2020 update Adapt Plugin Checklist

I'm updating my free resource, the Adapt Plugin checklist to support version 5 of the Adapt Framework. I've included some of the plugins that have been created by the community since I last visited this resource and removed extensions which added functionality which is now delivered through the core Framework or theme.

You can download it for free here.

What is it?

I created the Adapt Project Plugin checklist to help my own client projects. I wanted to help my client's have some understanding of the types of plugins they could use in their projects and it helped me to ensure that they could know exactly which plugins they could or couldn't use. I go into more detail about the rationale behind creating it as well as the creation of the checklist in two of my previous blog posts.

The Checklist is an Excel spreadsheet with a list of the components and extensions that I would recommend. When a Adapt project starts the team delivering it sit down and go through the plugins, working which ones make sense for the project. With this sorted the developer can install all the necessary plugins to the development environment (Framework or Authoring Tool) and style them within the theme.

This benefits the client as they introduced to all the components and extensions they can use. It gives them a better understanding of what their course will look like and introduces them to the names of the plugins that will be used so they have a terminology to use during the development and feedback on the project. It benefits the developer as they can set goalposts for the project and have a formal document they can refer to with the scope of the project.

I've personally used this checklist with almost a dozen of my own clients ranging from L+D teams in charities such as Shelter to massive multinational clients with 100,000+ employees. I've also had many other Adapt developers reach out and mention how much it helped them too.

Framework version 5 changes

The version 5 release of the Adapt Framework brought some pretty radical to underlying HTML structure of Adapt. You can read more about it [here](https://community.adapt learning.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=3807), but the TL:DR is that almost every existing plugin had to be updated to work in version 5.

Most more established Adapt developers and larger teams have already gotten around to updating their plugin to work with version 5. Information about this is usually included in the README. Most plugins have two separate branches with support for version 5+ and version 2 to 4.

Some older plugins may not have been updated to support Framework version 5. In that case you would need to try to contact the developer to update the plugin or attempt to update it yourself, which usually takes between 20 minutes to a day depending on complexity.

Should we be using version 5 or an older version?

I would highly recommend using version 5 as:

• There is so much new functionality that has been added to the theme such as the ability to easily set background images and minimum heights on almost any element.
• There has been an update to use different CSS measurements which are more accessible.
• The core development team is committed to this new version and older Framework versions risk not receiving updates in the future.

Whilst there are still some plugins that aren't compatible with version 5 more and more are being converted across. The majority of the best plugins have been. I would only recommend using version 4 if you have a specific plugin that you want to use that hasn't been updated to v5 and don't have the technical knowledge to do it yourself. If you fell into this use case you could always hire a developer (like Adapt Freelancer) to assist with upgrading to version 5.

If you do decide to go with an older version of the Adapt Framework I'm keeping the 2018 version of the Plugin Checklist up which you can download from here.

2020 changes to the Adapt Project Plugin Checklist

• I've added a comments column to the plugins so I can explain in more detail what they are about
• I've removed some extensions which are now part of core functionality (Article and page-header background)
• I've removed some extensions that I wouldn't recommmend anymore (Intro)
• I'm recommending the Quicknav component instead of the extension (as it's what is being supported going forward)
• I've added the Block Branching, Dev Tools, Audio and Certificate extensions
• I've added the Scenario Outcome and Image Juxtapose components
• I've removed some components that haven't been updated to version 5 yet.

Download the free Adapt Plugin Checklist here.

Why trust me?

Simon Date (Adapt Freelancer) has been using Adapt on an almost daily basis for over five years. Across his previous roles he gained a deep knowledge and expertise of how to best make use of Adapt interactions. This has been applied used to create hundreds of courses in the tool.

As Adapt Freelancer he has helped over twenty companies and organisations to use Adapt.

If you're looking to start using Adapt or to improve your current offerings with the tool get in touch.