Official ONLYOFFICE Docs connector for Moodle is here

We have released the first version of the official Moodle connector for editing and collaboration on the course documents inside the platform. Read this post to learn more about the app, how to install and use it within your Moodle instance.

First integration app for Moodle

The first Moodle connector was developed in 2020 by Logic Expertise, an IT consulting and software company with offices in Melbourne, Australia, and Tauranga, New Zealand. It has been one of the most valuable examples of integration apps created by third-party developers, because it opened ONYOFFICE functionality to thousands of users in education.

However, the app still lacked some functionality and interface elements for integration management. Users kept asking us about the plans for improvement, whereas our team had little knowledge about the app development process and couldn’t take responsibility for its functioning.

Convinced that maintaining the app ourselves will give us a chance to ensure its continuous improvement, we decided to create a fork to revise app’s logic and functionality, and take turn in bringing the app closer to meeting the existing user requests.

Integration app by ONLYOFFICE

The new app already includes the requested fixes and will be further improved and given new features. We revised numerous code issues and fixed known bugs to deliver uninterrupted app performance.
The current version of the new Moodle app allows you to:

• Add ONLYOFFICE activities to course pages;
• Edit text documents, spreadsheets, and presentations attached to Moodle courses;
• Co-edit the files using two co-editing modes (Fast and Strict), Track Changes mode, comments, and built-in chat;
• View and edit DOCX, XLSX, PPTX, TXT, and CSV; view PDF; edit ODT, ODS, ODP, DOC, XLS, PPT, PPS, EPUB, RTF, HTML, and HTM through conversion to OOXML.
• Set up and manage ONLYOFFICE integration via settings page.

ONLYOFFICE integration provides additional measures for document security:

• Documents, workbooks, and separate sheets can be protected with passwords to restrict access.
• Watermarks can be used against unwanted distribution and copy of the information in files.
• To protect course items, administrators and teachers can choose to enable or disable downloading and printing from the editors.
• JWT secret built in the integration app protects file access from unauthorized users.
  We plan to further research the user experience in Moodle to make the integration even smoother, with the key platform’s specifics and use scenarios in mind.

How to enable ONLYOFFICE Docs in Moodle

1. Install an instance of ONLYOFFICE Docs. Docker is the most convenient way to run the application.
2. Install the ONLYOFFICE connector into mod/onlyoffice directory as a usual activity plugin and configure it. The app is also available on the Moodle plugins library.
3. Add an ONLYOFFICE document activity to a course page where you want to enable file editing.

You can find more detailed instructions on the Moodle connector GitHub page.

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Watch this video to learn how to connect ONLYOFFICE Docs to Moodle step-by-step: