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

anoyatis
Community Member
11 years ago
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
QuentinHua
Community Member
11 years ago
Thank you Alexandros. Unfortunately, the image appears in a .swf file...

Appreciate your help anyway.
SteveFlowers
Community Member
11 years ago
Hi Quentin -

What LMS are you loading the module into? Most LMS's don't do anything with the resource list in the manifest. It's possible that you could use the old manifest and the LMS wouldn't complain or know the difference. It likely wouldn't make any difference to the operation of the module.
QuentinHua
Community Member
11 years ago
Hi Steve,

Good to know ! In our case, the LMS is Ilias.

If it works, we will delete the all <file href = "XXX"/> for this client.

Cheers!
EvelynHamm
Community Member
11 years ago
Hello @ All!

we currently have the same problem. The imsmanfest in Storyline 2 change after every publish. We don't change anything, but the resources mixed their positions also.

It is very depressing to change the manifest after publishing with a texteditor. And I don't understand this behavior of Storyline in this point.
AshleyT-Pollard
Staff
11 years ago
Hi Evelyn,

It looks like a colleague of yours may have submitted a case about this issue? It seems Wilbert was able to replicate the issue and reported it to our QA team for review, but it seems that the problem may be specific to the LMS? You may want to reach out to them in regards to any changes in the file and what you could do to allow it to play within the LMS.
EvelynHamm
Community Member
11 years ago
Hi Ashley,

yes, we will check that with the Maintainer of our LMS.

Otherwise I don't understand the handling in Storyline, especially as it is known, that the manifest is handled very strictly in some kind of LMS.

The shuffling of the resources is unnecessary & not conducive, if you want to upload a new version of the SCORM-Module with only minimal changes.
LeslieMcKerchie
Staff
11 years ago
Thanks for your feedback Evelyn.
RyLandry
Community Member
10 years ago
Has there been any progress on this issue? I have the same issue with the imsmanifest.xml being completely reorganized after publishing, even if the references stay the same. Unfortunately does handle the manifest file in a strict manner and won't allow the replacement.

I understand if major changes are made, but something as simple as replacing a 4 letter word with another 4 letter word in a textbox that has no states or animation applied to it should not render the content, unreplaceable.
LeslieMcKerchie
Staff
10 years ago
Hi Ry!

I'm not seeing any update on this. It is still in the hands of our QA Team.