Assignment/Draft Features/File submission restrictions

File Submission Restrictions

This is a proposal for an additional feature to better manage and restrict file types that can be uploaded in all or selected assignment activities in the Assignment module

Goals and rationale

The main goals of this feature are to :

• Better manage the types of file in all or selected assignment activities
• Provide the ability to add 'new' types of file to the existing file types and tailor them with some individual assignments depending on their specific requirements.

Overview

Current file types in the Assignment module

The current default setting in regards to acceptable file types in the Assignment module is that files of any types can be uploaded and used as submission or feedback files in the assignment activities. Teachers are currently unable to restrict certain types of file to upload in all or some assignment activities they have created due to this default setting being applied automatically to any assignments that require students/teachers to upload a file(s) to their assignment activities.

Settings added to the mod_assign settings page

Types of file (text(box), default to "*" (accepting any types of file) - this is the current behavior). This will be enabled by default in submission or feedback plug-ins that accept files.

[Help text] an assignment creator will be able to specify one or more types of file that can only be uploaded into the assignment activity by typing the extension filename(s) separated with comma if they are more than one type (e.g jpeg, doc, pdf) . If this is left empty, file of any types will be accepted without any restriction whatsoever (the current behavior).

Changes to submission and feedback settings interface

Types of file

If Types of file text box is not left empty, any file that is about to upload into an assignment activity will be matched and checked against the file extension(s) specified in the Types of file text box in the submission/feedback settings if only the assignment submission/feedback allow students/teachers to upload a file(s).