I have a storyline 360 course using the modern player. I am trying to publish to AICC for web so that I can provide a link to index.lms.html file. This will reside on our webserver (remotely from the LMS server). I need to send the link to the customer for loading into their SumTotal LMS.
It loads but then doesn't play. I have published as both Complete/Incomplete and as Passed/Incomplete. Both cases, the course launches then is a black screen in the player but the course doesn't appear. They have whitelisted the URL and IP.
Any ideas would be extremely helpful. I can't give them the files to load in their system. Thanks, Denise
Which version of SumTotal is your client using? My previous employer was running a much older version for a long time, only upgrading to a more-current version recently. With the older versions of SumTotal, you needed the 4 AICC files (.AU, .CRS, .CST, .DES) to import an AICC course; newer versions just needed the URL to the content object. Your client should be importing the course as AICC HACP.
Your client should have access to the complete set of SumTotal documentation, which details the AICC course import process step-by-step, for both internally-hosted and externally-hosted courses. Note, your course should not be ZIPped on your webserver, and your webserver needs to be using HTTPS.
Thank you so much for this info. Exactly what I needed. I did unzip the course on the webserver but I suspect that they are not importing it correctly on their side. THANKS
I know it will work, because one of the biggest providers of CPR training used by hospitals and other healthcare organizations delivers their AICC course content this way. The course is hosted on their side, and the purchaser is provided with a secure URL. I used to set that up on the instance of SumTotal we were running at the time, and it worked quite well.
If you're creating the .AU, .CRS, .CST, and .DES files, they can be sent to your client. Essentially, they are text files which describe the structure and location of the course file; they are imported into the LMS and parsed. The course itself (what you output from Storyline) remains on your webserver.
A complete description of the AICC spec, including what needs to be in those 4 files, can be found here:
Download the CMI001 - AICC/CMI Guidelines For Interoperability PDF and start on page 203, "Course Structure Definition (File Binding)." Examples of how the 4 files should be populated start on page 207.
Update: I published the course again as AICC, launch in same window, modern player. The course will launches and is blank for the customer in their LMS.
Here is the .au file: "System_ID","type","file_name","command_line","Max_Time_Allowed","time_limit_action","Max_Score","Core_Vendor","System_Vendor","Mastery_Score","Web_Launch","AU_Password" "A001","story","correct file path","","9999:59:59","C,N","","","Articulate Storyline","","",""
When you go to the source code of the index_lms.html file, you see this:
So there’s something in the file telling it to display a blank page for AICC.
Additionally, there are parts of the source that appear to be coded for SCORM. I still think this is failing because the course files are confused about the communication standard.
Can anyone tell me what is happening? I followed Articulate's publishing instructions.
The framesets are invisible ("display:none") to the learner; they're used by the course for housekeeping and communications.
lms/AICCComm.html is used to pass data back and forth between the LMS and the course. You may hear it referred to as a course "wrapper," in that it's figuratively "wrapped around" the course, handling the communications.
Embedded in this page is AICCFunctions.js (you can find it on your computer in C:\Program Files (x86)\Articulate\360\Storyline\Content\lms), which contains all of the Javascript functions and variables Storyline uses to "talk" with the LMS.
blank.html gives you access to the debugger, which you can also get to (if the page is blank) by clicking in the center of the page and tapping ? 3 times. It may take more than one attempt to get it to appear.
When a course exits, it "jumps" to goodbye.html, which lets the learner know that the browser window can safely be closed.
I went to https://help.cccis.com/elevate/ACE/CCCVALCAPassedInc/index_lms.html and can see the Storyline course "wrapper," however, no content was appearing in it. The debugger shows "AICC_SID" (AICC session ID) is blank; that should be populated by the LMS when it is launched through the LMS.
When you published, what is the Filename (URL) field (in Publish > Reporting and Tracking) set to? The default, which would need to be changed, is http://www.servername.com/story/index_lms.html.
Now, having said that, I am assuming my customer would also use this same link in his LMS course, correct? And it shows up correctly in the .au file.
The course launches and displays as a blank page. That is the problem. I set the player to not launch a new window. It is published with the modern player and we are using a button as a completion trigger. But the course will not load properly. It loads, to a blank screen.
Yes, your customer would be using the same URL in his LMS. I'm uncertain why the course is not showing up when that link is viewed (I don't have access to an LMS that allows external content at this time). I did try spinning up an instance of Moodle on their site, and while I was able to import the course as AICC, it did not display.
Looking at the source for index_lms.html, I don't see where story.html (which is the course) is brought into the frameset. This is going to need to be submitted to Articulate support for them to further troubleshoot.
12 Replies
Which version of SumTotal is your client using? My previous employer was running a much older version for a long time, only upgrading to a more-current version recently. With the older versions of SumTotal, you needed the 4 AICC files (.AU, .CRS, .CST, .DES) to import an AICC course; newer versions just needed the URL to the content object. Your client should be importing the course as AICC HACP.
Your client should have access to the complete set of SumTotal documentation, which details the AICC course import process step-by-step, for both internally-hosted and externally-hosted courses. Note, your course should not be ZIPped on your webserver, and your webserver needs to be using HTTPS.
Thank you so much for this info. Exactly what I needed. I did unzip the course on the webserver but I suspect that they are not importing it correctly on their side. THANKS
I know it will work, because one of the biggest providers of CPR training used by hospitals and other healthcare organizations delivers their AICC course content this way. The course is hosted on their side, and the purchaser is provided with a secure URL. I used to set that up on the instance of SumTotal we were running at the time, and it worked quite well.
I so like you right now! You have done your good deed for the day!
quick followup question: should I be sending the links to those files or those files themselves?
If you're creating the .AU, .CRS, .CST, and .DES files, they can be sent to your client. Essentially, they are text files which describe the structure and location of the course file; they are imported into the LMS and parsed. The course itself (what you output from Storyline) remains on your webserver.
A complete description of the AICC spec, including what needs to be in those 4 files, can be found here:
https://github.com/ADL-AICC/AICC-Document-Archive/
Download the CMI001 - AICC/CMI Guidelines For Interoperability PDF and start on page 203, "Course Structure Definition (File Binding)." Examples of how the 4 files should be populated start on page 207.
You are amazing! thank you for being so helpful.
Update: I published the course again as AICC, launch in same window, modern player. The course will launches and is blank for the customer in their LMS.
Here is the .au file: "System_ID","type","file_name","command_line","Max_Time_Allowed","time_limit_action","Max_Score","Core_Vendor","System_Vendor","Mastery_Score","Web_Launch","AU_Password"
"A001","story","correct file path","","9999:59:59","C,N","","","Articulate Storyline","","",""
When you go to the source code of the index_lms.html file, you see this:
<iframe name="AICCComm" src="lms/AICCComm.html" style="display:none;"></iframe> <iframe name="rusticisoftware_aicc_results" src="lms/blank.html" style="display:none;"></iframe> <iframe name="NothingFrame" src="lms/blank.html" style="display:none;"></iframe>
So there’s something in the file telling it to display a blank page for AICC.
Additionally, there are parts of the source that appear to be coded for SCORM. I still think this is failing because the course files are confused about the communication standard.
Can anyone tell me what is happening? I followed Articulate's publishing instructions.
The framesets are invisible ("display:none") to the learner; they're used by the course for housekeeping and communications.
lms/AICCComm.html is used to pass data back and forth between the LMS and the course. You may hear it referred to as a course "wrapper," in that it's figuratively "wrapped around" the course, handling the communications.
Embedded in this page is AICCFunctions.js (you can find it on your computer in C:\Program Files (x86)\Articulate\360\Storyline\Content\lms), which contains all of the Javascript functions and variables Storyline uses to "talk" with the LMS.
blank.html gives you access to the debugger, which you can also get to (if the page is blank) by clicking in the center of the page and tapping ? 3 times. It may take more than one attempt to get it to appear.
When a course exits, it "jumps" to goodbye.html, which lets the learner know that the browser window can safely be closed.
I went to https://help.cccis.com/elevate/ACE/CCCVALCAPassedInc/index_lms.html and can see the Storyline course "wrapper," however, no content was appearing in it. The debugger shows "AICC_SID" (AICC session ID) is blank; that should be populated by the LMS when it is launched through the LMS.
When you published, what is the Filename (URL) field (in Publish > Reporting and Tracking) set to? The default, which would need to be changed, is http://www.servername.com/story/index_lms.html.
Thank you for the explanation. The link you just copied to is the link I gave in the Publish Reporting Tracking as per instructions. https://help.cccis.com/elevate/ACE/CCCVALCAPassedInc/index_lms.html
Now, having said that, I am assuming my customer would also use this same link in his LMS course, correct? And it shows up correctly in the .au file.
The course launches and displays as a blank page. That is the problem. I set the player to not launch a new window. It is published with the modern player and we are using a button as a completion trigger. But the course will not load properly. It loads, to a blank screen.
Thanks
Yes, your customer would be using the same URL in his LMS. I'm uncertain why the course is not showing up when that link is viewed (I don't have access to an LMS that allows external content at this time). I did try spinning up an instance of Moodle on their site, and while I was able to import the course as AICC, it did not display.
Looking at the source for index_lms.html, I don't see where story.html (which is the course) is brought into the frameset. This is going to need to be submitted to Articulate support for them to further troubleshoot.
Agreed. I did submit so we will see. You bring a good point that its not accessing the story.html but I followed the process. Thanks again.