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christiand58840139
Participant
November 3, 2015
Question

How to reduce fIle size of published folder (especially CPM.js)? (Captivate 9, repsonsive project / HTML5, Win 8.1, 64bit, V. 9.0.0.230)

  • November 3, 2015
  • 3 replies
  • 2301 views

Hi there,

I recently published my first responsive project (for devices, 60 Slides) and was surprised by the enormous size of its output folder: 55 MB ! After a bit of digging I found that the file "CPM.js" located in "assets/js" with nearly 38 MB is the main cause of the problem ...   I'm pretty new to Captivate - but a js-file of that size surely can't be right (and definitely not fit for the web)?

Apart from that the contents of the "dr"-folder confuse me a bit: I used SVGs throughout the project whenever possible - but the folder contains heaps of duplicates / identical images in PNG-format ... images which are identical in dimension and used on multiple slides throughout the project. I suspect this happened when I simply copy-pasted image-objects or whole slides in Captivate - apparently Captivate created a separate copy for each usage of an image and saved it under a different name instead of referencing the same image again and again - even if the dimensions of the copied image didn't change at all? That's major bullcrap of course (unless those png's were created as fallback images in case a browser doesn't support svg-rendering? ), since it requires an unnecessary extra request from the user's client for each occurrence of the duplicate images and prevents the effective usage of the client's browser cache ....   

Any suggestions on how to reduce the file size of the generated output (especially the size of CPM.js) & prevent captivate from creating unnecessary image-dublicates?

    This topic has been closed for replies.

    3 replies

    Sankaram
    Adobe Employee
    Sankaram
    Adobe Employee
    November 27, 2015

    Hi Christian Daum,

           Thanks for reporting it. SVGs usage creating pngs in the published folder is a bug and we are fixing it.

    Thanks,

    Sankaram.

    dowbright
    dowbright
    Known Participant
    November 27, 2015

    Will we be told when it's solved, and we can begin to use SVGs?

    Thanks.

    Sankaram
    Adobe Employee
    Sankaram
    Adobe Employee
    December 1, 2015

    HI Paula,

            Sure we will fix in the next update.

    Thanks,

    Sankaram.

    M
    mattt4664448
    Participant
    November 5, 2015

    I am having a very similar issue. I'm using Captivate 8 to create branching scenarios to deploy on a custom LMS designed to have gaming elements (leader boards, achievements, etc.). The newest scenario that i created has 42 slides, extensive user variables, and advanced actions. There is no narration in this file. The Adobe Captivate Project file is 10 MB. However when I publish as SWF/HTML5 the file balloons to 58 MB. We've isolated the files growth to the dr file (41.8 MB). This week I've spent a lot of time reading on strategies to optimize files (Thanks Rod for this:  How to set up Adobe Captivate e-learning to mimimize load on Learning Management Systems | Infosemantics Pty Ltd).

    We create the slide graphics in Illustrator to keep the number of items on the slide to a minimum. Those Illustrator files are saved as .jpg and imported to the Captivate library. From the library we put the image on the slide. Then we overlay navigation and text onto the slide. When published, they are converted from jpg to .png. This is the primary growth in the dr file size. From my understanding it seems that most people do not use .jpg for compression reasons. The  project is 1280 by 720.

    Is there anyway to avoid the huge climb in size? Should I start with .png images? Should we create the whole slide, including text, in Illustrator to decrease the number of items on the slide?

    Any help or suggestions on reducing the published files size would be much appreciated.

      dowbright
      dowbright
      Known Participant
      November 3, 2015

      I worry about this all the time. I too am trying to make everything as quickly loadable as possible, though have nowhere near your depth of understanding of the various files.

      Any responses will be gratefully incorporated into my workflow!

        RodWard
        Community Expert
        RodWardCommunity Expert
        Community Expert
        November 4, 2015

        CPM.js is the file that stores information about where everything lives in your Captivate module.  The bigger your Captivate module, the bigger CPM.js will grow accordingly.  If you want to reduce the size of CPM.js, make your module smaller and use less objects.  End of Story.

        Captivate's responsive output does have extra duplicates of images to cover situations where certain devices or browsers would not work.  These only get requested for download if the JS code "sniffs" out that the device being used to consume the content would require it.  So you're not necessarily being penalized.

        If you're creating content for mobile devices, ESPECIALLY when talking about Responsive projects, you have to STOP thinking as if you're still dealing with a desktop environment where the browser can plug requested content into a virtually limitless cache folder.  That's NOT how things work in the mobile device world.  If their browsers have a cache, it's woefully small.  So most mobile devices will request the same files again and again rather than clog up the cache and crash the browser.

        And since most devices have very little RAM memory to spare, they do not allow web browsers to use up much of it at all.  So the larger you make your e-learning modules, the more likely you are to overload that small allocation of available RAM and once you DO, the browser will likely just crash.  In a typical multimedia e-learning course this can happen within just a few slides. 

        So make EVERYTHING you build in HTML5 VERY short, VERY light, and VERY uncomplicated if you want to avoid issues. 

        For best results, you have to start seeing HTML5 mobile learning as working within a VERY limited environment, like trying to build a house on shifting sand.  If you do not build accordingly, you're heading for disaster and will be VERY disappointed with the results.

        (Did you notice how I'm trying to emphasize VERY...)

          dowbright
          dowbright
          Known Participant
          November 6, 2015

          So build my concepts bit by bit, rather than in a longer format. Makes sense and will do. Thanks!


          Love your info on reducing quiz size.

          My LMS, though, uses TinCan, not SCORM. I went through the settings, and wondered, RodWard‌, if you've got any advice on this.

          You're a gem.

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