We are pleased to announce the arrival of Totara 2.7.0!
This release contains many new features and improvements to existing functionality such as graphical reporting, Dynamic Appraisals, audience based dashboards, custom fields for Facetoface, many other enhancements especially in Facetoface and Reportbuilder.
We would like to particularly acknowledge contributions from our partners that have made it into this release -
Andrew Hancox and Davo Smith from Synergy Learning for their great work in the facetoface module, report builder, enhanced catalogue and especially for producing behat tests.
Eugene Venter, Chris Wharton from Catalyst for their great work on the main menu, report builder, and programs.
If we have missed anyone who contributed by mistake just let us know and we will make sure we credit you here!
Here's the changelog:
Release 2.7.0 (2nd March 2015):
==================================================
New features:
T-10087 Added new editing and configuration interface for the main menu
T-11033 Added new badge report source
T-11185 Added new dynamic Appraisals advanced feature
T-12199 Added new audience based visibility setting for courses, programs and certifications
T-12325 Added new course completion date filter for the Record Of Learning all courses report
T-12772 Added new aggregation and grouping column options in Reportbuilder reports
T-12892 Added new cut off date and minimum capacity options for Facetoface sessions
T-12900 Added new self approval feature for Facetoface sessions
T-12902 Added new feature to allow users to register their interest in a Facetoface session they cannot sign up for
T-13092 Added new Facetoface course enrolment plugin added to Totara
T-13093 Added direct enrolment into Facetoface sessions from the enhanced catalog interface
T-13114 Added feature to allow users to select a position when signing up for a Facetoface session
T-13195 Added new autowaitlist and signup lottery in Facetoface
T-13393 Added new setting to log user out of all sessions when their password is changed
T-13407 Added new page to view all of a user's active sessions
T-13468 Added new site log report source
T-13502 Added graphical reporting to Reportbuilder
T-13510 Added new upgrade log report source
T-13514 Added new feature to reset main menu to defaults
T-13693 Added completion status columns to the course completion report source
T-13713 Added 'is completed', 'is in progress', and 'is not yet started' columns to programs and certifications report sources
T-13714 Added new percentage aggregation option in Reportbuilder
T-13715 Added new options to control the audience visibility of main menu items
T-13718 Added custom fields to Facetoface sessions, signups and cancellations
T-13721 Added ability to use user placeholders in main menu URLs
T-13732 Added new audience based dashboards
T-13765 Added new aggregated question types to Appraisals
T-14081 Added MySQL configuration checks to the environment page
General improvements:
T-9537 Added the ability to include children when filtering course categories in Reportbuilder
T-9800 Improved the including of JS required by Reportbuilder filters
T-11043 Improved handling when appraisee is missing roles involved in an Appraisal
T-12309 Added link to the secure page layout in the element library
T-12344 Improved use of forms when adding links to the Quicklinks block
T-12388 Improved message when no results are returned for a program search
T-12450 Added ability to control whether Facetoface session cancellation is available to learners
T-12586 Removed totara-expanded-width class applied via JS
T-12592 Fixed database schemas between installed sites and upgraded sites
T-12662 Renamed Totara Sync to HR Import
T-12712 Improved number of content types that can be created by the Test Site Generator
T-12927 Added a new option to hide records between two dates in Reportbuilder date filters
T-12929 Allowed more user profile fields to be used in Facetoface notifications via substitution
T-13104 Changed Facetoface session duration to be stored in seconds instead of minutes
T-13221 Added visibility controls to Appraisal redisplay questions
T-13303 Introduced rb_display_nice_datetime_in_timezone method to complete timezone function suite
T-13335 Improved main menu JS dependencies
T-13338 Removed Recaptcha login protection in lieu of the new user lockout support
T-13363 Upgraded Totara cron tasks to scheduled tasks
T-13370 Changed Fusion Reportbuilder export to be longer enabled by default
T-13383 Prevented admin redirection to enrolment page after course creation
T-13408 Improved flexibility of which courses need to be completed to complete a Program courseset
T-13526 Added a debug option to embedded reports
T-13527 Added new Reportbuilder nice_date column format for displaying date information
T-13575 Converted set_time_limit calls to use core_php_time_limit::raise instead
T-13604 Improved handling of Totara user events to match Moodle behaviour
T-13605 Added support for Totara-specific post upgrade steps
T-13608 Added display of Standard Totara footer on popup pages
T-13615 Added performance improvements for bulk user enrolments and role assignments
T-13643 Removed W3C deprecated HTML tags
T-13690 Added ability to specify password rotation as part of the password policy
T-13716 Added ability to prevent cancellations within a certain time of a Facetoface session date
T-13762 Fixed Reportbuilder file exports to now use parent folder permissions.
T-13789 Removed unused function prog_get_all_users_programs
T-13838 Added ability to withdraw from pending enrolments within the enhanced catalogue
T-13980 Increased maximum database table name length
T-14053 Improved timezone handling across the entire codebase
Accessibility and usability improvements:
T-11919 Cleaned up nested HTML tables in toolbars
T-12013 Improved the display of links in the Kiwifruit Responsive theme
T-12332 Fixed current item in the navbar being incorrectly shown as a link
T-12333 Added headings to many pages where there was no heading
T-12334 Improved contrast of help icons
T-12340 Converted labels with no associated input to more appropriate elements
T-12350 Added a heading to the delete Learning Plan page
T-12354 Added a heading to the form used to create a Learning Plan
T-12356 Improved alt text for the date selector
T-12358 Improved title attribute on the tab name when editing a Learning Plan
T-12359 Increased contrast of notification messages for usability
T-12367 Fixed positioning of the Save and Cancel buttons in hierarchy dialogues
T-12374 Fixed multiple h1 elements on the my reports page
T-12380 Added a heading to the delete scheduled report page
T-12389 Removed incorrect fieldset HTML elements on Program content tab
T-12390 Added missing title to the launch course column when viewing an assigned Program
T-12398 Changed display of ical image to text, and increased the contrast, when viewing the calendar
T-12415 Converted calendar export to use mforms
T-12418 Added a heading to the file upload dialogue
T-12423 Fixed keyboard navigation on user positions page
T-12424 Fixed the labels for start and end date on the user positions pages
T-12685 Converted add new user link to a button on the browse users page
T-13011 Removed HTML tables from Message alerts
T-13016 Cleaned up nested HTML tables in the alerts report
T-13702 Converted to mforms date selector when creating Learning Plans
T-13076 Converted to mforms date selector when creating new Audiences
T-13089 Converted to mforms date selector when creating and editing Programs
T-13304 Improved display of instant filtering in Reportbuilder
T-13360 Improved the display markup of the users current session in a Facetoface module
T-13362 Removed nested HTML tables in Facetoface events
T-13369 Improved Facetoface block session filter HTML
T-13515 Improved HTML layout of calendar filters in Facetoface block
T-13609 Improved HTML layout when viewing messages
T-13614 Improved HTML layout when viewing course groups
T-13705 Fixed positioning of cancel and save buttons
T-13728 Improved heading hierarchy on required learning pages
T-13741 Improved HTML layout of web services documentation
T-13791 Removed HTML table when viewing another user's Required Learning
T-13804 Added a label to all duration based admin settings
T-13949 Improved the alt text on images in the statistics block
T-13999 Added missing labels to time selectors in admin settings
Feature details
===============
== Main menu customisations (T-10087, T-13514, T-13715, T-13721) ==
The following improvements have been made to the main menu:
1. It is now possible to customise the main menu by adding and removing your own items.
Existing items cannot at present be deleted, as they may be relied upon for navigation.
2. The placement (sorting) of all items in the menu can be customised to your liking.
3. The visibility of all menu items can be controlled. You can both mark an item either hidden/visible or you can configure
rules to determine the visibility at the time the page is displayed for the current user.
4. User placeholders can be used in the URLs of custom menu items. These get replaced at run time with the data of the current user.
5. At any point the customised main menu can be reset, returning it to the default state.
== Dynamic appraisals (T-11185) ==
This feature consists of two main changes:
1. When a user is added or removed from a group (position/organisation/audience) that is assigned to an active appraisal, the
appraisals assignments will mirror this change, assigning or removing the user from the appraisal instead of the assignments
being locked on the appraisal's activation.
2. When a user's role (manager/teamlead/appraiser) is changed or deleted mid-appraisal the change will be mirrored in the appraisal
roles instead of locked on the appraisals activation.
Upgraded sites will have to enable this feature by ticking the "Dynamic Appraisals" checkbox on the "Advanced features" site
administration page. It is enabled by default for new installations.
A more detailed description of the changes can be found here: https://totara.community/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=9563
== New aggregation and grouping column options in Reportbuilder reports (T-12772) ==
This new feature allows administrators to create new reports that aggregate rows using different functions.
There are also new configurable display options.
Developers need to update 3rd party reports to include data types for each column, otherwise the new display and aggregation options
will not be available in report configuration interface.
== Facetoface course enrolment plugin (T-13092) ==
The plugin is disabled by default. When enabled it can be added to any course as an enrolment instance.
Users not already enrolled in the course may then enrol in a Facetoface session within the course and as part of the process an
enrolment record will be created and they will be given access to the course.
== Facetoface custom fields (T-13718, T-11744) ==
Its now possible to add custom fields to three places in the Facetoface module.
There are significant changes to the session, signup and cancellation screens in order to accommodate these changes.
The following areas now custom fields:
* Sessions - included when adding and editing sessions. Shown on the session signup page.
* Signups - included when the user signs up to a sessions. Shown when viewing the attendees and in the Facetoface session report.
* Cancellations - including when cancelling a signup to a session. Shown when viewing cancellations and in the Facetoface session
report.
== T-13732 Audience based dashboards ==
Administrators can now create audience based dashboards.
These dashboards operate just like the My Learning page in that a default can be created and then each user in the assigned
audiences can customise their dashboard to suit their needs.
As many dashboards can be created as desired.
The default home page for a Totara site can now be set to a dashboard and users can also be given the option of choosing a particular
dashboard as their home page.
Database schema changes
=======================
New tables:
Bug ID New table name
-----------------------------
T-10087 totara_navigation
T-11185 appraisal_role_changes
T-12902 facetoface_interest
T-13092 enrol_totara_f2f_pending
T-13502 report_builder_graph
T-13715 totara_navigation_settings
T-13718 facetoface_session_info_field
T-13718 facetoface_session_info_data
T-13718 facetoface_session_info_data_param
T-13718 facetoface_signup_info_field
T-13718 facetoface_signup_info_data
T-13718 facetoface_signup_info_data_param
T-13718 facetoface_cancellation_info_field
T-13718 facetoface_cancellation_info_data
T-13718 facetoface_cancellation_info_data_param
New fields:
Bug ID Table name New field name
------------------------------------------------------------
T-11185 appraisal_user_assignment status
T-11185 appraisal_role_assignment timecreated
T-12772 report_builder_columns transform
T-12772 report_builder_columns aggregate
T-12772 report_builder_cache queryhash
T-12892 facetoface_sessions mincapacity
T-12892 facetoface_sessions cutoff
T-12900 facetoface_sessions selfapproval
T-12900 facetoface selfapprovaltandc
T-12902 facetoface declareinterest
T-12902 facetoface interestonlyiffull
T-13195 facetoface_sessions waitlisteveryone
T-13502 report_builder timemodified
T-13502 report_builder_saved timemodified
T-13715 totara_navigation visibilityold
T-12450 facetoface allowcancellationsdefault
T-12450 facetoface_sessions allowcancellations
T-13408 prog_courseset mincourses
T-13408 prog_courseset coursesumfield
T-13408 prog_courseset coursesumfieldtotal
T-13716 facetoface cancellationscutoffdefault
T-13716 facetoface_sessions cancellationcutoff
Modified fields:
Bug ID Table name Field name
--------------------------------------------------------
T-13718 facetoface_notice_data data Changed to text
Dropped tables:
Bug ID Table name
-------------------------
T-13718 facetoface_session_field
T-13718 facetoface_session_data
Dropped fields:
Bug ID Table name Field name
--------------------------------------------------------
T-12772 report_builder_cache config
T-12772 report_builder_settings cached value
API changes
===========
== T-9800 Reportbuilder filters can now include the JS they require ==
* Newly introduce rb_filter_type::include_js allows filters to include any JS they require.
== T-11185 New dynamic appraisals advanced feature ==
* totara_assign_core::store_user_assignments - two new optional arguments $newusers (arg 1) and $processor (arg 2), both default to
null.
* totara_assign_core::get_current_users - new argument $forcegroup (arg 4)
* totara_setup_assigndialogs - one new optional argument (arg 1) The html output of a notice to display on change
* totara_appraisal_renderer::confirm_appraisal_activation - new argument $warnings (arg 1)
== T-12199 New audience based visibility setting for courses, programs and certifications ==
* totara_visibility_where - new optional argument $fieldvisible (arg 3) defaults to course.id.
* rb_base_source::add_course_table_to_joinlist - new optional argument $jointype (arg 4) defaults to LEFT
== T-13104 Facetoface session duration is now stored in seconds instead of minutes ==
* Facetoface_sessions.duration is now stored in seconds instead of in minutes.
== T-13221 Added visibility controls to Appraisal redisplay questions ==
* New method question_base::inherits_permissions; classes extending question_base can now optionally override inherits_permissions
and return true if the question class should inherit its permissions from another question.
Initially used for the redisplay question type as it should inherit its permissions from the earlier question it is displaying.
== T-13303 Introduced rb_display_nice_datetime_in_timezone method to complete timezone function suite ==
* new rb_base_source::rb_display_nice_datetime_in_timezone method
== T-13338 Recaptcha login protection has been removed in lieu of the new user lockout support ==
* login_forgot_password_form::captcha_enabled method has been removed. It is no longer used.
== T-13363 Upgraded Totara cron tasks to scheduled tasks ==
The following functions have been removed:
* registration_cron
* totara_core_cron
* block_totara_stats::cron method has been removed.
* reminder_cron
* facetoface_cron
* totara_appraisal_cron
* totara_certification_cron
* tcohort_cron
* totara_cohort_cron
* totara_hierarchy_cron
* totara_message_install
* totara_message_cron
* totara_plan_cron
* totara_program_cron
* totara_reportbuilder_cron
The following files have been removed. If you have cron set up to call any of these you will need to update your cron configuration.
* admin/tool/totara_sync/run_cron.php
* totara/appraisal/cron.php
* totara/appraisal/runcron.php
* totara/certification/cron.php
* totara/cohort/cron.php
* totara/hierarchy/prefix/competency/cron.php
* totara/hierarchy/prefix/goal/cron.php
* totara/message/cron.php
* totara/plan/cron.php
* totara/program/cron.php
* totara/reportbuilder/cron.php
* totara/reportbuilder/runcron.php
== T-13393 New setting to log user out of all sessions when their password is changed ==
* \core\session\manager::kill_user_sessions - new optional argument $keepsid (arg 2) keep the given session id alive. If not
* provided all sessions belonging to the user will be ended.
== T-13502 Implement graphical reporting in Reportbuilder ==
It is now possible to add graphs to reports. The graphs from each report may be also displayed as page blocks.
Developers need to update 3rd party reports to include date types for each numerical column, otherwise the columns will not be
available when setting up graphs in reportbuidler interface.
== T-13527 Implemented report build date column format ==
This change introduces a new nice date list display class and removes remaining uses of the deprecated rb_display_nice_date function.
== T-13605 added support for Totara specific post upgrade steps ==
It is now possible to define Totara specific post upgrade steps.
These steps should be defined within db/totara_postupgrade.php.
A single method should exist within this file xmldb_pluginname_totara_postupgrade.
== T-13714 New percentage aggregation option in the Reportbuilder ==
* New \totara_reportbuilder\rb\aggregate\percent and \totara_reportbuilder\rb\display\percent classes.
* New boolean datatype for report source columns. Existing columns have been converted where required.
* rb_base_source::rb_display_percent function removed as we have now got dedicated type, aggregate and display for percentages.
== T-13721 User placeholders can now be used in main menu URL's ==
* \totara_core\totara\menu\item::get_url - new optional argument $replaceparams (arg 1) when true (default) params in the URL will
be replaced with relevant data.
== T-13604 Cleanup Totara user events ==
* \totara_core\event\user_firstlogin was removed, use standard \core\event\user_loggedin
event instead, in case of first login $USER->firstaccess and $USER->currentlogin are equal.
== T-13604 Cleanup Totara user events ==
* \totara_core\event\user_enrolment was removed, use standard \core\event\user_enrolment_created
event instead
== T-13711 Non numeric columns are no longer shown as graph data sources in Reportbuilder ==
* rb_base_source::get_used_components - new method that should be overridden to return an array of frankenstyle components used by
the current source and all parents.
* totara_reportbuilder\rb\aggregate\base::is_graphable - new method that should be overridden by all aggregate classes and should
return true if the given column can be graphed or false otherwise. By default it runs null and Reportbuilder will guess.
* totara_reportbuilder\rb\display\base::is_graphable - new method that should be overridden by all display classes and should return
true if the given column can be graphed or false otherwise. By default it runs null and Reportbuilder will guess.
* totara_reportbuilder\rb\transform\base::is_graphable - new method that should be overridden by all transform classes and should
return true if the given column can be graphed or false otherwise. By default it runs null and Reportbuilder will guess.
* New column option “graphable” can be set to true if the column being defined is graphable.
== T-13789 Remove unused function prog_get_all_users_programs ==
* prog_get_all_users_programs function was removed.
== T-13980 Increase maximum database table name length ==
This change increases the maximum database table name length from 28 to 40.
This facilitates better table naming in Totara.
Other notable changes
=====================
T-12772 Imported SVGGraph 2.16 third party library into Totara
T-13092 New enrol_totara_facetoface plugin added to Totara.
T-13407 New report_usersessions plugin added to Totara.
T-13732 New Totara component totara_dashboard
T-13732 New block_totara_dashboard plugin added to Totara.
T-14081 We strongly advise anyone not already using InnoDB or XtraDB to convert to one of these.
T-14081 InnoDB should be configured to use the Barracuda file format and to use one file per table.