Moodle plugins directory: Generico Filter | Moodle.org
Generico Filter
Generico is a simple templating filter, that allows you to set up text and code snippet templates for use in Moodle text areas. It allows an unlimited number of templates to be registered. When Moodle encounters a Generico filter string it will use the data in the filter string to fill out the template, and insert it into the page.
It is useful for ad-hoc template purposes where writing a new plugin would be overkill, or just for re-using common pieces of text. It can be used to centralise and manage the embedding of iframe content from video hosting services, and educational app providers.
In the latest version there are approx. 20 presets from which you can make templates. They include templates for an info box, tabset, accordian, lightbox and image gallery. And there is a companion Atto editor plugin for Generico. The combination of these two features make it possible to use Generico like the Wordpress shortcode plugins.
This 8 minute video walks through the basic Generico Filter and should give you a good idea of what it is, and how it works.
How it works
Templates for use with the filter are available at:
Site Administration -> plugins -> filters -> Generico -> templates
A template primarily consists of a "key", a "template," and some "defaults." (It can also load CSS and Javascript. But for now lets keep things simple.)
The key is just a one word name, that tells Generico which template to use.
The template is just passage of text that you want to use, and the parts of the template that you want to mark as variables you surround in @@ marks.
The defaults are a comma delimited list of variablename=value pairs. It is possible to specify multiple values for a single variable in the defaults. The Generico Atto editor plugin will display these values in a drop down list. eg size="100|120|140". The first of the values will be the true "default."
Here is an example template.
templatekey: wildthings
template: Inside this box are @@thing1@@ and @@thing2@@
template defaults: thing2=Silly
A possible filter string for this "wildthings" template would look like this:
{GENERICO:type=wildthings,thing1=Sally}Generico would replace the above filter string with:
"Inside this box are Sally and Silly"
The filter string must follow this format,
{GENERICO:type=templatekey,variable1=data1,variable2=data2}The wildthings example above is trivial of course. Instead imagine using it to embed YouTube videos by registering the standard iframe code YouTube gives you, as a template. Then it would only be necessary to insert the id of the video in a generico filter string and the template would do the rest. e.g
{GENERICO:type=youtube,id=ABC12345678}USING PRESETS
Generico comes with about 20 template presets. By default they are not set up as templates yet. To create the actual template:
- Open an empty template settings page
- Select a preset from the dropdown list at the top of the page
This will fill in the fields on the template settings page. - Press the "Save Changes" button at the bottom of the page.
USING BUNDLES
So that people can share the templates they have made, there is a system to share them called "bundles." On each template settings page there is a green bundle box.
If you click on the box, it will automatically download the "bundle" as a text file. If you then drag that bundle (or somebody else's bundle) onto the green bundle box of another template, it will fill the fields on that template settings page. Be sure to save the template after you have done that.
There are a number of bundles that people have shared over in the this forum thread.
https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=324771
And there is a special category here on the Moodle plugins directory for sharing templates:
https://moodle.org/plugins/browse.php?list=category&id=69
USER PROFILE VARIABLES
It is also possible to add user profile variables to your templates. Just make the first part of the variable name USER: and the next part the name of the user profile field. It also works with custom profile fields. There are two "special" user profile fields, picurl and pic that respectively output the url of the user's profile pic, and their picture itself.
e.g
User's first name: @@USER:firstname@@User's ice cream preference (custom profile field): @@USER:icecreampref@@
Users profile pic url: @@USER:picurl@@
User's profile pic: @@USER:pic@@
INSTALLATION
Generico installs like any Moodle plugin. Please see here for more information on that process:
https://docs.moodle.org/en/Installing_plugins#Installing_directly_from_the_Moodle_plugins_directory
On the final page of the installation you will be able to register templates. its best to skip that step, and just press "save changes." Later you can do this from the Generico template settings pages.
After installing you will need to enable the Generico filter. You can enable the Generico filter at:
Site Administration -> plugins -> filters -> manage filters
More Documentation
https://docs.moodle.org/31/en/filter_generico
https://poodll.freshdesk.com/solution/articles/19000083258-how-do-widgets-work-for-developers-
Useful links
Screenshots
Thank you for your plugin. I use your plug-in to embed responsive video in my theme. Very usefull for me. Peoples can add video without use html code.
I share my method, perhaps it can help someone.
I use this setting with Generico Template template with this :
1. The key that identifies template
Youtube
2. The body of template
Bis : you can use Vimeo, it's works fine too.
In my theme CSS, I add this :
.videoWrapper {
position: relative;
padding-bottom: 56.25%; /* 16:9 */
padding-top: 0px;
height: 0;
}
.videoWrapper iframe {
position: absolute;
top: 0;
left: 0;
width: 100%;
height: 100%;
}
Best regards
2. The body of template
++
great work! We use Moodle v2.8 & I've downloaded the plugin from moodle.org instead of github after reading your github note.
Just double-checking, if I've more than 20 templates should it work for the version I downloaded? Your comment indicates (https://moodle.org/user/view.php?id=14534&course=1) the version hosted here wouldn't work.
We'll basically use the plugin for re-using text blocks for different courses. So it's important to have the capability of unlimited template (i.e. out-of-the-box if possible).
Could you please confirm? Thanks Justin.
Thanks for the vote!! Right now people just post them in this forum: https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=324771
I have made a few a half hearted attempts at a gallery of sorts for the plugins but was generally beaten back by life(or in one case a server crash). More recently I set up a Moodle Database activity on the PoodLL demo site, and got as far as one template uploaded and explained. https://demo.poodll.com/mod/dataform/view.php?id=196
But it is not actually the right place for this. Because it gets reset each day, so I am the only one who can really edit it permanently.
[ .... thinking ...]
How about we set up a special site for sharing templates on MoodleCloud? Does that sound like a good idea? (Generico itself is not installed there, but thats ok ... isn't it?)
Its a real shame, there are some really good templates out there. Hmmmmm Perhaps we could make a generico site on Moodle cloud for this purpose? The plugin itself is not installed there, but we could use the Moodle database
i dont know why page /admin/settings.php?section=filter_generico_templatepage_1 is not fully loaded
It's happends when i am trying to edit template
how to fix it
Moodle 2.7.14 (Build: 20160509)
Is it possible to improve sql query like this ?
SELECT u.firstname, u.lastname, u.email, c.fullname FROM mdl_user u, mdl_role_assignments r, mdl_context cx, mdl_course c WHERE (u.id = r.userid) AND (r.contextid = cx.id) AND (cx.instanceid = @@COURSE:id@@) AND (r.roleid =3) AND (cx.contextlevel =50);
i dont understand how it make
help me plese
You can not put Generico variables in the Dataset field. The syntax is just the same as for the $DB get_records_sql function.
https://docs.moodle.org/dev/Data_manipulation_API#moodle_database::get_records_sql.28.29
You put any variables in the SQL as '?' marks, and any data or variables that should take their place in the Dataset vars field.
Moodle version 2.7
Can you ask me what version may help us?
If there are not, can you update plugin for 2.7 moodle?