Itamar Tzadok

Not necessarily. The 'training' role can be defined to grant few or no privileges in the system context and thereby in all lower contexts unless specified otherwise. Then you can add privileges in lower contexts as required. So in the designated blocks you can grant the block view permission to the role rather than to individuals and all those individuals assigned to the role in the system context should be able to see those blocks.

You can import a complete categories tree from an xml file. Consider for example the following hierarchy:

• Category A
  • Category A1
  • Category A2
• Category B
  • Category B1
  • Category B2

The file should start with:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<quiz>

Then the list of categories:

  <question type="category"><category><text>Category A</text></category></question>
  <question type="category"><category><text>Category A/Category A1</text></category></question>
  <question type="category"><category><text>Category A/Category A2</text></category></question>
  <question type="category"><category><text>Category B</text></category></question>
  <question type="category"><category><text>Category B/Category B1</text></category></question>
  <question type="category"><category><text>Category B/Category B2</text></category></question>

Note that a sub category is specified by a slash separated list of categories in the full path of the category.

And the file should end with:

</quiz>

For complex category trees you can build the list in a spreadsheet and use simple formulas to create for each category the xml line and then copy the xml lines into the import file.

hth

 

I don't think that fixed width column would work well for a responsive layout.

Again, the button is not the issue here. The issue is the 'Add a block' fake block. I do, however, agree that it could be resolved by way of separation of sorts. To begin with there is simply no need for the 'Add a block' block. This could be a menu option available from the administration block and would open a dialog to choose the block type, similar to the dialog for choosing and activity/resource type.

I think that it is important to understand that the only function of the button is to turn editing mode on/off. Don't let the label confuse you. It's the same function either with the label 'Blocks editing ...' or 'Turn editing ...'.

As you've already pointed out, the function is provided by the administration block. Indeed the button is anachronistic and remained there for convenience. But it is not well supported and as such is somewhat inconsistent throughout Moodle.

The 'Add a block' block appears in editing mode on every page that supports blocks. In such pages whenever you are in editing mode you will see this block. It is a fake block and so cannot be docked. It appears in the left column only because the theme you are using defines the left column as the default column. If you want the block to appear in the right column you need to customize the theme accordingly or use another theme.

If you haven't changed permissions, the course admin can turn editing on/off in the course context. Since course pages typically support blocks, when editing is turned on the 'Add a block' block will appear. to hide it again the course admin has to turn editing off. If for some reason the button does not appear on the page, editing can be turned off from the administration block. Again, if you want to be in editing mode and have the 'Add a block' block appear in the right column or remain hidden (in which case you would not be able to add blocks) you need to customize the theme.

hth

The behavior of the administration block (and the navigation block) is considerably hard-coded. Personally I'm inclined to agree that certain patterns in the current behavior are far from idea. But then again different users have different preferences. It should be, however, fairly easy to achieve the desired effect by a slightly customized theme. The theme allows you to apply a custom block manager which extends the core block manager and can be set to hide the administration block from teacher or any other role. hth