Activities linking in meantime for Moodle 1.2.1

Activities linking in meantime for Moodle 1.2.1

by Bernard Boucher -
Number of replies: 8

Hi moodlers,

you will find attached some moodle's modified files permitting some activities linking for Moodle 1.2.1 with all it addons.

Same old lazy code with fresh new fileswink

Please don't try these on a production system, experiment before.


The linking is not intended to replace nor to be compatible with the Moodle Quiz most wanted feature or activity linking http://moodle.org/bugs/bug.php?op=show&bugid=297 .

In the meantime, it may be usefull to someone.

A readme file is included for the installation.

What you get:

1 - Only quiz and resource modules may be dependants ( locked or linked ) of one other module.

2 - Any module may be the predecessor or the activator of the linked module.

3 - If a quiz if choosen as a predecessor it must be fully graded ( 100 % ) to unlock linked activity. If you use Alvin Trick you can choose the grade you want to unlock.

4 - All others modules ( even if they are gradables ) have only to be "viewed" by the student to unlock linked module.

What you loose:

You will not be able , when in editing mode, to "moveto" a hidden module. If you really need to move an hidden module, show it, move it and hide it again. That is the cost to pay!

How to use it ( Teacher ):

A - Hide the module you want to be dependant.

B - Try to move it. Instead of the message "moveto" you will have "predecessor" before each other module in the course.

C - Click on the desired predessesor. It fullname will appear at the right of the linked module.

D - If you want to remove the link show the linked module.

E - Modules hidden but not linked are treated as before.

How to use it ( Student ):

F - All modules are treated as before if they are not linked.

G - Linked modules without the predecessor's condition realised appears dimmed with the predessessor name in parenthesis   (Timothy suggestion ).

H - As soon as the predecessor is done ( at that moment quiz grade or view of all others modules )

the dimmed linked module appears normal ( not dimmed ) as if it was not linked.

I - If a student try to type in the address bar the link to the quiz or the ressource a message indicate the name of the predessesor and the required grade for quiz.

Your comments are welcome.

Thank you for your testing time and have a good try,

Bernard

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In reply to Bernard Boucher

Re: Activities linking in meantime for Moodle 1.2.1

by Bernard Boucher -
Hi 'Modlers,

if someone want to test activities linking before installing it, log here as teacher/teacher to edit it or to import your own course.

student/student will permit you to test it as student.

You will find here details for using it and its limitations.

Moodle 1.2.1 is already installed.

Have a good testing,

Bernard
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In reply to Bernard Boucher

Re: Activities linking in meantime for Moodle 1.2.1

by W Page -
Hi Bernard,

I may sound very stupid here but
  • what is Activity Linking?
  • why would I want to use Activity Linking?

Thaniks in advance for your response.

WP1
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In reply to W Page

Re: Activities linking in meantime for Moodle 1.2.1

by Bernard Boucher -
Hi ( I don't know who ),

I hope you are not trying to make an Happy April Fools Day with mewink

You asked me the same question 2 months ago and I am not able to do a better answer than that one with my 200 english words vocabulary.

May be if you take time for reading carefully the readme.txt included in the zip file and all the posts on that subject that will help you.

Bye,

Bernard




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In reply to Bernard Boucher

Re: Activities linking in meantime for Moodle 1.2.1

by W Page -
Hi Bernard,

My full apologies.  I am not trying to do an April Fool with you today although I feel like one blush after missing or not remembering your previous response to my query.  I will bookmark your earlier response.

BTW, I understand your English just fine.

WP1
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In reply to Bernard Boucher

Activities Linking Pledge Poll?

by Timothy Takemoto -

Bernard,

I so much want to use this. Thank you for your continuing updates, and especially for using my suggestion. I would like to set some practice, using the lesson module, to be followed by a test. 

Two things prevent me:

1) I am so sort of time that I have not even tested the exam module or the hotpotatoes module. But I would definately find the time but for the fact that

2) While there is great demand, the linking function is not official, so it requires hacking the system at each release, and I presume the linking is not preserved by the backup module. This is going to be highly problematic if I wanted to implement this function in the 26 classes that are going to run using Moodle in the autumn.

Is there anyway that we could get together a pledge fund to have activities included in the official release? Perhaps using a "Activities Linking Pledge Poll"?

I pledge $100 for activities linking before mid August.  

Tim

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In reply to Timothy Takemoto

Re: Activities Linking Pledge Poll?

by Bernard Boucher -
Hi Timothy,
                    ah time is the biggest problemwink

Activity locking is still the most wanted feature of the quiz module ( but you are not in the right column wink ) Maybe it will be done this summer!

Also in the "best" column we retreive at least three php kings ( Eloy, William and Jon ) If only one of them  think he really need it , you will get it in an martinized waywink

Another way to get nearly the sames results is to use the Ray's lesson module: 

Start a new lesson with a short answer question  that will be used as an secret access code. Only yours teachers will know the good answer. The rest of the module will be your normal lessonwink

That way your teachers will have a little more control over course. It is possible that the students of advanced groups give the right answer to others students , but maybe that control is sufficient.

Also if you want to lock a ressource use again the same trick with the link to the ressource in the second page of the lesson.

For the backup I use Eloy function combined sometime with a zip of moodledata and mysql/data directories.

Activities linking the way I did it need modifications of many Moodle files, it is not like a module that is independant.  Maybe if someone find a way with an new type of module ( container ) that will be able to include any other  non modified module in it , then the lock/unlock will be avalaible without modifying moodle core system.


Bye,

Bernard
 


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In reply to Bernard Boucher

Re: Activities linking in meantime for Moodle 1.2.1

by Rodrigo Vera -

Hi Bernard

Thank You for your fine activities linking patch

¿Do You Know if there will be a similar option in any future version of Moodle?

Thank You for your time

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In reply to Rodrigo Vera

Re: Activities linking in meantime for Moodle 1.2.1

by Bernard Boucher -
Hi Rodrigo,
                  I will probably upgrade activity linking to 1.3 by the end of next week.

Bye,

Bernard

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