Adding Instructions to the Login Page

Organizations may want to put instructions on the login page to inform users how to log in. For example, you may want to tell users to login using their regular credentials that they use at the hospital, or perhaps medical students are required to enter their school's email address as username.

The strategy you should use to display instructions largely depends on the length of the instructions.  Having the instructions above the login form increases the likelihood that people will read the instructions but if the instructions are too lengthy or contain images and you try to insert them at the top of the login page, people will have to scroll down to see the login form, which is not recommended for usability purposes.

Step-by-step Guide

To add one-line instructions (with no images):

1. Go to Site Administration > Language > Language Customizations
2. Select the language pack in question and open it
3. Select the "moodle.php" component and enter "cookiesenabled" in the string identifier field
4. Click on "Show strings"
5. Enter your one-line instruction in the box, ideally preserving the existing message
6. Repeat the procedure above if you system supports multiple languages

For example, by entering the following string in the "local customization" box, the login would display a highlighted message as per the 1st screenshot below: 

<span class="highlight">Note that you must now use your email address to log in.</span><br/><br/>Cookies must be enabled in your browser

To add 2-3 line instructions (with no images):

1. Go to Site Administration > Appearance > Themes > English (or French) > Settings
2. Click on the "Login page" tab
3. Enter your instructions in the "Top text box" field.
4. Click on the "Save changes" button.

For example, adding two lines in the "Top text box" helps medical students, residents and hospital staff better understand which email address they should use in the screenshot below.

To add longer instructions (with or without images):

1. Go to Site Administration > Appearance > Themes > English (or French) > Settings
2. Click on the "Login page" tab
3. Enter your instructions in the "Bottom text box" field. 
4. Click on the "Save changes" button.

For example, adding instructions along with images to the "Bottom text box" helps new users understand where they can get their Employee ID to log in in the screenshot below.

Important Notes

• If you are using a multi-site environment, keep in mind that these instructions are in the theme, which means each and every site could have different instructions. It is not necessary (and might lead to confusion) to put all instructions for all sites in your theme.