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How to create user-defined variables in Adobe Captivate Classic

  1. Captivate Classic User Guide
  2. Introduction to Captivate
    1. What's New in Adobe Captivate
    2. Adobe Captivate System Requirements
    3. Responsive Project Design with Adobe Captivate
  3. Captivate Classic Release Notes
    1.  Adobe Captivate Classic 11.8.3 Release Notes
    2. Adobe Captivate Classic 11.8.2 Release Notes
    3. Adobe Captivate 11.8.1 Release Notes
    4. Adobe Captivate 11.8 Release Notes
    5. What's New in Adobe Captivate (2019 release) Update 5
    6. What's New in Adobe Captivate (2019 release) Update 2
    7. Adobe Captivate Release Notes
  4. Create Projects
    1. Create different types of projects in Adobe Captivate
    2. Customize the size of an Adobe Captivate project
    3. Responsive Project Design with Adobe Captivate
    4. Create Virtual Reality (VR) projects
    5. Work with responsive text in Adobe Captivate
    6. Work with themes in Adobe Captivate
    7. How to apply view specific properties in responsive projects
    8. How to create backup files for Adobe Captivate projects
    9. Asset panel
    10. Create branching and forced navigation in Captivate
    11. Replace image on the stage
  5. Add and Manage Objects
    1. Work with multi-state objects in Adobe Captivate
    2. Object effects
    3. Insert web objects in Adobe Captivate projects
    4. Work with object styles in Adobe Captivate
    5. How to rotate objects in Adobe Captivate
    6. How to manage objects with the Main Options toolbar
    7. How to merge objects in a slide
    8. How to manage objects in the library
    9. How to group objects in Adobe Captivate
    10. Edit object information using the Advanced Interaction panel
    11. How to copy, paste, and duplicate objects in Adobe Captivate
    12. Control the visibility of objects
    13. How to change the display order of objects in Adobe Captivate
    14. Apply shadows to objects
    15. How to align objects in Adobe Captivate
    16. How to add reflection to objects in Adobe Captivate
    17. Import assets into a Captivate project
  6. Slides
    1. Add slides to an Adobe Captivate project
    2. Editing slides in an Adobe Captivate project
    3. Delete Adobe Captivate project slides
    4. Change slide order in Adobe Captivate
    5. Set slide properties in Adobe Captivate
    6. Add and convert slide notes to audio files with Adobe Captivate
    7. Set up knowledge check slides in Adobe Captivate
    8. How to add slide transitions in Adobe Captivate
    9. How to work with master slides in Adobe Captivate
    10. How to lock Adobe Captivate slides
    11. How to hide or exclude slides in an Adobe Captivate project
    12. How to group and ungroup slides in Adobe Captivate
  7. Timeline and grids
    1. Use rulers and guides
    2. Work with grids in Adobe Captivate
    3. Work with the timeline
    4. Shortcut keys in Adobe Captivate
    5. Working with the filmstrip
    6. How to customize the Adobe Captivate workspace
    7. How to use the Adobe Captivate Library
    8. How to use the Branching panel in Adobe Captivate
  8. Create Quizzes
    1. Insert question slides in Adobe Captivate projects
    2. Set quiz preferences for Adobe Captivate
    3. How to enable learners to submit all quiz responses simultaneously
    4. How to set up question slides with Adobe Captivate
    5. Using random question slides in Adobe Captivate
    6. How to allow users to return to quiz
    7. Import questions from CSV format files
    8. Import questions from GIFT format files
    9. How to insert pretests in Adobe Captivate
  9. Audio
    1. How to insert audio into an Adobe Captivate project
    2. How to preview audio in Adobe Captivate
    3. How to edit audio files with Adobe Captivate
    4. View audio details in Adobe Captivate
    5. Set audio recording preferences and recording audio
    6. How to export audio from Adobe Captivate
  10. Video
    1. Slide videos
    2. Work with event videos in Adobe Captivate
    3. Differences between events and synchronized videos in Adobe Captivate
  11. Interactive Objects
    1. Add interactive buttons to your Captivate projects
    2. Create click boxes in Adobe Captivate
    3. Add text entry boxes with Adobe Captivate
    4. How to add audio to boxes and buttons
    5. How to add JavaScript to boxes and buttons in Adobe Captivate
  12. Interactions
    1. Create drag-and-drop interactions in Adobe Captivate
    2. Use Adobe Captivate variables in widgets
    3. Set the properties of widgets with Adobe Captivate
    4. How to create static, interactive, and question widgets in Adobe Captivate
    5. How to add widgets to your Adobe Captivate project
  13. Non-interactive objects
    1. Create and edit smart shapes
    2. Edit and create text captions with Captivate
    3. How to use images and rollover images with Captivate
    4. How to customize smart shapes in Adobe Captivate
    5. How to create zoom areas in Adobe Captivate
    6. How to set audio for noninteractive objects
    7. How to create rollover slidelets in Adobe Captivate
    8. How to create rollover captions in Adobe Captivate
    9. Change mouse properties in Adobe Captivate
    10. Use highlight boxes in Captivate
    11. Work with swatches in Adobe Captivate
    12. Fix size and position of non-interactive objects
    13. Add animations to a Adobe Captivate project
  14. Advanced Editing and Project Reviews
    1. How to link Adobe Captivate projects
    2. Import, export, and delete content
    3. Skins
    4. Create accessible projects in Adobe Captivate
    5. Create a table of contents (TOC) with Adobe Captivate
    6. Resize Adobe Captivate projects
    7. Projects and project preferences
    8. How to preview projects in Adobe Captivate
  15. Variables and Advanced Actions
    1. Adobe Captivate variables
    2. How to create user-defined variables in Adobe Captivate
    3. Advanced actions in Adobe Captivate
    4. Shared actions in Adobe Captivate projects
    5. Edit or delete user-defined variables in Adobe Captivate
    6. How to assign advanced actions to an event
  16. Record Projects
    1. Create interactive videos
    2. Automatic and manual recording with Captivate
    3. Set recording preferences in Adobe Captivate
    4. Record video demonstrations with Adobe Captivate
    5. How to record software simulations in Adobe Captivate
    6. How to pause recording
  17. Publish Projects
    1. Preview and publish responsive projects
    2. Publish project to Adobe Captivate Prime
    3. Publish projects as HTML5 files with Adobe Captivate
    4. Publish projects as executable files
    5. Publish projects as MP4 files with Adobe Captivate
    6. Set publishing preferences in Adobe Captivate
    7. Using web fonts from Adobe Fonts in Adobe Captivate
    8. Report quiz results to an internal server
  18. Use Adobe Captivate with Other Applications
    1. Import and edit PowerPoint presentations in Captivate
    2. Upload an Adobe Captivate project to a Learning Management System
    3. Learn about the Common JavaScript interface for Adobe Captivate
    4. How to publish Captivate projects to Microsoft Word
    5. Using Adobe Connect with Captivate
    6. How to add Captivate projects to a RoboHelp online help system
    7. How to package multiple SCOs using the Adobe Multi-SCORM Packager
  19. Troubleshoot Adobe Captivate
    1. Resolve known issues and limitations in the latest versions of Adobe Captivate, Adobe FrameMaker, and Adobe RoboHelp.
    2. Early build for Captivate (2019 release) on macOS Big Sur (macOS 11)
    3. Hotfix for VR content not playing on devices
    4. Configure SSL for Live Preview on Devices
    5. Captivate (2019 release) activation issues on macOS Catalina
    6. Captivate responsive courses will not auto-play on browsers
    7. Issues with Asset panel in Adobe Captivate (2019 release)
    8. Error 103 while installing Adobe Captivate
    9. Issues when previewing a Captivate project

How to create user-defined variables in Adobe Captivate Classic

Like all programming languages, Captivate Classic uses variables to temporarily store values, which can be used by other components of Captivate Classic. In Captivate Classic, there are two types of variables, system and user-defined.

System variable: System variables come pre-defined with your copy of Captivate Classic. For example,  cpCmndMute , which mutes the audio in a slide. For a list of all system variables, see Captivate Classic variables list.

User-defined variable: These are variables that you can create and assign them to customized actions. The name you assign to a user variable must not conflict with Captivate Classic’s internal functions, reserved keywords, exposed system variables, or other hidden variables.

There are some conventions while naming a variable. They are:

  • Do not begin the name with a blank or a numeric character.
  • Do not use any reserved keywords. The table below displays variable names that are reserved by ActionScript.
  • Use unique variable names.
  • Use intuitive names for a variable.
  • Always add descriptions to a variable.

Creating a user-defined variable

In this example, we will create a user-defined variable and associate the variable with a button. When you click the button, a name displays.

To create the variable:

  1. Click Project > Variables. The Variables dialog-box displays.

  2. To add a variable, click Add New, and enter the variable information in the Name, Value, and Description fields.

    • Name: Specify a unique name for the variable. Ensure that the name is intuitive enough to help users guess its content. For example, a variable storing the version number of a product would have the name ProductVersion or VersionNumber .
    • Value: Specify a value for the variable. The value that you specify occurs at all instances of occurrence of the variable in the document. You can also choose to set the value later by leaving this field blank. Variables with undefined values appear as blank spaces in the project.
    • Description: Optionally, add a description for the variable. For example, you could add a note for the authors instructing them about when to use the variable.

  3. To save the changes, click Save.

  4. In the Captivate Classic project, insert a button, a text entry box and a text caption, as shown below:

  5. In the text entry box, you insert the variable you had created, as shown below:

  6. With the cursor after the “:”, click [X] in the Property Inspector, as shown below:

    Also, make the text caption hidden.

  7. After you click Insert Variable or [X], in the Insert Variable dialog, click the Variables drop-down list, and choose the variable you created.

  8. After you insert the variable, the variable name gets enclosed within $$...$$, as shown below:

    Download

    Some of the variable names are reserved by ActionScript. Do not use the following variable names when creating your variable:

    alpha

    currentframe

    droptarget

    focusrect

    ramesloaded

    height

    buttonMode

    byte

    cacheAsBitmap

    case

    cast

    catch

    filters

    final

    finally

    float

    focusEnabled

    focusRect

    mouseX

    mouseY

    name

    namespace

    native

    new

    switch

    synchronized

    tabChildren

    tabEnabled

    tabIndex

    textSnapshot

    highquality

    lockroot

    name

    parent

    quality

    rotation

    char

    class

    const

    constructor

    contextMenu

    continue

    for

    forceSmoothing

    framesLoaded

    function

    get

    goto

    null

    numChildren

    opaqueBackground

    override

    package

    parent

    this

    throw

    throws

    to

    totalFrames

    trackAsMenu

    soundbuftime

    target

    totalframes

    url

    visible

    width

    currentFrame

    currentLabel

    currentLabels

    currentScene

    debugger

    default

    graphics

    height

    hitArea

    if

    implements

    import

    private

    protected

    prototype

    public

    return

    root

    transform

    transient

    true

    try

    type

    typeof

    x

    xmouse

    xscale

    y

    ymouse

    yscale

    delete

    do

    double

    doubleClickEnabled

    dropTarget

    dynamic

    in

    include

    instanceof

    interface

    internal

    intrinsic

    rotation

    scale9Grid

    scaleX

    scaleY

    scenes

    scrollRect

    use

    useHandCursor

    var

    virtual

    visible

    void

    abstract

    accessibilityProperties

    as

    blendMode

    boolean

    break

    each

    else

    enabled

    enum

    export

    extends

    false

    is

    loaderInfo

    long

    mask

    menu

    mouseChildren

    mouseEnabled

    set

    short

    soundTransform

    stage

    static

    stop

    super

    volatile

    while

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