Create, select, and manage web links
Introduction Web link
The web link object leads to ILIAS internal or external internet pages. With a web link, you can refer to content already available somewhere on the internet and include it in your course.
This way, you can compile a source collection and link directly to freely available literature or, for example, offer a Wikipedia article to introduce your topic.
- The Web Link object can contain a single link or multiple links. The links are then provided to learners as a collection.
- An additional description can accompany the links. Motivate your learners to use the link: Briefly describe how the link contributes to the goal of the event or topic.
- There is an option to have all links contained in a Web Link object automatically checked for validity. This saves you the regular search for "dead" links in your link list. For learners, it saves frustrating clicking on broken links.
Add a Web Link Object
You want to create a new web link object with the first web link.
Note: You can add more links to this Web Link object, creating a collection.
- Navigate to the location in ILIAS where you want to create the new weblink object.
- Click the Add New Object button and then click Weblink.
- ILIAS opens a new form.
- Select the appropriate option for the target type of the first weblink in your weblink object.
WWW / Internet: A web address outside of ILIAS. Paste the link into the text input field URL.
Inside ILIAS: Internal link inside ILIAS. Click Select target object and select an existing page, glossary term, or object in Repository. - Enter a title in the text input field Title of the web link.
- If desired, enter a description in the corresponding text input field.
- Click the Create Web Link button.
- ILIAS creates the web link object with the first web link. You are in the Contents tab of the Web link object.
Create weblink
You are in the Contents tab of a Web link object and want to create a new web link.
- Click on the Create Weblink button.
Note: Since you now store more than one weblink in your object, a weblink collection is created.- ILIAS prompts you to assign a title and description for the newly created weblink collection.
- For the target type of the weblink, select the appropriate option:
- WWW / Internet: A web address outside of ILIAS. Paste the link into the text input field URL.
- Inside ILIAS: Internal link inside ILIAS. Click Select target object and select an existing page, glossary term, or object in the Repository.
- Enter a title in the text input field Title of the web link.
- If desired, enter a description in the corresponding text input field.
- The Active checkbox should be selected. If the checkbox is not selected, learners cannot see the web link.
The Disable verification checkbox disables automatic verification of the web link. Note: This option can be helpful because working links are often incorrectly identified as "dead". - If necessary, add a dynamic parameter such as your ILIAS username.
- This function is helpful if you want to pass a parameter from ILIAS to another system. The selected parameter will be appended to the internet address.
- This function is only available if activated in the ILIAS administration.
- Click on the Create Web Link button.
- ILIAS reports, "A new web link has been created," and returns to the list of web links.
Edit web link
You are in the Contents tab of a web link object and want to edit a web link.
- Open the ▼ menu of the weblink you want to edit and select the Edit content entry.
- ILIAS opens a new form with all data and settings for the weblink.
- Using the various options under the Destination heading, you can customize the address to which the link leads.
- You can change the name in the text input field Title of the weblink.
- In the Description text input field, you can write or change explanations.
- The Active checkbox should be enabled. If the checkbox is disabled, learners cannot see the web link.
- The Disable verification checkbox allows you to disable automatic verification for links incorrectly detected as "dead".
- The Valid checkbox is automatically selected by ILIAS when the platform has detected the link as working. Sometimes this automatism makes a mistake and classifies working links as "dead". Then you can set the checkbox to Valid yourself. Invalid links are not displayed to learners.
- If necessary, change existing dynamic parameters, such as your ILIAS username.
- Click on the Save button.
- ILIAS reports, "The settings have been saved." and applies the changes.
Assign a tile image to a web link.
The tile view was selected in the parent container object to present the content.
You want your web link object displayed in this tile view with a tile image.
- Open the Settings tab of the corresponding Web Link object.
- Use the Select File button in the Tile Image section to select the desired file from your local computer. You can only upload .png, .jpg, and .jpeg files and define them as tile images.
- Afterward, click on Save.
- ILIAS reports "Changes saved" and displays the tile image in the overview of the parent container object.
Note: To remove the tile image again, activate the Delete existing file checkbox and click Save.
Disable weblink
You want to hide a web link so it is no longer displayed to other users.
- Open the collection of your web links.
- Open the ▼ menu of the desired weblink and select the entry Disable Weblink.
- ILIAS reports, "The web link has been disabled." and no longer displays the link in the list.
Tip:
- Click the Manage link in the Content tab.
- ILIAS opens a new page.
- Select the checkbox in the Active column to display the web link again.
- Click on the Save button.
- ILIAS reports, "The settings have been saved." and displays the weblink again in the list of links.
Delete weblink
You want to delete a weblink.
- Open the collection of your weblinks.
- Click the Show link below the Contents tab.
- Open the ▼ menu of the weblink and select the entry Delete.
- ILIAS will ask if you want to delete the weblink.
- Click on the Delete button.
- ILIAS reports, "The weblink(s) has been deleted." and returns to the list of weblinks.
Disable verification
You want to prevent ILIAS from checking a weblink for validity.
- Open the collection of your weblinks.
- In the Content tab, click the Manage link.
- ILIAS opens a new page.
- Select the Disable Validation column checkbox to prevent ILIAS from validating the weblink.
- Click on the Save button.
- ILIAS reports, "The settings have been saved." and reloads the page.
Add dynamic parameters
You want to pass a parameter from ILIAS to another system. For example, suppose the link points to a page at the examination office. In that case, a person's matriculation number can be added to the link and serve as an identifier at the receiving system. This feature is convenient but not very secure.
- Open the collection of your web links.
- In the Contents tab, click the Manage link.
- ILIAS opens a new page.
- Enter a name for the parameter in the Parameter Name text entry field.
- In principle, the name is freely selectable. However, it must correspond to a valid variable of the remote system; otherwise, the parameter cannot be processed, and the requested page cannot be loaded.
- Open the Parameter Value drop-down menu and select the ILIAS parameter you want to pass to the other system via the URL.
- Click on the Save button.
- ILIAS reports, "The settings have been saved." and reloads the page.
- The web link now contains an additional parameter to the actual web address. Example: http://www.einrichtung.domain/?user=mustermann
Export weblink collection as HTML file
You want to export a weblink collection as HTML file.
- You are in the parent container object of your weblink collection.
- Click the ▼ menu of the Web Link Collection and select the Export as HTML File entry.
- Your Internet browser starts downloading the HTML file.
Changing the title or sorting of the weblinks
Changing the title or description of the weblink collection
You want to change the title or description of a weblink collection.
- Click the Settings tab.
Note: The Settings tab will not be visible until there is more than one weblink in your collection. - Change the title or description in the appropriate text entry fields.
- Click the Save button.
- ILIAS reports, "The settings have been saved." and reloads the page.
Sort weblink collection automatically
You want to sort the web links of the collection automatically.
- Open the ▼ menu and select the Settings entry.
- ILIAS opens the Settings tab.
- In the Sorting the web links section, activate the Alphabetical by title radio button: the web links will be automatically sorted by their title.
- Click on the Save button.
- ILIAS reports, "The settings have been saved." and reloads the page.
Sorting the order of the weblinks manually
You do not want to arrange the weblinks of a weblink collection alphabetically, but in a particular order, for example, sorted in descending order according to their relevance.
- You are in your weblink collection.
- Click on the Settings tab.
- In the Sorting of web links section, activate the Manual sorting radio button.
- Click on the Save button.
- ILIAS reports, "The settings have been saved." and reloads the page.
- Click on the Content tab and then on the Sorting link.
- Determine the position of the respective web link by entering a numerical value in the Position column.
- Sorting is done in ascending order according to the entered values; the lower the value, the higher the web link will be listed.
- You can enter whole numbers as well as decimal numbers. Numbers with a negative sign are also possible. Decimal numbers are rounded down when saved, and numbers with a negative sign are converted to positive numbers.
- Click on the Save sort button.
- ILIAS reports, "The settings have been saved." and changes the order of the web links.
History
Who changed something here?
The History tab of a weblink or weblink collection informs you who made which change to the weblink or weblink collection and when.
Note: Restoring a previous state is not possible.
Checking external links
Correcting invalid links
You want to check your weblink or weblink collection for invalid links.
- You are in a weblink collection.
- Call up the Check external links tab.
- Click on the Refresh button.
- ILIAS reports, "The view has been updated." and checks all existing web links.
- Web links with invalid web addresses are displayed in a list.
Note: ILIAS automatically deactivates incorrect web links; they are no longer visible in the Contents tab under the Show link. - Open the ▼ menu of the web link you want to correct and select the Edit entry.
- ILIAS opens the form for editing the web link.
- Correct the web address in the Destination text entry field and activate the Active checkbox to display the web link again.
- Click the Save button.
- ILIAS reports, "The settings have been saved." and takes you back to the web link overview. The corrected weblink is displayed again.
Note: Perform a new check on occasion to ensure that the links always work.