Edwiser Single Sign On (SSO) extension to access Moodle and WordPress

Two Doors by Stefan W.
Licensing: Creative Commons,
Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)
http://goo.gl/sVgWXa

This is the second post in a series of five posts featuring the Edwiser Bridge and its four extensions. To re-cap, these WordPress plugins allow you to integrate Moodle with WordPress. In today's post I will focus on the Edwiser Single Sign On Extension which is a commercial plugin.

Image 1. The SSO extension icon.

This extension is an integral component in an e-Commerce system that comprises of Moodle, WordPress and WooCommerce. It works in tandem with the other compnents to create synergy in your system.


Section I. Overview

Image 2. The Big Picture. Where 
the SSO extension fits in.

What is the Single Sign On?
Single sign-on (SSO) is a session and user authentication service that allows a user to use a set of login details - name and password - to access two or more applications, in this case, WordPress and Moodle.

The Single Sign On extension allows you to enter your login credentials once in Wordpress, and to be logged into both WordPress and Moodle at the same time. So with this Edwiser extension, you will be able to, from within WordPress, launch directly into a Moodle site without having to go through the Moodle login page. This extension, used in tandem with Edwiser Bridge and the other three extensions, produce operational synergy for your website.

How to sell your Moodle course with Edwiser, Moodle and WordPress

Source: Alexa_Fotos; Pixabay https://goo.gl/jyiz8N

Some time ago, I wanted to know how I could sell a Moodle course online with a local Malaysian payment gateway. After doing some research online, I discovered that I could do this by using the free Edwiser Bridge and its four commercial extensions (plugins) from Edwiser. Throw in a payment gateway like the iPay88 plugin for WooCommerce, and the world's your oyster.

What is Edwiser Bridge?
Edwiser Bridge is a plugin by Edwiser that integrates Moodle Learning Management System with WordPress. It allows you to import and sell Moodle courses using WordPress. Software requirements of the lugin: WordPress 4.0 or higher.  Compatible up to WordPress 4.5.3.

Today's post is the first in a series of five posts where I will illustrate how I used the Edwiser Bridge plugins and its extensions to create an E-Commerce WordPress website to sell Moodle courses.

Most of the information provided by me on the Edwiser Bridge installation can be obtained from Edwiser's website, specifically the company's Documentation Page. What is different in my blog are detailed screenshots of the installation and test process, and some explanation in my own words.


Learning Outcome
At the end of this post, you will know how to import and synchronise your Moodle courses with WordPress by using the free Edwiser Bridge plugin.

Book Review: Tornado Down

Hi All

And now for something entirely different. A book review of the 1993 best-seller on Desert Storm. Tornado Down by John Peters and John Nichol.

I just finished the book. Here is my honest review.

The first page of the Book starts out literally with a bang. 280 pages later, it ends with a profound statement about what a hero and bravery is.

The book is well written and is easy to read. You feel as though both authors are speaking to you. Such is the power of reading a book! The authors' descriptive writing makes their whole experience come alive.  All five senses will be engaged. You feel the excitement as the airmen prepare for imminent war. You feel the aircrew's fear of failure when the Tornados refuel in-flight, in pitch darkness. You feel the scorching heat of the desert. You feel the adrenaline rush as the desert floor whizzes past the Tornado that is flying at 500knots, 50 feet above the ground. You taste the fear in the aircrew when they see Triple-AAA greet them as they fly towards and over the Iraqi airfield. You feel the shudder of the aircraft as the SAM hits it. You smell the prison surroundings and feel the dampness of the floors of their eventual prison cells. You winch as the authors describe the brutal blows and torture landed upon them, time and time again. You sniff a tear as you read about their emotional reunions. Such is the power of the descriptive writing style of the authors.

View PDF files in a ShadowBox pop-up window in the Essential Theme on your Moodle 3.0 site (works on all other themes as well!)

Source: Jens Peter Olesen,
Pixabay, CC0 Public Domain

Design. It's all about design. Today's post is  a sequel to my earlier post on the same subject. In that post, I enabled my PDF and ODF files to open in a Lightbox-like window, when clicked upon, in three themes: Evolve-D, Academi and BCU. I had used FancyBox and ViewerJS to achieve this. I couldn't get Fancybox to work with other themes.

The great news is that I have since discovered that ShadowBox (in place of FancyBox) works on Essential and Moodle 3.2's Boost theme. The installation is much easier, and I managed to optimise the look and feel of ShadowBox by tweaking its original CSS file.

Important Disclaimer and warning:
If you find that your Moodle version and Moodle theme causes your PDF file to load v-e-r-y slowly, or if your Google Chrome displays the "Out of memory" or "Aw snap" message,  then try using the FancyBox method that I blogged here instead.

Learning Outcome
At the end of this post, you will be able to hack your beloved and sacred Moodle site so that PDF files will open as pop-ups. That's all. Nothing earth-shattering. However, I strongly believe that my post today is going to touch lives and make a difference in your Moodle experience (XP). As well as your teachers' and students' Moodle XP. Read on!