Opened two different captivate projects but changes to one updated noth

[fremo101]

In Caotivate 2019 rel 11.5.1.499 I opened two different projects. I updated backgrounds in the one project and saved each file separately. The updates to the one project has updated the other.

I have not experienced this before but in this case it does suit me.

please advise 

[Lilybiri]

First tip, please upgrade to 11.5.5.553.

Terminology is always a  problem with Captivate. There are so many ways the term 'background' is used. Can you explain what you mean by it? How do you apply/edit a background?

From your description it looks like you have edited the Theme which was used by both projects without saving them as custom theme. 

[fremo101]

I didn’t update the theme! Replaced screen images in one file.


[https://c.ap4.content.force.com/servlet/servlet.ImageServer?id=0156F00000DRM7G&oid=00D90000000absk&l...]

Moderator: please don't add personal credentials in a public forum. I took them out.

[Lilybiri]

Only one non-relevant image in that document. Please add the images here and/or answer my questions.

You may have edited the theme without even being aware of that fact, you wouldn't be the first user to do so. Are both projects using the same theme? Is this a custom theme or a theme packaged with Capttivate which you have edited to get that 'background'?

[fremo101]

Hi

I opened both projects and was working in the one. For screens that changed, I took a screen simulation of the new screen in our Product and then copied that slide and pasted it as the background of the next slides and so on.

Both projects have the same custom theme - see image.

Both projects were updated with the screens I pasted eventhough I only worked in the one project.

Please advise.

Thanks

Claire Fremder | Product Training and Content Manager

t +61 (1) 300-362-667 | +61 (0) 409 049 394
e clairef@encompasscorporation.com
w encompasscorporation.com<>


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[RodWard]

You haven't added any image, and you also keep adding your company's boilerplate text even though the Moderator of the forum asked you not to.  I assume these two problems are because you are just hitting Reply to the forum emails you've been receiving and then attaching image files to those email replies.  That's not going to work here.

Rather than just replying to the forum email, click the link in the email to open the Adobe Forum web page for your post and then click the icon in the toolbar there to insert the image files you want us to see.  That method of posting to the forum also avoids adding your company email footer information.

Until we can see exactly what you are seeing in the project there is really no way to understand your issue.

[fremo101]

Hi Rod

Didnt understand the moderator and didnt know you cannot reply to the emails! Here is the image of the theme which I did not intentionally alter. As I said I recorded a new screen and then copied and pasted the background into the next relevant slides.

[RodWard]

The top image that you have inserted is showng the Captivate Skin Editor.  The skin is only part of the Theme.

I am assuming that the lower image you inserted is the interface of the software app that you were capturing.  Is that correct?

In any case, nothing that you have shown here would explain why altering a background image in one CPTX file would somehow change the background in another CPTX file.  I've not seen that happen before. 

Even if you HAD somehow altered Master Slide backgrounds in one of the CPTX files, the only way the other file would have also been affected was if you then imported the altered theme into the second project file to update it.

Is the part that you have indicated with a red rectangle the part that is now the same in both projects?

[fremo101]

Hi Rod

Seems like I need a lesson in posting to this community as well as in best practices for Captivate! The lower image is the interface of the software app I am capturing. I am not sure I understand the other reply I received from Lilybiri. I take a screen simulation of what has changed in our Product. I then copy the captured slide and paste background to all the next slides that have the same background. The backgrounds probably change every 2-3 slides. So I repeat these steps. Is this the correct way to replace a screen simulation with an updated background? Each of my slides shows Project Background as per the screenshot attached. How should I replace the backgrounds? I dont use master slides. With respect to the changes that happened across both projects - the new backgrounds appeared in both files when I was going thru the one and planning going back to make the same changes to the other.

[Lilybiri]

Sorry that you didn't understand what I meant, because you seem not to be familiar with themes at all.

Meanwhile did you update to 11.5.5.555? Because that was an important bug patch from the version you are probably still using.

A custom theme has all object styles, master slides, theme fonts and theme color palette, eventually the setup for the Skin editor and the Recording defaults. Because of the original problem you stated about having another project being updated by your actions, I suspected both projects used exactly the same theme and you did 'unwillingly' edit that theme.  This could have been seen in the Layouts folder on your system, because the updated theme would have a new date.

Is your project a captured software simulation? If yes, please check the Backgrounds folder in the Project Library. To update those backgrounds you don't copy/paste but you replace them which is totally different. 

Copy/paste will just put the 'image' on top of the slide, not change the 'background'. That background for a software simulation is in the Library folder as I explained before. For other slides it is normally expected either to be inherited from the Project background (which you find on the Main master slide in a non-responsive project),  the used master slide or to be replaced by a custom background. See screenshot below:

In this screenshot you see the default choice, if you want to replace the background by any image, please use Custom.

FYI: I asked you not to post personal credentials, which happens again, probably because you answer by mail with a default signature. Since this is a public forum you shouldn't publish personal data at all. Up to you to manage spammers and scammers.

FYI2: I locked the duplicate thread and you tried to answer that locked thread, which did lead to a message from the platform about my mailbox being full. That message had no meaning (as has a lot on this platform), you cannot add a comment to a locked thread. It has no sense and could lead to confusion when two identical questions appear in the same forum, this was a service to you, maybe not appreciated. I cannot delete the thread which would have been less confusing.

[fremo101]

Hi

I get the message that I don't know what I am doing although been using Captivate for more that 15years! I am waiting for our Administrator to update my Captivate as I am getting an error as per the below and I do believe I am using the latest Windows and Chrome browser. If I may add that sometimes issues like sharing personal information occur because of the way the forum is setup. We should not be allowed to reply to an email if its not acceptable to respond this way. The reason there were two threads is because I went back to edit my post as had a few typos and for some reason it created a new post! I will take that as my error. I appreciate your replies and responses but I am not an idiot and just need clarity on how best to do things. When I paste the slide I paste it as background so I am not pasting the slide over the existing. If this is not correct practice please can you give me the exact steps I should use:

1. record the new screen

2. Select Custom in the Properties window - Background dropdown list

3. ????

Thank you

[Lilybiri]

Sorry about that... I am used to ask questions until the 'question' on top of the thread is clear to me. FYI my experience with Captivate is since version 1 (under Macromedia) as well. So much has changed, and the changes are not always clarified especially for that so popular original workflow for software sims.

Question which I should have asked from the start because of the confusion about the term 'background': is the original project created using the Software Simulation feature of Captivate? Or did you create it completely manually? Software simulations use the blank master slide in any theme, and all the backgrounds are available in the Project Library in a dedicated folder. Replacing the existing background with your edited one will do the trick.

The screenshot for slide Backgrounds which I posted previously was for other content slides, not for software simulation slides. I almost don't dare to answer anymore because most of my answers get a wrong interpretation, but the biggest change in Captivate since its original version is the appearance of Themes with version 6. 

No problem with the duplicate thread, just locked it to avoid confusion as explained. Maybe I shouldn't explain so much. My primary goal is trying to help problems, but terminology has become such a pain since the same term has changed content over versions.

[fremo101]

Hi

For a number of reasons I had to re-install Captivate and have now updated to 11.5.5.553 which says its the latest update. I am now getting an error when I try and playback 5 slides to test my work. The error is as per attached screenshot - swf compilation failed - please verify if any of the action script keywords is used as user variable name". I do not have any action scripts in the project. Please can you help?

[Lilybiri]

Try Preview HTML in Browser (F11) if you are on a non-responsive project. It is the only Preview method creating a temporary HTML output (not based on SWF technology) in that case, and so the only one to rely on for HTML output. 

[fremo101]

Thanks Lilybiri for the reply. F11 does not allow me to select a 5 slides to preview. I do recall having this error before and fixed it - any other recommendations please - it is a non-responsive project. Thanks

[Lilybiri]

Understand and find it also very frustrating, certainly because all Preview methods work flawlessly for responsive projects with Fluid Boxes. Have launched this bug multiple times but always been ignored.

There is no alternative, can only offer a tip which I use in this case. Turn on temporarily the Table of Contents, with full navigation on. That will allow you to navigate quickly to the slides you need to test at that moment. Sorry, nothing better at this moment, until the team listens to the complaints.

[fremo101]

Thanks for the reply! I dont understand why I was able to preview 5 slides in the project before I upgraded to v11.5.55.553. Is this error inherant with this version? Thanks

[Lilybiri]

Not inherent to this version at all, has been the case all the time since HTML publishing appeared. But maybe you didn't really have a problem because either you still had the Flash player installed or not having anything incompatible with SWF?

[Claire26017449qpx4]

Hi Lilybiri

I am trying to publish a small captivate project to video and again I'm getting the swf compilation error. However, this time its not previewing the course - I need to publish it. The project has an imported slide video (mp4) and at this stage a blank slide and a thank you animated text on the third slide. I do not have any variables or action scripts. Can you please help how I can publish this to video and what is causing the swf compliation issue? Many thanks

[Lilybiri]

"animated text"? Can you give more details about that item, please? I suspect that could be the culprit. Check the HTML Tracker under the Project menu.

[Claire26017449qpx4]

I did check the html tracker and did have a slide transition that I since deleted. I also deleted the animated text and tried to publish but got the same error. I'm not at my computer and am desperate for an answer but the text I added in Caprivate as animation text - one word "thank you" and it types across the screen but having deleted this it doesn't seem like that is the cause.

thanks

[RodWard]

Try hiding the slide with the imported video.  If you can then successfully publish, that would tend to indicate your issue is with the video file.

[Claire26017449qpx4]

Thanks Rod - will do but what do I need to do to get it to work if it is that? The video is an mp4 recorded in teams. 

[Lilybiri]

I cannot understand why a wrongly encoded video would provoke an error message about SWF. But indeed it is worth trying.

Use the Adobe Media Encoder, which is installed along Captivate if you don't have access to CC applications. Re-encode the video to H264 and re-insert it. Do you use slide video or event video?

[Claire26017449qpx4]

Hi Lilybiri and Rod

Many thanks for your responses. I have no idea why as I havent changed anything but this morning I did at first hide the video and publish and it worked and then I unhid the video and it also published ok. 

I do need to add a new video so hope I dont experience the same issues. However, if I do I will try to re-encode the video to H264. @Lilybiri I inserted it as a slide video.

Many thanks