Cursor

Demo Builder automatically captures user actions and input, while recording applications. An important part of what Demo Builder captures is the cursor, including all movements, clicks and double clicks. However, not only does Demo Builder capture these movements and sounds, but it allows you to edit them afterwards. You have full control over changing the way the cursor motions are displayed, and when click and double click sounds are heard.

Cursor motions are displayed in a scene as two cursors, with a line drawn between them. One cursor represents the starting point, while the other represents the ending point. Both starting and ending points can be changed, simply by dragging the appropriate cursor to a new location.

A cursor's position is its own start point. When a new cursor is inserted, a path is drawn from the existing cursor to the new cursor. (If there is more than one cursor, the path is drawn from the last inserted cursor, to the new inserted cursor). The new cursor is the end point for the previous cursor.

The previous cursor's motion from start point to end point is then visible in Timeline and its name defaults to "Cursor Name motion" (Example, Cursor 1 motion, Cursor 2 motion etc. in the order inserted).

Cursor motion from predecessor to last inserted cursor.

Note : Only a cursor's motion is visible in Timeline. If there is only one cursor inserted on a scene (manually or during recording), no cursor motion is visible. Cursors are always visible during a movie, they do not display at a specified time for a specified interval like other Objects.

Cursor's property panel

1. Name: The default name for the Cursor object is Cursor 1, Cursor 2, and so on, as visible in the name property. You can change these cursor names to anything you like simply by deleting the default name and typing a new name. Ensure the correct Cursor is selected before changing name property.
2. Cursor Image: There are several different images available to represent the cursor. Regardless of what the cursor looked like during recording, you can change it to any of the available images. The three options for changing the cursor image are:
   • Movie shows all cursor images being used within your movie.
   • Current Theme contains cursor images with a similar theme to the default cursor.
   • Custom gives you the option of selecting existing clipart from Demo Builder, or browsing and inserting from disk.
3. Cursor paths
   When you have a cursor motion in a scene, you have the option of setting that motion as straight, a concave arc, a convex arc, or a completely custom motion. To create a straight or arc motion, simply select the appropriate icon. However, creating a custom motion is more complex (see below).
   
   

   Creating a custom cursor motion:
   After selecting the custom motion icon as the cursor path, you have to define exactly what that custom motion is to be. Position the playhead at the beginning of the cursor path in the Timeline. Then, click and hold the cursor in the canvas (which will be at the beginning of the cursor path), and drag it towards the ending of the cursor path, taking whatever route you wish to take (all the time holding down your left mouse button). Once you've arrived at your destination, release the mouse button. That's it! You've just set your custom cursor motion.

   Editing a custom cursor motion:
   If you want to change your custom cursor motion, position the playhead at the point where you want the change to occur (in the Timeline), then in the canvas, drag the cursor along some new path to the ending point. This will only change that portion of the custom path that you've redone.

   Note: Be careful when selecting your cursor in the canvas when you have a custom cursor motion. If you have click on the cursor to select it while the playhead is somewhere in the middle of the cursor motion, you will erase the custom motion from the cursor to the ending point. This action also is not undoable.... so you will then have to re-create your custom cursor path. To select your cursor always either select it in the Timeline, or by clicking either the starting or ending point in the canvas but never the middle of the path.

4. Click/Double-Click audio effects audio effects are used to determine the sound effect made by cursor at clicking point. These icons can either be selected (depressed) or not. If neither icon is selected, then there will be no sound effect (click or double click audio) at the ending of the cursor path.
5. Align cursors:There are two additional icons available, and they are called the "cursor align" icons. These icons align the cursor's position in one scene to another cursor position in the next or previous scene to give consistent flow to cursor movements from scene to scene. These icons are only available if the actions are possible. For example, if there is no cursor in the following scene, then there will be no "align forward" icon. Also, if there is no cursor in the scene before the current scene, then there will be no "align backward" icon. These align icons are only available for the first and last inserted cursors in a scene.
   
   Example:
   • Create a movie with three blank scenes.
   • Insert one cursor in Scene 1, one cursor in Scene 3 and two cursors in Scene 2.
   • Select the cursor in Scene 1, and notice that it only has one align property, the "align forward" icon. This is because it is the first scene in the movie and there are no prior scenes with cursors to align the cursor to. Click the align forward icon, and you'll notice that the cursor's position is adjusted so that it exactly matches up with the position of the first cursor in Scene 2.
   • When you select either the beginning or ending cursor in Scene 2, you'll notice that there are two align icons available, align forward and align backward. This is because there are indeed cursor in the scene before, and the scene after the current scene.
   • In Scene 3 there is only the align backward icon, since there is no scene after Scene 3, and thus no forward cursor to align to.

How to Split a cursor motion

You can easily split an existing cursor motion into two separate cursor motions. You may wish to do this if you want one motion to occur, and the have the motion stop while something else is going on in the scene, then have the cursor motion resume afterwards. To split a cursor motion into two motions, first select a cursor motion in the Timeline. Move the playhead inside the cursor motion, to the position where you want the split to occur. Hold down the CTRL key and drag the right side of the cursor motion. It is important to drag the "middle" of the new cursor motion and not the small arrow that's at the end of the cursor motion. Doing so will split the motion, thus creating a new cursor motion.

How to Merge two cursor motions into one

To merge two cursor motions into one cursor motion, you first have to make sure the first cursor motion does not have any click or double-click event associated with it. In the Timeline, move the first cursor motion by clicking the middle of it and dragging it, until it meets up with the second cursor motion. You'll notice that the two motions will merge into one.

Free Move and Free Resize

Demo Builder allows you to move or resize the cursor motion only if the cursor is always synchronized with the movie. For example, if a scene has two "changes" and you have a cursor motion in the first "change", you'll notice that you cannot move the cursor motion to overlap the start of the second "change". To "free move", simply hold down the CTRL key and drag the cursor motion. To "free resize", hold down the CTRL key and drag the small arrow cursor in the Timeline.