MrCuteJr Shared Resource Repository

MrCuteJr

What Is The MrCUTE Jr. Shared URL/File Repository?

In a nutshell, it's a Moodle resource type plugin that enables a way to share URL/File resources across Moodle courses & make them easy to find.

Why is it called MrCUTE Jr./How does it differ from MrCUTE2?

I called it MrCUTE Jr. because I initially based it on MrCUTE 2 due to it being "close to" what I needed. Basically, my initial intention was to strip out some functionality from MrCUTE 2 that I didn't need and was in fact inhibiting (or complicating) something I did need, that is editing of a shared URL or editing/replacing a shared file resource.

Some notable things that MrCUTE Jr. does not do, which MrCUTE 2 does, are:

• MrCUTE Jr. repository does not create an IMS/SCORM package
• MrCUTE Jr. repository does not link to/interact the UK NLN repository
• MrCUTE Jr. repository does not link to/interact with the UK JORUM repository

During development, it became clear there were some benefits to extending the resource_file Moodle class, so I ended up re-writing a lot of the code (hopefully simplifying and reducing future maintenance needs somewhat, by leaning on exisisting Moodle code). There are also some things that MrCUTE Jr. does do, that MrCUTE2 does not (see Features).

Features (no particular order)

• Shared resources can be searched for by keywords (thanks to MrCUTE2 team for key code for this functionality)
• A shared URL resource that needs updating (e.g. a broken link) can be done in one location
• A shared file resource that needs updating can be updated in one location
• Shared URL/File resources are stored outside of site-files and can only be accessed by a student from a link inside of a course that the students are enrolled in; further, the links are user & course specific and will not work for another user
• Any admin or editingteacher can search for, add and edit resources in the shared repository (no setup required)
• Admin can import existing files that have been FTP'd/copied/moved to the repository folder; the import tool also provides "semi-intelligent" suggested values for the repository searchable data fields (title, description, keywords) for each new file found
• Optionally, resource icons, (in particular for URL's), can be defined more appropriately
• It should be simple to use (at least I hope, it was one of my goals! Let me know if you find otherwise and have ideas on how to make it easier)
• AJAX search-as-you-type feature (see how-to below)

Requirements

Tested on Moodle 1.9.5+ running on Ubuntu and RedHat LAMP setups.

Installation

1. Download the latest copy of the mrcutejr plugin.
2. Verify your Moodle version is 1.9.5+ or upgrade if necessary (other versions haven't been tested).
3. Copy the mod/resource/type/mrcutejr/ folder to yourmoodle/mod/resource/type/mrcutejr.
4. Copy the blocks/mrcutejr/ folder to yourmoodle/blocks/mrcutejr.
5. Log in as admin, click on "Site Administration->Notifications" (this creates the database table).

Optional Installation Tasks

• Optional (recommended ): To display different icons for different types of MrCUTE Jr. repository URL resources, you'll need to apply the mod_resource_dynamic_custom_icons.patch to your Moodle (patch is for Moodle 1.9.8+). Instructions at how to apply a patch
  • On linux these instructions worked for me:
    1. Copy the mod_resource_dynamic_custom_icons.patch to your Moodle install root folder
    2. From the terminal (e.g. ssh), in the same folder, execute patch -p0 < mod_resource_dynamic_custom_icons.patch
• Optional (recommended ): Enable AJAX search in the module setting area (see how-to below)
• Optional: Update the stylesheet at mod/resource/type/mrcutejr/mrcutejr.css to your liking.
• Optional: Define a custom path to your repository in "Site Administration->Modules->Blocks->MrCUTE Jr. Repository".
• Optional (recommended ): Go to your moodledata/mrcutejr directory and create several sub-directories for organizing your files (e.g. "mrcutejr/images", "mrcutejr/presentations", "mrcutejr/videos", etc.) - these are used in the file-upload dialog as optional for file upload path locations.

How-To's

How To Import New Files

FTP/copy/move desired files to the repository folder, then go to "Site Administration->Modules->Blocks->MrCUTE Jr. Repository" and click the Import Unregistered Files Tool link and follow the basic instructions indicated there.

How To Add The Search Block

Log in as admin, on your Moodle home page turn editing on, find the "Blocks" block and click on the "Add..." drop list and select "MrCUTE Jr. Repository"; this works for any course page as well. NOTE: The search block currently only works for Teacher/Admin, not students (we didn't need that functionality so it hasn't been developed at this point).

How To Add a New Shared URL or File

Enter a course, turn editing on, then in any course section select "Add a resource...->MrCUTE Jr. shared file or website" then click the "New Shared URL" or "New Shared File" button, submit the form, then click "choose" beside the newly created shared resource.

How To Add an Existing Shared URL or File

Enter a course, turn editing on, then in any course section select "Add a resource...->MrCUTE Jr. shared file or website" then click the "MrCUTE Jr. Repository Search" button and perform a search, then click the "choose" link beside the desired resource (you can preview the resource first by clicking on the resource title).

How to Edit an Existing Shared URL or File

Search for the resource, then click the little "edit" icon. Alternatively, you can click the edit icon beside a mrcutejr resource item in any course section, then click "MrCUTE Jr. Repository Search" button, the search automatically finds the currently referenced shared resource, then click the edit icon in the search results window to edit that specific shared resource.

How to Allow Users to Search/Add/Edit MrCUTE Jr. Resources

If you make a user an "editingteacher" in any course, they will have full search/add/edit access to the repository.

How to Enable AJAX Search for MrCUTE Jr. Resources

Go to "Site Administration->Modules->Blocks->MrCUTE Jr. Repository", click the appropriate checkbox and save your changes; now when you create a new mrcutejr resource, simply start typing in the "Name" field and a list of results will appear as you type (requires javascript to be enabled in your browser).

Credits

This plugin was developed by Leo Thiessen from ByDistance.ca, with some important code "borrowed" from MrCUTE2 - thanks MrCUTE2 team!!

You can contact Leo Thiessen through his company website at VisionsEncoded.com.