This may be because the file resource type is incomplete, but I've found the new implementation in Moodle 2.0 to be pretty confusing at the moment (I am approaching this as someone who has a technical programmer background, but who has also helped a number of people who already get confused by file uploads in Moodle 1.8/1.9). I hope this doesn't come across very negatively, but I'm just trying to explain my first impressions on attempting to use it...
1. The first thing I notice is that I am forced to write a description for the file, even if I don't actually have anything I want to write about it, or I am going to set it to 'force download', so the description will never be displayed anyway.
2. The next box reads 'selected file', with no indication as to what I am supposed to type there, but a big warning that something is supposed to go there, if I try to leave it blank.
3. Next comes the 'add' button, when I click this, I am presented with 3 options
a) server files: which presents me with a very detailed hierarchy of the entire site and requires that I learn to click through the course category, then select the correct course, before I can even start to find the files for the course I am on. Even then, I have to ignore the 'backup' folders at each level of the hierarchy and have some idea which resource or activity the file I want was uploaded against. At the same time, this hierarchy seems to be missing one of the most useful categorisations (below course level), that of 'topic'.
b) recent files: which is fine
c) upload a file: which I guess is the option wanted 90% of the time (so would it be worth putting it at the top, then hiding 'server files' under an 'advanced' option)
4. I then upload my file and it gets listed underneath the 'add' button
5. Leaving everything else at it's default I then click 'Save and display', only to be thrown back with an error that I still haven't put anything in the mysterious 'selected file' box. Surely what I just did was 'select the file' when I uploaded it?
6. Next I try clicking on the 'Add' button again and upload a second file. I now have 2 files listed under the 'add button'
7. I try clicking on the nondescript arrow at the start of each file and find an option called 'Set main file', clicking this then fills in the 'selected file' box (why does the name not match?)
8. At this point, I can safely click 'Save and display', but just to add to the confusion, I can now only see one of the files I uploaded, what happened to the second file I uploaded? How do I make that one available as well?
Again, I am not writing the above in an attempt to be unnecessarially harsh, but given the amount of time it took many of my colleagues to understand the 2 layers of files in moodle 1.9 and below (layer 1 the 'real' uploaded file locations, layer 2 the link in the course that allows the students to download the file from layer 1), I was hoping that Moodle 2.0 was going to make it simpler, rather than more complicated.
Now, for anyone who is still reading this far, I would like to suggest a few, concrete improvements:
1. Make the description field optional
2. Only allow a single file to be uploaded for a 'file' resource (as only 1 can be displayed anyway and this would remove the 'main file'/'selected file' confusion)
3. The new file hierarchy makes great sense from a back-end organisation view, but is (in my opinion) not how most teachers want to access those files - they generally want to access files at either a) the course level (defaulting to the current course, but possibly also other courses they are a teacher on; and showing a list of all files in the course), b) topic/week level (showing all the files uploaded against that topic, defaulting to the current topic, but allowing other topics to be selected), c) occasionally at the 'activity/resource' level. I cannot think of a situation where they would want to share files that where in the 'backup' folders, but maybe hiding the 'system files' option away under 'advanced features' might still allow that.
Please let me know if I've missed something important in this, but I hope this feedback is helpful to somebody (and helps to make Moodle 2.0 the best possible release).
This is also the point where I feel I should be offering to help implement some of these suggestions, but that would very much depend on how much time I have left after updating my own plugins to Moodle 2.0 (1 down, 3 to go).
Hi!
1/ you can make the descriptions optional - just go to module admin settings "Site administration/Plugins/Activity Modlues/..."
2/ no, more files are necessary in some cases - such as xml files for flash, linked images for html, etc. I agree that the usability of the file manager upload widget is not good and there are still some bugs there unfortunately.
3/ I personally think that the default order of repositories should be a bit different but in any case administrators may configure it easily
Thanks a lot for the feedback, I will make sure Dongsheng is going to read this tomorrow because he works on the repository bits.
Petr
1/ you can make the descriptions optional - just go to module admin settings "Site administration/Plugins/Activity Modlues/..."
2/ no, more files are necessary in some cases - such as xml files for flash, linked images for html, etc. I agree that the usability of the file manager upload widget is not good and there are still some bugs there unfortunately.
3/ I personally think that the default order of repositories should be a bit different but in any case administrators may configure it easily
Thanks a lot for the feedback, I will make sure Dongsheng is going to read this tomorrow because he works on the repository bits.
Petr
1. OK, I'd not thought to look for that - will have a go
2. I take your point that there may be more than one file needed in a few cases, but maybe there is an argument for an 'Add file button', with an (default hidden) Advanced 'Add supporting files' button. The main 'Add file' would be all that is needed for a large proportion of teachers (particularly those most likely to be confused by the current setup), could set the 'main file' automatically (in fact, at that point, you probably wouldn't even need a separate 'main file' box on the form), and could delete the previous 'selected file' from the server when a new one is uploaded (if you are only using the 'main file', then you are likely not to want the previous 'main file' when you have uploaded a new one).
I can draw a picture of the suggested form, if that would help.
3. I'll have a look at the respository order
2. I take your point that there may be more than one file needed in a few cases, but maybe there is an argument for an 'Add file button', with an (default hidden) Advanced 'Add supporting files' button. The main 'Add file' would be all that is needed for a large proportion of teachers (particularly those most likely to be confused by the current setup), could set the 'main file' automatically (in fact, at that point, you probably wouldn't even need a separate 'main file' box on the form), and could delete the previous 'selected file' from the server when a new one is uploaded (if you are only using the 'main file', then you are likely not to want the previous 'main file' when you have uploaded a new one).
I can draw a picture of the suggested form, if that would help.
3. I'll have a look at the respository order
Hi David,
You've saved me a huge amount of time because I was about to compose a forum post just like this. I agree with all your sentiments. This new resource (in its current form) is very confusing and would have to be simplified before I would consider implementing it live with our users.
I can answer the query on optional description field. It is optional but only if you make it so via Plugins>Activity modules>File
Prior to this release the 'Link to file or website' resource was understandable but relatively easy to explain to teachers but now I would not want to have to do it.
Sorry, I sound more critical than David was trying to avoid being but like him I would really like to see community-suggested improvements in this area.
I have just been checking the file upload facility in Moodle 2.0.
I already receive some quite critical comments at my school about Moodle 'clunkiness'. As far as 'link to file' is concerned in Moodle 1.95, I cannot disagree - too many steps and too many options.
However I have just found the 'quickfile' addon (I have tested it on 1.95 and 1.98) by Farzad khalafi which solves the problem - see screen shot - a simple one step process which just adds a file as a standard file resource using the usual resource interface but replacing the 'link to file/website section' with a 'browse' button. Simple, fast - definitely not clunky.
Since uploading a file to Moodle is probably the first thing that many teachers want to do, speed, simplicity and ease of use (especially for non-technical users) is of the essence. I was expecting Moodle 2.0 to be a real improvement. However, for the novice/non technical user there seem to be even more confusing options and still too many steps. Still clunky!
Why not a simple file upload and an advanced file upload to please evryone?
What a shame. An opportunity missed ....... and and I look forward to more grief from my colleagues!
I already receive some quite critical comments at my school about Moodle 'clunkiness'. As far as 'link to file' is concerned in Moodle 1.95, I cannot disagree - too many steps and too many options.
However I have just found the 'quickfile' addon (I have tested it on 1.95 and 1.98) by Farzad khalafi which solves the problem - see screen shot - a simple one step process which just adds a file as a standard file resource using the usual resource interface but replacing the 'link to file/website section' with a 'browse' button. Simple, fast - definitely not clunky.
Since uploading a file to Moodle is probably the first thing that many teachers want to do, speed, simplicity and ease of use (especially for non-technical users) is of the essence. I was expecting Moodle 2.0 to be a real improvement. However, for the novice/non technical user there seem to be even more confusing options and still too many steps. Still clunky!
Why not a simple file upload and an advanced file upload to please evryone?
What a shame. An opportunity missed ....... and and I look forward to more grief from my colleagues!
Hi Ray,
As a teacher I've been browsing the hundreds of Moodle plugins and came across this beauty which may even further help you in the ongoing 'simple way to upload files' dilemma that can strike Moodle courses:
Project Course Format - MoodleDocs
It adds a new Moodle format - very simple to the 'Topic' view but with extremely improved multiple file updating - along with a few other nice features. I haven't tested it extensively but so far its working fine (Moodle 1.9.9).
Emil
As a teacher I've been browsing the hundreds of Moodle plugins and came across this beauty which may even further help you in the ongoing 'simple way to upload files' dilemma that can strike Moodle courses:
Project Course Format - MoodleDocs
It adds a new Moodle format - very simple to the 'Topic' view but with extremely improved multiple file updating - along with a few other nice features. I haven't tested it extensively but so far its working fine (Moodle 1.9.9).
Emil
I don't think the default is to allow a blank description as of 2.0.1. I'm not sure of the flow of this thread -( different people seem to be talking about different things) but do you mean that you need to fill in the description box when uploading a file? You can turn this off in site admin>plugins>activities>manage activities>file
Thanks for the reply. I think I am the one who is confused; I thought that Martin was suggesting that the default should be to NOT require a description (i.e., I think the default setting in admin>plugins>activities>manage activities>file should be to not require a description). He must have been talking about something else? Re-reading his post I'm not sure.
Thanks again,
Adam
Looking at the latest version, it seems like a few minor changes have improved things quite a lot (especially as I now know how to make the description optional and move 'Upload a file' to the top of the 'File Picker' window).
Is there any way to make the first item on the File Picker window selected by default? When you first open the File Picker, none of the options on the left are selected, so to upload a file you have to click 3 times before you can start to choose the file you want (1. Add...; 2. Upload a file; 3. Choose file (or Browse, depending on your browser) ). Being able to just click 'Add...' then 'Choose file', would be an improvement (admins can choose the most regularly used option for the site and make sure it is at the top).
(Oh, and the 'server files' option still seems overly complex, especially as it lists lots of folders with no files in them and the 'backup' folders, which most users are unlikely to ever need).
Is there any way to make the first item on the File Picker window selected by default? When you first open the File Picker, none of the options on the left are selected, so to upload a file you have to click 3 times before you can start to choose the file you want (1. Add...; 2. Upload a file; 3. Choose file (or Browse, depending on your browser) ). Being able to just click 'Add...' then 'Choose file', would be an improvement (admins can choose the most regularly used option for the site and make sure it is at the top).
(Oh, and the 'server files' option still seems overly complex, especially as it lists lots of folders with no files in them and the 'backup' folders, which most users are unlikely to ever need).
Hi, Dave
File picker will remember what is the last used plugin now, see this tracker issue: http://tracker.moodle.org/browse/MDL-22586
File picker will remember what is the last used plugin now, see this tracker issue: http://tracker.moodle.org/browse/MDL-22586
That is a great improvement - but it might still be worth having one of the plugins open by default if no cookie is found (either 'upload', as I'm guessing that will be the most used option, especially by less technically literate users, or just the first item in the list). This would improve the usability for people who regularly connect to Moodle from different computers, or in organisations where cookies are not kept from one login to the next.
Hi y'all,
Being a new moodle user I didn't have much trouble in uploading files and then embedding them in a page of a course (e.g. embedd a single-jar applet). I couldn't however successfully embed a multi-jar applet and I migrated to version 2.0 expecting an improvement but my experience was completely the opposite... Now I can't seem to be able to load the files the way I could before (e.g. uploading a zip file and uncompress it in the server, upload a single file like html or applet and embedd it or open it with a link from a page, etc).
Does anybody know if this will be fixed?
Now I have to go back to version 1.9 but I think I have to reinstall the database in order to be able to do so, because otherwise I can't login and I get a session 2 table missing
Joe