Some of our users are being prompted to either install or launch 'Flash Player' when viewing our courses. We are using Storyline 360 and publishing as HTML5 only. Is this expected behavior? Perhaps for certain browsers (IE), or older versions of browsers? Please help!
If i understand it correctly, there are other users who are not getting this prompt? If the users who are having the issue are using Google chrome, you can check the version of the Chrome installed on their computers. If you need help on checking the Chrome version, please see below.
How to determine what version of Google Chrome is installed 1. Launch Google Chrome. 2. Click the "3 vertical dots" icon on the upper right corner of the browser. 3. Hover to "Help" and look for "About Google Chrome" .
Google introduced a new security feature in Chrome 56 that blocks Flash content unless you give it permission to play. As a result, Google Chrome may instruct you to Right-click to run Adobe Flash Player when you launch Storyline and Studio courses.
With your permission, I'd like to take a look at your project file to investigate what's happening. You can share it publicly here, or send it to me privately by uploading it here. I'll delete it when I'm done troubleshooting.
Were you not able to share privately either? You can always send to our Support Team and that's kept private and confidential. If you can't share, I also understand. A few things I imagine Leslie was going to look for include:
do you have any SWF/Flash files in your course?
do you have a logo included in the player?
have you enabled a zoom region on an image/slide?
The reason I ask about those is our team has been investigating a few bugs where the SWF files are added into the published output when adding those items into the course. We'll want to test your files to confirm it's the same issue, and then we'll keep you posted here with any updates on the issue once available.
I wish I could share, but I am not permitted to. Thanks for the quick reply. I need to release this course on Monday, so I am really in crunch time.
* I do not have any swf/Flash files in my course. Everything was made directly in Storyline, with the exception of some video and audio content that was developed in Camtasia and published as .MP4 and .MP3.
* I did add a logo. Would this prompt the Flash plug in, even though I published as HTML5 only?
Also, I opened my published SCORM file and I did not see any SWF/Flash files. Unless if I missed it - is there a particular folder you recommend I look in?
My LMS provider just analyzed the SCORM package and confirmed it has Flash fallback. Since I published as HTML 5 only, how is this possible? Unless if it’s due to the potential bug your team is investigating. This is disappointing – my team just spent the last 2 years upgrading all of our courses from Flash to HTML5, to find out the SCORM files have Flash anyway? What does this mean? Do we need to upgrade them again once this bug is fixed?
If you've added a logo into the course that was a GIF or PNG file, that is still generating an SWF file within the published output. Our team is investigating that currently, but in the meantime, you can look at removing the SWF file from your output folder or using a JPEG file instead for your logo.
I'll let you know here as soon as I have more information on it!
Ah, I'm seeing the generated .SWF files when using an .EMF file, too. I'll add this detail to the bug's report as we continue to investigate.
Thanks for bringing this to our attention, and we promise to share an update in this discussion as soon as we know more. Here's an inside look at how we tackle bugs like this one!
I cannot change the image because this is a live course in our LMS. I searched the published zip file for Flash content (.swf. .flv., etc) and I didn’t come across anything. Since I cannot change it at this time, what does it mean for our students? Will the course not work without Flash being installed, or will the logo just not appear?
If they don't have Flash installed, they should be able to ignore (or choose Okay) on the prompt and run the course normally. They wouldn't see things like the logo though.
We'll keep you posted on this issue here, as we know how crucial it is for folks looking to have Flash-free content.
Great news! We just released another update for Articulate 360 and included a few important fixes and new features that you'll see in the release notes here.
One of the fixes addresses an issue where HTML5-only courses with logos sometimes had unnecessary SWF (Flash) files in the published output.
Just launch the Articulate 360 desktop app on your computer and click the Update button for Storyline 360. Details here.
Thanks for reaching out! Since we fixed this bug over a year ago, I'd like to have our support team take a look at your file and see if the bug has returned or if something else is causing this prompt to appear.
You should receive an email with a link shortly where you can upload your file. Once we're done testing, we'll reach out with next steps!
19 Replies
Hello Cassandra,
If i understand it correctly, there are other users who are not getting this prompt? If the users who are having the issue are using Google chrome, you can check the version of the Chrome installed on their computers. If you need help on checking the Chrome version, please see below.
How to determine what version of Google Chrome is installed
1. Launch Google Chrome.
2. Click the "3 vertical dots" icon on the upper right corner of the browser.
3. Hover to "Help" and look for "About Google Chrome" .
Google introduced a new security feature in Chrome 56 that blocks Flash content unless you give it permission to play. As a result, Google Chrome may instruct you to Right-click to run Adobe Flash Player when you launch Storyline and Studio courses.
You can check out this link for more information about the Flash Output issue on Chrome.
Hi Cassandra,
Thanks for reaching out and sharing what some of your users are experiencing.
I'd be curious about what environment/browsers the users were using when seeing this prompt.
Any .swf files will still be dependent on Flash. Do you have any in your course?
Hi there,
Thanks for the reply.
Two users have been promoted to enable Flash;
The first student was using: Internet Explorer 11.0.125 on Windows 10
The other was using: Firefox 60.7.0esr (x86
Thanks for the additional information, Cassandra.
With your permission, I'd like to take a look at your project file to investigate what's happening. You can share it publicly here, or send it to me privately by uploading it here. I'll delete it when I'm done troubleshooting.
Hi leslie,
Thanks for the reply. I am not able to share my content. Is there a way I can test it? I’m desperate!
Thanks,
Cassandra
Hi Cassandra,
Were you not able to share privately either? You can always send to our Support Team and that's kept private and confidential. If you can't share, I also understand. A few things I imagine Leslie was going to look for include:
The reason I ask about those is our team has been investigating a few bugs where the SWF files are added into the published output when adding those items into the course. We'll want to test your files to confirm it's the same issue, and then we'll keep you posted here with any updates on the issue once available.
Hi Ashley,
I wish I could share, but I am not permitted to. Thanks for the quick reply. I need to release this course on Monday, so I am really in crunch time.
* I do not have any swf/Flash files in my course. Everything was made directly in Storyline, with the exception of some video and audio content that was developed in Camtasia and published as .MP4 and .MP3.
* I did add a logo. Would this prompt the Flash plug in, even though I published as HTML5 only?
* I did not use the zoom region feature.
Thanks,
Cassandra
Also, I opened my published SCORM file and I did not see any SWF/Flash files. Unless if I missed it - is there a particular folder you recommend I look in?
Thanks again.
Hi Ashley,
My LMS provider just analyzed the SCORM package and confirmed it has Flash fallback. Since I published as HTML 5 only, how is this possible? Unless if it’s due to the potential bug your team is investigating. This is disappointing – my team just spent the last 2 years upgrading all of our courses from Flash to HTML5, to find out the SCORM files have Flash anyway? What does this mean? Do we need to upgrade them again once this bug is fixed?
Thanks,
Cassandra
Hi Cassandra,
If you've added a logo into the course that was a GIF or PNG file, that is still generating an SWF file within the published output. Our team is investigating that currently, but in the meantime, you can look at removing the SWF file from your output folder or using a JPEG file instead for your logo.
I'll let you know here as soon as I have more information on it!
Hi Ashley,
I double checked my logo and it’s an EMF file. Would this file type also cause an issue?
Thanks,
Cassandra
Hi there, Cassandra!
Ah, I'm seeing the generated .SWF files when using an .EMF file, too. I'll add this detail to the bug's report as we continue to investigate.
Thanks for bringing this to our attention, and we promise to share an update in this discussion as soon as we know more. Here's an inside look at how we tackle bugs like this one!
Hi Katie,
Thanks! So do you have any suggested workarounds? Is there a file type that will not cause this bug?
Thanks,
Cassandra
Hi Cassandra,
You can see the supported image files in this documentation.
We do have this issue reported for: PNG, GIF, and now EMF.
Your options are:
Hi Leslie,
I cannot change the image because this is a live course in our LMS. I searched the published zip file for Flash content (.swf. .flv., etc) and I didn’t come across anything. Since I cannot change it at this time, what does it mean for our students? Will the course not work without Flash being installed, or will the logo just not appear?
Thanks!
Cassandra
Hi Cassandra,
If they don't have Flash installed, they should be able to ignore (or choose Okay) on the prompt and run the course normally. They wouldn't see things like the logo though.
We'll keep you posted on this issue here, as we know how crucial it is for folks looking to have Flash-free content.
Hi Cassandra,
Great news! We just released another update for Articulate 360 and included a few important fixes and new features that you'll see in the release notes here.
One of the fixes addresses an issue where HTML5-only courses with logos sometimes had unnecessary SWF (Flash) files in the published output.
Just launch the Articulate 360 desktop app on your computer and click the Update button for Storyline 360. Details here.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out here or contact our support engineers directly.
Hi Ren Gomez,
I already installed the latest version of articulate 360 and also used a jpeg file for the logo.
But i still encounter the same issue - Flash prompts for HTML5 only Content.
Thanks!
Hi Hep,
Thanks for reaching out! Since we fixed this bug over a year ago, I'd like to have our support team take a look at your file and see if the bug has returned or if something else is causing this prompt to appear.
You should receive an email with a link shortly where you can upload your file. Once we're done testing, we'll reach out with next steps!