WhatsApp by Marbot — Moodle activity module

Adds a WhatsApp activity to Moodle courses. Teachers configure either a personal contact number (with optional pre-filled message) or a group invite link, and students join the conversation with a single click — directly from the course page.

Features

• Personal contact — WhatsApp number with optional default message that opens the chat pre-filled


• Group invite — Direct link to a WhatsApp group


• Server-side redirect — Uses view.php; no inline JavaScript, no popup blockers


• Activity logs — Triggers the course_module_viewed event for analytics and reporting


• Completion tracking — Supports "complete when viewed"


• Backup & restore — Full Moodle 2 backup/restore support


• Privacy — Stores no personal data (null_provider)


• i18n — English and Spanish

Requirements

| Component | Version |
|---|---|
| Moodle | 4.1 or newer |
| PHP | 7.4 or newer |

Installation

From the Moodle Plugins directory (recommended)

1. Site administration ' Plugins ' Install plugins


2. Search for WhatsApp by Marbot and install


3. Run the upgrade

From ZIP

1. Download the latest release: github.com/cahuayamarcial/moodle-mod_whatsappmb/releases


2. Site administration ' Plugins ' Install plugins ' Upload the ZIP

Manual

cd moodle/mod

git clone https://github.com/cahuayamarcial/moodle-mod_whatsappmb.git whatsappmb

Then run Site administration ' Notifications.

Usage

1. Turn editing on in a course ' Add an activity or resource ' WhatsApp


2. Pick Link type:
   
   
   
   • Personal number: enter a phone number in international format (e.g. +59171502211) and an optional default message
   
   
   • Group link: paste a WhatsApp group invite (https://chat.whatsapp.com/...)
   
   
   
   


3. Save — students see a clickable activity that opens WhatsApp Web or the WhatsApp app

Capabilities

| Capability | Role default |
|----------------------------------|---------------------------|
| mod/whatsappmb:addinstance | Editing teacher, Manager |
| mod/whatsappmb:view | All users |

Changelog

1.0.4

• Removed inline JavaScript from whatsappmb_get_coursemodule_info; replaced with a clean server-side redirect via view.php


• Added whatsappmb_view() helper that triggers the viewed event and updates completion state


• Enabled FEATURE_COMPLETION_TRACKS_VIEWS


• index.php now follows the standard mod_* convention


• Fixed backup placeholder typo that prevented link decoding on restore


• Added missing GPL headers and PHPDoc across all classes and functions


• Translated all comments to English


• Bumped minimum supported Moodle to 4.1


• Plugin passes phpcs --standard=moodle with zero errors

1.0.0

• Initial release


• Personal contact with pre-filled message


• Group invite link

License

GNU GPL v3 — see LICENSE.

Author

Marcial Cahuaya (Marbot)

Issues and suggestions: github.com/cahuayamarcial/moodle-mod_whatsappmb/issues