4 To create a new course format, make another folder in here.
6 If you want a basic format, you only need to write the 'standard files' listed
9 If you want to store information in the database for your format, or control
10 access to features of your format, you need some of the optional files too.
12 If you want to override some standard course output component (located in
13 coure/classes/output/{course|section|cm}_format/*) you need to create an
14 extend class inside your course/format/yourformat/classes/output.
16 All names below assume that your format is called 'yourformat'.
22 * yourformat/format.php
24 Code that actually displays the course view page. See existing formats for
27 * yourformat/config.php
29 Configuration file, mainly controlling default blocks for the format.
30 See existing formats for examples.
32 * yourformat/lang/en/format_yourformat.php
34 Language file containing basic language strings for your format. Here
35 is a minimal language file:
38 $string['formatyourformat']='Your format'; // Name to display for format
39 $string['nameyourformat']='section'; // Name of a section within your format
42 The first string is used in the dropdown menu of course settings. The second
43 is used when editing an activity within a course of your format.
45 Note that existing formats store their language strings in the main
46 moodle.php, which you can also do, but this separate file is recommended
47 for contributed formats.
49 You can also store other strings in this file if you wish. They can be
50 accessed as follows, for example to get the section name:
52 get_string('nameyourformat','format_yourformat');
54 Of course you can have other folders as well as just English if you want
55 to provide multiple languages.
58 Optional files (database access)
59 --------------------------------
61 If these files exist, Moodle will use them to set up database tables when you
64 * yourformat/db/install.xml
66 Database table definitions. Use your format name at the start of the table
67 names to increase the chance that they are unique.
69 * yourformat/db/upgrade.php
71 Database upgrade instructions. Similar to other upgrade.php files, so look
72 at those for modules etc. if you want to see.
74 The function must look like:
76 function xmldb_format_yourformat_upgrade($oldversion) {
79 * yourformat/version.php
81 Required if you use database tables.
84 $plugin->version = 2006120100; // Plugin version (update when tables change)
85 $plugin->requires = 2006092801; // Required Moodle version
89 Optional files (backup)
90 -----------------------
92 If these files exist, backup and restore run automatically when backing up
93 the course. You can't back up the course format data independently.
95 * yourformat/backuplib.php
97 Similar to backup code for other plugins. Must have a function:
99 function yourformat_backup_format_data($bf,$preferences) {
102 * yourformat/restorelib.php
104 Similar to restore code for other plugins. Must have a function:
106 function yourformat_restore_format_data($restore,$data) {
109 ($data is the xmlized data underneath FORMATDATA in the backup XML file.
110 Do print_object($data); while testing to see how it looks.)
113 Optional file (capabilities)
114 ----------------------------
116 If this file exists, Moodle refreshes your format's capabilities
117 (checks that they are all included in the database) whenever you increase
118 the version in yourformat/version.php.
120 * yourformat/db/access.php
122 Contains capability entries similar to other access.php files.
124 The array definition must look like:
126 $format_yourformat_capabilities = array(
129 Format names must look like:
131 format/yourformat:specialpower
133 Capability definitions in your language file must look like:
135 $string['yourformat:specialpower']='Revolutionise the world';
139 Optional file (styles)
140 ----------------------
142 * yourformat/styles.php
144 If this file exists it will be included in the CSS Moodle generates.
147 Optional files (outputs)
148 ----------------------
150 By default, the format renderer will use those output classes:
152 * core_courseformat\output\local\content: for the general course structure
153 * core_courseformat\output\local\content\*: to render specific course structure parts
155 * core_courseformat\output\local\content\section: for the complete section output
156 * core_courseformat\output\local\content\section\*: to render specific section parts
158 * core_courseformat\output\local\content\cm: for output an activity inside a section
159 * core_courseformat\output\local\content\cm\*: for speficis parts of the cm output
161 Your format can override any of this output classes just by creating class
162 inside your format_yourformat\output\courseformat\* namespace. We recommend to extend the
163 original class to ensure all element will work as expected.
165 For example: if you want to change the section header, you should create
166 format_yourformat\output\section\header, which will extend the original
167 core_courseformat\output\courseformat\content\section\header class.
169 By default, only a few format renderer methods are needed to render a course:
170 - render_content to render a full course content
171 - course_section_updated used by the course editor to refresh a specific section
172 - course_section_updated_cm_item used by the course editor to refresh a specific cm item
174 Formats can override those two methods to use different templates to render a course.