"Text labels.xml" causing problem -Storyline player crashes

Jun 18, 2015

Chris Pal
By Chris Pal

Dear Community and Articulate Staff,

I urgently need your help. I have encountered strange problem with the Player, probably caused by text label .xml file. Here is my story ;-) :

During realization of the courses for foreign partners, we prepared two .xml files with translation of text labels in Bulgarian and Slovak. Those two languages were not available as the embedded in the Storyline 2 software. By means of Storyline 2 I saved English text labels as "English fot translation.xml", opened it in the Microsoft "XML Notepad 2007" and manually edited all text strings by copying/pasting translated words in relevant languages.

Then I used the .xml files for translation of the Player. Till this moment everything works fine. The translations are visible in the preview mode within the Storyline 2.

Unfortunately when published and uploaded on the Moodle platform the courses do not start! :-(

When I change the text labels to any of the embedded in the Storyline 2, courses works perfectly again. That's why I blame the .xml files for corrupting the Player. The problem is, that there is no visible difference between the genuine e.g. English.xml file and Slovak or Bulgarian.xml files, which I prepared.

I kindly ask you for help! The problem delays the piloting session and the whole project.

Here is the file, which was base for translation (and it works fine, when published):
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9O7ewgM8NdBeWI3RG90RmF2ZGM/view?usp=sharing

Here are translated files (not working after publishing):
Bulgarian.xml:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9O7ewgM8NdBRUEyOTNwX2h3bUE/view?usp=sharingSlovak.xml:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9O7ewgM8NdBV05aZERaaFJLU2s/view?usp=sharing

 

 

10 Replies
Chris Pal
almost 9 years ago06/18/15 at 5:17 pm (UTC)

Hi Leslie,

Thank you for your input.

It is probably matter of my English, but I've got impression, that we have kind of misunderstanding here. I don't want to export the course content for translation. I want to localize the Player by using two languages, which are not embedded in the software.

Those two languages are Bulgarian and Slovak.

I had previously called for xml files containing translation:

https://community.articulate.com/discussions/building-better-courses/storyline-bulgarian-and-slovak-text-labels-urgently-needed

as well as directly to Storyline developers through the "Request a Feature" form, unfortunately with no success.

Then I decided to follow the advice given here by Graham North:

https://community.articulate.com/discussions/articulate-storyline/export-a-translation-file-for-the-text-labels

At the end of the story, I have two xml files with translated labels. They work fine in the preview mode, but after publication something wrong happens and the Player doesn't load properly (the course is not available at all).

As I wrote above, when I get back to one of the languages listed originally in the software the course works again. So my conclusion is: there must be something wrong with the xml file (the translated one) and the bug corrupts the Player. Maybe anyone has already encountered such problem?

Dan Marsden
almost 9 years ago06/18/15 at 11:07 pm (UTC)

Might be worth checking this with the Rustici Cloud to make sure it's not Moodle doing something strange here... If it works in the Rustici Cloud but not in Moodle then create a bug in the Moodle tracker and send me a copy of a SCORM package that will let me reproduce it.

Also would be good to check that all your newly added content is UTF8 and not some other weird mixed encoding, I'd be tempted to use something like Notepad++ to edit the file instead of using Microsofts XML editor to see if that makes any difference too.

Chris Pal
almost 9 years ago06/19/15 at 10:16 am (UTC)

Hello Dan,

First of all I want to thank you very much for your help. I do appreciate it.

I hasn't known the Rustici Cloud so far. I created an account on the SCORM Cloud and uploaded 3 files.
Two of them were zipped with translated version of xml file and those ones don't work on the SCORM Cloud. The 3rd file contains Player customized with English text labels and this course works properly with all expected functionality.

Here are logs of not working files:
https://cloud.scorm.com/sc/guest/ViewDebugLog?logId=ab0526f4-990a-43db-a892-4eeef17033a2&courseTitle=RUBIGAS+-+GENERAL+MODULE

https://cloud.scorm.com/sc/guest/ViewDebugLog?logId=34737625-0d0c-4e76-9a43-8ffb8bb8498b&courseTitle=RUBIGAS+-+not+working+trial+3

and the working one:
https://cloud.scorm.com/sc/guest/ViewDebugLog?logId=922a096d-7994-4986-8e2c-07c02f112194&courseTitle=RUBIGAS+-+working+biomas+trial+2

>Also would be good to check that all your newly added content is UTF8 and not some other weird mixed encoding, I'd be tempted to use something like Notepad++ to edit the file instead of using Microsofts XML editor to see if that makes any difference too.

I've downloaded the Notepad++, but I have no experience in coding, thus I can only see more or less the same as on MS XML editor. How can I check if the xml is UTF-8? Is it reasonable to prepare the translated xml file once again with Notepad++ hoping it will work properly?

The original Slovak and Bulgarian words used for translation were copied from the Excel file.
Is it possible that Excel attaches invisible formatting which causes problems with files?

Dan Marsden
almost 9 years ago06/19/15 at 10:27 am (UTC)

>Is it possible that Excel attaches invisible formatting which causes problems with files?
Yes.

here's a short video on how to do it with notepad++ 
https://youtu.be/Ynu6G1YysPs

Of course this is just a guess, it may not be the problem you are having - the good thing is that by testing in the SCORM cloud you have eliminated Moodle as being the problem.

Chris Pal
almost 9 years ago06/19/15 at 11:10 am (UTC)

I converted the files to UTF-8, although on the bottom bar of the Notepad++ it was indicated as... UTF-8. I will give it a trial as soon as I have access to AS2.

I also noticed, that original English.xml is presented in N++ as one, very long line w/o any breakings, but I doubt if it can cause the problem. If the file after conversion doesn't work I will make the translation once again by means of N++ and give you info if it works.

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