The Youtube Widget allows you to embed, in your Captivate presentation, a video hosted on Youtube.
Installation Steps
Download the Youtube Widget and unzip it to a location of your liking. When inserting the widget, just browse to your selected location. If you want the widget to appear in the Widget Panel, copy the folder “YoutubeWidget.wdgt” to the Captivate installation folder under the Gallery\Widgets sub-folder. Restart Captivate.
How to use it
Insert the widget in your Captivate presentation and assign it a Youtube Video ID in the Properties Dialog. By default, the widget will take the normal youtube video size of 480 x 385 pixels. If you wish to have a different size, just resize the widget on the stage.
Limitations
The Youtube widget can play one and only one video per presentation. Furthermore, it will not pause or resume the video when the presentation changes slide. Finally, you can only preview the video in a web browser. If you preview it within Captivate, the video will not show up.
Options
Youtube Video ID
This is the 11 characters Youtuve video ID of the video. It usually follows the “v=” in a Youtube URL e.g. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5AVYjSoxag
Show Related Video
When checked, sets whether the player should load related videos once playback of the initial video starts. The related videos are shown at the end of the movie.
Loop
When checked, causes the player to play the initial video again and again.
Auto Play
When checked, sets whether or not the initial video will autoplay when the player loads.
Show Video Information
When checked, causes the player to display information like the video title and publisher at the top of the movie.
Maintain 4/3 aspect ration when resized
When checked, keeps the video aspect ratio to 4/3. If unchecked, the video is stretched to match the widget dimensions on the stage.
Override Playbar Colors
When checked, overrides the playbar’s default colors. The secondary colors is associated to the borders.
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March 3rd, 2011 at 12:48
Hi,
I am trying to use the Adobe Captivate 5 Youtube widget. I installed the widget, creating a 3 page simulation. Page 1 had intro text, Page 2 had the widget, Page 3 had some more text. I included on the widget the 11 character code into the widget. I chose the options keep 4/3 aspect. When I publish the simulation and view it I can see the intro text and exit text but when it comes to showing the Youtube video it is just a blank page.
Please can you help?
Thanks
Peter
March 3rd, 2011 at 14:24
Hi Peter,
I can see two things: first, you need to publish it “in web browser”. If you try to preview the project, it will not work. The second issue might be that your PC doesn’t allow the connection to the internet due to some restrictions. If so, try to publish it on a web server to see if it works.
Yves
March 5th, 2011 at 02:10
Hi Yves,
First of all, many thanks replying to me. I have done both of the things you mentioned (published in web browser and using a PC with an internet connection) but it still does not work. Would it be possible for me to send you my adobe captivate 5 file? Maybe there is something I have forgotten to do. It is a small file with only 4 slides (1 intro slide, 2 slides using the youtube widget, 1 exit slide). Which email address can I send it to?
Thanks in advance
Peter
March 5th, 2011 at 15:17
Hi Peter,
I just sent you an e-mail.
Yves
March 17th, 2011 at 10:03
Hello – does anyone know if there are any legal issues to having a widget play a youtube video? Need the person who uploaded the video’s consent? Or is it more like just pointing to the webpage which I assume is not illegal? Thanks!
March 17th, 2011 at 21:13
Hi Sandy,
To be sure, one would have to carefully read the Youtube agreements. However, I have used their API to create the widget and if it was forbidden, they would not provide such an API. As for the video, I assume that as soon as it’s on youtube, it becomes public content. Many web sites embed youtube videos so I guess it’s legal. Anyway, to be sure, I would read the Youtube agreement if I were you.
Yves
April 8th, 2011 at 07:49
H Yvesi:
I am impressed with this widget. I am able to easily add multiple you Tube videos into my CP projects adding value to the courseware, however, I have found the following 2 things that do not seem to work as follows:
1. When entering the YouTube Video ID, any dashes (-) entered are stripped away. An example URL that contains a dash in the ID is “http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-HSKJaTx1w&feature=player_detailpage” (notice the ID t-HSKJaTx1w)
2. Setting the opacity of the widget in teh Properties Inspector has no effect
Item 1 above is a major issue as Google is not adding more characters (such as dash) into the ID’s on YouTube.
Item 2 above is a nice-to-have, but worth mention.
Best Regards,
Dennis Hall
April 8th, 2011 at 13:22
Hi Yves:
Ammending my previous comment (just above).
The URL may not be the issue. I am not able to display any other YouTube Id’s in a second instance of your widget.
Is this what you mean above when you write “The Youtube widget can play one and only one video per presentation”.
So if by “presentation” you mean project (as opposed to slide), then you need not answer.
What I did to test this…
I created a new slide and place a second instance of the widget in it.
I used an ID that had no dashes or other chars in it, save, then published it.
It did not work.
I then copied and pasted teh ID from th efirst slide into the second one and both videos worked.
So, as I see it, the limitation is not on the quantity of widgets per project, but the limitation of only 1 ID being able to be used per project.
Do you have a solution to this (if what I have found is correct)?
Best Regards,
Dennis Hall
April 8th, 2011 at 16:27
Hi Dennis,
Unfortunately this is exactly the limitation with the widget. It seems that the youtube flash API (at least when I built the widget) doesn’t allow to load 2 feeds in the same swf file. At the moment, I have no workaround for this. I know it’s a big limitation but I would have to spend more time to see what can be done with it. I will put that in the stack but it may take quite a while before I get back to it.
April 14th, 2011 at 11:24
Hi Yves,
I am experiencing the same issue peter was having. Could you take a quick look and see if I am missing something? It seems pretty straight forward.
I inserted the widget, but when I view the .swf file in IE, I only see a blank white screen and no video.
I have an internet connection on this machine and can play the YouTube video, but not when I insert the widget into captivate and publish.
Thanks,
Jim
April 14th, 2011 at 12:29
Hi Jim,
Peter never replied to me so I don’t know if what I told him fixed his issue but you have to make sure that the Flash Plugin allows communicating with the web. http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/settings_manager04.html. If you don’t do that, then the movie will not play. This will not be an issue when on a web server but on your PC , it will be.
June 26th, 2011 at 21:38
This is an awesome widget!!! Woohoo!
How much do you want for developing it further, to allow for more than one instance of video per CP Project? I can ask my client if they are willing to pay for your dev hours.
July 7th, 2011 at 18:48
Hi
i tried and installed the youtube widget in a sample cp5.5 and when i view it in my browser it plays clear for a few seconds and then it greys out and i the video is not clear.. any thoughts
July 7th, 2011 at 21:43
Hi Robert,
Could it be the video itself? I just tried the Widget in Cp5.5 and the default video plays till the end and is very clear … No one else reported any issues with the widget in Cp5.5.
Whyves
July 8th, 2011 at 08:11
Whyves
I inserted a YouTube video that plays perfectly on YouTube plus I used your video. Both played ok for a few seconds and then showed some YouTube info remnants and the video became grainy. This happened in both ie9 and chrome. Any thoughts.
Rob
July 25th, 2011 at 08:38
Hi Whyves,
I am currently creating a college project using captivate 5. I am trying to decide what host to use for my instructional videos I gave created. I have 18 short videos in all (approx 10-20 seconds long each). When you say only one youtube video can be used per presentation do you mean per slide or the whole project? In other words, is it possible to fit those 18 videos into my project?
Ciaran
July 25th, 2011 at 22:37
Hi Ciaran,
Sorry, it’s one youtube video per project. So, you cannot put more than one video per projet.
Whyves
August 2nd, 2011 at 18:20
I’m having the same difficulty as some of the other responders. If I preview the project “in web bowser” it works perfectly. When I publish the project and view it in the web browser, I get a blank screen on the slide containing the widget. My system is running on Explorer 8 could that be the issue? My company is still a couple of operating systems behind and I am unable to upgrade to Explorer 9.
August 3rd, 2011 at 08:30
Whyves,
The YouTube Widget still says that it is for Captivate 5 only. Is it safe to assume this is because of AS3 and it should also work with Captivate 5.5?
Please advise.
BTW Robert from July 8th,
If what you are describing is what I think it is, your slide is transitioning with some type of fade that is causing you to see through the YouTube Video and see the info remnants. I would recommend removing the fade if possible, or an easier solution might be to put a “Continue” button on the slide that pauses the slide somewhere in those first few seconds of when the video is playing fine. This will prevent the fade transition from happening until the user clicks the “Continue” button.
Thanks,
Channon
August 4th, 2011 at 05:57
Hi Chuck,
The answer to this problem was also explained in the comments. It’s the Flash Player security settings. You need to make sure that the Flash Plugin allows communicating with the local PC. If you don’t do that, then the movie will not play. This will not be an issue when on a web server but on your PC , it will be.
Here’s a URL to help you configure the security settings: http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/settings_manager04.html
Whyves
August 4th, 2011 at 06:02
Hi Channon,
Yes, it will work in Cp5.5 as well and thanks for providing an answer to Robert’s question. I didn’t think of that.
Whyves
August 31st, 2011 at 10:50
I am excited to have the option of using this widget and I thank you in advance for your work, but unfortunately I have the same problem as Chuck.
I visited the macromedia link and updated my settings to “allways allow”, but I still don’t see the video on the published file. It plays fine during the preview “in web browswer” just not when published. I have tried playing around with a few different ideas, and I just can’t get it to work on the published file.
Thanks again for your help!
August 31st, 2011 at 23:17
Hi Gina,
Try these two things:
1) Make sure that you added the folder from where you run the files after ticking the “Always allow”
2) I noticed that in chrome the preview doesn’t work when using short path i.e. path containing a tilde (~). By default, when you preview the project after publication, Captivate uses a short path notation. Instead, either double click on the HTML file or press CTRL+O in the browser to manually open the file.
Whyves
September 8th, 2011 at 00:09
is there a way to allow to play multiple movies per project, one move per slide.
I have 8 movies that need to inserted into different slides throughout the project.
September 8th, 2011 at 05:53
Hi Matt,
Not with this version of the widget. I’m currently working on a version that will allow this.
http://blog.flash-factor.com/multiple-youtube-videos-in-one-project/
Whyves
September 16th, 2011 at 06:40
The chap below has the same issue as me. Yves said would look at it. Any chance of the solution being listed as it is driving me to distraction
Peter Dobson Says:
March 5th, 2011 at 02:10
Hi Yves,
First of all, many thanks replying to me. I have done both of the things you mentioned (published in web browser and using a PC with an internet connection) but it still does not work. Would it be possible for me to send you my adobe captivate 5 file? Maybe there is something I have forgotten to do. It is a small file with only 4 slides (1 intro slide, 2 slides using the youtube widget, 1 exit slide). Which email address can I send it to?
Thanks in advance
Peter
Whyves Says:
March 5th, 2011 at 15:17
Hi Peter,
I just sent you an e-mail.
Yves
September 16th, 2011 at 08:00
Hi Martin
There are always 3 possible reasons why it would not work:
1) You have more than one youtube widget in the project. This is currently a limitation but I’m working on a professional version where you’ll be able to have multiple videos.
2) The Flash Player security settings don’t allow you to load the video from the web when the presentation is run on your computer. You have to adjust the settings by adding the folder where you publish the course. http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/settings_manager04.html
3) It doesn’t work (at least in Chrome) when Captivate automatically open up the presentation after the publish. You need to manually open it from the browser by pressing CTRL+O and then browsing to the publish folder.
Hope that helps!
Yves
October 10th, 2011 at 21:15
Hi Yves
Had the same issues as Martin above and followed your steps….now working.
Thanks heaps for your widget.
Now if I can only get my live twitter feed widget to work I will be extreemly happy
Thanks again
October 27th, 2011 at 16:48
Hi Yves,
Many thanks for developing this wonderful widget and continuing developing the multi-video version. My question may be slightly different from others: I am currently developing courses for the state’s k-12 public school system. We wish to upload the videos onto teachertube.com instead of youtube.com, since many public schools actually block youtube access. I guess in that case, a different widget will be needed because teachertube seems use different method. In this case, can you please give me some advise on where I should start with? I never used API before, have limited Flash experience and some Java/C programing experiences. Thanks for any advice!
November 2nd, 2011 at 16:44
Suggestions!!!
1. Can you add an option to enable autoplay of youtube videos. Here is gooles instructions for doing it with the embed code. It would be nice to see it added.
http://www.google.com/support/youtube/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=1181821
2. Can you also add an option to add or remove the “show related videos” at the end of the youtube presentation? You can view the code for that in youtube when you select the options for showing related videos or not when sharing via embed a youtube video.
November 20th, 2011 at 18:47
Hello,
Thankyou for the widget. I have loaded it sucessfully – Published it to a web server.
When I play the html – it works fine. When my colleagues play it – it does not work.
Does this mean they also have to play around with their flash player security settings?
Thankyou
Alison
November 21st, 2011 at 21:37
Hi Alison,
The security setting are only required when you want to preview the html directly on your computer. If the presentation is published on a web server then there are no settings to change. Maybe your colleague’s browser setting somehow prevents him/her to view the presentation. I suggest that you ask a few colleagues to see if it’s all the same.
January 9th, 2012 at 15:19
Hello,
Thanks for the widget. This seems to work great for me. One thing, if I play the video and then continue on to the next course slide, the video keeps playing unless I stop it. Any tips on how I can get the video to stop playing once I continue to the next slide? Thanks.
Ed Rosado
January 9th, 2012 at 21:13
Hi Ed,
Unfortunately, the widget currently doesn’t support this feature.
January 27th, 2012 at 16:55
Thank you for the widget.
I enjoyed reading your articles in this blog. I noticed you hosted the section about creating widget last year. Do you plan to do it again this year? I would like to attend a conference that I have a change to learn more about Captivate widget.
January 29th, 2012 at 12:55
Hi Sami,
Unfortunately no. I will not be presenting or attending the summit this year. But thanks for reading the blog!
Yves
January 30th, 2012 at 09:12
That is too bad! Thank you for your comment anyway. Keep up the good work.
I
March 19th, 2012 at 07:59
This is a great Plugin, thank you for this. I will test it on my Blog, hope it will work fine.
April 10th, 2012 at 17:37
Thank you very, very much for this widget! It is almost perfect – only two things missing ;O)
a) It seems the widget always fetchs a 4:3-version of a YouTube video. If I scale the widget to exactly the 16:9-size of the video, the widget still takes the 4:3-version (including the black bars) and scales it to the desired 16:9-measures. Is there any way to have proper 16:9 output?
b) Below the videos on YouTube is a Share button. Through this button one can get a direct link to the HD version of a video, for example http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nPReFao19g&hd=1
In the current version of the widget special characters like “/” and “&” are removed, so that the video ID “4nPReFao19g&hd=1″ doesn’t work. Could it be possible to make those direct links working?
Again, thank you very much for your effort!
Marcel
April 13th, 2012 at 16:24
Hi Marc,
a) This option will only work if the movie itself was uploaded in a 16:9 format. If the movie was uploaded with a 4:3 format, the widget, if the 16:9 option is selected, will render it with the sidebars.
b) I would have to change the widget to allow this. I will see if I can do it when I have a few minutes to spare … it might take a while.
April 16th, 2012 at 08:53
Hi there
i have uploaded the widget and it works beautifully, I have an issue I was hoping you had a solution to. I would like the youTube video to auto play on slide 4 after I click on a button to direct me to slide 4, can this be done?
I have added a continue button onto slide 4 which stops the play early on in the presentation but when I go to slide 4 I have to click play, i’d like it to play automatically when slide 4 appear?
Any help you could give would be fantastic.
thanks
April 17th, 2012 at 04:38
Sorry I have another problem, I can get it to load perfectly, and then I change something in my presentation and then the YouTube video no longer works. I haven’t touched anything to do with that slide however.
thanks