Forum Discussion
Reach360 creates a new course every time I republish my Storyline update
Hi MHill88,
Great to see that Kelly has been helping you. Happy to jump in here!
Reach 360 does not determine whether a published course is an "update" based on the file name or course title. Instead, it relies on a unique internal identifier tied to the Storyline project itself. When all credentials line up, Reach recognizes the file and offers the Publish Updates option.
In your case, the behavior suggests that the file currently being used as your original is no longer the same project (internally) that Reach associates with the existing course. When you created copies of your project for testing and published them, one of those copies became the last file successfully linked to the Reach course. At some point, the internal project identity between your original file and the version tied to Reach, diverged.
As a result, when you publish from your original file now, Reach no longer recognizes it as the source of that course and instead creates a new one. Your copied file showing the Publish Updates option indicates that Reach currently recognizes that file as the source of the course.
To continue updating your existing training, I suggest using the Storyline file that successfully shows the Publish Updates option as your primary file. If you're ever unsure which file that is, open each version and try publishing to Reach. The correct item will display Publish Updates instead of creating a new course.
Unfortunately, once the link between a Storyline file and a Reach course is lost, there isn't a way to reconnect a different file to that existing course. So identifying and continuing with the recognized file is the suggested workflow. To avoid hiccups like this in the future, I recommend:
- Maintaining a single master Storyline file for publishing to Reach 360.
- If you create copies for testing, avoid publishing those to Reach unless you intend to create a completely new course.
- Use version naming conventions (e.g. v1, v2) instead of multiple working copies when possible.
Please let me know if you need anything else.
Hi Kelly,
Thanks so much for getting back to me and for outlining how Reach360 normally detects updates.
To answer your questions:
- Am I the original owner of the course? - Yes, I am the original owner of the course in Reach 360.
- Can I confirm that the exact Storyline file was used when I first published to Reach 360?
Yes, the original Storyline file was used for the initial publication, and I successfully updated that same Reach 360 course once already.
After the first publish, I needed to fix an issue with quiz score reporting. I created a copy of the file, adjusted the tracking settings, and published that copy under a different title for testing. Once confirmed, I applied the same changes to the original file and published it, and Reach 360 recognized it correctly as an update.
A couple of weeks later, we found another issue where learners who exited midway couldn’t progress after resuming. To test adjustments to slide revisit properties, I created what I believed was another copy of the original file. The fix worked in the test version. But when I returned to the original file to apply the same changes and publish, Reach 360 no longer recognized it as the source of the existing training and treated it as a new course instead.
- Is the file stored locally or on a network drive. The file is stored locally on my hard drive.
Given the sequence of using copies for testing and then returning to the original file, it’s possible Reach 360 may have lost the link between the original file and the existing course.
Best,
Michael
Hi MHill88,
Great to see that Kelly has been helping you. Happy to jump in here!
Reach 360 does not determine whether a published course is an "update" based on the file name or course title. Instead, it relies on a unique internal identifier tied to the Storyline project itself. When all credentials line up, Reach recognizes the file and offers the Publish Updates option.
In your case, the behavior suggests that the file currently being used as your original is no longer the same project (internally) that Reach associates with the existing course. When you created copies of your project for testing and published them, one of those copies became the last file successfully linked to the Reach course. At some point, the internal project identity between your original file and the version tied to Reach, diverged.
As a result, when you publish from your original file now, Reach no longer recognizes it as the source of that course and instead creates a new one. Your copied file showing the Publish Updates option indicates that Reach currently recognizes that file as the source of the course.
To continue updating your existing training, I suggest using the Storyline file that successfully shows the Publish Updates option as your primary file. If you're ever unsure which file that is, open each version and try publishing to Reach. The correct item will display Publish Updates instead of creating a new course.
Unfortunately, once the link between a Storyline file and a Reach course is lost, there isn't a way to reconnect a different file to that existing course. So identifying and continuing with the recognized file is the suggested workflow. To avoid hiccups like this in the future, I recommend:
- Maintaining a single master Storyline file for publishing to Reach 360.
- If you create copies for testing, avoid publishing those to Reach unless you intend to create a completely new course.
- Use version naming conventions (e.g. v1, v2) instead of multiple working copies when possible.
Please let me know if you need anything else.