Logical problem with tour start

[JSchrader]

I have (a) screen element/s that I only want to appear on the start of a tour (mainly a screentint).
Null problemo, I can use a tag or a ViewerInit action.

The problem occurs because the customer also wants to use direct node access to directly link to specific panoramas inside the tour.
I can't think of a solution that will keep the specific element/s hidden when the initial node is called.

Please advise.

[thomas]

You can use a variable to do this.

• Add a bool variable like "show_at_start" with default true
• add a visibility logic block that looks after that variable for the tint
• add a skin action to set the variable to false if you click the tint

This should do the trick.

[JSchrader]

Thats what I have now.
But that means I always will see the tint and it only disappears after the click.
As the tint doesn't make any sense with direct node access, I'd prefer a solution to suppress it entirely.

[thomas]

So it should only show if the tour starts on the default node?
Just add a tag to the first node, and make and additional condition for the logic block for the tint with "and" - "contains tag" - "first_pano_tag". The rest can stay the same.

[JSchrader]

Sure, but then the tint still will appear when the specific pano is called by a direct node access.
I assume with the current version of Pano2VR there is no way to avoid this.

[kconklin]

What if you create a duplicate of the default node with the tint and use that as your new default node. Then remove the tint from the original default node. You can now use that one to hit directly. Then create a transition from the new default node (with tint) to the original default node (no tint) when starting the tour. Or some variation of that idea.

[JSchrader]

Thank you very much, that is exactly the kind of workaround I was planning to implement.

[Hopki]

Hi Jürgen,
To check my understanding of your requirement:
1) node 1 to have a screen tint and when clicked the tint hides.
2) when using DNA (Direct Node Access) and visiting a different node you just see the pano and no tint.
Question, from the direct node access node and going to node 1 do you then want to see the tint or not.
I take it from reading the thread that you should not.

If so then the solution is very simple.

Set a skin variable, as Thomas says use a true/false (boolean) variable.
Call it "show_at_start" with default true.

1) Tag node one "tint".
2) In the skin add the rectangle that will be the tint.
Deselect it's visibility then set the rectangles Visible logic block:

Screen Shot 2017-10-21 at 21.15.15.png (64.6 KiB) Viewed 5569 times

Then give the Rectangle the action:

Screen Shot 2017-10-21 at 21.17.44.png (77.92 KiB) Viewed 5569 times

Now in the ht_node Hotspot (your hotspot that changes nodes) add the same action as above.

What will happen is if you open Node 1 the conditions are met and the screen tint will show.
Click the rectangle and you will set the variable to false so the screen tint will hide.

If you open Node 2 using DNA then the tag is not detected and the screen tint will remain hidden.
When you click a hotspot the variable will be changed to false so the conditions will not be met to show the screen tint when going to node 1.

Please see working project attached.
Regards,
Hopki

[JSchrader]

Thank you Martin.
All issues were (almost) solved.
The only thing of interest left: How can one directly access node 1 without the tint showing up.

[Hopki]

Hi Jürgen,
So again to check understanding.
If you use URL ending with .html you want node1 with a screen tint.
If you use URL ending with .html#node1 you don't.

As Pano2VR will see this as one and the same I can't think of how this can be done using the skin and logic blocks.

So it will be go back to the workaround, add a copy of node one with a rectangle tint over it. Set this as the last node, example node10.
Add a tag to it so the rectangle "screen tint" will show for only that node and give it the action to open next pano, node1 on click.
Then have it set as Start Panorama, so this will open when using .html.
This on click takes you to node01 which is the node without tint and when using direct node access and you use .html#node1 this will open without the tint.
If you don't have any hotspot that tack you to node10 with the tint then you will not see it again unless you refresh the web page.

The down side to this is you have a pano you don't actually use and is taking up space on the server. But you could make it a lower resolution JPG as it will be covered by a tint.
Regards,
Hopki

[IronWagen]

The workaround seems like a good idea.
If you have knowledge in javascript you could use the viewer init action to call an external function that handles the tint. The viewer init action fires only once when the tour is first loaded so it should not fire again when you go back to the first node.

[IronWagen]

You can use a variable to do this.

• Add a bool variable like "show_at_start" with default true
• add a visibility logic block that looks after that variable for the tint
• add a skin action to set the variable to false if you click the tint

This should do the trick.

I tested this and it works perfectly fine. The tint is not shown when I go back to the first node.. Maybe I misunderstood the original problem

[Hopki]

The requirement is:

Open the project which opens node 1 using index.html and you should see the tint. (index.html)
Open the project using DNA (Direct Node Access) and open node 1 then the tint should not show. (index.html#node1)

So the workaround of using two node 1 images would get around opening the same node opening with and without the tint.
If you open the tour using the copy, say node 10 which would be a copy of node 1 if a nine node tour.
Node 10 would have a tag to show the screen tint.
Now using DNA and opening index.html#node1 it will not have the tag so will not use the tint.

In fact you don't need to open node 1 when you close the tint if it has the same hotspots.

Regards,
Hopki