Moodle 2.8 release notes
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Releases > Moodle 2.8 release notes
Release date: Expected in Mid-November 2014
Here is the full list of fixed issues in 2.8.
Major Features
Gradebook
Our main focus has been on the Gradebook, with improved UI based on community workshops, surveys and bug reports.
New Grader report (the main interface showing all grades):
- Uses the whole window
- Smooth, stable scrolling in all directions
- Works on all platforms, including phones and tablets
- Contains a new ‘Single view’ mode that allows editing of any row or column on its own.
- Allows quick editing of any cell without reloading.
New Natural weighting aggregation method
- Combines grades simply
- Clearer interface for using weights
- Supports extra credit, excluded grades, hidden grades
- Can remove the need to use any other aggregations
New Grade history report
- Full details of all grade changes
- Provides audit trail showing what changed and why
Improved Grader setup page (for defining items and categories)
- New design
- Easier terminology and clearer layout
- Bugs fixed relating to how grades are added in some scenarios
- Prevents loss of data when you leave the window
Improved User report
- New design
- Clearer calculations
- Contributions column explains grade calculations
Improved Grade import/export
- Improved interface
- Copy/paste import direct from spreadsheet programs
- Robust handling of null data or bad data
- Locked grade items are now protected from imports
- Export to multiple display types (Letter, Percentage…)
Forum
- Discussion subscription
- can subscribe to get email copies of individual discussions
- Reply by email MDL-3714
- You can now reply to forum posts received by email, and even include attachments
- Discussion navigation
- you can jump to the next and previous discussions easily
Database
- Required fields: Certain database fields can now be marked as required
- Choice: More than one choice can now be madeAT
Quiz
- Edit quiz page
- rewritten for improved usability.
- New completion options
- Can apply when a passing grade achieved or all attempts are used
Lesson
- Now includes Introduction like other modules MDL-38106
- Better handling of images in questions MDL-38560
Analytics
- Event monitor
- can look for patterns of events and send you notifications
- New events
- More detailed logging and events have been added, especially around grades
Usability
- New User menu
- shows your profile onscreen in the header and allows quick access to personal pages
- Editor autosave
- The Atto editor can now automatically save drafts of your texts so you don’t lose anything if any unexpected disasters occur
- Improved My Home page
- better default blocks
Cohorts
- Auto-create
- Cohort that do not yet exist will be created if specified in “Upload users” tool
- Upload
- Admin or manager can bulk upload cohorts definitions from CSV file
- View all cohorts
- Admin or system-wide manager can view all cohorts in the system on the same page even if they are defined in different contexts
Other things
- Single-item scales
- now you can implement “Like” buttons with no downside!
- Private files
- you can now add files here by emailing them as attachments
- User preferences
- Admin can set defaults for user preferences such as Email display, Forum tracking, etc. They are also displayed now in a separate fieldset on edit user profile page
- Group restrictions in conditional availability across all mods
- MDL-44725
For Developers
- Inbound email: (such as already implemented for forums and files) can now easily be implemented by any plugin
- Strings can now be deprecated to help translators https://docs.moodle.org/dev/String_deprecation#How_to_deprecate_a_string
API changes
- There are new convenience functions to obtain $cm objects that belong to the cm_info class. get_course_and_cm_from_cmid($cmorid, $modulename) and get_course_and_cm_from_instance($instanceorid, $modulename) will efficiently obtain $course and $cm at the start of a module script in one line. Also, the new function cm_info::create($cm) can be used when you need a cm_info object, but only have a standard database record.
- Choice event definitions have changed in MDL-3034 [placeholder for this to be expanded]
- MDL-47194 - A new inbound message API was created.
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