Serious problems with Advanced Actions

[rlash73]

First, let me apologize for the length of this discussion. I need to provide as much detail and images as to ensure clarity of issues. And before anyone asks, the files being used are all CPTX files, not CPTL template files. I have had too many issues with template files had thus never use them.

Next, the images here are from Captivate 2017, however this problem also exists in Captivate 9. I am using a Lenovo PC with Windows 10. The problem also exists when creating a new project file from scratch so it is not a contaminated project file, and after clearing the Captivate cache.

Ok, now to the issues. I have a slide that has 5 hidden groups (text and images), 5 icons, and 5 click boxes on top of the icons. Each click box, when clicked, shows a specific group, stops any audio that is currently playing (except for the base page audio), plays the audio clip specific to the group being displayed, and increments a variable (slide09_nextbtn) (when the nextbtn reaches 5, the next button is displayed to allow the learner to proceed to the next slide).

Below is the image of the Advanced Actions dialog BEFORE saving the action.

The IF/Actions perform the actions mentioned above. The ELSE actions has the 2 highlighted actions only, since the other 3 actions would have been previously performed when slide09_issue1=0.  The second decision group (test next button) evaluates the value of slide09_nextbtn and if equal to 5, displays the NEXT button.

NOW, when I click on the "Save As Action button", I get the appropriate message, as seen below:

BUT after clicking "OK" to close the message, notice the condition of the "Save As Action" button in this image:

It still shows as before clicking it. It should be gray and changed to read "Update Action", until something is changed when the button becomes available. IT SHOULD NOT STILL SAY "Save As Action".

Next, if I try to close the dialog window, I get this message:

I should not be getting this since it was already saved (but then the "Save As Action" button didn't change state, so not surprised).  If I try to save it from this dialog window, it will tell me that the action already exists and to save it with another name. I could do that, but will still have the same problems. If I click "Don't save", the window will close.  This next image shows what happens when I go back into Advanced Actions and try to display the previously saved action:

Notice that the correct action name is shown in the "Existing Actions:" pull down menu, but the code is GONE.  Yet, not really. If I assign this action to the click box for the first icon and preview the next 5 slides, here is what I see. This first image shows the slide when first displayed. The base page audio plays with instructions to click on the icons.

As you can see, I have also added a text caption to track the value of the next page counter (for testing purposes, I have not disabled the Next button, so I can proceed to the next slide at any time).  When the first icon is clicked, I get the following results:

The correct group is displayed, and the correct audio file is displayed. HOWEVER, the next button variable did not increment as it should have (reference back to the first image above). It should have changed value to 1. I know for certain that the IF was true, because the group displayed and that SHOW action is not part of the ELSE condition. Just to be certain that the next button variable did not increment, I placed the same text caption on the next slide, as can be seen here.

So, we have 2 problems - the Advanced Actions is not saving and keeping the code and the EXPRESSION action is not working correctly.

With this in mind, I went back and created another Advanced Action (this time for the 2nd icon). This time, however, I did not include the EXPRESSION action in the code NOR did I add the 2nd decision group to test that variable to display the Next button.

THIS TIME, when I tried to save the action, IT BEHAVED ITSELF and saved properly. And after closing and returning to Advanced Actions, the new action listed correctly.

Now, one might think that the cause of all my problems is the Expression action is causing all the problems. Unfortunately, I have had other Advanced Action codings that demonstrated the same saving problem, but did not include an Expression action. So, this remains 2 separate problems.

For clarification, This problem exists in both Captivate 9 and Captivate 2017 in CPTX files on a PC using Windows 10.

The only common factor I can think of is that these problems did not exist BEFORE this computer was upgraded to Windows 10 6 months ago.

I can be available to work with any Adobe Tech Support person to try and duplicate and resolve these issues.

THANK YOU!!!

Cheers

Russ

[Lilybiri]

Long time ago I had a similar situation with an action not saving, and that was due to having a lable used twice for two different items.

SInce that day I use a labeling system that will never have that happen again. I don't see a real system in your names at all.  Same name for totally different items can cause this problem.

WHy do you uise Expression instead of Increment?

The multitude of screenshots makes it difficult to read the advanced action. Is it not possible to use the Preview button which allows to see the whole action instead of partial screenshots. It is the first button in the top control panel. You can read this and much more in :

Advanced Actions Dialog box in Captivate 2017 - Captivate blog

BTW That Preview buttons also existed in previous versions, but only for conditional, not for standard actions.

Can you please post that Preview? It often happens with multiple decisions that use botn THEN and ELSE part that a later decision is overriding a previous one.

Some more tips: do not use a click box over an icon, but a shape filled with that icon.

You don't need to use Stop tirggered audio, because the Play Audio command automatically will stop an audio clip that was triggered before with Play Audio.

[rlash73]

Thank you for the quick review and response.

I do have a naming convention, but it may not be obvious. And there is no duplication of names. For example the objects to be shown on this slide are "slide09_group01", "slide09_group02" and so on. The variables used are "slide09_issue01", "slide09_issue02" and so on. The Advanced Action names are "slide19_issue1" (notice no 0 in issue1 so it is different from the variable name) and so on. I could have been more extreme in naming, but as along as there is no duplication, there should be no problems.

Regarding using the Preview button in the Advanced Actions, that only is available AFTER a successful save or update. If the save has the problem as in my original posting, then the Preview will not run. If I am lucky and it saves correctly, then the Preview runs and shows clean execution of the code with no flags or alerts.

I could use the Increment action instead of Expression (if I had remembered it was available), but being an old school developer, I went with the expression approach, which (if it worked correctly) has always worked correctly in the past, and there is nothing incorrect about the coding of the expression.

Regarding embedding the icon in a shape, the "icon" as it is called in the course is actually an image. I am unaware as to how an image can be embedded in a shape so the shape can act as a button. That aside, there is no reason why the click box over an image should not be used. It works fine and has always worked fine.

All of these things aside, again thank you for the tips, but there is nothing you mention that addresses the main issue of Captivate Advanced Actions, not properly saving or updating an Advanced Action. So, this discussion remains unanswered.

Thanks and cheers,

Russ

[Lilybiri]

Shape can be filled with an image since version 6.

Can I see the Preview of the whole action. I suspect a logic bug, as I mentioened. When havibing multiple decisions I avoid using the ELSE part because this will often lead to overriding of a previous decision in an unwanted way. It is very difficult to see the whole picture with partial screenshots. That Preview button is availalbe since quite a lot fo versions as well.

If you are sure that not being able to save an actino is not due to a labeling problem, you mentioned already what you have done to repari. However I didn't see 'Clean the Preferences', did you do that?

[rlash73]

I was lucky and after shutting down and restarting Captivate, I was able to create a new Advanced Action for Issue 2, with all of the actions, including the Expression action and have it saved (so was able to run the preview. Here is that image:

What actually happened with this, I did the first Decision group, "show issue 2" and saved it. This then allowed the Preview button to become active. I then added the 2nd Decision group, "test next button" and ran and captured the above Preview.  Unfortunately, when I clicked the Update Action, I got the Update Successful message, but the Update Action did NOT go grey, which should happen indicating nothing has changed since the last update. Clicking the Update Action again didn't work, getting the already exists message. And of course, trying to close also gave me an error message. But, I was at least able to get this Preview for you before the failures started.

For this attempt, I went back to the original code, which included the Expression and Stop Triggered Audio, so you could see the whole, original code.

[rlash73 · Accepted solution]

HI ALL READERS OF THIS DISCUSSION - PROBLEM HAS BEEN RESOLVED - SEE BELOW

I spent a couple of hours on the phone with one of Adobe's Captivate Tech Support engineers.

  - The tech was able to confirm the problem I was having (Advanced Action save failures corrupting coded actions)

  - Confirmed that it was not related in any way to the logic within the actions

  - That it was repeatable on both current and new project files

With Sherlock Holmes quality investigations, he suspected that it was related to Windows 10 (these problems never occurred on this computer before Windows 10). Since this computer originally did not use Windows 10 and the OS was upgraded to Windows 10, that the upgrade somehow corrupted the Captivate preferences files (both versions 9 and 2017 that I have on this computer).

Resolution - Apparently, Captivate stores all of its preferences, user configurations, etc. in a file buried deep in the Windows appdata folder (sorry, but I won't go deeper as to the name and location because it is too easy to make a mistake and any mistakes made in this part of the hard drive can cause major problems to your computer). With Captivate shut down, the tech renamed that file (essentially deleting all the preferences and stuff). When restarting Captivate, It was as if Captivate had never been started on this computer. It was a clean slate. This meant I had to re-configure all of the object settings/properties, my workspace, etc, BUT THE ADVANCED ACTIONS PROBLEM WENT AWAY.

So, anyone that is on a PC that was upgraded to Windows 10 and is experiencing this problem, contact Adobe Tech Support and ask for assistance in clearing/removing the Captivate preferences file.

Happy Captivating!

Cheers,

Russ

[Lilybiri]

Cleaning the Preferences can be done much easier.... it is all around on this forum. You'll find the insructinos in this post:

Captivate 8.0.1 Install? Keep your Customisation! - Captivate blog

It is molsly due to not clearing the preferences when installing a patch or an upgrade.

Strange that I never had the same result on my upgraded systemd from 7 to 10.  I always follwo the release notes when installing a new version of CP, which includes deleting several folders.