I've started creating assignments and find that most, if not all of my assignements need to be offline activities. Before figuring this out I created a couple of assignments of the wrong type. Now that those assignments are there how do I get rid of them?
It seems that this should be a typical editing function for assignment management that can be done by the content creator or admin, however, I don't find anything that looks like this to me and I've not found any info when searching the user documentation or the "Using Moodle" book.
What am I missing?
Do you mean you've created assignments of, eg the upload a single file or online text, instead of offline assignment? In which case, if you turn on the editing and hit the X (delete) icon, it will delete them from the course page and also the grade book. Is that what you are meaning?
That's what I was expecting, however, the only "X" I find is on the homepage for the course, before I open the Assignments module and it deletes the module just as the eye icon hides the module, not individual assignments. Matter of fact, I tried clicking that "X" and it wiped out the Assignments block immediately with no warning and apparently, no way of recovering it. I had expected that, as with most "delete" functions, requesting a delete by clicking "X" would ask for verification (what if I clicked it accidentally?)
So now I've deleted the Assignments block altogether and even as admin I don't see a way to get it back. I hate it when that happens!
Maybe after 40 years of designing software, I've gotten stuck in my paradigm of how basic functions should work but I've got to admit that, for me, Moodle does not have an intuitive interface. Once you get the idea of how each twist and turn works (sort of like the old "Adventure" game!) it has a lot of really good stuff but finding it is a lot like learning to carve a turkey.
Anyway, enough whinging - I now have two questions, 1) How do I get my Assignments block back? and 2) How do I delete a particualr assignment?
So now I've deleted the Assignments block altogether and even as admin I don't see a way to get it back. I hate it when that happens!
Maybe after 40 years of designing software, I've gotten stuck in my paradigm of how basic functions should work but I've got to admit that, for me, Moodle does not have an intuitive interface. Once you get the idea of how each twist and turn works (sort of like the old "Adventure" game!) it has a lot of really good stuff but finding it is a lot like learning to carve a turkey.
Anyway, enough whinging - I now have two questions, 1) How do I get my Assignments block back? and 2) How do I delete a particualr assignment?
I absolutely agree Moodle is not intuitive - I nearly gave up on it when I first started 
First of all -have you not been accessing assignments from the actual course pages by clicking on' turn on editing' and then 'add an activity' and then selecting the assignment you want? Then to delete you just do as I said in the previous post.I think you might have gone and deleted the assignment module from the front page admin -it won't have gone from your server (presumably) but I am not sure I know how to get it switched back on within Moodle admin -short of uploading it again from here http://moodle.org/mod/data/view.php?d=13&rid=34
To the first part: yes, I've created my assignment by turning on editing and then adding an activity then selecting the type of assignment and entering the descriptive text.
To the second part: yes, I think I've sawed off that limb and deleted the assignment module (to save face I could say that I clicked the "X" accidentaly). Anyway, it seems to be gone without warning.
Short of uploading what again? all of Moodle? How about working from a backup done a few hours before this foolishness struck?
BTW - I never did find the "X" associated with an individual assignment.
To the second part: yes, I think I've sawed off that limb and deleted the assignment module (to save face I could say that I clicked the "X" accidentaly). Anyway, it seems to be gone without warning.
Short of uploading what again? all of Moodle? How about working from a backup done a few hours before this foolishness struck?
BTW - I never did find the "X" associated with an individual assignment.
Yes, sure; try the backup. As for reuploading you'd only have to reupload the assignment activity module that I linked to in the plugins database.
In reply to Mary Cooch (personal account)
Re: How do I delete an assignment?
Sorry to seem dense but : see this where?
Before the assignments module disappeared, I saw nothing like this around an assignment. I assume the the "Dave Brown" part is just a place holder represetning an assignment title or some such. I see the editing symbols next to many entries, such a forums but when I opened the assignments section (before it was declared a non-module or non-block) I saw none of these symbols next to an assignment name. I did see them next to the Assignments Module block title which is where I clicked the deadly "X".
Yes, I drilled down far enough in the admin interface to determine that AJAX is enabled.
Why do I feel like I'm dropping down the rabbit hole or in a scene from To Say Nothing of the Dog?
Before the assignments module disappeared, I saw nothing like this around an assignment. I assume the the "Dave Brown" part is just a place holder represetning an assignment title or some such. I see the editing symbols next to many entries, such a forums but when I opened the assignments section (before it was declared a non-module or non-block) I saw none of these symbols next to an assignment name. I did see them next to the Assignments Module block title which is where I clicked the deadly "X".
Yes, I drilled down far enough in the admin interface to determine that AJAX is enabled.
Why do I feel like I'm dropping down the rabbit hole or in a scene from To Say Nothing of the Dog?
I would disable ajax (it should be in miscellaneous - experimental) just to check - I sometimes have had problems on earlier versions of Moodle with editing when it is enabled. I went to one of my Moodles and did as we said before - turned on editing, clicked on add an activity to get the drop down menu; I made an assignment called Dave Brown, saved it and returned to course page (still with editing on) and took a screenshot of what I saw. What do you mean' when I opened the assignments section'?
Dave,
if you have deleted the whole activity from Administration -> Modules -> Activities -> Manage activities
and click link "Notifications" from administration menu (or go to http://yoursite/admin/ ) moodle should install tables of deleted activity back - without previous data unfortunately...
If you hide activity from Administration -> Modules -> Activities -> Manage activities all icons and links of that activity will be hidden from courses - also from adminstrators. If you hide the activity from course itself hidden activities will be still visible to administrator and you should be able to delete single assignments from each course...
I replaced the assignment sub-dir with a copy that I'd made via FTP to my local machine just before all of this began (I was getting ready to test the Rubric plug-in). This restoration did not help - nothing seems to have changed; I guess because there is something in a configuration file that tells the Moodle central configuration logic to look for an assignments module rather than the central configuration doing an inventory of modules and apolling them about their status.
It sounds like the "plug-ins database" that you reference may be the home of "gold" list of registered modules and may be what needs to modified to recover the assignments.
It sounds like the "plug-ins database" that you reference may be the home of "gold" list of registered modules and may be what needs to modified to recover the assignments.
Hmmmm - the initial question is answered - my bad - evidently I created the first assignment in the initial block of the central section rather than in the correct week. Once I started looking where I did not expect the result, I found what happened.
Even though I am missing the Activites Block under frontpage for the course (is that correct Moodle speak? or is the front page only the page tha shows up before a course is selected?) it seems that I can still create assignments within the central block for a particualr week - and -once I look in the correct week, I can just as easily delete them.
Okay, that part is resolved, thanks for helping me wrestle my shadow to the ground. Now let's see if I can fix the damage I've done while flailing about.
Even though I am missing the Activites Block under frontpage for the course (is that correct Moodle speak? or is the front page only the page tha shows up before a course is selected?) it seems that I can still create assignments within the central block for a particualr week - and -once I look in the correct week, I can just as easily delete them.
Okay, that part is resolved, thanks for helping me wrestle my shadow to the ground. Now let's see if I can fix the damage I've done while flailing about.
So it seems not all is lost then Dave - don't know what time it is in your part of the world but in mine I think it's time for a drink
Greetings, Dave!
I don't know that I can help you recover your module, but maybe I can clarify one small thing for you?
When I started working with moodle for the first time, a wise person advised me to create an admin account AND an instructor account. This is so simple as to be "Duh!", and I am not trying to insult your intelligence. It was insurance, of course, because when I was doing "instructor" type things, I would a) be safe from doing accidentally doing anything that would affect the whole system--admin stuff is hidden by virtue of the fact that I was logged in as an instructor, b) I would see and use what instructors see and use (preparatory for helping our faculty use the system), and c) my activity is logged with the correct role (i.e., so people don't message the admin account when I rarely check that). When I need to do admin things, of course, I log in as admin. Once we are set up and ready to go, I spend much less time on the system as admin than I do as instructor.
I have read several times that people who are new to moodle expect the admin interface to be QUITE different from the instructor/course building interface. This is true in many other software applications. But moodle uses much the same basic interface (although there are some admin pages that look somewhat different). I think this requires some getting used to!
The modules and activities pages, when you are logged in as admin, have to do with the system wide settings. I rarely actually delete one of these (sorry this happened to you!), preferring instead to just hide it if it is something I want to make unavailable. Easy to unhide later! If you delete it, I believe you also delete the files and database tables. I think I did this once on a 3rd party plugin, so to retrieve it, I copied the code back in to the correct file location and go to the "notifications" link in the admin panel. (You said you replaced the code, but you didn't say that you visited the notifications link.) Hopefully, that will rebuild the proper tables in the database.
The activities dropdown box that Mary refers to is only available within a specific course. Anything you delete in the context of the course will only affect the course.
I do hope you get this sorted. Please post back if we can help you further.
atw
I don't know that I can help you recover your module, but maybe I can clarify one small thing for you?
When I started working with moodle for the first time, a wise person advised me to create an admin account AND an instructor account. This is so simple as to be "Duh!", and I am not trying to insult your intelligence. It was insurance, of course, because when I was doing "instructor" type things, I would a) be safe from doing accidentally doing anything that would affect the whole system--admin stuff is hidden by virtue of the fact that I was logged in as an instructor, b) I would see and use what instructors see and use (preparatory for helping our faculty use the system), and c) my activity is logged with the correct role (i.e., so people don't message the admin account when I rarely check that). When I need to do admin things, of course, I log in as admin. Once we are set up and ready to go, I spend much less time on the system as admin than I do as instructor.
I have read several times that people who are new to moodle expect the admin interface to be QUITE different from the instructor/course building interface. This is true in many other software applications. But moodle uses much the same basic interface (although there are some admin pages that look somewhat different). I think this requires some getting used to!
The modules and activities pages, when you are logged in as admin, have to do with the system wide settings. I rarely actually delete one of these (sorry this happened to you!), preferring instead to just hide it if it is something I want to make unavailable. Easy to unhide later! If you delete it, I believe you also delete the files and database tables. I think I did this once on a 3rd party plugin, so to retrieve it, I copied the code back in to the correct file location and go to the "notifications" link in the admin panel. (You said you replaced the code, but you didn't say that you visited the notifications link.) Hopefully, that will rebuild the proper tables in the database.
The activities dropdown box that Mary refers to is only available within a specific course. Anything you delete in the context of the course will only affect the course.
I do hope you get this sorted. Please post back if we can help you further.
atw
Well said A.T.Wyatt You see - the problem is; Dave is too clever for Moodle!
Well, yes, having worked on many hierarchically structured systems in the past, the first thing that I did was create separate admin and instructor accounts then I created several test user accounts and even another test instructor account (which I've yet to use). I do class related things in the instructor account and system related things in the admin account (I admit it took me a while to realize that just because two interfaces looked the same did not mean that they did the same thing at all).
I try to stay in the instructor account as much of the time as I can (the knives in the admin area are usually very sharp!). In fact, I thought I was in the instructor account when I clicked the nefarious "X" tat started this adventure.
I don't know that I replaced "code" but I guess that is database speak for scripts (sorry - I'm an old assembly lang and up programmer) that are contained in the assignments directory. I'll see if I can get any behavioral change by finding and tweaking the "Notifications" link in the admin panel.
- patter of little feet headed over to the Admin panel - type-type-type-peck-click-grunt-grrr!
- okay - I'm back
Clicking on Notifications under Site Administration takes me to the admin/index.php page which opens up as perfectly blank - nada - tried it twice. BTW the "Notifications" heading is the only one that has a little sqare black bullet instead of a larger blank rectangle - significant?
I try to stay in the instructor account as much of the time as I can (the knives in the admin area are usually very sharp!). In fact, I thought I was in the instructor account when I clicked the nefarious "X" tat started this adventure.
I don't know that I replaced "code" but I guess that is database speak for scripts (sorry - I'm an old assembly lang and up programmer) that are contained in the assignments directory. I'll see if I can get any behavioral change by finding and tweaking the "Notifications" link in the admin panel.
- patter of little feet headed over to the Admin panel - type-type-type-peck-click-grunt-grrr!
- okay - I'm back
Clicking on Notifications under Site Administration takes me to the admin/index.php page which opens up as perfectly blank - nada - tried it twice. BTW the "Notifications" heading is the only one that has a little sqare black bullet instead of a larger blank rectangle - significant?
I'm not sure that I understood but if you clicked 
from a block it should close that block and you should be able to get the block back from Blocks block (Drop down list).
If Notifications gives totally blank page you may have for example uploaded some block to mod folder or some module to blocks folder...
before Notifications is alone (item) because it is not under any sub folder 
or 
.
Turning Debugging to ALL from Administration -> Server -> Debugging could give some more info.
Site Administration/Blocks/Manage Blocks : the line for Activities shows the eye icon, and a Delete, that's all, no multiple or settings commands. I don't see anything useful in any of the other headings under Manage Blocks or Manage Blocks.
Turning Debugging to ALL, I get the following error (and nothing else) in Notifications:
Fatal error: Cannot redeclare assignment_upgrade() (previously declared in /home/kellbro6/public_html/draw-life/mod/assignment/db/mysql.php:8) in /home/kellbro6/public_html/draw-life/mod/assignment_rubric/db/mysql.php on line 174
Is this some sort of residue from the Rubric Grades plug-in that I thought I had deleted?
I'll go back and replace the /mod/assignments directory that was downloaded with the rubric plug-in directory, get rid of the rubric assignments directory (assignment_rubric) all together and see what happens.
If this doesn't get it how can I get a pristine copy of the /mod/assignments directory for 1.9.2?
BTW, previous info that I provided re ATLAS was incorrect, it is turned off.
Turning Debugging to ALL, I get the following error (and nothing else) in Notifications:
Fatal error: Cannot redeclare assignment_upgrade() (previously declared in /home/kellbro6/public_html/draw-life/mod/assignment/db/mysql.php:8) in /home/kellbro6/public_html/draw-life/mod/assignment_rubric/db/mysql.php on line 174
Is this some sort of residue from the Rubric Grades plug-in that I thought I had deleted?
I'll go back and replace the /mod/assignments directory that was downloaded with the rubric plug-in directory, get rid of the rubric assignments directory (assignment_rubric) all together and see what happens.
If this doesn't get it how can I get a pristine copy of the /mod/assignments directory for 1.9.2?
BTW, previous info that I provided re ATLAS was incorrect, it is turned off.
Here's the link to the original assignment module
http://moodle.org/mod/data/view.php?d=13&rid=34
So if you get rid of the one with the rubric altogether and upload this instead maybe you'll have some success..
http://moodle.org/mod/data/view.php?d=13&rid=34
So if you get rid of the one with the rubric altogether and upload this instead maybe you'll have some success..
That link took me to a page that said it did not contain the assignment module because it is part of the Moodle release package. So I downloaded the last stable version of Moodle in Zip form, unzipped it on my PC, removed /mod/assignments from my server (after backing it up to my PC) and uploaded the /mod/assignment sub-directory to my Moodle directory on my server. I started Moodle then clicked on Notification and got this error msg in a pink box:
Version mismatch: assignment can't downgrade 2008071712 -> 2007101511 !
Activity block is still missing (expected that). Would uploading the /blocks/admin and/or the /blocks/activity_modules from the 1.9.2 image be likely to help or just dig me in deeper?
Version mismatch: assignment can't downgrade 2008071712 -> 2007101511 !
Activity block is still missing (expected that). Would uploading the /blocks/admin and/or the /blocks/activity_modules from the 1.9.2 image be likely to help or just dig me in deeper?
Check first folder mod - there should be only one subfolder for assignments http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=40253
Site administation for activities - modules and blocks - is a separate thing and siteblocks is another... You can get deleted sideblocks back from Blocks block (see the attached image)
All files of each module and each block should be from the same version that your moodle is - for Assignments that is a standard module you should have the files from your current package.
You can get different older versions of moodle 1.9 package from http://download.moodle.org/stable19/
and the latest version (1.9.2+) from http://download.moodle.org/
Site administation for activities - modules and blocks - is a separate thing and siteblocks is another... You can get deleted sideblocks back from Blocks block (see the attached image)
All files of each module and each block should be from the same version that your moodle is - for Assignments that is a standard module you should have the files from your current package.
You can get different older versions of moodle 1.9 package from http://download.moodle.org/stable19/
and the latest version (1.9.2+) from http://download.moodle.org/
Okay - NOW I get it - (slaps forehead) - turn on edit and look everywhere for Blocks block - not just where I think it should be!
Thanks for your patient explanation.
Since I installed the 1.9.2 upgrade (over 1.9) using Fantastico I never really had the initial version of the upload image. I'll see if I can't track this down and get the right directory back.
Thanks again for the assistance.
Thanks for your patient explanation.
Since I installed the 1.9.2 upgrade (over 1.9) using Fantastico I never really had the initial version of the upload image. I'll see if I can't track this down and get the right directory back.
Thanks again for the assistance.