How to Work with Mouse Clicks in ActivePresenter 8
A mouse click object is one of interaction objects in ActivePresenter. It is often used in software simulations to teach how to use an application. Place a mouse click object in an area where users must click to trigger the next action. For example, place a mouse click object on a button or a menu where users must click to perform a certain task in an application.
When you record software simulations, ActivePresenter automatically inserts mouse clicks wherever and whenever you make a click.
Let’s explore how to work with a mouse click object in ActivePresenter 8.
Insert Mouse Clicks
Do either of the following ways:
- Open the Insert tab > Mouse Click.
- Open the Home tab > Interactions > Mouse Click.
By default, a mouse click object includes three components, including:
- (1) the target area
- (2) a Correct Message
- (3) an Incorrect Message
When the interactive presentation is played, it will display only the target area (1) and wait for users to click anywhere on the slide. If users click on the target area, the Correct Message (2) will be shown. Otherwise, if users click outside the target area, the Incorrect Message (3) will appear.
Note that, by default, the target area (1) is set to be shown in Demonstration and Tutorial modes only. You can see this default settings in the Properties pane > Size & Properties > Show In Mode:
Customize Mouse Clicks
After inserting a mouse click object into a slide, you can customize it in the way you want. Use properties in the Format tab or the Style & Effect tab of the Properties pane to change its Fill, Line, and Shadow.
It’s possible to make the target area (1) invisible so that users cannot see the correct click area. To do that, select the target area, then, in the Properties pane > Style & Effects tab > Line > No Line.
Alternatively, in the Properties pane > Size & Properties > Show In Mode > deselect the mode that you want the target area to be invisible.
Set Correct Values for Mouse Clicks
As mentioned before, a mouse click object has two default feedback messages: Correct (2) and Incorrect (3). You need to help the system understand which are correct actions and which are not by setting the correct values.
There are three types of correct values for a mouse click object, including left-click, right-click, and left double-click (with or without modifier keys like SHIFT, CTRL, or ALT).
To set correct values, do as follows:
Step 1: Select the target area. In the Properties pane > Interactivity tab > General > List of Correct Values > Add Value.
Step 2: Place the cursor over the blank box and click the mouse button (left, right) with or without modifier keys to set a correct value.
For example, press CTRL on the keyboard and click the left mouse button simultaneously, the system will display the correct value CTRL + Left click in the blank box as in the above image.
Note that you can set more than one correct value by clicking on the Add Value button as many times as you want.
If you want to delete a correct value, click on the (5) button to remove it.
Besides, to help users identify a clickable area on the screen, change the image of the cursor when users hover the mouse over the target area. To do that, click on the (4) button and select a hand cursor image from the list:
Set Score and Reporting
Mouse click objects can not only validate user’s actions but also give users points for correct actions. To set points for correct actions, see Set Score and Reporting for Interaction Objects in this tutorial.
Insert and Customize Feedback Messages
Apart from the default feedback messages, you can add two additional ones, including Timeout Message and Hint Message:
Timeout Message will be shown when users don’t complete an action in the predefined time. Meanwhile, Hint Message will appear when users hover the mouse over the target area.
To add those messages, open the Questions tab > Message. Or, right-click on the target area > Insert. Then, select a message from the list:
Then, you can customize feedback messages as you wish.
For more information, please refer to How to work with Feedback Messages.
Add Events – Actions
When you add a mouse click object to a slide, it has default events – actions as in the below image:
Except for those default events, you can add two additional ones, including: On Rollover and On Rollout:
Below is the explanation for the meaning of each event:
- On Click: Occur when users click on the target area.
- On Correct: Occur when users click on the target area.
- On Incorrect: Occur when users click outside of the target area.
- On Timeout: Occur when users don’t respond within the specified time.
- On Rollover: Occur when the mouse rolls over the target area.
- On Rollout: Occur when the mouse rolls out of the target area.
After adding events, continue adding actions to events, and conditions to actions if necessary.
For more details, see Work with Events – Actions.
That’s how to work with a mouse click object in ActivePresenter 8. Download ActivePresenter and make your course more interactive.
Visit the following links if you want to know how to work with other interaction objects: