What should I save and what should I delete
Jan 14, 2021
Hi - Maybe I should have asked this question before I started using Storyline. But I loved the platform so much I just jumped with both feet.
So here is my question: I usually save my Story work in the cloud sometimes I save the SCORM files too (more by ignorance than by intelligence)
Here is my question: I was trying to save some space on my C drive and noticed additional folders called Storyline Output.... Was I supposed to save these as well with each lecture I uploaded to my cloud drive??
Or is it OK to delete these folders? Thank you for any help. I was under the impression that saving my story lecture would be enough.... I hope I was not wrong because I re imaged my computer so.... zero files left from my earlier work.....
3 Replies
The Storyline Output folders contain the published version of your lectures. Their main value to you is that they are what you make available to your learners. If they are lost, you just load the .story file and recreate them by publishing. If the .story files are lost, you have lost everything. If you are worried about C drive, you can move them and even your .story files to a different drive. Most recent machines divide the internal drive into two segments, C and D. D is a good place to store data, including even your .story files, as well as Output folders.
In a broader view, I have always said it is never a question of if your computer is going to find a way to lose or corrupt your work, but when. The corollary to that is The only people who think they have enough copies of their work are those who have not yet lost computer work. With multi-terabyte external drives cheaper than what most people spend on birthday or Christmas gifts for themselves, it is the best gift you can get you. I personally don't delete files, I move them to an external drive. I've never been sorry I did that, and I don't know how you can identify too many backups.
Thank you Walt - I understand now the story output folders are recreated whenever I publish a story lesson just like a SCORM file when I publish for the LMS. Great I will just delete them.
So you are not a fan of cloud based drives? Do you think you can shed some insight on what I should pay attention when saving to the cloud? I don't mind buying external drives... I just had one go bust on me years ago and since then I swore off external and internal drives for that matter.
But I do appreciate learning different perspectives for potential risks - I agree it is better to have at least 2 drives - but I would need to teach myself how to sync all of them so that i don't go bunkers remembering which file is the newest etc. I don't have a mac so it is not automatic.
No, I don't object to cloud based backups. In fact, I back up my Windows machine to idrive. It's set up to back up what I want, when I want it to, and does it all automatically. The only problem is that I can't get it do incremental backups, I have to do them myself. So about twice a week, or so, I save, then do a Save As using a version number along with the name, then exit.
My point is that hoarders may not understand life, but they may be the only people who adequately understand computer storage.
To know if it is time to save your work ask, "If my computer found a way to lose everything I have done today, would I be upset?" That's the answer to "Is it time to save?" Asking "If my computer (or the cloud) found a way to lose/mess up everything since my last separate backup, would I be upset?" is how you find the answer to "Should I make a backup now?"