Editor file management: Difference between revisions

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This document is a specification that describes how how the handling of embedded media and attachments will work with and around the editor in Moodle 2.0.

Embedding media in a text

Embedded media includes images, videos and sounds that are embedded within a single given HTML text. These are added using the HTML editor (which in Moodle 2.0 is a modified version of TinyMCE) and stored in the "file area" associated with the text. This applies to all HTML texts in Moodle 2.0, ranging from simple forum posts to full pages in the Resource module. These files can be stored in one flat virtual folder, they do not need to be in sub-directories.

The basic procedure for embedding an image is:

Click on the image button in the editor
Click on the "Choose..." button in the editor dialog
Use Filepicker to select the file from a repository (or recent files, or upload) with a name
IF A FILE WITH THAT NAME ALREADY EXISTS THEN ALTER THE NAME IN MOODLE (eg file.jpg --> file2.jpg)
Add metadata and preferences in the editor dialog
Insert the image into the text

(This procedure is almost identical for video and audio files as well)

Note: Like most operating system "Open file" dialogs, the filepicker only shows those media types that you are searching for at that time. For example, if you are looking for video files then repositories which don't support video files are not shown, and only video files are shown in the remaining repositories (even if other files may be there).

(click on this diagram to see the full-sized version of this example)

Attaching files

Attached files are for whenever you have a set of files that you want to store and display. These include forum attachments, assignment submissions, and resource files (including whole mini web-sites). Attachments need to support subdirectories and require more file management.

The file manager form element is designed for this.

Click on "Add" in the file manager form element
Select a file from a repository (or upload)
File is added

This is what the new "file manager" form element will look like in a Moodle form (example is from the "File" resource module):

A second separate menu under the file manager allows you to pick a "main" file for this case.

Components to build

Recent files repository

Displays a complete paged history of all the files uploaded by the current user, sorted from newest to oldest.

File manager

AJAX version

The default interface shows the "root" of the file area (screenshots from MDL-16597):

http://tracker.moodle.org/secure/attachment/18132/File+manager+interface+%28on+root%29.png

And once you click on any folder you can go down in the tree:

http://tracker.moodle.org/secure/attachment/18130/File+manaager+interface+%28on+subdir%29.png

When moving a file or folder, you get a little popup browser to choose the destination.

http://tracker.moodle.org/secure/attachment/18128/moving+file+interface.png

Non-JS version

(spec to come)

Discussion

Discussion: RFC: Editor file management in Moodle 2.0 Discussion document: August 3 version of this page

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Template:WillNotMigrate}}
 This document is a specification that describes how how the handling of embedded media and attachments will work with and around the editor in Moodle 2.0.
+==Embedding media in a text==
 Embedded media includes images, videos and sounds that are embedded within a single given HTML text.   These are added using the HTML editor (which in Moodle 2.0 is a modified version of TinyMCE) and stored in the "file area" associated with the text.  This applies to all HTML texts in Moodle 2.0, ranging from simple forum posts to full pages in the Resource module.   These files can be stored in one flat virtual folder, they do not need to be in sub-directories.
-Attached files are for whenever you have a set of files that you want to store and display.  These include forum attachments, assignment submissions, and resource files (including whole mini web-sites).  Attachments need to support subdirectories and require more file management.
+The basic procedure for embedding an image is:
+* Click on the image button in the editor
+* Click on the "Choose..." button in the editor dialog
+* Use Filepicker to select the file from a repository (or recent files, or upload) with a name
+* IF A FILE WITH THAT NAME ALREADY EXISTS THEN ALTER THE NAME IN MOODLE (eg file.jpg --> file2.jpg)
+* Add metadata and preferences in the editor dialog
+* Insert the image into the text
+(This procedure is almost identical for video and audio files as well)
+Note: Like most operating system "Open file" dialogs, the filepicker only shows those media types that you are searching for at that time.  For example, if you are looking for video files then repositories which don't support video files are not shown, and only video files are shown in the remaining repositories (even if other files may be there).
-== Some conventions in other software ==
+[[Image:Adding_an_image.png]]
-[[Image:wordpress2.8-upload-a.png|thumb|Wordpress 2.8]][[Image:wordpress2.8-upload-b.png|thumb|Wordpress 2.8]]
+(click on this diagram to see the full-sized version of this example)
-Example 1: Office document (Word, OpenOffice, Google Docs).  Once the "Open" dialog is used to bring the media into the page, the only way it can be removed from the document is by deleting it from the document directly.  Office applications do not have a way of managing media separately from the document view.
-Example 2: Dreamweaver.
+==Attaching files==
-Example 3: Box net.  Documents can be made and images added, but there is no interface in the document to manage media.  However, when looking at the filesystem view one can see the media in a folder and can edit it.   Obviously changing names and deleting things will break the links in the HTML.
+Attached files are for whenever you have a set of files that you want to store and display.  These include forum attachments, assignment submissions, and resource files (including whole mini web-sites).  Attachments need to support subdirectories and require more file management.
-Example 4: Wordpress: Separate tabs for Uploading from PC, uploading from URL, and selecting an image from Media Library (files already on server). When image is uploaded in first two, there is a list of the files already uploaded. In any of the three tabs, when an image is selected, options for its display are shown, along with an option to delete. See: http://demo.opensourcecms.com/wordpress/wp-admin/page-new.php (user:admin, password:demo123 or see http://php.opensourcecms.com/scripts/details.php?scriptid=88&name=WordPress)
+The file manager form element is designed for this.
-(TODO: more examples)
+* Click on "Add" in the file manager form element
+* Select a file from a repository (or upload)
+* File is added
-== Related Moodle 2 features ==
+This is what the new "file manager" form element will look like in a Moodle form (example is from the "File" resource module):
-===File picker ===
+[[Image:Filemanager.png]]
-The file picker is designed to mimic the file open dialog.
+A second separate menu under the file manager allows you to pick a "main" file for this case.
-As usual, the button/link/menu that initiates the file picker can specify what mime types are being looked for, and the resulting display is limited to those repositories that support those mime types, and only files matching the mime types are shown.  This can already be seen in Moodle 2.
+==Components to build==
-===File manager form element ===
+===Recent files repository===
-The file manager form element allows any form to have a managed set of files, such as a set of attachments to a forum post.  Files can be added (by calling the file picker) or deleted (by pressing a little X next to any file).
+Displays a complete paged history of all the files uploaded by the current user, sorted from newest to oldest.
- [[Image:Filemanagerform.png]]
+===File manager===
-This image shows the current state in Moodle 2.0 dev.  See below for mockups of the full extended version.
+====AJAX version====
-==Illustrated Examples==
-===Add a new image to a text somewhere in Moodle===
+The default interface shows the "root" of the file area (screenshots from MDL-16597):
-* Click on the image button
+http://tracker.moodle.org/secure/attachment/18132/File+manager+interface+%28on+root%29.png
-* Click on the search button
-* Select a file from a repository (or recent files, or upload)
-* Add metadata and preferences.
-* Insert the image
-(click on this diagram to see the full-sized version)
+And once you click on any folder you can go down in the tree:
-[[Image:Adding_an_image.png]]
+http://tracker.moodle.org/secure/attachment/18130/File+manaager+interface+%28on+subdir%29.png
+When moving a file or folder, you get a little popup browser to choose the destination.
-===Add an attachment to anything===
+http://tracker.moodle.org/secure/attachment/18128/moving+file+interface.png
-* Click on "Add" in the file manager form element
-* Select a file from a repository (or upload)
-* File is added
-This is what the new "file manager" form element looks like:
+====Non-JS version====
-http://tracker.moodle.org/secure/attachment/18132/File+manager+interface+%28on+root%29.png
+(spec to come)
 ==Discussion==

Documentation