The first Authorware Secrets article was published on July 12, 2004 and discussed three tips that are so little known by so many Authorware developers that we can, with our tongues firmly planted in our cheeks, call them secrets. Here I present even more sly tricks that can give you time for a round of golf at the end of the day ... or more than likely, you can work on that lower-priority project that’s been on your plate for the last three months waiting to be started.
Keyboard shortcuts
Figure 1 The TABLE 1 Keyboard
shortcuts main icon palette
Several years ago, when I was working as a developer at a large e-Learning firm, a project manager sat in my office and asked me to make some changes to an Authorware file while she dictated the changes to me. As we worked, she watched me closely and then commented that she had never seen anyone work so fast. I wasn’t trying to impress her, so I wondered why she might think I was working so quickly when I hit upon the fact that I wasn’t using the mouse much. Rather, I had, over time, memorized the keyboard shortcuts. Once you do that, you can really fly.
There are plenty of keyboard shortcuts in Authorware 7 and you can see most of them by pulling down menus to reveal which shortcut is assigned to each menu item. Note that not all menu options have shortcuts, but the most commonly used ones do. Table 1 shows you some of the shortcuts unique to the Authorware development process that I find most useful. I don’t include those that are rather common to Windows applications.
Set up your own icon palette
One very cool timesaver that was introduced in Authorware version 6, is the ability to change the settings for any icon on the main icon palette (see Figure 1). For example, if you never use the default entry pane icons in the Framework icon and would rather it be empty or have your own icons in there, you can change the settings of the Framework icon. Just follow these steps:
- Drag a Framework icon to the flow line.
- Open it and make any changes you wish to the entry pane or the exit pane.
- If you wish to add a Calculation ornament or make any other changes to the Framework icon, go ahead.
- Now drag the changed Framework icon back to the icon palette and drop it on the Framework icon already there.
- You’re done! Drag as many Framework icons from the icon palette as you wish to the flow line and you’ll see the changes you made are now resident in every copy.
You can do the same thing with the other icons as well. If you wish to reset the icons to their original values, you can do so by choosing File → Preferences → Reset Icon Palette.
| Navigating | |||
| 1. Jump between the flowline and the presentation window | Ctrl-J | 7. Restart the file | Ctrl-R |
| 2. Jump to the Currently Executing Icon | Ctrl-B | 8. Play or pause the file | Ctrl-P |
| 3. Move Paste Hand up | Ctrl-Alt-Shift-Up | 9. Restart from Flag | Ctrl-Alt-R |
| 4. Move Paste Hand down | Ctrl-Alt-Shift-Down | 10. Select Icon | Ctrl-Alt-A |
| 5. Move Paste Hand right | Ctrl-Alt-Shift-Right | 11. Open Icon | Ctrl-Alt-O |
| 6. Move Paste Hand left | Ctrl-Alt-Shift-Left | ||
| Publishing short cuts | |||
| 1. Publish the file | F12 | 3. Publish Batch | Shift-F12 |
| 2. Publish settings | Ctrl-F12 | 4. Import Media | Ctrl-Shift-R |
| Mouse-free Icon and Menu access | |||
| (faster than using the mouse or for those for whom the mouse use is difficult) | |||
| 1. View Menu Bar | Ctrl-Shift-M | 13. Insert Display | Ctrl-Shift-F1 |
| 2. View Tool Bar | Ctrl-Shift-T | 14. Insert Motion | Ctrl-Shift-F2 |
| 3. View Panels | Ctrl-Shift-P | 15. Insert Erase | Ctrl-Shift-F3 |
| 4. View Properties | Ctrl-Shift-D | 16. Insert Wait | Ctrl-Shift-F4 |
| 5. Group | Ctrl-G | 17. Insert Navigate | Ctrl-Shift-F5 |
| 6. Ungroup | Ctrl-Shift-G | 18. Insert Framework | Ctrl-Shift-F6 |
| 7. Align | Ctrl-Alt-K | 19. Insert Decision | Ctrl-Shift-F7 |
| 8. Bring to Front | Ctrl-Shift-UpArrow | 20. Insert Interaction | Ctrl-Shift-F8 |
| 9. Send to Back | Ctrl-Shift-DnArrow | 21. Insert Calculation | Ctrl-Shift-F9 |
| 10. Transition | Ctrl-T | 22. Insert Map | Ctrl-Shift-F10 |
| 11. Calculation | Ctrl-= (equal sign) | 23. Insert Digital Movie | Ctrl-Shift-F11 |
| 12. Library Links | Ctrl-Alt-L | 24. Insert Sound | Ctrl-Shift-F12 |
More coming
I’ll present other “secret” features in future columns both for Authorware and for other e-Learning applications. I hope this will help you become ever more proficient as an e-Learning developer!
If you have a favorite feature and would like to see it included in a future column, send it to me at jganci@dazzletech.com along with your contact information. I’ll be sure to credit the first person submitting any feature that gets published.
