Advanced PowerPoint Features

[Kevin Scott]

Hello,

I just read an on-line article from Christopher Lohr about using ActiveX
controls in PowerPoint. I would like to purchase a reference book that shows
more details about how to make an interactive PP file such as a test, quiz or
survey. I was at the local Barnes and Noble and looked at several PP books
there including one published by MicroSoft but none of them addressed the
usage of these advanced features. Everything that I have found on-line has
shown me how to add controls such as a check box, option button, labels and
more. But they do not show how to set up these functions to actually make
them work. Sure, I can run a slide show to see the buttons in action but
what I really need to do is the following:



1) Have several “questions†with two option buttons for each question.
These need to be independent from other option buttons on the same page and
in the same PowerPoint file. Currently, only one option button can be active
in the entire file at one time. I have not found a way to group the option
buttons together in independent sections of the PowerPoint file.

2) Have the ability to save the results or answers to each of these
questions so the file can be saved and sent via an email later. I can see
the ActiveX buttons functioning when running a slide show but I cannot save
the results of these “buttons†while in the slide show mode.



I have seen examples on the web of files that I would like to create but I
have not been able to find out how they work nor have I found any additional
reference documentation.



Please help,
Regards,

Kevin

 

[David Marcovitz]

Thanks, Steve, for the plug for my book. As Steve said, my book should
help you with a lot of what you want to do but not everything. I don't
actually cover ActiveX controls. However, it should be a small leap from
using regular autoshapes for creating a quiz to using ActiveX controls.
There are some details that will be different, but the basic ideas will
be the same. If you can master doing it the way my book talks about,
you'll be able to get the ActiveX controls to work with only a few
questions to the newsgroup. Check out the Web site for the book that
Steve mentioned and try out the free examples that are there. All the
book does is explain all the examples.
--David

 

[Kevin Scott]

Thanks Steve,
I am starting to look at some of the examples in his book to see if it is
what I am looking for. It may work for me. It certainly is on the right
track.
Thanks again,
Kevin

 

[John Wilson]

Just a quick pointer then:

I see a lot of quiz type presentations, some that work some that don't.
Often the beginner has got bogged down with code attached to activx objects
all over the show.

Try this instead

Add option buttons to the slides (not by pasting), any number per slide
doesn't matter though only one can be "lit" on each slide. Right click >
properties and name the correct one "correct"

Now action this code from an action button / shape on the last slide. It
will zip through the slides and chevk the answers!

Sub myresult()
Dim osld As Slide
Dim strResult As String
For Each osld In ActivePresentation.Slides
Err.Clear
On Error Resume Next ' in case shape not present
If osld.Shapes("correct").OLEFormat.Object.Value = True Then
If Err = 0 Then strResult = strResult & "Slide" _
& osld.SlideIndex & ": Correctly answered" & vbCrLf
End If
If osld.Shapes("correct").OLEFormat.Object.Value = False Then
If Err = 0 Then strResult = strResult & "Slide" & _
osld.SlideIndex & ": Incorrect" & vbCrLf
End If
Next osld
MsgBox strResult, vbInformation
End Sub

--

john ATSIGN PPTAlchemy.co.uk
Custom vba coding and PPT Makeovers
Free PPT Hints, Tips and Tutorials
http://www.pptalchemy.co.uk/powerpoint_hints_and_tips_tutorials.html