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
Any further questions?
Please post in the Repositories forum on moodle.org.
