The Macromedia Authorware variables and functions give you a level of control that's much greater than what you can achieve by manipulating icons on the flowline. You can collect and manipulate data, get detailed information about interactions, make decisions based on specific conditions, and set up Authorware to do just about anything a computer is capable of.
You don't need to be a programmer to take advantage of variables and functions--in many cases, Authorware makes it as easy as copying and pasting.
Variables represent values that can change. As the word implies, a variable's value varies. Authorware contains over 250 variables that are ready to use. For example, the system variable PercentCorrect automatically keeps track of the percentage of questions a user has answered correctly. You can easily create your own custom variables to store any information you need to keep track of.
Functions perform specific tasks. Authorware has more than 350 functions. For example, the system function JumpFile lets you jump from one Authorware file to another. WriteExtFile lets you save information in a text file.
You can combine variables and functions in expressions. An expression is any part of an Authorware statement, meant to be taken as a whole. For example, 2 + 2 is an expression but not a valid statement all by itself. A statement is a valid Authorware instruction that produces a result by performing a calculation or carrying out an operation. For example, UserName := "John Smith" is a statement that assigns a value to a variable.
To add to your expressions, you can insert commonly used programming statements, called code snippets, such as if...then statements and repeat loops, into your calculation. You can select from default snippets, edit them, or add your own.
Combining variables, functions, and expressions--along with code snippets--to tell Authorware exactly what you want it to do is called scripting.
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