Moodle TextPlus Plugin

This powerful Moodle plugin helps administrators search and selectively replace text across their entire Moodle database. What makes it different from Moodle's built-in tools or other plugins is that it lets you preview every change before it happens. You can see exactly which code snippets and text will be updated, giving you full control and peace of mind. With its easy step-by-step wizard and strong security features, you can safely update course content, activities, pages, and labels with confidence.

Developed by: G Wiz IT Solutions
Plugin Type: Local
Version: 3.0.6
Compatibility: Moodle 4.3 to 5.1+
License: GNU GPL v3 or later

What's New in Version 3.0.6

🔒 Security & Compliance Updates (October 31, 2025)

• Security Hardening - Replaced all PARAM_RAW with proper parameter types (PARAM_ALPHA, PARAM_TEXT, PARAM_ALPHANUMEXT)
• Frankenstyle Compliance - All global functions now use local_textplus_ prefix to prevent namespace collisions
• Internationalization - All hardcoded text in templates moved to language strings for full translatability
• CSS Namespace Compliance - All CSS selectors properly namespaced with .local-textplus prefix
• Cache Definition - Added missing language string for cache definition (cachedef_wizarddata)

Previous Updates (Version 3.0.5)

🏗️ Modern Architecture Refactoring

• Mustache Templates - Complete separation of presentation from logic
• Output API - Proper renderer classes with output components
• ES6 JavaScript Modules - AMD-compliant JavaScript with proper dependencies
• Namespaced CSS - All styles use .local-textplus prefix to prevent conflicts
• Deprecated Function Fix - Replaced print_error() with moodle_exception
• Standards Compliant - Follows all Moodle 4.x/5.x coding standards
• Reference: Moodle Output API

Previous Updates

Version 1.0.3

🏗️ Code Quality & Standards Compliance

• Moodle Cache API Integration - Migrated from direct $SESSION usage to Moodle's Cache API
• Standards Compliant - Follows Moodle coding standards and best practices
• Better Architecture - Cleaner separation of concerns with cache abstraction
• Reference: Moodle Universal Cache (MUC)

Previous Updates

Version 1.0.1

🎨 Edwiser Page Builder Support

• Full Compatibility - Search and replace text within Edwiser Page Builder pages
• Smart Decoding - Automatically handles base64-encoded serialized content
• Content Snippets - Preview actual page content in search results (not encoded data)
• Safe Processing - Preserves page structure while updating text content
• Dual Mode Support - Works with both published and draft Edwiser pages

Previous Updates (v1.0.0)

🎯 Multi-Step Wizard Interface

• Step 1: Search Criteria - Define what text to find
• Step 2: Content Selection - Review and select specific content items with checkboxes
• Step 3: Replacement Options - Configure replacement settings with mandatory backup confirmation
• Visual step indicator showing progress
• Back/Next navigation between steps
• Cache-based state management for seamless navigation (using Moodle Cache API)

🔐 Enhanced Security

• Site Administrator Only Access - Restricted to users with moodle/site:config capability
• Comprehensive XSS Protection - All user input and output properly sanitized
• Input Validation - SQL injection prevention and strict input validation
• Session Key Verification - Multiple checkpoints throughout the workflow
• Database Backup Confirmation - Mandatory checkbox before executing replacements

✨ Improved User Experience

• Progressive disclosure - only relevant options shown at each step
• Interactive content selection with "Select All/Deselect All" functionality
• Clear error messages and user guidance
• Final warning before executing destructive operations
• Better visual feedback at each step

Features

Core Features

• 🔍 Database-Wide Text Search: Find text content in pages, activities, course descriptions, labels, and other text fields
• 🗄️ Comprehensive Database Scanning: Search across all major Moodle tables containing text content
• � Selective Replacement: Choose exactly which content items to update with checkbox selection
• 🔒 Safe Dry Run Mode: Test replacements without making any changes to the database
• 📊 Detailed Replacement Log: See success/failure status for every item updated
• 🔐 Case Sensitivity Control: Choose between case-sensitive and case-insensitive search
• 🌍 Multi-Language Support: Ready for internationalization
• 📝 Operation History: Database logging of all replacement operations
• ⚡ Batch Processing: Replace multiple files in a single operation

Supported Content Types

• ✅ Course Content: Course names, descriptions, summaries
• ✅ Pages: Page content and introductions
• ✅ Labels: Label text across all courses
• ✅ Activities: Quiz descriptions, assignment details, forum posts
• ✅ Sections: Course section summaries and names
• ✅ Books: Book chapter content
• ✅ Edwiser Page Builder: Published and draft pages (base64-encoded content)

Installation

Method 1: Via Moodle Plugin Installer (Recommended)

1. Download the plugin ZIP file
2. Log in to your Moodle site as an administrator
3. Go to Site administration → Plugins → Install plugins
4. Upload the ZIP file
5. If prompted with "Unable to detect the plugin type":
   • Select "Local plugin (local)" from the "Plugin type" dropdown
   • Confirm the plugin folder name shows as "textplus"
6. Click "Install plugin from the ZIP file"
7. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation

Note: Some Moodle installations require manual plugin type selection for security. This is normal behavior.

Method 2: Manual Installation (If ZIP upload fails)

Recommended if you get "corrupted_archive_structure" error:

1. Extract the plugin ZIP file
2. Copy the textplus folder to [moodle-root]/local/
3. Log in to your Moodle site as an administrator
4. Navigate to Site administration → Notifications
5. Click "Upgrade Moodle database now"
6. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation

Tip: On Windows, you can use the included manual_install.ps1 helper script.

Method 3: Via Command Line

cd [moodle-root]/local/
git clone [repository-url] textplus
cd [moodle-root]
php admin/cli/upgrade.php

Post-Installation: Clear Caches

IMPORTANT: After installing or updating the plugin, always clear Moodle's caches:

Method 1: Via Web Interface 1. Go to Site administration → Development → Purge all caches 2. Click "Purge all caches" button

Method 2: Via Command Line (Faster)

php admin/cli/purge_caches.php

Why? Moodle caches language strings. If you don't clear caches, you might see text displayed as stringname instead of the actual text. This is normal Moodle behavior for all plugins.

Configuration

After installation, configure the plugin defaults:

1. Go to Site administration → Plugins → Local plugins → TextPlus
2. Configure the following settings:
   • Default search term: Default text to search for in database
   • Default execution mode: Dry Run or Execute (Dry Run recommended for safety)
   • Search database by default: Enable database searching (should be enabled)

Usage

Accessing the Tool

1. Log in as a site administrator (requires moodle/site:config capability)
2. Go to Site administration → Server → TextPlus

Note: Non-administrators will see an access denied error. This is intentional for security.

Using the Multi-Step Wizard

Step 1: Define Search Criteria

1. Enter Search Text: Type the exact text string to search for

   • Simple text: old company name, deprecated link, outdated information
   • Case sensitive search option available

2. Search Options: Configure search parameters

   • Enable/disable case-sensitive search
   • Select which database tables to search
   • Documents (DOC, DOCX, ODT, TXT)
   • Videos (MP4, AVI, MOV, WebM)

3. Click Find matching text to proceed to Step 2

Step 2: Select Content to Replace

1. Review Found Items: See all database records containing your search text

   • Shows table name, field, record ID, and context
   • Preview of the text content with search term highlighted
   • Information about where the content appears (course, activity, etc.)

2. Select Items:

   • Use checkboxes to select specific items to update
   • Use Select All/Deselect All buttons for bulk selection
   • Review each item carefully before selection

3. Navigation:

   • Click Back to modify search criteria
   • Click Next to proceed to replacement options

Note: At least one item must be selected to proceed.

Step 3: Replacement Options and Confirmation

1. Enter Replacement Text:

   • Type the new text that will replace the search term
   • Leave empty to remove the search text completely
   • The replacement will maintain HTML formatting where applicable

2. Configure Options:

   • Execution mode:
     • Dry run: See what would be changed without modifying the database (safe - recommended first)
     • Execute changes: Actually perform the replacements

3. Database Backup Confirmation ⚠️:

   • ☑️ I confirm that a recent database backup has been made (REQUIRED)
   • This checkbox must be checked before proceeding
   • Replacement operations cannot be undone

4. Final Warning: Read the warning about irreversible changes

5. Click Execute Replacement to complete the operation

After Execution

• View detailed results showing success/failure for each item
• Review replacement log with statistics
• Click Start Over to begin a new replacement operation
• Consider clearing Moodle caches after replacements

Database Tables Searched

The plugin searches text content in the following Moodle tables: - course - Course names, descriptions, summaries - course_sections - Course section summaries - page - Page content - label - Label text - book_chapters - Book chapter content - forum_posts - Forum post content - quiz - Quiz descriptions - assign - Assignment descriptions - And other activity tables

Third-Party Plugin Support: - Edwiser RemUI Page Builder - Automatically detected and included if installed - edwiser_remui_pages - Custom page titles and content

How It Works

1. Search Phase: The plugin scans selected database tables for text content containing your search term
2. Analysis: For each matching record, it determines:
   • Table and field location
   • Record context (course, activity, etc.)
   • Content preview
3. Replacement: The search text is:
   • Replaced with the new text in selected records
   • HTML formatting is preserved
   • Character encoding is maintained
4. Database Updates: For database records:
   • Records are updated with new text content
   • Timestamps are updated appropriately
   • Data integrity is maintained
5. Logging: All operations are logged for audit purposes

Permissions

The plugin defines two capabilities and requires site administrator access:

• moodle/site:config: REQUIRED - Site administrator permission (checked before any access)
• local/textplus:view: View the TextPlus tool
• local/textplus:manage: Perform text replacement operations

Security Note: Only users with site administrator permissions can access this plugin. Non-administrators will see an error message directing them to contact their site administrator.

Security Features

Access Control

• Site administrator-only access (moodle/site:config capability required)
• Multiple permission checks throughout the workflow
• Session key verification on all form submissions
• Confirm session key on destructive operations (Step 3)

Input Validation & Sanitization

• All user input validated and sanitized by Moodle form API
• Search text validated with PARAM_TEXT to prevent SQL injection
• Database record IDs validated as integers with PARAM_INT
• All text content escaped before database queries
• Text input sanitized before display

Output Protection

• All displayed content escaped with s() function to prevent XSS
• JavaScript strings escaped with addslashes_js()
• HTML output uses Moodle's html_writer class
• Search terms and replacement text sanitized before display

Database Query Protection

• Parameterized queries prevent SQL injection
• All database operations use Moodle's DML API
• Record validation before updates
• Transaction support for data integrity

Mandatory Backup Confirmation

• Checkbox confirmation required before executing replacements
• Warning message displayed about irreversible operations
• User must acknowledge database backup has been made

Best Practices

Safety First

1. ✅ Always run in Dry Run mode first to see what will be changed
2. ✅ BACKUP YOUR DATABASE before running replacements
3. ✅ Use the backup confirmation checkbox consciously - it's there for a reason
4. ✅ Test with a specific search term on a small set of content first
5. ✅ Review the content selection list carefully in Step 2 before proceeding
6. ✅ Consider running a test on a staging/development environment first

Performance

1. ⚡ For large sites, use specific search terms to limit matches
2. ⚡ Run operations during low-traffic periods
3. ⚡ Process content in smaller batches if you have many matches
4. ⚡ Increase PHP memory limit for large batch operations
5. ⚡ Consider database optimization after large replacements

Text Replacement

1. 📝 Use exact text strings for search terms
2. 📝 Double-check replacement text for typos before executing
3. 📝 Be aware of case sensitivity settings
4. 📝 Consider HTML formatting when replacing text in rich content
5. 📝 Test replacement on a few items before bulk operations

Workflow

1. 📋 Step 1: Start with specific search terms, then broaden if needed
2. 📋 Step 2: Carefully review and select only the content you intend to update
3. 📋 Step 3: Always check "Dry Run mode" first, then run again in "Execute mode"
4. 📋 Document what you've changed for future reference
5. 📋 Clear Moodle caches after completing replacements

Requirements

Moodle Requirements

• Moodle version: 4.3 to 5.1+ (fully tested and compatible)
• PHP version: 7.4 or higher (8.0+ recommended)

PHP Extensions

• Standard PHP libraries (included by default)
  • Required for: Database operations and text processing
  • No special extensions needed

Server Requirements

• Database access with sufficient permissions
• Sufficient PHP memory limit (128MB minimum, 256MB+ recommended for large batches)
• PHP max_execution_time sufficient for batch operations

Troubleshooting

Text Not Found

• Check that search term matches text exactly (case sensitivity matters)
• Verify you have selected the correct database tables
• Try a shorter or more general search term
• Check if the text is in a supported table

Permission Denied Errors

• Verify you have the local/textplus:manage capability
• Check database permissions
• Ensure database user has update permissions on necessary tables

Memory Errors

• Increase PHP memory limit in php.ini
• Process fewer items at once
• Use selective checkboxes to process content in batches

No Items Selected Error

• Symptom: Alert when clicking "Replace in selected items"
• Cause: No checkboxes are selected
• Solution: Check at least one item to update

Database Connection Issues

• Verify database connection settings
• Check database user permissions
• Ensure sufficient database resources

Changelog

Version 1.0.1 (2025-10-21)

Bug Fixes: - 🐛 Fixed code snippet pop-ups in Step 2: - Resolved double HTML encoding issues that showed < instead of < - Fixed UTF-8 character corruption (Japanese, Chinese, Arabic, emoji now display correctly) - Added robust error handling for malformed UTF-8 sequences - Implemented base64 encoding for data attributes to preserve exact content - Added fallback decoding using TextDecoder API for edge cases - Fixed blank pop-ups caused by empty contexts - Fixed close button (X) triggering page refresh - 🎯 Improved code display: - Code snippets now display exactly as stored in database - HTML entities, tags, and special characters show as source code - Multi-byte UTF-8 characters (このコース, 中文, العربية) display perfectly - Search terms properly highlighted across all languages

Technical Changes: - Modified get_all_occurrences() in replacer.php to store raw content - Updated data attributes to use base64 encoding instead of htmlspecialchars() - Implemented base64DecodeUnicode() JavaScript function with multi-layered decoding - Added try-catch error handling to prevent pop-up crashes - Changed close button to type="button" to prevent form submission

Version 1.0.0 (2025-10-20)

Initial Release - TextPlus

Core Features: - 🎯 Multi-step wizard interface (3 steps with visual progress) - 🔐 Site administrator-only access - ✨ Interactive content selection with checkboxes - 📊 Database-wide text search and replace - ⚠️ Prominent safety warnings and database backup reminders - 🔒 Mandatory database backup confirmation checkbox - � Dry run mode for safe testing - 📁 Support for major Moodle content types

Security: - Comprehensive SQL injection protection - XSS protection throughout - Session key verification - Input validation and sanitization

Supported Content: - Course names, descriptions, and summaries - Page content - Label text - Activity descriptions - Forum posts - Book chapters - And more

Support

For issues, questions, or feature requests:

• GitHub Repository: https://github.com/gwizit/moodle-local_textplus
• Bug Tracker: https://github.com/gwizit/moodle-local_textplus/issues
• Website: https://gwizit.com
• Email: Contact through gwizit.com
• Moodle plugins: (pending submission)

Found this plugin useful? Consider supporting its development!

• Donate: https://square.link/u/F3EXIaVp

Your support helps us maintain and improve this plugin. Thank you! 💝

License

This plugin is licensed under the GNU GPL v3 or later.

Credits

Developed by: G Wiz IT Solutions
Website: https://gwizit.com
Copyright: 2025 G Wiz IT Solutions

Technical Details

Database Tables

mdl_local_textplus_log - Stores operation history - Tracks search terms, items processed, success/failure counts - Includes dry run indicator and timestamp information

File Structure

textplus/
├── classes/
│   ├── event/
│   │   └── text_replaced.php
│   ├── form/
│   │   └── replacer_form.php
│   ├── privacy/
│   │   └── provider.php
│   └── replacer.php
├── db/
│   ├── access.php
│   └── install.xml
├── lang/
│   └── en/
│       └── local_textplus.php
├── index.php
├── renderer.php
├── settings.php
├── version.php
└── README.md

Privacy

This plugin implements Moodle's Privacy API and is GDPR compliant: - Logs which user performed replacement operations - Stores search terms and operation results - Provides data export for user data - Supports data deletion requests - Does not access personal user data unless specifically targeted

Security

• Requires administrator/manager capabilities
• Session key validation on all operations
• SQL injection protection via Moodle's DML API
• XSS protection via proper output escaping
• Input validation and sanitization

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please contact G Wiz IT Solutions through gwizit.com for more information.

Thank you for using TextPlus by G Wiz IT Solutions! 🎓