| | E-Learning Solutions (Content & Assessment Authoring) RapidBuilder® v5.0 Deluxe Features and Benefits (At a Glance ...) | Highlights of RapidBuilder v5.0 Deluxe include: | Page 4 of 6 | -
Automatic Timeout Events - RapidBuilder enables developers to specify automatic timeouts for certain frame and object events. At runtime, a timeout event will be performed automatically by the system once a specified number of seconds have elapsed. Supported timeout events include the following: - For a frame, any of the following events may be configured to occur automatically after a specified number of seconds have elapsed: linking to an audio file, linking to another frame, linking to an external RapidBuilder or RapidExam file, displaying an attempt/hint message, displaying a pop-up validation message, or exiting playback.
- For the Validation Field object, the developer may specify that the validation text string will be entered in the field automatically after a specified number of seconds have elapsed. The automatic text entry may be configured to occur at a fast, medium, or slow speed, and it may be accompanied by key entry sound effect.
- For a Hyperlink object, any of the following events may be configured to occur automatically after a specified number of seconds have elapsed: linking to an external file or URL, linking to an audio file, linking to a video file, linking to another frame, linking to an external RapidBuilder or RapidExam file, displaying a pop-up validation message or image, copying or clearing text, or exiting playback.
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Advanced Video Support - RapidBuilder includes the following types of video support: - ASF, AVI, MOV, MPG, and MPEG video files supported.
- Video Stage and Flash Stage objects enable video files and Flash files to be linked or embedded directly on frames within RapidBuilder files. The developer may define an in and out point (which enables playing part of the video or Flash file instead of the entire file). The developer can also control whether video/Flash playback is initiated automatically when the frame is displayed on the screen or is initiated manually by the end user clicking a Play button. In either case, an action/event can be set to trigger once the video/Flash file finishes playing.
- External video files may be played with Hyperlink buttons.
- Movie files may be imported to RapidBuilder files.
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Advanced Audio Support - RapidBuilder includes the following types of audio support: - ASF, AU, MP2, MP3, and WAV sound files supported
- External sound files may be linked to frames (screens) or played with Hyperlink buttons.
- Multiple audio files may be imported to a single frame. In addition to an audio file that plays automatically when the frame appears on screen during playback, the developer may specify other different audio files linked to specific mouse click actions, validation keys, and automatic timeouts.
- The developer may also enable the end user to interrupt audio playback on a frame at runtime.
- Built-in sound recorder enables sound to be recorded from any available sound device. Recorded sound clips may also be saved to disk as .WAV or .ASF audio files (in order to be reused in other RapidBuilder files, frames, and objects).
- Text-to-Speech (Automatic Audio) - RapidBuilder's Instruction Box and Text Field objects support Text-to-Speech functionality. Text within an Instruction Box/Text Field may be converted into speech audio data during playback of the RapidBuilder file. The developer has the option of including playback control buttons on the Instruction Box/Text Field so that the end user may control the playback of the speech.
- Background sound may be captured along with the desktop or added as a linked/embedded file.
- Multiple sound tracks may be linked or embedded, and they may also be edited as visual audio data on the Sound Bar.
- Sound Track Selector enables the end user to choose which sound track(s) will be played by selecting one or more existing sound tracks from a combo box.
- Audio files may be imported on a frame-by-frame basis or across a range of frames.
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Advanced Image Support - RapidBuilder includes the following types of image support: - Image Files - Image files (BMP, GIF, JPG, and PNG) may be imported to Image objects and as background images on screens. Images (imported to Image objects) may also be rotated to any angle from 1 to 360 degrees.
- Animated GIF Files - The Animated GIF object enables animated GIF files to be imported into RapidBuilder files (in addition to the regular static .BMP, .JPG, .GIF, and .PNG image files that may be imported using the Image object).
- Importing Multiple Images Simultaneously - Enables developers to import multiple images (BMP, .JPG, .GIF, and .PNG files) into a RapidBuilder file as individual frames.
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Animation and Special Visual Effects - RapidBuilder enables the developer to add various types of animation and visual effects to a simulation, including the following: - Mouse Plot enables the plotting of mouse positions to create mouse pointer animations. The developer may specify whether the mouse animation is initiated automatically when the frame is displayed on the screen or is initiated manually by the end user clicking the mouse. In either case, an action/event can be set to trigger once the mouse animation finishes.
- Animation on buttons - Multiple images may be cycled on button objects to create custom image animations.
- Slide-outs - Objects may be configured to animate (or slide) on to the screen with a specified visual effect.
- Frame transition effects - Special visual effects (such as wiping, sliding, blurring, fading, and dissolving) may be applied when transitioning from one screen to another during playback. The developer may also specify a sound file to play while the frame transition effect is occurring on screen.
- Text may be displayed with dissolving and exploding effects during playback.
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Hide and Show Events - Objects may be configured to repeatedly hide (disappear) and show (reappear) on the screen during playback. This is useful for creating pulsing or blinking visual effects.
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Global Objects - RapidBuilder enables developers to quickly reuse objects/elements across multiple frames by making them Global. Objects can be set to be Global across certain frames or all frames within the RapidBuilder file. This makes it easy to have similar objects/elements appearing across multiple frames. It also makes it easy to update the object/element (since modifying a global object/element automatically updates it on every frame where it is used). This also helps keep the file size down because only one copy of a global object/element is stored internally.
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