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Editing Modules

Module by: Mark Husband, Adan Galvan. E-mail the authors

Summary: This module shows how to edit the contents of a module. This includes the text, files, and metadata of a module.

Note: You are viewing an old version of this document. The latest version is available here.

What is a Module?

A module is the basic building block of a Connexions course. You can think of it as a folder that contains the text, image, and CNXML files that address a single topic or a specific aspect of a topic. The author of a module determines the size of the module. Each module should contain enough information to be able to stand alone, if necessary. To a student viewing a course, a module is simply a web page of information on a specific topic. Modules allow students to follow the information path in a course arranged by their instructor or to branch off and discover their own path. To an instructor putting a course together, having different topics in different modules allows for easy selection and arrangement of the information. When building a course, an instructor can include existing modules from other courses or other academic disciplines that are important to the presentation of the course subject.

An example of the contents of a new module are shown in Figure 1, which displays the "Files" tab of the "Manage Files" screen.

Figure 1: "Files" tab of a new module that contains only the index.cnxml file.
Figure 1 (modulesfilesx.png)

The Module Status Sidebar

The "Module Status" sidebar contains important status information about the module and several links to useful tasks for the module editor. This sidebar appears to the right of the module contents and contains the following items:

  • State - the current status of the module
  • Last action - the last action performed on the module, who performed it, and when
  • Actions - for new modules this item displays links to the Connexions pages for publishing modules to the Content Commons and discarding the current operations on the module. When editing an existing module, this item also displays links for suggesting edits to original authors and creating a derived copy of an existing module,
  • View - for new modules this item displays links to display the on-line version of the module, the print version, and the CNXML source. When editing an existing module, this item also displays a summary of the differences between the version of the module in your work area and the last published version

Figure 2: The "Module Status" sidebar for a new module.
Figure 2 (statusboxnewmodule.png)

Editing Modules

Once you have created a new module in or added an existing module to your work area, you will need to edit the module to add content, files, and images. These operations are performed with the links and buttons on the "Manage Files" screen or the "Module Status" sidebar. The recommended sequence to perform these operations in is described in this module and appears in the following list:

  1. Edit the CNXML file.
  2. Add any other files that you want to associate with the module.
  3. Edit the metadata to enter the appropriate search keywords and the module title.
  4. Edit the module roles.
  5. Add links to the module.
  6. Preview the module in both print and on-line versions.
  7. Publish the module.
Each of these operations of module editing will be discussed in the following paragraphs.

Editing the CNXML File

The "Edit" tab for the module displays the contents of the "index.cnxml" file. This file contains the text that appears in the module, plus the CNXML instructions to include any image, sound, or other media files that appear in the module. The default content display and edit is with the Edit-In-Place editor. Alternatively, you can display and edit the content with the Full Source editor by clicking Switch to Editing Full Source. From this tab you can perform the following actions on the file:

Figure 3: The "Edit" tab displaying contents of the "index.cnxml" file in the Edit-In-Place editor mode.
Figure 3 (EditTabEIPx.png)

Import Content into the "index.cnxml" File

To import content into the "index.cnxml" file, use the following steps:

  1. Select the format of file you want to import from the drop-down list next to the Import button. The valid formats are: Microsoft Word, OpenOffice Writer, XMLSpy/Authentic, and Plain XML.
  2. Click Import. A screen displays with a text box for the pathname of the file you want to import.
  3. Type the pathname of the file in the text box or use Browse to display the name of the pathname in the text box.
  4. Click Import. The content of the file you specified is copied into the "index.cnxml" file in your module.

    Warning:

    When you click Import in the last step, the contents of the "index.cnxml" file are overwritten by the contents of the imported file.

Export the "index.cnxml" File to an External XML Editor

You can export the "index.cnxml" file so that you can edit it with a software package that is specifically designed to edit XML files. The "index.cnxml" file must be altered to allow the XML editor to read it. And once you have completed your edits, the file must be altered again to remove the changes for editor readability. The Connexions Export and Import functions automatically add and remove the changes for editor readability. Currently, the only XML editor format supported by Connexions is the format used by the Altova xmlspy® editor or the Altova authentic® editor.

To export the "index.cnxml" file to be edited with an XML editor, use the following steps:

  1. Select the format of the file you want to export from the drop-down list next to the Export button. The valid formats are: XMLSpy/Authentic, and Plain XML.
  2. Click Export. A dialog box displays asking if you want to open the file or save it to a disk.
  3. Specify that you want to save the file to a disk.
  4. Specify the pathname of where you want to save the file.
  5. Launch your XML editor and edit the file.

To import the "index.cnxml" file back into Connexions, use the instructions for Import Content from Outside Connexions mentioned earlier in this module.

Edit the index.cnxml file with the Edit-In-Place Editor

The Edit-In-Place editor is the default editor on the "Edit" tab. You can insert new text and media objects into a module or modify the existing contents of a module with this editor. You do not have to be familiar with the CMXML tags to use Edit-In-Place. It inserts the appropriate CNXML tags for you when you insert a new item in the file. In addition, it has a help text feature that describes the CNXML tags for the items you insert or edit with it.

Inserting Content in an Empty Module

To insert text and media objects into a new module that contains no content, use the following steps:

  1. Click in the gray box that says "Click To Insert Text" in the Edit-In-Place editor.
    Figure 4: The "Click To Insert Text" text box in the Edit-In-Place editor.
    Figure 4 (EIPnewmodule.png)
    The gray box is replaced by a blue editing box.
  2. Type the text you want to add in the blue editing box that says "Insert Module Text Here".
    Figure 5: The "Insert Module Text Here" editing box in the Edit-In-Place editor.
    Figure 5 (EIPinsertmoduletext.png)
  3. Click Save to save the text you typed. The blue editing box is replaced by a gray box that displays your entry.

Editing Existing Content with Edit-In-Place

To edit the content of a module, use the following steps:

  1. Display the module you want to edit with Edit-In-Place.
  2. Scroll down to display the gray text box that contains the item you want to edit.
  3. Click in the text box. The gray box is replaced by a blue editing box that displays the text of the item.
    Figure 6: The blue text box in the Edit-In-Place editor.
    Figure 6 (EIPeditcontent.png)
  4. Make the necessary changes to the item.
  5. Click Save to save the entry or click Cancel to clear the entry in the blue editing box.
  6. Repeat steps 2 through 5 for any item you want to edit.
Note:
In the gray text boxes mathematical equations are displayed as they appear in the module. In the blue editing box mathematical equations are displayed in the MathML markup language. Edit equations by making changes to the MathML.

Adding Content Items with Edit-In-Place

You can add new content items to a module with Edit-In-Place. The types of items you can add are: paragraphs, enumerated lists, bulleted lists, equations, exercises, figures, code blocks, notes, and examples. Edit-In-Place places the opening and closing CNXML tags around the item and it generates a unique item ID for each item you add. To add new items, use the following steps:

  1. Display the module you want to edit with Edit-In-Place.
  2. Scroll down to display the location in the module in which you want to insert the content item. You can insert the new item above or below and existing item by using the Add Here button above or below the existing item
  3. Select the type of item you want to enter from the drop-down list next to the Add Here button. The default is "Paragraph". These items are described in the help text, which can be accessed by selecting "Other Elements" from the drop-down list.
  4. Click Add Here. An empty blue editing box displays for the item you selected. You can display help text for the item you selected by clicking Help editing xxx in the upper right corner of the blue box, where xxx is the CNXML tag for the item you selected.
  5. Type the text that is appropriate for the type of item in the blue editing box.
  6. Click Save to save the entry or click Cancel to clear the entry in the blue editing box.
  7. Repeat steps 2 through 6 for each new content item you want to add to the module.

Edit the "index.cnxml" File with the Full Source Editor

You can edit the content and CNXML tags in the "index.cnxml" file within Connexions with the Full Source editor. This method of editing is recommended for quick changes only. This is a simple text editor and it does not have the advanced functions (for example, spell checking and text searching) that are available with commercially available text editors. To edit the file with the Full Source editor, use the following steps:

  1. Click Switch to Editing Full Source on the "Edit" tab. The contents of the "index.cnxml" file are displayed in the Full Source editor mode.
    Figure 7: The "Edit" tab displaying the contents of the "index.cnxml" file in the Full Source editor mode.
    Figure 7 (FullSourceEditorx.png)
  2. Scroll down to display the location in the module in which you want to edit.
  3. Click in the text window and begin editing.
  4. Click Save to save to save your changes.

As you edit the "index.cnxml" file, click Save at any point to save your changes. The page reloads and validates your CNXML markups every time you save your changes. If there are no CNXML tag errors, your markup is valid and "Saved" appears in an information box at the top of the tab. If there are errors in your CNXML markup, they are listed above the file content.

Note:

Saving and publishing are two different operations. When you save your editing changes in the Full Source editor, your changes are saved in your work area; they are not entered into the Connexions repository. Your module must be published to be entered into the repository and be accessible by visitors to Connexions. For information about publishing, see the topic Publishing the Module later in this module.

Validating Your Work in the Full Source Editor

Any "index.cnxml" file that you publish in the Connexions repository must be a valid CNXML document. This means that the file must be well formed and contain no CNXML errors. If it does contain errors, a description of each error appears when you click Save. Your changes are not saved until the errors are corrected.

Figure 8: Example of validation errors in the Full Source editor
Figure 8 (validateerrorx.png)

A description of the errors appears in the information box that appears above the content.

Warning:
You cannot publish the module in Connexions until all the CNXML errors are corrected and the "index.cnxml" file is validated.

Edit the index.cnxml File with an External Text Editor

Another method of editing the "index.cnxml" file is with an external text editor that is not specifically designed to be an XML editor. Note that when you view the module on the "Files" tab a small pencil icon appears to the right of the "index.cnxml" filename. Click on this icon to launch an editing session of the "index.cnxml" file in an external text editor. This editing method does the downloading and uploading of the "index.cnxml" file for you, but it is only a text editor. You must manually enter all the CNXML tags. If you are not familiar with CNXML, this method is slow and awkward. It also requires that you or your system administrator set up the external editor as the default editor for files of type .cnxml before you can use it. In addition, you or your system administrator must install the Zope ExternalEditor client in a Windows environment and the Zope EditManager in a Macintosh environment.

Adding Associated Files to a Module

In addition to the "index.cnxml" file, a module can contain other files, such as images, files, and CNXML documents that are associated with the module. You can add these files from the "Files" tab. The image and file must exist before you add them to the module. You can create the CNXML document during the addition process. When you add these items, you create an instance of the item in Connexions.

File Guidelines

Before you add an associated file to a module, please note the following guidelines for files and filenames:

  • The size of a file must be smaller than 10 MB.
  • The first character in a filename cannot be a digit. For example, a file named "1965mustangphoto.gif" would result in an error. Renaming the file to "photo1965mustang.gif" prevents the error.
  • A filename cannot contain an embedded blank space. For example, the file named "eiffel tower.png" would cause an error. Renaming the file to "eiffel_tower.png" or "eiffeltower.png" prevents the error.
  • Use only alphanumeric, "." (dot), "-" (hyphen), and "_" (underscore) characters in a filename.
  • Multimedia files must have a recognized MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension) type.

Adding an Image to a Module

To add an image to a module, use the following steps:

  1. Click the down arrow in the text box next to Add New Item. A drop-down list of valid item types appears.
  2. Select "Image" from the drop-down list and click Add New Item. The "Edit Image" tab displays.
  3. Click Browse. The "File Upload" dialog box displays.
  4. Locate the appropriate image file and click on its filename.
  5. Click Open. The image filename appears in the text box next to Browse.
  6. Click Save to upload the image file into Connexions. A confirmation message and a preview of the image display.

Adding a File to a Module

To add a file to a module, use the following steps:

  1. Click the down arrow in the text box next to Add New Item. A drop-down list of valid item types appears.
  2. Select "File" from the drop-down list and click Add New Item. The "Edit File" tab displays.
  3. Click Browse. The "File Upload" dialog box displays.
  4. Locate the appropriate file and click on its filename.
  5. Click Open. The filename appears in the text box next to Browse.
  6. Click Save to upload the file into Connexions. A confirmation message and information about the file display.

Adding a CNXML Document to a Module

To add a CNXML document to a module, use the following steps:

  1. Click the down arrow in the text box next to Add New Item. A drop-down list of valid item types appears.
  2. Select "CNXML Document" from the drop-down list and click Add New Item. The "Edit CNXML File" tab displays.
  3. Enter the contents for the CNXML file by either typing the text into the "Edit Directly" box, uploading a file, or importing a file.
  4. Click Save. A confirmation message and information about the CNXML file display.

Renaming, Cutting, Copying, and Removing Items in a Module

You can rename, cut, copy, or remove any item that you add to a module. These operations are done at the module level in the same way as they are done at the work area level. See Removing Items from a Work Area, Renaming Items in a Work Area, and Cutting or Copying Items in a Work Area, for a description of how to do these operations in work areas.

note:

You should not rename, cut, copy, or paste the "index.cnxml" file.

Editing Metadata

To enable users to search the Connexions Content Commons for a module, Connexions must have some information on the module. It is very important that you insert metadata into the module.

Figure 9: Example "Metadata" tab with entries for name, keywords, and abstract.
Figure 9 (editmetadatax.png)

To insert metadata, use the following steps:

  1. Click the "Metadata" tab to display it.
  2. Type the name you want to give the module in the "Name" field. This name will appear wherever the module title appears in Connexions.
  3. Type the topic related terms that a user may use in a search for the module in the "Keywords" field. Enter each term on a separate line.
  4. Type a brief description of the module topic in the "Abstract" field. Do not repeat the title of the module in the abstract. The abstract displays under the title in the module and restating the module title in the abstract would be redundant.
  5. Click Save. A message that the metadata was updated displays and the name of the module replaces "New Module" in the screen title.

Editing Module Roles

As creator of a module, by default you hold all three roles: author, maintainer, and copyright holder. You can grant one or more roles to other Connexions account holders who you want to be associated with the module. The table on the bottom the "Roles" tab displays the names of the users and their current roles. A checked box in the "Author", "Maintainer", or "Copyright Holder" column indicates that person was granted that role or roles.

Figure 10: Example "Roles" tab.
Figure 10 (rolesx.png)

Granting Roles to Other Users

To grant one or more module roles to a user, use the following steps:

  1. Click the "Roles" tab to display it.
  2. Type the name of the user you want to grant a role to in the text box next to Search.
  3. Click Search. The Connexions accounts are searched and any users that match the search string are displayed.
  4. Select the checkbox next to the desired user name and click Add People. A "Roles Pending Approval" table displays under the "Roles" table.
  5. Verify that the checkboxes in the "Author", "Maintainer", or "Copyright Holder" columns are checked for the roles you want to grant to that user. By default all the checkboxes are selected.
  6. If desired, de-select the checkboxes for the roles you do not want to grant, and click Update Roles.
  7. A request to accept the role will display to the user upon his or her next login to Connexions.

When granting or updating another user's roles, the change does not take affect until the other user has accepted the role change. Once the user has approved the change, their new roles are reflected in the "Roles" table. See approving role requests for information about approving requests.

note:

All pending role changes must be accepted or rejected before a module can be published.

Viewing and Processing Pending Role Requests

Connexions makes it easy to collaborate on educational materials. One way to do this is to share authorship or maintenance of a module or course. If another author has granted you a role in their module or course so that you can collaborate with them, the "Pending" sidebar will appear in the upper right corner of your Connexions pages.

Figure 11: "Pending" sidebar with one role request.
Figure 11 (collaborationbox.png)

Click the Role Request link to display the "Collaboration Requests" screen. From this screen you can:

Figure 12: "Collaboration Requests" screen showing one request awaiting your approval and one awaiting another author's approval.
Figure 12 (collaborationrequests.png)

Requests Awaiting Your Approval

If another Connexions author grants you a role on their module or course as an author, maintainer, and/or copyright holder, an entry appears under the 'Requests Awaiting Your Approval' section of the "Collaboration Requests" screen. To accept the request select the checkbox in the table for the request you wish to accept and click Accept.

To reject the request, select the checkbox in the table for the request you wish to reject, and click Reject.

note:
If you have been requested to be added to a module or course as a copyright holder, you must select the checkbox indicating that you agree to the license which has been selected for that module before you can accept the request. A link to the license is provided in the "License" column of the table.

Requests You Have Made

If you have requested that someone be added to one of your modules or courses as an author, maintainer, and/or copyright holder, an entry appears under the "Requests You Have Made" section of the "Collaboration Requests" screen until the other author acts on it. You can cancel pending requests from here.

Completed Requests

Any requests you have made that were accepted or rejected are listed in the "Requests You Have Made -- Completed" section of the "Collaboration Requests" screen. When you no longer need to keep the record, you can delete it.

Previewing the Module

After editing the module, you should preview the module to verify that it appears as you want it to appear. You can view modules from the "Preview" tab in the following ways:

Previewing Modules On-Line

To view a module on-line, use the following steps:

  1. Click on the "Preview" tab. The "Preview" screen displays.
  2. Click the Online Preview link. This displays an on-line version of the module that is similar to the on-line display of the published module. The difference between the preview and the published versions is that the preview does not contain the links and tabs at the beginning and the links at the end of the module. Review the module content and verify that it appears as you intended it to display.
  3. Use your browser's "Back" function to return to the "Preview" screen.

Previewing a Print Version of the Module

The print version of a module is formatted differently than the on-line version. This difference is necessary because of the differences in the on-line and printed media. To view a print version of the module, use the following steps:

  1. Click on the "Preview" tab. The "Preview" screen displays.
  2. Click the Print Preview link. An "Opening index.pdf" dialog box appears.
  3. Verify that the option to open the file with a PDF viewing application is selected and click OK. The print version of the module displays.
  4. Review the module display and verify that text and figures display as you intended them to display.
  5. You can print this PDF file using your PDF viewer's file/print option.
  6. Close the PDF viewing application.

Viewing Change Summary

When editing an existing module, you can view a summary of the differences between the last published version of the module and the version you are currently editing. Click the Changes link to view the change summary. This option is useful when you checked out a module some time ago and do not remember what changes you made to it.

Figure 14: The "Changes to" summary.
Figure 14 (changesummary.png)

The "Change To" summary lists changes to the module, including role assignments and the names of any files that were changed, files that were added, and files that were removed. Click on a file name to display a brief description of the changes.

Previewing the code source

Occasionally it may be convenient to view the markup source for a module. To view the source of the module, click the Source link under the "View" heading in the "Module Status" sidebar. The most recent markup source that has been saved displays.

note:

This feature is useful when you are trying to find a markup error.

Discarding Your Changes

The situation may arise in which you wish to return a module that you are editing back to its original state: the state in which it was before you began editing it. To do this, click the Discard link under the "Actions" heading in the "Module Status" sidebar. The module will revert back to the state it was in when you checked it out.

note:

If the module is new and has never been published, you will lose all the content you entered and the module will be blank.

Publishing the Module

To make your module or your changes to an existing module viewable by anyone on the Internet, you must publish the module in Connexions. To publish a module, use the following steps:

  1. Click on the "Publish" tab. The "Publish Module" screen displays. This screen contains a list of reminders for you to check before you publish the module.
  2. Type a brief description of your work on the module in the "Description of Changes" text box.
  3. Click Publish. Your work on the module is entered into the Connexions Content Commons. Once in the Content Commons, anyone with Internet access can view the module.

Figure 15: The "Publish" tab.
Figure 15 (publishx.png)

A new module would not necessarily have editing changes, so in the "Description of Changes" text box you might enter a comment like, "Created a new module".

note:

The act of publishing a module is different from clicking on the Save button in an editing session. When you save your changes, only you and the people who have access to your workgoup can see your changes. When you publish a module, the entire world can view your work on the Internet.

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