Module 3: “ACTIONS and other Ideas”
ToolTip
In this section, I’ll walk you through how to add an action on to an object.
Here’s a cool new feature called a Tooltip. When you hover over an object a
label will open on the object. Here’s how to set a Tooltip:
Step 1: Go into the Properties Browser
Step 2: Go to the Label section
Step 3: Type in a caption
Step 4: Fix the font name, size, and color.
Step 5: In the “Behaviour” box, change it to Tooltip. That’s it!
Course Instructor:
Ashley Witman
witman@wlake.org
Handbook by Heather Hamker
Flipchart by: Ashley Witman
1 credit class
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Hide and Show
In ActivStudio 3 there was an action to hide an object and then one to show
an object. Inspire has the same action, but it’s created differently.
Step One: Put all of your objects on the flipchart page
Step Two: Click on the object that you want to use to reveal the hidden object.
In this case I want the speech bubble to reveal the words that I will eventually
hide. Once I click on the speech bubble, Open up the Action Browser and
scroll to Object Actions.
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After following these
steps, you will be able
to click on the speech
bubble to hide and
show the text.
Step Three:
Find Hidden on your
menu and click it.
Step Four: Click this button to
open up the Select Object
box (below). Select the item
to hide.
After clicking OK in the
Select Object Box, click
“Apply Changes.” If you
do not click this bar, your
action will not take.
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Grouping
When you want to move two objects around on the page together you will
need to group those objects. Here’s how to do it in Inspire.
Step 1: Choose two objects to group. I used an apple and typed the word
APPLE on top of the image.
Step 2: Highlight both images by clicking and dragging over both images to
open you object edit icons.
Step 3: Click on the group icon and you are done!
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You can go even further and create a text box to pull from the side of your
page. This is very helpful if you tend to run out of space on your flipchart page.
Group & Pulley
In this case I am going to make a flipchart about the geography of the United
States. I want the map visible at all times, but I have no room for questions. AH!
But I can put questions on the page by pulling them in from the sides. Here’s
how to do it.
Step 1: Create your flipchart page. I used an image of the United States from
the Resource Browser.
Step 2: Click on your Shapes Tool
and pull out an arrow.
Step 3: Create the arrow on your flipchart page by dragging the shape.
Step 4: Create text (I used a green background from the format toolbar) that
goes along with the arrow and group them together.
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Step 5: After you group the two objects together, drag the arrow to the place
on the flipchart where you want to drag it from.
If you want your arrows to move in a certain direction and not float all over
your flipchart page, you can use a restrictor. Do you remember which browser
Restrictors are in? Hint:
To set the direction the arrow can move, click on it. Then open your Properties
Browser.
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Go to the Restrictors
section, pull down the
“Can Move” menu and
click “Horizontally”. This
will allow your arrow to
only move horizontally
across your page.
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Magic Ink
Magic Ink is the old “Magic Revealer” that you could make in ActivStudio 3
that would look through objects. In AS3, when you used the eraser it wouldn’t
erase a mark, it would put a transparent object over whatever you were
“erasing.” You could move the eraser mark and have your writing still be on the
flipchart page. Your marks would not be erased. The eraser
in Inspire will
erase anything on the top layer, completely.
If you want to be able to look through the Top Layer, but not erase it, use
Magic Ink!
Here is an object using Magic Ink.
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First I dragged a dinosaur and a red box from the Resource Browser.
Then, I moved the red box to top layer.
I clicked on Magic Ink and made a box. It is looking through the red box to see
the dinosaur. I can also move the mark made by the Magic Ink tool to reveal
anything else under the red box.
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Using Colors
Here’s a fun way to spice up your flipchart. Use colors! This seems like magic,
but it’s not…just an illusion! 
Look at the flipchart page below. When I drag the text to the green box, new
text magically appears. Actually it’s there the whole time but is revealed when
you use different colors.
Here’s how to do it:
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First, use the paint bucket and drop a color onto your flipchart.
Then click a rectangle from your Shapes Tool and create a rectangle on ½ of
your flipchart page.
When working in my blue section I used the same color green as my box when
typing “i maid a mistak” then I clicked enter and in the same text box I typed “I
made a mistake” in the blue color. (You may not see the text so I would use a
different color first and then change the font color when you are happy with
what you wrote.)
Then drag your text box into the green field and the top text disappears while
revealing the blue text.
If you don’t want your original text to hide, you can change whichever text you
want to hide in the blue (or whatever color you choose) and then when you
drag it into the green, the original and new text will be revealed. (See the math
problems)
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Layering Objects
You can hide objects on your page and reveal them whenever you want by
using layers.
For example I want all of the coins to be hidden behind the treasure chest on
this flipchart page, so students can pull the coins out for an activity.
Right now all the objects are on the middle layer and since the treasure chest
was the first object I put on the flipchart, all the coins will sit on top of the chest.
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To fix this, move the treasure chest to the top of the middle layer or move it to
the top layer by opening up the Object Browser and dragging the treasure
chest to the top.
Now all you need to do is right click
on the treasure chest and lock it in
place and drag all the coins behind
the chest.
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Module 4
Adding video clips
Inspire will embed Windows Media files. All Quicktime videos will open in a
separate window.
There are 2 ways to add video to your flipcharts.
First Way
Go to Insert
Media
then find the file to insert
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Use this way if you do not want to embed the video to be used by others.
You can always change the media’s characteristics by going into the browser.
Click on the video and then open the Properties Browser
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Second Way
Go to Insert
Link
File
Then find your file on your computer.
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When you click on a file you will then see the box on the next page.
Filename of media
Store your file in the
flipchart to make it
transferable to other
computers.
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When inserting your media, how do you want it to look on your flipchart
page?
Text
Image Icon
Action Object
Existing Object
You will be asked to locate an object on the flipchart page by pushing
the button with the three dots.
Placeholder – The video placeholder will contain your video and embed it
onto your flipchart page. Make sure you check the controller in the “Insert File”
menu box to keep the controller on the bottom of the video clip.
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Your video will
begin playing
when you turn to
the flipchart
page.
Your video will
play over and
over until stop it.
Use this for
animations.
Keeping the
controller checked
will make it easier
to start and stop
the video.
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Adding Sound to an OBJECT
There are a few different ways to add sound to an object depending on your
comfort level with your computer. Let’s start with an easier way.
Step 1: Choose an object from your Resource Browser.
Step 2: Open up the Sounds folder in your Resource Browser and find the sound
for the object.
Step 3: Drag the sound out of the resource library and stretch it to cover your
image.
Step 4: Use the transparency slider to make the
sound image transparent.
Step 5: Click and drag over the image and the
now transparent sound and group them together.
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Now every time you click the image the sound will
play.
If you are a little more daring and more comfortable with finding files on your
computer, then you can embed the sound right onto the object.
As in the previous way, pull an object from the Resource Browser.
Click on the object and go to the Actions Browser and then Document/Media
Actions.
Click “Open Document, File or Sound”
AddING A WEBLINK
Click this button to search for your sound files.
Don’t forget to “Apply Changes”
When searching, I usually find my sound files in this location:
Desktop
Public
Public Documents
Activ Software
Activstudio3
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
Helpful Hint: copy your sound file to your desktop, so when searching for
sounds, you only have to navigate to your desktop. 
There’s one more way to add a sound!
Step 1: Choose your object.
Step 2: Right Click on the
Object and select “Insert link
to file”
Step 3: Find where the sound
file is located. (See the path
on the previous page)
Step 4: Once you find the file, click it open. Then the Insert File box will open.
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This is where your
sound file will be
found.
Always store your file
in your flipchart. It
makes traveling with
your flipchart easier.
For sounds, you do not
have to have any of
these boxes checked.
Don’t forget to click “OK”
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Inserting Web links
When creating flipcharts, you may want to insert a website that correlates to
the lesson. Here’s how to do it.
Step 1: On the Menu Bar, go to Insert
Link
Website
The following box will pop open.
Type your web address in this box
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www.google.com
After typing in the web address, how do you want to add the link? Here’s what
your choices will look like.
Text:
Image Icon:
Action Object:
Drag this box over a part of your flipchart to open the
website.
Existing Object:
When clicking “Existing
Object” you will be prompted
to find an object on the
flipchart page to attach your
file to.
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