Keeping your LMS neat, tidy, and running smoothly is a key goal for any LMS administrator. In this article, we'll explain why a consistent coding convention is an important part of that and share a ready-to-go example that you can copy and use when you're setting up your Learn site.
Whatever convention you choose, do it from the outset. It’s hard to change later, especially if codes are hard-wired into reports.
We'll cover:
- 3 reasons why you need a coding convention
- Example coding convention to copy and use in your Learn
- Want to create your own instead? Here's some gotchas
- Review codes to make sure the convention is consistently used
3 reasons why you need a coding convention
1 - It makes searching easier
When your team uses the same coding convention, it's much easier to find what you're looking for. That applies in two areas: searching (for a Course, Lesson, or Event) in Learn admin and filtering reports.
In both cases, if you know the coding format for what you’re looking for, you’ll find it easily – and that will save you time and probably some frustration, too!
2 - It's future-proof
When Learn LMS is first set up, there may only be a few Courses, so it's no big deal if the codes are not consistent. However, over time, more content will be added, and you may delegate admin tasks to your colleagues - and that's where consistency gets even more important.
Think about the future and plan to scale. Your LMS will evolve and it’s best to scale good habits.
You might start out with just a few Courses but that can change quickly...
3 - It saves time
A useful code should tell you everything you need to know without any further clicks to figure out if the Lesson you're looking at is really the one you need. So abbreviations are fine, just aim to keep them meaningful at a glance. We have some examples of that below.
A clear coding convention can also help new team members get up to speed quickly, and makes it easier to follow your processes. Consistency is key to a smooth-running LMS.
The below screengrab shows a selection of Lessons available to be assigned to a Course. Note how the code is visible underneath the title. It's another layer of detail that helps to ensure you're making the right selection - without the need to click through and check:
Example coding convention to copy and use in your Learn
OK, so now we've explained why you need a coding convention, what should yours look like? To make things easy, we've created an example that you can copy and use right from the start - no need to plan your own coding convention - unless you want to, and we cover that below - or if you're already using one that works just fine as it is.
We've covered the three areas where a coding convention is most useful - Courses, Lessons, and Events, as it's likely your Learn will contain lots of each.
Courses
It's useful to include the general subject area in the code. It will help when you're searching through your Courses in Learn admin, and also when filtering a report.
| Course code format | Examples |
| Category_Title |
Or, abbreviate to keep the code succinct yet still meaningful:
|
Lessons
Lesson codes can follow the same logic as Course codes, with a little more detail if required. It can be helpful to identify the Lesson ‘type/purpose’ in the code.
| Lesson code format | Examples |
| Category_Title_OtherRelevantDetail |
Abbreviated could be:
|
Events
You’ll have lots of Events to report on so how will you tell them apart? It can be helpful here to include Date, time, and trainer:
| Event code format | Example |
| LessonTitle_Where_Trainer_Date_Time |
10MinMindfulness_Room4_MT_01.03.25/09:00am Abbreviated could be: 10MinMind_Rm4_MT_1.3.25_9am |
Want to create your own instead? Here's some gotchas
Your LMS will change over time, it’s not static. You’ll add more content, assign Lessons to different Courses, and Courses to different people for different purposes. So a good convention will be simple and identify the ‘thing.’ It doesn’t need to identify its relationship to other ‘things’.
For example, it might seem logical to give Lesson codes a suffix of 01, 02, based on their position in the course they are initially created for. But what happens when you want to retire one of the Lessons? Or if you assign it to a different Course? The number can quickly become irrelevant and confusing.
We also recommend that you avoid including the audience for the learning in the title. The audience may change and then the code will be confusing. Remember, simple is best.
Review codes to make sure the convention is consistently used
Whatever you choose to do, always document the coding convention for all the team to follow, and review to see that everyone is following the convention.
For Events, it’s possible to prepopulate every new Event Code field, with the required format that can be overwritten when it’s created. That will help ensure consistency.
Categories are also a great way to keep content organised. They’re mandatory for Courses only, but you can make Lesson categories mandatory too. Anything you can do to ensure consistency of use, will help keep Learn LMS running smoothly.