Create a Keypad-Simulation using Advanced Actions

Intro

It has been a while since I last posted an example created with advanced actions. This posting treats the answer I tried to give to someone on the user forum who asked if it is possible to simulate the entry of a 4-digit code on a keypad and show the appropriate screens when the code is entered correctly or incorrectly. This sounded like a fine example for advanced actions, so I tried to work it out. This could certainly be done in a cooler way by creating/using widgets scripted with ActionScript, but am not sure it would have taken less time. For your information: I timed working and it took me exactly 45 minutes. But I did not create the graphics :-)

 
Example

Play with the result, please. I explained the workflow in an article: 

Work flow

The file has 7 slides between the introduction and end slides: 
  • 4 slides to enter the 4 digits, they are labeled Digit1, Digit2, Digit3, Digit4
  • 1 slide for confirmation where the user presses the IN button, labeled IN-slide
  • 1 slide that shows the image for a correct PINcode, labeled OK
  • 1 slide that shows the image for an incorrect code, labeled NotOK

 The tedious part of this SWF was 

  1. the creation/labeling of all the click boxes. Slides Digit1 - 4 have each 10 click boxes over the 10 possible digits.
  2. the creation of the simple advanced actions for each click box (40 actions)

Some timesaver tips for this monotonous work: 

  • choose a short but meaningful label for click boxes & advanced actions:
    • examples click boxes: label CB_0_1 for the click box over the number "0" on the first slide, CB_1_4 is the CB over the number "1" on the fourth slide...
    • examples advanced actions: CB1_0 is to be attached to CB_0_1, CB4_1 is to be attached to CB_1_4

  • create first slide with its click boxes and attached advanced actions, duplicate then to create the three other slides:
    • you will have to label all new click boxes on the duplicate slides (too bad, but they get their individual default ID)
    • to change the attached advanced action is easier with the chosen labels, on second slide CB1_0 has to be replaced by CB2_0, CB1_2 by CB2_2 etc
The advanced actions to be constructed for this project are pretty simple, you can find more explanations in the article mentioned before.
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4 responses
Once again a very nice article Lieve. However, I will stick with my widgets ... you should try it too. You would love it!
— whyves_
A #Captivate client asked if a widget coould replicate the functionality of a full alphanumeric keypad on a PDA. They wanted to create training courses that very closely approximated the user experience of the actual PDA.

Our answer was that we could such a widget but it would cost at least several hundred dollars to build, possibly more. That was the last we heard from them.

It's true that widgets can do almost anything in Captivate, but not everyone is willing to pay what they're worth.

Your example here could be improved slighty by modifying the graphic on each login slide so that some password characters appeared in the screen area.

— Infosemantics
@Whyves thanks for your advice, but there are so many things I already love to do and time is lacking.
— Lieve Weymeis
@Rod More enhancements are possible, like you pointed out.I just tried to work out exactly the situation asked by this user who provided me with the graphics. Could have added some audio too. My example is worked out with showing/hiding graphics, not as described in the article with duplicate slides. I wanted it to be as simple as possible and both the standard and conditional actions are pretty simple to understand for starters with advanced actions. But to realize a simulation of an alphanumeric keypad this way: not with advanced actions for the moment.
— Lieve Weymeis