Weird and random issues with Storyline 360 Modern Player, layers, previewing and publishing.
Jun 15, 2018
I'm having some weird results with the preview and published Storyline 360 files - I think it's possibly related to using the new Modern Player.
One issue is with layers - the content on a layer seems to be distorting in random ways - in this example, each tab button takes you to a slide layer, and the text on the tabs layers is blurred and the white shape containing the text on the layers is definitely not publishing true to the size it is in the project file.
This is the view of the slide as I'm working on it in Storyline 360 - everything is lined up:
and this is the preview - you can see the size of the white box on the layers has changed and no longer extends to line up with the edge of tab 1 and tab 4. Also, I think the text is a little blurred. There's also another issue with a greyish line around the white header box on the slide. (I haven't included the player features in these screenshots, but I definitely have the Modern Player activated)
and this is a link to the published version which looks like the preview in that the distortion on the layers is there, as is the greyish line around the white header on the slide.
To help with the explanation of why I think the greyish line is an issue, my master slide has this white header box as a shape which covers the top of all of the master slide layouts completely, so there is no reason why there should be a greyish line there - and to add to the weirdness of this, this doesn't appear on every slide when I preview, and doesn't seem to be related to any particular slide layout as I've swapped these out in my troubleshooting process extensively over the last couple of days.
Here is the published version of one scene that will help illustrate this greyish line issue:
and here is what happens in preview - there is no greyish line, apart from on the first slide, which then disappears when I go back to view the slide again:
Here is a video of the file embedded in my Storyline Templates Wordpress site - this shows the Modern Player and the undesirable result of the greyish line around the white header box:
I can't attach the file here as it's part of my Storyline Templates library - but I could send it to Articulate support if needed.
I've only just started using the Modern Player - previously I never experienced any of these issues - this set of templates on my site (that you can view from the link below) has a similar white header and previews and publishes without any issues, but I really wanted to use the Modern Player for my new templates...
Yes, I have the latest update to Storyline 360.
Any assistance with troubleshooting would be greatly appreciated!!
BTW - I'm loving the new feedback master slide design in Storyline 360 and won't miss the old one at all!!
14 Replies
Hi Dianne,
Thanks for all those links and that comprehensive breakdown!
I took a look at them all, and if anything I only saw the grey line around the player in your old course not the newer links! 🙃 I probably am the worst at spotting these type of issues (bad eyes!), so I'm going to go ahead and open a support case for you. That way our team can take a look and you can share that .story file.
You'll see a confirmation email shortly, that will have a link to upload your file, so please do so as soon as you can!
I'll follow along too - as I'm really curious to know what it is I couldn't see.
Here's the response I received from support:
"Thanks so much for letting us know about these issues. I’ve logged them as a possible software bug."
Hopefully this gets sorted soon...
Hi, I have also notice strange things happening with the Modern player.
I created some tabs that when clicked will show the corresponding layer. Everything worked perfectly well and the course was published. However, I opened the story file because a learner complained that the tabs did not work, and sure enough the tabs are no longer working.
There's nothing difficult involved - just "show layer 1 when clicked".
Why is this no longer working as it should?
Just to let you know that since installing the update, the tabs now work as they should.
Unfortunately, I translate into 17 languages from the English version and I really do not have the time to republish each language when you issue an update. Perhaps it would make sense to go back to the Classic player until the Modern is more secure and reliable.
Hi there Tex,
I'm so glad to hear that your slide is working again after the latest update.
It's strange that the course was working well when you originally published it, then a learner reported that it wasn't working correctly. Since you didn't publish a second time between those two events, I wouldn't expect a new Storyline update to have caused that problem.
If you'd like us to take a closer look, we're happy to lend a hand! You can share your file with our team here.
Hi Alyssa,
On further investigation, I now have to "eat humble pie" and apologise profusely. I found another slide causing issues (would not load) so I systematically deleted each item on the slide and the culprit was a "line with an Oval Arrow end type". When I changed it to a straight line, eureka everything played correctly.
I don't know if anyone else has had this issue - if not it might be worth looking into by your team.
Once again my sincere apologies for being a Doubting Thomas. I will continue to use the Modern player as it is so much more fresher and cleaner.
Thanks for coming back around to let me know how you solved it, Tex! Smart idea to remove objects one by one until you found the culprit.
The attached video is of another template I'm having the same issues with (when I use the modern player) and is a really good example of how this definitely needs to be looked into. The tabs link to layers on the one slide - you can see the quite blurry text, and a noticeable "jump" when you click on a tab - then that line appears at the top of the screen on the base layer, but very noticeably disappears on the tab layers.
I'm still waiting on support to get back to me about this one.
Is anyone else experiencing anything like this?
Hey Dianne,
Additional examples are helpful as we investigate.
Would you be able to share this .story file for us to take a look as well?
Hi Dianne,
I saw you also shared some examples with Robert as a part of your support case. He recommended using Modern text, so let us know if that worked for the issues you were seeing with blurriness!
I've sent the source file relating to the video above to Articulate support.
Unfortunately the recommendation to use Modern Text (although it was something I wasn't even aware of) has not resolved the issue with blurriness, or with the random grey lines.
Thanks Dianne.
I've shared your reply with Robert.
I am also having an issue with the modern player. When adding video onto a layer the playbar does not control the video on that layer. It will not allow you to advance the video or rewind the video on a layer.
Hi Forrest!
Media on layers act differently than media on slides do. To create this on the layer, you'll want to use the trigger "Pause Timeline" and Resume timeline".
I can take a look at the file if that would make it easier! Please use the "add attachment" button in this discussion to share your file with us.
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