Configuring the Front page settings

Introduction

The Front page is the home page for the entire Moodle site. Depending on the configuration of the settings, it may be the first page users see upon logging in. Therefore, it is important that the Front page is set up to be as useful as possible.

The objective of this article is to provide the information necessary to configure the Front page to benefit your users' experience with the Moodle site.  Using this information, you will be able to provide a Front page that allows users easy access to the most important areas of the site.

Sections/Summary of the Steps

Before getting into the details of setting up the Front page, please note the following sections/steps.

• Section 1: Modifying the Front page settings
• Section 2: Modifying the blocks on the Front page

This article will also expand upon the following.

• Tip: Using 'My home' as the home page

Section 1: Modifying the Front page settings

Administrators are allowed to edit the settings of the Front page.

To start modifying the Front page's settings,

Navigate to Administration block > Site administration > Front page > Front page settings

The main settings to be aware of:

A.  Front page: The selected items will be displayed to any visitors to the site (they will not need to log in to see these items).

B.  Front page items when logged in: The selected items are shown to logged in users.

For settings A and B, you are able to choose if and how the course list is displayed. This could be a list of courses, a list of categories, a combo list (categories and courses), or courses the user is enrolled in (for logged in users only).

C.  Include a topic section: checking this box will allow you to have a module on the Front page. You can add activities and resources that can be accessed by all users.

Click 'Save changes' when the settings are properly configured.

Section 2: Modifying the blocks on the Front page

If you would like, you can modify which blocks are present, and their layout, on the Moodle site's Front page.

To start editing the block configuration, navigate to the Front page > Administration block > Front page settings > Turn editing on

With editing on, you can now add, delete, and move blocks around the page.

To add a new block, select it from the drop down menu in the 'Add a block' block.

To move the block click and hold the button, and drag the block to its new location.

To delete a block, click the gear symbol, and then 'Delete <<Name of block>> block' from the settings menu for the block.

Tip: Using 'My home' as the home page

By default, the first page that users will see upon logging in to the Moodle site is the Front page.  However, this setting can be changed by navigating to Administration block > Site administration > Appearance > Navigation

At the very top of the page that loads, beside the 'Default home page for users' field is a drop down menu where the home page can be selected.

Other than using the front page (Site) there are two options...

Using 'My home'

One option is to select 'My home' from the drop down menu. This will result in the user's customized My home page being the first page they see upon logging in.

Using 'User preference'

Another option is to allow the user to select what they would like their home page to be by choosing 'User preference' from the drop down menu.  Each individual user will be able to choose whether to use My home or the Front page as their home page for the Moodle site. To do so, the user needs to navigate to either the 'Home Page' (if the Front page is their selection) or the 'My home' page.  Then, the user needs to navigate to Administration > My profile settings > 'Make this my default home page'.