[Xerte-dev] Re: Back / Next Functionlaity

[Kemp Johnathan]

Hello Folks,

Perhaps the solution is to have a property of the learning object that
allows you to select the type of navigation you require for your project.

Projects that use only non-connector pages, or projects that only use
connector pages in the same manner that the TOC is used i.e. as a link to
other pages but without any intention of setting up a specific route, or
routes, through a project will require the standard linear navigation.

Projects that use connector pages to set up specific routes through a
project need a historic back button. Since the back button is historic, it
follows that if there is a next button it should traverse you forward
through the history if you have previously been pressing the back button.
However there are only a few connector pages. The standard Xerte pages lack
any capability to provide connections so once you reach one of these pages,
as a result of following a connection, the only way to leave the page will
be to use the navigation buttons. Which is why there needs to be at the
point where the next button runs out of history it must revert to offering
a linear next move.

Consider again the MCQ connector page example
Each of the answer options can link to a sequence of none connector pages,
i.e. If the connector page is P1 then
option 1 may go to P2 which leads to P3 to P4 and P5 is a redirector page
to P10
option 2 may go to P6 which leads to P7 to P8 and P9 is a redirector page
to P10

P2 through P4 and P6 through P8 are not connector pages.

The user is on P1, they select option 2 and the connection takes them to
P6. The user is now on a non-connector page so the only way forward is the
linear next to p7 then to p8. If the user now clicks the back button they
go back historically to p7, then back again historically to p6. The next
button will historically take them to P7 and then to P8, at which point
there is no further history to inform the next button, so it reverts to a
linear next taking the user to P9.

If the user instead chooses option 1 they follow the route P2, P3, P4, P5.
P5 is a redirector connector which disables the navigation, preventing what
otherwise would have been a linear next button giving access to P6. P5
provides a connection to P10.

In summary IMHO

   1. Non-connector projects and projects that do not use connectors to set
   up specific routes through a project need the linear navigation.
   2. Connector projects that set up specific alternative routes through a
   project, or part of a project, must have historic back buttons. Preferably
   they will also have historic forward buttons which default to a linear next
   when there is no history to inform the next action. However it should be OK
   though possibly occasionally confusing to provide only a linear next as the
   connector pages tend to be used with navigation disabled and the navigation
   is used when you reach non-connector pages.
   3. This may be best provided by use of a navigation option on the
   learning object as both connector and non-connector projects will want to
   use the project option that does not provide a project menu.

Kind regards

Johnathan

On 26 July 2012 08:54, Fay Cross <Fay.Cross at nottingham.ac.uk> wrote:

> I think this is really tricky to get right.  I can see the argument for
> historical forward and back working really well on projects with connector
> pages but think it could get confusing if the behaviour of the forward
> button changes depending on what you do.
>
>
>
> For example, a LO is set up as Menu with controls.  The user reads the
> first few of pages in a LO using the forward button to navigate to the next
> numerical page. They then decide to use the menu the skip ahead several
> pages.  They realise they have skipped some important information so use
> the back button to return to the page they were previously on.  Now they
> try to continue navigating through the LO as they had previously by
> clicking the forward button – but using the historical forward button this
> will skip them past several pages again.  The only way for them to get to
> the pages they missed is to use the menu again.  I think this could be
> confusing, especially as there’s no indication on the menu what pages you
> had visited.
>
>
>
> Not sure what the answer is but I don’t know if historical forwards is
> necessarily what people would expect to happen, especially when mixed up
> with linear in certain circumstances.
>
>
>
>
>
> *From:* xerte-dev-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk [mailto:
> xerte-dev-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk] *On Behalf Of *Kemp Johnathan
> *Sent:* 25 July 2012 19:45
>
> *To:* For Xerte technical developers
> *Subject:* [Xerte-dev] Re: Back / Next Functionlaity
>
>
>
> If you go down the two separate types of navigation approach then you
> would not necessarily  implement the mix of historic and linear next button.
>
>
>
> What you are suggesting is that if history.length = 0, then go next, else
> go forward?
>
>
>
> What I am suggesting is that if you have a historic back button then it
> makes sense to offer a historic next button so that the navigation remains
> within a single paradigm. The idea of providing a linear element to the
> next button, only when the user has no legitimate historic next value, is
> really to accommodate the difference between Xerte and a web page. Web
> pages have links in them to enable you to exit them. Standard Xerte pages
> do not.
>
>
>
> If people are going to use the Connector pages they will need the historic
> back button. The type of project an author will want to be selecting will
> be one that does NOT offer a menu of all the pages. The author is unlikely
> to want to provide the end user with a means of bypassing the routes
> through the learning object that the author creates by using the Connector
> pages. Giving them access to a menu of all the pages will do just that.
>
>
>
> I’m finding it hard to get straight in my head (whether your suggestion
> provides a simple, predictable navigation system), and that tells me
> something is wrong:
>
>
>
> Then it is my description that is at fault. The simplest way to describe
> the navigation I am proposing is that it works just like Internet Explorer
> or Opera, with the additional feature, if deemed appropriate, that in
> situations where IE or Opera would show the next button disabled, then in
> Xerte the next button could remain enabled by offering a link to the next
> page in the project's linear sequence.
>
>
>
> The hard part is describing the specific details and rules that apply that
> enable the creation of such a navigation system. In use it is intuitive -
> it is just the way a web browser works.
>
>
>
> The current combination we have in Xerte of a historic back button and a
> purely linear next button is what is likely to throw people.
>
>
>
> We need the author to be able to implement as a minimum, the current
> historic back button navigation without also implementing a project wide
> menu. Better would be to also have a historic next button, so that the
> historic navigation would be consistent.
>
>
>
> Kind regards
>
>
>
> Johnathan
>
>
>
> On 25 July 2012 16:38, Julian Tenney <Julian.Tenney at nottingham.ac.uk>
> wrote:
>
> I think the problem is as you say, the mix between a historical back
> button and a linear next button. The two (strong) mental models people will
> bring are the digital book (linear, prev and fwd); or the browser (back in
> history, forward in history); we are kinda mixing them up. In a browser you
> navigate with links; here we are navigating with the fwd button.
>
>
>
> What I’ve done is put the navigation back to the old way for linear
> projects; either of the menu options give the back (in history)
> functionality. Next always goes to the next page.
>
>
>
> What you are suggesting is that if history.length = 0, then go next, else
> go forward? I think we are screwing with people’s mental models here? I’m
> finding it hard to get straight in my head (whether your suggestion
> provides a simple, predictable navigation system), and that tells me
> something is wrong: this shouldn’t need explaining, we will be doing
> something wrong if anyone ever asks a question about the navigation system.
>
>
>
> Hmm.
>
>
>
> *From:* xerte-dev-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk [mailto:
> xerte-dev-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk] *On Behalf Of *Kemp Johnathan
> *Sent:* 25 July 2012 16:29
>
>
> *To:* For Xerte technical developers
> *Subject:* [Xerte-dev] Re: Back / Next Functionlaity
>
>
>
> Hi folks,
>
>
>
> I'm sorry that it has taken me a while to respond to this thread, I have
> been otherwise engaged for most of yesterday and today and before I could
> respond adequately I needed to check a few things.
>
>
>
> The standard Xerte project has to date been treated as if you are reading
> a book. No history just turn to the previous or next page relative to the
> one you are currently viewing. When you use the TOC you are just opening
> the book at a new page. Back and Next are then relative to that new page.
>
> The Connector pages introduced a different paradigm for the project. This
> paradigm required a historical back button. As an example consider a
> multiple choice connector page. Each of the answer options can link to a
> sequence of none connector pages, i.e. If the connector page is P1 then
> option 1 may go to P2 which leads to P3 to P4 and P5 is a redirector page
> to P10
> option 2 may go to P6 which leads to P7 to P8 and P9 is a redirector page
> to P10
>
> The historical back is needed to ensure that if you traverse backward from
> P8 to P7 to P6 that the next backward action does not take you to P5 but to
> P1.
>
> This inevitably clashes with the book paradigm when you use the TOC which
> is what Julian found. It will inevitably feel a little strange to Xerte
> users who are used to the book paradigm. However it does mirror the way a
> back button works in a web browser, so in a sense it will be what will be
> expected by anyone opening a Xerte project for the first time.
>
> However browser users will be confused by the Xerte next button, as
> browsers that offer a next button base their next on the browser history.
> Such browsers (IE, Opera) appear to operate by building a history and
> maintaining a pointer as the history is navigated. Whenever a link is
> followed (rather than a back or next button) the "next" half of the history
> is deleted, so that on page exit the current page is added as the most
> recent page in the history.
>
>
>
> If there are to be on offer in Xerte a choice between the original
> navigation or historic navigation then the historic navigation would be
> improved if it also was reflected in the operation of the next button.
>
>
>
> I have performed some tests in opera to figure out what is going on and
> have attached a pdf file to explain everything. The pdf file opens with a
> worked example  of how a historic navigation that accommodated a back and
> next button would operate. The last page identifies the rules that would be
> required in Xerte to implement such a navigation in the xerte navigation.
>
>
>
> I hope this helps. The example can take a little effort to get your head
> around, but the actions that need to happen with respect to each button
> are, I think pretty straight forward to implement for someone who knows
> there way around the appropriate Xerte flash file.
>
>
>
> Kind regards
>
>
>
> Johnathan.
>
>
>
> On 25 July 2012 10:41, Julian Tenney <Julian.Tenney at nottingham.ac.uk>
> wrote:
>
> I’ve done that, need to play around with it and see if it feels better.
> Opinions welcome.
>
>
>
> *From:* xerte-dev-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk [mailto:
> xerte-dev-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk] *On Behalf Of *Julian Tenney
> *Sent:* 25 July 2012 09:29
>
>
> *To:* For Xerte technical developers
> *Subject:* [Xerte-dev] Re: Back / Next Functionlaity
>
>
>
> OK. I think I’m going to put the default back to the way it was, and add a
> method to the interface calss to allow the developer to chose: that way it
> can be linear for linear navigation, and use the history if navigation is
> menu.
>
>
>
> Does this sound sensible?
>
>
>
> *From:* xerte-dev-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk [mailto:
> xerte-dev-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk] *On Behalf Of *Fay Cross
> *Sent:* 25 July 2012 08:27
> *To:* For Xerte technical developers
> *Subject:* [Xerte-dev] Re: Back / Next Functionlaity
>
>
>
> I only realised it did the back to previous page viewed rather than
> numerical back when doing the testing a couple of weeks ago so I did find
> it a bit odd. I think it’s because I thought of the LO pages to be like
> pages in a book rather than web pages so history back was unexpected.
>
>
>
> So at the moment does a linear layout have numerical forward and back and
> menu layout have history back and numerical forward?  If the linear one has
> history back I do think this could confuse users when they’ve changed page
> using table of contents.
>
>
>
> *From:* xerte-dev-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk [mailto:
> xerte-dev-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk] *On Behalf Of *Julian Tenney
> *Sent:* 24 July 2012 11:35
> *To:* For Xerte technical developers
> *Subject:* [Xerte-dev] Re: Back / Next Functionlaity
>
>
>
> Ah, but then back would have taken me just one page back, and I could go
> one page forward again…
>
>
>
> *From:* xerte-dev-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk [mailto:
> xerte-dev-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk] *On Behalf Of *Ron Mitchell
> *Sent:* 24 July 2012 11:29
> *To:* 'For Xerte technical developers'
> *Subject:* [Xerte-dev] Re: Back / Next Functionlaity
>
>
>
> But you weren't able to do that previously either?
>
>
>
> *From:* xerte-dev-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk [mailto:
> xerte-dev-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk] *On Behalf Of *Julian Tenney
> *Sent:* 24 July 2012 11:16
> *To:* For Xerte technical developers
> *Subject:* [Xerte-dev] Re: Back / Next Functionlaity
>
>
>
> Has it felt right to you whilst testing? Mostly it does feel OK, but the
> time it gribble me out is when I use the TOC to jump to a page, hit back
> (go back to page one) and then can’t easily (without re-opening the TOC)
> get back to the page I was just on (cos there’s no ‘forward’). It somehow
> doesn’t feel quite right
>
>
>
> *From:* xerte-dev-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk [
> mailto:xerte-dev-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk<xerte-dev-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk>]
> *On Behalf Of *Ron Mitchell
> *Sent:* 24 July 2012 11:08
> *To:* 'For Xerte technical developers'
> *Subject:* [Xerte-dev] Re: Back / Next Functionlaity
>
>
>
> I think it's fine the way it is now with back being history back and next
> being next numeric page but if you've found inconsistencies with the
> history back perhaps it would be better to revert back to what it's always
> been. Not sure about author control wouldn't that lead to confusion where
> sometimes it's history and sometimes it's linear?
>
>
>
> *From:* xerte-dev-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk [
> mailto:xerte-dev-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk<xerte-dev-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk>]
> *On Behalf Of *Julian Tenney
> *Sent:* 24 July 2012 10:49
> *To:* For Xerte technical developers
> *Subject:* [Xerte-dev] Back / Next Functionlaity
>
>
>
> What do you think: we made the back button in the interface go back in
> history, rather than back in pages: this seems to work well in some
> situations, but whilst testing, I have hit back several times and not gone
> where I expected to, and can’t go forward: do you think we should have it
> so that the developer can chose which way it works?
>
>
>
> So, for a linear interface, it works as it did before, going back and
> forth on page numbers; if it’s a menu driven piece, it goes back in history?
>
>
>
> I think the problem I found in terms of inconsistencies is that forward
> always takes you next, rather than forward in history when back goes back
> in history rather than pages (read that again carefully).
>
>
>
> Next can’t be forward, as it’s the main way of getting to the next,
> unvisited page.
>
>
>
> This should do what the user expects because it grates when you don’t go
> where you wanted.
>
>
>
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