Lab

Better accessibility and usability with templates
+ more visual flexibility

The unodo Lab Moodle site offers some usability enhancements. And it is very flexible in it's visual presentation. To enable this flexibility I have implemented templates. They enable me to change the page structure for accessibility and the visual presentation for very different tasks. Structure and design Moodle pages to your needs - not only apply styles with CSS.

This "Lab" Moodle works with a new implemented theme class as an "adapter" for different template engines. In the current version the so called "raw PHP" templates and PHPTAL templates are implemented. Other template engines like "Smarty" can easily be added. The template engine is defined in the Moodle theme settings - "Flexible" uses PHPTAL and "Basic Round" uses "raw PHP".

You can change the page layout in the footer.

You may log in with "student" "stud123".

Special layout and course features

"Basic round" features the accessibility friendly 2-1-3 column layout

That means the content comes first in the page structure and is displayed in the middle column. The blocks come after the content. A special XHTML structure very different from the Moodle XHTML structure and CSS make this layout possible.

Accessible accordion course format

The "Accordion" course format is accessible - you can navigate the topics with the keyboard. The trigger areas offer additional information for ScreenReaders.

Template based book module

The book in the "Testkurs (Accordion)" uses templates too.

Template based slideshow

The slideshow in the "Testkurs (Accordion)" uses templates too.

The "Flexible" layout moves blocks to fit on the screen - works with touch devices

The "Flexible" layout adopts itself to the browser window width. The content area is 480 px wide. Try to make the browser window wider and smaller.

And you may enter the "Lab" with an iPhone or an iPod touch. Holding the touch device in landscape orientation content fits without scaling.
(Remark - for most activities I haven not implemented templates. They will look different.)