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{{Front page}}
{{Front page}}
The [[Front Page]] can be complex. It deals with [[Themes]], it's [[Front Page settings|own settings]], many features used in a [[Course]], [[Roles]] and [[Authentication]]s.  It is also the first page a site administrator will try to tweak and customize. Here are some common questions and answers that apply to Moodle 1.9.x. The themes structure in Moodle 2.0 is different so it is not expected the methods described below will work. When possible, appropriate changes will be made.


==Changing the look of the Front Page in Moodle 2.0==
==What do we mean by the 'front page' of Moodle?==
Each block has a number of configuration settings that you can change. Each block is assigned to a "region" and this positioning is controlled in the
    ► Site pages ► Configuring a (name) block
page. There are a number of other settings you can use to configure the display of the Front page. Be careful, but do not be afraid to experiment, and you can easily create almost any look you like by using these configuration settings.


==Why not use the Front Page Files area for restoring courses?==
The front page is the site home page. The front page link in the navigation block and navigation bar is called 'Home'.
There are two excellent reasons you do not do this, the first is site/course security. It is easy to not delete the zip file you have restored, you get distracted, forget to do it, not realise that there is a problem. The [[Files]] area for the front page is not secure behind Moodle's native barriers, they are easily accessible to anyone who can work out to get there - which is almost anyone. So you may not be protecting your courses. The other issue is that a [[Course backup|course backup]] can be interrupted by a lot of things and be faulty without anyone knowing it. If you restore in the Front Page, then you risk damaging your Front Page, which can break your site. It is easier to have a special course to allow Administrators and Teachers specifically to [[Restore|restore courses]] from.


==How can I change the look of my Front Page to include a HTML block in the centre column?==
When logged in, a user's customized home page is called the 'Dashboard'.
There are lots of different ways to do this. The easiest is to use the ''Administration > Front Page > [[Front Page settings]]''>>Include Topic setting.  


# Go to '''Front Page''' and change each setting to None, None, None None. This Front Page means '''before''' log in so what do you want your visitors to see?
==How can I change the look of the front page?==
# Go to '''Front page items when logged in''' and change each setting to what you want, or None, None, None, None. This displays '''after''' log in.
# Go to '''Include a topic section''' and click this ON, a tick appears in the check box.
# Go to '''Save Changes''' and when saved, return to the Front Page.
# Click the "Turn editing on" button and you should see two drop-down combo boxes and a number of icons.
# Select the "Add a resource" and take your pick of either a Label or a Web Page. (Hint: The label is perhaps a better option here, but suit yourself.


At this point you can edit the label or web page any way you want. You are taken to the WYSIWYG editor so you can include any text or image you like. When done, save it and return to your [https://docs.moodle.org/en/Front_Page Front Page] and the changes you made should appear.
*There are various ways of enhancing your front page without needing access to theme files on the server. First, see the section on tips and tricks in [[Front page settings]]
*If you are using the More theme you can [[Standard_themes#Customising_the_.27More.27_theme|customize it following these instructions]] quite easily, to get a nice page such as [http://school.demo.moodle.net/ the Mount Orange School demo site].
*If you are using Clean, More or other bootstrap-based themes  you can then do some cool things with Bootstrap layout elements, as described in the thread [https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=267662 LOOK & LEARN: How to add marketing spots as a front page topic].
*See also the simple customisation of the School demo front page in [[Standard themes]].
*You can set  a different front page for guests and logged in users with [[Conditional activities]] as described in the thread [https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=268238 Show a different page to guests and logged in users]]
*If you are able or willing to change code then you can add in your own code with an include. See MDL-28163
*You may consider installing  a contributed theme such as the [[Essential theme]] . It is the most downloaded plugin for 2014 and has [https://moodle.org/plugins/reviews.php?plugin=theme_essential great reviews]


NOTE: This has been tested in Moodle 2.0 and the same conditions apply, so it will work. It is strongly recommended that to do this, use a Label as the container for your table though. Seems to sit more easily in the Front Page.
==How can I add text and a picture to the centre column?==


==How can I get a different look to my Front Page? ==
# In ''Administration > Front page settings > Edit settings'' make sure that 'Include a topic section' is ticked
The [[Front Page]] document has a [[Front_Page#Front_page_format_examples|section on examples]] for achieving different looks with a [[Standard themes|standard moodle theme]].
# In ''Administration > Front page settings'' click 'Turn editing on'
# Return to the front page and click the edit icon at the top of the centre column
# Add text and a picture
# Click the 'Save changes' button


There you will see examples of 1 column, 2 columns, no center column created by moving or hiding blocks on a Front Page. 
==How can I change the logo to the front page?==


You are not limited here to one view for all users. Look at the [[Front Page settings]]. You can chose what non logged in people see in the center column, which maybe different than someone who has logged into your site.  So you can place a message to welcome people, with some blocks but not show any courses.  When someone logs in show them course categories or just their courses. You will find this under the settings '''Front Page''' and '''Front page items when logged in'''.
# In ''Administration > Site administration > Appearance > Themes'' click the name of the theme you are using (If you're not sure which theme you are using, you can find out in ''Administration > Site administration > Appearance > Themes > Theme selector'')
# Enter the URL for your logo. (Note - you must previously have uploaded your logo somewhere online)
# Click the 'Save changes' button


Experiment with different configurations or options, you might hit on one that is spectacular, or more likely, discover the configuration and theme to meet your needs.
Note: This setting is only available for certain themes.


The Theme structure of Moodle 2.0 is sufficiently different that these tips will not work. However, the controlling of these things is going to be far easier in the new themes than in previous versions. If you want to develop your own theme, which inherently implies you want to create your own site look, let alone a Front page, there is, already, a lot of documentation available as to how themes are constructed, and how they work. Currently the language is still too technical, so most of us will just not get it, but it is hoped that this situation will not continue for long.
==How do I get rid of a resource/activity that's appeared in "Site Pages"?==
When a resource or activity (like a page, file or forum) is added to the [[Main menu block]]  on the front page, it will appear in the Site Pages of the Navigation block. To remove this link, turn on the editing on the front page, go to or add the [[Main menu block]] and click to delete the item.


==How can I make News on Front page seen by only Teachers?==
[[File:mainmenu.png]]


In v1.9, a modification to core code was, arguably, the most stable way of resolving this issue. For v 2.x, permissions can be reset to allow the viewing of news by anyone in a particular group or grouping. As well, the creation of a new Role can be used to allow some people to assume this capability. Perhaps you have Staff members who are not Teachers in a Course that need access to news as well, the v1.9 mod does not allow that so a new Role based on Student that specifically allows the viewing of News and Hidden Files may be more appropriate.
==How can I prevent activities I made on the front page being seen in the navigation block?==


==I want to use our own logo on our Moodle, how can I do that?==
Uncheck the box "Show front page activities in the navigation"  in ''Administration > Site administration > Appearance > Navigation''.
There are lots of ways.  You will be working with [[Themes]] to make this change.
==How can I hide front page blocks from guests but show to logged in users?==
 
See [[Blocks FAQ]]
The simplest is to switch to the Formal White theme, that comes standard with Moodle. In this theme you can upload your own logo to, say, the Moodle root folder, perhaps by, ftp. If you are interested in developing themes, or just working on your own theme, start with [https://docs.moodle.org/20/en/admin/setting/themesettingformal_white this page]], it begins to explain how themes work. You can always change the rest of the theme by adding in colour and such.
==How can I show front page blocks to guests but hide from logged in users?==
See [[Blocks FAQ]]
==I want to limit the number of courses that appear on the Front Page==


[[Image:frontpage02.png|frame|center|Editing theme settings for Moodle 2.0]]
At this time, there is no easy way to do this, as such. In  '' Administration>Site administration>Appearance>Courses'', you can change the number of courses to be displayed on one page to a different number. Currently, the default is 20, but you can make it whatever you want. It is still messy, though. You can also, from ''Administration>Site administration>Front page>Front page settings'', change what is displayed after login to show only categories.


==Theme I want to use does not have a logo on it, how can I add my logo?==
One way of resolving this issue is to replace the course and Category list on the Front Page with a HTML block that links off to the various category pages. This keeps your courses off the front page altogether.  
Create the logo file you want to use in the sizes mentioned above, usually in a gif format. Have two logos, one about 70% the size of the other. Again, using the "header.html" file, look for the line:


  <nowiki><h1 class="headermain"><?php echo $heading ?></h1></nowiki>
There are a couple of ways to do this, you can have a list of Categories, in a table, or you can use a table full of icons, much the same as Moodle's front page. Depending on your number of Categories, say 11 different subject areas and one Administration area creates a table either four columns or four rows. For most people, the orderly nature of a balanced table implies an orderly site that is really welcome, particularly if the images linking to a Category are clear and the alt tag text says what it is linking to.
==How do I enable logged-in users to participate in front page activities?==


and replace it with:
Either:


  <nowiki><h1 class="headermain"><img src="<?php echo $CFG->themewww .'/'. current_theme() ?>/pix/logo.gif" alt="" /><?php echo $heading ?></h1></nowiki>
# Go to ''Administration > Site administration > Users > Permissions > Define roles'' and edit the 'Authenticated user on frontpage' role
# Allow capabilities for the front page activities
# Click the 'Save changes' button


Remember this line appears twice, one for the front page then one for subsequent pages. You can limit the size of the file by adding, in the second line:  
Or:


  <nowiki><h1 class="headermain"><img src="<?php echo $CFG->themewww .'/'. current_theme() ?>/pix/small_logo.gif" alt="" /><?php echo $heading ?></h1></nowiki>
# Go to ''Administration > Site administration > Front Page > Front Page settings''
# Set the default front page role to student
# Click the 'Save changes' button


This works fine with "ocean blue" theme. (Thanks to DeWayne Demland and [[User:Mitsuhiro Yoshida|Mitsuhiro Yoshida]] for suggesting this)
==How can I add a page to the front page?==
#With the editing turned on, add the [[Main menu block]] if it isn't already present.
#Click ''Add and activity or resource'' and add a [[Page]].
If you wish the page to be hidden but accessible from the top dropdown menu, then:
#Copy the page's URL.
#Hide the block.
#Go to ''Site administration>Appearance>Themes>Theme settings'' and add your page URL to the custom menu items box according to the instructions.


==I have a lost a graphic and table on my Front Page when it is being viewed in guest mode in IE6, but it appears in Firefox==
Note that if it is possible to install plugins on your Moodle site then you can also use the [https://moodle.org/plugins/view/local_staticpage Static pages plugin].
IE6 (7 and 8) has caused trouble for design of web pages and themes for years but most css problems can be easily fixed. Usually the problem is that if for example some image is too big to some div etc "box" IE6 throws the image to next row or outside screen and so on. The fix can be one tag change or one number change - or scaling the new content smaller so that it fits to given box - but the hard part is to find the cause of broken css. Apparently this is a flaw that is found in a number of releases of IE, and it has to do with the implementation of CSS rules by Microsoft in some releases of different versions.


If new css is needed for IE6 it can usually be added to theme styles_ie6.css file.  
==How can I get rid of the site short name in the navigation bar?==
Sometimes if the short and full names of your site are similar, you might wish to hide the short name. If you are using the Clean or More theme, you can do this by adding lines to the custom CSS box in the appropriate theme settings page.


Better solution: Use Firefox.
To hide the short name but keep the space where it used to be, add:
Thanks Mauno.


==I want to limit the number of courses that appear on the Front Page==
a.brand {visibility:hidden}


At this time, there is no easy way to do this, as such. In the '''Administration > [[Front Page]] > [[Front Page settings]]''' page, you can change the number of courses to be displayed on one page to a different number. Currently, the default is 20, but you can make it whatever you want. It is still messy, though. You can also, using the same '''Front Page Settings''' page, change what is displayed after login to show only categories - but this too, can get messy. 
To hide the short name and also remove the space where it used to be, add:
.navbar .brand {display: none;}


Perhaps the best way of resolving this issue is to replace the course and Category list on the Front Page with a HTML block that links off to the various category pages. This keeps your courses off the [[Front Page]] altogether.
[[Category:FAQ]]
 
There are a couple of ways to do this, you can have a list of Categories, in a table, or you can use a table full of icons, much the same as Moodle's front page. Depending on your number of Categories, say 11 different subject areas and one Administration area creates a table either four columns or four rows. For most people, the orderly nature of a balanced table implies an orderly site that is really welcome, particularly if the images linking to a Category are clear and the alt tag text says what it is linking to. For more information on how to do this, try the [[Front Page]] Moodle Doc.
 
==See also==
*[[Beginning Administration FAQ|Beginning Administration FAQs - 1]]
*[[Beginning Administration 2 FAQ|Beginning Administration FAQs - 2]]
*[[Beginning Administration 3 FAQ|Beginning Administration FAQs - 3]]
*[[Beginning Administration 4 FAQ|Beginning Administration FAQs - 4]]
*[[Installation FAQ]]
*[[Administration FAQ]]
*[[Xampp Installer FAQ]]
 
*[[:Category:Administrator | Index of all Administrator-related pages]]


[[Category:FAQ]]
[[de:Startseite FAQ]]
[[Category:Front Page]]
[[es:Portada FAQ]]
[[Category:Administrator]]

Latest revision as of 13:41, 16 November 2015


What do we mean by the 'front page' of Moodle?

The front page is the site home page. The front page link in the navigation block and navigation bar is called 'Home'.

When logged in, a user's customized home page is called the 'Dashboard'.

How can I change the look of the front page?

How can I add text and a picture to the centre column?

  1. In Administration > Front page settings > Edit settings make sure that 'Include a topic section' is ticked
  2. In Administration > Front page settings click 'Turn editing on'
  3. Return to the front page and click the edit icon at the top of the centre column
  4. Add text and a picture
  5. Click the 'Save changes' button

How can I change the logo to the front page?

  1. In Administration > Site administration > Appearance > Themes click the name of the theme you are using (If you're not sure which theme you are using, you can find out in Administration > Site administration > Appearance > Themes > Theme selector)
  2. Enter the URL for your logo. (Note - you must previously have uploaded your logo somewhere online)
  3. Click the 'Save changes' button

Note: This setting is only available for certain themes.

How do I get rid of a resource/activity that's appeared in "Site Pages"?

When a resource or activity (like a page, file or forum) is added to the Main menu block on the front page, it will appear in the Site Pages of the Navigation block. To remove this link, turn on the editing on the front page, go to or add the Main menu block and click to delete the item.

mainmenu.png

How can I prevent activities I made on the front page being seen in the navigation block?

Uncheck the box "Show front page activities in the navigation" in Administration > Site administration > Appearance > Navigation.

How can I hide front page blocks from guests but show to logged in users?

See Blocks FAQ

How can I show front page blocks to guests but hide from logged in users?

See Blocks FAQ

I want to limit the number of courses that appear on the Front Page

At this time, there is no easy way to do this, as such. In Administration>Site administration>Appearance>Courses, you can change the number of courses to be displayed on one page to a different number. Currently, the default is 20, but you can make it whatever you want. It is still messy, though. You can also, from Administration>Site administration>Front page>Front page settings, change what is displayed after login to show only categories.

One way of resolving this issue is to replace the course and Category list on the Front Page with a HTML block that links off to the various category pages. This keeps your courses off the front page altogether.

There are a couple of ways to do this, you can have a list of Categories, in a table, or you can use a table full of icons, much the same as Moodle's front page. Depending on your number of Categories, say 11 different subject areas and one Administration area creates a table either four columns or four rows. For most people, the orderly nature of a balanced table implies an orderly site that is really welcome, particularly if the images linking to a Category are clear and the alt tag text says what it is linking to.

How do I enable logged-in users to participate in front page activities?

Either:

  1. Go to Administration > Site administration > Users > Permissions > Define roles and edit the 'Authenticated user on frontpage' role
  2. Allow capabilities for the front page activities
  3. Click the 'Save changes' button

Or:

  1. Go to Administration > Site administration > Front Page > Front Page settings
  2. Set the default front page role to student
  3. Click the 'Save changes' button

How can I add a page to the front page?

  1. With the editing turned on, add the Main menu block if it isn't already present.
  2. Click Add and activity or resource and add a Page.

If you wish the page to be hidden but accessible from the top dropdown menu, then:

  1. Copy the page's URL.
  2. Hide the block.
  3. Go to Site administration>Appearance>Themes>Theme settings and add your page URL to the custom menu items box according to the instructions.

Note that if it is possible to install plugins on your Moodle site then you can also use the Static pages plugin.

How can I get rid of the site short name in the navigation bar?

Sometimes if the short and full names of your site are similar, you might wish to hide the short name. If you are using the Clean or More theme, you can do this by adding lines to the custom CSS box in the appropriate theme settings page.

To hide the short name but keep the space where it used to be, add: 

a.brand {visibility:hidden}

To hide the short name and also remove the space where it used to be, add: 

.navbar .brand {display: none;}
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