Uploaded image for project: 'Moodle'
  1. Moodle
  2. MDL-45927

Replace qtype_random with quiz-specific code, and helper methods in the question bank

    XMLWordPrintable

Details

    • Improvement
    • Status: Closed
    • Major
    • Resolution: Duplicate
    • 2.7
    • None
    • Questions, Quiz
    • MOODLE_27_STABLE

    Description

      On 9th April 2003, Martin Dougiamas introduced the random question type (https://github.com/moodle/moodle/commit/34d52ad7d29675bc1f1c6275bddf896e262145be) as a clever application of the adaptor pattern to allow questions to be added randomly to the quiz. With the benefit of 11.25 year's hind-sight, we can say this was probably a mistake. Maybe

      The implementation was already greatly simplified as part of the question engine rewrite (MDL-20636, e.g. https://github.com/moodle/moodle/commit/f9b0500f7fc461365303338181c33920a7b2c2c1).

      However, we should probably completely remove qtype_random eventually, since overall it is more trouble than it is worth. Signs that there is a problem:

      • mod/quiz/startattempt.php already has to have some code the manually detect random questions and handle them differently from other questions.
      • special case code when question categories and quizzes are deleted, to clean up unused random questions (see MDL-20154).
      • some of the complexity in question backup and restore.

      What we should do instead:

      1. Change mdl_quiz_slots to allow either a questionid or a categoryid, to mean that either that slot holds a specific question, or one picked at random from a category. (In future this would be more extensible when we want to allow random selection of question by tag, not category.)
      2. Deprecate qtype_random, but leave it in place, to handle restoring old backups, and converting the data to the new DB structure.
      3. Move the useful helper methods (e.g. select a question from this category) from inside qtype_random to core_question question bank library code.
      4. Update the quiz code to work with the new DB structure.
      5. Write the DB upgrade code.

      Attachments

        Issue Links

          Activity

            People

              timhunt Tim Hunt
              timhunt Tim Hunt
              Safat Shahin, Tim Hunt, Ilya Tregubov, Kevin Percy, Mathew May, Mihail Geshoski, Shamim Rezaie, Tim Hunt, Ilya Tregubov, Kevin Percy, Mathew May, Mihail Geshoski, Shamim Rezaie
              Votes:
              0 Vote for this issue
              Watchers:
              2 Start watching this issue

              Dates

                Created:
                Updated:
                Resolved: