Repositories FAQ

What is a repository?

A repository can be thought of as a storage area from which users can retrieve files to add to their course. There are several repositories enabled by default, such as Server files which contains files from other courses a user has access to, or Upload a file which allows the user to search their computer or USB drive for a file to upload. Other repositories include Google Drive,or Flickr. See Repositories for more information.

How can I enable repositories in Moodle?

Repositories can be enabled by a site administrator in Administration > Site administration > Plugins > Repositories > Manage repositories.

All enabled and visible repositories will appear in the file picker.

How can I delete an embedded file previously added using the file picker?

There is no need to do anything, as any unused files are detected and then deleted automatically after a period of time. Users cannot delete files manually, since they may be used elsewhere.

When an activity or resource which uses a file is deleted, the file is moved immediately to trash. The frequency with which trash is emptied i.e. files are deleted depends on the settings in Site administration > Server > Scheduled tasks (\core\task\file_trash_cleanup_task)

See also the forum thread Deleting uploaded files.

If I add a file (File resources) to a page, then delete the File resource, will the file I added remain in my Recent files list?

No. The file will not be available.

How do I create a new repository on my site?

You can create a new repository that will show up on the file picker. See File system repository.

How can I prevent students from accessing the private files repository?

See the section 'Preventing access to Private files' in Private files.

What happens if a teacher adds a file from their Private files to the course and they later leave and their account is closed?

As long as a file is used in a context, such as a course, the file should remains available in that context.

That holds true when a teacher copies a file in a course from his My private files area and also when a teacher creates an alias/shortcut: in the latter case if a teacher deletes his files from My private files area that are used as alias/shortcut in some courses, Moodle will convert existing alias/shortcuts into file copies, so your course file links won't break. (copied from forum thread thanks to Andrea Bicciolo

I cannot access a student's repositories when logged in as that student

This is intentional, as there is a security and privacy risk involved in an administrator being able to log in as a student and then explore and use the student's Google Drive, Dropbox and other similar repositories.

See also

• File picker FAQ
• File system repository FAQ

Any further questions?

Please post in the Repositories forum on moodle.org.