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Public Access Export Files for All Objects

Page Overview

1 Initial Problem
2 Conceptual Summary
3 User Interface Modifications
- 3.1 List of Affected Views
- 3.2 User Interface Details
- 3.3 New User Interface Concepts
- 3.4 Accessibility Implications
4 Technical Information
5 Privacy
6 Security
7 Contact
8 Funding
9 Discussion
10 Implementation

1 Initial Problem

Currently, there is no straightforward way to expose an export file of an Object in ILIAS to users without the 'Edit Settings' permission. This is a problem in particular in the context of OER, where one wants to make it as easy as possible for others to reuse learning ressources.

2 Conceptual Summary

Similar to what is already possible in ILIAS Learning Modules and Glossaries, users with 'Edit Settings' permission should be able to mark one of the available export files of an object as 'Public Access'. This file should then be available to download to any user with 'Read' access to the object, directly on the Info page of the object.

Additionally, it should be possible to generate a permalink for the download of 'Public Access' export files (similar to File Objects), which can then be made available to querying referatories (see Metadata interface for querying by referatories).

Note that this feature will lead to some simplifications of the functionality related to the 'Public Access' export files of ILIAS Learning Modules and to a lesser extent Glossaries: it would not be possible to select more than one file as 'Public Access' anymore, and when such a file is available its download would always be offered to all users with 'Read' access, regardless whether they are anonymous (currently, the download button can be switched off for all or just for anonymous users).

This depends on the implementation of Managing the Exportfiles via IRSS.

3 User Interface Modifications

3.1 List of Affected Views

'Export' tab of all objects that are using ilExportGUI
'Info' tab of all objects
'Presentation View' of ILIAS Learning Modules and Glossaries
'Settings' tab, subtab 'Menu' of ILIAS Learning Modules
'Settings' tab, subtab 'Settings' of Glossaries

3.2 User Interface Details

The 'Export Files' table in the 'Export' tab of Objects offers an additional Action 'Select for Public Access', to mark one of the files accordingly.

For a file already marked as 'Public Access', the action changes to 'Deselect for Public Access'. When a 'Public Access' file already exists, and a different one is selected, the old file is deselected.

A download link to the Public Access export file of an object will be offered on the object's Info Page, as close as possible to the copyright information. It will be listed as a property in a new section 'License and Use' together with the copyright (which is moved to the new section from 'General').

Note that an overhaul of the Info Page is planned, see Transfer «Info-Page» to KS-Panels and -Items, which is not reflected in the Mock-ups on the right. The proposed changes are compatible to what we suggest here.

Abandoned Functionality for Learning Modules (analogously for Glossaries)

Form the 'Settings' tab of ILIAS Learning Modules and Glossaries (for the former in the subtab 'Menu'), the option 'Enable Download' will be removed. Further, the 'Download' menu entry in the Presentation View of ILIAS Learning Modules and the subsequent modal, and the 'Download' tab in the Presentation View of Glossaries will be removed.

3.3 New User Interface Concepts

No new user interface concepts required.

3.4 Accessibility Implications

No foreseeable accessibility implications.

4 Technical Information

The download permalink should be in the 'export' namespace (to avoid changes in all Objects for this feature) followed by object type and ref ID: 'go/export/crs/123/download'

The download permalink can be added to the Simple Dublin Core metadata set as a second identifier, see Metadata interface for querying by referatories for details.

5 Privacy

With this feature, personal data in the export file of objects (e.g. in LOM) is made available to a greater pool of people. This should be made clear in the privacy information of Export and Info Page.

6 Security

No foreseeable security implications.

7 Contact

Author of the Request: Schmitz, Tim [tschmitz]
Maintainer: Meyer, Stefan [smeyer] for Export, Killing, Alexander [alex] for Info Page, Glossary and ILIAS Learning Module
Implementation of the feature is done by: Ludolf, Christoph [cludolf]

8 Funding

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

FH Dortmund

9 Discussion

Kunkel, Matthias [mkunkel], 10 APR 2024: Am I right that with this change either an XML or an HTML export file of an ILIAS LM can be offered for download? So I have to decide if I want to offer an HTML export version of my LM to the public or the XML one that can be edited afterwards, right?

Schmitz, Tim [tschmitz], 12 APR 2024: Yes that is the current plan: only one 'Public Access' export file per object, independent of file type. We found this to be preferable because then there are no ambiguities which file you'll be getting when clicking on the download permalink.

Kergomard, Stephan [skergomard], 29. APR 2024: Please consider changing the wording. If I'm getting this right, you are not giving "Public Access" to anything, you are just offering a download link to this export on the info screen. If you do not have access to the info screen, you should not have access to the download. If this assumption is wrong and it really is a "Public Access" I object to it as responsible for AccessControl/RBAC. Suggestion for the wording either "Link on Info-Page" or "Offer on Info-Page" ("Auf Info-Seite verklinken" / "Download auf Info-Seite").

JourFixe, ILIAS [jourfixe], 29 APR 2024: We highly appreciate this suggestion and schedule the feature for ILIAS 10. The export of tests should be reduced to tests without participant data. In addition, the privacy chapter should be extended and notify about possible user data in export files.

10 Implementation

Implemented as described above: in the 'Export'-tab, one can flag exactly one export file as 'Public Access'. If there is such a file, a download link to it is shown on the Object's Info Screen.

In addition, if available the download link is included in the records that can be queried via the OAI PMH interface introduced with Metadata interface for querying by referatories, see the documentation for details.

To download the file via the link, a user must be logged in (or 'Anonymous Access' must be active in the Administration), and they must have 'read'-permission.

For exports of different types than the standard XML (e.g. HTML in Glossaries), the ability to flag them as 'Public Access' can be disallowed by the component. By default, no export options allow 'Public Access', except HTML exports of Glossaries and Learning Modules.

Note that the abandoning of the Learning Module- and Glossary-specific 'Public Access' export feature is not implemented yet. This will be done in a second step (but still for ILIAS 10).