├── index.htmlf
├── rachel-index.php
└── README.md


/index.htmlf:
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1 | rachel-index.php


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/rachel-index.php:
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 1 | <!-- This is a rachel-index.php file. It is the file that RACHEL uses to
 2 |      display your module on the RACHEL front page. You should place this file
 3 |      in your module's directory. It's under 50 lines including comments, so
 4 |      just read it through and edit as needed for your module, leaving the PHP
 5 |      tags in place.
 6 | -->
 7 | 
 8 | <div class="indexmodule">
 9 | 
10 | <!-- Search form - uncomment this section only if you set up search
11 |      functionality. See the RACHEL search documentation for details.
12 | -->
13 | <!--
14 | <form action="<?php echo $dir ?>/search/search.php">
15 | <input name="query" id="<?php echo $moddir ?>_search" autocomplete="off">
16 | <input type="submit" value="Search">
17 | </form>
18 | -->
19 | 
20 | <!-- Logo and link to your module's index.html - PHP will fill the path to your
21 |      module's directory, so just complete the path from there. To support
22 |      filesystem browsing, it is recommended that you include the full
23 |      filename, even if it is "index.html", instead of relying on the server.
24 | -->
25 | <a href="<?php echo $dir ?>/index.html">
26 | <img src="<?php echo $dir ?>/logo.png" alt="">
27 | </a>
28 | 
29 | <!-- Title and link to your module's index.html - same as above. -->
30 | <h2><a href="<?php echo $dir ?>/index.html">Module Title</a></h2>
31 | 
32 | <!-- Description of your module -->
33 | <p>This is a wonderful module that will make the world a better place.</p>
34 | 
35 | <!-- Links to specific parts of your content - only required if it makes sense.
36 |      Try to keep the list size reasonable (i.e. not too long). You can make
37 |      multi-column lists by adding "double", "triple", or "quad" as the <ul>
38 |      class. For example, <ul class="double"> will create a two-column list.
39 | -->
40 | <ul>
41 | <li><a href="<?php echo $dir ?>/topic1.html">Topic 1</a></li>
42 | <li><a href="<?php echo $dir ?>/topic2.html">Topic 2</a></li>
43 | <li><a href="<?php echo $dir ?>/topic3.html">Topic 3</a></li>
44 | </ul>
45 | 
46 | <!-- And you're done! -->
47 | </div>
48 | 


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/README.md:
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  1 | # module-template
  2 | 
  3 | A template for putting together RACHEL modules.
  4 | 
  5 | ## So you want to make a RACHEL module?
  6 | 
  7 | Great! There are people all around the world using RACHEL right now, and
  8 | your work will benefit them directly. The good news is that it's easy
  9 | to do, and there are people happy to help bring your content to
 10 | [our repository](http://dev.worldpossible.org/cgi/rachelmods.pl).
 11 | 
 12 | ## What is a RACHEL module?
 13 | 
 14 | A RACHEL module is just an offline website. Most often it is a simple directory
 15 | of HTML files, images, videos, and other related resources. The only strict
 16 | requirements are that it functions without an internet connection, and that
 17 | it includes [a special **rachel-index.php** file that can be included in the
 18 | RACHEL index](http://dev.worldpossible.org/cgi/sample_wrap.php?moddir=en-ebooks).
 19 | This PHP file is easy to make using the template we provide in this repository.
 20 | 
 21 | It is also possible for RACHEL modules to be based on the ZIM file format,
 22 | or to include PHP code and SQLite database files, which are covered in
 23 | **Advanced Module Creation** below.
 24 | 
 25 | ## What makes a great RACHEL module?
 26 | 
 27 | The best RACHEL modules provide [a friendly interface and enticing presentation
 28 | of unique educational content](http://dev.worldpossible.org/mods/en-ebooks/index.html).
 29 | The target audience is mostly children, people who are less familiar with
 30 | technology, and teachers and instructors with limited time, so usability and
 31 | engagement are of utmost importance. The best content in the world won't make a
 32 | difference if people aren't excited and able to use it!
 33 | 
 34 | To that end, some recommendations:
 35 | 
 36 |  * Provide an browsable index of content, preferably organized into
 37 | useful categories.
 38 | 
 39 |  * Add search capabilities using RACHEL search. Make the search available
 40 | from every page.
 41 | 
 42 |  * Use simple, low-overhead HTML, css, and javascript. Aim for compatability
 43 | with old, limited systems: many RACHEL users are on older browsers, slow
 44 | processors, and small screens. Avoid Flash, and use
 45 | [video.js](http://videojs.com/) for embeded video.
 46 | 
 47 |  * Compress images, audio, and video to minimum size while retaining
 48 | usability.  Not only does it save storage space but it reduces server, network,
 49 | and client load - all of which tend to be in short supply. Think of the
 50 | internet in 1999. 
 51 | 
 52 | This is particularly important for video -
 53 | [here are our recommendations](../../wiki/Video-Quality-Guide).
 54 | 
 55 | ## What licenses are appropriate?
 56 | 
 57 | Content submitted to RACHEL must either be in the public domain or under an
 58 | open license such as Creative Commons, GPL, etc. Whatever the license, please
 59 | follow all the terms, and include a viewable copy in the module itself.
 60 | As a courtesy, please provide attribution even if it is not required.
 61 | 
 62 | Please do not submit content that is not licensed for redistribution as we will
 63 | have to remove it. If you find any RACHEL content that you believe is not
 64 | properly licensed, please LET US KNOW.
 65 | 
 66 | ## How do I get started?
 67 | 
 68 | First: download this repository from github.
 69 | 
 70 |   `git clone https://github.com/rachelproject/module-template.git`
 71 | 
 72 | Inside you'll find the **rachel-index.php** template. This is the piece of PHP
 73 | that gets included on the front page of RACHEL. As a bare minimum, this is the
 74 | only part you have to do. If you don't fill out the rachel-index.php template,
 75 | it can't be displayed in RACHEL. Don't worry -- if you've ever edited HTML
 76 | before it's very easy. Just open the file in a text editor and follow the
 77 | instructions in the comments there.
 78 | 
 79 | You'll need to rename your directory from module-template to whatever name
 80 | you want for your module. By convention, the name must start with the two
 81 | letter language code and a hyphen. Thus we have
 82 | [en-wikipedia](http://dev.worldpossible.org/cgi/viewmod.pl?module_id=20) and
 83 | [fr-wikipedia](http://dev.worldpossible.org/cgi/viewmod.pl?module_id=77)
 84 | for English and French, respectively. The name must be unique, so check
 85 | [our module repository](http://dev.worldpossible.org/cgi/rachelmods.pl) first.
 86 | 
 87 | *That's it for now - but read on if you want to get fancy.*
 88 | 
 89 | ## Advanced Module Creation
 90 | 
 91 | ### PHP/SQLite Modules
 92 | 
 93 | Since the RACHEL system comes with PHP and SQLite installed, there is really
 94 | no limit to how creative you can get. You can create fully feautred dynamic
 95 | websites with any feature you like, as long as it can run offline. We will
 96 | leave the actual development up to you, but here are some examples:
 97 | 
 98 | * [World Map](http://dev.worldpossible.org/cgi/viewmod.pl?module_id=100) --
 99 |   uses [Leaflet](http://leafletjs.com/) to provide dynamic mapping and a
100 |   custom Ajax/PHP/SQLite city search feature.
101 | 
102 | * [wikiHow](http://dev.worldpossible.org/cgi/viewmod.pl?module_id=102) --
103 |   uses a custom Ajax/PHP/SQLite for search suggestions and results.
104 | 
105 | * [File Share](http://dev.worldpossible.org/cgi/viewmod.pl?module_id=60) --
106 |   a simple file upload program so non-technical people can put their own
107 |   files on RACHEL.  
108 | 
109 | ### Zim-based modules
110 | 
111 | One of the more advanced types of modules you can build is based off
112 | of a [ZIM file](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZIM_\(file_format\)). These
113 | are pre-packaged websites in a compressed, searchable format. They are
114 | accessed using a program called [Kiwix](http://wiki.kiwix.org/wiki/Software),
115 | which is included as part of the RACHEL build. All you have to do is put
116 | the contents of the ZIM file in the right place in your module directory:
117 | 
118 | * All related zim files go in the subdirectory **data/content**
119 |   -- a single offline website can contain one or many ZIM files,
120 |   for example: wiki.zim, wiki.zima, wiki.zimb, etc.
121 | 
122 | * The ZIM's index must go in the subdirectory **data/index**
123 |   -- the index will be a directory named something like wiki.idx
124 | 
125 | This loosely mirrors the directory structure of ZIM packages anyway. You can
126 | download and refer to one of the existing ZIM-based RACHEL modules like
127 | [Wikipedia for Schools](http://dev.worldpossible.org/cgi/viewmod.pl?module_id=50) to see this in action. It also demonstrates how to connect your
128 | rachel-index.php to the built-in Kiwix search.
129 | 
130 | You can find [a full listing of ZIM files here](http://wiki.kiwix.org/wiki/Content_in_all_languages). Be sure to download the "Pre-indexed" versions. You can
131 | discard everything except for what's in data/content and data/index. The RACHEL system
132 | already has the Kiwix software, and will automatically build library files as
133 | needed.
134 | 
135 | ## RACHEL Search
136 | 
137 | There are custom tools for spidering your module's content and building an
138 | efficient search index. These tools are unfortunately not on github yet,
139 | nor are they documented, but you can take a look at and possibly copy them
140 | from the search directory on the
141 | [wikiHow](http://dev.worldpossible.org/cgi/viewmod.pl?module_id=102) module.
142 | 
143 | *To be documented and published*
144 | 


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