08 January 2012, 19:49

Hi. I think Mahara is great, but I am a new user and have questions. I did much search for the answers but could not find them. I would appreciate if someone could answer them or show me pointers.

1. Can I add a new tab such as "volunteer" to my resume page?

2. Can I add a new tab such as "department" to my profile page?

3. Can I add a new field such as "department" to [ my profile > about me ] page?

09 January 2012, 10:11

Hello,

The basic answer to your question would be "no". But..

You can customise Mahara interface in editing the lang files. You can create a new langpacks and add it into the maharadata/langapacks folder. You can add-in there only the strings you would like to change, all the other will always refer to the standard language pack.

You can aslo edit the template and add new fields but to do this you must modify Mahara php code and database as well.

Same answer for a new tab. This is possible only by changing the php / database code of Mahara.

Regards,

-dajan

09 January 2012, 10:31

Dajan,

Thank you for your quick and kind response. I really appreciate it. I am sorry to hear that I could not create a new tab or field. It seems to me very critical for an world open source such as Mahara to be truly accomodating to diverse cultures. For most parts, Mahara is based on the western culture. It is OK most of time, but ... Thank you, Dajan, again.

09 January 2012, 16:08

Hi maigoofy,

The Mahara system is a constantly evolving creature as most open source projects are, and we're always open to new ideas. I think custom fields sounds like a good example of a nice thing to have.

However, unfortunately, not everything can be the top priority. We're always open to people helping us proritise things. If you can help out in some way, please let us know how we can help you help us :)

Thanks for your input,
Melissa.

09 January 2012, 16:52

I don't totaly agree with you,

You can edit the interface to change terms, give new definitions or new names to fields, menus, tabs, ...

And because Mahara is Opensource you CAN modify the system in editing the php code. Some institutions do that (e.g., Universities, ePortfolio businesses) and you can do it, but it requires some programmation skills.

And, as Melissa pointed out, because Mahara is Opensource, it is always possible to help to improve the platform or help someone to implement new features. Part of the development is made thanks and through the community.

Come and help the community to make Mahara even better, every skills are needed, every hand, idea, funding are welcomed.

Regard,

-dajan

09 January 2012, 20:00

Melissa and dajan,

Thank you both. I can tell right away that this is indeed a open source community where people help each other to help make a better tool.

I am a language teacher who is barely savvy enought to install Mahara to use for my class. I will do my best to see what I can do using Mahara and share my experience with others here. And I would appreciate you guys' help.

10 January 2012, 9:57

I am very interested by every experience about ePortfolio. I have finished a MA on Online and Distance Education in 2011 and start my PhD with ePortoflios as a main subject.

So don't hesitate to come back here and share with others about your experiences (bad and good).

We have a Pedagogy forum here on Mahara.org you will find a place to read from and share experiences.

Cheers,

-dajan