Common Cartridge Validation

Validate IMS Common Cartridge 1.3 packages for specification compliance, structural integrity, and LMS compatibility before delivery.

When to Use

• Validate CC package before delivery to customer
• Check package after creation
• Verify package will import successfully
• Debug CC import failures
• Quality assurance for CC packages
• Pre-import validation

Required Inputs

• CC Package: .imscc file (ZIP format)
• Validation Level: quick, standard, thorough
• Target LMS (optional): Canvas, Moodle, Blackboard for platform-specific checks

Validation Checks

Level 1: Structure Validation (Quick, 1-2 minutes)

File Structure:

• ✓ Package is valid ZIP file
• ✓ imsmanifest.xml exists at root
• ✓ imsmanifest.xml is valid XML
• ✓ No OS-specific files (.DS_Store, Thumbs.db, __MACOSX)
• ✓ No hidden files or directories

File References:

• ✓ All files in manifest exist in package
• ✓ No orphaned files (files not referenced in manifest)
• ✓ File paths use forward slashes (not backslashes)
• ✓ File names don’t contain special characters

Level 2: Schema Validation (Standard, 3-5 minutes)

Manifest Schema:

• ✓ Valid against IMS CC 1.3 XSD schema
• ✓ Required elements present (metadata, organizations, resources)
• ✓ Namespace declarations correct
• ✓ Schema version specified (1.3.0)
• ✓ Identifier attributes unique

Metadata:

• ✓ Schema type: “IMS Common Cartridge”
• ✓ Schema version: “1.3.0”
• ✓ LOM metadata structure valid
• ✓ Title, description present
• ✓ Copyright information included

Organizations:

• ✓ At least one organization defined
• ✓ Default organization specified
• ✓ Structure is “rooted-hierarchy”
• ✓ All item identifiers unique
• ✓ All identifierref values reference existing resources

Resources:

• ✓ All resource identifiers unique
• ✓ Resource types valid for CC 1.3
• ✓ href attributes point to existing files
• ✓ Dependencies reference existing resources

Level 3: Content Validation (Thorough, 5-10 minutes)

QTI Assessments:

• ✓ Assessment metadata valid (assessment_meta.xml)
• ✓ QTI 2.1 XML valid against schema
• ✓ Item types supported
• ✓ Response processing defined
• ✓ Scoring configured
• ✓ Feedback present (optional but recommended)

LTI Tools:

• ✓ LTI configuration XML valid
• ✓ Launch URL present and valid format
• ✓ Secure launch URL (HTTPS) present
• ✓ Vendor information included
• ✓ Privacy level specified
• ✓ Platform extensions valid

Discussion Topics:

• ✓ Discussion XML valid against schema
• ✓ Title and text present
• ✓ Discussion type valid (threaded, side_comment)
• ✓ Grading configuration valid (if graded)

Web Links:

• ✓ Web link XML valid
• ✓ URL present and valid format
• ✓ Target specified

Web Content:

• ✓ HTML files are valid HTML5
• ✓ No broken internal links
• ✓ Images referenced exist
• ✓ CSS files valid
• ✓ JavaScript files don’t have syntax errors

Level 4: Accessibility Validation (Thorough)

WCAG 2.1 AA Compliance:

• ✓ All images have alt text
• ✓ Color contrast ratios meet AA standards
• ✓ Headings use semantic HTML (h1, h2, etc.)
• ✓ Links have descriptive text
• ✓ Forms have labels
• ✓ Tables have headers
• ✓ No keyboard traps
• ✓ ARIA labels where appropriate

Level 5: LMS-Specific Validation (Optional)

Canvas-Specific:

• ✓ course-settings.xml valid against Canvas schema
• ✓ Assignment groups configured
• ✓ Module requirements valid
• ✓ LTI tool placements valid

Moodle-Specific:

• ✓ Activity types supported
• ✓ Grading scales compatible
• ✓ Resource types recognized

Blackboard-Specific:

• ✓ Content types compatible
• ✓ Assessment types supported

Workflow

1. Extract Package

# Extract .imscc to temporary directory
unzip course.imscc -d /tmp/cc-validate-XXXXX

# Verify structure
ls -la /tmp/cc-validate-XXXXX/

Expected structure:

course/
├── imsmanifest.xml         # Required at root
├── course-settings.xml     # Optional
├── lessons/
├── assessments/
├── discussions/
├── lti-tools/
├── resources/
└── web-links/

2. Validate Manifest Schema

# Validate against IMS CC 1.3 XSD
xmllint --noout --schema imscc_v1p3_imscp_v1p2.xsd imsmanifest.xml

# Check for well-formed XML
xmllint --noout imsmanifest.xml

Common Schema Errors:

• Missing namespace declarations
• Invalid element nesting
• Required attributes missing
• Invalid resource types

3. Validate File References

# Pseudocode for reference validation
manifest = parse_xml("imsmanifest.xml")

# Get all file references from manifest
referenced_files = []
for resource in manifest.resources:
    referenced_files.append(resource.href)
    for file in resource.files:
        referenced_files.append(file.href)

# Check all references exist
for file_path in referenced_files:
    if not exists(file_path):
        error(f"Missing file: {file_path}")

# Check for orphaned files
package_files = list_all_files()
for file in package_files:
    if file not in referenced_files and file != "imsmanifest.xml":
        warning(f"Orphaned file (not in manifest): {file}")

4. Validate QTI Assessments

# For each QTI assessment
for assessment in assessments/*; do
    # Validate assessment metadata
    xmllint --noout --schema assessment_meta.xsd $assessment/assessment_meta.xml

    # Validate QTI 2.1 XML
    xmllint --noout --schema qtiasiv2p1.xsd $assessment/assessment.xml

    # Check item types
    check_qti_item_types $assessment/assessment.xml
done

QTI Validation Checks:

• Item types: choice, text_entry, matching, ordering
• Response processing exists
• Correct response defined
• Point values specified
• Feedback present

5. Validate LTI Tools

# For each LTI tool
for tool in lti-tools/*; do
    # Validate LTI XML
    xmllint --noout --schema blti_v1p0.xsd $tool

    # Check required fields
    check_lti_fields $tool
done

LTI Validation Checks:

• Launch URL present
• Launch URL uses HTTPS (recommended)
• Title present
• Vendor information complete
• Privacy level specified
• Platform extensions valid

6. Generate Validation Report

Common Cartridge Validation Report
===================================

Package: bio-101-2025.imscc
Validation Date: 2025-11-06T13:30:00Z
Validation Level: Thorough

SUMMARY
-------
Overall Status: PASS ✓
Total Checks: 87
Passed: 85
Warnings: 2
Errors: 0

DETAILED RESULTS
----------------

[✓] Structure Validation (12 checks)
  ✓ Package is valid ZIP
  ✓ imsmanifest.xml exists at root
  ✓ imsmanifest.xml is valid XML
  ✓ No OS-specific files
  ✓ All referenced files exist
  ✓ No orphaned files
  ... (6 more)

[✓] Schema Validation (25 checks)
  ✓ Valid against IMS CC 1.3 XSD
  ✓ Required elements present
  ✓ Namespace declarations correct
  ✓ All identifiers unique
  ... (21 more)

[✓] QTI Assessment Validation (18 checks)
  ✓ 3 assessments found
  ✓ All assessment metadata valid
  ✓ All QTI 2.1 XML valid
  ✓ Response processing defined
  ✓ Scoring configured
  ... (13 more)

[⚠] Accessibility Validation (15 checks)
  ✓ All images have alt text
  ✓ Color contrast ratios meet AA
  ⚠ 2 links have non-descriptive text ("click here")
  ⚠ 1 video missing captions
  ... (11 more)

[✓] LTI Tool Validation (8 checks)
  ✓ 2 LTI tools configured
  ✓ All launch URLs valid
  ✓ All use HTTPS
  ✓ Vendor information complete
  ... (4 more)

WARNINGS (2)
------------
1. lessons/lesson-1-2.html: Link text "click here" is not descriptive (line 42)
2. resources/videos/cell-division.mp4: Video missing caption track

RECOMMENDATIONS
---------------
1. Update link text to be descriptive ("View cell diagram" instead of "click here")
2. Add WebVTT caption file for video: resources/videos/cell-division.vtt
3. Consider adding more feedback to QTI questions (optional)

PACKAGE DETAILS
---------------
Course ID: bio-101-2025
Course Title: Introduction to Biology
Lessons: 8
Assessments: 3 (QTI 2.1)
Discussion Topics: 2
LTI Tools: 2
Resources: 47 files (images, videos, PDFs)

Package Size: 14.2 MB
Extracted Size: 15.8 MB

IMPORT COMPATIBILITY
--------------------
Canvas: ✓ Compatible
Moodle: ✓ Compatible
Blackboard: ✓ Compatible
D2L Brightspace: ✓ Compatible
Schoology: ✓ Compatible

NEXT STEPS
----------
1. ✓ Package is ready for delivery
2. Address 2 accessibility warnings (optional but recommended)
3. Test import in target LMS before final delivery
4. Generate import instructions for customer

Report generated by: curriculum.validate-cc v1.0.0

CLI Interface

# Quick validation (structure only)
/curriculum.validate-cc --package course.imscc --level quick

# Standard validation (structure + schema)
/curriculum.validate-cc --package course.imscc --level standard

# Thorough validation (all checks)
/curriculum.validate-cc --package course.imscc --level thorough

# With target LMS checks
/curriculum.validate-cc --package course.imscc --level thorough --target-lms canvas

# Generate detailed report
/curriculum.validate-cc --package course.imscc --level thorough --report-file validation-report.txt

# JSON output for automation
/curriculum.validate-cc --package course.imscc --level thorough --format json --output validation.json

# Validate multiple packages
/curriculum.validate-cc --packages "*.imscc" --level standard

# Help
/curriculum.validate-cc --help

Output Formats

Text Report (Default)

Human-readable validation report with:

• Summary section (pass/fail, counts)
• Detailed results by validation category
• Warnings and errors with line numbers
• Recommendations for fixes
• Import compatibility matrix

JSON Output

{
  "package": "bio-101-2025.imscc",
  "validation_date": "2025-11-06T13:30:00Z",
  "level": "thorough",
  "summary": {
    "status": "pass",
    "total_checks": 87,
    "passed": 85,
    "warnings": 2,
    "errors": 0
  },
  "structure_validation": {
    "status": "pass",
    "checks": 12,
    "passed": 12
  },
  "schema_validation": {
    "status": "pass",
    "checks": 25,
    "passed": 25
  },
  "qti_validation": {
    "status": "pass",
    "checks": 18,
    "passed": 18,
    "assessments": 3
  },
  "accessibility_validation": {
    "status": "warning",
    "checks": 15,
    "passed": 13,
    "warnings": 2,
    "issues": [
      {
        "type": "warning",
        "file": "lessons/lesson-1-2.html",
        "line": 42,
        "message": "Link text 'click here' is not descriptive",
        "recommendation": "Use descriptive text like 'View cell diagram'"
      },
      {
        "type": "warning",
        "file": "resources/videos/cell-division.mp4",
        "message": "Video missing caption track",
        "recommendation": "Add WebVTT caption file"
      }
    ]
  },
  "lti_validation": {
    "status": "pass",
    "checks": 8,
    "passed": 8,
    "tools": 2
  },
  "compatibility": {
    "canvas": true,
    "moodle": true,
    "blackboard": true,
    "d2l_brightspace": true,
    "schoology": true
  }
}

XML Output

<validation-report>
  <package>bio-101-2025.imscc</package>
  <summary status="pass">
    <total-checks>87</total-checks>
    <passed>85</passed>
    <warnings>2</warnings>
    <errors>0</errors>
  </summary>
  <structure-validation status="pass"/>
  <schema-validation status="pass"/>
  <qti-validation status="pass"/>
  <accessibility-validation status="warning">
    <issue type="warning" file="lessons/lesson-1-2.html" line="42">
      Link text 'click here' is not descriptive
    </issue>
  </accessibility-validation>
  <lti-validation status="pass"/>
</validation-report>

Common Issues and Fixes

Issue 1: Invalid Manifest Schema

Error:

Element '{http://www.imsglobal.org/xsd/imsccv1p3/imscp_v1p1}manifest':
Missing child element(s). Expected is ( {http://www.imsglobal.org/xsd/imsccv1p3/imscp_v1p1}organizations ).

Cause: Missing required <organizations> element

Fix:

<manifest>
  <metadata>...</metadata>
  <organizations>
    <organization identifier="org-1" structure="rooted-hierarchy">
      <item identifier="root">
        <title>Course Title</title>
      </item>
    </organization>
  </organizations>
  <resources>...</resources>
</manifest>

Issue 2: Orphaned Files

Warning:

Orphaned file (not in manifest): resources/images/unused-diagram.png

Cause: File exists in package but not referenced in manifest

Fix Options:

1. Add file to manifest if needed
2. Remove file from package if unused
3. Add to resource dependencies

Issue 3: Broken File References

Error:

Missing file: lessons/lesson-5.html (referenced in manifest)

Cause: Manifest references file that doesn’t exist

Fix:

• Add the missing file to package
• Or remove reference from manifest
• Check file path spelling (case-sensitive)

Issue 4: Invalid QTI

Error:

QTI validation failed: assessments/quiz-1/assessment.xml
Element 'correctResponse': This element is not expected.

Cause: QTI XML doesn’t conform to QTI 2.1 schema

Fix:

• Validate QTI against schema
• Use curriculum.export-qti skill to generate valid QTI
• Check IMS QTI 2.1 specification

Issue 5: LTI Launch URL Issues

Error:

LTI tool 'Virtual Lab' has HTTP launch URL (HTTPS recommended)

Cause: LTI tool uses insecure HTTP URL

Fix:

<blti:launch_url>http://example.com/launch</blti:launch_url>
<!-- Change to: -->
<blti:secure_launch_url>https://example.com/launch</blti:secure_launch_url>

Integration with Other Tools

Before Validation:

1. Package created with curriculum.package-common-cartridge

After Validation: 2. If validation passes → deliver to customer 3. If validation fails → fix issues and re-validate 4. For LMS testing → use cc-validator agent

Workflow:

# 1. Create package
/curriculum.package-common-cartridge --materials "curriculum/" --output "course.imscc"

# 2. Validate package
/curriculum.validate-cc --package "course.imscc" --level thorough

# 3. If pass, test in LMS
/agent.cc-validator --action "test" --package "course.imscc" --lms-targets "canvas,moodle"

# 4. If all tests pass, deliver
cp course.imscc published/bio-101-2025.imscc

Best Practices

When to Validate

✅ Always validate:

• Before delivering to customer
• After package creation
• After fixing validation errors
• Before testing in LMS

✅ Quick validation good for:

• During iterative development
• Quick sanity checks
• CI/CD pipelines

✅ Thorough validation good for:

• Final QA before delivery
• Customer-facing packages
• High-stakes courses

Validation Levels

Handling Warnings

Accessibility Warnings:

• High priority – impacts users with disabilities
• Fix before delivery when possible
• Document if cannot fix

Orphaned Files:

• Medium priority – wastes storage
• Remove unused files
• Low impact on functionality

Missing Feedback:

• Low priority – optional but helpful
• Add feedback when time permits
• Improves learning experience

Exit Codes

• 0: Validation passed (no errors)
• 1: Validation failed (errors found)
• 2: Validation passed with warnings
• 3: Invalid package format (not .imscc)
• 4: Cannot extract package (corrupted ZIP)
• 5: Missing imsmanifest.xml

Performance

Typical Validation Times:

References

• IMS CC 1.3 Specification
• IMS QTI 2.1 Specification
• WCAG 2.1 Guidelines
• Canvas CC Extensions

See Also

• curriculum.package-common-cartridge – Create CC packages
• curriculum.export-qti – Generate QTI 2.1 assessments
• cc-validator agent – Automated LMS testing
• PRODUCTION_GUIDE.md – Complete CC workflows