Didactic Templates with Custom Icons

1 Initial Problem

Didactic templates give the content editors (like course admins etc.) an easy way to create objects with different types of permissions. An example of this are folders, in which the course members have the permission to create certain ilias objects which they can't create in a folder with default permissions. There are many more scenarios like this for different ILIAS objects. Sadly, the users are not able to see that an object has this special permissions without opening it. The special settings must be signaled through a hint in the object title or description.

2 Conceptual Summary

We suggest a feature, to assign custom icons to didactic templates. This means, that all objects with a certain didactic template would use per default the custom icon of the template instead of the default icon of the object type. To avoid confusion between custom icons for objects and custom icons for didactic templates, we will call the custom icons for didactic templates "dtpl-icons".

The dtpl-icon would be set in the administration-settings of the didactic template. The dtpl-icons are optional and can be set over a file-upload. If an object has a didactic template assigned, it will have the dtpl-icon of the template. Even if it the didactic template was assigned to the object, before the dtpl-icon was assigned to the didactic template.

The custom icons for objects will always overwrite the dtpl-icons. The priority list to display an icon for an object looks like this: Custom Object Icon > DTPL-Icon > Default Icon

3 User Interface Modifications

3.1 List of Affected Views

• Modify the form to upload / edit didactic templates to additionally upload a custom icon
• (Optional) The dtpl-icon will be visible in all views in which a didactic template can be chosen / changed (view for create object and settings view for object)
  • This would make it even easier to differentiate between the availible didactic templates

3.1.1 DTPL-Icon Upload

In the following screenshots, the first one displays the upload for custom icons, when a new didactic template is created.

The second one shows the option to upload a custom icon for already existing didactic templates.

The third screenshot shows how to edit or delete an uploaded custom icon in the edit settings of a didactic template.

3.1.2 Setting a Didactic Template

Following picture shows the view for the creation of a new folder. Each available folder template also shows its custom icon. The default option and didactic templates without assigned icon are showing the default icon for the object. The templates with a custom icon assigned are showing the custom icon.

We see this as an optional part of the feature. It is not a must, but nice to have.

4 Technical Information

4.1 Checks if the icon should be displayed

We currently see two different ways to check in the program if the icon should be set.

The first one is to check, if the object has a didactic template assigned over the entry in the database table "didactic_tpl_objs ". This however does not include a permission check. Therefore, an object with a  custom icon is not a guarantee for the permissions of the didactic template.

The second one is to check each time, if the given object matches the permission of its assigned didactic template. This would ensure that the icon matches the promised permissions. But it would consume on the other hand a lot more ressources.

We suggest to go with option one.

5 Privacy Information

No new information is collected or processed.

6 Contact

• Author of the Request: Heer, Raphael [rheer]
• Maintainer: Meyer, Stefan [smeyer]
• Implementation of the feature is done by: {The maintainer must add the name of the implementing developer.}

7 Funding

If you are interest in funding this feature, please add your name and institution to this list.

• Hochschule Luzern

8 Discussion

JourFixe, ILIAS [jourfixe], 11 MAY 2020 : We highly appreciate this suggestion and schedule the feature for ILIAS 7. At the time being, there is no KS element that would allow the suggested radio boxes with icons as suggested in 3.1.2 (please feel free to suggest a KS element for this. If accepted it could be used for this FR). The administration of Didactic Templates should get a new column to show the custom icon (if no custom icon exists, 'none' is presented). The export file (XML) of a didactic template should be extended to include the custom icon as well.

Meyer, Stefan [smeyer], 08 NOV 2020: Suggestion to allow Custom Icons for Didactic Templates only for container objects: the presentation of custom icons is currently not streamlined. Compnents presenting custom icons use different obj_id based methods for the determination of the image path. Objects that are referenceable require a ref_id base path determination.

JourFixe, ILIAS [jourfixe], 09 NOV 2020 : We accept the restriction of the feature to container objects (category, study programme, learning sequence object, course, group, folder) due to general technical limitations as described above. Please modify the feature request accordingly.

9 Implementation

Didactic template icon fpr container object(s):

Presentation in the Repository:

Test Cases

Test cases completed at 2020-11-10 by Tödt, Alexandra [atoedt]

• 42420 : Didaktische Vorlage importieren
• 42422 : Didaktische Vorlage aktivieren und Gültigkeitsbereich setzen
• 42426 : Angepasstem Icon für ein Objekt mit ob der Didaktische Vorlage mit angepasstem Icon
• 42421 : Didaktische Vorlage löschen

Approval

Approved at 11 NOV 2020 by Kergomard, Stephan [skergomard].