Legacy Files has me pulling my hair out!

Legacy Files has me pulling my hair out!

by Blair F. -
Number of replies: 4
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Using Moodle 2.2.4, upgraded from 1.9.16.

I am trying desperately to understand exactly how legacy files works so that I can resolve some issues as well as explain it to our faculty.  However, everytime I think I've found an answer, it's proven wrong.

In one message I found, along the way, it was stated that any USED files in legacy files folder would be transferred to the new moodle system and the only files remaining would be UNUSED files.  Sounded good, but doesn't seem to be true.

I've read and re-read this page on Legacy Course Files for version 2.2  and it is incomplete, with a lot of 'non-commital' answers like "seems to be the case," and "unclear."  This 2.4 version of the page has a very useful question, but leaves it unanswered! (What happens to the Legacy files in a course imported from 1.9 to 2.x that is re-imported into another 2.x?)

I have found that when a MANAGER, at a category level restores or imports a course with legacy files, the legacy files don't transfer and the links are broken.  However, when I do this as an administrator, this works.  Why? How can I change it so that I don't have to do all the restores that could be done by perfectly capable managers?

Can anyone please point me to a complete explanation on Legacy files and what's going on?  

Thanks!

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In reply to Blair F.

Re: Legacy Files has me pulling my hair out!

by Derek Chirnside -

At this point in time Blair, I don't give much for your chances.

I don't think any complete explanation exists.  Legacy files were only brought in as a response to public outcry a long time back, and I think there was pressure on MoodleHQ - as a result it was minimalistically implemented, and never publicly documented AFAIK.

I think the big players in the field who did a lot of upgrades (eg the Moodle Partners and the offshoots like Joule and Kineo) seem to have just figured out some workarounds and hacks.  

For me, in our upgrades, we tried to totally get rid of legacy files.  ie to find an upgrade path that avoided using legacy files in the future.  Moodle's official view is "Use a repository".

Good luck.

-Derek

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In reply to Blair F.

Re: Legacy Files has me pulling my hair out!

by Ken Task -
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To add what Derek said ....  think the only way one can get deliverance from the dreaded 'legacy' is to do some re-working.

In versions <= 2.3.2 of Moodle it was possible to create a backup of the course that had legacy.  Start a new course (minimal) and when one got to the part of enrolling users, then restore the just made backup into the new course (the one you are in).

Believe it or not ... all files came in ... no legacy.

Once that new course was up, create a backup of it ... now an MBZ ... and restore of it would use the new file system - ie, deliverance from legacy.

Lot's of manual labor, but could be done - if you don't have 1000 courses to do.

As to Derek's belief that Moodle Partners have figured it out ... I too believe that and they are keeping it close to the hip.  But, guess that's why they are official Moodle Partners - gotta stay in business someway/somehow! ;)

'spirit of sharing', Ken

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In reply to Ken Task

Re: Legacy Files has me pulling my hair out!

by Derek Chirnside -

Ken, interesting.  This is a kludge to delete a lot of legacy files if that is an task you have to tidy up one course.  smile

-Derek

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In reply to Ken Task

Re: Legacy Files has me pulling my hair out!

by Blair F. -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers

Sorry for the late reply.   I tend to not subscribe to forums because I don't want all of the message, and I don't see a way of just following my own post.  So, I sometimes forget to check back on my own postings.

Wow, I didn't realize that that was possible.  Yes, it's a lot of work, but for some courses it might be a good option.  We recently had a course that had been duplicated 6 times, and all six had a very large number of very large files in the legacy file folders!  Yikes, what a mess it was!

Thanks, again, guys for your comments.

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