Emma Richardson

If you use the email as the primary id to link accounts through, that should work that way. Alternatively, you might need to create an extra field on the saml to link user accountnames if they do not match - this would be more accurate in case you have accounts with the same email address...you will need to do some testing to make sure it works how you want.

Oh, I didn't write the plugin, that would probably be a question for Tim Hunt, but to me it makes sense to disable settings that are not needed. Why would you need to set settings for after a close date if there is no close date? I understand that you set that later but I am not sure why you wait to set it at all...as I have tried to explain, if it is set once in the course, if you then copy that course for the next iteration, the dates will all reflect the new start date and you won't have to do anything.

You started by saying that these courses are all reiterations of a course from several years ago. I am presuming that you are copying that course to create the new ones. That is what I am calling the template course. No plugin, just the act of copying a course.
Close date settings - I am not sure what you are talking about. Only teachers and admin can change settings.

If you have a course that you use to create the other courses, (like a template) set up the dates in that course however you want them to run. Then when you copy that course, just set the start date to the new start and all the dates will automatically update to match the new course start date. So for example, course start date on template course is Jan 2 and you have set your parts at Feb 2, March 2, etc. When you copy that course and set the new start date in the copy course settings, the new course will then adjust the all dates to be the same number of days after the new course date, e.g. if you set the new course to start on Mar 2, your parts should automatically shift to April 2, May 2...it might not be to the same day of the month exactly as months have different lengths but it will be the same number of days past the start date...

As for your quiz issue, I get your point but I also see the reason for disabling the settings for after a close date if there is no close date...