VPL (Virtual Programming Lab) 4.4.1 – Release Notes

VPL 4.4.1 – Maintenance Update

VPL 4.4.1 is a maintenance release for the 4.4 branch and focuses on restoring functionality lost due to previous refactoring.

Fixes

• Restored the ability to access and reuse previous grading comments while manually assessing a student submission.
• Fixed regression from module refactor that prevented showing/hiding detailed grading comments ([+] / [-]) in grading reports.
• Fixed a regression that displayed incorrect numbers of submissions (graded and ungraded) when using filters in the submissions page.

VPL 4.4.0 introduces a range of enhancements, fixes, and new features, focusing on improved usability and full compatibility with Moodle 5.1.

This release also includes important internal refactoring to comply with Moodle’s coding style and code-checking requirements.

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Enhancements

Updated Third-Party Libraries

• Ace Editor: Updated from version 1.4 to 1.43, improving existing functionality and preparing for future enhancements.
• noVNC Client: Updated to the latest version, ensuring better performance and compatibility for GUI-based applications.
• Text Terminal Client: Replaced term.js with Xterm.js, providing improved terminal emulation, support for non-Latin character input, and dynamic screen resizing.

Support for Course Overview

VPL now support the new Course Overview feature in Moodle 5 that allows users to review different types of Moodle activities at a glance. Remember that the Virtual Programming Labs option, available in each VPL activity’s administration menu or in course reports, also lets users access all VPL activities on a single page, with advanced filtering options by multiple criteria.

Support for Subsections

Subsections, introduced in Moodle 5, enable better organization of course sections. The Virtual Programming Labs option now respects subsection structures, displaying activities in the order they appear within the course. Section-based filtering has also been improved to include activities within subsections.

Evaluator Help Links

The Execution Options, Cases Editor, and Execution Files Editor pages now include direct links to the relevant evaluator’s documentation. This helps users better understand each evaluator’s features and usage.

Miscellaneous Improvements

• GIOTES Regex Output Check: Now correctly interprets \n, \r, \t, and \\ for newline, carriage return, tab, and backslash.
• Dates: Added support for displaying important dates such as “Available From” and “Due Date” on the course page.
• Submission Status: Now respects group selection, showing the number of students in a group rather than in the entire activity.
• File Renaming: The editor now supports renaming files when only character case changes.
• C++ 20 ISO Support: Added an option to use the C++ 20 ISO standard.
• Page Size Preference: The selected page size is now remembered for the duration of the user’s session.

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Fixes

• Evaluator of Evaluations: The evaluator used in evaluation actions within execution files now works with any evaluator type.
• Files for Cases: Ensures the use of the evaluator files needed for setting cases.
• Clipboard in noVNC: Clipboard receiving now functions properly in the noVNC client.
• Student Name Display: Fixed an issue that prevented proper display of student names in the menu options.

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Compatibility

This version of VPL is compatible with the following:

• Moodle: Versions 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 5.0, and 5.1
• PHP: Versions 7.4 through 8.3

Note: VPL release numbers are independent of Moodle release numbers, unlike other modules.

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Upgrading from a Previous Version

It is strongly recommended to update to the latest version to benefit from recent security updates, bug fixes, and feature improvements. Additionally, updating VPL Jail Servers to the latest version is advised for full compatibility.

Upgrade Steps for VPL 4.4.0

1. Ensure your Moodle instance is updated to a supported version.
2. Proceed with the VPL plugin upgrade. Upgrades from VPL version 2.4 or later are supported.