How do you password protect files and folders already uploaded on Moodle.
Number of replies: 6Re: How do you password protect files and folders already uploaded on Moodle.
Re: How do you password protect files and folders already uploaded on Moodle.
Also how do you password protect courses?
Thanks for your help.
Re: How do you password protect files and folders already uploaded on Moodle.
1) do not give the students the link to the files and folders! You can upload your resources directly into the moodle course via the course admin block>files. There, they remain -only teachers can see them until you decide to show them to students using either add a resource>link to a file or website OR display a directory. So unless your students are really really internet geeky and potential hackers (using the system of guessing I mentioned above) they won't be able to access the files. OR.. you can click on the eye next to a particular file or folder - this will hide it from students but teachers will still be able to access it; it will appear greyed out for them
2) password protect courses? Go again to the course admin block >settings and scroll down to where it says "enrolment key" Set an enrolment key =password and only give it out to those you want in the course
Re: How do you password protect files and folders already uploaded on Moodle.
Hey Mary,
I am extremely interested in one's ability to protect files from "the world" so to speak and also from students sharing url's with "the world". As it stands currently if I post a pdf or other type of file for the students to view (or save), when they click on the pdf it opens in their browser and the direct url is displayed in the address bar. This is all well and fine since they are logged in and should be given access. However, if they took this url and hyperlinked it in an email, for example, anyone (logged in or not) could view this same pdf document. Similarly, if I post a media file such as a video to display on the page (as opposed to opening in a separate window, which would display the url) the student can still view the url by right clicking on any page and hitting "view page source" (or underlying html code that goes into every page) which circumvents them having to guess the url (this is a common functionality in browsers these days).
So in the end I guess what I am interested in is making it so that certain files (even if one knows the direct url) would require anyone who tries to access them to have to enter their Moodle username and password. I have some proprietary videos that I have bought legal rights to share with the students but want to do my best to avoid breaking copyright law by simply throwing them on the internet and making them publicly viewable to anyone with the url. Are you aware of any functionality built into Moodle or any third party custom plug-ins that may handle this type of requirement? Thanks for any info you can offer.
Re: How do you password protect files and folders already uploaded on Moodle.
Hi Jeff - to quote you
...if they took this url and hyperlinked it in an email, for example, anyone (logged in or not) could view this same pdf document
This should NOT be the case with Moodle! Are you sure this is the case with your Moodle? The only people who should be able to view the document would be people who have logins and are enrolled into the course it is in. If anyone can see it without logging in -if it is hyperlinked to in an email, for example, then that suggests the files are being uploaded to site files directory 1 (from the front page) or that your moodledata folder where all your course files are stored is directly accessible from the web, in the root of your hosting space - which ought not to be the case..
Re: How do you password protect files and folders already uploaded on Moodle.
Mary,
Thank you so much for the quick response. I double checked myself per your suggestion and it turns out you were right. Originally, I had first signed out of Moodle on my PC and then entered the direct url of the pdf and it opened as I said, however when I went to separate PC that had not been used to log on to Moodle at any previous time, entering the link brought up a Moodle sign in page as you indicated it should. So the error was on my end on that one (the browser must have been retaining some cookie information or something that mistakenly recognized me as still signed into Moodle). My problem has progressed to video playback compatibility, but that is topic of another forum. Thanks again!