Plugin types

The M in Moodle stands for modular, and the easiest, most maintainable way to add new functionality to Moodle is by using one of the many plugin APIs.

There are many types of plugin you can write:

• Activity modules
  • and Subplugins (2.0 Onwards)
• Admin reports
• Admin tools
• Assignment types
• Authentication plugins
• Blocks
• Content editors (2.0 onwards)
• Course formats
• Course reports
• Course importers (2.0 onwards)
• Database fields
• Database presets
• Editors
• Enrolment plugins
• Filters
• Gradebook export
• Gradebook import
• Gradebook reports
• Grading_methods
• Local plugins
• Messaging consumers (2.0 onwards)
• Mnet services
• Plagiarism plugins (2.0 onwards)
• Portfolio plugins (2.0 onwards)
• Question behaviours
• Question formats
• Question types (2.0 and 2.1 onwards)
• Quiz reports
• Repository plugins (2.0 onwards)
• Resource types (1.9 and earlier only)
• SCORM reports
• Themes (2.0 onwards) (see Theme 1.9 for older plugins).
• User profile fields
• Web services
• Webservice protocols
• Workshop allocators (2.0 onwards)
• Workshop forms (2.0 onwards)
• Workshop evaluators (2.0 onwards)

Other information that applies to all types of plugins:

• Where to put language strings for your plugin
• Defining the database tables for your plugin

Please see the Guidelines for contributed code for an overview of how to contribute to the Moodle code.

Sometimes it is not possible to write a proper plugin for what you want to do, in which case you may have to resort to using the local customisations hook.

See also

• Frankenstyle