#1 2008-12-17 11:30:32

**_CBButler_**

What the heck is a circular dependency?

What is a circular dependency?  I'm setting up a curriculum where courses are grouped into folders - on certain ones, when I try to make the course listed prior a prerequisite for the course following, I get this message:  Invalid selection. You have selected an invalid prerequisite for this item. Please verify that the prerequisite is not a folder and that there are no circular dependencies for this item.

How can it be circular when I put it before the course I wanted?  I'm not trying to make courses in the folder before it prerequisites - I could almost buy a circular dependency there (even though I don't know what it is).  It's not even a consistent problem - I was able to make a course further down the list in the same folder a prerequisite for a course that came after...HELP - I'm getting more and more frustrated with this.

**_Jorma_at_RealEyes_**

Re: What the heck is a circular dependency?

You need to think of Prerequisites and Test outs from the curriculum builder point of view, not the student point of view. That may help understand that your prerequisite is dictating that an item higher up on the list is requiring a pass or complete status to open up an item later down the list.

Maybe I'm misreading your explanation but it sounds like you are trying to go the other way.

The circular dependency means that the primary object that you are assigning as a prerequisite is already assigned to another object that conflicts with the object that you are trying to assign. The best way to set up prerec's is to have the previous object a prerequisite of the following object and continue that down the list. If you are dealing with a branching approach then get out a pen and paper so that you can keep track of the prerequisite and test out paths. That will help you avoid a circular dependency.

**_CBButler_**

Re: What the heck is a circular dependency?

Thanks!  Here's what I'm trying to do - my curriculum doesn't have "test out" options in the same nature as Adobe defines them.  I'm trying to force a sequence - here's how it's going so far.  I have dreams that one day many of these courses will be developed into online training...but right now they're classroom attendance.

Folder: Prerequisites (these are courses taken outside of the curriculum - we have a quiz to assess the skill level)
External link to pre-existing online training module
Excel quiz
Windows quiz

Folder: Group 1 coursework
External link to registration site for classroom setting for course 1
Confirmation code (a "quiz" where they enter the code to allow access to the quiz)
Quiz - I want the confirmation code to be a prerequisite for this - I don't want people taking the test unless they've entered the code in the previous "course"
External link to registration site for classroom setting for course 2
Confirmation code
Quiz (with confirmation code immediately above as prerequisite)

Folder: Group 2 Coursework
External link to registration site for classrom setting for course 3
Confirmation code
Quiz (with confirmation code immediately above as prerequisite)
External link to registration site for classroom setting for course 4
Confirmation code
Quiz

Group 3 folder has the same items for courses 5 and 6

Hope this clarifies...I know I can't set a previous folder as a prerequisite for another one - and I'm okay with that, but I do want to restrict access to tests until I know that my learners have taken the class.

Thanks so much for helping me think this through!

**_Jorma_at_RealEyes_**

Re: What the heck is a circular dependency?

That makes sense. I think this is how you would have to set this up.

External link to registration site for classroom setting for course 3 -- is a prerequisite for the confirmation code
Confirmation code -- is a prerequisite for the Quiz
Quiz (with confirmation code immediately above as prerequisite) -- is a prerequisite for the external training
External link to registration site for classroom setting for course 4 -- is a prerequisite for the confirmation code
Confirmation code -- is a prerequisite for the quiz
Quiz -- no action required

The confusing part (thought I'm sure you've figured this out) is that you need to set the prerequisite on the content following prerequisite item.

**_CBButler_**

Re: What the heck is a circular dependency?

Long time no response!  Sorry for that - holidays and whatnot.

The major problem I'm having is that this works just fine in the first two folders (using the previous post as our model), but when I get to the second set of folders and start trying to set the prerequisites, that's when the circular dependencies come in.

**_CBButler_**

Re: What the heck is a circular dependency?

Got it!  There seems to be a definite order of operations - if you don't do it in this order, you get the circular dependency problem.

Create Folders, load folders, set prerequisites within the folders and then set prerequisites for the folders themselves...

My curriculum works and looks just like it's supposed to.

**_lenadionex_**

Re: What the heck is a circular dependency?

I, as well, have suffered with the illogical "circular dependency" message if steps are not done in the exact order as you described.

However, after spending a lot of time making api/xml calls, and trying to recreate the error, I think I might have a possible explanation (though I'm still developing/testing it).

[removed text...see newer post below]

Last edited by **_lenadionex_** (2009-05-08 15:37:05)

**_lenadionex_**

Re: What the heck is a circular dependency?

EUREKA!  I got rid of the all circular dependency error messages without rebuilding the curriculum.

The problem is that, when moving items around within a curriculum, Connect Pro does not update the

**_CBButler_**

Re: What the heck is a circular dependency?

EUREKA is right!  Thanks so much for responding!  Let's hope they can work with this so that you don't have to go to all the extra work now...

**_richo_**

Re: What the heck is a circular dependency?

@lenadionex I would love to know more details how to solve this problem with API/XML
Thanks!
-r-

**_JWalker_**

Re: What the heck is a circular dependency?

Do you have to be on-premise to reset the display-seq attribute?  If not, how do I do that?

**_jessicaleahy_**

Re: What the heck is a circular dependency?

Wow! This is great. It totally fixed my problems. It me up whole long nights straight since I can't seem to get past with the issue. Now, I'm off to more nights of blissful sleep. Thanks!

**_richo_**

Re: What the heck is a circular dependency?

I would love to know this solution, and I tried to locate the way to send personal message PM in this forum, but I have failed to find it.

Is anybody still here? Could you help me?

**_mihaicostea_**

Re: What the heck is a circular dependency?

I have the same "problem" with richo ... Can anybody help us ?