MooChat Activity brings AI-powered conversations to the center of your course with complete conversation tracking. Unlike sidebar blocks, this activity module provides a prominent, full-featured chat experience that can be displayed inline on the course page or as a dedicated activity - with teacher oversight of all student interactions.

Key Features:

• PDF and PPTX File Support (NEW in v1.4.0):- 
  • MooChat can now read the content of PDF and PowerPoint (.pptx) files uploaded as File resources in the course section
  • PDF text extraction uses pdftotext (poppler-utils) if available on the server, with automatic fallback to the bundled smalot/pdfparser library
  • PPTX text extraction uses PHP's built-in ZipArchive and DOMDocument — no external dependencies required
  • Plain text files (txt, csv, html) are also extracted
  • The smalot/pdfparser library is bundled directly in the plugin's vendor/ folder — no Composer required on the server
• Personalized Welcome Message - The chat welcome message now says "Start chatting with [Name]!" using the actual name of the MooChat instance, making the interface more personal
• Active Chat Hint - After the first message exchange, the welcome message changes to "Clear the chat to start a new topic." to guide students
• Section Content Warning - When enabling "Include Section Content" in the activity settings, a warning is now displayed: "Sections with excessive or varied content can result in slower and lower quality responses."

• Conversation History Tracking (NEW in v1.3.0):

  • Teachers can view complete student-AI conversation histories
  • Conversations organized by date with collapsible sections
  • See which students are engaging and what they're asking
  • Full privacy compliance with GDPR data export/deletion
  • Included in course backup/restore

• Flexible Display Modes:

  • Inline: Chat appears directly on course page (like text/media areas)
  • Separate Page: Traditional activity that opens in its own view

• Horizontal Layout: Professional side-by-side design with avatar/info on left, chat on right

• Custom AI Personalities: Define unique system prompts tailored to your course content

• Avatar Support: Upload custom images with adjustable sizing (48px to 128px)

• Rate Limiting: Prevent AI resource abuse with configurable question limits per hour or day

• Server-Side Tracking: Students cannot bypass limits by clearing chat history

• Conversation Management: Students can clear chat display while server maintains usage tracking

• Auto-Cleanup: Usage records automatically purge after 7 days

Display Options: Teachers choose how students interact:

• Inline Mode: Chat embedded directly in course page - perfect for always-available assistance
• Separate Page Mode: Traditional activity link - ideal for focused chat sessions

Teacher Tools:

• View complete conversation histories for all students
• Monitor student engagement and AI usage
• Identify common questions and learning gaps
• Export conversation data for assessment or analysis
• History accessible via dedicated "History" button in activity

Technical Details:

• Built for Moodle 4.5+ using core AI subsystem
• No external dependencies, API keys, or third-party services required
• Works with any Moodle-compatible AI provider (OpenAI, Azure, Anthropic, local Ollama, etc.)
• Responsive design adapts to mobile and desktop
• Fixed-height scrolling prevents page expansion
• Efficient database design with automatic maintenance
• Full backup/restore support including conversation data

Use Cases:

• Main course AI assistant accessible throughout the course
• Specialized tutoring for complex topics with teacher oversight
• Interactive simulations with historical/fictional characters
• Language learning conversation partners with progress tracking
• Study guide and exam preparation assistance
• Project brainstorming and feedback with conversation review

Activity Features:

• Standard Moodle activity intro/description support
• Appears in course activity chooser
• Full capability/permission integration
• Activity completion tracking ready
• Works with all Moodle course formats
• Teacher-only conversation history access

Privacy & Data:

• GDPR compliant with full data export/deletion support
• Only teachers can view student conversations
• Students cannot see other students' histories
• Data deleted when activity is removed or course is reset
• Full privacy provider implementation

Requirements:

• Moodle 4.5 or higher
• Moodle core AI subsystem configured with at least one AI provider

Note: This is the activity module version of MooChat. A block version is also available separately for sidebar placement. Both can coexist on the same Moodle installation without conflicts.