Storyline Preferences - resetting to default at every start up

Hi Diarmaid,

Sorry to hear about the behavior you encountered. I tried replicating it on my end, but when I undocked the states panel, closed a Storyline 360 project, and then reopened the same project, the states panel was still left in its undocked state. 

As a troubleshooting step, try doing a repair of your Storyline 360 installation to see if this restores the correct behavior for you: 

• Storyline 360: How to Fix Unexpected or Erratic Behavior

Let me know if this works for you!

I wonder if your preferences file is getting deleted. Do you use the quick access toolbar? Does it keep resetting as well?

To save preferences you have to save and close all storyline windows, if you crash before closing it will remove your settings, and you have to set them all again.

Not sure if that is what you are seeing, just a thought ion a repair does not work.

There is also a bug where on update it gets removed (no rhyme or reason when it will happen).

Because of what Phil mentions, I make a backup copy of the file that controls those settings. In my case, it is found at C:\Users\[My user name]\AppData\Roaming\Articulate\Storyline\360\Workspace.xml

When I close SL after making a change to one of those things, I go there and make a copy of it. Then if I lose it, I copy the copy and rename that to the original name. I don't worry about saving the original, because if something happens to it, SL creates a new default version.

Of course, this is a good fix only for the occasional loss that Phil describes.  If it is a problem with that file, and it happens every time you close, you want to fix that problem first.

Thanks for the responses. It's appreciated. I have done full uninstall (with the Uninstall Helper App, etc) and fresh installs a few times over the last 3 weeks but issues still persist.

Another 'glitch' is that the Format Painter does not paint shape format features, apart from fill and stroke, such as margins, vertical alignment, autofit, etc... frustrating.

Not sure if it's a new glitch or Articulate 'fixed' something that I thought was a feature. It is getting hard to tell anymore.

@Phil - Sorry for my ignorance but what is the 'quick access toolbar'?

@Walt - Again, apologies for being such a dunderhead but in my Windows 10 virtual machine running Parallels, when I click the 'C' drive > Users all I see is a folder saying Public. I have actually no idea where apps are stored within a PC environment.

Weird. Posted (twice now) a thank you to Walt for pointing me in the right direction. Managed to access the Workspace file via the Mac's Finder. Deleting that seems to have re-established my preferences, which is a relief.

Thanks for everyone's help. It is always appreciated.

I just realised it is not saving Custom Colours anymore.

I have a project with lots of particular colours and it is now getting to be an absolute pain in the arse inputting the values for each launch.

Yes, I have made my own Pantone-like Swatch with shapes filled with all the needed colour values but this is such an unnecessary hack in this day and age. If only there was the ability to let certain items on Master Slide Pasteboard be visible throughout. It seems to be available for Master Feedback layers.

Let us import Adobe Swatches, or whatever. Let us have more that the miserable range the built-in swatches allow us. 

But at least let me be able to save my Custom Colours like I used to be able to do. ironically, at one point in the not-so-distant past, I was annoyed that I couldn't reset my Custom Colour swatch because I had filled up the entire thingy. But then a screwed-up update and a resetting of everything 'fixed' that.

Hello Diarmaid,

Sorry to hear that you are still encountering issues with Storyline 360. In the last part of your post, you mentioned that an updated 'fixed' the behavior. If you are still encountering any issues, please reach out to our support team by opening a case so we can take a closer look at what's happening. 

Hi Joe.

No, what I said was that "in the not-so-distant past, I was annoyed that I couldn't reset my Custom Colour swatch because I had filled up the entire thingy. But then a screwed-up update and a resetting of everything 'fixed' that" particular issue.

The quotes around 'fixed' are a hilarious attempt at sarcasm.

I.E., I had an issue BEFORE where I had filled up the entire Custom Colour Palette and was looking for information on how to reset it, or, (feature request) the ability to right click on the colours in the palette and edit/delete them.

At the time, I did an update that banjaxed Storyline so I had to delete, wipe and clean install. That fixed that particular issue.

My NEW issue is now Storyline will not store ANY new swatches added to the Custom Colours panel.

I have opened 3 cases with Support this week alone. What's another one, eh?

Hi Diarmaid,

Thank you for the additional information. I've forwarded all the details that you shared in this forum to my colleague Ian who is handling your support case. They'll take another review at the behavior you're encountering and reach out to you for further troubleshooting. 

Thanks Joe. I had a chance the other day to reach out to your colleague but they haven't gotten back to me. I have tried everything specified in the erratic behaviour link (https://www.articulate.com/support/article/Articulate-Storyline-360-How-to-Fix-Unexpected-or-Erratic-Behavior) but still, the colour swatch fails to save any custom colours.

Here's a screenshot with a new colour added. Yay.

2 custom colours. Wowwee! Crazy times!!

Hit OK. Save file. Close file. Close Storyline. Open Storyline. Open file. Click Shape Fill. Click More Fill Colours and see this...

This is not trivial. It's pathetic. At least allow us the opportunity to import colour swatches from other applications. Give us the ability to add, edit, and delete colours within the Custom Colour palette (when it works).