Storyline (1), Firefox, and Flash not playing well together (3-1-17)

Mar 01, 2017

As the title says, I'm dealing with a tech issue involving a SCORM package published in Storyline 1, Firefox browser, Flash player, and an LMS host. Our MOODLE partner is looking into the matter.  It's obviously a technical issue beyond my ken.  I'm hopeful that someone in the Articulate community with knowledge and skills much greater than mine has experienced something similar.

I needed to revisit some SCORM modules I published in SL(1) just over a year ago to update the URLs to web objects that are interactive Flash video pieces.  The host company migrated everything to a new server recently, leaving a few broken URLs for me to address.  Over the past few days I updated the URLs, republished and reloaded the Storyline project onto the LMS.

I got most of the malfunctions resolved except this new one... Using the Firefox browser with the most recent version of Flash Player installed, when the lesson slide attempts to load and play a linked Flash web object, the audio embedded in the Flash piece plays, but the Flash video doesn't show up!  Not even a still image.

I tested this SCORM module with normal user login to the LMS using three browsers. It works just fine using IE 11 and Google Chrome.  With Firefox, the SCORM module obviously reaches the Flash web object folders, because it plays the embedded audio track, but not the interactive video.  It doesn't even show a still image, just a blank white screen where the Flash piece is supposed to play.

Before my last attempt, I updated my Firefox browser to the most recent version of Flash Player, 24.0.0.221. It made no difference. (Mozilla had a block warning posted recently for versions .184 through .196, I think it was. 
FYI see https://blocked.cdn.mozilla.net/f77960ca-28f3-4664-994d-2b713d2a1434.html).

One thing I haven't tried is to republish this module and NOT include the HTML5 content.  That would be just a hunch, though.

Anyone out there have a thought to share? 

5 Replies
Ashley Terwilliger-Pollard

Hi Frank,

Looks like you've got a lot of research into this already - so some additional thoughts and testing steps for you... You mentioned using the latest Flash update within Firefox, which is great - as in an earlier version they were blocking Flash content by default. Although Storyline 1 doesn't support HTML5 content in Firefox, you could try how it behaves by disabling the Flash plugin associated with Firefox, or if you can point directly to the story_html5.html link from inside your Moodle environment that would load the HTML5 content direct. 

If it's only that web object which isn't playing correctly, and the rest of your Storyline file plays fine - did you test the web object on it's own? How does that one behave outside of the Storyline file? How/where was that web object created? Is it only Flash based? 

Also, I'd look to make sure that you're using the latest update of Storyline 1 which is Update 10, and you can see all the release notes and information here. Also, I'd check the Moodle version you're using and what support they provide for particular browsers. 

Lastly you could look at testing this in another LMS or web environment to see if it's just the Moodle set up you're using. This article will walk you through testing in SCORM Cloud which is an industry standard for LMS testing, and you could also publish for Web and then upload to one of the environments here.

Keep us posted how it goes with any of those steps! 

Frank  Bialas

Thanks for your reply-in-depth, Ashley.  My team has the bases you mentioned covered down to testing in SCORM Cloud.  We have the MOODLE Partner techie working on this, too.  He's only gotten to duplicating the problem in his shop, but has no suggestion as yet what to do about it.

From the link you provided I just viewed Justin's tutorial and explanation of testing in SCORM Cloud.  I really didn't know about that at all!  Thank you.  Next I'll work on testing my malfunctioning SCORM modules in the SCORM Cloud.  That seems a productive thing to do this Friday morning, instead of guessing and following hunches.  I assume my web objects' URLs can be accessed from inside the SCORM Cloud without further complication.

I'll keep you posted.

Frank  Bialas

Well, Ashley, my elearning lesson ran flawlessly on SCORM Cloud using the Firefox browser!  The initial launch triggered a pop-ups warning; I just "allowed all".  No problem after that.  The Flash web objects loaded and ran without a hitch; those files reside on the public side of my LMS provider's server!  My boss will send my research and the invitation to view the lesson in SCORM Cloud to our LMS' tech support.  Maybe they can figure it out.

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