Module Development

If you are interested in developing a module for Gibbon, use the instructions below. Contact support@gibbonedu.org if you are stuck.

Module Basics

Modules are the easiest way to extend Gibbon without having to hack the core, and risk losing your changes on upgrade. Each module provides one or more actions, and each action can be assigned to user roles through a system of permissions. Modules can be installed, updated and uninstalled.

Starter Module

Download or fork the starter module and use it to begin coding up a module. Remove or replace the GNU GPL statement depending on your needs. The starter module consists of:

Module Translation

As of Gibbon v13 (released on January 20th 2016), additional modules are translatable. v4.5.00 of the Free Learning module is available as a model to demonstrate how module translation works (it is not yet translated, but can be). To prepare a module for translation:

The PO file can now be translated, and the resulting MO file produced. Installing and using such a module should lead to the relevant strings being translated.

Module Hooks

The Gibbon Core provides three hooks, which allow additional modules to insert data into the interface of the Core modules. These hooks are for Public Home Page, Student Profile and Unit. To use one of the hooks, your module’s manifest file must write an entry to the core database table gibbonHook, specifying:

  1. name - The name of the hook will be displayed in the interface: for example, a Unit hook called “IB MYP” will result in such units being labelled as “IB MYP Unit” through the system.
  2. type- The system currently provides the following hook types
    1. Parent Dashboard
    2. Student Dashboard
    3. Staff Dashboard
    4. Public Homepage
    5. Student Profile
  3. options- This field consists of a serialized array of options for the hook. The exact options depend on the hook, as described below:
    1. Parent/Student/Staff Dashboard
      1. sourceModuleName - the name of the source module that data is being drawn from (e.g. IB Diploma)
      2. sourceModuleAction - the name of the action in the source module that the user needs to have access to in order to see this data
      3. sourceModuleInclude - the php file to include, which spits out the data into the Parental Dashboard
    2. Public Home Page
      1. toggleSettingName - the name of the gibbonSetting setting which allows this home page element to be turned on or off
      2. toggleSettingScope - the scope of the gibbonSetting setting which allows this home page element to be turned on or off
      3. toggleSettingValue - the “on” value of the gibbonSetting setting which allows this home page element to be turned on or off
      4. title - the title of the section to be displayed on the public home page
      5. text - the text of the section to be displayed on the public home page
    3. Student Profile
      1. sourceModuleName - the name of the source module that data is being drawn from (e.g. IB Diploma)
      2. sourceModuleAction - the name of the action in the source module that the user needs to have access to in order to see this data
      3. sourceModuleInclude - the php file to include, which spits out the data into the Student Profile page
  4. gibbonModuleID - This is needed to remove hooks when a module is uninstalled.
    1. Because the module ID is generated on install, you cannot hard code it into your module. You can use the following sql as a subquery when you create your hook insertion query: SELECT gibbonModuleID FROM gibbonModule WHERE name='$name'

As an example, if you want to use the Units hook, you could use the following code in your manifest, setting your own array values according to your database table design:

$array['unitTable'] = 'test';
$array['unitIDField'] = 'gibbonUnitID';
$array['unitCourseIDField'] = 'gibbonCourseID';
$array['unitNameField'] = 'name';
$array['unitDescriptionField'] = 'description';
$array['classLinkTable'] = 'testClass';
$array['classLinkJoinField'] = 'gibbonUnitID';
$array['classLinkIDField'] = 'gibbonCourseClassID';
$array['classLinkStartDateField'] = 'date';
print_r($array);

See Also


Contributors to this page : rossdotparker