Copying Control Buttons Crashes Storyline

Hi, Richard.

No, I am inserting a question format slide (from the general layout options) and typing a question with four possible answers. I click INSERT, then select CONTROLS, then choose a button like the third radio button on the list.

I then format the button to have a dark blue fill, and all is fine.

I then select the button, press CTRL+C, and then press CTRL+V to paste it a few times, and that is where the crash occurs.

Richard Harshaw
Lodestar Consulting
4625 East Brilliant Sky Drive
Cave Creek, AZ 85331
Phone: 480.227.7231
Web: www.lodestarconsultinginc.com

Hi Richard,

First, just a reminder that replying via email includes your signature here, so you are welcome to edit the post to remove that information.

I followed your steps as described here and was able to use the copy/paste shortcuts to successfully include multiple versions of that first button. Does the crash occur after the first paste or after you've done a few in a row? How does duplicating work (CTRL +D)? Have you confirmed that you're working on local project files as described here. You will also want to look at repairing Storyline if this is happening in more than one file. 

Also, as Richard K mentioned, can you add in standard questions using the multiple choice if you want radio buttons? 

Hi, Ashley.  Thanks for the reminder!

The crash occurs from the first button I try to copy.  Weird, this did not start until about a month ago.   I have not tried the dupe function (CTRL+D). Oops, just did, and it crashed too.

I am working on my local hard drive. I'll try a repair next. Makes me a bit nervous to take it entirely off and download and reinstall it, but I'll try that later today.

I have not tried standard questions because I did not want to use the graded question format for this part of m course.

Hi, Ashley. I uninstalled Articulate Storyline 2 and reinstalled it, using the latest download from Articulate. But alas, the problem still persists.

Hi Richard,

Thanks for going through the repair process and I'm sorry it didn't assist. You mentioned it just started a month ago, could there be anything else added to your system at that point in time? If it's continuing to crash you will want to look at pulling the error logs as described here and send along to our team to take a look at. 

 Sorry--I'm in slow motion today.  I now see that you are not adding a multiple choice question object and adding four answer choices in the question object, but are clicking INSERT tab and adding buttons from CONTROLS as your answer choices (duplicating the button to total four answer choices).  Is this correct?

Alternative: If you select new slide and choose a multiple choice question from Basic Layouts, you are in Form view for the question, and you just add four answer choices and you're done. However, you may have a good reason to add buttons as answer choices? If so, perhaps creating four different buttons, fine-tuning one of these and then doing multiple Format Painter on the other three would be your best bet.  Would you mind sharing the slides that are causing problems (not the entire file)?

Ashley, I tried to crash Storyline today with my problem with the debugging tool I downloaded, and the crazy program works just fine. I was able to copy the control buttons without a crash.

So now I am wondering if the problem was something inherent in my slide master (imported from another program) or my original story file?

Richard, roger on that slow motion thing! You are correct in that I am creating a slide using the Question layout and using the control buttons so the learner can click his/her choice. As you can see by my note to Ashley, Storyline did not crash this morning when I tried to replicate the problem. However, I was working in a DIFFERENT story file, so maybe I should try this with the original file?

Aha! The plot sickens!

I just tried replicating the problem in the story file where I first encountered it, and it crashed. I am uploading the crash log in a minute or two.

Thanks Richard - definitely was thinking it sounds like that particular file then, so let us know once you get the error logs uploaded and I'll follow along as our Support team takes a look. 

I just uploaded a Screenr to your team. I could not get the crash log program to work. I'd open Storyline, open the SL2CrashLog.bat file as administrator, replicate the crash, all ok. I'd even see a new folder on the desktop (but it was empty).

I then tried running SL2LogZip.bat as administrator, but when I did the log folder on the desktop disappeared and a replacement never did show up, even after waiting 5 minutes.

I hope the team can figure it out from the screenr, but without the log file, it might be tough!

Thanks Richard - if you have a case number (what you would have received via email after submitting the case to confirm) I can follow along. 

Thanks!  Here it is:  00642011

Thanks Richard - and I'll keep an eye on it. Just a thought, you mentioned you're using the question layout template, but then adding in your own buttons - is there a particular element on that slide master, is that why you're using that, as I know you're not using the standard question templates. Perhaps look at trying your own custom slide master or one of the other built in masters? I know it's just this one file, so it's unlikely - but perhaps Storyline's not happy about the combo of the question template and you adding your own buttons. 

Ashley, the process works fine if I use a graded question template. But I wanted to use my own template with a question slide. In my review questions during a course, I like to use lighter "feedback" questions, or "learning checks". The end-of-course questions are graded and usually tougher.

When I do a learning check question, I then link each button to a layer. Each layer has a photographic character with a caption bubble giving feedback on that answer, then an action button-- try again, or go on. Try again returns to the base layer, of course, and go on skips to the next slide.

Such questions allow me to let a student repeat a question and learn from it without costing him or her "points" on their final.

Each answer on the base layer has a control button attached to it, which in turn reveals one of the layers tied to that answer.

Clear as oak?

Sounds like an interesting and good set up - we'll hopefully be able to get this to work as intended with our Support team. 

I just sent a Screenr video of the process to one of your team (Robert).

Here is the link:  https://player.vimeo.com/video/204934299

Thanks Richard - I saw that and that you're working with Robert, so I'll continue to keep an eye on it. 

Thanks Richard H--your screenr really helps--I tried to replicate based on your screenr and could not replicate the issue.  Don't think it's an issue with your layout. Curious to know if it's just a corrupt file?

Possibly. I uninstalled Storyline 2 and reinstalled it, but still have the issue. Of course, I am still using my question layout template, where I suspect now the real problem lies.  I need to explore that. Maybe change the question template, or use the template that is standard with Storyline and customize it with my logo, etc.

Hi, just to add a bit. When I select a image or button or most things and use Control D to duplicate, Storyline crashes and forces me to close. Sometimes on reopening it will recover and sometimes it wont.

I have also had this crash when copying text that is in the Notes area.

It didnt crash like this in Storyline v1 and frustratingly it doesnt do it every time I click Ctrl D.

What would help I guess is an autosave feature that can be time set, to something like 5 mins! or a patch to fix the crash problem.

Hi Tim! You may want to consider a repair of your software if you are having intermittent issues.

In addition, we do have an auto-recovery setting:

• Save AutoRecovery information every ___ minutes: Mark this box to recover your work if the power goes out or the app shuts down unexpectedly. Storyline will automatically save a copy of your project at the specified interval. The default interval is every 10 minutes, but you can enter any whole number between 1 and 120.

You can read more about that here.

Thanks Leslie for your reply. I have followed the directions for the repair.

But....in my latest project I created a checkbox control and if I try to copy it to another slide it crashes the program.??

Can you not copy and paste a control?

Thanks for the autorecovery info.

cheers

Tim

Hi Tim,

You should be able to copy and paste an item on the slide and add it to the same slide or even a new slide. You mentioned using CTRL D to duplicate - which works normally for me in Storyline 2 Update 7 (the latest updated) and I also tested CTRL C/V and the right click copy/paste behavior. 

You mentioned going through the repair, can you also test this in a brand new .story file to see if it's something specific to your one file? If that works, you may want to look at importing your file into a new version as described here and ensure you're working on project files following the guidelines here. 

This happens to me as well! SL crashes every time I try to copy/paste radio buttons. But it only happens when I use a certain template. :( Which is unfortunate because I use it a lot and do not want to rebuild it.