An interaction is one “When → What” sentence.
An interaction is a rule you write on an object or a scene. During playback, when someone clicks, hovers, or presses a key, it does what you set it to do.
The three parts of a sentence
One interaction is one sentence. The list in the Interactions panel reads in two columns, “When” and “What”. When is the thing to react to (the trigger), and What is the thing to do then (the action).
You can put a condition between the two. The action runs only when the condition is met.
You can chain several actions, and they run in the order they’re written. An action that plays an animation only starts it and moves straight on to the next action. To leave time between them, add a wait action.
| Sentence in the panel | What it does |
|---|---|
| On click → Go to Detail | Clicking this object opens the Detail scene. |
| While hovering → Play Grow | The object grows and stays bigger while the mouse is over it, then goes back to its original size when the pointer leaves. |
| After 3s → Next scene | Goes to the next scene 3 seconds after the scene opens. |
| On click, if score ≥ 3 → Go to Result | Goes to the Result scene only when the score variable is 3 or more. If the condition isn’t met, this sentence is skipped. |
| On click → Play Pop, Wait 0.5s, Next scene | The three actions run in turn. Because of the wait, the scene changes after Pop finishes. |
Where a sentence is written
An interaction is always written on one object or one scene. In Interaction mode (⇧I), look at the Interactions panel’s Selection tab. With one object selected, it shows that object’s sentences; with nothing selected, it shows the scene’s. The name of the object or scene you’re looking at appears next to the panel title.
What should happen when someone clicks an object or hovers over it goes on that object. Things that aren’t tied to one object, such as a click on an empty spot, entering the scene, or time passing, go on the scene.
On a click, SSHOW looks for a matching sentence, starting at the object under the pointer and moving up through the groups and frames that hold it. If none has one, the scene’s sentences take the click. So when you write a sentence on a button made from a frame, the button responds even when someone clicks the text or icon inside it.
The canvas doesn’t mark which objects have interactions. The panel’s Scene tab gathers every object in this scene that has a sentence, and the thumbnails in the Scenes list show a lightning bolt with the number of interactions in that scene.
Three ways to make a sentence
| Way | How | Read more |
|---|---|---|
| Recipe | On the right of the panel, under “What should it do?”, recipes that fit the selected object (or the scene, if nothing is selected) appear. Choose one to open a form with blanks to fill in, then click Apply to make the sentences and animations it needs all at once. A recipe with no blanks is applied the moment you choose it. | Recipes |
| Drag ◇ | Drag the diamond (◇) next to the selected object onto another scene in the Scenes list. This makes a sentence that goes to that scene on click. | Your first interaction |
| Make your own | For anything the recipes don’t cover, click Make your own below the recipes and choose an action first. Then click the words in the sentence to change them. | Edit and preview |
Where sentences run
Sentences run only during playback. While you edit, clicking an object just selects it. To check as you build, click the triangle Preview button in the title row of the Interactions panel. The canvas responds as it does during playback. Press esc to return to the scene and selection you started the preview from.
Sentences don’t change your design. Variable values changed and animations played during playback reset when playback ends.
| Where | How to open | A click no sentence takes |
|---|---|---|
| Preview | The Preview button in the title row of the Interactions panel | Does nothing. |
| Presentation screen | The triangle Present from this scene button · F5 | Goes to the next scene. |
| Play link | Open the address from Share with a link in a browser | Goes to the next scene. |
What it reacts to and what it does
When (triggers)
Input from people: click, double-click, long press, swipe, hover, and key press. Hover doesn’t work on touch screens, and the panel shows a warning under such sentences.
Time and playback: entering the scene, a set time passing, reaching a stop, and an animation, video, or audio ending.
Values: a variable changing, and a message arriving from another sentence.
What (actions)
Scene moves: go to a chosen scene, the next scene, or the previous scene, go back, and end the show.
Motion and media: play and stop animations, change a frame’s state, and play and pause the timeline, video, and audio.
Values and the outside: change a variable, wait, open a URL, send a request, and send a message. The full list is in Triggers, actions, and conditions.
On the presentation screen, clicking an empty spot goes to the next scene
In the preview, a click that no sentence takes does nothing. On the presentation screen and play links, though, it goes to the next scene, as in any presentation. A click on a sentence that was skipped because its condition wasn’t met also counts as a click no sentence took. If a screen should move on only through its buttons, then with nothing selected, choose Ignore empty clicks from the Recipes in the Interactions panel.
Updated 10/12/2026 · The videos on this page were recorded in the current editor.