Help! I am stumped. I cannot get the timeline play button to play the slide layers so that I can add cue points. I have attached the slide for your review.
Thank you Terry. Both my manager and I tried playing the layers with the timeline player to add cue points but it doesn't play. It plays fine in preview but not using the timeline player, located at the bottom of the screen. Were you able to open a layer and play it from the timeline?
the layers opened for me while i previewed, and chose the buttons to make them play. I guess I am not clear what you mean by timeline player. Are you talking about once it is published?
No, the little play button to the left of the scroll bar at the bottom of the screen. I use this to play the slide and add cue points where I want the text or graphics to come in.
if you are looking at the layer you want to add the cue points, you can add them, and they will only effect the layer itself. each layer has it's own timeline that is shown when you are looking at the layer. so just treat the layer like its a regular slide... I will edit your story file to show you what i mean. I edited layer M1024
Linda - I have never once had the little preview/play button work, in any version or update version of Storyline. Possibly not the answer you want, but at least you're not alone :)
Are you trying to get the timeline to play without previewing the slide? its really a great idea to have something like that. but i think if you are adding cue points, based on audio, you should use the audio editor to setermine how far into the slide the cue points need to be. Otherwise i dOnt think i am understanding what is happening...
Since the layers are set to be shown when the "user clicks" they won't appear using the timeline play button. That is just to show you as items appear/disappear on the slide or how audio will play. As Terry mentioned, if you want to test all the functionality using the "preview" of the entire course or just that slide would be the best method.
My timeline play button is 100% non-functional on my win 7 64 ultimate i7 4790 tower pc but does work on my windows 10 pro laptop install instance. This is very frustrating because i prefer the tower for development.
I know exactly what you are talking about. This happens to me once in a while and happened to me today, I finally was frustrated enough to search and to see if others have experienced this and if there are any workarounds. Like you, I use this for building screens with audio, have bulleted items appear in sync with the audio, etc.
What I have done in the past is to go to another slide to make sure the play button works - use all functions (play, pause, stop). Do this a few times on other slides, and then go back to the "problem" slide. Voila! it works again! I have found this works about 80% of the time.
If anyone knows why this happens, or if there is a better workaround, I'd love to know. Even closing out the StoryLine2 project and rebooting your PC doesn't necessarily help.
I think my problem is a failing motherboard. The original i7 4790 "cooked" and I guess it hurt the mob too. PC goes in for surgery Thursday. "play" does work fine on my laptop, most of the time.
This is the most aggravating part of storyline. Randomly, the layer timeline either will not move the cursor when PLAY is clicked, or the cursor moves but the layer goes blank and nothing happens. This can affect one or more layers within a slide, but not necessarily all layers in the same slide. The timeline feature is suppose to allow you to place cue points, but when it decides to go south it makes it very hard and time consuming. Using the audio editor to determine the timing of cue points is fine if you are taking about 1 or 2 cues, but if you have a textbox with several bullet points or different pictures that need to appear and disappear at certain times in the layer, this method is not helpful at all. I can get the layer timeline to work if I duplicate the layer, but it will only work for one or two times then stops.
I will also copy the affected layer to a new slide and do the required edits, then copy it back to the original slide layer. Once copied, the layer timeline still does not work, but at least I was able to get my edits done. What a pain!!
Also, I noticed that when this issue appears, that regardless of where you place the playhead, when you hit the PLAY button the playhead jumps back to the beginning of the timeline instead of starting where it is placed.
"Preview this slide" works, but is no help in setting cue point timing.
This problem has happened on several different projects over the past year or more. I am using SL2, but see posts that this issue is still appearing in 360 so I am not too excited about "upgrading" at this time.
You said "Also, I noticed that when this issue appears, that regardless of where you place the playhead, when you hit the PLAY button the playhead jumps back to the beginning of the timeline instead of starting where it is placed." For a long time, using the review was not accurate, as items were not synched. Aritculate attempted to solve the problem by having the review synch to keyframes. (A patch, not the cure we want, to be sure.) As a result, when you click the timeline and try to preview from there, it jumps back, not to the beginning, but to the most recent keyframe. We want to be able to set the playhead on the timeline and see what the slide will look like at the point (which may never happen), but at least this way it plays in synch.
As to trying to set one or several cue points by playing the media, it may take me several trys. Even my closest attempts are off by the amount of my reaction time, until I play it enough times to anticipate exactly. For one cue point, I am sometimes OK with trial and error, but setting cue points on a playing timeline is exactly that- trial and error.
For accurate, right-the-first-time, multiple settings, I use a true media editor. (MS MovieMaker, or Audacity). Both of them allow you to manipulate the playhead to .01 sec if necessary. I can play, stop, adjust, and record 10 cue points in the time it takes to set one using T&E in SL. Then drag or use timing to set each bullet in SL.
I am having this exact problem. I cannot get the timeline play button to play on a couple of slides. Others it does work perfectly (including layers). I am getting ready to record audio and this will be so hard to sync my interactions on the slide without this function working. I usually use the Storyline Audio editor as it is the easiest method. Staff, is there a fix? My only solution is literally copying the content from a lay onto a seperate slide, then the play button works.
You have received 1 secure file from lathomas01@beckman.com.
Use the secure link below to download.
Hi Alyssa,
I had to use a file transfer since this slide is so large. The main slide timeline play button works but not the slide layers.
Secure File Downloads:
Available until: 01 June 2017
Click link to download:
Storyline test file.story
31.70 MB
You have received secure links within this email sent via File Transfer Service. To retrieve the files, please click on the links above.
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Is it possible that you’re working from somewhere other than your local C: drive? Working from a network drive or a USB drive can cause a few different problems, and you can read more about that here.
27 Replies
Linda,
I downloaded your .story file and things are kind of working perfectly. What are you trying to do that is giving you issues?
Thank you Terry. Both my manager and I tried playing the layers with the timeline player to add cue points but it doesn't play. It plays fine in preview but not using the timeline player, located at the bottom of the screen. Were you able to open a layer and play it from the timeline?
the layers opened for me while i previewed, and chose the buttons to make them play. I guess I am not clear what you mean by timeline player. Are you talking about once it is published?
No, the little play button to the left of the scroll bar at the bottom of the screen. I use this to play the slide and add cue points where I want the text or graphics to come in.
if you are looking at the layer you want to add the cue points, you can add them, and they will only effect the layer itself. each layer has it's own timeline that is shown when you are looking at the layer. so just treat the layer like its a regular slide... I will edit your story file to show you what i mean. I edited layer M1024
Terry,
I know how to add cue points, my problem is that the layer won't play when I click the play button--no sound or animation at all.
Thank you for your help anyway. :)
Linda - I have never once had the little preview/play button work, in any version or update version of Storyline. Possibly not the answer you want, but at least you're not alone :)
Are you trying to get the timeline to play without previewing the slide? its really a great idea to have something like that. but i think if you are adding cue points, based on audio, you should use the audio editor to setermine how far into the slide the cue points need to be. Otherwise i dOnt think i am understanding what is happening...
Hi Linda,
Since the layers are set to be shown when the "user clicks" they won't appear using the timeline play button. That is just to show you as items appear/disappear on the slide or how audio will play. As Terry mentioned, if you want to test all the functionality using the "preview" of the entire course or just that slide would be the best method.
Ah-ha! Ashley, I think you solved the mystery. Thanks everyone for your help! :)
No problem Linda - love a good mystery. ;-)
Happy to pitch in, glad to hear you got it working.
My timeline play button is 100% non-functional on my win 7 64 ultimate i7 4790 tower pc but does work on my windows 10 pro laptop install instance. This is very frustrating because i prefer the tower for development.
Hi Peter!
If Articulate Storyline isn't working properly, a simple repair usually fixes the problem. Follow the steps in this article.
Hi Linda,
I know exactly what you are talking about. This happens to me once in a while and happened to me today, I finally was frustrated enough to search and to see if others have experienced this and if there are any workarounds. Like you, I use this for building screens with audio, have bulleted items appear in sync with the audio, etc.
What I have done in the past is to go to another slide to make sure the play button works - use all functions (play, pause, stop). Do this a few times on other slides, and then go back to the "problem" slide. Voila! it works again! I have found this works about 80% of the time.
If anyone knows why this happens, or if there is a better workaround, I'd love to know. Even closing out the StoryLine2 project and rebooting your PC doesn't necessarily help.
I think my problem is a failing motherboard. The original i7 4790 "cooked" and I guess it hurt the mob too. PC goes in for surgery Thursday. "play" does work fine on my laptop, most of the time.
Oh no Peter! I hope they are able to successfully conduct surgery :) That's no fun.
This is the most aggravating part of storyline. Randomly, the layer timeline either will not move the cursor when PLAY is clicked, or the cursor moves but the layer goes blank and nothing happens. This can affect one or more layers within a slide, but not necessarily all layers in the same slide. The timeline feature is suppose to allow you to place cue points, but when it decides to go south it makes it very hard and time consuming. Using the audio editor to determine the timing of cue points is fine if you are taking about 1 or 2 cues, but if you have a textbox with several bullet points or different pictures that need to appear and disappear at certain times in the layer, this method is not helpful at all. I can get the layer timeline to work if I duplicate the layer, but it will only work for one or two times then stops.
I will also copy the affected layer to a new slide and do the required edits, then copy it back to the original slide layer. Once copied, the layer timeline still does not work, but at least I was able to get my edits done. What a pain!!
Also, I noticed that when this issue appears, that regardless of where you place the playhead, when you hit the PLAY button the playhead jumps back to the beginning of the timeline instead of starting where it is placed.
"Preview this slide" works, but is no help in setting cue point timing.
This problem has happened on several different projects over the past year or more. I am using SL2, but see posts that this issue is still appearing in 360 so I am not too excited about "upgrading" at this time.
You said "Also, I noticed that when this issue appears, that regardless of where you place the playhead, when you hit the PLAY button the playhead jumps back to the beginning of the timeline instead of starting where it is placed." For a long time, using the review was not accurate, as items were not synched. Aritculate attempted to solve the problem by having the review synch to keyframes. (A patch, not the cure we want, to be sure.) As a result, when you click the timeline and try to preview from there, it jumps back, not to the beginning, but to the most recent keyframe. We want to be able to set the playhead on the timeline and see what the slide will look like at the point (which may never happen), but at least this way it plays in synch.
As to trying to set one or several cue points by playing the media, it may take me several trys. Even my closest attempts are off by the amount of my reaction time, until I play it enough times to anticipate exactly. For one cue point, I am sometimes OK with trial and error, but setting cue points on a playing timeline is exactly that- trial and error.
For accurate, right-the-first-time, multiple settings, I use a true media editor. (MS MovieMaker, or Audacity). Both of them allow you to manipulate the playhead to .01 sec if necessary. I can play, stop, adjust, and record 10 cue points in the time it takes to set one using T&E in SL. Then drag or use timing to set each bullet in SL.
I gave up on that and use a pencil to note the cue points when I have clip open in Adobe Audition. Almost never works for me on any computer.
Pb
Peter Burn
Operations & HSE Manager
ABG63 Ltd./ABG Multimedia
I am having this exact problem. I cannot get the timeline play button to play on a couple of slides. Others it does work perfectly (including layers). I am getting ready to record audio and this will be so hard to sync my interactions on the slide without this function working. I usually use the Storyline Audio editor as it is the easiest method. Staff, is there a fix? My only solution is literally copying the content from a lay onto a seperate slide, then the play button works.
Sorry this is giving you headaches, Lynne! I'm trying to recreate this problem on my end, but I still need your help.
I'd be really interested in taking a peek into your file, if you don't mind sharing it with me. Could you attach your file here?
You have received 1 secure file from lathomas01@beckman.com.
Use the secure link below to download.
Hi Alyssa,
I had to use a file transfer since this slide is so large. The main slide timeline play button works but not the slide layers.
Secure File Downloads:
Available until: 01 June 2017
Click link to download:
Storyline test file.story
31.70 MB
You have received secure links within this email sent via File Transfer Service. To retrieve the files, please click on the links above.
Secured by Accellion
Please be advised that this email may contain confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify us by email by replying to the sender and delete this message. The sender disclaims that the content of this email constitutes an offer to enter into, or the acceptance of, any agreement; provided that the foregoing does not invalidate the binding effect of any digital or other electronic reproduction of a manual signature that is included in any attachment.
I'm sorry, Lynne, but I don't see a link to download your file. Could you try to upload it using this form?
Got it, Lynne! Thanks for sending it over. You mentioned you could not get the timeline play button to play--here's a Peek at how it works on my end.
Is it possible that you’re working from somewhere other than your local C: drive? Working from a network drive or a USB drive can cause a few different problems, and you can read more about that here.
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