Attachment block gives inconsistent download results

Hi Christina,

It sounds like a browser setting and could also be connected to the file type that you're using? Have you noticed that PDFs always open one way vs. an image file perhaps? 

Also, when you're testing the web publish, did you upload to your site/server or are you testing it locally? That could also impact the difference in how a file download will behave, so if you'll eventually be hosting on a site make sure you're testing in that environment too. 

Hi Ashley,

Yes, different file types do different things. In IE11: 

.TXT files open are displayed in a new browser window - there appears to be no way to actually download them.

.STL files (a caption file format) try to open in a file viewer for that purpose.

.DOCX start automatic download and gets lots of random letters and numbers added to the beginning of the filename.

.MP4 and .MP4 downloads as expected.

I publish to web and put the files onto Sharepoint, which is where I test them.

Hi there, Christina. We're seeing some inconsistency too.  Let me do some troubleshooting with my team to determine if it's an internet option setting in Explorer or something else to make sure your attachments always prompt for downloading.

I'll keep you posted!

Thanks, Crystal! Looking forward to hearing what you find.

Ok, internet downloads are handled by your operating system (what version of Windows or Mac you have) and your browser security settings.

For Internet Explorer specifically, you can have a look at this Microsoft article on handling attachments for download:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/883260/information-about-the-attachment-manager-in-microsoft-windows

The quickest way to grab a file for download would be to right click the attachment block and rise and choose "Save target as..."  That workaround might be the easiest for your IE learners who aren't otherwise prompted to download the file.

I hope that helps!

Hey there!

I am having the same trouble... with PPT files.

I wanted to know if Christina had some success with the orientation...

Thank you!

Hi there, Amanda! We've made some improvements to the attachments block for your learners. The attachment block now displays the original file name in the course, as well as when the learner downloads the file. This means no more "random" strings of letters and numbers that are visible on the file name. This change also means that files in the attachment block should always prompt a download rather than open in a new browser tab.

Let me know what is happening on your end, and I'll see how I can help!

I'm still having this problem with the attachment opening in a new tab and long string of letters.

Hi there, Imogen. I'm seeing this behavior when using the Share link, and it prompts me to open in a new tab in Internet Explorer. If I export the course for LMS or web, the attachment file is downloaded with the right name.

I'll document this issue for my team, and we'll let you know here when there's an update. Thanks!

Hi. I'm having this issue with Rise as well. It is downloading files with a random string of letters and numbers both in edit view and in published view (both HTML and SCORM).

Any ideas?

It even does it if I right click on the file and choose the "Save as" option

Hi Nadia! What web browser were you using when you noticed this problem? Also, did you host the published output on a web server or LMS before testing it?

This is a problem with me too.

I was using Google Chrome, viewing SCORM published output within an LMS. I also have the problem when previewing the course within Rise itself. 

Hi Nadia,

When I click a file in an attachment block in Chrome, it opens a new browser tab instead of downloading the file to my hard drive.

Would you mind sending us the Share link to your course and the LMS output file so we can get a closer look at what you're seeing?

If that works for you, you can open a case here. 

This is still ongoing. I was testing the attachment block in Chrome today and got the same result; the file name is appended with a string of numbers and text. It happens when it's published. Why does Rise (and Storyline) do that? 

Hi there, I'd be happy to help. Rise 360 attachments will have extra characters on the file name when downloaded:

• From Preview or the Share link in any browser
• When viewing LMS or web output in Internet Explorer

Let me know if you're seeing this behavior outside of those environments!

Hi everyone! We fixed the issue in Rise 360 where extra characters were added to attachment block file names. Please have a look, and let us know if you have any further trouble with your attachment blocks!