Problems with HTML5 output and LMS

Dec 11, 2012

Hi,

Apologies in advance for the length of this post, but I'm trying to be thorough.

I've just run a battery of LMS tests with a six-slide Storyline course.  The course, if this matters, was imported from Studio and then modified in Storyline.  The summary is that saving and restoring works properly in every desktop browser I've tested, using the Flash-based output, but saving fails using the HTML5 output on the iPad, Safari and both the PC and Mac versions of Chrome.  These tests were all run inside our home-grown LMS, which has been online for years (and which, I will admit, is not perfect, and I suppose could be the source of the problems, but that's not what the evidence suggests at present).

I ran the following tests:

1.  Launch unstarted course, complete course in one session

2.  Launch unstarted course, stop halfway through, then resume to the end in the same browser

3.  Launch unstarted course in one browser, stop halfway through, then resume on another browser to the end

I tested using Safari6, Chrome23, Firefox16 on OSX Mountain Lion, IE9 and Chrome23 on Windows7, and IE7 on XP.  I also ran Mobile Safari on a third generation iPad running iOS6.  I launch all courses in a new window from the LMS.  "Completion" in my course is determined by # of slides viewed--for this test, 6 out of 6 tests.  Course was published using SCORM2004, version 2.

Results:

TEST 1:  All Storyline output formats, browsers and devices passed this test.  That is, in any of the above configurations, if you started a course anew, and completed it in a single session, state was properly tracked back to the LMS.  More specifically, an LMSCommit() command was fired back to the LMS when the last slide loaded, and that command told the LMS that the course was complete.

TEST 2:  The combination of desktop browsers + Storyline Flash output passed this test.  All browsers tested against the HTML5 output, however (iPad, Safari6 and Chrome23) failed this test.  More specifically, the course launched properly the first time, saved properly at the end of the first session (by just closing the browser window), and then restored to the proper slide when the second session was launched.  I was able to continue on to the last slide of the course during the second session, but once I hit the last slide of the course, no LMSCommit command was fired back to the server.  Moreover, if I closed the course window, an LMSCommit command was fired off to the server, but that command did not say the course was completed.

3.  This worked in all cases, except if the course was restored to the HTML5 version of the course, in which case it behaves just like case #2, above.  For example, I could launch the course on the iPad, quit, then resume on IE9 to the end, and the course would mark complete.  However, if I started the course on IE9, then resumed on the iPad, it would restore to the right slide, but the course would not mark complete.  Just to make sure this problem wasn't limited to the iPad, I launched the HTML5 version in both Safari and Chrome, and witnessed the same behavior.

So it seems like something is wrong with the way the HTML5 version is "counting slides", at least on restores?  Has anybody else encountered this?  Obviously, this is a show-stopper, so I'm certainly hoping that I'm just doing something wrong.

Also, and I don't know if this is relevant, but just in case, any time I launch a previously unlaunched enrollment with the HTML5 version, I see this screen first:

The title of the course appears above the "Play" button, and an image of the first slide appears to the right, but I've removed those for privacy issues.  So I have no idea if this screen is related in any way to the issues I'm seeing, but I'd sure like to not have this slide appear.  Any way to make that happen?

Thanks in advance,

Ben

42 Replies
Justin Grenier

Hey, folks.

There is an older thread and a newer thread that discuss the reason for our Play Page.

The bottom line is that in order for Mobile Safari on iOS 5 to auto-play media like audio or video on the first slide, there must be a user interaction.  Thus, we display a Play Page to handle the interaction.  The limitation is only in Safari on iOS, not other Desktop browsers.

If you'd like to request a change to this behavior, we welcome your Feature Requests!

Uttam Biswas

Hey there, I am facing the same issue for my story file.  Locally HTML5 output is working properly for FF, Chrome but when I upload them to SCROM cloud or LMS it  is not working.

My story file is in attachment. Can anybody please check my story file and suggest me. I am using storyline 1 udpate 10.

 

Wendy Farmer

Hi Uttam

I found the same behaviour with your file.  I turned off flash in Chrome (I'm using Version 47.0.2526.106 m) and loaded your file into Scormcloud.  The index_lms.html file played not the index_lms_html5.html file.

For another client using IE we had to make a change to the index_lms.html to force the html5 file to play.  I made this adjustment to your index_lms file and it worked in Chrome.

I have attached a word doc with the two index_lms.html files side by side.  The portion highlighted in yellow on the original is the content we REMOVED from that file and then resaved it. (note the second bracket that needs to be removed as well).

Process:

1. Publish your file for LMS

2. Edit the index_lms.html file from the unzipped folder

3. Zip your files and load into LMS

Note: Articulate do not support any published content files that have been changed

Hope this helps you

Uttam Biswas

Hi  Ashley,

Thanks for your reply. Actually my story has total of 5 slides. 3 for content and 2 for web object and result slide. When I publish with Chrome locally it shows all 5 slides properly but I had to disable the web security of chrome to access my Java script files. But when I upload it to SCROM or LMS I am getting the below issues:

1. Welcome slide content doesn't showing.

2. Video is not working.

3. Web object files are not working.

In a word nothing is working. All of them are showing blank. I can press only Next button but nothing is showing.

 

Kindly look into the story file and give me suggestion. 

Is there any specific player settings for HTML5? I have set my player to "Dispaly at user's current browser size " and "Scale player to fill browser window" and then publish it by checking "Include HTML5 output". 

I got stuck into this issue and need immediate attention.

I will be great if you please help me to sort out this problem.

 

Regards,

Uttam

Uttam Biswas

Hi Wendy,

Thank you very much for your nice reply.

Yes, I have tried out as per  your suggestion and now it is render my output on SCROM cloud. But I dont see my Welcome screen as per my expectation also on welcome slide I have made a trigger a java script function which is not working .  when I run it from locally Welocme slide shows properly like attached image but on SCROM it shows empty.

Since this page is not rendering properly so there is a lot of issues with web object file which is correlated with the java script call.

Is there any specific player settings need to do? Appreciate your help.

 

Thanks again,

Uttam

Uttam Biswas

Hi Wendy,

I am using latest version of chrome (version 47) and storyline 1 update 10 and my java is 1.8. More over I am not using java , using javaScript.

One more thing we cant remove that code that you did earlier because when user try from browser which doesn't support HTML5 then this code will cause an error. However we can do this another way.

I am still facing in problem with welcome slide content not working. 

 

Thanks for your valuable time.

 

 

Ashley Terwilliger-Pollard

Thanks Uttam for sharing your file and letting us take a look. It looks like your welcome screen may be the element you've linked to as a local web object? That may be a part of the issue as well, can you try linking to a web object that you've placed on a server or similar to see how that version behaves?

I'm unable to assist with the Javascript code as it's not something we offer support for - so since that is an element tripping you up, I'll defer to the community for further assistance. 

Ashley Terwilliger-Pollard

Hi Uttam,

I don't think there is much else I can assist with here in regards to this particular web object, as I'm unable to assist with the Javascript code. You may want to look at testing your course without that code to see how it behaves and if that is still not working correctly then we can take a look at the .story file again and you can share it here or send it along to our team here. 

Ashley Terwilliger-Pollard

Hi Uttam,

Which elements aren't working in your LMS or SCORM Cloud? Just the Javascript? It's not something I'm equipped to assist with, as I wouldn't even know where to begin in looking at code - but there are a number of super heroes in the forums who are well versed in it. Since this thread is a bit longer and labelled as issues with HTML5, you may want to start a new thread or search the forums for threads dealing with Javascript and then respond in those threads or reach out to helpful users directly with the "contact me" button on their profile. 

If there is another element not working in your LMS/SCORM Cloud could you offer some more specifics? Have you made any changes to the file shared a few weeks ago? If so, we'll want to to take a look at the new .story file. 

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