Portfolio API
This page describes the specification for a future feature, currently being worked on for Moodle 2.0. This spec is STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION.
Overview
The Portfolio API is a core set of interfaces that all Moodle code will/should use so that we can easily publish files to all kinds of external document repository systems.
It's important to remember that portfolios are generally treated as WRITE-ONLY. All we are doing in Moodle is grabbing stuff and pushing it out to somewhere. Management of the files and further combining/reflecting is done through the native interface provided by the portfolio system. Reading of files from a repository is handled by the Repository API.
A typical user story:
- When portfolios are enable, every page or major piece of content in Moodle has a little "Capture this" button beside it.
- User clicks one of these buttons
- User is able to choose from a list of configured portfolios (this step will be skipped if there's only one).
- User is asked to define some metadata to go with the captured content
- The content and metadata is COPIED to the external portfolio system
- User has an option to "Return to the course" or "Visit their portfolio".
Note this will be just as useful for teachers as for students.
Architecture
Here is how it will work:
- The admin can set up portfolio plugins over Moodlenet or any other mechanism as being trusted portfolios for this Moodle.
- The admin can specify default portfolio for all users, and/or allow the user to pick one as well.
- Small function like portfolio_add_button() can be called from throughout Moodle to add a small button labelled "Add to portfolio". Can be next to forum posts, assignments, quiz attempts etc.
- Button links to central script portfolio/add.php with parameters to call back a lib.php function in the calling Moodle module, such as assignment_add_portfolio().
- This function takes the arguments and uses it to create a file (native format or a constructed html) plus metadata like user name etc, which it returns.
- If there are multiple portfolios or instances configured, then portfolio/add.php shows the thing along with "you are currently sending this to a portfolio, select one or more from the following" ... otherwise if there is only one, then skip this step.
- portfolio/add.php then takes care of passing this data to the currently active portfolio plugin(s) (All in the directories /portfolio/type/xxx).
- The plugin takes care of copying this data to the external system, and showing any screens that might be necessary, like more metadata etc, or perhaps just a simple message saying "your file has been added to your portfolio" with two buttons, one to return to where you were, and one to go further into the portfolio and start messing with it.
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
