All repository objects have a settings screen where all necessary settings can be edited. But until ILIAS 4.3 they are not following a general scheme but have sometimes slight differences in the position and order of options. This guidelines is made to streamline these screens and to improve the usability of ILIAS for users.
1.1 Recommended Order of Options
The following order of settings on the main settings screen should be offered by all objects with a setting screen:
Edit {object type} Settings
Title
Description
Type (in case of existing didactic templates)
On top of each setting screen should be a block with "Title" and "Description" (even if both can be edited in the Metadata tab too - see Course Settings as reference). If title and description could have translations, the setting screen should show the default title and description.
Access: Radioboxes for options "Unlimited" and "Temporarily Available" (incl date and time inputs)
This block contains all settings related to the general availablity of an object.
The description of Online and Access should mention that the Online setting is related to the object in general while Access is related only to the current reference. This text should only shown when there is a second reference available.
Further Settings
Voting period: period in which a user can vote in a poll
Test period: period in which a user can run the test (answer questions)
...
1.2 Implementation in 4.3
Object
Status
Comments
Blog
No blocks but one screen
Title/Description first
No availablity (Online | Access) settings
Booking Tool
No blocks but one screen
Title/Description first
Online checkbox available
No "Access" settings
Category
No blocks but one screen
Title/Description on a separate tab
No availablity (Online | Access) settings
Chatroom
No blocks but one screen
Title/Description first
No availablity (Online | Access) settings
Course
Settings screen with blocks
First block for Title/Description
Second block for availablity settings
Implemented according to guideline
Data Collection
No blocks but one screen
Title/Description first
Online checkbox available
No Access settings
Exercise
No blocks but one screen
Title/Description first
No availablity (Online | Access) settings
File
No blocks but one screen
Title first, followed by upload form for file object and finally Description
No availablity (Online | Access) settings
Settings screen for files might be an exception from this guideline due to the upload form.
Development: Feature is to be developed by all maintainers
3 Additional Information
If you want to know more about this feature, its implementation or funding, please contact: Matthias Kunkel
4 Discussion
Matthias Kunkel, 27 August 2012: Created and edited this page according to Jour Fixe decision (August 20).
JF 3rd Sep 2012: We highly appreciate this guidelines. For 4.3 we will focus on streamlining the items that have already access period like settings (surveys, tests, polls, courses). For 4.4 we would like to tackle all object types. We also agree that "Published" would be a better term than "Online".
