How to Change the TextPane used by the Simulation Autobuilder

If you are using the insert simulation from recording feature, but don't like the way the instructions and feedback fields look like, read on.

A word of warning

Before we begin a word of warning: Tweaking the Simulation AutoBuilder is completely unsupported by SumTotal Systems.

Also any tweaks that work now may not work in future versions of ToolBook (this article applies to ToolBook Instructor 2004 and ToolBook Instructor 2004 SP1). So you can not rely on this information being true for future versions.

In other words; be sensible and take a backup of any files you may change.

Yeah, yeah on with it!

By default the Simulation Autobuilder uses Text Pane 39 from the ToolBook Catalog (shown below) for the Instructions and Feedback fields when it builds recorded simulations. However it is very easy to make it use another textPane or even a field.

TextPane used by default by the simulation AutoBuilder

Here is how you change it

Open Instructor.ini located in the ToolBook Product Directory.

Look for an entry named DefaultTextPane in section named DefaultTextPane. It should look something like this:

[Simulation Capture]
DefaultTextPane=Group id 62 of Page id 111

Notice the implicit object reference to Group id 62 of Page id 111. This is the reference to Text Pane 39.

In order to change it to something else you can look up the id number of another TextPane in the TextFields Catagory, or you can write an explicit object reference to a Custom TextPane you created or a Field that has certain properties.

If you like say, TextPane 27 better, locate it in the catalog, rightclick it and select Properties for icon.

Now in the ToolBook Object field copy the object reference and paste in into the DefaultTextPane ini entry (see image below)

Finding the Object reference of a textpane

The relevant part of Instructor.ini should now look like this

[Simulation Capture]
DefaultTextPane=Group id 66 of Page id 108

Please Note you can also write an explicit object reference to a field or a TextPane. In other the following would also work:

[Simulation Capture]
DefaultTextPane=Field "Foo" of page "Bar" of Book "C:\bar.tbk"

Note that if you write an invalid object reference, the default TextPane will be used. Also note that changing the ini setting works on all simulations you build from now on.

I hope you have found this article useful, comments and suggestions are welcome at tlund@elearningspecialist.com.

Happy ToolBooking

Tomas Lund