A combination lock for H5P

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the H5P content types Tabs and Timekeeper. I created these two for the Hochschule Hannover as a contractor. But not only these two 🙂 Here’s yet another one called “Combination Lock”.

This is very much like a real combination lock, right? Find the right combination and the lock will open. Or cheat and try 0123 directly.

This combination lock can do some tricks though:

• You cannot only use numbers, but any symbol should do: letters, signs, emoji and other unicode symbols, …
• You can choose how many segments from 1 to 6 the lock should have.
• You can decide what symbols the segments should bear to choose from.
• You can choose between a simple lock with auto-check, or you can require the user to use a “check” button to do so explicitly. And in that case, you can set the maximum number of attempts, too.
• You can decide whether there should be a “Show solution” button and whether thete should be a “Retry” button.

And then the lock could look and work like this:

Can you open it? You have three attempts. Hint: Red fruits, but it’s not a slot machine 😉

And, of course, there are things that you don’t see.

• Accessibility should be fine by using the spin button pattern, having large enough buttons, good contrast, etc.
• The H5P integration that the lock is running on can track xAPI statement. That means you can for instance know when someone succeeded to open the lock – probably the most interesting thing to know, because you could require the lock to be open before getting access to other things.
• The visual design can be changed using H5P’s hook system as usual.

Want to use it already?

I will ask the H5P core team to review the content type. Afterwards, they should release it on the H5P Hub, but this process usually takes some time. If you want to use the content type right away, look for the Reuse button underneath the content. Use that button to download the demo content, and then upload the .h5p file onto your H5P platform in the H5P Hub. Please note that you will need to have permission to install H5P libraries. Otherwise, you cannot install the content type this way. In that case, your system admin will need to assist you.

The source code is available as well: Check out source code of Combination Lock

Is it available in my language?

1. In theory: yes! If it’s missing, you can fill in the gaps yourself on translate-h5p.tk.

Any future plans for that content type?

You may wonder what I intend to add to this content type. I don’t know. Could be something, could be nothing at all. I am open for ideas either way. But please keep something in mind: I coded this content type, but it’s not mine. I coded it at a discount rate as I usually do if the result bears an open source license. I’ll take care of all the change requests that the H5P core team may have to bring the content type onto the H5P Hub. Additionally, I suppose that I will find time to help you on the H5P forum if you have questions. That’s what I usually do anyway. But if you claim free support as if it was your right, you’ll most likely get a “no” from me. The same applies if you expect me to add features pro bono to solve your specific problems. I may add things, but at my own time – or expect you to toss me a coin. I hope you understand that. Not all do, as I know from bad experience.