Dashboard

Blocks ::: block_dashboard
Maintained by Valery Fremaux
Graphic, one query dashboard element using MIT library JQplot and other libraries

Dashboard 2.2.0 (build 2012062100)

Moodle 2.2, 2.3
Released: Sunday, 4 November 2012, 9:24 PM
Dashboard element block
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Changes : fix database table names as being too long for XMLDB
fix french strings
moved help texts from help strigns to Moodle documentation

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the dashboard element bloc is of use with flexible Moodle
page formats allowing free setup of the page layout using blocks.

It implements a "dashboard element" capable to plot and render in
many graphic output formats any result of a complex query presented
to the Moodle database (or an eventual external PostGre schema).

Given a full query, the dashboard block mashes up :

- Data table output
+ Linear (records) data table
+ Tabular (cross dimension) tables
+ Treeview (on hierarchical mapped results)

- Graphic plotting using JQPlot
+ Line graphs
+ Bar graphs
+ Pie graphs
+ Donuts graphs

- Geographic plotting (using GoogleMaps API)
+ Google Maps + query data plotting
+ Possibility to change icons and plor mutiple class data using course files
+ Geocoding requests to Google handled (up to 2500 per day) with static long term caching
=> Will evolve

- Time special plotting : Integrating SIMILE Timeline plugin
+ Plot on a timeline plugin of "instant" and "time duration" events
+ possibility of setting up color classes for events
+ possibility to customize "instant" pin icons from course files
=> Will evolve

- Data output additional features
+ Data output formatting (using sprintf formatting)
+ Filters (selecting output or query fields for filtering)
+ Summators : displaying computed sums of output fields
+ Cumulative mode : Produces cumulative sum of a field without extra query
+ Data colouring and marking (on tables) using comparison formulas (ex: %% == 0 )
+ Mappable Labels for ALL query field names

- Performance features
+ Result caching (programmable retension delay)
+ Croned refresh of cache
+ Instance adjustable refresh mode or global cron settings

# Install
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1. Deploy the block in Moodle/blocks as usual

2. Activate notifications to isntall the data model

3. Create a course, better a flexipage or paged format course if available

4. Add a Dashboard block and write a query

5. Define output fields, output modes, output labels... and discover features....

# Library locations
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Libraries will work from inside the block dashboard.

A further version might propose to move them into a "shared libs framework" local plugin for code packaging optimisation.

# Install additive for running timelines
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Timeline needs to be post page loading activaed. We got some issue to stack onload events
on body element. The solution is till now to add a late call to initialisation in footer :

Add this statement :

if (function_exists('timeline_initialize')) timeline_initialize();

As latest possible statement in footer.

Enjoy nice plotting...

Version information

Version build number
2012062100
Version release name
2.2.0 (build 2012062100)
Can be updated to
2.3.0 (build 2013042501) (2013042501)
Maturity
Beta
MD5 Sum
9119052b42f5ac0c1578ac7a8d7f760a
Supported software
PHP 5.3, Moodle 2.2, Moodle 2.3

Version control information

Version control system (VCS)
GIT
VCS repository URL
VCS branch
master

Default installation instructions for plugins of the type Blocks

  1. Make sure you have all the required versions.
  2. Download and unpack the block folder.
  3. Place the folder (eg "myblock") in the "blocks" subdirectory.
  4. Visit http://yoursite.com/admin to complete the installation
  5. Turn editing on in any home or course page.
  6. Add the block to the page
  7. Visit the config link in the block for more options.