Context

Please refer to these notes before editing this page.

A context is a "space" in Moodle. Together, they define the navigational structure of a Moodle site. A course can be a context, so can an activity, resource or block.

A course can have many contexts in its space. These might include lesson, assignment, forum and quiz modules and blocks. Or for example, Question bank's question categories are contexts.

Role contexts

A context is combined with Role permissions to define a user's capabilities on any page in Moodle. Typically contexts have their own organization structure which allow a user's role to be passed along to the context "below" but not to the one above it.

It is possible to assign a user different permissions based upon a specific context. For example, a user might be given the role of "student" for a course but be given a teacher's role in the context of one specific forum. Or a user can be a teacher of one course and a student in another course.

Many Moodle contexts have a place to grant exceptions to specific roles.

Graphic showing contexts within contexts

The image below shows a few contexts and their relationships.  The "System" or Moodle site is the overall context.  The user is defined iniially in this context.   

• The System context has 2 contexts under it, with other context under them
  • The Front page context has
    • An activity module context and
    • A block context within it
  • The Course Cateory context has
    • A Course context within it. The course context has
      • An activity module context and
      • A block context within it

(Source: Development:Roles#Context)

See also

Moodle Docs

• Beginning Administration FAQ
• Roles FAQ
• Development:Roles#Context
• Development:Roles and modules#Context
• Roles and capabilities
• Role permissions

Forum discussions

• "Roles and contexts in Moodle 1.7"