PowerPoint 2013 - Kiosk Mode with Touch Enabled - Touch does not work with Mouse Click Action Configured on Text Boxes

Anonymous
2012-12-31T22:53:37+00:00

When I create a PPT 2013 presentation with my Surface RT tablet that has touch mode enabled and has text Boxes labeled with menu selections with a mouse click action to go to a slide within the presentation based upon what the user chooses in the menu of the first slide. I am able to trigger the action with a mouse or touch.  When I enable kiosk mode, I loose the touch capability, only the mouse works.

I want to create a kiosk presentation with PowerPoint 2013 that has touch capability to start on the first slide via a menu with multiple paths in my PowerPoint presentation based on what the user wants to see and then have it return back to the first slide.

Also noticed, that if the user holds their finger down on the screen long enough over the presentation, PowerPoint will show controls on the bottom (left/right arrows, close, etc.)  The close button works and this is not good.  This is the case when saving as a PPSX file or within PowerPoint using preview.

Please advise.

Thanks,

Carl

Microsoft 365 and Office | PowerPoint | For home | Windows

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  1. Anonymous
    2015-10-20T19:44:56+00:00

    Hello,

    I am a developer on PowerPoint and wrote a significant chunk of the touch handling.  Yes, we very much care.  It does make me sad that code that I was a part of is causing you pain.

    Just a little background.  Touch in kiosk mode was purposefully disabled.  I did a quick peek and found a comment in the code "// In Kiosk Mode, only tool bar is available" inside our touch handling which verified my memory (this was some four years ago... had to make sure :)).

    Consider this scenario: a vendor is using PPT to display slides to an audience on a touch monitor in a mall.  They definitely want touch to be disabled so users do not change the SlideShow.  That is most common kiosk scenario and what we usually design around (hence, our decision).

    However, that's not to say that your scenario is not also important.  Would you be so kind as to explain in detail your scenario?  Especially, can you explain why kiosk mode is required beyond normal slideshow?  This will help me (and the rest of the PowerPoint team) understand how our application is being used and to better design for other scenarios. 

    Perhaps we need a setting that allows touch in kiosk mode.  I can't promise anything, though.  Once I understand your scenario, I will describe it to our team and we will discuss it.

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  2. Anonymous
    2015-10-20T17:06:57+00:00

    Hello,

    We are October 2015, even with all the latest updates, PowerPoint2013 is still NOT able to use TOUCH screens on "shapes", "action buttons" or even simple "HyperLinks".

    We have developped a complete system based on PPT2013 with VBA with SQL Server backend.

    The application NEEDS to be run in KIOSK mode.

    The application function if the user has a STILET (PEN) on a TABLET but the TOUCH with finger only works with OLD PREHISTORICAL ActiveX (CommandButton etc). We CANNOT force our users to buy/use a pen on TOUCH tablets.

    We have read forums, searched the internet, etc... no way to get 'finger' TOUCH working on PPT2013.

    It's been more than 2 years... What is Microsoft doing? What's the priority on this? Don't they care about Powerpoint VBA developpers?

    Can someone help us?

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  3. Anonymous
    2014-04-23T16:08:41+00:00

    Unfortunately, we can’t use your workaround Matt because our presentation links out to all sorts of programs etc. that apparently the viewer alone doesn't support.

    It’s a real pain that, having upgraded (!!!) both software and hardware to embrace touch, we can’t utilise it unless we disable Kiosk mode. This itself causes problems because (security issues aside), instead of simply touching hyperlinks, clumsy users are inadvertently performing screen gestures and, once the screen image has been magnified, hyperlink functionality disappears until the correct image size has been restored.

    Why on earth can’t Microsoft fix this?

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  4. Anonymous
    2014-04-19T23:41:20+00:00

    Hi guys,

    Think I have a work around to the problem to Powerpoint 2013 issue regarding touch not enabled in kiosk mode. Load and open your presentation with Powerpoint viewer. It is working with my touchscreen, and will only close if you press the ESC key.

    Cheers, Matt

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  5. Anonymous
    2014-04-12T16:22:34+00:00

    One month later -- April 12, 2014 and I am trying to solve this problem. I need to run this on a kiosk and it seems crazy that I can not have an object trigger a text box with the touch screen (but I can with the mouse). Has anyone figured out a work around?

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