This document discusses Moodle's global search plugin capabilities introduced in Moodle 3.1. It describes how plugins can add their content to the search engine by defining search areas and documents. It covers indexing data, access control, and leveraging existing classes to easily add activity information to searches. The document provides links to Moodle documentation and code samples for further customizing the search experience.

1. MOODLEMOOT AUSTRALIA 2016
MOODLEMOOT AUSTRALIA 2016 - PERTH 27th
- 29th
SEPTEMBER
Presented by David Monllao, Integrator and Senior Analyst
Developer
Add your plugin contents to
global search

2. MOODLEMOOT AUSTRALIA 2016
● Available from Moodle 3.1 onwards
● What is it?
○ A new Search engine plugin type
■ To store Moodle sites’ contents
○ A new Search API
■ So Moodle components can add stuff to
search engines
○ A UI to search the search engine contents
Global Search

3. MOODLEMOOT AUSTRALIA 2016
Search areas
It is what Moodle components need to define
to add contents to the search engine.
● Name it: $string[‘search:stuff’] = ‘My plugin - stuff’;
● Define the context level where your plugin works
○ For partially automated control access

4. MOODLEMOOT AUSTRALIA 2016
Documents
It is each of the “contents” that search areas
index into the search engine
1 document = 1 result = 1 URL

5. MOODLEMOOT AUSTRALIA 2016
● get_recordset_by_timestamp($modifiedfrom = 0)
○ Retrieve your documents data and return them as a
recordset
● get_document($record, $options = array)
○ Called for each recordset record
○ Map your $record attributes to
core_searchdocument fields
https://docs.moodle.org/dev/Search_API#Index_data
Index data

6. MOODLEMOOT AUSTRALIA 2016
● Search manager partially automates documents
security checkings
○ Course: Enrolled and visible (or viewhiddencourses)
○ Activities: Visible for the user (cm_info->uservisible)
○ User: The current user
● A query filter is automatically added by the search
manager
https://docs.moodle.org/dev/Search_API#Access_control
Access control

7. MOODLEMOOT AUSTRALIA 2016
● core_searchbase::check_access
○ Runs once results are returned from the search
engine
○ Restrictions depend on your plugins’ logic
■ e.g. Approved entries
■ Internal tables groupid fields
https://docs.moodle.org/dev/Search_API#Access_control
Access control

8. MOODLEMOOT AUSTRALIA 2016
● Will index your activities’ name and description
● Abstract class does all the stuff for you
○ https://github.com/moodle/moodle/blob/master/search/classes/b
ase_activity.php (search/classes/area/base_activity.php in 3.1)
https://docs.moodle.org/dev/Search_API#Easy_case:_
Activity_information
Easy case: Add my activity info

9. MOODLEMOOT AUSTRALIA 2016
● Search result template
○ https://github.com/moodle/moodle/blob/master/search/templates
/result.mustache
● Navigation bar search box
○ https://github.com/moodle/moodle/blob/master/lib/outputrender
ers.php#L3279
Extra stuff to customise

10. MOODLEMOOT AUSTRALIA 2016
For more information contact:
moodle.com
davidm@moodle.com