Blocks

Note: Blocks 2.0 contains details on changes to Blocks in Moodle 2.0. Please refer to these notes before editing this page

This is an overview of Blocks in Moodle 2.0. For a more detailed explanation, please go to Blocks 2.0

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. The image to the right displays those blocks that are default on a single installation. At this point there are no other third party blocks added in.

Activities A block used by teachers to add activities Admin Bookmarks Blog Menu Blog Tags Calendar - display calendar Comments Community Finder Course Completion Status Course/Site Description Courses HTML Logged in User Mentees block Messages My Private Files Online Users - only online Participants People - link to Participants Quiz Results Random Glossary Entry Remote RSS Feeds Section Links Tags

Both the Feedback and Global Search Block have a default setting of "off" therefore do not appear on this list.

Other blocks

• Sticky blocks A block that is forced to appear on every page as part of a site setting
• 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:

• Youtube
• Flickr
• Side bar block
• Progress Bar block
• Unanswered Discussions block
• Simple Clock block

Course page block arrangement

Two blocks in a course

New blocks can be added using the Add blocks drop-down 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.

See also

• Blocks 2.0
• Blocks FAQ
• Block permissions
• Blocks administration - site block settings that an administrator can use
• Site administration block
• Development:Blocks - a developer guide to creating blocks
• Category:Contributed code including a number of contributed blocks
• Using Moodle Blocks forum