Captivate 10: Effect file not valid??

[Contentbee]

I´m using Captivate 10 and tried to add an flicker effect to an object, but everytime I get the "Effect file is not vailid" message! What´s wrong?

• Captivate 10.0.0.192
• Windows 7

[Lilybiri]

Do you see a Preview in the Effects part of the Timing Properties panel when you hover over that effect with an object selected? Flicker is an effect that is supported also for HTML5 output, including responsive projects. Is this happening only in one project or can you repro in a new project? No problems with the other effects of the Emphasis category?

I checked the date of the XML file for this effect, is 6/4/2017. Can you check in the Gallery\Effects\Emphasis?

This is the XML-file, which is functional for me:

<Motion duration="30" xmlns="fl.motion.*" xmlns:geom="flash.geom.*" xmlns:filters="flash.filters.*">

<source>

<Source frameRate="30" x="155.95" y="133" scaleX="1" scaleY="1" rotation="0" elementType="movie clip" symbolName="Text caption">

<dimensions>

<geom:Rectangle left="-87.95" top="-32" width="175.95" height="64"/>

</dimensions>

<transformationPoint>

<geom:Point x="0.49985791418016484" y="0.5"/>

</transformationPoint>

</Source>

</source>

<Keyframe index="0" tweenSnap="true" tweenSync="true">

<tweens>

<SimpleEase ease="0"/>

</tweens>

</Keyframe>

<Keyframe index="14" tweenSnap="true" tweenSync="true">

<color>

<Color alphaMultiplier="0"/>

</color>

<tweens>

<SimpleEase ease="0"/>

</tweens>

</Keyframe>

<Keyframe index="29" tweenSnap="true" tweenSync="true">

<color>

<Color/>

</color>

<tweens>

<SimpleEase ease="0"/>

</tweens>

</Keyframe>

</Motion>

[Contentbee]

No, I do not see a preview. Although it´s not only with the flicker effect, the "effect not vaild"-message appears instantly whn I´ve selected an object on stage and hover over the Timing panel. This happens with old projects as well as with new projects, with copied/pasted objects as well as with new objects, with any objects niot matter which.

If I copy and paste an object with flicker effect from a captivate9 file, the timing panel shows no effects as all (all greyed out) but a custom effect "Flicker[with a quite long number]". This is shown in preview and timeline.

The date for my effects xml-files is the same as yours ...

[Lilybiri]

Is Captivate installed on your system, not on a networked or external dirive? Do the paths in Preferences, Genearl Settings point to folders on your system as well? You talk about CP9, when you installed CP2017 did you clear the Preferences and delate the Layouts folders?

It looks like a corruption, try to clean the Preferences. You need Administrator rights. Lookin the subfolder 'utils' under the installation folder and run the file appropriate for your OS.

[Contentbee]

Dear Lilybiri,

thanks for asking the right questions 😉

• no, it´s not installed on network or external drive, it´s completely local
• so any paths lead to local folders
• yes, I use Cap with admin rights
• --> this dot not solve, BUT ...
• ... yes, now I´ve deleted the prefs and - tadaaa - it´s working.

As I have never used Captivate 10 before, it was fresh installed, why can it happen that prefs are corrupted??

btw, I´m using Cap 9 and Cap 10 side by side, because some customers still need the Cap 9 files. So which "Layout folders" did you mean to be deleted? Is there a risk that working with both version might corrupt the prefs again?

[Contentbee]

Dear Lilybiri,

thanks for asking the right questions 😉

• no, it´s not installed on network or external drive, it´s completely local
• so any paths lead to local folders
• yes, I use Cap with admin rights
• --> this dot not solve, BUT ...
• ... yes, now I´ve deleted the prefs and - tadaaa - it´s working.

As I have never used Captivate 10 before, it was fresh installed, why can it happen that prefs are corrupted??

btw, I´m using Cap 9 and Cap 10 side by side, because some customers still need the Cap 9 files. So which "Layout folders" did you mean to be deleted? Is there a risk that working with both version might corrupt the prefs again?

[Lilybiri]

It is one of those mysteries, don't know all the reasons why preferences get oorrupted but you see that it solved your problem.

About Layouts: puplic documents have copies of a lot of folders that are used as 'work folders'. If they get corrupted, you can delete them and on restarting a fresh copy will be installed. If you have both 9 and and 1à, you'll find both of them in the Layouts folder. When suspecting that the Layouts (which have the themes on board) are causing issues, delete that folder for that version while Captivate is closed. When restarting Captivate a new copy will be created in that Layouts folder. Hope this clarifies?

Using Captivate with adminidrator rights is not totally the same as Run as Administrator. Hope you know the difference?

[Contentbee]

Update:

Nope, did not work ... again "Effects file not valid" ...

I´ll try to copy slide by slide into a new project ...

[Lilybiri]

This would work if the project is corrupted. Did you first try to see if the effect is working in a new project?

[Contentbee]

Yes, as I wrote before: "This happens with old projects as well as with new projects, with copied/pasted objects as well as with new objects, with any objects niot matter which."

After deleting the preferences for the third time, for now it seems to work 😕 To be safe, I´ve copied and pasted all slides one by one into an new project, and so far everything is OK.

Might the problems occur because I have started with a "YoutubeHD"-Setting? I did this only because I wanted the format. The new file is a standard project. I thought these setting are only for the stage size. Are there any other "specialities" hidden??