readme.txt

Dashboard element block
##############################

the dashboard element bloc is of use with flexible Moodle
page formats allowing free setup of the page layout using blocks.

It implements a "dashboard element" capable to plot and render in
many graphic output formats any result of a complex query presented
to the Moodle database (or an eventual external PostGre schema).

Given a full query, the dashboard block mashes up : 

- Data table output
   + Linear (records) data table
   + Tabular (cross dimension) tables
   + Treeview (on hierarchical mapped results)
   
- Graphic plotting using JQPlot
   + Line graphs
   + Bar graphs
   + Pie graphs
   + Donuts graphs
   
- Geographic plotting (using GoogleMaps API)
   + Google Maps + query data plotting
   + Possibility to change icons and plor mutiple class data using course files
   + Geocoding requests to Google handled (up to 2500 per day) with static long term caching
   => Will evolve

- Time special plotting : Integrating SIMILE Timeline plugin
   + Plot on a timeline plugin of "instant" and "time duration" events
   + possibility of setting up color classes for events
   + possibility to customize "instant" pin icons from course files
   => Will evolve

- Data output additional features
  + Data output formatting (using sprintf formatting)
  + Filters (selecting output or query fields for filtering)
  + Summators : displaying computed sums of output fields
  + Cumulative mode : Produces cumulative sum of a field without extra query
  + Data colouring and marking (on tables) using comparison formulas (ex: %% == 0 )
  + Mappable Labels for ALL query field names

- Performance features 
  + Result caching (programmable retension delay)
  + Croned refresh of cache
  + Instance adjustable refresh mode or global cron settings 

# Install
#########

1. Deploy the block in Moodle/blocks as usual

2. Activate notifications to install the data model

3. Create a course, better a flexipage or paged format course if available

4. Add a Dashboard block and write a query

5. Define output fields, output modes, output labels... and discover features....

# Library locations
########################################

Get the VFLibs libraries package at https://github.com/vfremaux/moodle-local_vflibs/archive/MOODLE_XX_STABLE.zip
and add the ocntent to the moodle/local directory

Those libs are NOT moodle libs but additional public opensource libraries i use in several components as
extra framework.

# Install additive for running timelines (PRO version)
######################################################

@TODO : Review this with better JS provisioning calls

Timeline needs to be post page loading activaed. We got some issue to stack onload events
on body element. The solution is till now to add a late call to initialisation in footer : 

Add this statement : 

    if (function_exists('timeline_initialize')) timeline_initialize();

As latest possible statement in footer.

X.X.0004
########################

Provides new variable user params features :
- params as sql : as before, generates a filtering where clause in the query
- params as variables : generates a variable that can stand anywhere in the query. placeholders 
use the <%%UPPERCASEKEY%%> convention in the query templates. A single placeholder can be used
several times in the query template.
- params as outputcol : allows a user GUI variable to produce additional columns in the output result
for forging output CSVs.

Enjoy nice plotting...