Administration FAQ

From MoodleDocs

Changing text in Moodle

The language editing interface in Administration > Language > Language editing enables you to easily change any word or phrase used on the site. You may need to search through several files to find the word or phrase you are looking for. The file moodle.php contains all common site-wide phrases and the admin.php contains many admin phrases.

How do the limits on uploaded files work?

See File upload size for more information.

File upload sizes are restricted in a number of ways - each one in the list restricts the following ones.

1. Firstly, there is a setting in Apache 2 which you may need to change. On Redhat this setting is very low by default, you can change the limit by adding or editing a line in Apache's /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf and/or /etc/httpd/conf.d/php.conf with the upload size in bytes (different operating systems may have these files in different locations): 

LimitRequestBody 10485760

2. PHP also has two more byte limits, which you can set in php.ini and sometimes in a .htaccess file. If you try to set these in .htaccess the entries will look like this: 

php_value upload_max_filesize 50000000
php_value post_max_size 50000000

Copy the updated php.ini file to the following five folders: 

   * public_html
   * moodle/admin
   * moodle/course
   * moodle/files
   * root of your moodledata directory

Details on setting these in your php.ini can be found [could have been found in Installing Moodle/Creating custom php.ini files.

To convert from Bytes to Megabytes use this convertor

Please note that a server re-start may be required for the above changes to take effect.

3. Moodle has a site-wide limit called maxbytes that may be set in Site Administration block > Security > Site Policies > Maximum uploaded file size. In older version it is located in Administration > Configuration > Variables.

4. A limit may be set by teachers in the Course settings.

5. Activity modules such as Forums and Assignments have their own limits which may be set when adding or editing the activity.

See also

How to change upload file size on a Windows localhost

In a localhost (using a Complete install packages for Windows on a computer) for 1.6 it is easy to change the uploaded file size to something larger than the default 16M.

Here is an example of how to change the upload file size to 100M.

  • Find ../php/php.ini and open it with WordPad by right-clicking -> Open With -> then choose WordPad.
  • In this file scroll or do a search on the text "_max_" to find upload_max_filesize = 16M
  • Change that line to
upload_max_filesize = 100M
  • In the same way, find post_max_size = 16M
  • Change that line to
post_max_size = 100M
  • Save the file.

After any changes to the php.ini file you need to restart Apache. So restart xampp and browse to localhost. You should find that the Upload file size in Configuration now reads 100M.

See also

  • Instructions below on How to change the maximum execution time

How to change the maximum execution time

A side-effect of increasing the file upload limit is that the php scripts may execute beyond the limit set by default (300 seconds/5 minutes). To change this, look for max_execution_time in php.ini and change to something like this: 

max_execution_time = 600

If you are using Apache and have a .htaccess file to change php settings, add this line to your .htaccess file: 

php_value max_execution_time 600

Restart your webserver for these changes to take effect, and check that the values have been changed by looking at your phpinfo output in the moodle admin -> environment page.

I have forgotten the admin password

Firstly, try using the button "Send my details via email". Otherwise, you will need to access the database using MySQL admin. Passwords for all users, including admin, are stored encrypted in the table mdl_user. Copy the guest password (guest) into the admin password field then login using it.

Additional solutions are detailed in the discussions change admin's password and login/password.

My log table has disappeared - No logs found!

The most likely cause is that the mdl_log table has become corrupted. See the How to check your database for corruption.

My style sheet changes aren't showing up

Browsers usually cache style sheets and so a forced refresh (CTRL + F5) is required before any changes show up.

How do I make my Moodle site homepage look like the moodle.org homepage?

Please see the theme how-to homepage design of moodle.org for full details.

Site-wide scales

To add a site-wide scale, available in all courses, follow the Scales link in any course Administration block. Add a new scale, then use the move down arrow to move the scale from custom scales to standard scales.

Why do I see [[missing strings]]?

Double square brackets around text indicate that language strings are missing. Try checking for untranslated words or phrases in Administration > Language > Language editing and update local language packs in Administration > Language > Language packs (or Administration > Configuration > Language in Moodle 1.6).

Language strings for non-standard modules and plugins are generally contained in a lang folder within the module or plugin folder. For sites which have migrated to UTF-8, it may be necessary to re-name the folder e.g. en should be re-named en_utf8.

How do I find the version of Moodle currently installed?

See the Moodle version information.

How do I repair a corrupted Moodle database?

Typically, you might see an error message like './moodle/mdl_quiz_grades' is marked as crashed and should be repaired. See How to check your database for corruption for the solution.

Re. Site files, what does "files placed here can be accessed by anyone" mean?

Unlike course files, which require a user to have appropriate rights in order to access them, files within the site files folder are accessible by anyone files who knows, or can guess, the URL. This means that visitors to the site can view images stored in the site files folder without being logged in.

The site files folder may be used for uploading a course backup zip file prior to restoring it. For security reasons, it is recommended that you delete the backup file immediately after restoring it.

My site is stuck in maintenance mode

Sometimes Moodle gets stuck in maintenance mode and you'll see the message "This site is undergoing maintenance and is currently unavailable" despite your attempts to turn-off maintenance mode. When you put Moodle into maintenance mode it creates a file called maintenance.html in moodledata/1/maintenance.html (the site files folder). To fix this try the following:

  • Check that the web server user has write permissions to the moodledata folder.
  • Manually delete the maintenance.html file.

Incomplete page displayed when I click "Turn Editing On"

When you see an incomplete page, it is normally a sign that an error occurred. To find out more, turn on Debugging, and you should see an error message which may help you to diagnose the problem.

This is usually as a result of an incompatible contributed module or block that you have installed. Follow these steps:

  1. Follow the module removal instructions in Installing contributed modules or plugins.
  2. Re-visit your course page and try clicking on the "Turn Editing On" button again.

If you find an incompatible module or block, please report the problem to the person named as the maintainer in the Modules and Plugins database.

"a request parameter (id) was missing" when uploading a file

This message sometimes is generated when attempting to upload a file larger than the upload limit.

How can I change the URL of the moodle service

You should configure your Apache server, at httpd.conf, using Listen, Port and DocumentRoot directives and Directory section. After restarting Apache, you also must open config.php in a text editor, and change the line: 

   $CFG->wwwroot   = 'http://mydomain/testmoodle';

Your Moodle site will also contain absolute links to resources which point to the previous URL. To change this see the migrating a complete Moodle site instructions.

See also: Forum discussion

Why is the Moodle Registration button still displayed after I register my site?

The registration button is provided so that you can place your moodle site to the http://www.moodle.org/sites list. Before registering, the button is displayed at the top of the Site Administration -> Notifications page. Once you have successfully registered, this is moved to the bottom of the same page. The button remains there so that you can update the details of your registration.

If the registration process fails for some reason to complete fully, there are two methods of letting your local Moodle install know that you have registered:

  • The preferred method is to use your mysql client program to execute these commands (assuming your Moodle database is called "moodle"):
mysql> USE moodle;
mysql> INSERT INTO mdl_config (name,value) VALUES ('registered',unix_timestamp());
  • Alternatively, edit your moodle/config.php file and add this line:
$CFG->registered = '9999999999';
Note that this line in your config.php will stop the reminders about re-registering.

For an explanation of the idea behind the button see [https://tracker.moodle.org/browse/MDL-7359 MDL-7359] in the moodle tracker.

For an explanation of how sites are checked see the site verification page

How do I enable/disable debugging?

See Debugging. If you are getting a blank or partially complete page, it is probably a sign that an error is occurring. Turning no debugging will let you see what the error message is, which may help you diagnose the problem.

How do I install the Moodle Features Demo course?

  1. Download the Moodle Features Demo Course backup.
  2. Log into your Moodle installation as an administrator.
  3. Access Administration > Front Page > Site files.
  4. Upload the backup file.
  5. Follow the restore link opposite the backup file.
  6. Follow the instructions provided, selecting the option to restore to a new course.

Note: The Moodle Features Demo Course backup may only be restored to Moodle 1.9.3 or later.

I cannot login to the Moodle CVS servers

When attempting to login to the Moodle CVS servers, you may receive a "login aborted" error as shown below (this example shows the eu cvs server, with the command in bold): 

C:\gnuwin32>cvs -d:pserver:anonymous@eu.cvs.moodle.org:/cvsroot/moodle login
Logging in to :pserver:anonymous@eu.cvs.moodle.org:2401/cvsroot/moodle
CVS password: <- (blank password entered)
cvs [login aborted]: connect to uk.cvs.moodle.org(212.219.207.198):2401 failed:
Connection refused
C:\gnuwin32>

To fix this problem, check that you have entered the CVS command correctly and that port 2401 is open on your firewall.

Why is a page blank, or half missing?

A blank page, or a page that seems to have half missing, is normally a sign that an error occurred. If (as is recommended on production systems) you have display of error messages turned off, it can be very hard to understand what is going on.

The solution is to turn on the debugging options temporarily. Then, when you go back to the problem page, you should see the error message. Once you had finished solving the problem, remember to turn debugging off again.

Why can't administrators post in the site news forum?

Please check the following:

  • Default role for all users (in Administration > Users > Permissions > User policies) - should be set to Authenticated user
  • Default frontpage role (in Administration > Front Page > Front Page settings) - should be set to none or Student
  • That the admin user is not assigned the role of guest as a system role or a front page role or in the site news forum context

How can I fix just one bug, without upgrading my whole site?

Suppose:

  • You are running an older Moodle version.
  • You are experiencing a particular bug.
  • You have searched in the tracker, and found that your problem is MDL-abc, and that it has been fixed in the latest version.
  • For some reason, you cannot upgrade your whole site, even though the latest version probably has security fixes.

Then, how can you get the fix for just this one bug, without upgrading your whole site? Well, if you are prepared to manually patch the code, you can probably get this information from the tracker. Please see this guide.

How can I change centre of the Front Page from course categories to something else?

Go to Front Page > Settings and change "Front page" to None all down. Change "Front page items when logged in" to None all down. Ensure that "Include a topic section" is checked. Save changes and return to the front page. Turn editing on, obviously, and you should now see the "Add a resource" and "Add an activity" drop down combo-boxes. Select "Add a resource" and select "Insert a label". You can then edit the label in any way you want to in the WYSYWYG editor.

How can I change the initial login screen?

Edit one of the language files. Site administration block>language>language editing, look in the moodle.php file. Look for loginusing or loginsteps or loginstepsnone string variables.

When will Moodle 2.0 be released?

Before the final release of Moodle 2.0, planned for July 20, 2010, we will have a series of rapidly improving Preview releases, roughly weekly. These are to allow a wider range of developers and contributors to test the code on copies of their production servers, help us tweak the interface and performance, and work on translations, modules and other third-party code (most of which will have to be rewritten significantly).

Please see the Moodle 2.0 Preview 1 release notes for details of our current development/testing focus!

See also

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