Course formats are plugins that determine the layout of course resources.

Components

course/format/format_name/lang/language_code/format_name.php

Contains the language strings used in the format.

course/format/config.php

Contains $format['defaultblocks'] which defines the default blocks loaded with the format.

course/format/format.php

This is is the layout itself. It is loaded by course/view.php.

course/format/lib.php

The main library of the format.

course/format/styles.css

Optional stylesheet.

course/format/version.php

Optional version definitions.

Creating a New Format

The easiest way to create a new course format is to copy an existing one.

1. Copy the folder containing the format files.

2. Rename the folder to the new name. NOTE: course format names cannot exceed ten characters. This is a limit set in the database.

3. Change $string['pluginname'] in course/format/format_name/lang/language_code/format_name.php to the new name.

4. The new format is ready for modification.