Capturing alternative steps is accomplished in much the same way as capturing steps. In order to capture an alternative step, first capture the primary (preferred) method as a step.
When planning what alternative methods you will need to capture, keep in mind the following:
•Consider always capturing these methods (Primary or Alternative) as appropriate:
oRibbon command (mini-toolbar commands are often the same as ribbon commands, and therefore may not need to be captured as alternatives - test to confirm)
oRight-click shortcut menu (if not on the mini-toolbar)
oKeyboard shortcut (
currently under construction)
•Focused Execution Buttons. Within many dialog boxes, be aware of "focused" (active) execution buttons. In other words, it is not uncommon that the OK or Save button is active by default, allowing savvy users to press the Enter key as an alternative to clicking OK or Save. This may also include clicking the X in the top right corner of a dialog box.
1.Select the step in the Capture Window. (See Step 4 in the Capture Window graphic.)
2.On the Capture Window toolbar, click the A (Add alternative) button.
3.Click the Start (circle icon) button on the Capture toolbar to start recording.
4.Capture the alternative step(s). The alternative(s) will display below the associated step.
You can capture as many methods as required for the content. A step can have multiple alternatives.
Important! Each alternative MUST achieve the exact same result as the primary captured step. |
Example: Saving a document in Microsoft Word can be accomplished in multiple ways:
•Clicking the Save icon on the Quick Access Toolbar (Primary method)
•Pressing Ctrl+S (Alternative 1)
•Clicking File > Save (Alternative 2)
•Clicking Shift+F12 (Alternative 3)
Note that Alternative 2 would require two clicks to achieve the same result (display the File Explorer Save dialog box) as all the other methods. Since the only way to get to the Save option in Backstage view, is to first click the File tab, only clicking the Save option in Backstage view needs to be captured.
5.Once all alternative step(s) have been captured, click the Stop (square icon) on the Capture toolbar to stop recording.
BalloonTips cannot be applied to alternative steps.
6.Delete any unnecessary captured alternative steps. (Select the step, right-click, and then select Delete Del or press the Delete key).
7.Click the Finish (check/tick mark) icon on the Capture toolbar to save and close the Capture window.