Dear all, When publishing a new version of a SCORM course, is there a way to keep the same imsmanifest.xml ? Here is the situation. We built a course which is already in use on our client's LMS. They want to change a picture (which is on a layer). We used the "Change Picture" function" The new SCORM course has a slightly different imsmanifest.xml : the .swf related to the image has changed. As their LMS requires exactly the same imsmanifest.xml, how can we deal with this requirement ? Thank you for your help.

The new manifest is generated because it's the safest way to prepare a course for an LMS and not break it. Most, if not all, course tools will do that by default. The tool doesn't know you are only updating a course already uploaded. It is doing as it is supposed to, generating a unique manifest. But it doesn't matter in simple cases. An LMS treats the manifest as a packing list and needs it ONLY when you are first uploading a course, or when you are replacing/versioning the course (the exception to this is if you are on an LCMS). If you try to replace the manifest without versioning, an LMS is supposed to block it. However, for a simple swap out of an asset, that does not impact navigation or logic, I have found the easiest solution is just to drop the asset into the exact directory on the server so it overwrites just that file. This goes for images as well as html (as long as changes to the html are only cosmetic). As long as you are only changing flat assets, and not disrupting the flow of the course (which would mess up bookmarking), it should be transparent to learners. The LMS, in this case, doesn't care that you replace a static file. it simply points to it. I have often used this method for simple changes without issue on SumTotal, Oracle, Scorm cloud and others. Most of the time, I am too lazy to look for the one file in the output, so if I know for a fact that nothing else has changed, I will just drop the whole structure, minus all the xml files, into the directory overwriting everything even though the majority of files have not actually changed. Mind you, this is not a substitute for versioning a course, changing the navigation/logic in a course or adding/removing pages. For that, you should upload the whole package with new manifest. This shortcut is only for simple asset replacement where there is no impact to the course flow. I have been at companies where IT (or whoever admins the course server) will push back on dropping a file into a directory. But I can usually get cooperation when I compare it to updating an image or text on a simple webpage. I hope that helps. Russ

I think this is happening in MOODLE as well. Our content editor has changed some text - but when I look in the manifest a new resource identifier is being generated <item identifier="Safeguarding_and_child_protection:_the_essentials_(updated_assessment)_SCO" isvisible="true" identifierref="__6JAAHLb8iq0_course_id_RES">Which is causing MOODLE to generate new SCOIDs. Should Articulate 360 be generating a new identifier on each SCORM build, or is this because the editor is changing the name or creating a new project.

I am also still running into this same issue when trying to update SCORM packages from Storyline or Rise into Cornerstone when updating content. The only workaround I've found (which I'm sure is a no-no, but it's working so far and hasn't caused any issues as of yet) is to replace the imsmanifest.xml file in the new SCORM package with the original one from the first one I published, rezip it, and upload it into the course to update the content. It goes through with non-critical errors and from what I've tested it shows the updated content (new pictures or edited text, etc.) when I re-launch the course after it updates.

I hope the picture in question is just a plain image with no states involved.If that's the case, I would try to locate the picture from within the zipped SCORM file, then replace the picture there and re-compress. I realize it's like looking for a needle in a haystack, only this time finding the needle may be your only option (and probably easier than you think).Hope this helps,Alex

Thank you Alexandros. Unfortunately, the image appears in a .swf file... Appreciate your help anyway.

Revision of a course : how to keep the same Manifest ?

45 Replies

valerieryan
Community Member
10 years ago
Hi Leslie,

We are running into the same issue as others with the imsmanifest.xml changing even when the only fix may be a simple typo. Is this something the SL2 engineers are working on for a new release or update of SL2? It would be a valuable feature to have. Thanks, Val
LeslieMcKerchie
Staff
10 years ago
Hi Valerie!

We do not share information about product releases or timelines, so I have no insight to share in regards to your question. As I mentioned above, it has been shared with our QA Team to review. I will add a note so that they are aware of users impacted as well.
DaveHope
Community Member
8 years ago
Hey all, 2 years on - this appears to be still happening. I assume it wasn't deemed important enough to fix?
- Crystal-Horn
  Staff
  8 years ago
  Hi there, Dave. Can you confirm what version of Storyline you’re using? Go to Help > About Storyline. We had this issue on our radar for Storyline 2, but I want to be it's documented for latest versions if necessary.
  
  Thanks!
DaveHope
Community Member
8 years ago
Hey, it's: Articulate Storyline 2 (Update 12: 1705.520).
AshleyT-Pollard
Staff
8 years ago
Hi Dave,

Thanks for confirming, that is the latest update too. It's still an open issue for Storyline 2 and we continue to keep an eye on it to evaluate how many customers are impacted and what impact it has on courses. The number of customers and depth of impact are two of the elements that help us prioritize bugs and fixes.

Here's some more detail about how we tackle bugs. I'm really sorry that I can't say if this issue will be fixed but you're in the right place to stay updated on this bug's progress.
ShaneJeffery-8b
Community Member
8 years ago
Hi all.

I'm having this issue in Storyline 360 uploading into Sumtotal LMS.

The manifest still seems to change on every publish which means I can't upload an updated storyline course.
Very painful.

SL360 V3.15.15581.0
AlyssaGomez
Staff
8 years ago
Hi there Shane,

Sorry to hear you're hitting this roadblock. Can you tell me more about your process for uploading content to Sumtotal LMS? Are you doing something with the IMSMANIFEST.xml file after publishing?
- ShaneJeffery-8b
  Community Member
  8 years ago
  Hi.
  Thanks for getting back to me.
  I’m not doing anything after publishing and the only thing I’m changing within the course is a URL.
  When I upload the new version it says that the manifest is different.
  
  S
AlyssaGomez
Staff
8 years ago
Thanks, Shane. I reached out to our support engineers for more insight on this, and they let me know that we are seeing a bug in Storyline 360 that's causing this problem.

If this has got you in a bind, we can help you work around it until a fix is in place. Simply open a case by clicking here, and our team will provide you with next steps.
NathanMcilree
Community Member
8 years ago
I think this is happening in MOODLE as well. Our content editor has changed some text - but when I look in the manifest a new resource identifier is being generated

<item identifier="Safeguarding_and_child_protection:_the_essentials_(updated_assessment)_SCO" isvisible="true" identifierref="__6JAAHLb8iq0_course_id_RES">

Which is causing MOODLE to generate new SCOIDs. Should Articulate 360 be generating a new identifier on each SCORM build, or is this because the editor is changing the name or creating a new project.
AshleyT-Pollard
Staff
8 years ago
Hi Nathan,

If you're changing or modifying the original .story file and republishing, that'll be treated as a new copy/version of your course and will change the identifier too. I'd suggest checking in with your Moodle team about how to overwrite a course in the LMS.

Keep in mind that often when you update (overwrite) existing course files in your LMS or web server, learners who previously started the course won't be able to resume where they left off. They'll start over at the first slide in the updated course.

Let us know if you need anything else!

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Revision of a course : how to keep the same Manifest ?

45 Replies

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