xblock-utils

4.0.0 verified Fri May 01 auth: no python

Various utilities for developing XBlocks for the Open edX platform. Version 4.0.0 is the latest. Release cadence is irregular, with minor updates every few months.

pip install xblock-utils

Common errors

error ImportError: cannot import name 'StudioEditableXBlockMixin' from 'xblockutils' ↓

cause The import path changed from top-level to submodule in an older version.

fix

Use: from xblockutils.studio_editable import StudioEditableXBlockMixin

error ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'xblockutils' ↓

cause xblock-utils is not installed.

fix

Run: pip install xblock-utils

error AttributeError: 'MyXBlock' object has no attribute 'editable_fields' ↓

cause You must set editable_fields on the class when using StudioEditableXBlockMixin.

fix

Add editable_fields = ['field1', 'field2'] to your XBlock class.

Warnings

breaking Version 3.0.0 dropped Python 2.7 support and switched to GitHub Actions CI. Ensure your XBlock code is Python 3 only. ↓

fix Update your XBlock to be Python 3 compatible.

breaking Version 3.1.0 requires edx-platform 'Nutmeg' or newer because it uses the mako service. Older platforms will break. ↓

fix Upgrade your Open edX instance to Nutmeg or later.

deprecated The 'XBlockWithMixins' class is deprecated and will be removed in a future release. Use standard Python inheritance instead. ↓

fix Inherit from the specific mixin classes directly.

gotcha When using StudioContainerXBlockMixin, you must also inherit from XBlock and call the parent class' methods correctly. Omitting super() calls can lead to broken runtime behavior. ↓

fix Always include super().workbench_scenarios() and other overridden methods.

Imports

StudioContainerXBlockMixin

wrong

from xblockutils import StudioContainerXBlockMixin

correct

from xblockutils.studio_editable import StudioContainerXBlockMixin

StudioContainerXBlockMixin is in the studio_editable submodule, not top-level

StudioEditableXBlockMixin

wrong

from xblockutils.base import StudioEditableXBlockMixin

correct

from xblockutils.studio_editable import StudioEditableXBlockMixin

Old import path was in base module; moved to studio_editable

Quickstart

Define an XBlock with studio-editable fields using StudioEditableXBlockMixin.

from xblock.core import XBlock
from xblockutils.studio_editable import StudioEditableXBlockMixin

class MyXBlock(StudioEditableXBlockMixin, XBlock):
    display_name = 'My Editable Block'
    editable_fields = ['display_name']