The artefacts in this tab are of a general nature or do not fit into any other category and can be used around the site.
When you create a page in a group, you do not have the plans block available as you cannot create plans in groups. Additionally, you can choose the following blocks when you edit the group homepage:
Add text to your page. This feature is used when you do not want to keep the text in a journal, e.g. just for small snippets of text.
Configure the Text box block
Block title: Provide a title for your text.
Block content: Write your text. You can include formatting, external images etc.
Alternatively, you can also use text from another note that you have already written.
License: You see this drop-down menu if the site administrator turned on license metadata. Additionally, if you are in an institution, your institution administrator may require you to provide a license. Your default license is displayed. You can set your default license in your account settings. You may choose a different license for each individual artefact.
Advanced licensing: If you can / must enter license information, you can also provide information about the original licensor and a URL where the original can be found.
Tags: Enter tags to find your text box more easily at a later stage. Separate your tags with commas. If you already have tags, you can click on the link Show my tags and select the ones that you think will fit for this collection as well. They will be entered into the text field for you.
Attachments: Attach files to a text box as additional evidence for the text you are writing. The following steps show you how to do that.
Files area: Choose from which files area you would like to select a file:
License information: You see these fields if the site administrator turned on license metadata. Additionally, if you are in an institution, your institution administrator may require you to provide a license.
Upload file: You do not have to go back to your Files area in Content in order to upload a file. You can do so directly from this screen.
If the site administrator turned on the image resizing option, you can decide whether you want to have your images resized if they are larger than the specified dimensions. This option is recommended to save space in your portfolio.
Folder path: The breadcrumbs show in which folder you are currently.
You can still edit any component of the file, i.e. its file name, description and tags by clicking the Edit button.
Choose the file or files you wish to display by clicking the Select button.
Warning
When you place group, institution or site files into a page, beware that these files may not be available at some point anymore when the person in charge deletes them.
You can also still select files (within folders) that have been submitted in another portfolio page.
Click the Remove button to not display a specific file in this block anymore.
Retractable: Tick this checkbox if you want to allow users to reduce the block to its heading on a page. The user can click the Retractable icon to just show the heading.
Automatically retract: Tick this checkbox if you want to show only the block’s heading when a user views the page. The user can click the Retracted icon to view the entire block.
Click the Save button to accept your changes, or click the Cancel button to leave the block’s content as it is. The Remove button is shown only when you place the block into the page for the first time.
You can also click the Close button in the top right-hand corner to either remove a newly created block before it is being saved or to cancel any changes and leave the block’s content as it is.
Note
We recommend you do not include images that you have uploaded to Mahara in a text box. It cannot be guaranteed that they are displayed for other users if they do not have access to the image via another portfolio page. All access in Mahara is granted to pages and through them to the artefact blocks. An image in a text box is not recognized as artefact and can therefore not receive its proper permissions.
You can re-use text from other text boxes (a.k.a. Notes) from one page in another.
Warning
If you do not make a copy of a text box content and change it, the text is changed in all other instances where this text box is used.
Configure the Text box block by copying text
Block title: Provide a title for your text. You should only enter it after you selected the text box to re-use as the title of the original text box will be entered.
Click the link Use content from another text box to view all the text boxes to which you have access. These can be:
Click Browse or Search to find the text box that you want to re-use.
All text boxes are listed with their title and the first line. Click the radio button next to the text box that you want to use again.
If a text box does not belong to you but a group for example, you see the author next to the text box title.
Use the pager to move between your notes if more than 5 are displayed.
The content of the text box that you have selected is displayed in the Block content box. You can now make changes. The text will be changed in all other instances where this text box appears.
If you wish to make changes to the text but do not want to change it everywhere else, click the Make a copy link above the Block content in the red box. The text is then retained, but it is treated like a new text box.
Click the Manage all text box content link to be taken to your personal Notes to make changes there instead of in an existing text box from this popup window here.
License: You see this drop-down menu if the site administrator turned on license metadata. Additionally, if you are in an institution, your institution administrator may require you to provide a license. Your default license is displayed. You can set your default license in your account settings. You may choose a different license for each individual artefact.
Advanced licensing: If you can / must enter license information, you can also provide information about the original licensor and a URL where the original can be found.
Tags: Enter tags to find your text box more easily at a later stage. Separate your tags with commas. If you already have tags, you can click on the link Show my tags and select the ones that you think will fit for this collection as well. They will be entered into the text field for you.
Attachments: Attach files to a text box as additional evidence for the text you are writing.
Note
When you copy a text box, no files that are attached to the original text box are copied.
Retractable: Tick this checkbox if you want to allow users to reduce the block to its heading on a page. The user can click the Retractable icon to just show the heading.
Automatically retract: Tick this checkbox if you want to show only the block’s heading when a user views the page. The user can click the Retracted icon to view the entire block.
Click the Save button to accept your changes, or click the Cancel button to leave the block’s content as it is. The Remove button is shown only when you place the block into the page for the first time.
You can also click the Close button in the top right-hand corner to either remove a newly created block before it is being saved or to cancel any changes and leave the block’s content as it is.
See also
You can watch a demo of this feature in action.
Add a block to your page which lets users know under which Creative Commons license your page is published.
Configure the Creative Commons license block
See also
For more information about the licenses and their terms, visit the Creative Commons web site.
Display one of your plans in a block.
Note
You must create at least one plan in order to use this block.
Configure the Plans block
Result of an embedded plan in a portfolio page. By clicking on the linked titles, you can show the descriptions of the individual tasks.
The Inbox block displays the latest messages that you have received.
Note
This block can only be used on your dashboard.
Configure the Inbox block
When you display messages from other users on your dashboard through the Inbox block, you can see quickly which messages you have not read. They are marked in bold and have a closed envelope. Messages you have read are indicated by an open envelope.
Unread messages have a closed envelope and are displayed in bold whereas read messages have an open envelope
The Latest pages block displays the latest pages to which you have access across Mahara.
Note
This block can only be used on your dashboard.
Configure the Latest pages block
The Watched pages block displays the pages that are on your watchlist.
Note
This block can only be used on your dashboard.
Configure the Watched pages block
This block is a default block on the group homepage. There is no configuration possible.
Note
This block can only be used on a group homepage.
Items in the group info block
The block contains information about:
This block is a default block on the group homepage. You can display member profile pictures and their names.
Note
This block can only be used on a group homepage.
Configure the Group members block
This block is a default block on the group homepage. You can display pages created in and / or shared with the group in this block.
Note
This block can only be used on a group homepage.
Configure the Group pages block
Display a specified number of recent forum posts from one group on a page.
Note
You must be a member of at least one group in order to use this block.
Configure the Recent forum posts block