, to a different slide in the PowerPoint presentation.

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So, as mentioned, when this is imported into AppCobra, the events are all worked out and applied. But the question remains – how do we tell PowerPoint which one of these is the correct option? So that when it is imported into AppCobra, AppCobra can assign events correctly to denote which answer is correct.

The answer is again to use the PowerPoint alternative text option. Right-click on the border of the object in question. Use the Size and Position command, as outlined above, to give the text object the Alternative Text scored. AppCobra then knows to assign this object as a scored object.

Note that better way to create a question like this – and not only include the correct events, but feedback as well – is to use the Displaying a Message Box options described above.

Creating Objective Names

AppCobra has a feature called Objectives. This is how you can apply a ‘name’ to an objective, or question, and this is the name of the objective, interaction, or question as it is displayed in on screen results, and also as reported to Learning Management Systems.

Strictly speaking, this is optional. You don’t have to set objectives at all. But you can do so if you wish, directly in PowerPoint before import into AppCobra.

To do this, select the object in PowerPoint that represents the actual question.

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In the example above, the question here is Which one is the Hump-backed Whale?. So we would select this object.

Then, right-click on the border of the object in question, and use the Size and Position command, as outlined above, to give an object in PowerPoint the Alternative Text objective.

When this presentation is imported into AppCobra, this text object is then used to determine the Objective name in AppCobra.

Once the app is imported, we can then use the Assessments / Create/Edit Objectives command to view this dialog box.

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When the app is run by the user, if you display the results to them after the test, it may look something like this:

The results would be sent back to the LMS in the same format.

Using AppCobra Variables in PowerPointYou can use any AppCobra variables in PowerPoint exactly the same way as they are used in AppCobra. For more details on the sorts of variables you can add, see http://www.knowledgepresenter.com/appcobrahelp/Creating%20Objects/textboxvariables.html.

You’ll find variables that allow you to reference the user name, app name, current date, current score –and one of dozens of others.

Here are some examples of how you can create text in PowerPoint, and how it will display in your appafter the presentation is imported into AppCobra, and then exported as HTML.

In PowerPoint: Hello %%username%%, welcome to this app.After Export From AppCobra: Hello Actual User Name, welcome to this app.

In PowerPoint: Your current score is %%scoreaspercent%%%.After Export From AppCobra: Your current score is 25%.

In PowerPoint: The current date is %%date%%.After Export From AppCobra: The current date is Sunday, 06 July 2008.