I know there are many excellent examples of how to create a pdf file in Storyline using javascript libraries such as jspdf and I have done this successfully in projects compiled for the web... ...but has anyone tackled this with an lms version? I know you could pass data to the lms using xAPI - but I really just want to click a button and "save" the pdf file created within the course using variables collected during the course. Any ideas would be welcome.

Happy to help. Having re-read you question - I guess I should also point out that my original error was not my code - but that I was trying to run the code above from a compiled version of my Storyline course on my local PC. That won't work because the browser is complying with with the CORS (Cross Origin Resource Sharing) security protocol designed to prevent malicious files being loaded. Ironically, files on the same PC accessed via a file reference i.e. no "http: address" are not assumed to come from the same "origin" and therefore trigger a CORS error when the HTTP request to load the image (addImage) is executed. When I moved the code and ran it on a server (I have my own cloud server but you could use Amazon or Microsoft Azure Cloud storage) the code runs fine because the file is accessed via it's http: address and the img.CrossOrigin ="": command basically tells the browser to accept an 'anonymous' unauthenticated image i.e. switch off the CORS check in the HTTP request. Sorry that got a bit technical. In simple terms, you have to load the compiled web code with the image in the root folder onto a server for it to work - it won't work if you run it on your PC.

OK - not trivial JavaScipt as it turns out - but I have solved it and can successfully produce a multi-page 'Notes' pdf document including the learner's own notes collected from text entry boxes through the course. I will post a separate article on how to do this here on eLearning Heroes and post the link here when I have done it.

Hi Joao Thanks for the reminder about the article - I will definitely get to it. We have moved forward significantly and done several projects using this approach. What we have done is develop code that: A: retrieves the data from the variables in Storyline storing them in a table - one row per page. B. we then add parameters to each variable in the table - font size, x and y pixel coordinates for the position on the page and the number of characters before we throw a new line C. The code then processes the table in a loop reading the data associated with each variable creating a new page for each row according to the parameters. It works fine - and we can produce complex handouts without having to modify the code - just by setting up the parameter table for each project. All the best, John

actionator::exeJavaScript - jsPDF is not defined errormeans: .js file is not found or not compatible create a small example (one slide with one button) with your programming and upload the .story file and your modified scorm package here in the forum

Hi Ariff Can I ask you what your "src = " statement looks like in the index_lms.html file? You have two option for loading the require jsPdf JavaScript library for your JavaScript code. You can load the latest source library at run-time from one of the on-line source code repositories - something like this: <script src="https://unpkg.com/jspdf@latest/dist/jspdf.min.js"></script> OR if you have downloaded a version of the library containing the code you need then you need to add that file to the compiled storyline files and include: <script src="story_content/jspdf.debug.js"></script> Where the file jspdf.debug.js has been copied to the "story_content" folder in the compiled version. SO - check where your javascript library file is located and make sure the src = is pointing to the right folder..... NOTE: the reason many of us are using the latter "jspdf.debug.js" file is that it is probably V1.5.2 of the library where inclusion of the javaScript modules was done using a "require" statement. After V1.5.2 the jsPdf library changed to a different (more modern) module format ES6. In this case the modules are added using an import statement. I haven't got round to testing my code with the ES6 module format - and I suspect others haven't either.

Creating a pdf file from Storyline running under an LMS

47 Replies

JohnCooper-be3c
Community Member
4 years ago
I'm wondering if I could include the FS javascript library, do an asynchronous write to create the file somewhere, and then jump to the pdf file? Or is that crazy??
JohnCooper-be3c
Community Member
4 years ago
Thanks Matthew

What I'm doing is getting the learner to complete a questionnaire using sliders - I capture their responses and then create a pdf using the javascript jspdf library with their responses in it on a kind of grid .

I then allow the learner to be able to download the pdf with the results in - this is done using the javascript Filesaver library.

The Storyline works fine if loaded to a webpage.

If I compile the course for an lms (and make the necessary changes to include the javascript libraries I'm using) and then run this code from a website (or even my own pc, as I'm not loading an image), It also works fine - I get the prompt to open or save the pdf (see attached screen - client name redacted).

But obviously, the run environment is different when the same code is being run under an lms - I have tested the code loaded into Moodle and the learner doesn't get the prompt.

There's clearly a difference in the way the lms displays the course - presumably in some form of frame - I just wondered if anyone had taken a look at this and could steer me in the right direction?

All the best, John
- AllisaCardella
  Community Member
  3 years ago
  Hello Matthew,
  
  That sounds awesome! It has given me an idea for a survey that I'm doing where I was using a traditional Likert scale resulting in the information being very crowded & not much room for anything else. Do you mind me asking how you were able to use the slider & have it transfer to the PDF?
JohnCooper-be3c
Community Member
4 years ago
Matthew - great idea - why didn't I think of that?

actionator::exeJavaScript - jsPDF is not defined
(anonymous) @ bootstrapper.min.js:38

Not sure why that is though.....
JohnCooper-be3c
Community Member
4 years ago
You are correct - I have. At least the

<script src="story_content/jspdf.js"></script>

is in there. So the javascript library src= statements should be in index_lms.html??

I will move them - if that works, I definitely am deeply in your debt!
JohnCooper-be3c
Community Member
4 years ago
It works perfectly! Matthew - you are a star!!
JohnCooper-be3c
Community Member
4 years ago
Hi Matthew

Can I be really cheeky and ask another question? I have the pdf creation working great - thanks to you! But I'm now experimenting with adding a background image to the pdf using doc.addimage in the javascript.I have the necessary jspdf libraries loaded (I think) but I'm running into a CORS problem - I've checked other examples (like Devlin Peck's tutorial) and have included a img.crossOrigin statement just before declaring the image source (the image is in the output folder):

img.crossOrigin = "";

img.src = "Inventory.png";

BUT - I still get an error when I try and load the image, The error triggers the img.onerror = function {.......... code I have added

var doc = new jsPDF();

var img = new Image;

img.onload = function() {.........

....

img.onerror = function(e) {....

The error message I get in the debug console is:

Access to image at 'file:///C:/Users/John/Documents/CURRENT/xxxxxxxxxxx/xxxxxxxxxxx%20-%20Storyline%20output/Inventory.png'' from origin 'null' has been blocked by CORS policy: Cross origin requests are only supported for protocol schemes: http, data, chrome-extension, edge, https, chrome-untrusted.

I'm using jspdf v1.5.3 and have tried loading the .debug version exactly as in Devlin's example)

Any ideas would be appreciated

Thanks, John
JohnCooper-be3c
Community Member
4 years ago
Wow - swift response - thanks. I will try both of those.
JohnCooper-be3c
Community Member
4 years ago
Again your advice sorted my problem out instantly - I was being a complete dork! Of course I needed the image on a server - which, if I was testing my code on a web server, instead of on my local system, it would be! There are times I can be so dumb!

I guess the clue was in the error message "Cross origin requests are only supported for protocol schemes: http...." didn't really need to read further.

Loading the code I already had onto my server meant it ran perfectly... background image successfully added to pdf - just have to line my text up with the form, which is what the background image is and I'm good to go.
MarkW
Community Member
4 years ago
Hi John and Matt. I've used the Base64 method for background images but haven't tried the server method. What would that code look like? Apologies if this is super basic JavaScript.
- JohnCooper-be3c
  Community Member
  4 years ago
  Hi Mark
  
  My code now looks like this:
  
  //Create pdf
  var doc = new jsPDF();
  var img = new Image;
  img.onload = function() {
  doc.addImage(this, 'PNG', 0, 0, 210, 297);
  doc.setFontSize(12);
  
  then I add all the text to the document
  
  doc.save('Inventory.pdf');
  }
  img.onerror = function(e) {
  console.log("Error code",e);
  }
  img.crossOrigin = "";
  img.src = "Inventory.png";
  
  So "Inventory.png" is the name of my background image for my pdf and needs to be in the storyline output root folder. I am creating an A4 document in portrait. If you want to create a landscape form just swap the "210" and "297" parameters to load your png image and add 'landscape' to the new jsPDF line:
  
  var doc = new jsPDF('landscape');
  
  should do it
MarkW
Community Member
4 years ago
On a related note, if I want to reference the online version of jsPDF instead of packaging it with the course, how do I do that? Do I add some version of the code below to the story.html file?

<script src="https://unpkg.com/jspdf@latest/dist/jspdf.umd.min.js"></script>
- JohnCooper-be3c
  Community Member
  4 years ago
  Hi Mark
  
  You should be able to use the construct you have given to load the latest version of jsPDF as you suggest.
  
  But a bit of a heads up - some of the examples you will see posted here on heroes pre-date V2.0.0 of JsPDF - (in fact I use jsPDF V1.5.3) - So whereas I would load 'jspdf.debug.js' you, correctly, are loading "jspdf.umd.min.js"
  
  As per the release notes for v2.0.0:
  
  "We renamed the files in dist for consistency: jspdf.debug/min.js is now jspdf.umd(.min).js"
  
  I mention this in case anyone else is confused when they look at earlier code examples.
  
  Cheers, John
  - JohnCooper-be3c
    Community Member
    4 years ago
    Matt - do you know if the 'jspdf.umd.min.js' has the addimage library code in it?? That was the problem with older versions of 'jspdf.js' as I recall.

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Creating a pdf file from Storyline running under an LMS

47 Replies

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