Moodle 1.9 Extension Development [RAW]

Moodle 1.9 Extension Development [RAW] Jonathan Moore, Michael Churchward   Customize and extend Moodle using its robust plug-in systems     Develop your own blocks, activities, filters, and organize your content with secure code Thoroughly covers key libraries of Moodle and best practices to use them Explore the Moodle architectural concepts, how it is structured, and how it works Detailed examples and screenshots for easy learning RAW FAQ This book is currently available as a RAW book. A RAW book is an ebook, and this one is priced at 20% of the usual eBook price. Once you purchase the RAW book, you can immediately download the content of the book so far, and when new chapters become available, you will be notified, and  can download the new version of the book. When the book is published, you will receive the full, finished eBook. If you like, you can preorder the print book at the same time as you purchase the RAW book at a significant discount.   Purchase Options Your choices: Buy the RAW version of this book immediately  [ $31.99 | £17.59 | EUR 24.79 ] Buy the RAW version of this book and place a pre-order for the print book right now, with a 20% discount on both. [ $71.98 | £45.46 | EUR 60.32 ] Since a RAW book is an eBook, a RAW book is non returnable and non refundable. Local taxes may apply to your eBook purchase. Chapter Availability Chapter Number Title Availability 1 Moodle Architecture IN THE BOOK 2 Creating and Modifying Blocks IN THE BOOK 3 Creating and Modifying Filters IN THE BOOK 4 Creating and Modifying Activity Modules IN THE BOOK 5 Customizing the Look and Feel of Moodle IN THE BOOK 6 Developer’s Guide to the Database IN THE BOOK 7 Developer’s guide to the important core modules IN THE BOOK 8 Making Moodle Reports IN THE BOOK 9 Integrating Moodle with Other Systems IN THE BOOK 10 Writing Secure Code IN THE BOOK 11 How to Send Notifications to Users IN THE BOOK 12 Moodle APIs and Libraries - “Pagelib“ IN THE BOOK 13 Moodle APIs and Libraries - “Formslib” FEBRUARY 2010 14 Web Services FEBRUARY 2010 In More Detail Print Book In More Detail   Expected May 2010. Pre-order now! Cover price   $49.99 Packt Special Offer   $44.99 save 10% Change Currency   UK £ US $ EU € what is this? Free shipping! US, UK, Europe & selected Asian countries Pre-order offer terms Where else can I buy this book? Also available from: select a store Lehmans (DE)Paul Nealon (UK)Combooks (Israel)Amazon (US)Quantum Books (US MA)Dataclub OY (FI)Amazon.de (DE)Amazon.co.uk (UK)Bookware.com (AU)Polyteknisk (DK)Amazon.fr (FR)

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eBook Version eBooks are non returnable and non refundable. Packt eBook Licence agreement Adobe PDF eBook Moodle 1.9 Extension Development [RAW] [eBook] File size: 3.57 MB Packt eBooks are a low cost and immediate companion or alternative to print books. Packt eBooks can be printed and are now copy-paste enabled. Packt eBook User Guide Buy two or more eBooks and get 35% off eBook only $39.99 $31.99 Save 20% off eBook Book and eBook bundle $81.98 $71.98   Save 20% off Book & 20% off eBook

Language English
Paperback 310 pages [191mm x 235mm]
Release date Expected May 2010
ISBN 1847194249
ISBN 13 978-1-847194-24-4
Author(s) Jonathan Moore, Michael Churchward
Topics and Technologies PHP/MySQL, Open Source, Moodle, RAW

A practical guide to creating feature-rich extensions for your website using Moodle plug-ins

Moodle gives you the power to create and customize feature-rich plug-ins. If you can write Moodle plug-ins, you can make it do just about anything. From making the site easier to administer, to new features, to completely changing the way it looks; plug-ins are the method Moodle offers to customize and extend its functionality.

This book will show you how to build all sorts of Moodle plug-ins: admin plug-ins, Blocks, Activities, Grading components, Reports, Fliters that change the way your site works and looks. You will develop standard Moodle plug-ins such as Activities, Filters, and Blocks by creating functioning code that you can execute in your own Moodle installation. Writing modular plug-ins for Moodle will be a large focus of this book.
This book will take you inside Moodle and provide you with the ability to develop code the “Moodle way”.

This book will expose you to all of the core code functions in Moodle, in a progressive, understandable way. You will learn what libraries are available, what the API calls are, how it is structured and how it can be expanded beyond the plug-in system.
You will begin by getting an understanding of the basic architecture that Moodle uses to operate in. Next you will build your first plug-in; a block. You will carry on building other Moodle plug-ins, gaining knowledge of the “Moodle way” of coding, before plunging deeper into the API and inner libraries. Lastly, you will learn how to integrate Moodle with other systems using a variety of methods.

When you have completed, you will have a solid understanding of Moodle programming and knowledge of how to extend its functionality in whatever way you want.

• Add activities and grading components to keep a track of students’ progress automatically
• Create Moodle Filters to process and filter the contents of the database
• Customize the look and feel of your Moodle site using powerful plug-ins
• Customize Moodle reports to assess the performance of a student easily
• Allow integration with third-party systems such as HR and student information systems to access any data directly
• Automate notifications for any updates in the courses
• Customize forms to be filled by students using ‘formlib’ library
• Extend Moodle beyond its boundaries using web services and explore the features of SOAP-based and XMM-RPC-based web services 

The author’s experience as a Moodle developer enables him to combine a simple, descriptive how-to approach with enthusiastic insights into the rich potential of customizing Moodle according to your needs. The chapters gradually build up your skills and by the end of the book you will be confident enough to customize Moodle on your own.

This book is written for technologists who are interested in expanding Moodle's functions through programming, either for their own organizations or to contribute to the open source project.
You should be familiar with Moodle's basic technologies: PHP, MySQL ,and HTML/CSS.

Jonathan Moore

Jonathan Moore is currently the Vice President of Remote-Learner.net , and a special projects manager. Jonathan formerly served as the Director of Technology for Winfield Public Schools. He served in this capacity for almost ten years and has developed a broad set of educational technology and project management skills over the course of his career. His student technology program (Student Technology Assistance Team STAT) was recognized nationally by Comptia as the best Rural student technology program.

Michael Churchward

Michael Churchward is currently President and CTO of Remote Learner, a Moodle partner based in the US and Canada. Mike has been a developer of Moodle since 2004 and contributes both core code and add-on functions to the Open Source project. Mike and his development team are currently working on other extensions to Moodle and helping define the new Moodle 2.0 architecture.