Adding PDFs to Adobe Captivate SCORM packages

Report · Mar 30, 2011

For some reason my linked PDFs (For downloads) are not being added to my SCORM zip archive when I publish. This is just a simple "open file" attachment that works well when I publish as HTML only.

When I unzip and manually add the files, my SCORM package isn't recognized by my LMS.

Why won't Captivate package up all the files like it does with flvs.

Please advise. Thanks in advance

Report · Mar 31, 2011

Hi,

You should give the relative path of the pdf file (say x.pdf) in the "Open URL" field. (say enter the pdf name x.pdf)

Now after publishing the project, you have to place this pdf in the published folder and then zip it. (Make sure zipping does not create one more extra sub-folder)

Now if you upload this zip file to the LMS then it should work.

Let me know if it works for you.

Regards,

Vikranth.

Report · Mar 31, 2011

Yes I did do this. The path to the PDFs is correct. It may be either a problem with the LMS not recognizing my zipped file since I am using a MAC. The video files were transferred automatically to the zipped folder from Captivate. Strange that the PDFs didn't.

I will post my results once I figure this out.

Thank you.

Report · Mar 31, 2011

Your LMS may be very picky when it comes to the contents listed in the imsmanifest.xml file being exactly the same as those found in the package. If so, and you just basically dumped in the PDF without adding it to the imsmanifest, then your LMS might be rejecting your package for that reason.

Report · Mar 31, 2011

Yes, I was thinking this myself and will crack open the xml file to investigate. I also sent the Src CP files to my LMS tech support to see if they can troubleshoot. I would hate to have to go back and edit 30 xml files.

I still don't understand why the PDFs weren't pulled into the SCORM archive like the video files are. Maybe that's something to add to the CP6 wishlist?

Report · Mar 31, 2011

Just because you happen to insert a link to a file somewhere in your lesson won't cause Captivate to grap that file and place it in your publish folder. I agree that might be a nice option, but it's not currently the way the app works. So you need to place the PDF inside the publish folder yourself.

Having the file also added automatically to the imsmanifest.xml in the SCORM is a whole other issue. Aside from the SCORM settings available in the quiz reporting options, you don't have much inside Captivate that allows you to control the way the imsmanifest.xml is coded.

Report · Mar 31, 2011

Thanks for this info.

Tweaking xml files isn't a problem for me, but it will be for my clients moving forward.

I will suggest that they link to external files located on a server. That might be easier for them.

I think I will add this to the CP6 wishlist that infosemantics is putting together.

Thanks for your help.

Report · Mar 31, 2011

Please do!

There's no guarantee that Adobe will actually give us what we want, but there's certainly no harm in asking.

Report · Apr 01, 2011

I just wanted to post my solution to this problem in case anyone has it in the future.

Since Captivate won't bundle attachments inside the published SCORM zipped package, adding them to the archive manually required a new xml manifest to include the pdfs. Just adding the PDFs and re-zipping did not work as I mentioned before.

I decided to use Reload Editor instead of Captivate to create the SCORM archive since I have used this in the past with less picky LMSs.

I also needed to create my own html file instead of using Captivate's.

This worked with a manual fix to the xml file resources that is documented here on the eLearning Dude's site.

Of course this is a huge hassle since I need to do this for 12 modules, but hey it worked.

Message was edited by: pixpusher Fixed some typos

Report · Apr 02, 2011

Thanks for this Pix. I'm filing an Enhancement request to see if Cp can support embedding the linked PDF's automatically the way it does with FLV files.

Report · Apr 04, 2011

One thing is embedding the files in the ZIP file, but another more important thing is actually adding the files to the IMSmanifest.xml.

Captivate does not do this with any assets at all and this is probably why a lot of people are experiencing problems when uploading SCORM packages in their LMS. Most LMS' will accept "undeclared resources" but some won't and that can cause a lot of pain and grief.

So.. FLV's are not added to the SCORM manifest, any externalized resources (widgets, animations etc.) are not added, PDF's are not added. Actually "standard.js" is not declared either ;o)

/Michael

Visit my Captivate blog with tips & tricks, tutorials and Widgets.

Report · Apr 04, 2011

Wouldn't it be nice then if there was a screen inside the Publish settings where you could specify any other files that had to be included as part of the output so that Captivate could grab them and dump them inside a Resources folder inside the SCO?

Then if the Publishing engine sees that SCORM settings are in effect, it could also modify the code inside the imsmanifest it creates so as to list these same resources and thereby satisfy all those finnicky LMSs out there.

After five versions, Captivate should be almost bulletproof when it comes to SCORM, but it still has some annoying little things that seem to prevent it from enjoying a reputation as a "works right out of the box" solution.

Report · Apr 04, 2011

Beautiful solution. Adobe are you listening?

Report · Apr 04, 2011

I'm using CP5 and the standard.js was added as a resource automatically.

Report · Apr 04, 2011

Are you saying that "standard.js" is declared in the imsmanifest under resources when you publish?

That's actually very interesting because when I publish it's not declared. I just tried on a Win XP and a Win 7 machine, publishing to SCORM1.2 and SCORM2004 and it's not declared in any of the packages. The file is of course moved into the ZIP package, but it's not present in the manifest.

/Michael

Visit my Captivate blog with tips & tricks, tutorials and Widgets.

Report · Apr 04, 2011

Yes I just double checked. It is moved to zipped SCORM archive and listed in the manifest. I am using a Mac running CP5. Interesting.

Message was edited by: pixpusher I retract this. It is incorrect. See below.

Report · Apr 04, 2011

Me neither. Here's what my resources element looks like:

Report · Apr 04, 2011

Oh, you are correct. I just checked again after my morning coffee. What's scorm_support.js?

</resource>

Report · Apr 05, 2011

Scormsupport.js contains a part of the scripts to allow communication with your LMS. The same goes for scormsupport.swf.

In courses produced outside of Captivate (Flash etc.) SCORM support files would typically be the files found on the ADL website so they would be named "APIwrapper.js" and "SCOFunctions.js".

/Michael

Visit my Captivate blog with tips & tricks, tutorials and Widgets.

Report · Nov 04, 2015

Hello!

This post is SUPER old!

But...

On a Mac when you re-package you cannot just right-click and "Compress". It creates an archive that the LMS cannot unpack.

I use the Stuffit Archive Manager to create the .zip file and the LMS accepts it.