Make a hidden phrase appear, letter by letter, in random order

[Guest]

how do I make a hidden phrase appear, letter by letter, in random order,
e.g., wheel of fortune style. I'm thinking of having all the letters of the
alphabet on the bottom of the slide. When I click on a letter, the
corresponding letters in the phrase would appear. Since the letters will be
selected in random order, each letter needs to be a trigger for a separate
action. I haven't been able to get multiple macros to work. Help!

 

[David M. Marcovitz]

What version of PowerPoint are you using? In 2002 and 2003, you can use
animation triggers to do exactly what you want. In earlier versions, you
will need macros.

For triggers, put a text box with a letter where you want. Give it an
entry animation and set it to trigger on the click of the same letter
down below.

If you have an earlier version, give us more details about what you tried
and what happened. It's not that hard to make it work with macros if you
have already done something with macros.

--David

--
David M. Marcovitz
Microsoft PowerPoint MVP
Director of Graduate Programs in Educational Technology
Loyola College in Maryland
Author of _Powerful PowerPoint for Educators_
http://www.loyola.edu/education/PowerfulPowerPoint/

 

[Guest]

David,

I have 2003. I've created the text boxes with the letters and the animation
that has them appearing. How do I set the trigger to take effect when I
click on same letter below? Also, it works in the same animation order, and I
need it to be random, i.e., the letters will be chosen in different sequences?

Jim

 

[David M. Marcovitz]

OK, you said you have the letters in the right place up on the top. Do
you have text boxes for A through Z down below? If not create separate
text boxes for those. Next, click on a letter above and choose Custom
Animation from the Slide Show Window. You should see a list of animated
objects on the right side of your screen. One of them shoudl have a box
around it and a triangle next to it (signifying a pull-down menu). Click
on the triangle to pull down a menu and choose "Timing..." A dialogue box
should pop up. At the bottom of the dialog box should be a button named
Triggers. Click on it. Then choose "Start effect on click of." Now you
want to choose the shape to start the effect. If you have letters in a
bunch of text boxes, this shouldn't be too difficult to find the right
trigger. Repeat this for each of your letters, and you should be all set.
It's really easier than it looks. Once you do a couple of them, you'll
get the hang of it, and it will go quickly.
--David

--
David M. Marcovitz
Microsoft PowerPoint MVP
Director of Graduate Programs in Educational Technology
Loyola College in Maryland
Author of _Powerful PowerPoint for Educators_
http://www.loyola.edu/education/PowerfulPowerPoint/

 

[Guest]

David,

Thanks for the instructions. After I made my last post, I looked at the
"effect options" more closely and found what I needed. It is hard to find
initially and I couldn't find any documentation on this. It might be worth
suggesting for power user, although there may not be much demand for this.
Thanks again.

Jim

 

[David M. Marcovitz]

It appears that it is already there:

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/assistance/HA010873001033.aspx

{begin extreme sarcasm}
By the way, I find it hard to believe that you find the documentation on
this (or any other feature of PowerPoint) to be lacking. I am shocked.
{end extreme sarcasm}

--David

--
David M. Marcovitz
Microsoft PowerPoint MVP
Director of Graduate Programs in Educational Technology
Loyola College in Maryland
Author of _Powerful PowerPoint for Educators_
http://www.loyola.edu/education/PowerfulPowerPoint/