Move New Windows Inside Recording Area & More

Question

Hi All
I have a few questions for all those kind people who
contribute their time and experience here.
I am exploring Captivate and have trouble with my new windows
or dialogs jumping outside the recording area. I am creating movies
using 'Custom Size and when I open new dialogs, they are opening up
outside of the recorded area. I have the 'New Windows Inside
Recording Area ' recording option checked, but it still happens. Is
there something I am missing, another setting perhaps or a
combination of things I am doing or not doing to prevent this?
Another problem I am having occurs when I am recording a CAD
application. When I open new dialogs and then close them, I get
this display problem that shows where the dialog just appeared. The
problem is that my application is blank where the dialog box was -
I cannot see any of the icons of commands. It only ever happens
when I am recording, not when I am generally using the program. Is
this a known phenomenon, maybe a video card acceleration or OpenGL
issue perhaps?
Thanks in advance - I look forward to hearing from anyone who
can help me solve these issues.
Cheers,
spritc.

Answer 1

Hi there "spritc.",
To your first problem, that of those pesky windows opening
outside the selected recording area, if you use "Application"
instead of "Custom", I think you'll find you have better luck.
To your second problem, yes, I think you figured it out, you
have a problem with video. Try disabling hardware acceleration and
see if that won't help with the "shadow of where it was" issue.
That option is in "Control Panel > Display > Settings (tab)
> Advanced" on most systems.
Now, a lesson in Captivate (or you can call it a "rant" by an
old-timer if you wish).
Many new users have been so "sold" on Captivate's "automatic"
features that they have forgotten what its real purpose is, and
that sometimes there is more than one way to accomplish it. It was
created to fill a need to capture background changes in
applications, then add objects to those changed backgrounds to
accomplish the true goal of electronic learning through
demonstration and/or simulation. Notice that nowhere in that
statement did I use the word "fast", nor "automatic", nor
"effortless", nor did I add "without the effort of thought".
"spritc.", this is not directed at you nor meant to demean
you in any way. The statement above is a result of my own
frustration with a lack of reality in advertising and promotion of
the product - not just Captivate but all products. With that said,
here is how you do what you want to do:
About Windows: Be aware that all "Windows" applications
share some helpful features. One is that when an application is
opened, it should open in a window of the same dimensions, and at
the same position as the position and dimensions it occupied when
it was last closed. That includes - or is supposed to - additional
supporting pop-ups and dialog boxes (windows) for the application.
Another feature of Windows applications is that if the main
application window is placed too closely to - say - the right edge
of the screen (or the bottom, or the top) and is too close for an
attached drop-list to appear to the right, it will automatically
appear instead - on the left, or above its normal position. In
other words, Windows compensates for bad positioning by adjusting
its location of appearance on the screen. So much for issues
created by and corrected by the Windows OS.
About Captivate: When in "Record" mode, Captivate does take
a snapshot each time it detects a change in the background (caused
by what we call an "event"), thus automatically creating a series
of snapshots that we know as a demonstration or simulation, as the
case may be. But there is a key on the keyboard that is much
ignored, but of greatest value - it is named the "PrtScr" key, and
(by default - it can be changed to another key) pressing it will
cause Captivate to "snap" a background image, in addition to those
snapped automatically by the detection of an "event". Captivate
also gives you a feature that is nearly unknown among new users ...
it is called the "other option". That is (to give you a simple
example), while the Recording Options dialog gives you the
(default) action of automatically recording keystrokes, the act of
un-ticking this box gives you the
other option of
not automatically recording keystrokes. There are many
"automatic" functions that are the default selections during the
recording of a Captivate movie, and each gives you the option of
turning it off.
Now, let's put these two groups of knowledge together. Before
recording, know what you are going to "click" to create a
background change image. Then do a "walkthrough" without Captivate
running. Each dialog box that pops up should be adjusted for size
and position during this walkthrough so that when Captivate's
actual image-recording begins, each dialog will appear where you
want it. Also, each menu item that opens outside the recording area
should be tested to see where it will appear; if the "File" menu
item you want is falling off the bottom of the recording area, try
positioning the main application window lower on-screen . . . this
should force the "File" menu items to appear to "drop up", instead
of "dropping down", allowing the wanted item to appear properly
within the recording area. Finally (for this excerpt), you should
always have one eye on that "PrtScr" key mentioned above. There may
be times when using that magic key to force the capture of a
background, is the only way to grab an image of a "missed event" -
for instance, the appearance of a tooltip.
In conclusion, don't blindly buy what the advertising people
are selling. Be prepared to use your imagination and even some
preparation work in making your movies. There are very few things
that Captivate can't do in its line of work, but somethimes you
have to do the "thinking" for it.
Have a really great day!!