If you are requesting technical assistance with Twine, please specify:
Twine Version: 2.3.14
Story Format:
I am simply trying to share a Twine story (written using Harlowe, created using the in-browser version in Chrome) with students so that they can test out the branching paths and see how certain elements appear on the page.
When I publish to file, I get an HTML link but when I share it (both through email and Google Classroom), anyone trying to access the link is told that the file can’t be accessed. Following the link on my PC (the one used to create the file) works, but no one else seems to have authorization/access. Students are trying to access the HTML file on Chromebooks and PCs with Windows 10 (using either Chrome or Edge browsers).
Selecting the Twine 2.x application’s Publish to File option should cause a (Story) HTML file to be generated, which you are likely saving to your local hard-drive.
If you send a copy of that saved HTML file to the students, then they will be able to use they web-browser to view the contents of the Story. If your project includes external media files then they would also need access to those files as well.
The students would also be able to use the Twine 2.x application’s Import option, and the HTML file you send them, to re-create a copy of your project so they can view the Passage that it contains.
Don’t send the HTML link, since that link will only work on your own computer.
Instead, you should ZIP up the saved/published HTML file and any other files that it needs to work (images, etc.), and then either email that ZIP file to them (if it’s a small file) or put the ZIP file online and email a link so they can download it. If you want a free place to do temporary uploads, use the “link” method at ShareGB (or some similar file sharing platform) to generate a temporary download link to the ZIP file. If you would prefer a more permanent link, then you could upload the ZIP file to Google Drive, mark the file as shared, and then give them the link to download it from there.
Alternately, you could host the HTML file online. A free method to do this would be to upload the file to Google Drive and then enable sharing on the HTML file. If the HTML file needs other files, such as images, then they’ll need to be uploaded there and have sharing enabled for them as well. Next, set up a DriveToWeb account, and that will then allow you to share a working link to the game in your Google Drive so that others can use that link to play the game online. (Note: There’s a monthly download limit from Google Drive, so don’t use this method for games with tons of images, sounds, and videos, or games that will be shared with thousands of people. For your purposes, this limitation probably won’t be an issue.)
The issue I’m running into is that Publish to File appears to only provide an HTML link using the in-browser version. I can’t find any location with the file itself on my computer.
Huh. That’s odd: it should pop up a save/download dialog. If it doesn’t you can save the “published” file yourself, but Twine doesn’t host them for you. What does the URL look like when you publish it?
