The question of how to copy or share individual Moodle activities returns to these forums from time to time - for example, the recent Copying Resources discussion. I have an idea of how this could be done using the backup module, on the surface it seems pretty simple, but there might be some difficulties I am not aware of.
How difficult would it be to modify the present backup process so that, in the first step, the choices will not be Include Surveys, Journals, Resources, etc, with or without user data?
Instead, a form like the one attached could be used. It would allow to make a backup of only one or a few of the activities in a course and them restore them into another, thus enabling easy transfer of individual activities.
In reply to Przemyslaw Stencel
Re: Modify backup to allow selection of activities
by Martin Dougiamas -
I like the interface idea, Prem.
Thanks for giving this consideration. What I need is a way of repeating the same resource 15 times in the same course and then editing a few characters in each one. Would your suggestion do that.
I'm sure it is a feature that would be very useful to people who want to put an existing web based course inside Moodle to take advantage of Moodles great enrolment, communications and management tools.
Thanks again
I'm sure it is a feature that would be very useful to people who want to put an existing web based course inside Moodle to take advantage of Moodles great enrolment, communications and management tools.
Thanks again
In reply to Przemyslaw Stencel
Re: Modify backup to allow selection of activities
Hi Przem,
I like the idea too !!
Technically it implies some important changes in the backup function, not only the front-end, but modifying how every section and activity is "exported" and maintaining restore compatibility.
Anyway it's a very interesting feature and I'll mark it in my backup's TODO list (I've to finish another backup related work before and I've to do it before December, 25th). Creating a new bug in http://moodle.org/bugs will help me to remember it after Christmas (before then I'll be a very busy man).
Finally, one suggestion for comment (SFC). Should exist an "basic/advanced" button in the backup process to switch between the current interface (include all activities in the backup) and something similar to your previously posted interface (include selected activities in the backup). Or is it better to show always your interface ?
Ciao
I like the idea too !!
Technically it implies some important changes in the backup function, not only the front-end, but modifying how every section and activity is "exported" and maintaining restore compatibility.
Anyway it's a very interesting feature and I'll mark it in my backup's TODO list (I've to finish another backup related work before and I've to do it before December, 25th). Creating a new bug in http://moodle.org/bugs will help me to remember it after Christmas (before then I'll be a very busy man).
Finally, one suggestion for comment (SFC).
Ciao
In reply to Eloy Lafuente (stronk7)
Re: Modify backup to allow selection of activities
by Przemyslaw Stencel -
Hi Eloy,
I don't think two interfaces are necessary. What do you think about the one I'm attaching now? The buttons trigger a javascript which checks either all checkboxes of a certain activity type, or all activities in a given topic.
I've included the activity icons in this interface - I think they will help the user to see at a glance what the activities are. Some activities may have very similar, or even identical names, but be of a different type.
Another SFC
- do we need a "with user data" option next to every activity? Are there cases when a teacher will want to backup some activities with user data and others without? To me, There are two possible uses of the backup module: 1/ to create a backup in case of server failure (you then backup all contents, with user data), and 2/ to copy or share activities between courses (you then backup some of the activities only, without user data). Would it make sense, then, to have only one "with user data" checkbox at the top of the page (it would apply to all activities selected for backup. What do you think?
I think it would also be a good idea to create a checkbox to decide whether the teacher forum should be included in the backup.
Cheers,
Przemek
I don't think two interfaces are necessary. What do you think about the one I'm attaching now? The buttons trigger a javascript which checks either all checkboxes of a certain activity type, or all activities in a given topic.
I've included the activity icons in this interface - I think they will help the user to see at a glance what the activities are. Some activities may have very similar, or even identical names, but be of a different type.
Another SFC
- do we need a "with user data" option next to every activity? Are there cases when a teacher will want to backup some activities with user data and others without? To me, There are two possible uses of the backup module: 1/ to create a backup in case of server failure (you then backup all contents, with user data), and 2/ to copy or share activities between courses (you then backup some of the activities only, without user data). Would it make sense, then, to have only one "with user data" checkbox at the top of the page (it would apply to all activities selected for backup. What do you think?I think it would also be a good idea to create a checkbox to decide whether the teacher forum should be included in the backup.
Cheers,Przemek
From a users point of viw, a simpler approach would be either:
Add a new icon to each item in a topic list called Duplicate or
When the edit icon is clicked, one of the first options is "Duplicate this Item?"
In either case, a new items appears in the topic list called "Duplicate of ..."
I don't know anything about the programming side of Modle but I would have thought this is fairly simple as it creates a new resource but uses the contents of an existing resource and changes the name.
This would be useful in many places such as Quizes, Journal Entries etc
Add a new icon to each item in a topic list called Duplicate or
When the edit icon is clicked, one of the first options is "Duplicate this Item?"
In either case, a new items appears in the topic list called "Duplicate of ..."
I don't know anything about the programming side of Modle but I would have thought this is fairly simple as it creates a new resource but uses the contents of an existing resource and changes the name.
This would be useful in many places such as Quizes, Journal Entries etc
You're right, it would be simpler, but it would be suitable only for duplicating individual activities in a single course. If backup is employed to do the job, it opens up a lot more possibilities:
- you can copy multiple activities
- you can copy them not only to a different course, but to a different server, as well; a gerat way to share activities with other teachers
In reply to Eloy Lafuente (stronk7)
Re: Modify backup to allow selection of activities
by Ger Tielemans -
exporting and importing quizzes to other platforms could also follow the backup-road:
- select the quizzes to backup
- uncheck userdata
- uncheck users & teachers info
- check "include only pictures, sounds and other media used in the questions"
Other products could map their import/export against the question-part of the xml-tree
In reply to Przemyslaw Stencel
Re: Modify backup to allow selection of activities
by Roland Gesthuizen -
What I like about building a course with Moodle is its object-oriented look and feel. You can view a course two different ways; by the type of object (assignment, resource, quiz) or by topics (modules or date).
I guess that everybody is right in this forum but from different directions. The average user probably just wants to backup and save their course material, with or without the user data. Power users like myself would occasionally desire a greater refinement to share and shuffle modules of work or collections of resources. (A hickup I currently have occurs when I send another user a moodle zip file of resources, the final destination can be a tad unpredictable)
I guess that I am no Moodle expert or php programmer but it is is probably worth thinking this one carefully as we probably dont want to scare off the newbies with a complicated system of zipping, shuffling or sharing stuff around. Perhaps we need to use a different name for this activity to distinguish it from backing up ... sharing?
At the end of this year I had an interesting question from a colleague who wanted to backup their Moodle course and clean out the user files to start again. It is easy enough for an administrator, just create a new course and unpack the zipped course without the user data. For the average teacher it isnt quite so easy unless I make a new course for them in advance. We dont need a course kill button for teachers, that would be too dangerous. Perhaps some kind of roll-over or userdata backup option? I wonder what others might think?
import export
Backup is done by the admin every night..
I have just come across this thread, which I found extremely interesting and promissing, but I see that it died out in December 18 2003. Could anybody tell me whether the thread has continued elsewhere? I mean, has work on this project continued? I for one would very much like to see the implementation of the possibility of highly configurable partial backups which allowed one to move selected materials between courses. Is this going to be possible in the foreseeable future?
Josep M.
Josep M.
In reply to Josep M. Fontana
Re: Modify backup to allow selection of activities
Hi Josep,
since that date (Dec 2003) this feature has been present in a lot of places (directly or indirectly).
I think that I'll take it up again as soon as possible. I haven't forgotten it, sure!.
But it's really a complex task and everything has to be analysed completely before, so I need to be able to concentrate on it.
Now that 1.4 has been released, I'll try to start...
Ciao
since that date (Dec 2003) this feature has been present in a lot of places (directly or indirectly).
I think that I'll take it up again as soon as possible. I haven't forgotten it, sure!.
But it's really a complex task and everything has to be analysed completely before, so I need to be able to concentrate on it.
Now that 1.4 has been released, I'll try to start...
Ciao
In reply to Eloy Lafuente (stronk7)
Re: Modify backup to allow selection of activities
by Josep M. Fontana -
Thanks for your response. I wasn't trying to rush you or anything like that. I know you have been working hard on the release of 1.4 (and also helping out other people, like me ). I just had not seen the other threads and I was wondering what was going on with this promissing development. I'm glad to know the project has not been abandoned.
I think it is a neat idea to make it easy for users to reuse materials in a more flexible way. I have seen previous posts in this thread that stressed other potential functionalities of partial backups. For me the most desirable consequence of being able to do that would be to store and classify "chunks" of courses so that you could say for instance: I'll use quizzes x and y from my z course, lesson w from my u course and book v from my t course in the new course that I'm planning to create, and just upload them easily to integrate them with the other activities/materials in the new course.
Keep up the good work and I'll see you soon, I guess, in the next MoodleMoot Spain!
Josep M.
I think it is a neat idea to make it easy for users to reuse materials in a more flexible way. I have seen previous posts in this thread that stressed other potential functionalities of partial backups. For me the most desirable consequence of being able to do that would be to store and classify "chunks" of courses so that you could say for instance: I'll use quizzes x and y from my z course, lesson w from my u course and book v from my t course in the new course that I'm planning to create, and just upload them easily to integrate them with the other activities/materials in the new course.
Keep up the good work and I'll see you soon, I guess, in the next MoodleMoot Spain!
Josep M.
In reply to Eloy Lafuente (stronk7)
Re: Modify backup to allow selection of activities
by Norman Hill -
And now that we're approaching 2.0... we still cannot backup an individual activity.