Forum Discussion
Need learners to be able to copy text from Storyline module inserted in Rise course
Hi, I need learners to be able to copy the text in any Storyline interaction I insert into a Rise course, for accessibility reasons. I noticed there have been very dated posts asking a similar question, but I haven't been able to find anything more recent. Is this feature being worked on, or are there any workarounds for the time being?
I understand that accessible text in storyline meets the needs of WCAG 2.2 and that using helper bird extension allows scale. WCAG 3.0 implementation as a standard is at least a year away if not more.
For that reason I would expect this to age on Articulate's radar and hopefully is implemented sooner rather than later.
For copying and pasting text I would pop a copy button next to the text and use JS to allow the copy and paste.
I understand that accessible text in storyline meets the needs of WCAG 2.2 and that using helper bird extension allows scale. WCAG 3.0 implementation as a standard is at least a year away if not more.
For that reason I would expect this to age on Articulate's radar and hopefully is implemented sooner rather than later.
Hi PanayiotaPlatan I'm not sure what you mean by "copy the text in any Storyline interaction I insert into a Rise course". Are you saying you need to be able to select the text, when in the browser, from a published Storyline file? I don't think this is possible, due to the way Storyline renders the text. The mouse right click dialogue is also disabled.
When you say "insert into a Rise course", what do you mean by that?
It is possible, but then all text needs to be in inputfields...or as HTML-text.
Here for example is a component made by NRZMalik that shows this.
https://www.eblog.nrzmalik.com/how-to-create-a-custom-notepad-in-articulate-storyline-a-step-by-step-guide/MathNotermans, thank you for your post, it's definitely something that I can see being useful as a part of the modules I create! However I would need the entire Storyline interaction to be copy-able, not just any text entry fields.
Thanks, Sam, for your response. Yes, I mean selecting the text from a a published Storyline file. I recently found out about the new accessibility guidelines (WCAG 3.0), where criteria 1.4.5 says "Don't use images of text unless customizable or essential." Although published Storyline files are not images, as they can be read by a screen reader, the fact that the text cannot be copied seems to limit usage by keyboard users, or any user in general, I suppose, who might need to copy and paste the text for accessibility.
Regarding inserting into a Rise course: I am creating learning modules in Articulate Rise, and am inserting Articulate Storyline blocks at some points, when I need to create interactions or learning aids that are not possible to create in Articulate Rise. So, in the final product, learners can copy and paste any text in the Rise course, except for the Articulate Storyline blocks.
Thus, I am hoping that Articulate might be working on this feature, or that there is some sort of workaround?
Ok, I understand. Storyline treats text a little bit unusually. I think, in the pursuit of consistent layout across all devices, they opted to render the text as an svg (image), but the text is also available in the slide as plain text for screen readers. This text is visually hidden though and so cannot be copied.
I'm not at my desk right now to check this, but there are accessibility options in the player that allow the user to "toggle accessible text". I wonder if this will allow the text to be copied. UPDATE Unfortunately, toggling to accessible text does not allow you to copy the text.
I'd definitely like to see this change as it is a frustration for me when reviewing courses and not being able to grab pieces of text. I have to use an image to text convertor.
As Sam says, text in Storyline indeed is SVG, and thus not accessible as is. Storyline does has its limits concerning accessibility anyway if you use it without that in mind. To ensure texts in Storyline are WCAG3.0 compliant it is important they can scale the size, change the font,color and background of it. Meaning it should be HTML text styled with CSS. Storyline clearly fails here. But nowhere in criteria 1.4.5 is stated it should be copyable.
Hi MathNotermans-9 switching the text to accessible text allows you to manipulate it with your own custom stylesheet I believe. I think for scaling you have the best results through using the browser zoom controls after switching on the zoom mode in Storyline, otherwise, using CSS to scale the content, i find, can cause the text to be cropped within its text field (overflow hidden).
Hi Sam , a custom stylesheet aint the solution. As that is something the designer/developer has to do upfront. Criteria 1.4.5 is meant for the enduser / student. He/she should be able to change the size,color, background and font of a text. That is possible with HTML text, not in Storyline as it is SVG.
