MacSingh

Q: Slideshows stopped working after El Capitan update

Last week, I updated my OSX install from Yosemite to El Capitan, followed by an update a day later to 10.11.4. I intentionally waited for a few months before updating, because major version updates of OSX are almost always broken in some major way, and this time, after having been burnt badly with Mavericks and Yosemite when they first came out, I did not want to be the guinea pig.

 

I am a professor, and use Keynote for all my lecture slides. Two days after the update, I found that I could not use the presenter mouse to advance to the next slide. Thinking (correctly) that this was a glitch, I exported the Keynote slide deck to PDF with each stage of the builds and was able to get through that lecture after apologies for the wasted 2 minutes. Thanks for letting me down, by the way.

 

I tested this again on my office second monitor, and the problem persists. Presenter mouse, arrow keys on the MBP, etc. - nothing works.

 

I found a thread here that purports to provide a solution for this. The accepted answer on that thread does not work. My Presentation Type is already set to normal.

 

The only possible difference between my case and theirs I can find is that I am using a custom theme which is derived from the standard white. However, as the presentation type is set to Normal, that does not seem like it could be relevant. Logically, themes control graphic elements like how boxes, fonts, etc. are laid out. They can't control operating system interaction.

 

So, what gives?

MacBook Pro, OS X El Capitan (10.11.4)

Posted on Mar 30, 2016 11:09 PM

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Q: Slideshows stopped working after El Capitan update

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  • by MacSingh,

    MacSingh MacSingh Mar 30, 2016 11:14 PM in response to MacSingh
    Level 1 (8 points)
    iWork
    Mar 30, 2016 11:14 PM in response to MacSingh

    Just noticed another thing. The first keystroke of the mouse (presentation mouse / keyboard - all the same) advances the presenter view without advancing the display. Importantly, the ready to advance indicator goes from green to red.

  • by Gary Scotland,

    Gary Scotland Gary Scotland Mar 31, 2016 12:26 PM in response to MacSingh
    Level 6 (14,318 points)
    Desktops
    Mar 31, 2016 12:26 PM in response to MacSingh

    First try resetting Keynote, if this does not work; Clean Install the Mac OS.


    Resetting Keynote:

    Perform all the steps in the order listed

    To uninstall Keynote, you must use an application removal tool for this procedure to work

    Appcleaner is free and works well for this procedure, it can be download from here:     Appcleaner

     

     

    • uninstall Keynote
    • empty the trash
    • shut Down the Mac (Apple menu > Shut Down)
    • wait 10 seconds, then press the power button
    • immediately after you hear the start up tone, hold down the Shift key
    • release the Shift key when you see the grey Apple screen, start up will take a few minutes longer than usual as the Mac is performing a software repair
    • after the repair and the Mac is fully booted, restart the Mac normally, (Apple > Restart)
    • install Keynote from the Mac App Store



    Clean Install Mac OS X:

    click this link for a guide:     How to Clean Install Mac OS

  • by MacSingh,

    MacSingh MacSingh Apr 1, 2016 8:38 AM in response to Gary Scotland
    Level 1 (8 points)
    iWork
    Apr 1, 2016 8:38 AM in response to Gary Scotland

    I hope that this is in jest, and one does not need to reinstall an app or an operating system to correct an application malfunction.

     

    Please help me debug what is wrong here, systematically like any logical being would, instead of taking a hatchet to the system and praying that the problem corrects itself in the process.

     

    Mac is a Unix (BSD) based system. What configuration files do I need to be looking at?


    <Edited by Host>

  • by Gary Scotland,

    Gary Scotland Gary Scotland Apr 1, 2016 2:49 PM in response to MacSingh
    Level 6 (14,318 points)
    Desktops
    Apr 1, 2016 2:49 PM in response to MacSingh

    one does not need to reinstall an app or an operating system to correct an application malfunction.

    Deleting a Mac App Store Application is a recognised method of resetting an application, a procedure recommended by experienced Mac users and Apple.

     

    Please help me debug what is wrong here,

    We do not delve into debugging, that is a task for Apple software engineers. 

    The Keynote application running in El Capitan performs correctly for millions of users.

    We will be happy to assist you with the specific issue you are experiencing if you are prepared to use accepted procedures known to help.

     

    What configuration files do I need to be looking at?

    This is Mac software, there are no configuration files for Keynote. Deleting and reinstalling Keynote will delete any corruption in the application.

     

    taking a hatchet to the system and praying that the problem corrects itself in the process.

    No hatchet or praying involved, just a knowledge of Apple systems and how to correct issues with applications.

     

    <Edited by Host>

    Please keep to the terms of use of the Support Community that you agreed to, be respectful with your replies in future, rude and offensive content will lead to posts being deleted.

  • by MacSingh,

    MacSingh MacSingh Apr 1, 2016 10:14 PM in response to Gary Scotland
    Level 1 (8 points)
    iWork
    Apr 1, 2016 10:14 PM in response to Gary Scotland
    Deleting a Mac App Store Application is a recognised method of resetting an application, a procedure recommended by experienced Mac users and Apple.

     


    The operating assumption being that a reset will fix the problem. What if the reset also deletes customizations that a user has recorded in the preferences? You do not go for a radical solution if a simpler less invasive fix will do.

     

    We do not delve into debugging, that is a task for Apple software engineers.  The Keynote application running in El Capitan performs correctly for millions of users.We will be happy to assist you with the specific issue you are experiencing if you are prepared to use accepted procedures known to help.

     

    One does not need to be a "software developer" to edit configuration files, and this isn't really debugging the application per se. For instance, I am not asking to look at the source code of a closed source application (which besides being illegal, would also be risky given that I know nothing about the innards of the code).

     

     

    This is Mac software, there are no configuration files for Keynote. Deleting and reinstalling Keynote will delete any corruption in the application.

     

     

    Then please tell me what are all those .plist text files scattered on my system ($locate keynote |  grep "plist")? I see /Applications/iWork/Keynote.app/Contents/Info.plist, and literally dozens under the various subfolders there? These are simple XML text files, editable by hand. Many of the keys have rather easy to understand effects. Some have comments that make it easy to understand. Others are more cryptic.

     

    That is why I posted my query. An experienced Mac user or someone more familar with Keynote should be able to quickly point me to the setting that impacts the observed behaviour of the app.

     

     

    Please keep to the terms of use of the Support Community that you agreed to, be respectful with your replies in future, rude and offensive content will lead to posts being deleted.

     

     

    Oh. I did not think I had done that. But sorry if it came across that way.

  • by Steve Starratt,

    Steve Starratt Steve Starratt Aug 19, 2016 10:59 AM in response to Gary Scotland
    Level 1 (13 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 19, 2016 10:59 AM in response to Gary Scotland

    My problem is a little different. My slideshows don't show up at all. The window opens but it is clear. I still see my desktop where the window should be. In my case this fix will not work. I bought Keynote way before the App Store. I tried this and Apple wants me to buy it again,so I restored it from a backup and I still have the problem.

  • by Gary Scotland,

    Gary Scotland Gary Scotland Aug 19, 2016 11:28 PM in response to Steve Starratt
    Level 6 (14,318 points)
    Desktops
    Aug 19, 2016 11:28 PM in response to Steve Starratt

    A little more information required:

     

    • What specific version of Keynote?
    • What Mac OS?
    • What Mac model and year of issue?
    • Does this issue occur with other applications?