Master Slide not showing in preview and publish

Report · May 23, 2017

Hi all,

I have created a project template some weeks back and also created projects based on it. Since last week now, I have a recurring issue that when I look at a project in preview or try to publish, all elements from the Master Slide do not show - the headline, a line, some images. Strangely, the Cover slide works! I am a little desperate because I cannot figure out why the problem occurs. I fixed it last week and now it has come back and the same solution does not work again. Does anyone else have issues with Master slide content not showing? What can I do?

Thanks a lot! Screenshot attached to illustrate.

A. Manske[gallery ids="13411"]

Report · May 23, 2017

You cannot attach images, you have to insert them using this button in the browser version of the Jive forums:

Can you check the Theme? Master slides are part of the custom theme, you don't need a template to change master slides:

What's in a Theme - a Template? - Captivate blog

Are you sure that the slides using that Master slide have the option 'Master slide Objects on Top' checked? If not the objects could be covered up by items on the slide.

Report · May 23, 2017

Hi! Thank you for your quick reply. In Chrome I cannot see the icon to attach a picture - I do see an "Add Media" button, which I have used before to add the screenshot.

Unfortunately, the issue is not yet solved. Here is what I tried:

- change quality to High, Optimized
- set "Maser Slide Objects On Top" check
- remove all unused object to decrease file size
- group objects on Master
- set Timing options for master objects to "no transition"

I am using a template because I wanted to create a basis for the work of several team members, since creation of web based courses is only one part of our job and we might need to refresh a lot of the knowledge when working in Captivate. So the template also includes a lot of examples that can be copied and filled with content. I have not used the Themes before but I can try it. Are there any other hints you can give me in the meantime? Can I try something else?

Thanks!

Report · May 23, 2017

You seem to misunderstand: your template IS using a theme like any project. I wonder if the theme is getting corrupt? I could be wrong but I suspect that you never saved the changes to a 'default' theme in a custom theme? That means that you did override the default theme, which is stored in the copied Layouts folder (Publish documents for Windows). Your sentence "I have not used the THemes before' confirms this. Did you read that article to which I posted a link.

I don't have other hints, if that theme IS corrupt you are really in trouble. Templates cause a lot of problems in recent versions, probably because they are almost unnecessary? If you really need a template (cptl file) you have to start with a solid custom Theme that is not overwriting a default theme, and preferrably stored in another location than the Layouts folder.

Was the template created in the present version of Captivate (which?) or upgraded?

Report · May 23, 2017

Yes, but.. 😉

Yes I have changed default styles. I was not aware this could cause a problem and - since I working only for one client with one style - I would always use that one style anyways.

BUT.. why did it work for some projects and suddenly it is causing issues? I am working with Captivate 9.

I the meantime I have tried to merge some pictures and the line for my title area with the background of the master slide and this seems to work fine. Only my automatic headline (using $$cpInfoCurrentSlideLabel$$) does not work out that way since it will not function any more.

Ok, if there is nothing to be done for my existing project. How would you proceed? Create a new project from scratch, save that as custom theme and then change all default styles? Would this be a save way to achieve a similar result? I assume if I apply that theme to a new project, colleagues could also use this as an example instead of the template...

Report · May 23, 2017

Are you on the latest version 9.0.2.437?

It is just guessing, because of the way you describe the 'symptoms' that either the theme is getting corrupted or the template.

Indeed you can provide a custom theme to any one: they'll get the Theme colors palette, the object styles, the master slides, the skin ad the Recording defaults. What a cptl-file offers more are real content slides with placeholders? Even when using a template I would save the custom theme used in template separately. You can try to use the theme at this moment under a different name, see if you can apply it to a new project and check if it presents the same problems.

Report · May 23, 2017

Yes, I am on 9.0.2.437. I have found a small workaround - I have merged all objects that do not need to be changed (like placeholder texts) into the background of the Master and all other objects (e.g. the headline using the function), I have put on the Slides directly. This seems to work out. JGarrou: maybe it works for you too? I also have most objects showing for "Rest of Slide".

I also wondered yesterday if it might have something to do with "project background" vs "slide master background" but all experiments did not bring any results.

But I will go ahead and try to share the Theme I have created. Instead of the placeholder text boxes, I will create an example project. Can I also create a Theme from a cptl or only from a cptx?

Thanks!

Report · May 23, 2017

Do you have any buttons with "rest of project" as timing? I am having the same issue. I am sharing this link with the Adobe rep helping me.

For me, I have a theme that I created in Cap 9. When I create a new project in Cap 2017, and apply the them, it works. But as soon as I create a button with the timing of "rest of project", all of the master slide objects disappear AND then the project completely fails when it hits a video. (The video is just an additional complication as it plays without the button.)

Which version of Captivate are you using?

Report · May 23, 2017

Hi,

Do you see the issue specific to SWF output?

Thanks,

Aditya

Report · May 24, 2017

At the moment it is just getting stranger by the minute - I have one project I created before all this --> changed it, published it today. All good - including Master content! Then I realize one Answer Option is incorrect and open it - change the answer option - publish again and suddenly the master content is gone again.

I always publish in SWF with "Skalierbarer HTML Inhalt" ticked. I assume that would be "scalable html content" in English.

Any new thoughts? Otherwise I will continue to apply my workaround to all projects that are broken.

Report · May 24, 2017

It looks like a Theme problem to me. Did you try to delete the duplicate folder 'Layouts\CP10' (do not know the name in German, sorry) which is created in the Public Documents (windows) under the Elearning Assets? You have to close Captivate, when restarting a fresh duplicate will be made from the original folder.

Report · May 24, 2017

It could very well be a Theme problem and that's what I have been trying to eliminate. I am using 2017, but the problem is so similar... If it is a theme, I can't tell you how to get out of it because themes seem to touch everything from styles to advanced actions. Just saving as a new theme will simply save the problem over again. Apply an new theme, copy and paste your project into a new file, recreate your master slides and then clean up the mess Captivate leaves behind. (That is Adobe's answer to everything, by they way. Copy and Paste your slides into a new file. It's supposed to leave behind old "bones" that may be causing the issues.) Unfortunately this is not removing my issues and I started again from scratch.

Starting from scratch, I found an issue which I resolved by uninstalling Captivate 9.

The remaining issue will not go away, but I have targeted what think is the problem. When I have an object with multiple states and I preview, the master objects disappear. I think I have eliminated all of the other issues (which may or may not have been theme related), but this last one will not go away.

Report · May 24, 2017

No advanced actions in a theme! Did you read this article:

What's in a Theme - a Template? - Captivate blog

Theme has object styles, master slides, skin, Recording defaults. All based on the colors from the Theme Colors palette. That is it.

If it is theme-related and the theme is not stored with the default Captivate themes in the folder Layouts\Captivate 10.0 in Public documents, I would delete that folder (CP closed). When restarting Captivate, try to apply one of those default themes to the project. If the problem disappear, you know it is theme-related.

Report · May 24, 2017

I created a custom theme I created by saving a theme after completing a project. When I applied that theme to a new project, it brought in advanced actions, images related to a style and more. Not all of my advanced actions either. Just some. And I couldn't delete them.

Since I didn't save those themes in the layout folder, that solution won't help me. But hopefully it will help the original poster.

Report · May 24, 2017

Oh my! Thank you to Adobe for the custom patch! My Theme was not the problem after all. Hopefully they will release this as an update so not many others will have this problem.

Report · Jun 27, 2017

What custom patch? I need it too!

Report · May 24, 2017

Oh my goodness... it does work right if I preview as HTML5. I can't possibly work like that as I don't want to publish every time I want to see a couple of slides, but it does work. Brilliant. Now I have something to ask Adobe about.

Antjemanske, I hope this works for you too. Try not publishing the swf. You will find a "preview as HTML5" option under the preview button, but you can also publish to just HTML (unclick the SWF button on the publish dialogue box.) Let me know if that works!

Report · May 29, 2017

I found the folder but there is no duplicate folder for Layouts (or a duplicate Layout inside).

I have encountered something new regarding this issue. I am working from home half of the week and I am now seeing a pattern from the last two weeks, that the problem does only occur when I work from home. I hope I am not making a fool of myself because I really cannot imagine why this can make a difference in my swf outputs? But now I am in the office and my output shows all my master slide elements that it did not show at home? I am working on a web drive but I also tried working locally (which did not make a difference!)

I will try the HTML 5 output, thanks! I think there was an issue with publishing that on our sharepoint but that will worth a try. Thanks!

Report · May 29, 2017

Are you on Windows? If yes you should find the duplicate layouts folder in this path:

C:\Users\Public\Public Documents\Adobe\eLearning Assets\Layouts

The default themes to be used in documents are in that folder.

Report · May 29, 2017

I found it! Thanks1 I deleted the Layouts with CP closed and opened it again. The default layouts are restored. But unfortunately that did not solve the SWF issue. It occured again yesterday evening - even in the office. The complete workday it was fine but the last publishing showed the same issue.

Report · Jun 26, 2017

Did you ever find a solution to this? My computer is doing this too. It is getting very frustrating.

Report · May 29, 2017

If the exact same file is working at the office, but not at home, it is probably not your theme. Your theme is not likely to not be broken on only one computer.

Try the HTML preview. If it works, reply to adtiwari's comment above.

Report · May 29, 2017

Yes! HTML 5 works fine - all headlines and Master objects showing.

Report · Jan 31, 2018

Hello I am having the exact same issue mentioned here with either timing set to "rest of project" or more than ~4 items on a master slide causing SWF output from Windows to render as a blank white. And also like the others noted if I instead publish as HTML5 it works just fine. I also tried the exact same file on Apple OSX and was able to publish SWF from that platform just fine.

Where can I get the patch that was created and mentioned by JGarrou ?

Report · Feb 03, 2018

Personally I don't expect the SWF output to get much focus anymore since we are getting closer to tne EOL of Flash player. Maybe it will be killed by most browsers before its offical death. It is really time to switch to HTML5 output to avoid a lot of frustrations in the (near) future.