Blocks: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 21:01, 19 January 2011

Note: Major improvements have been made to blocks in Moodle 2.0 onwards. See Blocks 2.0 for details.

Default block positions for a new course page

A Moodle block contains a feature that loads in the right-hand or left-hand side of a course's home page. There are several types of standard Moodle blocks, and others are available as Contributed code. If needed, each block type can be used multiple times on a page.

Blocks can also appear or be used in other places, such as on the Front Page, in some activities, and in a student's My Moodle page. Administrators can add Sticky blocks in a site which will appear in every course.

Block types

There are many different types of blocks in a course that can be used by a teacher. The teacher can add blocks from a pull down menu. Other blocks provide information or settings that a teacher may use. Some activities allow blocks to be inserted by the teacher.

Pull down

Each course has an add block pull down menu.

Blogs - Tags and Menu (from 1.6 onwards)

Calendar - display calendar

Global Search block

HTML - Use HTML editor in content area

Loan Calculator (from 1.6 onwards but removed from Moodle 2.0)

Mentees block (from 1.8 onwards)

Messages

Online Users - only online Participants

People - link to Participants

Quiz Results

Random Glossary Entry

Remote RSS Feeds

Section Links

Other blocks

Sticky blocks A block that is forced to appear on every page as part of a site setting
Activities A block used by teachers to add activities
Course administration block contains course settings.
Courses Lists student's courses
Course/Site Description Teacher's description of course
Latest News
Recent Activity
Search Forums
Upcoming Events

There are also many contributed blocks available for download from the modules and plugins database including:

Course page block arrangement

The People block with editing turned on

New blocks can be added using the Add blocks dropdown menu. Existing blocks (except Sticky blocks) can be hidden, deleted or moved up, down, or across to the other column using the icons in the block header.

User with editing roles, need to turn on editing on the page to add or move blocks.

Adding blocks to activities

Certain activity modules, such as the Lesson module and the Quiz module, support blocks on their pages. The site administrator must turn this function on so that the teachers will be able to add side blocks on those pages, otherwise the interface does not show this feature to the teacher.

By default, this feature is disabled in the Site administration block. An administrator can enable it by checking the showblocksonmodpages box in Administration > Appearance > Themes > Theme settings. When enabled, users who can manage course activities will be able to add blocks to pages.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+<p class="note">'''Note:''' Major improvements have been made to blocks in Moodle 2.0 onwards. See [[Blocks 2.0]] for details.</p>
 [[Image:Course edit on new 4.JPG|thumb|right|Default block positions for a new course page]]
-A teacher can utilize many kinds of blocks in a course page. Typically a course home page contains blocks in the left and right columns.
+A '''Moodle block''' contains a feature that loads in the right-hand or left-hand side of a [[Course homepage|course's home page]]. There are several types of standard Moodle blocks, and others are available as [[Contributed code]]. If needed, each block type can be used multiple times on a page.
+Blocks can also appear or be used in other places, such as on the [[Front Page]], in some activities, and in a student's [[My Moodle]] page. Administrators can add [[Sticky blocks]] in a site which will appear in every course.
 ==Block types==
+There are many different types of blocks in a course that can be used by a teacher. The teacher can add blocks from a pull down menu.  Other blocks provide information or settings that a teacher may use.  Some activities allow blocks to be inserted by the teacher.
-Here is a list of different types of blocks and links with more information:
+===Pull down===
+Each course has an add block pull down menu.
+{| border="0"
+| |
+{| border="2";"
+|[[Blogs|Blogs - Tags and Menu]] (from 1.6 onwards)
+|-
+|[[Calendar block|Calendar]] - display calendar
+|-
+|[[Global Search block]]
+|-
+|[[HTML block|HTML]] - Use HTML editor in content area
+|-
+|[[Loan calculator block|Loan Calculator]] (from 1.6 onwards but removed from Moodle 2.0)
+|-
+|[[Mentees block]] (from 1.8 onwards)
+|-
+|[[Messages block|Messages]]
+|-
+|[[Online Users block|Online Users]] - only online Participants
+|-
+|[[People block|People]] - link to [[Participants]]
+|-
+|[[Quiz Results]]
+|-
+|[[Random Glossary Entry]]
+|-
+|[[Remote RSS Feeds]]
+|-
+|[[Section Links]]
+|}
+| style="width:100px" |
+|[[Image:Block add dropdown list teacher 1 8.JPG]]
+|}
-*[[Activities block|Activities]]
+===Other blocks===
-*[[Administration block|Administration]]
+*[[Sticky blocks]] A block that is forced to appear on every page as part of a site setting
-*[[Blogs|Blogs - Tags and Menu]] (from 1.6 onwards)
+*[[Activities block|Activities]] A block used by teachers to add activities
-*[[Calendar block|Calendar]]
+*[[Course administration block]] contains course settings.
-*[[Courses block|Courses]]
+*[[Courses block|Courses]] Lists student's courses
-*[[Course/Site Description block|Course/Site Description]]
+*[[Course/Site Description block|Course/Site Description]] Teacher's description of course
-*[[HTML block|HTML]]
 *[[Latest News block|Latest News]]
-*Loan Calculator (from 1.6 onwards)
-*[[Mentees block]] (from 1.8 onwards)
-*[[Messages block|Messages]]
-*[[Online Users block|Online Users]]
-*[[People block|People]]
-*[[Quiz Results block|Quiz Results]]
-*[[Random Glossary Entry block|Random Glossary Entry]]
 *[[Recent Activity block|Recent Activity]]
-*[[RSS feeds block|RSS feeds]]
 *[[Search Forums block|Search Forums]]
-*[[Section Links block|Section Links]]
 *[[Upcoming Events block|Upcoming Events]]
+There are also many contributed blocks available for download from the [http://moodle.org/mod/data/view.php?id=6009 modules and plugins database] including:
+*[[Youtube block|Youtube]]
+*[[Flickr block|Flickr]]
+*[[Side bar block]]
+*[[Progress Bar block]]
+*[[Unanswered Discussions block]]
+*[[Simple Clock block]]
 ==Course page block arrangement==
 [[Image:Block_People.JPG |frame|The People block with editing turned on]]
-Teachers, and other users with the capability to manage course activities, can change the arrangement of blocks on the course page (apart from [[Sticky blocks]]) when editing is turned on.
+New blocks can be added using the Add blocks dropdown menu. Existing blocks (except  [[Sticky blocks]]) can be hidden, deleted or moved up, down, or across to the other column using the icons in the block header.
-New blocks can be added using the Add blocks dropdown menu. Existing blocks (apart from [[Sticky blocks]]) can be hidden, deleted or moved using the icons in the block header.
+User with editing roles, need to turn on editing on the page to add or move blocks.
 ==Adding blocks to activities==
@@ Line 41: / Line 77: @@
 ==See also==
+*[[Blocks FAQ]]
-* [[Blocks administration]]
+*[[Block permissions]]
+*[[Blocks administration]] - site block settings that an administrator can use
+*[[Site administration block]]
+*[[Development:Blocks]] - a developer guide to creating blocks
+*[[:Category:Block]] - an index of all block-related pages
+*[[:Category:Contributed code]] including a number of contributed blocks
+*Using Moodle [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/view.php?id=2121 Blocks forum]
 [[Category:Block]]
+[[de:Blöcke]]
+[[eu:Irakaslearen_blokeak]]
 [[fr:Blocs (enseignant)]]
+[[ja:ブロック]]

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