Where does the Front Page Description show up?

Where does the Front Page Description show up?

by Deborah Delin -
Number of replies: 10

Hello,

It's a big embarrassing to be asking this several months into Moodle but..................

On my front page (www.strivney.co.il) I am using, I think, the topic section to display everything.  I would like, if possible to use the topic section for storing resources which I link to from the front page (as Mary describes in "How to make your course page look like a web page").  So I need to free up the topic section.

In Front Page Settings there is an HTML editor entitled "Front Page Description" and it says "This description of the site will be displayed on the front page".  What I have never understood is why nothing I put in this HTML editor shows up on the front page? 

I would like to use this area to display the main stuff on my front page, and a topic to house resources.  Help?

Thanks so much in advance.

Deborah

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In reply to Deborah Delin

Re: Where does the Front Page Description show up?

by Mary Cooch -
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Hi Deborah smile
You need to go to your front page and turn on the editing and add the block known as course/site description in order to get that, although I am not sure you can do the coursepage/webpage method on the front page as it doesn't work in quite the same way as the other courses that have numbered topic sections. If I weren't in the middle of making tea I would give you some other ideas to achieve what I think you want - if nobody else comes around I'll come back later!

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In reply to Mary Cooch

Re: Where does the Front Page Description show up?

by Deborah Delin -

Oh - add a block!  Why didn't I think of that?

Thanks so much for that.  I'll experiment and see if the topics thing works.

Oh I see - the block is just a side block.  No that doesn't work then.  I'll try putting everything in a label.....

.....No that doesn't work because of course the label is part of the topic!  So if you do have any ideas as to how I can link to material from the front page without having it all listed there, I would love to hear them!  It would be ideal really if one could make resources invisible but also accessible.  I did read up on this and it seems it has been requested but, if I understand correctly, is not available yet.

Hope you enjoy/ed your tea!

Deborah

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In reply to Deborah Delin

Re: Where does the Front Page Description show up?

by Mary Cooch -
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One way round this on the front page is - I tend to make courses with just one hidden topic and then use topic 0 to put my information in and then make them guest access and link to them from the front page. For example in the links at the top here (I don't profess to have anything professional at all as I am not a webdesigner or coder, just an interested teacher) - if you click on. for example, admissions or contact, the page you go to is merely the top bit of a guest access course.
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In reply to Deborah Delin

Re: Where does the Front Page Description show up?

by Walter Horowitz -

I am not sure I understand your objective, but let me describe what we do. We want to have resources available from the front page that are not listed on the front page for logged in users. These resources are not available before login.

First, we make the Main Menu block available only to logged in users. Secondly, we add resources to the Main Menu block that are hidden. The administrators see the entries and nobody else sees them. Finally, we do have a web page resource listed in the Main Menu block and we include links to the resources on that web page. How do we know how to kink to the resources? We use the same links that are hidden in the Main Menu block.

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In reply to Mary Cooch

Re: Where does the Front Page Description show up?

by Deborah Delin -

Hi Walter and Mary,

Thanks very much for your explanations of how you do things. 

Thanks for the link to your site Mary - it always helps to actually see these things.

I think that will do the trick nicely.  I will "store" my resources in a hidden topic on another course and then I can link to them elegantly from the front page as you have done. 

Thanks so much for your help.

Deborah

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In reply to Deborah Delin

Re: Where does the Front Page Description show up?

by Sharon R -
Here is another idea for linking your text or graphics on a Front Page Label or Summary box to unseen Moodle webpages:

I created information (User Policy, Workshop Information, Help Desk Information) in Word Pad and saved each of them as an RTF file. WordPad is like Notepad, but allows you better formatting options. Notepad would work too.

I then uploaded these RTF files to the Front Page Site Files. When these files are uploaded, you can edit them right there in the Site Files page (there is an edit icon for htm or notepad/wordpad files).

Once uploaded, you can right click on the document name and select Copy Shortcut.

I then went to my Front Page, which is one Long Label with all our Site Moodle Information, including graphics for our categories, etc. I selected my text or graphic, clicked insert a link and pasted my "copy shortcut" link.

Now my front page text and graphics link to a file in my Site Shortcuts, but no one can see these files unless they click the link.



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In reply to Mary Cooch

Re: Where does the Front Page Description show up?

by Robbie xin -
Hi, Mary,

I got the same problem as Deborah. I add in the course/site description block. But it still doesn't show up at the front page. Any other change do I need to make?


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In reply to Robbie xin

Re: Where does the Front Page Description show up?

by Mary Cooch -
Picture of Documentation writers Picture of Moodle HQ Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Testers Picture of Translators
Are you saying that you have added the course/site description block to your front page but the block itself doesn't show? If you turn editing on on the front page does this block have its eye closed - ie , hidden? Can you add other blocks ok on the front page? Do you want your front page description as a side block? I think it's often nicer in the centre, which you can do by ticking the "include a topic section" in front page settings and then on the front page pasting your site description there.
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In reply to Mary Cooch

Re: Where does the Front Page Description show up?

by Robbie xin -
Hi, Mary,

Thanks for your quick reply. Yes. Orginally I thought I want to show site description as a side block. When I add course/site description block. It doesn't show and the eye is not closed. I want to make this making first.

I think your suggestions is very good. But how to add a topic section? I have tried many options in front page settings. But it seems it doesn't come up to the front page.





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In reply to Robbie xin

Re: Where does the Front Page Description show up?

by Colin Fraser -
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Try this Robbie:

Nothing appears magically, you have to do it. There is an explanation of how this can be done in the Beginning Administration 2 FAQ.

You have the choices of adding a label, which I have generally done, putting a table inside the label, or having a web page putting anything you like into it. You can add in any available resource or activity from the front page.

In Moodle, I have found that you will be more constrained by your imagination than the program. Go to:

Administration > Front Page > Front Page settings.

Note the Topics section is a checkbox and you can have that as an additional feature, not just as a standalone like I prefer.
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Average of ratings: Useful (1)