I am just now putting an existing (HTML-) course into my installation of Moodle. What is kind of irritating is that I have to give an abstract for each and every file I use as a resource.
Is there a way to make the abstract-field not obligatory (maybe as a general setting per course or for the whole site) and perhaps leave out the part of the screen where the abstract appear if there is none?
BTW, the mentioned (Test-) Moodle can be found at http://lms1.zfw.uni-hildesheim.de/moodle.
I think many of us feel empathy for you. Moodle is a stickler on some of these pieces. However, in the end, the courses have a much greater depth when you fill in all of the required fields.
One thing you might do is to simply categorize the kinds of resources you are using and use the abstract space as a place to identify the category (one or two words), or perhaps even to paste a specific icon that will give you more visual reference about the resource at a glance.
You don't have to use the full-functionality of the space, but it might be worthwhile to create a kind of shorthand with terms or icons so that you can work more quickly.
-Tom
One thing you might do is to simply categorize the kinds of resources you are using and use the abstract space as a place to identify the category (one or two words), or perhaps even to paste a specific icon that will give you more visual reference about the resource at a glance.
You don't have to use the full-functionality of the space, but it might be worthwhile to create a kind of shorthand with terms or icons so that you can work more quickly.
-Tom
Hmm, I do something of that kind right know (putting Page 1 and so on into the field), but the problem is that I'm using an exiting course consisting of 15 weeks of material (one whole semester) with 10 to 15 html-pages for each week. I see the need for an abstract for each theme, but the pages are only the splitted coursematerials. We are working relatively close to books with this course.
Could you upload the 10-15 html pages as files, and then simply create one html resource page to link to the others?
The pages are there as files, but they have no navigation inside, so I rely on Moodle for that part. Also, I use Moodle to allow the students to jump to a specific sub-chapter (the course is divided into chapters, which I put into the themes).
Gotcha.
Well, you could always type "X" in those abstract fields, right?
Well, you could always type "X" in those abstract fields, right?
Yes (I do something of that kind right know, putting the page numbers there). But its not very nice.
When I copy the content of a file into the HTML-editor,I also have to put in an abstract for that particular ressource, but at least that is not shown wehen using it.
The whole thing reminds me of requiring an author of a book to give an abstract for each and every page
.
When I copy the content of a file into the HTML-editor,I also have to put in an abstract for that particular ressource, but at least that is not shown wehen using it.
The whole thing reminds me of requiring an author of a book to give an abstract for each and every page
.
Most document storage systems require a lot more metadata than this!
Later (soon?) there will be a search engine for resources ... the summary will be more useful than it already is.
Later (soon?) there will be a search engine for resources ... the summary will be more useful than it already is.
OK, for that kind of collection of resources, it has it use. But for putting courses up into Moodle (especially existing ones), it seems distracting. Especially since over here the teachers (I only put the content into readable format) believe in minimal scrolling for WBTs, that is each course consists of many small files, each of them viewable on one, at most two screens. Abstracts are kind of annoying then. I could cope with this, if I was allowed to hide the part of the page which shows the abstract (like when I put in material directly as HTML-Text).
I could put each Lesson in one file, which deserves an abstract, but then I would get flames from students and teachers alike
Another point, is there a way to use the navigation Moodle provides without putting them all on the mainpage? I thought, that was the point of the invisible button, but then I created a non-admin user for testing purposes and the invisible parts where just that (I tried to hide the pages which don't start a new section).
I could put each Lesson in one file, which deserves an abstract, but then I would get flames from students and teachers alike
Another point, is there a way to use the navigation Moodle provides without putting them all on the mainpage? I thought, that was the point of the invisible button, but then I created a non-admin user for testing purposes and the invisible parts where just that (I tried to hide the pages which don't start a new section).
Don't get sad, Thomas. 
You're a computer scientist and it's open source. Make it how you like it!
If I were you I'd be putting manual links between the pages and just linking the first one from Moodle.
If I were you I'd be putting manual links between the pages and just linking the first one from Moodle.
Hi folks,
Martin, is it possible to have a feature where an admin/teacher could
1. Write the abstract in the abstract box for future use in a search.
2. Determine how many parts they want to create for a document and place the info in a radio button associated with a number - 1, 2, 3 etc.
3. Then a page opens up with that number of HTML editors (Something like in the Lesson mod) into which each part is pasted.
4. After all the parts are pasted in the HTML editors the work would be saved.
5. At the bottom and top of each page would be a page number with arrows to the right and the left indicating if a reader could go backward or foward.
6. have an option on the first page to printout the entire document from a printer friendly page.
I can kinda see the problem with the repeated abstracts but I also see the need for the abstract when searching for information.
Would this be a modification of the Lesson mod?
WP1
Martin, is it possible to have a feature where an admin/teacher could
1. Write the abstract in the abstract box for future use in a search.
2. Determine how many parts they want to create for a document and place the info in a radio button associated with a number - 1, 2, 3 etc.
3. Then a page opens up with that number of HTML editors (Something like in the Lesson mod) into which each part is pasted.
4. After all the parts are pasted in the HTML editors the work would be saved.
5. At the bottom and top of each page would be a page number with arrows to the right and the left indicating if a reader could go backward or foward.
6. have an option on the first page to printout the entire document from a printer friendly page.
I can kinda see the problem with the repeated abstracts but I also see the need for the abstract when searching for information.
Would this be a modification of the Lesson mod?
WP1
In fact you could just use the Lesson module unchanged for this, I think.
Why, yes, that would be a solution
I'm kind of doodling around with this right now. I had little problems finding the point where the summary is viewed for HTML-Files (I hope) and disabling it was also no problem, but the empty space remains.
When the frameset is generated, it takes the size of the first frame from "$CFG->resource_framesize". This seems to be set in lib.php. Are there sinister problems waiting for me, if I resize that value to 60 or something like that?
Addon: I changed the value to 60, but nothing happens. Existing resources and new ones still have the first frame with an height of 130, even if that value doesn't appear anywhere in any file in the "mod\resource"-folder. Can it be that the value now exists somewhere in the DB?
I'm kind of doodling around with this right now. I had little problems finding the point where the summary is viewed for HTML-Files (I hope) and disabling it was also no problem, but the empty space remains.
When the frameset is generated, it takes the size of the first frame from "$CFG->resource_framesize". This seems to be set in lib.php. Are there sinister problems waiting for me, if I resize that value to 60 or something like that?
Addon: I changed the value to 60, but nothing happens. Existing resources and new ones still have the first frame with an height of 130, even if that value doesn't appear anywhere in any file in the "mod\resource"-folder. Can it be that the value now exists somewhere in the DB?
I had a similar situation and just made links between the pages. Also, in the summary, it would be possible to make links to each of the pages. Have you chosen web link or web page for your display option?
Also, a useful function of the abstract is that it can contain a TOC with links to each of the separate homepages of the unit. The main link of the resource is to the first page of the unit. The abstaract lists all the pages.
The problem with putting the navigation into the pages is that many LMS provide (similar to Moodle) their own navigation. If I put the Navigation into the resources, I would leave the LMS. I am not sure, if that is a good way to do this.
And I like the way the navigation is solved here. It just needs some tweaking (which I hope to achieve).
I am now convinced that those summaries are not necessacrily a bad thing, i only think they don't need to show up when viewing the resource they are summarizing.
I guess, I better take my questions over into the developer area
And I like the way the navigation is solved here. It just needs some tweaking (which I hope to achieve).
I am now convinced that those summaries are not necessacrily a bad thing, i only think they don't need to show up when viewing the resource they are summarizing.
I guess, I better take my questions over into the developer area
In reference to your "Addon:", the code you have changed in mod/resource/lib.php is as follows:
if( %CFG->resource_framesize not set) then
set $CFG->resource_framesize to a value (e.g. 130 or 60)
end
Changing this value will not have an immediate effect as the value already has a value (e.g. 130) and line 1 is testing that and skipping line 2.
If you reboot your machine (or possibly only the php system) then it will pick up your new value the next time lib.php is read. Alternatively, copy line 2 and paste it temporarily after the end if statement (so it will always set the value), then "view" your resource. Once it has pickedup the new value (as refected by viewing the resource, remove line 4 again) and let line 2 do the business in future.
The reason for checking to see if it is set BEFORE setting it is because it is much more efficient to do this.
if( %CFG->resource_framesize not set) then
set $CFG->resource_framesize to a value (e.g. 130 or 60)
end
Changing this value will not have an immediate effect as the value already has a value (e.g. 130) and line 1 is testing that and skipping line 2.
If you reboot your machine (or possibly only the php system) then it will pick up your new value the next time lib.php is read. Alternatively, copy line 2 and paste it temporarily after the end if statement (so it will always set the value), then "view" your resource. Once it has pickedup the new value (as refected by viewing the resource, remove line 4 again) and let line 2 do the business in future.
The reason for checking to see if it is set BEFORE setting it is because it is much more efficient to do this.
If someone is blind and has a screenreader, moving over a picture will that not pronounce the alt for that picture? (I hope then it has a meaningful description..)
If a student tries to find a resource from several weeks ago, he can call this summary for resources from the activity-box on the left. THEN A GOOD SUMMARY HELPS HIM TO FIND THAT RESOURCE QUICKER
As the devils advocat I somethimes dare using a space to speed things up
In the authoring systems of the past people skipped the metadata fields.
In the next release programmers checked on empty fields end forced the users to fill the fields
Since then lots of metadata fields are filled with dots or spaces
(If you really really hate these fields you can change the input so it will echo default content like "I $A, promiss to fill this later ")
Good idea about the icons Tom.
WP1
Hi Thomas, you will get this week a xmlreader, which alows you to show and open subdirs in moodle using ressources. My version, i use now is very hardcoded, but we will change this in this week, early enough? We use the moodle file.php function to secure the selection!
Auf deutsch: es gibt einen xmlreader, der ermöglicht es dir mit einem click ein ganzes subdir in moodle anzuzeigen ... ich verwende das als downloadarchiv und hab so den zugriffsschutz von moodle. Derzeit noch hardcoded adressen, wenn du die selbst autauschen willst, dann kannst du das auch früher bekommen.
Peter
Yepp, early enough. We are just now testing Moodle to see if its a usable solution.