DataPlus – Databases for Moodle

DataPlus for Moodle 2.3 is available at https://moodle.org/plugins/pluginversions.php?plugin=mod_dataplus.

DataPlus, from it’s creation, has supported Smarty (PHP) templates.  Moodle HQ dropped the Smarty library from version 2.2.2, meaning that supporting it’s use falls for more heavily to me.

There seems to be little actual use of it and, in theory, some possibility of security issues etc.  From the next release of DataPlus, Smarty support will be dropped.   There will be increased exposure of data and improved escaping in the JavaScript template to compensate (these will be documented further when the release takes place).  The last version of DataPlus, with Smarty bundled, will continue to be available.

Please note that older builds of DataPlus will not work in Moodle 2.2 due to decision by Moodle HQ to drop the Smarty library.  This is now included with DataPlus.

To use DataPlus with Moodle 2.2, download the latest build from http://moodle.org/plugins/pluginversions.php?plugin=mod_dataplus

Small new feature in the latest DataPlus version available at http://moodle.org/plugins/pluginversions.php?plugin=mod_dataplus, a save and view button that template editors can include to take users to view their record when they’ve inserted it to the database (the default remains the add button that enables the user to add a record and then go to a blank form to add another).

It’s also now possible to specify a label for a cancel button and add a reset button.

The addcancel button type is deprecated and no longer included on template editing menus.  Each button is now separate.  However, templates that include addcancel will continue to work.

For a while I have been maintaing a download screen on this site and on the Moodle Plugins Directory.  Obviously, this is duplicated effort and, as the plugins directory is where folks will expect to find Moodle modules, a bit pointless.

Therefore I am no longer updating the downloads section on this site, although I will keep it up with legacy versions for the moment and it will remain the only place to get DataPlus for Moodle 1.9.

To download the latest http://moodle.org/plugins/pluginversions.php?plugin=mod_dataplus

DataPlus 2.1 is now available on the download screen.  It includes a number of improvements and fixes to make DataPlus stable on load balanced systems running Moodle 2.0.  There are a number of smaller bug fixes also, but if you’re not using load balancing and Moodle 2.0 then you probably don’t need to worry about upgrading.

I am working on some functional improvements, so there should be another release this month or early next including these.  More info soon…

Thanks to the hard work of my colleagues in technical testing here at The Open University, a full release of DataPlus for Moodle 2.0 is finally available on the downloads page.  Huraah!!!

This release has been through comprehensive testing including and exceeding the published DataPlus test plan and has come out the other end, so this is a reliable version at last.

Your comments are, as always, gratefully received.

As today is also the 13th anniversary of my first day working for a university, I feel I deserve a beer.

The second and final beta release of DataPlus for Moodle 2.0 is available on the download page.  All comments gratefully received 🙂

A document describing the functionality of DataPlus for Moodle 2.0 is now available in the documents section.

For those of you that use Git, a reminder that there’s a branch for DataPlus on my repository –

https://github.com/anthonyforth/moodle/tree/dataplus