Moodle: Text Editor

Summary

Learn about the text editor used across Moodle. This article lists the functions within the text editor, and highlights commonly used features such as the equation editor and table maker.

Body

Introduction

The text editor (sometimes referred to as a text box) has many icons to assist you in entering content, whether creating an activity, resource, or submitting an assignment. Many of these icons and functions should be familiar to anyone who uses a word processor. See below to learn more about Moodle’s text editor.

Text editor layout

Each icon on the text editor tool bar has a unique function.

Corresponding Functions of Text Editor Icons
Show More Buttons Paragraph Styles Font Size Bold Italic Font Colors Background Color Styles Bullet Point List Numbered List Outdent Indent Link Unlink Prevent Auto Link Paste Special	Insert or Edit Image Insert or Edit an Audio/Video File Insert from Panopto Manage Files Record Audio Record Video Insert H5P Content Underline Strikethrough Subscript Superscript Ruby/Furigana Left Align Center Align Right Align Left to Right	Right to Left Horizontal Rule Equation Editor Chemistry Editor Emoticon Insert Character Table Clear Formatting HTML Undo Redo Audio Recorder Video Recorder Insert a Widget Toggle Full Screen

Image drag and drop

If your browser allows it, you can add images into the editor simply by dragging them from your computer:

Drag an image directly into the editor

Autosave

Text typed into the editor is automatically saved every 60 seconds. If you leave the form without submitting, the text in the editor will be restored next time you open the page.

Accessibility checker

One of the tools available in the text editor, located under More Buttons, is an automated accessibility checker which checks for some common errors in the text. The list of problems that the accessibility checker looks for is:

Images with missing or empty alt text (unless they have the presentation role)
Lack of Contrast of font color and background color meets WCAG AA guidelines
Long blocks of text not sufficiently broken up into headings
Any tables without captions
Any tables containing merged cells as they are difficult to navigate with screen readers
Any tables without row or column headers

ℹ️ Note: If you would like to have a deep accessibility check, please use Ally for accessibility checking. Follow Enabling Ally in Moodle and the Ally Quick Start for more information.

Screenreader helper

The screen reader helper provides additional information about the style of the currently selected text (e.g. is it bold), as well as a listing of any images or links in the text.