Authorware Vs. Toolbook II

Authorware is easier to learn how to use and gives a pretty good selection of customizations. Toolbook has a steeper learning curve, but ultimately gives you more flexibility in doing what you want to do. There is much more code-writing involved when you want to do some basic manipulations in Toolbook.

If you're looking for an authoring tool, you may want to look at products other than Authorware or Toolbook. We purchased an earlier version of Toolbook, attended the training, and simply found it far to difficult for non-programmers to use. We then purchased Quest (www.allencomm.com) and have had much better success with it. However, if you want great Web functionality, ease of use may not be the most important criteria. Macromedia has led the way in Web functionality in the past.

Toolbook is a much broader tool than Authorware. Authorware can do a few things very well, but its difficult to customize. You have to do things the Authorware way using the set Authorware user interface. With Toolbook, you can customize everything including the tool interface. If you want to complete a project fast, and you're flexible with what bells and whistles it contains, I'd choose Authorware. If you have a very specific idea of what you need an authoring tool to do, and what your project needs to do, and you are a capable programmer, I'd choose Authorware.

I have been using Toolbook II for about a year. Being somewhat of a programmer in a past life, I found that the scripts I write are easy (well,,,, not very hard). If you want to have variables that can be passed around the lesson (ie. passwords, answers, etc.) then Toolbook is the answer for you. If you want to branch your lesson depending on answers to questions, go with Toolbook. If you want to provide the maximum capabilities that a CBT or WBT can offer with a professional look, I would suggest Toolbook. Am I a Toolbook salesmen, you ask? Nope, just a fan.

I believe you will find both of these authoring products very capable. Both Macromedia and Click2Learn (Asymetrix)strive to keep there products up to date and there?s a large user-support base out here. I have used both products starting from AuthorwareStar and Toolbook version 3. The
decision I made to stay with Toolbook was based on its authoring metaphor. While Authorware uses an icon-based logical flowcharting type metaphor, Toolbook uses a book and page metaphor. I find I just work better with Toolbook?s metaphor. When developing computer based training or web based training (CBT/WBT) the addition of Toolbook Instructor?s object catalogs helps to streamline development. The extended functionality of the scripting language is a plus.

There are several authoring packages out there. I also like MediaForge! Check www.clearsand.com for info.

As a Toolbook Instructor user for almost 2 years, I would also (obviously) put in my $0.02 for this product. The 6.x version was very robust once I learned how to program in OpenScript (my first programming language!). The latest version, 7.1, hassome new functionality in the "Actions Editor" which allows you to add programming elements without actually learning how to code in OpenScript. The the "Actions Editor" also allows you to export directly to the web. Since Toolbook Instructor is not AICC compliant, this can be critical if you are or are planning to use an LMS to track internal courses.

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