Optional Extension Content Automations Scope Over a Subtree

1 Initial Problem

By now (v8), the content automation of study programmes can only react to courses being added to a single category (incl. create, copy, and move actions) or being removed from it (incl. delete or move actions).
Once a training is being moved from the defined category (or categories), some results occur:

• The course link object is deleted from the study programme.
• The "Completed by" column in the "Assignments" tab still displays the title of a course by which an assignment has been completed, however, the link to this course disappears. This even happens if the target category has been selected for content automation, too (because it's derived from the original course link object that doesn't exist anymore).
• In case the target category has been selected, too, the (new) courselink object is attached as the last object in the "Content" tab of the study programme (and there isn't any way to affect the sort order).

In case this happens, it becomes increasingly hard to comprehend in retrospect by which training an assignment has been completed, especially if different trainings have the same title.
And there are some conceivable scenarios in which courses are moved from their original category to sub-category, e.g.:

• The category becomes confusing because it contains so may trainings, so an administrator would like to sub-divide it into different ones, e.g. by years or by type (online vs. classroom trainings).
• Classroom trainings which have already taken place are supposed to be moved to some "Archive" sub-category.

2 Conceptual Summary

We suggest to add an opportunity to expand the content automation's scope over the entire subtree of a selected category.

3 User Interface Modifications

3.1 List of Affected Views

• "Content Automation" view of the "Settings" tab in study programmes

3.2 User Interface Details

• The table in the "Content Automation" view has an additional column "Sub-Categories included" that uses positive/negative icons to indicate whether expanding the scope is enabled.
• Each entry in the table gets an additional option "Include Subcategories" in its Actions menu. If this action is triggered, a confirmation screen appears, which explains what the effect will be if confirmed.
• In case the action is triggered and confirmed, the entire subtree from the selected category will be considered by the content automation.
• In case a course is moved within the extended scope (i.e., to a sub-category), this does not trigger a new determination of the course links to be created or removed in the study program:
  The training link remains available, so ...
  • the link in the "Completed by" column in the "Assignments" tab is also retained for assignments completed by training.
  • the sorting of the training links remains the same.

3.3 New User Interface Concepts

none

3.4 Accessibility Implications

none

4 Technical Information

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5 Privacy

none

6 Security

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7 Contact

• Author of the Request: Suittenpointner, Florian [suittenpointner]
  
• Maintainer: Klees, Richard [rklees]
• Implementation of the feature is done by: Klees, Richard [rklees]

8 Funding

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

• CaT Concepts and Training GmbH

9 Discussion

10 Implementation

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Test Cases

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