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Definition

Frames are the building blocks of Scripts.

Use

Imagine an authored Script as a presentation, and each Frame is a Slide. Frames are where you control the specific actions that happen in a Scenario. It could be a message appearing, media playing, item interactions, and assets becoming available through spawning.

Location

One or more Frames hold the Resources, Events, Conditions, and Variables that are all parts of a script:

Open

• Frames hold the Script content;

• Every Script has at least one Frame, though you can have as many as you’d like;

• To keep organized, utilize clearly marked Frames and this will help with troubleshooting; and

• Script content is identified in Frames via icons.

When you first open a Script you’ll find the Frames on the left hand side of the screen. The Frame that is highlighted in red is the active Frame that is currently being edited in the middle of the screen:

Open

Frame Definitions

Main Frame 

This is the Frame created by Storyflow that is needed for the structure of a Script.  You cannot add Resources to this Frame.  In this example it is the Frame highlighted in red.  Under the Resource area, you’ll see the message regarding the inability to add Resources to this Frame: 

Main Frame

Top Level Frame

A Frame that is created by clicking on the plus icon to the right of the Main Frame.  All top-level Frames will run simultaneously unless a Condition is added.  In this image, all the frames under the Main Frame are top level Frames.  We know this as they are all lined up on the left and not indented.  They were all created by clicking on the plus icon to the right of the Main Frame: 

This is the frame created by Storyflow that is needed for the structure of a script.  You cannot add Resources to this f

New Frame

This is the first Frame underneath the Main Frame when a Script is created. By default, it’s called “New Frame” but you can rename it and add Resources to it. Typically this first Frame is used to hold all of the scene objects for a Script and is named as such:

Parent Frame

A parent Frame has another Frame, nested or indented underneath it. This nested Frame underneath is referred to as a child Frame. When you click on a parent Frame it will be in red and all the dependent child Frames to that parent will have a red stripe. In this example, the parent Frame is the “Task Intro Frame” and the child Frame is the “Lid on Can Frame”. If you also notice, the next Frame “Put cans and brush away” is a child Frame to the “Lid on Can frame” as we can see its nested, or indented underneath:

A Child Frame, or Nested Frame

The main function of child frames is to control the order in which frames are processed. The child frame runs simultaneously to the parent frame but only after the condition on the parent frame is met. This will always be true unless there is a condition on the child frame preventing it from running before the parent frame has ended. Also called a “Nested Frame” or “Sub Frame”. A Child Frame is indented and located underneath a “Parent” Frame. When you click on a Child Frame it will be in red and the Parent Frame will have a red stripe.

Helpful Tips

Frame Icons

The icons in Frames can be very helpful.  When you mouse over them, they display what has been added to the Frame.  In this example when we hover over the icon in the red frame, a label appears letting us know that it is a Screen Media Resource:

Another valuable aspect to these icons is that you can drag and drop them into other Frames.  In this example, I want to create a child Frame that is dependent on the Screen Media running and closing.  So I can drag and drop the Screen Media icon into the Conditions area of the new child Frame:

Frame Dragging

Something that may come in handy is the ability to move Frames around by grabbing the the three horizontal lines to the left of a Frame you can move the Frame to a different order in the Script, or make it a parent or child of another Frame.

Frame Copy

You can also make a copy of a Frame by using the icon on the right.  It will make an exact copy of everything that is in that Frame.  If that Frame has nested Frames, it will also copy them:

Related Articles:

Frame Processing