Atto text editor

The Atto text editor will be removed from Moodle and replaced with TinyMCE. The text editor provides a set of buttons and functionalities that allow users to create content in a familiar way. The new editor will still provide similar functionalities and a similar experience.

The TinyMCE plugin will be the default editor in Myplace from January 2025. This is a necessary measure to allow our staff to to use the Stream Migration tool. You can still switch back to the Atto editor in your preferences. You will only be able to use the Atto editor for the 2024/2025 academic year.

The Atto editor is known to causes screen freezes when its on a paged when viewed on iOS devices.

A workaround is available by switching to the TinyMCE Editor.

Deprecated From

Jun 18, 2024

Expected Withdrawal /Final Deprecation Date

Jun 16, 2025

Current Status

Available

Deprecation roadmap

Education Technology timeline for retiring Atto

The TinyMCE editor will be the default editor from 14 January 2024. For the remaining of the 2024/2025 academic year, users will still be able to switch back to Atto in their Preferences.

The TinyMCE editor will be the only offered text editor from Myplace 25/26, and subsequent versions, as:

  • Atto will not be available in Moodle 4.5,

  • Moodle 4.5 will be the target Moodle version for 2025/2026 Myplace service

  • known issues with iPad & iOS causing screen freezes

  • We will also consider making TinyMCE the default editor on all historic Myplace services (where it is available).

Moodle HQ timeline for retiring Atto (it may change)

From Moodle 4.1:

  • The default editor for new and existing installs is still Atto

  • The legacy version for TinyMCE (TinyMCE 3) is still available

  • TinyMCE 6 is available as an administrator setting, or user preference

Developers are working on creating and/or migrating plugins that were available for Atto to TinyMCE 6. We are planning to work on changes to make it easier to use native TinyMCE plugins too but these are not yet complete and our investigation is not complete.

From Moodle 4.2:

  • the legacy version of TinyMCE has been removed

  • TinyMCE 6 becomes the default editor for new installations of Moodle

  • there is no change to the default editor for existing installs

From Moodle 4.4:

  • TinyMCE 6 will become the default editor for existing installations

From Moodle 4.5:

  • Atto will be removed but can still be installed from the plugins database

From Moodle 4.6:

  • The underlying libraries that Atto uses are planned for removal and it will no longer be possible to use Atto at all.

Developer Forum information

https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=455467

What does it mean?

Myplace will still make the Atto editor available to users until the end of the 24/25 academic year as some of the functionalities are not yet available for TinyMCE.

Currently, the following functionalities are not available for the Tiny editor:

  • Planet eStream

  • Pre-set font colours and font background colours

  • Screen reader helper

  • Brickfield Atto Image and Brickfield Atto link.

Accessibility

More info

MDL-77325 Make TinyMCE the default editor for existing installs

MDL-77005 Atto Removal

Discussion about Atto deprecation timeline - Moodle forum

Related pages