Moodle plugins directory: Collapsed Topics | Moodle.org
Collapsed Topics
An interchangeable topic or week (day for 2.3.1+) based format that solves the issue of the 'Scroll of Death' when a course has many topics / weeks. All sections except zero have a toggle that displays that section. One or more sections can be displayed at any given time. Toggles are persistent on a per browser session per course basis but can be made to persist longer by a small code change. Full installation instructions, code adapt-ions and credits are included in the 'Readme.md' file.
If you have a course with more than fifty two sections then currently the toggle persistence will not work for the fifty third section and above. Then you need to upgrade to the Moodle 2.5 version+.
Support:
The format comes with NO support. Please see the 'Support' section in 'Readme.md' file that comes with the format. This is because the format is complex and I regret that I don't have the time / resources to freely assist with questions pertaining to specific enhancements / changes / knowledge improvement.
I will investigate genuine bugs and issue fixes in a timescale set by myself. When reporting issues you MUST clearly state the full version and release of both Moodle and the Collapsed Topics format as contained within their 'version.php' files - if not it takes me longer to figure out, often resulting in me asking for the details anyway and slowing the process of solving your problem down. It really helps to read the 'Reporting Issues' section in the 'Readme.md' file and upload and describe in detail the issue you are having on the 'Course formats' forum.
Book:
NEW: 'The Complete Guide to Collapsed Topics' (and 'Blurb') book is now available, covering: installation, upgrade, uninstallation, course and global features, resetting, capabilities, language strings, overriding icons / styles in a theme and adding a new icon set.
NOTE: The latest version incorporates functionality to support new UK / EU Cookie Law which is implemented as a user acceptance in the 1.9 version and no 'cookie' is used at all in 2.x versions.
Screen casts:
Privacy API support starts with V3.3.1.2 for M3.3 and V3.4.0.2 for M3.4 where the API has been implemented in the minor release of Moodle.
Screenshots
I installed your plugin and it was working great until I added another course format called Grid Format. Since installing Grid Format all the collapsed topics toggle headers have huge fonts. I removed Grid Format but the issue persists. Is there any setting I can change to reduce the size of the font? thanks!
John
Odd as I maintain both formats. It would be helpful to know the contents of both of the format's 'version.php' files and a screen shot of the issue - could you make a post in the course format's forum please - https://moodle.org/mod/forum/view.php?id=47.
I suspect in the mean time given that I think there was a conflict with the 'styles.css' please try a 'Purge all caches' under 'Home -> Site administration -> Development -> Purge all caches' to fix the headings.
Cheers,
Gareth
I always seem to getting instructors wanting to use a Gradient for the section bars instead of solid bars. How difficult would it be it integrate something like that into this format?
The ability to adjust the colors within the course is amazing btw
Thank you. And you can also adjust the colours with Davo Smith's 'Colours' format.
To be honest, I'm not completely sure how difficult it would be. But as it is only a matter of adding in an extra colour setting and having 'start' / 'end' colours then possible. But the issue comes with 'direction' - does there need to be a setting to define 'top -> bottom' or 'left -> right' and vice versa? Diagonal direction? Often the hardest bit is making it work with Internet Explorer - so I would prefer that it goes into the Moodle 2.5 version as that has a minimum IE requirement (Off the top of my head I cannot remember exactly which).
What I really need to put a full assessment of the work to be undertaken is a list of 'requirements' of what needs to happen.
Cheers,
Gareth
We were having issue as well getting IE to show the gradient bar and instead used a image to get the gradient bar to show up. This was done with the plugin for Moodle 2.1.
I was trying making a few if variables where if you put GRAD1, GRAD2, or GRAD3 in the "toggle foreground colour" the plugin would then use the image GRAD1, GRAD2, GRAD3 for the gradient bar. That way IE would have anything to complain about.
I guess the most user friendly way to do this would be to have a gradient generator within moodle available but I dont know how that could be done.
Maybe just have it where one could inject something like this:
background-image: linear-gradient(, #ACC999 43%, #354F1B 72%, #81A1A1 86%);
background-image: -o-linear-gradient(, #ACC999 43%, #354F1B 72%, #81A1A1 86%);
background-image: -moz-linear-gradient(, #ACC999 43%, #354F1B 72%, #81A1A1 86%);
background-image: -webkit-linear-gradient(, #ACC999 43%, #354F1B 72%, #81A1A1 86%);
background-image: -ms-linear-gradient(, #ACC999 43%, #354F1B 72%, #81A1A1 86%);
background-image: -webkit-gradient(
linear,
right bottom,
right bottom,
color-stop(0.43, #ACC999),
color-stop(0.72, #354F1B),
color-stop(0.86, #81A1A1)
);
into the mdl_course_format_options table?
Version 2.3.9.7 -> https://moodle.org/plugins/pluginversion.php?id=1988
Cheers,
Gareth
RE: Gradients.
Possibly, but I Google'd JavaScript gradient generators and I think it could be harder than that. As although they work, they produce CSS based on user interaction, so there would have to be a way of storing the internal values in the database such that they could be reused and then generate the lengthy CSS on the fly rather than taking up storage space for generated values.
Cheers,
Gareth
I'm encountering a Collapsed Topics display problem in Firefox (I've tested it in v. 21 and 22). In a course with multiple topics, individual topics open/close and display their contents normally, until the "Close all" link is clicked. After using "Close all", when an individual topic is opened, the content is blank. The size of the opened blank topic is the expected size, as if the content is there, but just not displaying. Clicking the "Open all" link restores the content of all topics normally, and individual topics can be opened/closed with no problem, until the "Close all" link is used again, at which point the problem recurs. The problem does not appear in Chrome of Internet Explorer. Any suggestions? Thanks!
David
What version of Moodle and Collapsed Topics are you using please.
Cheers,
Gareth
If you are using Moodle 2.4+ then please update to the latest version just released - https://moodle.org/plugins/pluginversion.php?id=3271
Cheers,
Gareth
David
David
The section names are headings, in fact the 'h3' tag. I fix that ages ago.
Cheers,
Gareth