A large-scale LearnDash project has been our focus for March, one which we’re not yet able to share details on. So, in the meantime, here are a couple of the projects we’ve been working on alongside the larger LearnDash project…
Migrating a LearnDash customer from GrassBlade LRS to Tin Canny.
LearnDash supports SCORM compliant content built in authoring tools such as Articulate Rise and Adobe Captivate. These are integrated into LearnDash by using the xAPI (“Experience API”) standard. This requires a Learning Record Store, which stores the data generated by users experiencing the content and taking part in quizzes. The two most common LRS solutions to use with LearnDash are GrassBlade LRS and TinCanny.
Our client, an electrical wholesaler, has been offering technical training to their distributors and installers through LearnDash, employing the GrassBlade plugin for monitoring and reporting on learner progress, engagement, and course enrolment. However, the expense of GrassBlade began to outweigh its benefits, particularly given the client’s limited use of its basic features and the software’s struggle to accommodate increased website traffic without causes outages. Seeking an alternative, they approached us for assistance. We migrated them to Tin Canny, a service that provides the required functionalities at a more affordable annual fee, moving away from the costly monthly charges associated with GrassBlade. We were able to do this without any impact on learners.
Downloadable conference schedule for an evolving agenda
One of our events clients in the built environment sector has 500+ programme items and 80 venues and locations to organise and display accurate information for attendees. The website currently has a widget with the functionality to filter talks by which stage they are on and which day they are taking place.
The client came to us to see if there was a way attendees could download a copy of the most up-to-date agenda so they could browse the conference programme in advance and get more value from attending the events. The agenda is subject to change in the run up to the event as they gauge interest in each talk and adjust the programme. It was therefore important to be able to keep the downloadable schedule regularly updated.
We did this by generating an Excel file which is created dynamically with the most up to date information they have for each event. The Excel file is divided into separate sheets for each date with the ability to filter each column so attendees can select which venue/stage they’re interested in and view just the events happening for that location.
We’re also working on a “Add to Calendar” button for each event to make it easier for attendees to organise their time and schedule the talks, seminars and workshops that are important to them. This will be implemented nearer the date of the event once the final agenda has been finalised.
WP Leeds IRL!
We organised a face-to-face meetup with fellow WordPress developers in Leeds in March – our first in-real-life event since 2020! It was great to be able to sit down with a coffee and discuss any challenges and current projects with other developers in person. We were also joined by a sponsored representative of Automattic (the company behind WordPress.com) who happened to be in Leeds that week.
Whilst we’re not fully settled into a new venue to make this a permanent meetup, we hope this will be the first of many.
