block my_external_backup_courses : Restore courses from remote moodle platforms

my_external_backup_restore_courses is a Moodle block that enable a user to restore courses from external moodles this block must be installed in each moodle course clients and course servers involved

Features

• enable a user to program course restoration where courses comes from external moodles
• possibility to find the original category based on unique category identifier threw plugin settings on database relation (user must hace moodle/course:create in the category context)
• restore cours in a default category (user must hace moodle/course:create in that context)
• a scheduled task will launch remote backups and restorations of these courses
• Log and messaging include to notify of succes or failure

Security warning

• This plugin use a capability block/my_external_backup_restore_courses:can_retrieve_courses that enable webservice account to donload backup files of other users
• To improve security it is strongly recommended to generate token with IPrestriction on server side IPs

mnet warning usage

this plugin may not work in MNet environments fully because the username in that conditions username is not unique

Download

from moodle plugin repository

Installation

Block installation

Install block on blocks directory in course clients moodles and in each course servers moodle you need to connect to

webservice settings

On moodles that serves courses * create role for webservice * add the protocol rest capability to this role webservice/rest:use * add capabilility block/my_external_backup_restore_courses:can_retrieve_courses * add capbility block/my_external_backup_restore_courses:can_see_backup_courses * Create a user account for webservice account * assign role on system context for this newly created account * Under webservice administration : * Under Site administration -> Plugins -> Web Services -> External services, add a new custom service * check Enabled * ckeck Authorised users only * check Can download files * select capability block/my_external_backup_restore_courses:can_see_backup_courses * once created add funtions to the new custom external service * core_webservice_get_site_info * block_my_external_backup_restore_courses_get_courses * block_my_external_backup_restore_courses_get_courses_zip * add the webservice user account created previously to the authorized users of the new custom service * Under Site administration -> Plugins -> Web Services -> Manage Tokens * create a new token, restrited on your php server(s) for the custom external sservice previously created * This token will be one to enter in the block parameters off block_my_external_backup_restore_courses

Block setting

Under Plugins -> Blocks -> Restore courses from remote Moodles For each moodles you need to fill the following setting parameters

• in my_external_backup_course | search_roles enter roles to include in course search simple quote delimited text shortname separated by commas
• in my_external_backup_course | restorecourseinoriginalcategory activate the mode that enable to try to search the original category of a remote course
• in my_external_backup_course | categorytable the database table name where to find unique identifier information in order to search/find category, common for both client and server moodles
• in my_external_backup_course | categorytable_foreignkey the database foreign key for categorytable
• in my_external_backup_course | categorytable_categoryfield the database field in categorytable unique for a category and common for both client and server moodles

course clients moodles * in my_external_backup_course | defaultcategory the categoryid where the course will be restored by default, users that restore must have capability to moodle/course:create * in my_external_backup_course | externalmoodles formatted list of course servers moodles formatted as moodle_url1,token_compte_webservice_moodle_externe1;moodle_url2,token_compte_webservice_moodle_externe2;...

Messaging

• Site administration / ► Plugins / ► Message outputs / ► Default message outputs
• 2 message outputs :
  • Notify that an external course as failed to restore
  • Notify that an external course is successfully restored
• by default allowed and permitted for mails

capability

in order to use this block in dashboard a capability block/my_external_backup_restore_courses:view is provided and by default allowed for coursecreator and manager profile This enable to controle block visibility in dashboard

Contributions

Contributions of any form are welcome. Github pull requests are preferred.

Fill any bugs, improvements, or feature requiests in our [issue tracker][issues].

License

• http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html GNU GPL v3 or later