Moodle PHP Documentation 4.5
Moodle 4.5dev (Build: 20240606) (d3ae1391abe)
block_base Class Reference

Class for describing a moodle block, all Moodle blocks derive from this class. More...

Inheritance diagram for block_base:
block_accessreview block_activity_results block_admin_bookmarks block_badges block_blog_menu block_blog_recent block_blog_tags block_calendar_month block_calendar_upcoming block_comments block_completionstatus block_course_summary block_globalsearch block_glossary_random block_html block_list block_login block_lp block_mentees block_myoverview block_myprofile block_navigation block_news_items block_online_users block_private_files block_recent_activity block_recentlyaccessedcourses block_recentlyaccesseditems block_rss_client block_search_forums block_section_links block_selfcompletion block_settings block_starredcourses block_tag_flickr block_tag_youtube block_tags block_timeline

Public Member Functions

 __construct ()
 Class Functions.
 
 _load_instance ($instance, $page)
 Set up a particular instance of this class given data from the block_insances table and the current page.
 
 _self_test ()
 Tests if this block has been implemented correctly.
 
 applicable_formats ()
 Which page types this block may appear on.
 
 before_delete ()
 Function that can be overridden to do extra cleanup before the database tables are deleted.
 
 can_block_be_added (moodle_page $page)
 This method can be overriden to add some extra checks to decide whether the block can be added or not to a page.
 
 config_save ($data)
 Default behavior: save all variables as $CFG properties You don't need to override this if you 're satisfied with the above.
 
 get_aria_role ()
 Returns the aria role attribute that best describes this block.
 
 get_config_for_external ()
 Return the plugin config settings for external functions.
 
 get_content ()
 Parent class version of this function simply returns NULL This should be implemented by the derived class to return the content object.
 
 get_content_for_external ($output)
 Return an object containing all the block content to be returned by external functions.
 
 get_content_for_output ($output)
 Return a block_contents object representing the full contents of this block.
 
 get_content_type ()
 Returns the class $content_type var value.
 
 get_required_javascript ()
 Allows the block to load any JS it requires into the page.
 
 get_title ()
 Returns the class $title var value.
 
 has_config ()
 Subclasses should override this and return true if the subclass block has a settings.php file.
 
 hide_header ()
 Default return is false - header will be shown.
 
 html_attributes ()
 Return any HTML attributes that you want added to the outer.
 
 instance_allow_config ()
 Is each block of this type going to have instance-specific configuration? Normally, this setting is controlled by instance_allow_multiple(): if multiple instances are allowed, then each will surely need its own configuration.
 
 instance_allow_multiple ()
 Are you going to allow multiple instances of each block? If yes, then it is assumed that the block WILL USE per-instance configuration.
 
 instance_can_be_collapsed ()
 If overridden and set to false by the block it will not be collapsible.
 
 instance_can_be_docked ()
 Can be overridden by the block to prevent the block from being dockable.
 
 instance_can_be_edited ()
 If overridden and set to false by the block it will not be editable.
 
 instance_can_be_hidden ()
 If overridden and set to false by the block it will not be hidable when editing is turned on.
 
 instance_config_commit ($nolongerused=false)
 Replace the instance's configuration data with those currently in $this->config;.
 
 instance_config_save ($data, $nolongerused=false)
 Serialize and store config data.
 
 instance_copy ($fromid)
 Copy any block-specific data when copying to a new block instance.
 
 instance_create ()
 Do any additional initialization you may need at the time a new block instance is created.
 
 instance_delete ()
 Delete everything related to this instance if you have been using persistent storage other than the configdata field.
 
 is_empty ()
 Returns true or false, depending on whether this block has any content to display and whether the user has permission to view the block.
 
 name ()
 Returns the block name, as present in the class name, the database, the block directory, etc etc.
 
 refresh_content ()
 First sets the current value of $this->content to NULL then calls the block's get_content() function to set its value back.
 
 specialization ()
 This function is called on your subclass right after an instance is loaded Use this function to act on instance data just after it's loaded and before anything else is done For instance: if your block will have different title's depending on location (site, course, blog, etc)
 
 user_can_addto ($page)
 Allows the block class to have a say in the user's ability to create new instances of this block.
 
 user_can_edit ()
 Allows the block class to have a say in the user's ability to edit (i.e., configure) blocks of this type.
 

Static Public Member Functions

static comment_add (&$comments, $options)
 
static comment_display ($comments, $options)
 
static comment_permissions ($options)
 
static comment_template ($options)
 @callback callback functions for comments api
 
static comment_url ($options)
 
static get_extra_capabilities ()
 

Public Attributes

string $arialabel = NULL
 The name of the block to be displayed in the block title area if the title is empty.
 
stdClass $config = NULL
 An object containing the instance configuration information for the current instance of this block.
 
stdClass $content = NULL
 An object to contain the information to be displayed in the block.
 
int $content_type = BLOCK_TYPE_TEXT
 The type of content that this block creates.
 
context $context = NULL
 This blocks's context.
 
int $cron = NULL
 How often the cronjob should run, 0 if not at all.
 
stdClass $instance = NULL
 The initialized instance of this block object.
 
moodle_page $page = NULL
 The page that this block is appearing on.
 
string $str
 Internal var for storing/caching translated strings $str.
 
string $title = NULL
 The title of the block to be displayed in the block title area.
 

Protected Member Functions

 formatted_contents ($output)
 Convert the contents of the block to HTML.
 

Detailed Description

Class for describing a moodle block, all Moodle blocks derive from this class.

Author
Jon Papaioannou

Constructor & Destructor Documentation

◆ __construct()

block_base::__construct ( )

Class Functions.

Fake constructor to keep PHP5 happy

Member Function Documentation

◆ _load_instance()

block_base::_load_instance ( $instance,
$page )

Set up a particular instance of this class given data from the block_insances table and the current page.

(See block_manager::load_blocks().)

Parameters
stdClass$instancedata from block_insances, block_positions, etc.
moodle_page$pagethe page this block is on.

◆ _self_test()

block_base::_self_test ( )

Tests if this block has been implemented correctly.

Also, $errors isn't used right now

Return values
boolean

◆ applicable_formats()

◆ before_delete()

block_base::before_delete ( )

Function that can be overridden to do extra cleanup before the database tables are deleted.

(Called once per block, not per instance!)

Reimplemented in block_myprofile.

◆ can_block_be_added()

block_base::can_block_be_added ( moodle_page $page)

This method can be overriden to add some extra checks to decide whether the block can be added or not to a page.

It doesn't need to do the standard capability checks as they will be performed by has_add_block_capability(). This method is user agnostic. If you want to check if a user can add a block or not, you should use user_can_addto().

Parameters
moodle_page$pageThe page where this block will be added.
Return values
boolWhether the block can be added or not to the given page.

Reimplemented in block_accessreview, block_badges, block_blog_menu, block_blog_recent, block_blog_tags, block_comments, block_completionstatus, block_globalsearch, block_glossary_random, block_lp, block_mnet_hosts, and block_tags.

◆ config_save()

block_base::config_save ( $data)

Default behavior: save all variables as $CFG properties You don't need to override this if you 're satisfied with the above.

Deprecated
since Moodle 2.9 MDL-49385 - Please use Admin Settings functionality to save block configuration.

◆ formatted_contents()

block_base::formatted_contents ( $output)
protected

Convert the contents of the block to HTML.

This is used by block base classes like block_list to convert the structured $this->content->list and $this->content->icons arrays to HTML. So, in most blocks, you probaby want to override the get_contents() method, which generates that structured representation of the contents.

Parameters
$outputThe core_renderer to use when generating the output.
Return values
stringthe HTML that should appearn in the body of the block.
Since
Moodle 2.0.

Reimplemented in block_list, and block_tree.

◆ get_aria_role()

block_base::get_aria_role ( )

Returns the aria role attribute that best describes this block.

Region is the default, but this should be overridden by a block is there is a region child, or even better a landmark child.

Options are as follows:

  • landmark
    • application
    • banner
    • complementary
    • contentinfo
    • form
    • main
    • navigation
    • search
Return values
string

Reimplemented in block_activity_modules, block_admin_bookmarks, block_blog_menu, block_course_list, block_navigation, block_search_forums, and block_settings.

◆ get_config_for_external()

block_base::get_config_for_external ( )

Return the plugin config settings for external functions.

In some cases the configs will need formatting or be returned only if the current user has some capabilities enabled.

Return values
stdClassthe configs for both the block instance and plugin (as object with name -> value)
Since
Moodle 3.8

Reimplemented in block_activity_results, block_blog_recent, block_blog_tags, block_course_list, block_glossary_random, block_html, block_mentees, block_myoverview, block_myprofile, block_navigation, block_online_users, block_recentlyaccessedcourses, block_rss_client, block_section_links, block_settings, block_starredcourses, block_tag_flickr, block_tag_youtube, and block_tags.

◆ get_content()

◆ get_content_for_external()

block_base::get_content_for_external ( $output)

Return an object containing all the block content to be returned by external functions.

If your block is returning formatted content or provide files for download, you should override this method to use the core_external\util\format_text, core_external\utilformat_string functions for formatting or external_util\get_area_files for files.

Parameters
core_renderer$outputthe rendered used for output
Return values
stdClassobject containing the block title, central content, footer and linked files (if any).
Since
Moodle 3.6

Reimplemented in block_html.

◆ get_content_for_output()

block_base::get_content_for_output ( $output)

Return a block_contents object representing the full contents of this block.

This internally calls ->get_content(), and then adds the editing controls etc.

You probably should not override this method, but instead override html_attributes(), formatted_contents() or get_content(), hide_header(), (get_edit_controls), etc.

Return values
block_contentsa representation of the block, for rendering.
Since
Moodle 2.0.

◆ get_content_type()

block_base::get_content_type ( )

Returns the class $content_type var value.

Intentionally doesn't check if content_type is set. This is already done in _self_test()

Return values
string\$this-,>content_type

◆ get_required_javascript()

block_base::get_required_javascript ( )

Allows the block to load any JS it requires into the page.

By default this function simply permits the user to dock the block if it is dockable.

Left null as of MDL-64506.

Reimplemented in block_navigation, and block_settings.

◆ get_title()

block_base::get_title ( )

Returns the class $title var value.

Intentionally doesn't check if a title is set. This is already done in _self_test()

Return values
string\$this-,>title

◆ has_config()

block_base::has_config ( )

◆ hide_header()

block_base::hide_header ( )

Default return is false - header will be shown.

Return values
boolean

Reimplemented in block_course_summary, and block_myoverview.

◆ html_attributes()

block_base::html_attributes ( )

Return any HTML attributes that you want added to the outer.

that of the block when it is output.
Because of the way certain JS events are wired it is a good idea to ensure that the default values here still get set. I found the easiest way to do this and still set anything you want is to override it within your block in the following way
function html_attributes() { $attributes = parent\html_attributes(); $attributes['class'] .= ' mynewclass'; return $attributes; }
Return values
arrayattribute name => value.

Reimplemented in block_html, block_list, and block_navigation.

◆ instance_allow_config()

block_base::instance_allow_config ( )

Is each block of this type going to have instance-specific configuration? Normally, this setting is controlled by instance_allow_multiple(): if multiple instances are allowed, then each will surely need its own configuration.

However, in some cases it may be necessary to provide instance configuration to blocks that do not want to allow multiple instances. In that case, make this function return true. I stress again that this makes a difference ONLY if instance_allow_multiple() returns false.

Return values
boolean

Reimplemented in block_badges, block_blog_menu, block_blog_recent, block_blog_tags, block_myprofile, block_navigation, block_rss_client, block_section_links, block_settings, and block_tags.

◆ instance_allow_multiple()

block_base::instance_allow_multiple ( )

Are you going to allow multiple instances of each block? If yes, then it is assumed that the block WILL USE per-instance configuration.

Return values
boolean

Reimplemented in block_accessreview, block_activity_results, block_admin_bookmarks, block_badges, block_blog_menu, block_blog_tags, block_comments, block_glossary_random, block_html, block_mentees, block_myprofile, block_navigation, block_private_files, block_rss_client, block_settings, block_tag_flickr, block_tag_youtube, and block_tags.

◆ instance_can_be_collapsed()

block_base::instance_can_be_collapsed ( )

If overridden and set to false by the block it will not be collapsible.

Return values
bool

◆ instance_can_be_docked()

block_base::instance_can_be_docked ( )

Can be overridden by the block to prevent the block from being dockable.

Return values
bool

Return false as per MDL-64506

Reimplemented in block_html, block_mentees, block_navigation, and block_settings.

◆ instance_can_be_edited()

block_base::instance_can_be_edited ( )

If overridden and set to false by the block it will not be editable.

Return values
bool

Reimplemented in block_myoverview.

◆ instance_can_be_hidden()

block_base::instance_can_be_hidden ( )

If overridden and set to false by the block it will not be hidable when editing is turned on.

Return values
bool

Reimplemented in block_navigation, and block_settings.

◆ instance_config_commit()

block_base::instance_config_commit ( $nolongerused = false)

Replace the instance's configuration data with those currently in $this->config;.

Reimplemented in block_glossary_random.

◆ instance_config_save()

block_base::instance_config_save ( $data,
$nolongerused = false )

Serialize and store config data.

Reimplemented in block_activity_results, and block_html.

◆ instance_copy()

block_base::instance_copy ( $fromid)

Copy any block-specific data when copying to a new block instance.

Parameters
int$fromidthe id number of the block instance to copy from
Return values
boolean

Reimplemented in block_html.

◆ instance_create()

block_base::instance_create ( )

Do any additional initialization you may need at the time a new block instance is created.

Return values
boolean

◆ instance_delete()

block_base::instance_delete ( )

Delete everything related to this instance if you have been using persistent storage other than the configdata field.

Return values
boolean

Reimplemented in block_html.

◆ is_empty()

block_base::is_empty ( )

Returns true or false, depending on whether this block has any content to display and whether the user has permission to view the block.

Return values
boolean

Reimplemented in block_list.

◆ name()

block_base::name ( )

Returns the block name, as present in the class name, the database, the block directory, etc etc.

Return values
string

◆ refresh_content()

block_base::refresh_content ( )

First sets the current value of $this->content to NULL then calls the block's get_content() function to set its value back.

Return values
stdObject

◆ specialization()

block_base::specialization ( )

This function is called on your subclass right after an instance is loaded Use this function to act on instance data just after it's loaded and before anything else is done For instance: if your block will have different title's depending on location (site, course, blog, etc)

Reimplemented in block_badges, block_blog_tags, block_comments, block_course_summary, block_glossary_random, block_html, block_mentees, block_myprofile, block_private_files, block_rss_client, block_tag_flickr, block_tag_youtube, and block_tags.

◆ user_can_addto()

block_base::user_can_addto ( $page)

Allows the block class to have a say in the user's ability to create new instances of this block.

The framework has first say in whether this will be allowed (e.g., no adding allowed unless in edit mode) but if the framework does allow it, the block can still decide to refuse. This function has access to the complete page object, the creation related to which is being determined.

Parameters
moodle_page$page
Return values
boolean

◆ user_can_edit()

block_base::user_can_edit ( )

Allows the block class to have a say in the user's ability to edit (i.e., configure) blocks of this type.

The framework has first say in whether this will be allowed (e.g., no editing allowed unless in edit mode) but if the framework does allow it, the block can still decide to refuse.

Return values
boolean

Member Data Documentation

◆ $arialabel

string block_base::$arialabel = NULL

The name of the block to be displayed in the block title area if the title is empty.

arialabel

◆ $config

stdClass block_base::$config = NULL

An object containing the instance configuration information for the current instance of this block.

$config

◆ $content

stdClass block_base::$content = NULL

An object to contain the information to be displayed in the block.

$content

◆ $content_type

int block_base::$content_type = BLOCK_TYPE_TEXT

The type of content that this block creates.

Currently support options - BLOCK_TYPE_LIST, BLOCK_TYPE_TEXT $content_type

◆ $cron

int block_base::$cron = NULL

How often the cronjob should run, 0 if not at all.

$cron

◆ $instance

stdClass block_base::$instance = NULL

The initialized instance of this block object.

$instance

◆ $title

string block_base::$title = NULL

The title of the block to be displayed in the block title area.

$title


The documentation for this class was generated from the following file: