Drop shadows not appearing on export

Question

I have a map where I click on a U.S. state and it brings up a state-specific object state. Originally the object state just contained a text frame with text in it and a drop shadow on it and that all worked fine. Now we need to add a small square at a 45 angle to serve as a sort of arrow. I placed it underneath the text frame on either the bottom or the side depending on where the object state needs to appear. I added the little square under the text frame in the existing object states and I added a drop shadow to the two items. Everything looks exactly as it should in InDesign. When I export the drop shadows are all gone. I'm able to create a separate text frame and group it to the small square and add a drop shadow  but NOT make it an object state and that drop shadow appears when I export. What am I doing wrong?

Answer 1

Would you be able to send us the following for us to troubleshoot?

• Your InDesign file or a sample file that recreates the issue
• Your html5_output folder

You can send them here:

• https://ajarproductions.com/pages/contact.php?category=in5

Comments

I'm sorry - I only saw another way to send a message but no way to attached files at the link you provided. Am I looking in the wrong place?

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When you go to https://ajarproductions.com/pages/contact.php?category=in5, click on the Report a problem or a bug button. In the form that appears, you can add a link to your sample files using a cloud storage solution such as Dropbox, Box, Google Drive, or WeTransfer.com. The form will send an email to us at Ajar Productions Support.

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thank you and apologies that I didn't grasp that initially. I've sent my files and appreciate any help you can provide!

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I replied via email, but I wanted to post the answer here in case anyone else had the same question.

The Drop Shadow effect had been applied to the object state as opposed to the contents of the object state. When you select the contents of the object state and apply the Drop Shadow, then it appears when it's exported.

You can see the difference between what is selected in the Objects States panel. When the object state is selected, InDesign displays a bounding box icon with no fill. When the contents of the object state are selected, then the bounding box icon has a fill.

Just as an aside--the same is also true of animation applied to the contents of a multi-state object (MSO). The animation needs to be applied to the contents of the object state and not the object state itself.