Dataform

Activities ::: mod_dataform

Maintained by

Itamar Tzadok

Part of set Dataform.

The Dataform module allows the course manager to design and construct an entry form from various input elements (text and rich text fields, urls, files, pictures, etc.) in a flexible layout. Users can then add information records to a collection, which can be viewed in various ways and searched for particular items.

Latest release: 6 years

720 sites

142 downloads

64 fans

Current versions available: 7

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The dataform module is a major enhancement of the standard Database activity module and is meant to offer all the functionality offered by the Database module and much more in a more flexible way.

The module allows the course manager to design and construct an entry form from various input elements (text and rich text fields, urls, files, pictures, etc.) in a flexible layout. Users can then add information records to a collection, which can be viewed in various ways and searched for particular items.

The dataform features include (among other things):

A multiple views system - allows the instructor to design several different views of the entries in a datform activity. Each view can show a designated subset of the entries in a designated layout.
Enhanced template tags - A new template tags system allows for exposing many more bits of information and makes it easy to add designated patterns in new field and view types.
Enhanced entry actions - Bulk edit, duplicate, delete, approve etc. Inline editing. Form editing options such as required fields (via Moodle forms).
New packaging system - based on Moodle backup/restore and allows for packaing a dataform instance and restoring into an existing instance.
Enhanced filtering system - allows the instructor to define different filters each of which can determine sort (including nested sort) and search options (various search criteria). Filters can be fixed to particular views or applied on the file from the activity main page (if included in the view template).

New view/field types include (among others):

Tabular view - a view type which allows for displaying the entries in a table. The design of the entries table has been simplified to drawing the desired table with optional header row and an entry row in the moodle editor.
Nanogong field - a field type for adding audio content to an entry via the nanogong applet.
Calculated field - a field type which can display a result of a simple calculation on one or two number fields in the entry.

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Contributors

Itamar Tzadok (Lead maintainer)

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Comments

Itamar Tzadok
Tue, 4 Oct 2011, 10:31 PM
You need to install the dataform_view block (https://github.com/itamart/block-dataform_view, http://moodle.org/plugins/view.php?plugin=block_dataform_view). The block configuration will allow you to select a dataform from the course. Then you need to reconfigure to select a view from the dataform.
Graciano Torrão
Fri, 4 Nov 2011, 6:00 AM
Hi:
I installed Dataform on a 2.1.2 version of Moodle.
Where is the right place to posto some questions about it?
Is there a specific forum?
Thanks
Itamar Tzadok
Mon, 14 Nov 2011, 11:12 PM
Currently the best place is the database module forum.
Paul Young
Tue, 13 Dec 2011, 4:45 AM
One suggestion to enhance dataform is to develop a mechanism so that people with CSS skills can upload and share the CSS templates they developed and people without CSS skills can easily choose and apply the ones they like.
Itamar Tzadok
Tue, 13 Dec 2011, 10:57 PM
Absolutely. I've already considered something to this effect and am planning to add in the css and js templates an option to upload css and js files (respectively).
Sean Freese
Fri, 3 Feb 2012, 1:22 AM
Installs but lots of issues in 2.2.1. Any chance that there will be an updated version?
Itamar Tzadok
Tue, 7 Feb 2012, 6:55 AM
Soon enough.
Ravi Vare
Mon, 9 Apr 2012, 10:52 PM
Hi Itamar,
When Dataform will available for moodle 2.2.2?

BR,
Ravi
Matthew Koelling
Thu, 12 Apr 2012, 1:26 AM
Hi, we are currently working on upgrading to a 2.2 Moodle installation. Is there any estimation of when this plug-in will be available?
AL Rachels
Mon, 23 Apr 2012, 7:29 AM
Hi Itamar,
I am currently using Moodle 2.2.2+ and everything seems to work except getting the grades to appear in the grade book. No matter how I seem to set up the assignment grading options, when I go back into edit mode it has always reverted to Manual grading. Is that the only way it works or is there some secret I haven't figured out yet? :0)
Joan Van Duzer
Wed, 27 June 2012, 7:19 AM
We now have Dataform installed on Moodle 2.2 server. I've set up a Dataform view using "Tabular" format but it doesn't display the pictures like in the screenshot (third picture from the left).

Instead, all the pictures that I've added to the Dataform ("add new entry") display vertically all one after the other. I want them to display horizontally, one after the other, in three rows per page, five pictures in each row. I have set the number of entries per page to 15.

Any suggestions on what I'm doing wrong? So far, I have the same results I got from using the Database activity to display picture fields.
Jason Hollowell
Sat, 15 Dec 2012, 8:11 AM
Anxiously waiting for the PDF export view
Mari Cruz García
Fri, 25 Jan 2013, 9:00 PM
Itamar,

Your plug-in looks really appealing for our project. When do you think that there will be an stable version ?

Thank yo very much for sharing it with the community
Itamar Tzadok
Sun, 27 Jan 2013, 10:36 PM
There is an updated version on git which should be fairly stable. I will try to update the Moodle plugin repo as soon as possible. As usual any feedback would be greatly appreciated and help with documentation on Moodle docs even more.
Mari Cruz García
Wed, 30 Jan 2013, 11:40 PM
Itamar,

I work at the Medical School of the University of Dundee and I think that the form could be useful for our Msc dissertation module.

I would help with the testing and documentation if needed. There may be a possibility of adapting the form to our course needs, for which we have some budget to pay a developer (this possibility needs to be confirmed).

Can you please let me know where is the git version?
I would like to start the testing to see if, as a whole, this is the tool that we are looking for.