21 January 2021, 2:08

We've noticed a problem with links to files placed in text blocks in 20.10. This seems different to earlier versions and we've had a bunch of support calls. 

In plain text blocks some users have added links to files by...

- going to the files area
- right click
- copy the file link
- go to the text editor and use the 'link' option to attach it to a bit of text

These no longer work

The produce a link that looks like.... https://my.mahara.edu/artefact/file/download.php?file=1234&view=5678

These produce an 'access denied' message even though both the file and the view belong to the user.

Adding a proper file block works fine. 

Any thoughts?

21 January 2021, 9:04

Hi Howard,

If the file is not available on the page or any other page to which the people viewing the page have access, you can't see that file.

You can embed internal images by selecting them directly in TinyMCE. That will add the correct link references and make the images available.

If you want to attach other files, choose a 'Note' block because then you can attach files directly.

Thank you

Kristina

21 January 2021, 22:45

Just to be 100% clear on this. 

Can you confirm (as appears to be the case) that you cannot simply embed links from the user's files list. That won't work. 

They have to add the files "properly" on the page?

22 January 2021, 8:50

Correct, Howard, unless you use the attachment functionality on 'Notes' or the embedding of images via TinyMCE. Since access is tied to the page, you need to make the files available in the 'proper' way for Mahara to tie them to the page.

Cheers

Kristina

29 January 2022, 12:31

Dear Kristina,

even when I understand the argument in principle I am sorry to say that this sudden change causes a lot of problems:

(1) Dangling links, which worked before the upgrade properly
For example: About 300 students used links to files in text - links to their self assessment - because it was part of a template in their degree using up to six links per site. Nobody could know that in future in mahara a simple link to a file in a text would be forbidden and cause a dangling link.

(2) Replacing 1200 links is not possible 
Replacing every link to a file in text is not possible, of course, for two admins. But also communicating the new policy, which finally means, that we have to bring many lecturers and 300 students to replace about 1200 links and to make it "proper" after the upgrade is not realistic. They have learned it at the beginning of their study in another way - and the reason for the change is not clear at all. 

So what is the solution for the 1200 dangling links? What would you suggest?

Thank you
Elisabeth

02 February 2022, 14:32

Hi Elisabeth,

What do your links look like? We never supported the simple copying of a file link from the files area to my knowledge, but a page ID always needed to be added, which is done through the TinyMCE file selector along with the 'embed' flag. So you might have taken advantage of a bug rather than a feature.

There is a problem with embedded images that we are currently working through. It would be good if you take a look and see if tha scenario is similar to the one you are experiencing.

Thank you

Kristina