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Administration FAQ: Difference between revisions

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  Session Replace: Table './moodle/mdl_sessions2' is marked as crashed and should be repaired
  Session Replace: Table './moodle/mdl_sessions2' is marked as crashed and should be repaired


The problem can be repaired using the mysqlcheck command (the command you type is in bold and we assume the database name is 'moodle'):
The problem can be repaired using the mysqlcheck command (the command you type is in bold and we assume the database name is 'moodle' and its type is MySQL):


  #'''mysqlcheck –u moodleuser –p –-auto-repair moodle'''
  #'''mysqlcheck –u moodleuser –p –-auto-repair moodle'''

Revision as of 07:19, 6 November 2007

Template:FAQ

Changing text in Moodle

Text in Moodle may be changed by editing the language files via Administration >> Configuration >> Language.

How do I change the spelling of "enrol" to "enroll"?

Simply install the American English language pack (en_us) then choose it as the default language for the site.

How do I make my Moodle site homepage look like the moodle.org homepage?

Please see the theme how-to homepage design of moodle.org for full details.

How do the limits on uploaded files work?

File upload sizes are restricted in a number of ways - each one in the list restricts the following ones.

1. Firstly, there is a setting in Apache 2 which you may need to change. On Redhat this setting is very low by default, you can change the limit by adding or editing a line in Apache's /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf and/or /etc/httpd/conf.d/php.conf with the upload size in bytes (different operating systems may have these files in different locations):

LimitRequestBody 10485760

2. PHP also has two more byte limits, which you can set in php.ini and sometimes in a .htaccess file:

php_value upload_max_filesize 50000000
php_value post_max_size 50000000

To convert from Bytes to Megabytes use this convertor

Please note that a server re-start may be required for the above changes to take effect.

3. Moodle has a site-wide limit called maxbytes that may be set in Administration >> Configuration >> Variables.

4. A limit may be set by teachers in the Course settings.

5. Activity modules such as Forums and Assignments have their own limits which may be set when adding or editing the activity.

See also

How to change upload file size on a Windows localhost

In a localhost (using a Complete install packages on a computer) for 1.6 it is easy to change the uploaded file size to something larger than the default 16M.

Here is an example of how to change the upload file size to 100M.

  • Find ../Apache/bin/php.ini and open it with WordPad by right-clicking -> Open With -> then choose WordPad.
  • In this file scroll or do a search on the text "_max_" to find upload_max_filesize = 16M
  • Change that line to
upload_max_filesize = 100M
  • In the same way, find post_max_size = 16M
  • Change that line to
post_max_size = 100M
  • Save the file.

After any changes to the php.ini file you need to restart Apache. So restart xampp and browse to localhost. You should find that the Upload file size in Configuration now reads 100M.

See also

  • Instructions below on How to change the maximum execution time

How to change the maximum execution time

A side-effect of increasing the file upload limit is that the php scripts may execute beyond the limit set by default (300 seconds/5 minutes). To change this, look for max_execution_time in php.ini and change to something like this:

max_execution_time = 600

If you are using Apache and have a .htaccess file to change php settings, add this line to your .htaccess file:

php_value max_execution_time 600

Restart your webserver for these changes to take effect, and check that the values have been changed by looking at your phpinfo output in the moodle admin -> environment page.

I have forgotten the admin password

Firstly, try using the button "Send my details via email". Otherwise, you will need to access the database using MySQL admin. Passwords for all users, including admin, are stored encrypted in the table mdl_user. Copy the guest password (guest) into the admin password field then login using it.

Additional solutions are detailed in the discussions change admin's password and login/password.

My log table has disappeared - No logs found!

The most likely cause is that the mdl_log table has become corrupted. See the database repair section below.

My style sheet changes aren't showing up

Browsers usually cache style sheets and so a forced refresh (CTRL + F5) is required before any changes show up.

Site-wide scales

To add a site-wide scale, available in all courses, follow the Scales link in any course Administration block. Add a new scale, then use the move down arrow to move the scale from custom scales to standard scales.

Users are being unenrolled for no apparent reason

Unenrolment may be controlled by the following:

  • The longtimenosee variable in Administration >> Configuration >> Variables which specifies the time limit for which, if students haven't logged in, they are unenrolled from courses.
  • The Enrolment duration in the Course settings which unenrols students after the specified time has elapsed.

Why do I see [[missing strings]]?

Double square brackets around text indicate that language strings are missing. Please check for missing strings and update local language packs in Administration >> Configuration >> Language.

Language strings for non-standard modules and plugins are generally contained in a lang folder within the module or plugin folder. For sites which have migrated to UTF-8, it may be necessary to re-name the folder e.g. en should be re-named en_utf8.

How do I find the version of Moodle currently installed?

See this document on Moodle version information.

How do I repair a corrupted Moodle database?

Database corruption usually occurs as a result of a hardware (especially disk-based) failure, or when a disk becomes full. Typical symptoms are failure on login, with this message displayed:

Session Replace: Table './moodle/mdl_sessions2' is marked as crashed and should be repaired

The problem can be repaired using the mysqlcheck command (the command you type is in bold and we assume the database name is 'moodle' and its type is MySQL):

#mysqlcheck –u moodleuser –p –-auto-repair moodle
Enter password:
moodle.adodb_logsql                      OK
moodle.mdl_assignment                    OK
moodle.mdl_assignment_submissions        OK
...
moodle.mdl_log
error    : Table './moodle/mdl_log' is marked as crashed and should be repaired
...
moodle.mdl_sessions2
error    : Table './moodle/mdl_sessions2' is marked as crashed and should be repaired

Repairing tables
moodle_18_latest.mdl_log                           OK
moodle_18_latest.mdl_sessions2                     OK

Your mysql database server must be running when executing the mysqlcheck command. If there are problems with the tables, the auto-repair option will fix them as shown above. Note that the repair process can take a long time to complete. Re-run the command again to double-check that all is OK.

Individual Moodle tables may be repaired using MySQL Admin/PHPMyAdmin as follows:

  • In the databases section, select the Moodle database.
  • Click the SQL tab, then in the "Run SQL query/queries on database moodle" field type
REPAIR TABLE mdl_tablename
  • Click the Go button.

For example, to repair the Moodle log tables, type REPAIR TABLE mdl_log

See also:

Re. Site files, what does "files placed here can be accessed by anyone" mean?

Unlike course files, which require a user to have appropriate rights in order to access them, files within the site files folder are accessible by anyone provided with the URI. For example visitors to the site may view images stored in the site files folder without being logged in. Please refer to Site files for more information.

My site is stuck in maintenance mode

Sometimes Moodle gets stuck in maintenance mode and you'll see the message "This site is undergoing maintenance and is currently unavailable" despite your attempts to turn-off maintenance mode. When you put Moodle into maintenance mode it creates a file called maintenance.html in moodledata/1/maintenance.html (the site files folder). To fix this try the following:

  • Check that the web server user has write permissions to the moodledata folder.
  • Manually delete the maintenance.html file.

Incomplete page displayed when I click "Turn Editing On"

This is usually as a result of an incompatible non-standard module or block that you have installed. Follow these steps:

  1. Find any non-standard modules or blocks you have installed in the moodle/mod or moodle/blocks folders.
  2. Move these to another folder outside the moodle folder.
  3. Re-visit your course page and try clicking on the "Turn Editing On" button again.
  4. Repeat the process until you find the one that is causing the problems.

Once you have found an incompatible module/block, please report the problem to the author in the Modules and Plugins page.

"a request parameter (id) was missing" when uploading a file

This message sometimes is generated when attempting to upload a file larger than the upload limit.

Why can't I select "External Database" from the enrolment plugins drop-down menu in the course settings?

Only interactive enrolment methods may be chosen in the course settings. Please refer to the interactive enrolment section of Enrolment plugins.

I cannot delete the News Forum on a course

The News Forum is deleted by setting the number of items to display to zero. To do this, change the setting in Course Admin menu -> Settings -> News Items to Show.

How can I change the URL of the moodle service

You should configure your Apache server, at httpd.conf, using Listen, Port and DocumentRoot directives and Directory section. After restarting Apache, you also must open config.php in a text editor, and change the line:

   $CFG->wwwroot   = 'http://mydomain/testmoodle';

Your Moodle site will also contain absolute links to resources which point to the previous URL. To change this see the migrating a complete Moodle site instructions.

See also: Forum discussion

Why is the Moodle Registration button still displayed after I register my site?

The registration button is provided so that you can place your moodle site to the http://www.moodle.org/sites list. Before registering, the button is displayed at the top of the Site Administration -> Notifications page. Once you have successfully registered, this is moved to the bottom of the same page. The button remains there so that you can update the details of your registration.

If the registration process fails for some reason to complete fully, there are two methods of letting your local Moodle install know that you have registered:

  • The preferred method is to use your mysql client program to execute these commands (assuming your Moodle database is called "moodle"):
mysql> USE moodle;
mysql> INSERT INTO mdl_config (name,value) VALUES ('registered',unix_timestamp());
  • Alternatively, edit your moodle/config.php file and add this line:
$CFG->registered = '9999999999';
Note that this line in your config.php will stop the reminders about re-registering.

For an explanation of the idea behind the button see [https://tracker.moodle.org/browse/MDL-7359 MDL-7359] in the moodle tracker.

For an explanation of how sites are checked see the site verification page