Adobe Captivate 6: Still Unable to Disable...

by Kevin Siegel  

Last week I wrote about the project expiry issue people are having when they use the trial version of Captivate 6 to open projects created with the trial version of Adobe Captivate 6.

As I mentioned last week, if you are using the licensed version of Captivate, you can set an expiration date for a project by choosing File > Publish Settings. From the Project category at the left, you can select Start and End and then select Project Expiry Date.

Last week I mentioned that the expiry issue can be resovled for trial users if someone using a licensed version of the software simply opens an expired project and sets an expiration date for a date in the future.  

I've gotten several emails from people using the trial version of Captivate who are still having issues previewing projects that were created with the trial software. It turns out that the issue is with those projects that were opened with the licensed version of the software, saved and then closed (but never published with a future expiration date). 

When I created the data files for my new Adobe Captivate 6: The Essentials and Adobe Captivate 6: Beyond the Essentials books, I created the projects with both the trial and licensed versions of Captivate 6. Just prior to posting the projects on my web server for people to download, I opened each projects with the fully licensed version of the software, saved and then closed.

Once I heard that people were having trouble previewing project files with the trial software I got nervous. As a test, I downloaded the project files used in both books from my server. I then opened the downloaded projects on a PC running the trial version of Captivate 6. I was able to work on the projects without issue. However, when I previewed the project, I was mortified to see a project expiration message.



Since I had never set an expiration date for any of the projects that were posted to the web server, it's clear that the expiration date was self-imposed by the Captivate 6 trial.

In the end, I re-opened every project using my licensed version of Captivate 6. I set the Project Expiry Date to March 31, 2016, and then saved and closed each project. (I did not republish any of the projects.)

 

I re-posted the edited projects to my web server. Then I re-downloaded the files to the PC running the trial version of Captivate 6. Not only did the projects open, they previewed and published perfectly. 

This expiration drama is something new in Adobe Captivate 6, and I'm hoping the limitation will be lifted at some point by an Adobe patch or update. In any event, if you are using my Captivate books, you won't have to worry about this issue again until 2016. By then, I'm pretty confident we'll be talking about Adobe Captivate 8... or 9. 

Note: If you are going to use the trial version of Captivate to work through my Captivate books, you should visit my site and download the newest data files. If you downloaded the data files last week, keep in mind that I just uploaded the "fixed" data files to my server over the past few days. If you downloaded the data files for either of my new Captivate 6 books earlier than last Friday, please throw the files away and download the updated files. All of the files will have modification dates of August 31, 2012. If you are using the licensed version of Captivate, there is no need to download the files again.

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Looking to learn Captivate quickly? We offer two live, online Captivate 6 classes. Adobe Captivate Essentials and Adobe Captivate Beyond the Essentials (Advanced).

Comments

[Puja]

I faced the same issue, but the licensed version wont let me change the expiry date. I can access the calendar but the date is frozen to today's date.

I read in another forum that one should simply disable the Project expiry date checkbox.

Appreciate help/advice. Very frustrated with this issue.

[Kevin Siegel]

I was nervous about simply disabling the option. I set the projects for my books to expire sometime in 2016. By then, the Cp6 data files will be beyond stale. If you are unable to change the date at all, you might want to contact Adobe. I was able to change the date without issue with a licensed version of Cp6.

[tatum]

I've just spent weeks on a series of quizzes created in Captivate CS6

I have CS5.5 licensed and now i've been told (by the company i work for) that they won't licence/transfer to CS6!

Could someone here perhaps open my projects and save/publish with a long expiration date?

[tatum]

Meantime... if i was to publish the project every 30 days... would this 'buy me some time' to redo all in CS5.5?

BTW i've found your site really helpful... a lot more helpful than the official Adobe support forums... :) Thankyou

[Kevin Siegel]

If you're using a licensed version of the software, and give projects to users running the trial version of Cp6, those projects can be opened and previewed via the trial version for a full 30 days from the day that user opens the project. After 30 days, the projects can still be edited but not previewed. Nor is a good idea to publish since those published lessons will have a time-bomb that cannot be disabled. If you are using the trial version and give the project to a developer using the licensed software, they can disable the project expiry option. In summary, trial to license, ok. License to trial, good for 30 days. Trial to trial=no good. You mention Cp5.5. If you are working with the licensed version, and give those projects to Cp6 trial users, they are good for 30 days.