Context

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A context is a "space" in Moodle. A context is a space where roles can be assigned. For example, a Moodle site is one context and that contains a number of other contexts within it. A category is a context, within a site context, that contains courses and sub-categories that have a context of their own. A course may hold, within its own context, an activity, or a Question bank's question category, which are also contexts. A context might contain other contexts and Roles can be assigned to each context.

There is a hierarchy of contexts which helps locate and define a specific space. A course can have many contexts in its space. These might include lesson, assignment, forum and quiz modules and blocks. Generally speaking, this hierarchy allows a lower context to receive information from a higher context. Thus a student in the context of Course A, will initially be considered a student in a Quiz context that is located in Course A. Or when a theme has been set for the Biology course categories, that is passed on to Biology 101.

Role and 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 initially 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 Category 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"