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USING ADOBE CAPTIVATE 5
Variables and Advanced Actions
Last updated 4/22/2010
of a variable, the changes to the corresponding text are reflected throughout the project. Apart from saving time,
variables help achieve consistency and minimize errors in a project.
For example, you can use user-defined variables to specify version numbers of products. At all places where you want
to add the version number in a project, add the variable instead. When you set the value for the version number in the
corresponding variable, the value is displayed at all places where you inserted the variable. Similarly, when you want
to modify the version number, you just have to change the value of the variable.
When you use system variables for this purpose, you do not have to manually correct the slide number when the slides
are reordered.
Variables extend the reach of Adobe Captivate by allowing you to do the following:
• Customize Adobe Captivate to your requirements: You can use variables in advanced actions to provide
advanced interactivity in your Adobe Captivate projects.
• Integrate Adobe Captivate with other applications: You can use get/set variables in Adobe Captivate from other
applications.
Create a user-defined variable
1 Select Project > Variables.
2 In the Type menu, select User.
3 Click Add New, and enter the following information:
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.
4 Click Save.
Some of the variable names are reserved by ActionScript. Do not use the following variable names when creating your
variable:
_alpha
_currentframe
_droptarget
_focusrect
_framesloaded
_height
continue
currentFrame
currentLabel
currentLabels
currentScene
debugger
internal
intrinsic
is
loaderInfo
long
mask
stage
static
stop
super
switch
synchronized