Contents
Alerts - Plugixa Exam
Alerts are the things worth knowing that do not deserve an email.
For staff
A bell in the WordPress admin bar, with a count. It raises the things that need somebody: papers waiting to be marked, attempts closed automatically, anything a module wants to surface.
It is deliberately in the admin bar rather than inside the plugin’s own screens, because the point is to be seen by somebody who came to WordPress to do something else.
For learners
[plugixa_exam_alerts] puts the learner’s own feed on any page. They see what
concerns them: a result released, a certificate issued, an attempt closed.
Alerts or email?
| Use an alert when | Use email when |
|---|---|
| The person will be back in the admin anyway | They need to know while away |
| It is a queue, not an event | It is a single thing that happened to them |
| Volume is high | Volume is low |
“A paper needs marking” works as both, which is why it is available as both. Switch the email off and keep the bell if your markers are in the admin daily.
See Notifications for the email side.
For developers
Raise one with the plugixa_exam_alert action, and adjust the markers on the
feed with plugixa_exam_alert_markers. See
Hooks.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Usual cause |
|---|---|
| No bell in the admin bar | The Alerts capability is off, or the user’s role has nothing to be alerted about. |
| The shortcode prints as raw text | Same capability, switched off. |
| The count never clears | Alerts about a queue clear when the queue does. Mark the papers. |
| Learners see staff alerts | They should not. The feed is scoped to the viewer; check the role. |
What to do next
- The email side: Notifications.
- Where learners see everything else: Learner Portal.
- Raise your own: Hooks.