Embedding HTML5 Software Simulations into Presenter then publishing to LMS

May 16, 2017

Currently, we publish all our Software Simulation courses to our Moodle-based LMS no problem, using Captivate SWF files embedded into Presenter PowerPoint slides which launch on the click of a button, as per current Articulate functionality.

However, my question comes from knowing SWF files don't work on iDevices/HTML5 published courses.

Am I missing something or is it not possible to embed an HTML5 based Captivate simulation (I can publish as one, the other or both format; HTML5 or SWF) into a clickable button in a Presenter slide?

I can see no mention of it, so am guessing this is the case.

Please can someone supply a definitive answer?  Thanks.

Whilst most of our staff are likely to use a desktop or laptop and therefore should be able to view courses with SWF files, I was hoping it might be able to produce something which could work on iPads etc.

I recognize people are unlikely to do software simulation courses on an iphone due to the size of the screen!  :D

7 Replies
Steve Blackwell

Hi Ashley,

The web objects, as far as I know, have to be hosted online first to then be able to be imported into the slide. I was hoping it would be possible to insert a clickable element, like the insert swf, which pointed to the launching html file in the Studio course structure folder.

We don't have a webserver we can use within the organisation and due to the content cannot publish to a public webspace.

I look forward to hearing other responses too.

Thanks for getting in touch.

Steve Blackwell

Steve Blackwell

Thanks for getting back Ashley. Captivate publishes a folder of a myriad of files across multiple folders with the .swf and its equivalent .html (for HTML5) at the top level. It is this .swf file that is normally imported into the PowerPoint slide, traditionally over a button or image to launch it and allow the user to practice the software functionality.

I was hoping something similar could be done with the HTML5 file (i.e. stored within the zip file uploaded to the LMS which is then called upon from its location in the folder) but I have no idea if this would be a specific URL whilst sitting in the cloud so to speak or the controls to launch it in another browser window etc, as imbedding it within the Articulate Player would be too small.

I live in hope :)

Steve Blackwell

Steve Blackwell

So yesterday, I just thought I would take a punt and use Insert Web Object from within my course file structure as opposed to an http: location, assuming it would fail for any PCs other than the one I develop courses on, as it was pointing to my files on the C drive.

Lo and behold, it works across different PCs and iDevice but inserting a web object leaves the slide with an ugly grey clickable button with the word Web Object on it!

I tried changing the picture in PowerPoint of the Web Object (right-click menu option) but whilst it shows on the slide, it doesn't display when published :(

That's when I went rooting around in the published folder structure, finding the web object jpeg in both the Mobile and Presentation_Content.

I replaced these grey jpegs with my button images to launch the software simulations and they worked like a charm (although jpegs don't resize too nicely on changing size of the browser!)

Now I just need to work out how to get a double-click on an iDevice!! ;P

I think it would be useful for the Tutorial pages to be updated with this info, so other people can benefit from the knowledge :)

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