Setting an expiry date for published content

Hi Alan,

As far as I know this isn't currently possible. Storyline would have to be able to remove its contents from the server you're using or "lock down" the content after a specific time frame. I'm not sure if you're using a web server, or an LMS, but maybe you can speak with the host and see if there's a way they can set up this type of feature for your content. 

Alternatively, you could state in your course that the content will only be available until a specific date. After that date, you could remove the content from the server or LMS.

In the meantime, if you haven't already, you may want to share this suggestion in a feature request. 

Thanks!

Christine

I think I found somethint that might work using Java Script

Create a trigger that runs this script when the first page timeline starts:

var currentDate = new Date()
  var day = currentDate.getDate()
  var month = currentDate.getMonth() + 1
  var year = currentDate.getFullYear()
player.SetVar("day1", day);
player.SetVar("month1", month);
player.SetVar("year1", year);

This sets numeric variables in Storyline for day, month and year from your computer.

I created numeric varaibles, day1, month1, and year1 initially set to zero

Then I created a trigger that would show a layer when the timeline starts if:

day1 is greater than a specific number, in my example, 7

and

month1 is greater than or equal to a specific number, in my example, 2

and

year1 is greater than or equal to a specific number, in my example, 2013

That layer displays text that the content expired and has a close course button. 

I disabled the next button and added a continue button on the first page.  If the Expired layer is visible, I prevented users from clicking items on the base layer.

I included the variables on the first page for testing, but they need not display.

Here is the file, you must publish to test.  To test the expiration, set your computer for a date in the future beyond your expiration date.

Now that I think about the logic of the trigger, you may need to create 3 separate triggers to launch the expired layer.

The first trigger is if  year1 is greater than or equal to a specific year show the expired layer.  So if the course expires in 2014, that would be the year.

The next trigger shows the expired layer if the month1 and year1 has been passed.  This covers a scenario of a course expiring within a calendar year, for example, June 2013.

The final variable is as in my previous post.  This covers a course expiring mid month within a calendar year.

This is a 3 point date validation:

The year is less than the expiration date,

The month and year are less than the expiration date,

and

The day, month, and year are less than the expiration date.

Any expiration will show the expired layer.

Yes, I think an expiry date feature would be a good thing to have.

I work in Higher Education and can see the need to have the option of an expiry date, especially for Storyline e-learning packages that have been made available for download via iPad. Some packages shouldn't be available after a course has finished or a student has left  the university/college.

No problem with LMS/VLEs are normally content/tools can be setup with access and end dates/times.

I'll look at the javascript method above and see if it works on the iPad.

Welcome to E-Learning Heroes, Raymond!

That would be awesome, I agree. If you're able to find something, let us know.

I see this being a pretty great feature for companies or even schools, especially when they're on a specific schedule. For example, if a course is due on the 21st, say that grading takes place on the 25th, the course could expire at midnight on the 21st. In its place a new course would become available for the next subject and so on. Maybe even some sort of acknowledgment that the course has been completed, submitted and now the learner needs to proceed to the next subject (maybe with a link?). I don't know, I may be looking too far into this, but I really like the idea!

Thank you very much for that Garth, helped a lot and achieved what we were looking for. And I'm glad you like the idea and understand the practical uses of it, Raymond and Christine. It would be a very handy feature to have built into the program on future releases.

Thanks again for all the help.

Thanks, Garth!

This works great for publishing to CD.

Thanks Grath!

It's an innovative trick

Great Garth

I have another problem that requires javascript (I think?) Can I send my story file to you to look at?

Not a programmer, but I know exactly what i want program to do

Hi Garth,

Thanks for providing this workaround!

I'm having trouble with the Java script you provided, it's not extracting the current date and variables are displaying "0" when I publish the content.

Can you please give me some advice?