Breeze Presenter Article

SCORM Issues in Breeze Presenter 5

The SCORM standard typically requires that content reside on the same server or domain as the LMS. The problems in getting Breeze Presenter 5 content to work with your SCORM-compliant LMS typically involve finding the SCORM API, supporting two-way communication on your environment, closing the Breeze Presenter 5 browser window, and other LMS or browser-specific issues.

Finding the SCORM API

There are at least two different ways to find the SCORM API. You can start with the current window and work your way up the parent chain until you find a window with the SCORM API. You can also start at the top window and work your way down through the children windows until you find the SCORM API. If Breeze Presenter 5 content doesn’t seem to communicate with your SCORM-compliant LMS, you must perform a test to make sure that you can find the SCORM API, and then modify the HTML wrapper so that you can change the way that you can find the API. Then you can see if that helps find the SCORM API and communicate with your LMS.

The HTML wrapper sets several JavaScript variables that represent the SCORM API, the version of the API, and the ActionScript mechanism that Breeze Presenter 5 uses to communicate with the API. These variables include the following:

• g_objAPI: A reference to the SCORM API object; used to actually communicate with the LMS
• g_intAPIOrder: Order for finding the API (0 = bottom-up; 1 = top-down)
• g_zAPIVersion: SCORM version (0.2 = SCORM 1.2; other = SCORM 2004)
• g_intAPIType: Type of mechanism that ActionScript uses to communicate to JavaScript and from which it receives responses back (0 = fscommand; 1 = getURL)
• strURLParams: Parameters attached to the URL of the embedded SWF file that send any parameters to the Breeze Presenter 5 file

Some of these variables are passed to the Breeze Presenter 5 file so that it knows how to communicate to the LMS. If the Breeze Presenter 5 content doesn’t find the SCORM API, the g_objAPI is null or undefined. This can happen if the JavaScript functions were unable to find the API because of the following reasons:

• An LMS didn’t open the content.
• Breeze Presenter 5 didn’t find the API because the API is in a different window or requires a different mechanism for finding the API.
• The API wasn’t loaded before a timer in the JavaScript code expired.

If communication with your SCORM-compliant LMS doesn’t work, you might want to determine if the API could be found. To test whether the SCORM API has been found, do the following:

1. In a text editor, edit the HTM file that was generated by the publishing process.

2. Add the following line before any of the document.write lines toward the bottom of the file:

   alert(g_objAPI);

3. You will see an alert message when you open the file from your SCORM-compliant LMS.

If the SCORM API cannot be found, you must change the default value of the API order variable (g_intAPIOrder) so that it tries to find the API from the top down. To change the order for finding the API, do the following:

1. Edit the HTM file that was generated by the publishing process.
2. Find the line that contains the initialization reference to the variable g_intAPIOrder. By default the value is var g_intAPIOrder = 0;
3. Change the value so that it reads as follows: var g_intAPIOrder = 1;

If you still cannot find the API, you must contact your LMS vendor for the functions necessary to find the SCORM API.

Supporting Two-Way Communication in Your Environment

When finding the SCORM API, Breeze Presenter 5 needs to receive responses from the LMS so that it knows the LMS is initialized and can communicate properly with the SCORM-compliant LMS. If Breeze Presenter 5 doesn’t find the API or the LMS is not initialized, it doesn’t send tracking data to the SCORM-compliant LMS. In addition, there are calls to the LMS that require the Breeze Presenter 5 file to be updated before the next command is sent.

LMS – and Browser-specific Issues

This section outlines some issues that the Breeze Presenter 5 team noticed with specific browsers and LMSs. Macromedia doesn’t necessarily offer support for the following problems, but they are included for your convenience.

Metadata and Manifest

This section describes the issues with the Metadata and manifest that Breeze Presenter 5 creates:

• Saba LMS: Requires Breeze Presenter 5 to either fill or remove the XML elements <maxtimeallowed>, <datafromlms>, and <masterscore> that are left empty in the manifest of the default course configuration in order to load the course.
• Oracle LMS: Requires Breeze Presenter 5 to include the appropriate XSD documents in the package as well as the Oracle-specific XSD ila_mdextensions.xsd file. This Oracle-specific XSD file is available from your LMS administrator or Oracle representative.

Opening Breeze Presenter 5 Content

A number of LMSs require you to reverse the SCORM API search order (changed to top down). If your LMS doesn’t track, you must read the Finding the SCORM API section and follow the directions to change the order of finding the API. The LMSs that do require you to change the gintAPI_Order include at least Aspen (and related products) and Blackboard.

General LMS Information

Breeze Presenter 5 sends tracking data approximately every two minutes as well as during periods of inactivity. This may keep the students’ LMS session alive if they never close the content or log out of the LMS.

Conclusion

Breeze Presenter 5, used with PowerPoint, is a great tool for building training files and playing them back over the web. It simplifies the integration with SCORM-compliant LMSs and provides you with a number of customization options.

For additional information and articles on Breeze Presenter 5 and LMS tracking or tools integration, stay tuned to the Macromedia Breeze Presenter 5 Resource Center.

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