Ned Custom Menu
Beta manualNed Custom Menu (block_ned_custom_menu) provides configurable course navigation menus with nested items, links, icons, colours, role-based visibility, activity links, and course-section links.
Requirements
- Ned Hub (
local_nedhub) version 0.1.3 or later. - An active Ned Tools entitlement for
block_ned_custom_menu. - A Moodle user with permission to add and configure the block in the relevant context.
Install and configure
- Install the plugin in Moodle's
blocks/ned_custom_menudirectory and complete the normal Moodle upgrade process. - Confirm Ned Hub is installed and refresh the site's licence/entitlement status.
- Turn editing on in the required course and add Ned Custom Menu.
- Open the block settings and configure the menu with the visual editor. Add, select, reorder, indent, or remove items as required.
- Choose course activities, course sections, internal or external links, headings, and role-based visibility for individual items.
- Save changes. The editor writes the existing compatible text configuration format automatically.
The visual editor reads and writes the existing text-based menu configuration format. Existing block configurations therefore remain compatible without conversion, while the legacy source remains available under the advanced form fields for troubleshooting and direct editing.
Menu features
| Feature | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Visual editor | Add, select, delete, reorder, indent, and outdent menu items in a two-pane editor. |
| Nested items | Create parent and child navigation entries; parent expansion is detected automatically. |
| Activity links | Link menu entries to activities visible to the current user. |
| Section links | Link directly to course sections. |
| Role visibility | Select course roles visually or use an advanced role expression for each item. |
| Icons and colours | Add visual grouping and emphasis to menu entries. |
| Import and export | Back up or transfer menu definitions as text files. |
| Enhanced appearance | Optionally enable expanded/collapsed visual treatment for nested navigation. |
Permissions
The plugin defines block/ned_custom_menu:addinstance and block/ned_custom_menu:myaddinstance. Editing teachers and managers can add course instances by default. Site administrators should review role assignments if different access is required.
Licensing and covered courses
Ned Custom Menu uses Ned Hub for entitlement checks rather than implementing separate licence logic. When the entitled block is used in a course, it registers that course with Ned Hub as a covered course so covered-course and covered-student licensing can be calculated consistently.
Privacy and data sharing
| Processing location | What happens |
|---|---|
| Processed locally in Moodle | Menu configuration, course/activity/section lookup, role-based visibility, rendering, and block settings. |
| Sent to Ned Cloud | The block itself does not send menu content. Ned Hub may send the normal licence-validation metadata and aggregate covered-course / covered-student counts documented by Ned Hub. |
| Sent to third-party AI providers | Nothing. Ned Custom Menu does not use generative AI or third-party AI providers. |
Compatibility and legacy configuration
The existing text-based menu configuration format remains the persisted source of truth, and the visual editor serialises changes back to that format. Existing block instances can therefore be upgraded without rewriting their stored menu definitions. The adopted Ned Tools plugin is self-contained for menu behaviour and does not retain the former controller or course-format integrations.
Troubleshooting
- The block is empty: confirm the site is entitled to
block_ned_custom_menu, then confirm the block has menu content configured. - An activity link is missing: confirm the activity exists, has a usable URL, and is visible to the current user.
- A menu item is hidden unexpectedly: review its role-visibility expression and the user's roles in the course context.
- Changes do not appear: save the block settings and purge Moodle caches if plugin files were just deployed or upgraded.
Current beta limits
This is an adoption beta. The visual menu editor has been restored in version 0.1.1, while Moodle 5.1 installation and functional verification are still required before the plugin is considered release-ready. The plugin does not include the former controller or course-format integrations.
Change history
Summary of merged commits that established or changed this plugin and its release process.
- 7bf06feFixed visual-editor loading before the entitlement gate and released plugin version 0.1.2.
- d7aa15cAdded development deployment safeguards and the release checklist.
- dac578bRestored the visual menu editor, updated selectors, and released version 0.1.1.
- 9312ef8Adopted the legacy Custom Menu as a self-contained Ned Tools plugin with licensing, migration, accessibility, styles, tests, and documentation.
- 32e59cfCreated the plugin repository.