Storyline Files & Dropbox

As we have all said multiple times, we are saving to our c drive. The issue is the subsequent syncing between the c drive and the cloud. From the responses  it seems clear that Articulate does not consider this a priority and we are stuck with an inefficient work process. This is disappointing.

Hi Mary Beth,

Correct. We haven't changed anything with Storyline that would cause this behavior and the workflow I shared above is the same one we've always recommended. If anyone is not following that workflow, then we certainly recommend doing so.

I wanted to share this tidbit where Tom shared the same sentiment in an older blog post from 2012:

I don’t want to run the risk that Dropbox’s active syncing interferes with my multimedia production.

Weird is i never had this before. Using Storyline for years. And only recently i got this issue too. As my Dropbox folder is on my C drive...it should work flawless. And as everyone mentions... not any other programme has issues with it. Also saving some Storyline files to OneDrive. Also a local folder being synced. And with OneDrive it works flawless.

This is definitely an Articulate issue and they just don't want to own it. 

Look at it from the perspective of Dropbox...I know you say that you're saving locally and then Dropbox syncs, but the reality is that Dropbox is always looking for changes in your designated local folder and attempting to sync...this includes files you have open and are working on. It picks up that a file in your folder has changed and attempts to match with the cloud.

Personally I've never worked on a file within Dropbox because of that....I always copy a version of out Dropbox, work on that, save, quit and copy it back in.

Well they have similar functionality and don't necessarily work the same way exactly....that's underlying technology that we don't know about. That said, your comment shows that it's not an Articulate issue, it's a Dropbox issue....otherwise it would be failing under OneDrive also. Keep in mind that Dropbox software updates itself regularly, so I'd suggest if Articulate is working fine under OneDrive and isn't working under Dropbox, then an auto-update to the Dropbox software has introduced the issue.

Again, I'd never work with a file in either of these system for precisely the issue on how they operate. I always take files out of synched folders to work on....including network drives.

I'm bumping the thread to see if anyone has any updates on these issues. Having lost a day's work via a OneDrive sync issue, I'm now experimenting with Dropbox. Working on smaller projects, in unshared folders, OneDrive worked fine. But the file I inherited is large (2.5 GB) and in a shared OneDrive folder. 

Disabling and re-enabling sync isn't a good option, as I'll surely forget one or the other, defeating the utility by reinserting the possibility of human error. Articulate devs creating a technical solution to how Storyline caches and saves files is what's needed, rather than admonitions to "work locally." But, be that as it may be, I'm curious, as of 2022, which file-sync platforms work (if any) and which ones don't. 

I'll start the list by noting the OneDrive doesn't work--at least for large .story files in shared folders. I'm not sure if it works for large files in unshared folders or not, though I may test it. I'm currently testing Dropbox--even though I've read it also has issues. 

Thank you Mary and Douglas for the feedback. I'm going to try the Dropbox + sync pause option. I forgot, as Mary pointed out, that you can pause it for a set amount of time. If that doesn't work, maybe I'll set a calendar reminder for myself--and end-of-day task. This at least gives me a way forward. 

I made a habit of copying Storyline files ( and as a fact the same actual is true for Adobe AfterEffects and Indesign files ) out of the synced Dropbox and/or OneDrive folders to a not synced working folder. When done moving it back into its synced folder. No problems whatsoever anymore.

The OneDrive desktop sync clients (Mac and Windows) now have a pause feature, similar to the one in Dropbox. Leveraging the collective wisdom in this thread, I decided to test it out today. Things are going well. I've been following this protocol. Note that my approach has a few additional steps since I'm running Storyline via Parallels Desktop + Windows 10 on an iMac. But you get the idea:  

1. Pause OneDrive client (Windows, then Mac)
2. Open .story file and work for a while. 
3. Save
4. Quit Storyline
5. Unpause OneDrive Client (Windows, then Mac)
6. Monitor things to make sure OneDrive syncs properly

From there, I rinse and repeat. So far, no problems. Knock wood. If this fails, I'll go with Math's approach. I'll let you know how it goes.