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Moodle Database Activity

Adding a Database activity to a Moodle space requires some fore thought. You will need to decide what fields you want to include within your database and whether you want to give students permission to add their own resources. Several Moodle spaces already have a database set up, but if yours does not, then please email A dot Ball dot 1 at warwick dot ac dot uk to arrange a meeting (CTE staff only) to talk through your requirements.

How to find a resource in the database

Click on the link to the database.

Screen shot of an example Moodle database link

What you see on the screen will vary from database to database but it should look something like the image below.

Screen shot of the Moodle databse tool fields

In all likelihood the first screen you will see is the View list option which will display all of the contents of the database in chronological order (oldest to newest). You can adjust what you see by making changes to the Entries per page, Sort by and Ascending fields and clicking the Save settings button. You can also use the Search box to search for a specific item and scroll through the pages of the database by using the number buttons.

If you click on the View single tab you will simply see one item listed which is usually the oldest item in the database. You can scroll through the individual items using the number buttons.

An example of the view single database item in Moodle

The Search tab will allow you to search the database for specific items. The field options are displayed below.

Moodle database search fields

Adding a resource to the database

Click on the Add entry tab to add a resource to the database. The fields you see will depend on how the database has been set up but they will look something like the images below. Give your resource a Title (try to make it something meaningful rather than just a random name or number). You can attach a file by either dragging and dropping it onto the blue arrow or by using the File attachment button which looks like a little page.

Moodle database add resource screen shot

The Date field will default to today's date so unless you want to change this, you can leave it as it is. If you have an image file to add you can either drag and drop it onto the blue arrow or use the File attachment button which looks like a little page. You will need to complete the Alternative text field if you add an image.

Moodle database add resource fields

The Description field is where you can add more details about your resource (e.g. what you have used it for or any limitations with it). Ignore the HTML format menu.

Moodle database add resource fields

If you are adding a Weblink, copy and paste it into the URL field. The Text field is for creating a forced name that you can display instead of the hyperlink text (the forced name link will still take you to the URL). Add any tags to the Tags field and then click on either of the Save buttons.