Note: You are currently viewing documentation for Moodle 2.0. Up-to-date documentation for the latest stable version is available here: Helen Foster.

User talk:Helen Foster

From MoodleDocs
Revision as of 17:21, 19 November 2007 by Matt Lingard (talk | contribs) (→‎Organising New pages)

Article Restored

Hi Helen,

I wanted you to know that the WiZiQ article has been restored and now conforms to [Guidelines for contributors] and the [Style guide]. I have also put up comments on the talk page https://docs.moodle.org/en/Talk:wiziq. Please let me know if there are any further changes required and I shall do the needful.

Thanks

Helen, Just a thanks for your wonderful edits which make things look good and are reminders to me to hit that show preview button..again... and again....and then review the whole page. But I have so little to do, so much time :) Bless you.--Chris collman 2 21:13, 28 June 2006 (WST)

Hi Chris, your kind words are much appreciated :-) Thanks for your contributions to the documentation. --Helen Foster 06:50, 29 June 2006 (WST)

Documentation for different versions

Helen

Is there a mechanism for specifying which version of Moodle a particular document refers to? If, for instance, a feature is only available in version 1.6, how would a 1.5.3 user know they couldn't follow these instructions?

Equally, if something is done differently in two versions, how would we stop an edit war breaking out between 1.5.3 and 1.6 users?

I appreciate this probably isn't an issue just yet, but it's possible it may become one in later versions.

Cheers,

Chris Fryer 19:20, 1 February 2006 (WST)

Hi ChrisF, thanks for highlighting the issue of differences in Moodle versions. Perhaps a Moodle 1.6 template, inserted using the code {{Moodle 1.6}}, may be used to show features specific to Moodle 1.6. What do you think? --Helen Foster 04:22, 4 February 2006 (WST)
Good idea. I think that would clear it up nicely. Chris Fryer 18:08, 7 February 2006 (WST)

Template styles

Hi Helen! I noticed that you reverted my edits on Template:Book and Template:Assignments. You were right -- I didn't realise that the style doesn't match moodle.org style. However, the current template doesn't look right either. It should float to the right instead of occupying a substantial part of the upper screen (for eg. on Calculated question developer docs page) -- this wil provide easier navigation. Also, the tempalate should be colorful and/or bordered -- this looks more attractive and the reader can understand that it is not a part of the article. May be we can have orange or similar colored templates (such as Template:Large Installations and Template:excerpted from Jason Cole) that match with moodle.org style? Is there any official style documentation? Is there a moodle.org style guide which describes styles for templates -- I couldn't find one? Utkarshraj Atmaram 17:40, 30 March 2006 (WST)

Hi Utkarshraj, thanks for your contributions to Moodle Docs. As you've found, MoodleDocs:Style guide and MoodleDocs:Styling contain all the Moodle Docs styling documentation to-date. Please add your comments about template styling to MoodleDocs talk:Styling. --Helen Foster 17:26, 31 March 2006 (WST)
Thank you! I've started the discussion at MoodleDocs talk:Styling. Utkarshraj Atmaram 19:14, 31 March 2006 (WST)
LoL, I just realized that the problem is not with the templates, but with themes. Templates just look find with the MoodleDocs theme, but when I am logged in, I use MonoBook theme -- it doesn't display them as right-aligned (at Wikipedia, we explicity make the templates right-aligned). Sorry for wasting your time! Utkarshraj Atmaram 14:44, 18 April 2006 (WST)

Removing erroneous pages

How can unsuitable pages be removed? I just found RHLANGUAGE which is not documentation-quality... Maybe you could do it (please) Helen? Not sure.

Best, Dan --Dan Stowell 04:24, 4 May 2006 (WST)

Thanks Dan, for future reference please add the deletion template, {{Deletion}}, to any unsuitable page you find. --Helen Foster 04:45, 5 May 2006 (WST)

Moodle Doc Is Great

You have done a great job and inspired me to use Media Wiki!

Thanks Martin, though it's everyone's contributions that make Moodle Docs a great resource! --Helen Foster 06:36, 24 May 2006 (WST)

tr wiki

Hi Helen,

Can you arrange for a wiki https://docs.moodle.org/tr (Türkçe) to be set up.

Thanks Ethem, I'll do so as soon as possible. --Helen Foster 17:12, 15 June 2006 (WST)

Word Censorship Page

Hi Helen,

Note sure why you deleted some of this page. The idea is (partly) to provide instructions on how to use the settings page of the filter. You also removed the 'see also' back to the main filters administration page. I'm not sure what's wrong with that either. Your advice appreciated :-)

--Howard Miller 22:54, 20 June 2006 (WST)

Oh, sorry Howard for not explaining my changes to Word censorship. I deleted text duplicated on the Word censorship settings page in Moodle and removed the See also link since Filters (administrator) is listed in Category:Filter. However, please feel free to revert any/all of my changes. Your contributions to the documentation are always appreciated :-) --Helen Foster 17:03, 21 June 2006 (WST)
That's cool Helen. So is that the rule - don't put stuff in the docs that is already in the built-in help?? --Howard Miller 18:15, 21 June 2006 (WST)
The Moodle help files will remain in each language pack and so it is not necessary to include their text in this documentation, however sometimes it makes things clearer to do so, at least to start with. --Helen Foster 15:46, 22 June 2006 (WST)

Contrib code documentation

Hi Helen,

Where would you suggest I document contrib code. I have some documentation for the Moodle for Mobiles project which installs in {yourmoodleroot}/mobile The code is in cvs in contrib/mobile. It is general documentation about what MFM does.

I guess the place to put it would be https://docs.moodle.org/en/mobile

Jamie

Hi Jamie, actually the project already has a page, Moodle for Mobiles ;-) though mobile could redirect to it. You're also welcome to use any documentation pages linked to Moodle for Mobiles pages in Moodle 1.6. --Helen Foster 15:56, 22 June 2006 (WST)
Thanks Helen!! Adding the documentation now. Will redirect from mobile as well. Jamie Pratt 16:08, 22 June 2006 (WST)
Cool Helen you did the redirect for me. Thanks for your very speedy response to my enquiry and all your help! -- Jamie Pratt 16:22, 22 June 2006 (WST)

Chinese Moodle Documentation

Hi Helen,

I'd like to launch the Chinese Moodle Documentation translation. As I know, MediaWiki has the function that convert charset between Simplified Chinese(GB2312, GB18030) and Traditional Chinese(BIG5). So maybe it's no need to create two.

Now I'm a translator of moodle and maintain a special moodle Chinese version.

--Sun Sunner 21:31, 22 July 2006 (WST)

Hi Sun, thanks for your offer. I'll be in touch soon. --Helen Foster 19:42, 23 July 2006 (WST)

Spam or what ever you call it in MoodleDocs

Yikes, I just looked at Tips and Tricks and your reversal a while back. I am too lazy/dumb to look, how often do you have to do that? That is not nice. And since I can never give you enough praise, THANKS ! --Chris collman 2 02:08, 31 July 2006 (WST) today and yesterday

Brazilian Portughese Documentation

Hi Helen, we have met at MoodleMoot - i am coordinating the PT_BR translation and would like to launch the Wiki version in Português Brasileiro, starting with the documentation files. No problem with Wikis, i am already the admin of another wikimedia site. Our Moodle.org site has more than 400 people collaborating and i hope to get everybody involved in this new project! --Paula de Waal 02:02, 1 August 2006 (WST)

Went through teacher documentation links

Hi Helen, before I ran off on vacation (holiday to you :) for a week ) you will notice I did some editing and adjusting. My focus was on what I consider the first impression a new teacher gets when they enter MoodleDocs. Thus I went through most of the links in the text in the teacher documentation page. I also put in some cross links via "see also" and added some images (yeah not real happy see below).

I would really like us (notice that pronoun) to think about how to made the teacher documentation page look like the administrator documention or developer documentation pages. I would copy the entire contents of the current teacher doc page to a new "course documentation" page. The major task is figuring out the sections for the new teacher doc page, so they function like the admin doc page. That kind of big thinking is just a bit beyond me before vacation perhaps you know of someone who would love that task?

Changing the teacher doc page also means doublechecking other pages that were linked to it and figuring out it they should point to the new course doc page. I could do that.

Images, I am still feel akward. I tried a floating table. I tried using thumb, resizing the images with a px and alignment. I still can't figure out an easy way to force a section break so it will not appear to one side of the image, but rather below it. I used a lot of br . The thumb resize method works but the quality of the image is not so hot. Better to have the file the correct size to begin with, but then we might have to have multiple files of the same image in different sizes.

Keep up the great work. --Chris collman 2 22:43, 11 August 2006 (WST)

Thanks for sorting out the question type documentation

That really needed doing. --Tim Hunt 11:28, 11 September 2006 (CDT)

Wowie Zowie Helen - oh yeah, that is what we are talking about! And ditto the thanks to Tim, it will take me a while to switch my head to having lesson questions and quiz questions able to come from the same place (bank). I will be checking and changing links, away from Question types to specific pages on the Question Bank list. --Chris collman 05:33, 12 September 2006 (CDT)

Thanks Tim, and a big THANK YOU for your work on the Quiz module. --Helen Foster 03:04, 12 September 2006 (CDT)

Joseph and Chris, thanks for your additional comments, which I've moved to Talk:Question types --Helen Foster 02:23, 9 October 2006 (CDT)

mod/helps and redirects in MoodleDocs

Hi Helen, I need some big picture confirmation, the view wiki page comment raised a little red flag ontop of my Marblehead as dawn seemed to break here in the Great Granite State once again.

I try to not get into help pages because I understood those were "Please don't edit" pages (and responsibility of developer), which makes a lot of sense, especially with new features. Also Help files have a different format (for example no images or examples of use) because of their in context purpose. What are my guidelines when something is redirected from what I assume is an online help page link like "mod/wiki/helpsome topic" ?

I am happy to edit and reorganize and add screen shots etc because I am pretty confident now in my edits and reformats (thank you very much and others who follow me around teaching me where to pay attention). When I see a redirect from help, I would like to assume somebody is going to write the help page after the MoodleDoc page has been created. The redirect is the as a sort of "in the meantime". Same question: is this a good assumption to guide my editing?

I confess, reading some Moodle help pages causes me to wince, and (just like that pesky
version of the lesson demo with the innapropriate cluster) they keep returning like an old
tooth ache.  One of my todo's is to figure out the priorities of rewriting help pages on our
production Moodles .  So in the meantime, I pretend all tooth aches are in another world :)  

I am having entirely too much fun this morning, sorry for the lengthy post--Chris collman 06:28, 7 November 2006 (CST)

Quizzes and Questions

Hi Helen, this could me being confused, but if I am confused...... Example scenario, you go to the Quiz page and you wanted to know about quiz import/export (or worse still you didn't know it existed) that option doesn't exist on the menu. I know why - it's because that isn't part of the Quizzes 'group' (is that the right word? those double squiggly bracket things at the top of the page). It's part of the Questions group. I'm struggling big time to see how the two knit together - I'm not sure that they do! --Howard Miller 10:42, 1 December 2006 (CST)

Hi Howard, the reason why quiz and question pages have different templates is because questions may be used in lessons as well as quizzes. I've started adding a few question links to the page Editing a quiz. Please feel free to add more links wherever appropriate, thanks :-) --Helen Foster 12:45, 3 December 2006 (CST)

Those squiggly bracket thingies

Actually I can't find any documentation *anywhere* for those double-squiggly-bracket things at the top of many pages. Can we get something in the edit instructions please :-) --Howard Miller 11:09, 1 December 2006 (CST) Oh they're templates - I'll shut up now !!!! --Howard Miller 11:12, 1 December 2006 (CST)

Hi Howard, glad you found the templates info in MoodleDocs:Style guide. Please feel free to add something on templates to Help:Editing too ;-) --Helen Foster 12:35, 3 December 2006 (CST)

Page rename please

Helen, please can we rename Numerical_question_units_and_intervals to have a Development: prefix please. Thanks.

Done, thanks Tim. Any more pages to be renamed? --Helen Foster 01:02, 2 December 2006 (CST)

Yes please, another one: can we rename Development:OM Protocol to Development:Open protocol for accessing question engines, and change Development:Opaque to point to the new name too. Thanks 08:30, 4 December 2006 (CST)

Wow! That was fast!Tim Hunt 09:22, 4 December 2006 (CST)

Another one please: Cleanups_required_in_the_quiz_and_question_bank -> Development:Required quiz cleanups or similar.

MoodleDocs in Arabic

Hi Helen,

I'm Intrested in starting MoodleDocs in Arabic ... would you please provide a directory for Arabic (ar) language

Many Thanks

Hi, thanks for your offer. Assuming you've read starting Moodle Docs in another language, please email docs@moodle.org, stating how many people are interested in contributing and who is willing to be an administrator. --Helen Foster 10:15, 12 December 2006 (CST)


template of templates

Hi wonderful Helen, https://docs.moodle.org/en/User:chris_collman/sandbox1#Given_the_above

  • I tried creating the above template, which I thought might be useful in Teacher Documentation.
  • I am also playing around in my sandbox1 with formating a page of templates that will automatically adjust. This might be beyond my skill at the moment but why not? I am looking at the difference between the administrator page and the teacher page off the documentation link. Think the "Given the above" might be useful for those one step beyond not 'noing

anything. I was thinking of sub title (which would have an index) for each module, that would show the template.

  • where or how can I find a list of templates in MoodleDocs.

Best Chris--Chris collman 20:42, 23 December 2006 (CST)

Hi Chris, here's a list: All pages (Template namespace). Thanks, as always, for your contributions :-) --Helen Foster 16:44, 25 December 2006 (CST)
I am surprised that there are not more. I will try to create one but only put it "off the beaten track" and will ask your opinion. Thanks, and I appreciate all YOUR work. Happy Holidays. --Chris collman 16:55, 26 December 2006 (CST)

How about this

I first thought this would be a list of other templates. Now it it more than that. Not sure, seems to long.

I would put this on the Teacher documentation page for starters. If you think this is too long then there are 3 options. 1) don't use it, 2)Keep it as is and see what reaction is, 3) Only have Resources, Activities and Teacher Admin template links (for lack of a better name, to contain course, reports, enrollment, maybe blocks), showing up here. There is already a resources template. I could create a Resources and Teacher Admin templates.

Hope you are having a nice holiday --Chris collman 13:57, 28 December 2006 (CST)

Hi Chris, sorry I didn't see your Teacher documentation template before now. It looks great :-) Please go ahead and put it on the Teacher documentation page. --Helen Foster 04:07, 16 January 2007 (CST)

Please revert

The changes by Cherane Pefley on 5th Jan 2007 need to be reverted.--Tim Hunt 09:37, 6 January 2007 (CST)

Done, thanks Tim. --Helen Foster 05:33, 9 January 2007 (CST)

SUSE Linux Server 10 shell script

https://docs.moodle.org/en/SUSE_Linux_Server_10 by Alex Inman contains a link to whitfieldschool.org which downloads a shell script. The script looks like it requires root priviledges to run. From a security point, this is worrying - is there anything that can be done to quarantine the page until someone can verify (or preferably ask Alex if the install can do without the script altogether)? --Ken Wilson 17:24, 7 January 2007 (CST)

Hi Ken, thanks for your comments which have been moved to Talk:SUSE Linux Server 10. Hopefully Alex will respond soon. --Helen Foster 05:30, 9 January 2007 (CST)

Norwegian version

Hi! Could you make a /no/Hovedside site where we could start editing Norwegian documentation. I've sent you a message in the Moodlesystem as well.

KR John Harald

Hi John Harald, thanks for your offer. I'll be in touch soon. --Helen Foster 04:15, 16 January 2007 (CST)

"Development:" Prefix

I have noticed that names many of the articles in the Developer Category are prefixed with the word Development while others are not. Ain't this inconsistent?

Vikram solia 20:53, 6 February 2007 (CST)

Hi Vikram, thanks for your comments. There are no doubt more pages in Category:Developer which require the Development prefix - the documentation wiki is a work in progress ;-) However, I don't think that all pages should be prefixed, as some pages are of interest to non-developers too, for example Themes. --Helen Foster 03:54, 7 February 2007 (CST)
In fact, wouldn't it be better if Development was a suffix and not a prefix as that would allow articles to be listed under their appropriate alphabet instead of getting aggregated under 'D' due to the 'Development' prefix. -- Vikram solia 11:45, 7 February 2007 (CST)
The reason it's a prefix is that it makes it the Development namespace, which may be searched separately from the main namespace. Regarding the listing of pages in Category:Developer, this is reported as bug [https://tracker.moodle.org/browse/MDLSITE-96 MDLSITE-96] and awaits fixing ;-) --Helen Foster 10:39, 8 February 2007 (CST)

Lesson demo update

Hi Helen, just realized when I sent you a message in your Moodle site, I did not reference that I was talking about what I had done there. Figure you will look here before there. I am slowly making progress. - Best Chris--Chris collman 17:26, 3 April 2007 (CDT)

Please can you delete Cleanups_required_in_the_quiz_and_question_bank

It is obsolete. Lots of it has been done, and the other items now exist as tracker bugs, which is the right place for them. Thanks.Tim Hunt 05:22, 23 June 2007 (CDT)

Done, thanks Tim. --Helen Foster 06:43, 23 June 2007 (CDT)

Please fix my typo in a page title

I screwed up. Emails notification and confirmation when quizzes are submitted should start Email, singular. There are only links there from the roadmap page, and the quiz template. Sorry for being so careless.

No problem, it's now Quiz submission email notification. --Helen Foster 12:12, 26 June 2007 (CDT)

Vandalism

Bunch of vandalism earlier this evening, that you will need to revert.

10 seconds later: Wow, you seem to be on the case already, judging by recent changes.

Vandalism needs undoing -- thanks

https://docs.moodle.org/en/index.php?title=Multiple_Choice_question_type&diff=25501&oldid=22459

Thanks Tim, it's done. --Helen Foster 03:35, 1 August 2007 (CDT)

Page style question

Hi Helen. I seem to be back to MoodleDocs after a summer away.

  1. I noticed in Lesson forum we had the usual confusion between questions in Lesson or questions in Quiz. I believe we should leave question pages to be primarily about the Quiz module. I did decide that "Tips and tricks" was a good standard place to point out there was a difference. I made an exception in Multple choice because multianswer is so radically different and created a sub heading.
  2. When I got to True/False question, there were bullets in the intro. I changed it to text to match what I thought was our usual style. The next page was Random Short-Answer Matching question type, something new to me. It had the same thing and noticed you had created the page.

:) Is it ok if I a) reformat the opening before any sub heading to text (drop the bullets) and, b) change "respondent" to "student". I would like to do these two things when I see it on a page? Maybe I am being too 'old fashion' or 'provincial', so I thought I would check. Best as always --Chris collman 12:30, 31 August 2007 (CDT)

Import Data to Grade Book

I am new to Moodle and I do not know where to ask this. Please excuse if I am at the wrong place . I know that I can post off-line assignment and grade it; Can I use this to import the marks that I have already awarded. I have these marks in an excel file. I know I can grade the off-line assignment one student at a time. Ccan I copy + paste all the data in one step? What can the grade book plus do in this context? Sanjay P. K. 06:05, 10 September 2007 (CDT)

Moodle database module - javascript

I have been trying in vain to find some documentation on using javascript templates in the database module. Could you possibly point me in the direction of how to use this feature? --Lindsay Magnus 04:27, 24 October 2007 (CDT)

Hi Lindsay, as far as I know there is not yet any documentation on using JavaScript templates in the database module. Perhaps you could take a look at the JavaScript template in the image gallery preset and/or ask about it in the Using Moodle Database module forum. Please add anything you discover to Database templates to hopefully encourage others to contribute documentation too. --Helen Foster 03:01, 25 October 2007 (CDT)
Thanx Helen, I have put what I have figured so far, I hope it is the type of thing that is useful on moodle Docs --Lindsay Magnus 06:00, 25 October 2007 (CDT)
Great! It's very useful. Thanks Lindsay :-) --Helen Foster 06:20, 25 October 2007 (CDT)

Organising New pages

Hi helen, I've started work on some Wimba pages. The MoodleDocs links take me through to mod/voicetools/mod, mod/voicetools/index & mod/voicetool/view. You will see that I have already statred working on /mod.

  1. How do I add rename pages so they are more friendly /Wimba/Adding_a_voice_tool for example?
  2. Can i create a /Wimba index page?
  3. Can i create a Wimba category?

Many thanks Matt

Hi Matt,
It's probably easiest for me to rename pages for you if you let me know the more friendly names (see Moodle Docs page renaming for an alternative method).
Regarding creating additional pages, please respect the fact that Moodle Docs is for Moodle documentation. In general, the Moodle Docs link pages should be sufficient. --Helen Foster 16:25, 14 November 2007 (CST)
Thanks Helen. I've redirected a third page too, hope I got it right. I've created a wimba overview page in the non-standard modules category as well.
Hoping to do some work on the assignment pages this week :-) --Matt Lingard 11:21, 19 November 2007 (CST)