moodle:course_construction - Solin Expertise Center

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====== Course Construction ======

A Moodle course consists of sections (topics) and modules (activities or resources).

Information about the course structure is stored in a cache (which is read into memory from ''mdl_course.modinfo''). This information can be accessed as an object of class ''course_modinfo'' by calling ''get_fast_modinfo($course_object)''.

If you need all sections in a course, call ''get_section_info_all'' on the course_info object, which will return an array of ''section_info'' objects. Example:

<code>
$course_modinfo = get_fast_modinfo($COURSE); 
$sections = $course_modinfo->get_section_info_all();
</code>

The useful properties of section_info are all private, so normally there wouldn't be any way to access them. However, section_info implements php's IteratorAggregate interface. So, it has a ''getIterator'' function which in this case allows you to loop over all properties, after all. It looks as though this was done to make it easier to convert the section_info object into a 'clean' array: only properties prefixed with a '_' are exposed through the iterator.

You can also access all private properties by using the same variable name without the prefix, because section_info maps these names using the 'magic' ''__get($name)'' function. So, ''$section->name'' actually retrieves ''$section->_name''...

===== Fetch Only Sections Which Contain Modules =====

Instead of calling ''course_modinfo#get_section_info_all'', you can also call ''course_modinfo#get_sections''. This method retrieves just the sections which actually contain content. The return value is different though:

<code>
exit(print_object($course_modinfo->get_sections())); // yields:

Array
(
    [0] => Array
        (
            [0] => 188
            [1] => 192
            [2] => 244
        )

    [1] => Array
        (
            [0] => 190
        )

    [2] => Array
        (
            [0] => 191
        )

    [3] => Array
        (
            [0] => 193
        )

)
</code>



Whereas calling ''course_modinf$course_modinfo->get_section_info_all()o#get_section_info_all'' returns:

<code>
exit(print_object($course_modinfo->get_section_info_all())); // yields:
Array
(
    [0] => section_info Object
        (
            [_id:section_info:private] => 246
            [_course:section_info:private] => 32
            [_section:section_info:private] => 0
            [_name:section_info:private] => 
            [_visible:section_info:private] => 1
            [_summary:section_info:private] => 
            [_summaryformat:section_info:private] => 1
            [_showavailability:section_info:private] => 0
            [_availablefrom:section_info:private] => 0
            [_availableuntil:section_info:private] => 0
            [_groupingid:section_info:private] => 0
            [_conditionscompletion:section_info:private] => Array
                (
                )

            [_conditionsgrade:section_info:private] => Array
                (
                )

            [_conditionsfield:section_info:private] => Array
                (
                )

            [_available:section_info:private] => 1
            [_availableinfo:section_info:private] => 
            [_uservisible:section_info:private] => 1
            [cachedformatoptions:section_info:private] => Array
                (
                )

            [_sequence] => 188,192,244
        )

    [1] => section_info Object
        (
            [_id:section_info:private] => 247
            [_course:section_info:private] => 32
            [_section:section_info:private] => 1
            [_name:section_info:private] => My Section Name for Topic 1
// And so on...
</code>

Please keep in mind that even though the properties are all private, you can still access them if you leave out the ''_'' prefix (see previous section).

As an example, if you've got a specific section object, say $current_section, for which you want to retrieve all course_module ids, then you can do something like this:

<code>
$sections = $course_modinfo->get_section_info_all(); // array of course_module ids for each section
$current_course_module_ids = $sections[$current_section->section];
</code>

So, even though ''_section'' is actually a private property, you can still access it by omitting the underscore.

==== Current Section Number ====
To get the current section number:
<code>
$section_number = ($n = optional_param('section', 0, PARAM_INT)) ? $n : $PAGE->cm->sectionnum;
</code>


===== Printing Section Names =====

First, retrieve all (relevant) sections, then call get_section_name($course_or_id, $section):

<code>
$modinfo = get_fast_modinfo($COURSE);
$sections = $modinfo->get_sections();
foreach($sections as $section) {
    echo "<h2>" . get_section_name($COURSE, $section) . "</h2>";
}
</code>

===== Retrieve All Activities =====

There is a very straightforward function call to make if you want to retrieve all activities in a course:

<code>
$activities = get_array_of_activities($COURSE->id);
</code>

The ''course/lib.php'' function ''print_section'' does not use this function however. Here, something like the following is done:

<code>
$sections = $course_modinfo->get_section_info_all();
foreach ($sections as $section) {
    if (empty($course_modinfo->sections[$section->section])) continue;
    // approximation of the code used in ''print_section'':    
    echo "<h2>" . get_section_name($COURSE, $section->section) . "</h2>";
    foreach ($course_modinfo->sections[$section->section] as $modnumber) {
        $mod = $course_modinfo->cms[$modnumber];
        if (!$mod->uservisible) continue;

        list($content, $instancename) = get_print_section_cm_text($course_modinfo->cms[$modnumber], $COURSE);
        echo "$instancename<br/>";
    }
}
</code>

(This is not the actual code, but a compact, working version of it. Looping over the sections  actually takes place elsewhere: for each section, ''print_section'' is called.)


===== Get A Specific Section =====
To get the first section:
<code>
        $first_section = $course_modinfo->get_section_info(0);
</code>

===== Get A Specific Activity =====
Here's how you retrieve the first forum of a course:
<code>
    static function get_first_forum($course) {
        $course_modinfo = get_fast_modinfo($course); 

        $all_forums = $course_modinfo->get_instances_of('forum');
        return array_shift($all_forums);
    } // function get_first_forum 

</code>


===== Print Course Module / Instance Specific Info in the Topics Overview  =====

In your mod's library, add a function:

<code>
function mymod_cm_info_view(cm_info $cm) {
    global $CFG;

    $cm->set_after_link(" <span><b>Hello!</b></span>");
}
</code>

This will print "Hello!" after each instance of your module. Please keep in mind that this string will **not** be cached!

The forum module uses this function to print the number of unread messages in a specific forum.

UPDATE: it looks as though this function is now called ''[mymod]_get_coursemodule_info''. Example:

<code>
function multilabel_get_coursemodule_info($coursemodule) {
    // Simplistic example
    $info = new cached_cm_info();
    $info->name  = 'Multilabel instance';
    $info->content = 'Multilabel content';
    return $info;
}
</code>


To output dynamic (i.e. uncached) data:
<code>
function multilabel_cm_info_dynamic(cm_info $cm) {
    $cm->set_content("Time: " . date('Y-m-d  H:i:s'));    
}
</code>



===== Add Course Settings =====

There is no clean way to add a field to the course settings form, e.g. through a local plugin. Instead, you have to hack the ''/course/edit_form.php'' file. Here's an example:

<code>
/* Added by Solin, 2015 */
$mform->addElement('date_selector', 'enddate', get_string('enddate', 'report_trainingreport'));
$mform->addHelpButton('enddate', 'enddate', 'report_trainingreport');
/* End of addition by Solin, 2015 */
</code>

To add the field to the mdl_course table, include this code in ''/your_plugin/db/install.php'':

<code>
/**
 * Add column to course database table
 * @return bool
 */
function xmldb_local_your_plugin_install() {
    global $DB;
    $dbman = $DB->get_manager();

    // do the install
    $table = new xmldb_table('course');

    $field = new xmldb_field('enddate', XMLDB_TYPE_INTEGER, '11', null, null, null, null);
    if (!$dbman->field_exists($table, $field)) {
        $dbman->add_field($table, $field);
    }

} // function xmldb_local_your_plugin_install 

</code>


===== Course Settings in Custom Course Format   =====

You can create your own course format by adding a new directory, e.g. ''course/format/planner''. Define a class for your format in ''course/format/planner/lib.php'' and use the ''course_format_options'' to add course settings. Here's an (incomplete) example.

<code>
class format_planner extends format_base {
    public function course_format_options($foreditform = false) {
        global $DB, $CFG;
        static $courseformatoptions = false;
        
        // stuff left out...
        
            $courseformatoptionsedit = array(
     
                'replan' => array(
                    'label' => new lang_string('replan', 'format_planner'),
                    'element_type' => 'select',
                    'element_attributes' => array(
                        array(
                            1 => new lang_string('yes_to_all', 'format_planner'),
                            2 => new lang_string('yes_by_manager', 'format_planner'),
                            3 => new lang_string('yes_by_role', 'format_planner'),
                            0 => new lang_string('no'),
                        )
                    ),
                    'help' => 'replan',
                    'help_component' => 'format_planner',
                ),
                'replan_role' => array(
                    'label' => new lang_string('replan_role', 'format_planner'),
                    'element_type' => 'select',
                    'element_attributes' => array(
                                                  replan_selector()
                    ),
                    'help' => 'replan_role',
                ),

                'slow' => array(
                    'label' => new lang_string('slow', 'format_planner'),
                    'element_type' => 'select',
                    'element_attributes' => array(
                        array(
                            0 => new lang_string('no'),
                            1 => new lang_string('yes'),
                        )
                    ),
                    'help' => 'slow',
                    'help_component' => 'format_planner',
                )

            );
    }             

}
</code>

Now, apparently due to a bug in Moodle (at least version 2.4 - 2.6), you cannot use the type ''checkbox'' in your $courseformatoptionsedit array. Moodle will display the checkbox in the course settings form, but it does not add a hidden input field in the background. In other words: once checked, the checkbox can never be unchecked.

To circumvent this problem, simply use a ''select'' type with 'yes' and 'no' (see the 'slow' example above).

===== Custom Section Settings =====

To add custom settings to the section form of your favorite course format, add this code to the file ''course/format/[course_format_name]/lib.php'':
<code>
    function section_format_options($foreditform = false) {
        return array(
            'drip_opening_day' => array(
                'default' => 0,
                'type' => PARAM_INT,
                'label' => new lang_string('opening_day', 'format_drip'),
                'help' => 'opening_day',
                'element_attributes' => array(" size='3' ")
            )
        );
    }
</code>

This example adds text box which stores its content in a configuration field called ''drip_opening_day''.

==== Reading Custom Section Settings ====

To use the custom section settings in your renderer, you need access to the format object:

<code>
$course = $DB->get_record('course', array('id' => $course_id));
$course_format_object = course_get_format($course);
</code>

Now, using the course format object, we have access to the array containing the section format options:

<code>
$section_format_options = $course_format_object->get_format_options($section);
$opening_day = $section_format_options['drip_opening_day'];
</code>



===== Output Column Headers in Topic Course Format or Planner Format   =====

To adapt the topics overview in the topic course format or derivatives such as the Planner format, look in files such as ''course/format/planner/lib_planner_section.php'' for section customizations.

Specifically, in the Planner format, each section gets a section header through the function ''section_header'', in ''/course/format/planner/renderer.php''.

===== Who Prints The Activities in The Topic Course Format?   =====
For a "single section page", this is the 'call stack' for printing the activities:
<code>
format_section_renderer_base#print_single_section_page()
-> core_course_renderer#course_section_cm_list()
-> core_course_renderer#course_section_cm_list_item()
-> core_course_renderer#course_section_cm()
</code>

The core_course_renderer is actually an instance, created as follows:
<code>
$this->courserenderer = $this->page->get_renderer('core', 'course');
</code>

==== In More Detail ====


/course/format/topics/renderer.php contains the class ''format_section_renderer_base'', which has a method ''print_single_section_page''. This method has access to an instance of core_course_renderer, through ''$this->courserenderer''.

$this->courserenderer is instantiated in lib/pagelib.php, by ''moodle_page#get_renderer''.

$this->course_section_cm_list() is called to output all activities in this section.

course/renderer.php contains ''course_section_cm_list'', which loops over all activities in the section. For each activity, it calls: ''$this->course_section_cm_list_item''. This function then calls ''$this->course_section_cm'', which finally prints the actual activity in the section overview.

==== Extending / Overwriting The core_course_renderer Class ====

In your custom course format, create a file containing a new class, e.g.:

<code>
// Filename: /course/format/tiles/class.tiles_course_renderer.php
require_once($CFG->dirroot.'/course/renderer.php');
class tiles_course_renderer extends core_course_renderer  {

    public function course_section_cm($course, &$completioninfo, cm_info $mod, $sectionreturn, $displayoptions = array()) {
    ...
</code>

=== Instantiate Your Own Course Renderer ===

Instead of using the factory method ''get_renderer'', we'll just instantiate this class ourselves:


<code>
// Filename: /course/format/tiles/renderer.php
class format_tiles_renderer extends format_section_renderer_base {
    public function [2underscores]construct(moodle_page $page, $target) {
        parent::[2underscores]construct($page, $target);  
      
        $this->courserenderer = new tiles_course_renderer($page, $target);
        ...
</code>

(Apologies for the [2underscores], but the wiki software wreaks havoc on the formatting otherwise)


That's it, you are now ready to overwrite any core_course_renderer method you wish, in your own "course renderer" class.


==== How Modules Are Displayed ====
  * The course format fetches all the cm class instances for the modules to be displayed in the page
  * During the export of context for the template, it calls the add_alternative_content_data: https://bitbucket.org/solindevs/icm/src/7a5f65b5d9b5e15337e0a5b54e7285dd682b0935/course/format/classes/output/local/content/cm.php#lines-117
  * This in turns calls the cm_info get_formatted_content function from the cm_info: https://bitbucket.org/solindevs/icm/src/7a5f65b5d9b5e15337e0a5b54e7285dd682b0935/course/format/classes/output/local/content/cm.php#lines-183:185

Here three distinct steps are performed:

  * Module information cache is either built or retrieved, but information for each module is generated by their own libs: https://bitbucket.org/solindevs/icm/src/7a5f65b5d9b5e15337e0a5b54e7285dd682b0935/lib/modinfolib.php#lines-1672:1678
  * The full content of the icmupcomingcalendar is rendered from its lib.php file, in the icmupcomingcalendar_get_coursemodule_info function: https://bitbucket.org/solindevs/icm/src/7a5f65b5d9b5e15337e0a5b54e7285dd682b0935/mod/icmupcomingcalendar/lib.php#lines-141:160
  * Next the LMS filters are loaded and cached: https://bitbucket.org/solindevs/icm/src/7a5f65b5d9b5e15337e0a5b54e7285dd682b0935/lib/modinfolib.php#lines-1683
  * Lastly, before returning the module’s content, it applies the format_text function to provide support for LMS installed and security filters.

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