An optional property is an element that is not shown or used in the default configuration of a page, but can be added in and configured if desired. Doing so will add the extra functionality/settings of that property.
An optional property name followed by ellipsis (e.g. Background…) indicates that further configuration settings are contained within the property.
Optional properties are added from the right-hand pane in the page editor window, and will apply to that page. Removing an optional property will remove its functionality from that page and/or reset its configuration back to the default setting.
There are three types of optional property;
Some optional properties are also available at the project level on the project root view. Adding one of these will add the functionality across the whole project. A number of Project-level Optional Properties were deprecated in Release 3.12, and these are listed separately, after the table below.
| Property | Tooltip |
|---|---|
| Accessibility... | Hide the accessibility logo and link or change the link to an alternative statement. |
| Author Support | Enabled, this property adds support comments (in red text) to help authors design pages. These support comments only show in the Preview and not in the published project, and include unique IDs and Labels. Helpful for complex page setup such as with the Inventory page (where answers are matched to categories) or the Decision tree page. |
| Background... | Add a background image to all pages in this project. |
| Decimal Separator | Select the appropriate symbol for numbers with decimal points. The default is period (fullstop) with comma as the alternative. (E.g. £5.10 or €5,10). |
| Disable Theme url | If you set access to Public in the Project Properties a Learning Object's theme can be overridden in the browser by adding a url parameter (i.e. a string of characters) to the url. For example, this url parameter, &theme=flatblue , changes the theme to the Flat Blue theme. The theme can only be changed to one of those available in the host installation. The theme url parameter to use, when changing a theme by this method, is shown in each theme's description in the Project Settings, and is often shorter and not the same as the display name of the theme. However, as an author you can tick this optional property, if you wish, to disable this feature. This stops learners and other users changing the theme you have chosen. |
| Force First Page | Enabled, forces the project to open on the first page of the project, even if the URL includes specific page information. Useful when creating projects, such as escape rooms, where you don't want users to be able to jump ahead. |
| Full Screen Button… | This property is only visible if you have selected Fixed Size from the Display Mode drop-down in the core properties for the project (the toolbar button that toggles between full screen and fixed size is now hidden by default and will only be shown if the **Display Mode** is set to **Fixed Size**). You can customise the icon and the text displayed on mouseover for both **Fixed Size** and **Full Screen**. |
| Glossary... | Adds a table to the root page of the project, where terms and definitions can be added. Wherever these terms are used in the project they will be highlighted by a dashed underline. Hovering the mouse over the term will reveal a tooltip with the definition. An icon will also be added to the footer of the project. The icon can be customised, and the text of the tooltip can be edited. Individual page types have the optional property to 'Disable Glossary' where this support would interfere with student activity. |
| Header Icon/Logo… | Provides the ability to upload an image to display (for example as a logo) in the project header. The image dimensions should be small. The image can be hidden/unhidden and positioned left or right in the header. |
| Help File... | Provides the ability to upload a file (e.g. PDF) or add a URL, to contain instructions or support material. An icon link will be added to the project's footer to make access to the file/link available on all pages. The icon can be customised, and the text of the tooltip displayed on mouseover of the icon can be edited. |
| Hide Footer | Enabled, this will hide the footer of your project. |
| Hide Header | Enabled, this will hide the header of your project. |
| Home Page … | Makes the LO Title in the header a clickable link to the Home Page. By default, the home page is the first page in the project; if you want a different home page, select a page from the drop-down which appears when you add this optional property. |
| Keyboard Language | Provides the ability to give the user keyboard language support when they are required to enter text on an interactive page. E.g., if a language other than English is selected, a pop-up dialog of special characters (appropriate to the chosen language) will appear when the user enters a text box. |
| Lightbox... | By default, clicked images will open in a lightbox (i.e. a pop up that overlays the main page). Use these properties to turn the lightbox functionality on/off for the whole project. A lightbox property is also available on each page. |
| Max Width | Provides the option to set the maximum width (e.g. 1400px) at which the page contents will be displayed on larger displays. In 3.12 this now applies to __all pages__. |
| Metadata… | Course: Label indicating the course this learning object is part of, used to create meta data in SCORM objects. This is also stored in xAPI events. Module: Label indicating the module/subject of this learning object, used to create meta data in SCORM objects. This is also stored in xAPI events. |
| Navigation Buttons… | This allows you to customise the tooltips and the icons for the navigation buttons (Previous Page, Next Page) and for the Table of Contents. Icons can be chosen from those available as Font Awesome characters. |
| Notes | Your notes for the project. These are not shown in the live project. |
| Page Introduction Button… | On each page of your project, you have the option to add an Introduction, which displays as a lightbox, when you click on an icon in either the footer or the sidebar. The icon can be customised, and the text of the tooltip displayed on mouseover of the icon can be edited. |
| Progress bar | Adds a graphical progress bar (with optional page counter) to the footer of the project. This shows the percentage of the project completed as the user clicks through the project. |
| Project Introduction... | Adds a lightbox which can be displayed automatically when the Learning Object is launched by the learner, or opened by clicking on an icon in the footer or sidebar. The icon can be customised, and the text of the tooltip displayed on mouseover of the icon can be edited. This lightbox can be used to provide an introduction to the Learning Object. |
| Script | Provides the ability to add custom JavaScript to the project. |
| Show/Hide Footer Tools… | This provides options for showing or hiding the footer icons for tools such as the Accessibility Options, Full Screen, Glossary etc. The icon can be customised, and the text of the tooltip displayed on mouseover of the icon can be edited. |
| Side Bar... | Adds a collapsible side bar to the Learning Object containing buttons which would normally be found in the footer. |
| Styles | Provides the ability to add custom CSS to change the appearance of HTML elements in the project. At root level the CSS will affect all pages, or it can be added to individual pages to just affect that one. |
| Stylesheet | Provides the ability to upload and apply a separate CSS stylesheet file to change the appearance of HTML elements of the whole project. |
| Surface Global Variables | Enabled, this provides the ability to call the following data within text fields using the following markup:{globalVars.dateCreated} or {globalVars.lastUpdated} or {globalVars.numViews} |
| Table of Contents… | This set of properties varies depending on the Navigation setting selected. 1) For all Navigation options except Historic, it allows you to hide/unhide the page numbering and the “Tick When Viewed” function. You can also choose whether to have the Table of Contents display in a Dialog or Lightbox format. 2) For the Menu and Menu with Page Controls Navigation options, you can also select an image to display, either in a panel to the right of the menu options, or as a background to the menu options. |
| Tracking… | Passing Score: Passing score as a decimal fraction or percentage when tracking Page timeout for completion: The number of seconds a page as to be viewed to count as completed Force tracking mode behaviour: Force tracking mode behaviour, even in non-tracking LO's. This changes the behaviour of some page types, i.e. in Quiz the restart button will be disabled and in drag/drop exercises, the labels will stick, even if the answer is wrong Tracking Category: Label indicating the category of this learning object, stored in xAPI events, to be used for categorising in xAPI reports. The icon for the Save Session button can be customised, and the text of the tooltip displayed on mouseover of the icon can be edited. |
| Twitter Card… | Enables a Twitter Card to be created for when a public link to this LO is shared via Twitter. |
| Variables... | Provides the ability to add custom variables which can be called in subsequent pages in the project. A linked guide is provided with instructions and examples. |
These are properties available in Release 3.11, but deprecated in 3.12.
| Property | Tooltip |
| Custom Interface | A deprecated feature that used the old Flash interface. |
| Enable Resuming | Enabled, this feature works with LTI and SCORM to allow users to leave a project, and when they return, are allowed to resume from the last visited page. This has no effect on projects shared via the normal project URL or embed code. |
| Fixed Display Size | Authors can specify the width and height of the project when launched, in the format 800,600 (where the numbers represent pixels). This sets the minimum dimensions for the project, and if the screen size is larger than the fixed display size the project can still be resized to fit. |
| Flash Engine Visuals | A deprecated feature that used the old Flash interface. |
| Media… | Adds a link to uploaded media to the footer. |
| Series Title | Use this to label your project if it is part of a wider category, or series, or projects. |
The General set of optional properties is normally available on every page type. Adding a property from these will apply that functionality to the specific page only.
| Property | Tooltip |
|---|---|
| Access Code… | Allows individual pages to be hidden until an access code is entered. The access code field should contain a comma separated list of all valid access codes. When a page or section is hidden behind an access code, a password box will be shown until a correct code is entered. A padlock icon will display against any page (in the page tree) which includes an access code. |
| Background... | Add a background image to this page. |
| Completion Not Required | Remove the page from project tracking data. |
| Disable Glossary | Prevent glossary words from revealing definitions (from tooltips) on this page. |
| Header Colours… | Customise the header background colour and default titles colour on a per page basis. e.g. to signify a change of topic or section. |
| Hide/Show Page... | Hide the page completely or hide/show the page between specified dates. An icon (eye-slash) will appear next to the page (in the project page tree) to identify if it is hidden. |
| Lightbox... | By default, clicked images will appear in a lightbox. Use these properties to turn the lightbox functionality on/off for this page only. |
| Narration... | Add an audio player to the bottom of the page. |
| Navigation Buttons... | Disable individual navigation buttons on this page. |
| Notes | Your notes for the page. These are not shown in the live project but are useful for authors and editors. |
| Page ID... | Create a customised URL to this page by adding descriptive text (e.g. 'instructions' or 'quiz'). This will be added to the end of the projects URL, so others can be directed to that specific page. |
| Page Timer... | Add a timer to the bottom of the page, counting down to zero. |
| Script... | Add Javascript to run either on first load or every view of the page. |
| Stand-Alone Page... | Remove the page from the page menu so it can only be accessed via Xerte internal project page links. |
| Styles | Add bespoke CSS to this page only. |
| Tracking... | Set identifier and grouping for tracking with SCORM/xAPI. |
| Variables... | Use in conjunction with the project level 'Variables' optional property, this provides the option to update variable values on that page. |
Many page types have additional optional properties that are relevant to and may be available only for that specific page. Refer to the individual entry for the page type for more information.