Publishing & versions¶
How draft content becomes live, why versions are immutable, what your "what changed" note does, and what learners see when you republish.
Publishing is the line between what you are building and what learners can take. PulseLMS uses immutable versions so that publishing is safe: an edit never disrupts a learner who is already partway through.
Draft vs. published¶
Every course starts as a draft, visible only to authors. Publishing snapshots the current course tree into a version and makes the course available to learners.
| State | Who sees it | Shown as |
|---|---|---|
| Draft | Authors and org admins only | A Draft tag on the course |
| Published | Learners (via catalog or assignment) | A Published tag |
| Published, with edits | Learners still see the last published version | A Published tag plus an Unpublished changes tag |
Publish a course¶
- In the course editor, click Publish (or Re-publish if it is already live).
- In the dialog, optionally write a What changed? note (up to 2,000 characters).
- Click Publish.
PulseLMS snapshots the draft into a new numbered version, marks the course published, and clears the unpublished changes flag. Learners can now enroll from the catalog (if self-enrollment is on) or be assigned the course.
Immutable versions¶
Each publish creates a new version with an incrementing number and a frozen snapshot of the whole course tree: modules, lessons, blocks, and settings. Versions are never edited in place. Editing the course always builds on the draft; the published snapshot stays exactly as it was until you publish again.
In-progress learners keep their version
A learner who has started the course stays pinned to the version they began on. Your republish does not yank content out from under them mid-course; they finish on a stable version, and the new version applies to fresh starts.
The "what changed" note¶
The What changed? note is your changelog entry for a version. It does double duty:
- Learners see it as a What's new note for the course.
- It rides along as the body of the notification learners receive when you publish an update.
Leave it blank to publish silently. Fill it in when the change is worth flagging: a corrected answer, new lessons, an updated policy.
Write notes learners can act on
"Added a new section on incident reporting; updated the quiz pass mark to 80%" is far more useful than "misc updates." The note is the only signal many learners get that something changed.
What learners see on a republish¶
When you publish an update to a live course:
- Learners are notified of the update (with your note as the message body).
- The course surfaces a what's-new indicator so returning learners know it changed.
- In-progress learners keep their pinned version and are not disrupted.
- New enrollments start on the latest version.
Live settings vs. versioned changes¶
Not everything requires a republish. Some course settings are live and apply the instant you change them.
| Change | Applies |
|---|---|
| Allow self-enrollment | Live, no republish |
| Show in catalog | Live, no republish |
| List in public catalog | Live, no republish |
| Failed-check recovery (retake policy) | Live, no republish |
| Content edits (modules, lessons, blocks) | On publish |
| Catalog metadata (difficulty, minutes, tags) | On publish |
| Compliance settings (signature, certificate validity) | On publish |
If you change content or metadata, the course shows Unpublished changes until you publish a new version.
Publishing quizzes and programs¶
Courses are versioned, but quizzes and programs have their own simpler publish states:
- Quizzes publish from the quiz editor and need at least one question. A quiz must be published before it can be embedded as a lesson block. See Quizzes & question banks.
- Programs publish from the program editor and need at least one course. Only published courses can be added, and a program must be published before it can be assigned. See Programs.
Quick reference¶
| Action | Where | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Publish a course version | Course editor → Publish | Optional "what changed" note; snapshots an immutable version |
| Re-publish after edits | Course editor → Re-publish | Clears the Unpublished changes flag; notifies learners |
| Publish a quiz | Quiz editor → Publish | Needs ≥ 1 question |
| Publish a program | Program editor → Publish | Needs ≥ 1 published course |