Articulate Storyline 3 - Problem with file Size

Jan 16, 2019

Ok,

I noticed a problem when I delete several slides in a storyline and that I save a first time, the .story file keeps the same size as before the deletion.
If I reopen the file that I saved following the changes and re-save it a second time the size changes to true. Is this normal?

5 Replies
Gai Tuz

Hello Steve,

This looks like a normal behaviour to me. Not only in Articulate but basically for several Windows apps that keep track of the versions, assets and cache of a file. So exiting the file after saving the new version (with deleted items) does not automatically purge the cached version history. It does that so even after you hit Save, you can still undo the deletion.

Alternatively you can directly create a new file with an updated file size right away by using "Save As"

Here's a similar scenario for this: https://community.articulate.com/discussions/articulate-storyline/file-size-414b8e17-76b4-4f37-bc92-e401aba9a130

 

Steve Prud'Homme


I understand the ideology of development at the center of these features. I understand that this is a Microsoftian way of managing files. Another example of this way is the fact that the file is locked when working in it, which makes it impossible to copy, backup, or version the file while working in it. I think it's a choice that the Articulate development team has made and this choice is questionable in the sense that your main competitor Adobe, does not do that. When I save a Captivate file, I do not have those same behaviors. For advanced users this can become an irritant. For example, when working with several files on a day-to-day basis, and using several authoring tools, it becomes irritating to have to save-as in a tool instead of a normal save, as in the other author tools.

Plus, it takes up more space for nothing. I give you an example of a typical case where we would have a storyline file with several chapters, for example 7. The customer changes their mind and asks that we divide the lesson into 7. I make 7 copies of the file and rename each files. Subsequently I delete the parts I do not want in each file. I have to make each file a save-as so as not to keep the undo in the file. Do not you think it's a little counterproductive?

Crystal Horn

Hi there, Steve.  Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts.  It sounds like managing files would be easier for you if the action of deleting content were immediate and permanent, and if .story files weren't locked while in use.  I'd like to share the rest of your thoughts with our team, but I wanted to be sure that this summary was accurate.  Can you confirm?

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