Webpage/PDF Launching in New Tab Rather than New Window
Aug 14, 2017
Hi!
I have a question regarding browser windows, and thought maybe somebody here might have a few suggestions.
I've put together a short course for a client in Storyline 360, to be hosted on Cornerstone, likely launched using either Chrome or IE. The module itself is fine and works/records completions perfectly. However, as an important part of the training module, we need to launch a page in Google Drive, as well as a PDF from the Resources tab, from the training module, and this is where we've been running into an issue.
I have a slide set up to launch the Google Drive page automatically in a new browser window (Display in Slide doesn't work well for the Google Drive page or the PDF). However, all this does is open a new tab next to the Cornerstone launch page (not the training window). This is confusing, because Cornerstone launches the training module in a new window entirely, and users so far are having a difficult time returning to the training because it looks to them like the module closed when the new page opened. It's the same problem with the PDF in the Resources tab.
(I should note that the training module window stays open when this happens, so users can click back to it by using Alt + Tab or hovering over the task bar at the bottom of their computer screen. However, this is not intuitive or very user friendly.)
Has anybody else had this issue? Is there a way to resolve it without having to adjust individual user settings? Is it possible to get the Google Drive page and PDF to open in a new, minimized window and NOT a new tab? Because we're launching this company-wide, it's not practical to adjust each user's browser settings. Any suggestions would be most welcome! Thank you!
24 Replies
Hi Anna,
There isn't a setting in Storyline to determine if a link will open in a new window vs. a new tab, as all those options are browser and user specific.
Hopefully folks in the community can share what they've done to handle a similar situation.
Hi there, I'm having an identical issue with one of my recent courses. I had a similar issue with Chrome a while back, and a community member kindly provided me with some javascript that fixed the problem. Unfortunately, using that same javascript with this course doesn't seem to resolve the issue. I've included a short video to illustrate the issue which is exactly as Anne describes.
Hi Luke,
could you share the javascript code to fix the issue and open the PDF in a new window?
I have the same problem described by Anna ( "However, all this does is open a new tab next to the Cornerstone launch page") with also this critical issue: when you close the PDF tab in the launch page, also the training module in the new window is closed.
So I hope that opening the PDF in a new window maybe could solve this strange behaviour.
Thanks
Hi Mirko,
File is attached. Apologies if I'm telling you something you already know,
but to launch the script, you just need to add an 'Execute javascript'
trigger and insert the code :-)
Hi Luke,
I wanted to let you know I didn't see an attachment here. If you're responding via email and trying to attach those won't post to the ELH Community. You'll want to visit this page and upload using the Add Attachment button.
Thanks for the heads-up Ashley. Let's try this again. File attached, Mirko :-)
Really thanks Luke.
No problem, Luke! Thanks for coming back to share.
I was glad to see a solution to opening the resources in a new window. However, I am a big ignorant when it comes to complex programming - it's complex in my eyes, anyway.
Can you tell me where I can plug in the javascript solution?
Hi! Interested in where to insert the javascript solution as well - specifically the url. I found the execute java script trigger but i can't figure out where to insert the url within the code
Ashley: Are you able to point us to the file and location where you plug this code in?
Greetings, Eric!
I'm thinking Luke used the Execute JavaScript trigger and pasted the code into the script window:
Related Learning 📖
this video is helpful but I am still a bit lost. Where do I attach the PDF and then add the javascript trigger? I currently have the documents in the Resources area and experience the above. I would like to test using javascript but I am not sure where the file goes when I do that. It has been a bit since I developed in 360 so any help on what I need to do to get my docs to open in another window with javascript is appreciated!
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Hello. I have a course with a Resources link to a website. When I click the link, it replaces the course in the tab with the website link and the course disappears from tab view. My users don't know that it's still live in the toolbar at the bottom of the screen. Being a global company, it is virtually impossible to communicate this to them. We must provide a streamlined experience. Is there a way for the course tab to stay open and the Resources tab open in a new tab? It appears that way when I view it in Storyline after publishing. But not once I view it live in my LMS>
Hello Cappie!
Since this behavior is occurring in your LMS, I'd recommend connecting with your LMS admin first.
Please keep me posted on their recommendation!
Cappie,
I have experienced what you are talking about with a resource taking over a tab. What type of resource is it, a word doc or PDF? What browser are you using? If I remember correctly when I used Chrome, and a document was launched from a module in the LMS it took over my storyline tab. I think Microsoft Edge worked better, but you may want to test if you have not done so already. What LMS do you have? At the end of the day, I think I had to find another way for people to access the resource.
I have had a similar issue recently, with the course window/tab minimized and the PDF opened in the most visible tab. It was a little confusing for me and the users, but I spelled that out on the slide instructions, so that was not the most concerning issue.
What puzzled me was, for only a small number of users, they were unable to proceed to the next screen on the first attempt. The Next button on the screen was hidden, and I had a trigger that changed it to Normal state when the PDF image was clicked (which opened the other tab). The Next button didn't change states in a few cases (it works fine for most of us). The one user who contacted me directly was also using Chrome, and I test in both IE11 and Chrome (the preferred browser).
I tried moving that trigger (changing state) up to first place for that button click, but it had no effect. I ended up removing the trigger and changing the Next button to Normal, just to avoid any issues.
Not sure what settings for those users might cause this. I just wondered if anyone else had encountered this issue.
Checking to see if anyone has a solution to Anna's question above? I have the same issue and the JavaScript solution does not fix the issue.
Hello, I am posting this in hopes of helping some people with linking issues in Storyline. Here's a couple of real simple fixes to help with links opening and shooting the original content piece down to the bottom taskbar. When I place a hyperlink within a slide I change the settings to the ones in the attached image below.
Furthermore, for links in the Resources tab, I create a button on the master slide with a lightbox to resource links that I set up the same way as above. (See 2nd screenshot below)
These solutions make links, whether they are linked to pdfs or urls, pop out in front of the main storyline file making it a much better experience for the end user.