Developer Area/Import//Export/LEAP Extensions

This page documents Mahara-specific extensions to the LEAP2A standard.

artefactplugin

This element is used to provide information about what artefact type the entry represents, and (slightly redundantly) what artefact plugin provides that artefact type. Mahara uses this at import time for some entries, in order to make smarter decisions about how an entry should be imported.

An example is profile icons - Mahara stores these in a separate area to the rest of a user's files, but there is no concept of a profile icon in the LEAP2A specification, which means it would be impossible to detect them again when importing. This element allows Mahara to recognise these profile icons.

Example:

type

This attribute on the mahara:artefactplugin element indicates the type of artefact a given entry corresponds to.

plugin

This attribute on the mahara:artefactplugin element indicates the artefact plugin that exported the entry. This information is somewhat redundant, as it can be calculated from the type, but its presence makes import routines easier.

ownerformat

This element is used to pass the 'owner format' field around. This field describes how the author of a View wants their name displayed. It is seen in Mahara when you look at a View, and you see "View Title by Person's Name".

This field takes an integer value with its meaning defined by the FORMAT_NAME_* constants defined at the bottom of Mahara's lib/view.php. Here, they are reproduced for convenience:

/**
  * display format for author names in views - firstname
  */
 define('FORMAT_NAME_FIRSTNAME', 1);
 
 /**
  * display format for author names in views - lastname
  */
 define('FORMAT_NAME_LASTNAME', 2);
 
 /**
  * display format for author names in views - firstname lastname
  */
 define('FORMAT_NAME_FIRSTNAMELASTNAME', 3);
 
 /**
  * display format for author names in views - preferred name
  */
 define('FORMAT_NAME_PREFERREDNAME', 4);
 
 /**
  * display format for author names in views - student id
 */
 define('FORMAT_NAME_STUDENTID', 5);
 
 /**
  * display format for author names in views - obeys display_name
  */
 define('FORMAT_NAME_DISPLAYNAME', 6);