Using Action Buttons in PowerPoint

Action Buttons allow you to include easily recognizable symbols for navigating to the next, previous, first and last slides. You can also add action buttons that hyperlink to a web address in another document, that launch another program, play a sound or run a pre-recordeed macro. Action buttons come in especially handy for self-running kiosk presentations where want to allow your audience to quickly move to specific slides in your presentation.

You can set the action for the button to occur when the button is clicked or when you pass your mouse over the button. Action buttons can come in handy if during your presentation you want to quickly jump to another slide in your presentation, bring your audience to a particular web site or demonstrate another program.

The Action Button tools are located in the last category of the Shapes gallery on the Insert Ribbon. Most of the Action Buttons have predefined actions associated with them such as moving to the first or last slide of the presentation or navigating to the next or previous slide. Use the Custom Action Button in order to add your own text to the shape.

To Add an Action Button to Your Slide

1. Click the Insert tab on the Ribbon.
2. Click the Shapes button on the Illustrations group on the Ribbon.
3. Move your mouse pointer over any of the Actions Buttons under the Action category to see a description of each Action Button.
4. Click the Action Button you want to use.
5. Draw the action button on your slide until it is the desired size. The Action Settings Dialog Box will appear.
6. Click either the Mouse Click or Mouse Over tab depending on which event you want to trigger the action.
7. Click the Hyperlink to button and then select the desired link (another slide, another presentation file, web site, etc.) from the drop-down list.
8. If you want to launch another program, click the Run Program button, click the Browse button, and then navigate to the location of the program executable.
9. To play a Macro or to run an Object action item, click the appropriate radio button and then choose the macro or object name from the list.
10. If desired, click the Play Sound button and then select a sound from the drop-down list.
11. Click OK when finished.

Tip: If you want the user to be able to return to the last slide they were viewing, use the Return Action Button from the Shapes gallery.

Similar Posts:

• How to Create a Macro Group in Access
• Adding a Macro to a Command Button in Access
• How to use the Macro Designer in Access 2010
• Using an Autoexec Macro in Access 2010
• Using PowerPoint’s Drawing Tools
• Create a Custom PowerPoint Presentation
• Using Macro Conditions in Access 2010

Tagged as: Microsoft Office Tips, PowerPoint Tips