eXe User Handbook

note - this content is very old and doesn't really apply any more. For a more up-to-date User Guide see: http://exe.cfdl.auckland.ac.nz/?q=toc

What is eXe?

The eLearning XML editor (eXe) is a tool for creating web pages designed for eLearning. The eXe runs inside the Firefox web browser and should be fairly easy to use for anyone familiar with web applications.

Starting the eXe

To start the eXe, double-click the eXe icon that should have appeared on your desktop after installation. If you don't have an eXe icon on your desktop you will need to find the application's icon in your start menu. Once started, the program will launch a Firefox web browser with the eXe loaded. You should probably maximise the Firefox window to utilise all the space you have available to work in.

Working with the eXe

When the program is launched you will be in the Draft area of the program...

The Control Panel

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On the left of the screen you should see the control panel. You will use the Control Panel to add structure and content to your project as well as change styles.

When first starting the eXe you can either immediately begin working on a new project, or load an existing saved project. Loading a previously saved project will be dealt with later.

The control panel consists of 3 tabs that reveal different functional panels: Outline, iDevices, and Styles. The Control Panel can also be minimized by clicking the small arrow to the right of the tabs. This affords you the maximum area for working on your content.

Outline Pane

When you start eXe the Control Panel will most likely be displaying the Outline pane. The Outline pane is where you can begin to structure your project by adding nodes. Nodes in the eXe will eventually translate into individual web pages in the finished product. There are two nodes already present: the Draft node, and Home node. Draft can be used as a 'scratchpad' area. Any content added into the Draft node will not be saved when the project is exported into web pages or a SCORM package.

Home is the 'root' node of your project. If your project is exported as a Web page, all pages will have a link back to the Home Page. You can begin adding structure to your project by clicking on the green 'add topic' icon next to the Home node. This will create a new Topic node underneath Home. All nodes created underneath Home can be deleted, but the Home node cannot. Click on the red X icon to delete a node.

The eXe structures content in a heirarchical fashion. The initial taxonomy for this heirarchy is: Topic -> Section -> Unit. You can change this taxonomy to reflect the labelling of your particular content or organisation. Changing the taxonomy is discussed later under Properties. Add a Topic by clicking on the green 'add topic' icon next to Home; add a Section by clicking on the green 'add section' icon next to any Topic; add a Unit by clicking on the 'add unit' icon next to any Section. One way to think about the relationship of nodes to each other is a parent/child relationship. Sections will always be the children of a Topic, and likewise, Units will always be the children of a parent Section. If you delete a node, all it's children will be deleted as well.

Clicking on the name of a node will take you to the Authoring panel associated with that node. The authoring panel is where you will add content to the node (see: Authoring Panel for guidance on working with the Authoring Panel). To change the name of a particular node; click on the node to display the Authoring Panel attached to that node, then click on the 'Edit this Title' icon next to the default title in the Authoring Panel. You can now change the title of the node by entering a new title and clicking on the 'done' icon. Note that the name of the node has now changed in the Control Panel, Outline pane.

iDevices Pane

Clicking on the iDevices tab reveals a list of the available Instructional Devices (iDevices). An iDevice is a reusable learning device such as a Case Study, Reading Activity, or Multiple Choice quiz question. iDevices can be added into the Authoring Pane by clicking on the iDevice name. iDevices are added to the node that was selected before choosing the iDevice pane.

Adding an iDevice results in an empty iDevice appearing in the Authoring Pane.

Styles Pane

The Styles Pane tab will reveal a list of available styles that you can publish content with. Clicking on an available style will change the colours, fonts, icons, etc of the Authoring Panel.

The Authoring Panel

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The Authoring Panel is where most of your work in the eXe will take place. It is where iDevices are added and content is created. The Authoring Panel can be in two modes: preview and editing mode. You can switch between the two modes by clicking on the 'preview all' or 'edit all' icons that appear in the top right of the Authoring Pane.

In preview mode you will be seeing your content in a similar style to what it will be presented when you save it as a web page or export as a SCORM package. You can change the style of the Authoring Panel by clicking on the Styles tab in the Control Panel and selecting an alternate style. If you want to quickly preview a style you can also find a list of available styles by clicking on the 'palette' icon that appears in the bottom right of your Firefox browser and choosing a style. This style will not persist and you will need to select the style from the Styles tab in order to select it for publishing.

In editing mode all iDevices that have been added to the Authoring Panel of the node that is currently selected will be open for editing.

From within the Authoring Panel you can also perform a variety of functions related to iDevices. iDevices that are in editing mode can be moved up and down with the Authoring Panel in relation to other iDevices, can be deleted, or moved entirely to a different node. Up and Down arrows present underneat an iDevice in editing mode will move the iDevice within the current Authoring Panel; selecting a new node from the drop-down box will move the iDevice and all it's content to another node. This functionality may be quite useful for iDevices or content that was authored in the Draft node for later placement.