Text Variable and References

Jun 06, 2013

I have created a data entry field and assigned the variable to another area in my course.  The initial data entry looks fine, but the text in the area where I added the reference to the variable, is extremely small and can't be read.  This is what I've done so far to troubleshoot this issue:

- Confirmed that the text box for the reference is correctly formatted e..g text size. etc

- Confirmed that the auto fit setting shows do not auto fit

If anyone can help me to resolve this issue, it would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks.

17 Replies
Christine Hendrickson

Hi Donna,

Quick question - have you tried making the text box that contains the variable larger? I've noticed that if you simply input the %TextEntry% and leave it with one line, it may shrink text that is so long it adds another line. 

From your screenshot, I can't tell how large your text box is, but if you haven't already tried this it may help.

If that doesn't work for you, are you able to post the .STORY file here? I'd be happy to take a peek.

Thanks!

Ashley Terwilliger-Pollard

Hi Alyson,

Thanks for clarifying the slides that you're seeing this behavior on. Leslie is out on vacation, so I took a look and I didn't see any of the names shrink in size when I chose "Jessica" or "Jacob" as my avatar the text looked consistent throughout. Could you share a screenshot of what you're seeing so that I could try and replicate?

Ashley Terwilliger-Pollard

Thanks Alyson - and I've been trying to replicate this in my own files and I'm not seeing the same behavior once I rotate the variable reference box. The only way I see the text get smaller is if I've included a large amount of text and then set the box to shrink - which is than behaving as I expect. Since you're seems to do it no matter what, I'd like to first confirm that you're working on project files as described here and then if you can look at importing the project into a new file. 

Also, can you tell me if you're able to replicate this behavior on a brand new file that you started on your local drive? 

Alyson Budd

I thought I was working from my local drive, but I'm wondering if I may have been mistaken with that. If that is the issue, will importing the project into a new file on my C drive fix the issue?

I wasn't able to replicate the issue on my local drive exactly. But for some reason in the recreation I did, the text seems larger than the originally designated font size. IT could be my eyes playing tricks on me. Attached for reference.

Ashley Terwilliger-Pollard

Hi Alyson,

It could - but if a file has an element of corruption associated with it there unfortunately isn't a way to remove it. Corruption is unpredictable, and there's no straightforward way to determine what causes it. Common causes are environmental (disk errors, power outages, improper shutdowns), viruses, failed Windows updates, and even file size (i.e., very large files have a higher risk of corrupting).

Consider these preventative measures to protect your project files:
 
1) Save and publish projects on your local hard drive. Working on a network drive or external USB drive can cause erratic behavior.
 
2) Save incrementally. If your app has an AutoRecovery feature, take advantage of it. If not, save a new version of your project every hour or so with a new file name each time. If a file becomes corrupt, you'll still have a working version available.
 
3) Install Dropbox. Snapshots of changes in your local Dropbox folder are kept for 30 days. If a file is damaged or deleted, you can restore a previous snapshot: https://www.dropbox.com/help/11/en.
 
4) Don't leave the app open and unattended for long periods of time. Some users have reported file corruption after leaving their apps open overnight. It's possible that a malware scan or disk backup could run because the machine is idle, making your app vulnerable to crashing
 
I took a look at your new file, and didn't see any changes in the text size from slide 1 to 2 and it definitely didn't look larger? It could be your eyes - I know mine start to get a little wonky on Fridays after looking at projects all week. ;-) 
Let us know if you're still having difficulty in the new file and some screenshots are always helpful for comparison. 

This discussion is closed. You can start a new discussion or contact Articulate Support.