Course Search Block

A comprehensive Moodle block plugin that provides powerful course-specific content search functionality across all major activity types.

Features

• Simple, intuitive search form within the block
• Comprehensive search across all major activity types in the current course
• Displays search results with content previews and direct links
• Accessible design with proper ARIA roles and semantic HTML
• Responsive layout that works on desktop and mobile devices
• Modular architecture for easy extension

Comprehensive Search Coverage

The plugin provides deep content search across all major Moodle activity types:

Core Activities & Resources

• Activity and resource names and descriptions (all modules)
• Assignment titles and descriptions
• Page content
• Label content
• URL and File resource descriptions

Interactive Content

• Forum Content: Posts, discussions, and topics with direct links to discussions
• Book Content: Chapter titles and full chapter content with links to specific chapters
• Wiki Content: Wiki page titles and content with links to specific pages
• Glossary Content: Terms (concepts) and definitions with links to specific entries

Assessment & Learning

• Quiz Content: Question names, question text, and feedback from the question bank
• Lesson Content: Lesson page titles and content
• Workshop Content: Submission titles and content
• Feedback Content: Feedback items and presentation text

Data & Collaboration

• Database Content: Data module records and field content with links to specific records

Advanced Features

• Smart Content Detection: Automatically detects which modules are installed and searches accordingly
• Contextual Results: Shows activity type, parent activity name, and content preview
• Direct Navigation: Results link directly to specific content (chapters, posts, entries, etc.)
• Permission Aware: Respects course module visibility and user permissions
• Performance Optimized: Efficient database queries with proper indexing

Installation

1. Copy the plugin files to /blocks/course_search/ in your Moodle installation
2. Visit the admin notifications page to complete the installation
3. The block will be available to add to course pages

Usage

1. Add the "Course Search" block to a course page
2. Enter search terms in the search form
3. Click "Search" to view comprehensive results
4. Results are displayed with:
   • Activity title and parent activity name
   • Activity type (e.g., "Book - Chapter", "Forum - Post")
   • Content preview with highlighted search terms
   • Direct links to specific content locations

Search Examples

• "synchronously" - Finds the term in book chapters, forum posts, quiz questions, lesson pages, etc.
• "assignment" - Finds assignment titles, descriptions, and any content mentioning assignments
• "discussion" - Finds forum discussions, posts, and any related content
• "quiz" - Finds quiz questions, feedback, and quiz-related content across all activities

Accessibility

• Proper semantic HTML structure
• ARIA labels for screen readers
• Keyboard navigation support
• High contrast styling
• Responsive design for all devices

Privacy

This plugin does not store any personal data. It only searches existing course content that users already have access to.

Technical Details

• Compatibility: Moodle 4.0+ (backwards compatible with 3.9+)
• Database: Uses core Moodle APIs for secure database access
• Standards: Follows Moodle coding standards and best practices
• Security: Includes proper capability checks and SQL injection protection
• Styling: Responsive Bootstrap-compatible styling with custom CSS
• Architecture: Modular design with separate search functions for each activity type
• Performance: Optimized database queries with conditional module loading

Extensibility

The plugin is designed for easy extension. To add support for additional activity types:

1. Create a new search function following the pattern: block_course_search_search_[module]_content()
2. Add the function call to the main search function
3. Follow the existing patterns for database queries and result formatting

Database Tables Searched

The plugin searches the following core Moodle tables:

• course_modules - Activity instances
• forum_posts, forum_discussions - Forum content
• book_chapters - Book content
• question, quiz_slots - Quiz questions
• lesson_pages - Lesson content
• wiki_pages - Wiki content
• glossary_entries - Glossary terms
• workshop_submissions - Workshop content
• feedback_item - Feedback content
• data_content, data_records - Database module content
• Plus module-specific tables for each activity type

Author

BC Public Service Agency.

License

Coming soon but open.