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How to unlock Chapters based on a specific time
How to unlock Chapters based on a specific time

Choose at what time you want a Chapter to be unlocked for a user

Danny Slotboom avatar
Written by Danny Slotboom
Updated over a year ago

📌 Note: We recommend to use Google Chrome to ensure an optimal experience when using AppicalNow.

Overview

In this tutorial, you'll learn how to use time-based unlocking to control when specific chapters in your course become available to users. This feature is perfect for creating structured onboarding experiences where content is delivered at the right moment in a new hire’s journey.

Time-based unlocking ensures chapters are released in a predefined order and at specific times, such as before or after a user’s start date. This is particularly useful for:

  • Pre-boarding: Providing essential information before a new hire’s first day.

  • Onboarding: Gradually releasing chapters to guide new hires during their first week or month.

  • Compliance or Training Programs: Ensuring users complete content in a phased manner for better retention.

Example

You might unlock the first chapter immediately for pre-boarding tasks (e.g., "Welcome to the Company") and release the next chapter ("Meet Your Team") on the new hire’s first day. Similarly, a compliance chapter might unlock a week later to allow the user time to settle in before tackling it.

Steps to Unlock Chapters Based on Time

→ Access the Course Editor

  1. Click on Courses in the left-hand menu.

  2. Choose the course you want to edit

  3. Click on 'Editor'.

→ Open Chapter Settings

  1. Navigate to the desired Chapter within a Story.

  2. Click the gear icon in the top-right corner of the chapter.

  3. Select Settings from the dropdown menu.

→ Set the Unlock Time

  1. Locate the text field labeled "Unlock this story at runtime date (optional)".

  2. Enter the number of days after a user's start date (or course start date) that the chapter should unlock.

Examples

Unlock on the First Day:

  • Enter 0 in the text field.

  • Example: The chapter "Welcome to the Company" will unlock on the user’s start date (e.g., January 1st).

Unlock After a Specific Delay:

  • Enter 7 to unlock the chapter 7 days after the user’s start date.

  • Example: The chapter "Understanding Compliance Policies" will unlock on January 8th.

Preboarding Content:

  • Enter a negative number (e.g., -4) to unlock the chapter before the first day.

  • Example: The chapter "Get to Know Your Role" will unlock on December 28th, 4 days before a new hire starts on January 1st.

→ Using start date in invites

CSV Invites and Open Invites allow you to set a course start date for users.

  • If a course start date is specified: This date will be used to calculate unlock times for chapters.

  • If a course start date is not specified: AppicalNow will use the first day as the reference for unlock calculations.

  • If neither a start date nor a first day is set: The day the course is assigned will serve as the reference point.

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