diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 28b78aedbc..81d9a57d3c 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -25,3 +25,6 @@ Gemfile.lock
 .env/
 lms/static/sass/*.css
 cms/static/sass/*.css
+lms/lib/comment_client/python
+nosetests.xml
+cover_html/
diff --git a/cms/static/sass/_base.scss b/cms/static/sass/_base.scss
index 8d14bcff6b..410f74ee07 100644
--- a/cms/static/sass/_base.scss
+++ b/cms/static/sass/_base.scss
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@ $border-color: #ddd;
 $blue: rgb(29,157,217);
 $pink: rgb(182,37,104);
 
-
 @mixin hide-text {
   background-color: transparent;
   border:           0;
diff --git a/common/djangoapps/student/management/commands/sync_user_info.py b/common/djangoapps/student/management/commands/sync_user_info.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..04257e2a5d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common/djangoapps/student/management/commands/sync_user_info.py
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+##
+## One-off script to sync all user information to the discussion service (later info will be synced automatically)
+
+
+from django.core.management.base import BaseCommand
+from django.contrib.auth.models import User
+import comment_client as cc
+
+
+class Command(BaseCommand):
+    help = \
+'''
+Sync all user ids, usernames, and emails to the discussion
+service'''
+
+    def handle(self, *args, **options):
+        for user in User.objects.all().iterator():
+            cc_user = cc.User.from_django_user(user)
+            cc_user.save()
diff --git a/common/djangoapps/student/models.py b/common/djangoapps/student/models.py
index 4a8de5f5ed..b5243f9ab7 100644
--- a/common/djangoapps/student/models.py
+++ b/common/djangoapps/student/models.py
@@ -45,6 +45,15 @@ from django.db.models.signals import post_delete, post_save
 from django.dispatch import receiver
 from django_countries import CountryField
 
+from django.db.models.signals import post_save
+from django.dispatch import receiver
+
+from functools import partial
+
+import comment_client as cc
+
+import logging
+
 from xmodule.modulestore.django import modulestore
 
 #from cache_toolbox import cache_model, cache_relation
@@ -254,8 +263,18 @@ def add_user_to_default_group(user, group):
     utg.users.add(User.objects.get(username=user))
     utg.save()
 
+# @receiver(post_save, sender=User)
+def update_user_information(sender, instance, created, **kwargs):
+    try:
+        cc_user = cc.User.from_django_user(instance)
+        cc_user.save()
+    except Exception as e:
+        log = logging.getLogger("mitx.discussion")
+        log.error(unicode(e))
+        log.error("update user info to discussion failed for user with id: " + str(instance.id))
+
 ########################## REPLICATION SIGNALS #################################
-@receiver(post_save, sender=User)
+# @receiver(post_save, sender=User)
 def replicate_user_save(sender, **kwargs):
     user_obj = kwargs['instance']
     if not should_replicate(user_obj):
@@ -263,7 +282,7 @@ def replicate_user_save(sender, **kwargs):
     for course_db_name in db_names_to_replicate_to(user_obj.id):
         replicate_user(user_obj, course_db_name)
 
-@receiver(post_save, sender=CourseEnrollment)
+# @receiver(post_save, sender=CourseEnrollment)
 def replicate_enrollment_save(sender, **kwargs):
     """This is called when a Student enrolls in a course. It has to do the 
     following:
@@ -289,12 +308,12 @@ def replicate_enrollment_save(sender, **kwargs):
     user_profile = UserProfile.objects.get(user_id=enrollment_obj.user_id)
     replicate_model(UserProfile.save, user_profile, enrollment_obj.user_id)
  
-@receiver(post_delete, sender=CourseEnrollment)
+# @receiver(post_delete, sender=CourseEnrollment)
 def replicate_enrollment_delete(sender, **kwargs):
     enrollment_obj = kwargs['instance']
     return replicate_model(CourseEnrollment.delete, enrollment_obj, enrollment_obj.user_id)
  
-@receiver(post_save, sender=UserProfile)
+# @receiver(post_save, sender=UserProfile)
 def replicate_userprofile_save(sender, **kwargs):
     """We just updated the UserProfile (say an update to the name), so push that
     change to all Course DBs that we're enrolled in."""
@@ -404,4 +423,3 @@ def should_replicate(instance):
                   .format(instance))
         return False
     return True
-
diff --git a/common/djangoapps/student/tests.py b/common/djangoapps/student/tests.py
index b33678fbac..cde95153fd 100644
--- a/common/djangoapps/student/tests.py
+++ b/common/djangoapps/student/tests.py
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import logging
 from datetime import datetime
 
 from django.test import TestCase
+from nose.plugins.skip import SkipTest
 
 from .models import User, UserProfile, CourseEnrollment, replicate_user, USER_FIELDS_TO_COPY
 
@@ -22,6 +23,7 @@ class ReplicationTest(TestCase):
 
     def test_user_replication(self):
         """Test basic user replication."""
+        raise SkipTest()
         portal_user = User.objects.create_user('rusty', 'rusty@edx.org', 'fakepass')
         portal_user.first_name='Rusty'
         portal_user.last_name='Skids'
@@ -80,6 +82,7 @@ class ReplicationTest(TestCase):
     def test_enrollment_for_existing_user_info(self):
         """Test the effect of Enrolling in a class if you've already got user
         data to be copied over."""
+        raise SkipTest()
         # Create our User
         portal_user = User.objects.create_user('jack', 'jack@edx.org', 'fakepass')
         portal_user.first_name = "Jack"
@@ -143,6 +146,8 @@ class ReplicationTest(TestCase):
 
     def test_enrollment_for_user_info_after_enrollment(self):
         """Test the effect of modifying User data after you've enrolled."""
+        raise SkipTest()
+
         # Create our User
         portal_user = User.objects.create_user('patty', 'patty@edx.org', 'fakepass')
         portal_user.first_name = "Patty"
diff --git a/common/djangoapps/student/views.py b/common/djangoapps/student/views.py
index cab57e6819..0069935b0b 100644
--- a/common/djangoapps/student/views.py
+++ b/common/djangoapps/student/views.py
@@ -140,7 +140,20 @@ def dashboard(request):
     if not user.is_active:
         message = render_to_string('registration/activate_account_notice.html', {'email': user.email})
 
-    context = {'courses': courses, 'message': message}
+
+    # Global staff can see what courses errored on their dashboard
+    staff_access = False
+    errored_courses = {}
+    if has_access(user, 'global', 'staff'):
+        # Show any courses that errored on load
+        staff_access = True
+        errored_courses = modulestore().get_errored_courses()
+
+    context = {'courses': courses,
+               'message': message,
+               'staff_access': staff_access,
+               'errored_courses': errored_courses,}
+
     return render_to_response('dashboard.html', context)
 
 
diff --git a/common/djangoapps/track/views.py b/common/djangoapps/track/views.py
index b5f9c54665..434e75a63f 100644
--- a/common/djangoapps/track/views.py
+++ b/common/djangoapps/track/views.py
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import json
 import logging
 import os
+import pytz
 import datetime
 import dateutil.parser
 
@@ -84,15 +85,33 @@ def server_track(request, event_type, event, page=None):
         "time": datetime.datetime.utcnow().isoformat(),
         }
 
-    if event_type=="/event_logs" and request.user.is_staff:	# don't log
+    if event_type.startswith("/event_logs") and request.user.is_staff:	# don't log
         return
     log_event(event)
 
 @login_required
 @ensure_csrf_cookie
-def view_tracking_log(request):
+def view_tracking_log(request,args=''):
     if not request.user.is_staff:
         return redirect('/')
-    record_instances = TrackingLog.objects.all().order_by('-time')[0:100]
+    nlen = 100
+    username = ''
+    if args:
+        for arg in args.split('/'):
+            if arg.isdigit():
+                nlen = int(arg)
+            if arg.startswith('username='):
+                username = arg[9:]
+            
+    record_instances = TrackingLog.objects.all().order_by('-time')
+    if username:
+        record_instances = record_instances.filter(username=username)
+    record_instances = record_instances[0:nlen]
+    
+    # fix dtstamp
+    fmt = '%a %d-%b-%y %H:%M:%S'  # "%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S %Z%z"
+    for rinst in record_instances:
+        rinst.dtstr = rinst.time.replace(tzinfo=pytz.utc).astimezone(pytz.timezone('US/Eastern')).strftime(fmt)
+
     return render_to_response('tracking_log.html',{'records':record_instances})
 
diff --git a/common/lib/capa/capa/inputtypes.py b/common/lib/capa/capa/inputtypes.py
index 8c513e7aec..f19e7555a1 100644
--- a/common/lib/capa/capa/inputtypes.py
+++ b/common/lib/capa/capa/inputtypes.py
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ Each input type takes the xml tree as 'element', the previous answer as 'value',
 import logging
 import re
 import shlex  # for splitting quoted strings
+import json
 
 from lxml import etree
 import xml.sax.saxutils as saxutils
@@ -149,6 +150,7 @@ def optioninput(element, value, status, render_template, msg=''):
              'state': status,
              'msg': msg,
              'options': osetdict,
+             'inline': element.get('inline',''),
              }
 
     html = render_template("optioninput.html", context)
@@ -205,7 +207,7 @@ def extract_choices(element):
             raise Exception("[courseware.capa.inputtypes.extract_choices] \
                              Expected a <choice> tag; got %s instead"
                              % choice.tag)
-        choice_text = ''.join([x.text for x in choice])
+        choice_text = ''.join([etree.tostring(x) for x in choice])
 
         choices.append((choice.get("name"), choice_text))
 
@@ -293,7 +295,9 @@ def textline(element, value, status, render_template, msg=""):
     hidden = element.get('hidden', '')	 # if specified, then textline is hidden and id is stored in div of name given by hidden
     escapedict = {'"': '&quot;'}
     value = saxutils.escape(value, escapedict)	 # otherwise, answers with quotes in them crashes the system!
-    context = {'id': eid, 'value': value, 'state': status, 'count': count, 'size': size, 'msg': msg, 'hidden': hidden}
+    context = {'id': eid, 'value': value, 'state': status, 'count': count, 'size': size, 'msg': msg, 'hidden': hidden,
+               'inline': element.get('inline',''),
+               }
     html = render_template("textinput.html", context)
     try:
         xhtml = etree.XML(html)
@@ -336,6 +340,11 @@ def filesubmission(element, value, status, render_template, msg=''):
     Upload a single file (e.g. for programming assignments)
     '''
     eid = element.get('id')
+    escapedict = {'"': '&quot;'}
+    allowed_files  = json.dumps(element.get('allowed_files', '').split())
+    allowed_files  = saxutils.escape(allowed_files, escapedict)
+    required_files = json.dumps(element.get('required_files', '').split())
+    required_files = saxutils.escape(required_files, escapedict)
 
     # Check if problem has been queued
     queue_len = 0
@@ -345,7 +354,8 @@ def filesubmission(element, value, status, render_template, msg=''):
         msg = 'Submitted to grader. (Queue length: %s)' % queue_len
 
     context = { 'id': eid, 'state': status, 'msg': msg, 'value': value,
-                'queue_len': queue_len
+            'queue_len': queue_len, 'allowed_files': allowed_files,
+            'required_files': required_files
               }
     html = render_template("filesubmission.html", context)
     return etree.XML(html)
diff --git a/common/lib/capa/capa/templates/filesubmission.html b/common/lib/capa/capa/templates/filesubmission.html
index fccf469015..a859dc8458 100644
--- a/common/lib/capa/capa/templates/filesubmission.html
+++ b/common/lib/capa/capa/templates/filesubmission.html
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 <section id="filesubmission_${id}" class="filesubmission">
-    <input type="file" name="input_${id}" id="input_${id}" value="${value}" multiple="multiple" /><br />
+    <input type="file" name="input_${id}" id="input_${id}" value="${value}" multiple="multiple" data-required_files="${required_files}" data-allowed_files="${allowed_files}"/><br />
     % if state == 'unsubmitted':
     <span class="unanswered" style="display:inline-block;" id="status_${id}"></span>
     % elif state == 'correct':
diff --git a/common/lib/capa/capa/templates/textinput.html b/common/lib/capa/capa/templates/textinput.html
index 08aa8379a7..9b66654117 100644
--- a/common/lib/capa/capa/templates/textinput.html
+++ b/common/lib/capa/capa/templates/textinput.html
@@ -1,12 +1,14 @@
-<section id="textinput_${id}" class="textinput">
+<% doinline = "inline" if inline else "" %>
+
+<section id="textinput_${id}" class="textinput ${doinline}" >
     % if state == 'unsubmitted':
-    <div class="unanswered" id="status_${id}">
+    <div class="unanswered ${doinline}" id="status_${id}">
     % elif state == 'correct':
-    <div class="correct" id="status_${id}">
+    <div class="correct ${doinline}" id="status_${id}">
     % elif state == 'incorrect':
-    <div class="incorrect" id="status_${id}">
+    <div class="incorrect ${doinline}" id="status_${id}">
     % elif state == 'incomplete':
-    <div class="incorrect" id="status_${id}">
+    <div class="incorrect ${doinline}" id="status_${id}">
     % endif
     % if hidden:
       <div style="display:none;" name="${hidden}" inputid="input_${id}" />
diff --git a/common/lib/xmodule/setup.py b/common/lib/xmodule/setup.py
index cc5dfd183a..c123756655 100644
--- a/common/lib/xmodule/setup.py
+++ b/common/lib/xmodule/setup.py
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ setup(
             "video = xmodule.video_module:VideoDescriptor",
             "videodev = xmodule.backcompat_module:TranslateCustomTagDescriptor",
             "videosequence = xmodule.seq_module:SequenceDescriptor",
+            "discussion = xmodule.discussion_module:DiscussionDescriptor",
         ]
     }
 )
diff --git a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/backcompat_module.py b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/backcompat_module.py
index 1e63bfadf8..40ffd46d1c 100644
--- a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/backcompat_module.py
+++ b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/backcompat_module.py
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ class SemanticSectionDescriptor(XModuleDescriptor):
         the child element
         """
         xml_object = etree.fromstring(xml_data)
-        system.error_tracker("WARNING: the &lt;{0}> tag is deprecated.  Please do not use in new content."
+        system.error_tracker("WARNING: the <{0}> tag is deprecated.  Please do not use in new content."
                              .format(xml_object.tag))
 
         if len(xml_object) == 1:
diff --git a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/course_module.py b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/course_module.py
index a9f29b9a13..5cc4a09165 100644
--- a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/course_module.py
+++ b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/course_module.py
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ class CourseDescriptor(SequenceDescriptor):
     class Textbook:
         def __init__(self, title, book_url):
             self.title = title
-            self.book_url = book_url 
+            self.book_url = book_url
             self.table_of_contents = self._get_toc_from_s3()
 
         @classmethod
@@ -30,11 +30,11 @@ class CourseDescriptor(SequenceDescriptor):
             return self.table_of_contents
 
         def _get_toc_from_s3(self):
-            '''
+            """
             Accesses the textbook's table of contents (default name "toc.xml") at the URL self.book_url
 
             Returns XML tree representation of the table of contents
-            '''
+            """
             toc_url = self.book_url + 'toc.xml'
 
             # Get the table of contents from S3
@@ -72,6 +72,22 @@ class CourseDescriptor(SequenceDescriptor):
         self.enrollment_start = self._try_parse_time("enrollment_start")
         self.enrollment_end = self._try_parse_time("enrollment_end")
 
+        # NOTE: relies on the modulestore to call set_grading_policy() right after
+        # init.  (Modulestore is in charge of figuring out where to load the policy from)
+
+
+    def set_grading_policy(self, policy_str):
+        """Parse the policy specified in policy_str, and save it"""
+        try:
+            self._grading_policy = load_grading_policy(policy_str)
+        except:
+            self.system.error_tracker("Failed to load grading policy")
+            # Setting this to an empty dictionary will lead to errors when
+            # grading needs to happen, but should allow course staff to see
+            # the error log.
+            self._grading_policy = {}
+
+
     @classmethod
     def definition_from_xml(cls, xml_object, system):
         textbooks = []
@@ -87,25 +103,11 @@ class CourseDescriptor(SequenceDescriptor):
 
     @property
     def grader(self):
-        return self.__grading_policy['GRADER']
+        return self._grading_policy['GRADER']
 
     @property
     def grade_cutoffs(self):
-        return self.__grading_policy['GRADE_CUTOFFS']
-
-    @lazyproperty
-    def __grading_policy(self):
-        policy_string = ""
-
-        try:
-            with self.system.resources_fs.open("grading_policy.json") as grading_policy_file:
-                policy_string = grading_policy_file.read()
-        except (IOError, ResourceNotFoundError):
-            log.warning("Unable to load course settings file from grading_policy.json in course " + self.id)
-
-        grading_policy = load_grading_policy(policy_string)
-
-        return grading_policy
+        return self._grading_policy['GRADE_CUTOFFS']
 
     @lazyproperty
     def grading_context(self):
diff --git a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/css/capa/display.scss b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/css/capa/display.scss
index e08001f6ea..e6ebdb316f 100644
--- a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/css/capa/display.scss
+++ b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/css/capa/display.scss
@@ -27,6 +27,10 @@ section.problem {
     }
   }
 
+  .inline {
+      display: inline;
+  }
+
   div {
     p {
       &.answer {
diff --git a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/discussion_module.py b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/discussion_module.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c029d95098
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/discussion_module.py
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+from lxml import etree
+
+from xmodule.x_module import XModule
+from xmodule.raw_module import RawDescriptor
+
+import json
+
+class DiscussionModule(XModule):
+    def get_html(self):
+        context = {
+            'discussion_id': self.discussion_id,
+        }
+        return self.system.render_template('discussion/_discussion_module.html', context)
+
+    def __init__(self, system, location, definition, descriptor, instance_state=None, shared_state=None, **kwargs):
+        XModule.__init__(self, system, location, definition, descriptor, instance_state, shared_state, **kwargs)
+
+        if isinstance(instance_state, str):
+            instance_state = json.loads(instance_state)
+        xml_data = etree.fromstring(definition['data'])
+        self.discussion_id = xml_data.attrib['id']
+        self.title = xml_data.attrib['for']
+        self.discussion_category = xml_data.attrib['discussion_category']
+
+class DiscussionDescriptor(RawDescriptor):
+    module_class = DiscussionModule
diff --git a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/graders.py b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/graders.py
index fca862aa9f..3f0bb63186 100644
--- a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/graders.py
+++ b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/graders.py
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import abc
 import json
 import logging
+import sys
 
 from collections import namedtuple
 
@@ -14,11 +15,11 @@ def load_grading_policy(course_policy_string):
     """
     This loads a grading policy from a string (usually read from a file),
     which can be a JSON object or an empty string.
-    
+
     The JSON object can have the keys GRADER and GRADE_CUTOFFS. If either is
     missing, it reverts to the default.
     """
-    
+
     default_policy_string = """
     {
         "GRADER" : [
@@ -56,7 +57,7 @@ def load_grading_policy(course_policy_string):
         }
     }
     """
-    
+
     # Load the global settings as a dictionary
     grading_policy = json.loads(default_policy_string)
 
@@ -64,15 +65,15 @@ def load_grading_policy(course_policy_string):
     course_policy = {}
     if course_policy_string:
         course_policy = json.loads(course_policy_string)
-    
+
     # Override any global settings with the course settings
     grading_policy.update(course_policy)
 
     # Here is where we should parse any configurations, so that we can fail early
     grading_policy['GRADER'] = grader_from_conf(grading_policy['GRADER'])
-    
+
     return grading_policy
-    
+
 
 def aggregate_scores(scores, section_name="summary"):
     """
@@ -130,9 +131,11 @@ def grader_from_conf(conf):
                 raise ValueError("Configuration has no appropriate grader class.")
 
         except (TypeError, ValueError) as error:
-            errorString = "Unable to parse grader configuration:\n    " + str(subgraderconf) + "\n    Error was:\n    " + str(error)
-            log.critical(errorString)
-            raise ValueError(errorString)
+            # Add info and re-raise
+            msg = ("Unable to parse grader configuration:\n    " +
+                   str(subgraderconf) +
+                   "\n    Error was:\n    " + str(error))
+            raise ValueError(msg), None, sys.exc_info()[2]
 
     return WeightedSubsectionsGrader(subgraders)
 
diff --git a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/html_module.py b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/html_module.py
index c0b82fef90..6c424c26f2 100644
--- a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/html_module.py
+++ b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/html_module.py
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ class HtmlDescriptor(XmlDescriptor, EditingDescriptor):
             # online and has imported all current (fall 2012) courses from xml
             if not system.resources_fs.exists(filepath):
                 candidates = cls.backcompat_paths(filepath)
-                log.debug("candidates = {0}".format(candidates))
+                #log.debug("candidates = {0}".format(candidates))
                 for candidate in candidates:
                     if system.resources_fs.exists(candidate):
                         filepath = candidate
diff --git a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/js/src/capa/display.coffee b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/js/src/capa/display.coffee
index a242757357..23fa4d70fe 100644
--- a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/js/src/capa/display.coffee
+++ b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/js/src/capa/display.coffee
@@ -160,24 +160,42 @@ class @Problem
     max_filesize = 4*1000*1000 # 4 MB
     file_too_large = false
     file_not_selected = false
+    required_files_not_submitted = false
+    unallowed_file_submitted = false
+
+    errors = []
 
     @inputs.each (index, element) ->
       if element.type is 'file'
+        required_files = $(element).data("required_files")
+        allowed_files  = $(element).data("allowed_files")
         for file in element.files
+          if allowed_files.length != 0 and file.name not in allowed_files
+              unallowed_file_submitted = true
+              errors.push "You submitted #{file.name}; only #{allowed_files} are allowed."
+          if file.name in required_files
+              required_files.splice(required_files.indexOf(file.name), 1)
           if file.size > max_filesize
             file_too_large = true
-            alert 'Submission aborted! Your file "' + file.name '" is too large (max size: ' + max_filesize/(1000*1000) + ' MB)'
+            errors.push 'Your file "' + file.name '" is too large (max size: ' + max_filesize/(1000*1000) + ' MB)'
           fd.append(element.id, file)
         if element.files.length == 0 
           file_not_selected = true
           fd.append(element.id, '') # In case we want to allow submissions with no file
+        if required_files.length != 0
+          required_files_not_submitted = true
+          errors.push "You did not submit the required files: #{required_files}."
       else
         fd.append(element.id, element.value)
+
     
     if file_not_selected
-      alert 'Submission aborted! You did not select any files to submit'
+      errors.push 'You did not select any files to submit'
 
-    abort_submission = file_too_large or file_not_selected
+    if errors.length > 0
+        alert errors.join("\n")
+
+    abort_submission = file_too_large or file_not_selected or unallowed_file_submitted or required_files_not_submitted
 
     settings = 
       type: "POST"
diff --git a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/js/src/sequence/display.coffee b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/js/src/sequence/display.coffee
index 832a5ec7eb..38291be2ef 100644
--- a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/js/src/sequence/display.coffee
+++ b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/js/src/sequence/display.coffee
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ class @Sequence
     @el = $(element).find('.sequence')
     @contents = @$('.seq_contents')
     @id = @el.data('id')
+    @modx_url = @el.data('course_modx_root')
     @initProgress()
     @bind()
     @render parseInt(@el.data('position'))
@@ -76,13 +77,14 @@ class @Sequence
     if @position != new_position
       if @position != undefined
         @mark_visited @position
-        $.postWithPrefix "/modx/#{@id}/goto_position", position: new_position
+        modx_full_url = @modx_url + '/' + @id + '/goto_position'
+        $.postWithPrefix modx_full_url, position: new_position
 
       @mark_active new_position
       @$('#seq_content').html @contents.eq(new_position - 1).text()
       XModule.loadModules('display', @$('#seq_content'))
 
-      MathJax.Hub.Queue(["Typeset", MathJax.Hub])
+      MathJax.Hub.Queue(["Typeset", MathJax.Hub, "seq_content"]) # NOTE: Actually redundant. Some other MathJax call also being performed
       @position = new_position
       @toggleArrows()
       @hookUpProgressEvent()
@@ -91,7 +93,7 @@ class @Sequence
     event.preventDefault()
     new_position = $(event.target).data('element')
     Logger.log "seq_goto", old: @position, new: new_position, id: @id
-
+    
     # On Sequence chage, destroy any existing polling thread 
     #   for queued submissions, see ../capa/display.coffee
     if window.queuePollerID
diff --git a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/modulestore/xml.py b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/modulestore/xml.py
index e0fecb243d..3eca72987e 100644
--- a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/modulestore/xml.py
+++ b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/modulestore/xml.py
@@ -4,16 +4,17 @@ import os
 import re
 
 from collections import defaultdict
+from cStringIO import StringIO
 from fs.osfs import OSFS
 from importlib import import_module
 from lxml import etree
 from lxml.html import HtmlComment
 from path import path
+
 from xmodule.errortracker import ErrorLog, make_error_tracker
-from xmodule.x_module import XModuleDescriptor, XMLParsingSystem
 from xmodule.course_module import CourseDescriptor
 from xmodule.mako_module import MakoDescriptorSystem
-from cStringIO import StringIO
+from xmodule.x_module import XModuleDescriptor, XMLParsingSystem
 
 from . import ModuleStoreBase, Location
 from .exceptions import ItemNotFoundError
@@ -134,12 +135,12 @@ class XMLModuleStore(ModuleStoreBase):
         self.data_dir = path(data_dir)
         self.modules = defaultdict(dict)  # course_id -> dict(location -> XModuleDescriptor)
         self.courses = {}  # course_dir -> XModuleDescriptor for the course
+        self.errored_courses = {}  # course_dir -> errorlog, for dirs that failed to load
 
         if default_class is None:
             self.default_class = None
         else:
             module_path, _, class_name = default_class.rpartition('.')
-            #log.debug('module_path = %s' % module_path)
             class_ = getattr(import_module(module_path), class_name)
             self.default_class = class_
 
@@ -162,18 +163,27 @@ class XMLModuleStore(ModuleStoreBase):
         '''
         Load a course, keeping track of errors as we go along.
         '''
+        # Special-case code here, since we don't have a location for the
+        # course before it loads.
+        # So, make a tracker to track load-time errors, then put in the right
+        # place after the course loads and we have its location
+        errorlog = make_error_tracker()
+        course_descriptor = None
         try:
-            # Special-case code here, since we don't have a location for the
-            # course before it loads.
-            # So, make a tracker to track load-time errors, then put in the right
-            # place after the course loads and we have its location
-            errorlog = make_error_tracker()
             course_descriptor = self.load_course(course_dir, errorlog.tracker)
+        except Exception as e:
+            msg = "Failed to load course '{0}': {1}".format(course_dir, str(e))
+            log.exception(msg)
+            errorlog.tracker(msg)
+
+        if course_descriptor is not None:
             self.courses[course_dir] = course_descriptor
             self._location_errors[course_descriptor.location] = errorlog
-        except:
-            msg = "Failed to load course '%s'" % course_dir
-            log.exception(msg)
+        else:
+            # Didn't load course.  Instead, save the errors elsewhere.
+            self.errored_courses[course_dir] = errorlog
+
+
 
     def __unicode__(self):
         '''
@@ -202,6 +212,28 @@ class XMLModuleStore(ModuleStoreBase):
         return {}
 
 
+    def read_grading_policy(self, paths, tracker):
+        """Load a grading policy from the specified paths, in order, if it exists."""
+        # Default to a blank policy
+        policy_str = ""
+
+        for policy_path in paths:
+            if not os.path.exists(policy_path):
+                continue
+            log.debug("Loading grading policy from {0}".format(policy_path))
+            try:
+                with open(policy_path) as grading_policy_file:
+                    policy_str = grading_policy_file.read()
+                    # if we successfully read the file, stop looking at backups
+                    break
+            except (IOError):
+                msg = "Unable to load course settings file from '{0}'".format(policy_path)
+                tracker(msg)
+                log.warning(msg)
+
+        return policy_str
+
+
     def load_course(self, course_dir, tracker):
         """
         Load a course into this module store
@@ -242,9 +274,16 @@ class XMLModuleStore(ModuleStoreBase):
                 course = course_dir
 
             url_name = course_data.get('url_name', course_data.get('slug'))
+            policy_dir = None
             if url_name:
-                policy_path = self.data_dir / course_dir / 'policies' / '{0}.json'.format(url_name)
+                policy_dir = self.data_dir / course_dir / 'policies' / url_name
+                policy_path = policy_dir / 'policy.json'
                 policy = self.load_policy(policy_path, tracker)
+
+                # VS[compat]: remove once courses use the policy dirs.
+                if policy == {}:
+                    old_policy_path = self.data_dir / course_dir / 'policies' / '{0}.json'.format(url_name)
+                    policy = self.load_policy(old_policy_path, tracker)
             else:
                 policy = {}
                 # VS[compat] : 'name' is deprecated, but support it for now...
@@ -268,6 +307,15 @@ class XMLModuleStore(ModuleStoreBase):
             # after we have the course descriptor.
             XModuleDescriptor.compute_inherited_metadata(course_descriptor)
 
+            # Try to load grading policy
+            paths = [self.data_dir / course_dir / 'grading_policy.json']
+            if policy_dir:
+                paths = [policy_dir / 'grading_policy.json'] + paths
+
+            policy_str = self.read_grading_policy(paths, tracker)
+            course_descriptor.set_grading_policy(policy_str)
+
+
             log.debug('========> Done with course import from {0}'.format(course_dir))
             return course_descriptor
 
@@ -318,6 +366,12 @@ class XMLModuleStore(ModuleStoreBase):
         """
         return self.courses.values()
 
+    def get_errored_courses(self):
+        """
+        Return a dictionary of course_dir -> [(msg, exception_str)], for each
+        course_dir where course loading failed.
+        """
+        return dict( (k, self.errored_courses[k].errors) for k in self.errored_courses)
 
     def create_item(self, location):
         raise NotImplementedError("XMLModuleStores are read-only")
diff --git a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/tests/test_import.py b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/tests/test_import.py
index 34e4767a62..3454366c1a 100644
--- a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/tests/test_import.py
+++ b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/tests/test_import.py
@@ -233,6 +233,9 @@ class ImportTestCase(unittest.TestCase):
         self.assertEqual(toy_ch.display_name, "Overview")
         self.assertEqual(two_toys_ch.display_name, "Two Toy Overview")
 
+        # Also check that the grading policy loaded
+        self.assertEqual(two_toys.grade_cutoffs['C'], 0.5999)
+
 
     def test_definition_loading(self):
         """When two courses share the same org and course name and
diff --git a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/xml_module.py b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/xml_module.py
index c7042efda2..b6f791ffc6 100644
--- a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/xml_module.py
+++ b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/xml_module.py
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ def get_metadata_from_xml(xml_object, remove=True):
     if meta is None:
         return ''
     dmdata = meta.text
-    log.debug('meta for %s loaded: %s' % (xml_object,dmdata))
+    #log.debug('meta for %s loaded: %s' % (xml_object,dmdata))
     if remove:
         xml_object.remove(meta)
     return dmdata
diff --git a/common/test/data/test_start_date/README.md b/common/test/data/test_start_date/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..0810107838
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common/test/data/test_start_date/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Simple course.  If start dates are on, non-staff users should see Overview, but not Ch 2.
diff --git a/common/test/data/test_start_date/course.xml b/common/test/data/test_start_date/course.xml
new file mode 120000
index 0000000000..49041310f6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common/test/data/test_start_date/course.xml
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+roots/2012_Fall.xml
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/common/test/data/test_start_date/course/2012_Fall.xml b/common/test/data/test_start_date/course/2012_Fall.xml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..77eca9f46c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common/test/data/test_start_date/course/2012_Fall.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+<course>
+  <chapter url_name="Overview">
+    <videosequence url_name="Toy_Videos">
+      <html url_name="toylab"/>
+      <video url_name="Video_Resources" youtube="1.0:1bK-WdDi6Qw"/>
+    </videosequence>
+    <video url_name="Welcome" youtube="1.0:p2Q6BrNhdh8"/>
+  </chapter>
+  <chapter url_name="Ch2">
+     <html url_name="test_html">
+         <h2>Welcome</h2>
+     </html>
+  </chapter>
+
+</course>
diff --git a/common/test/data/test_start_date/html/toylab.html b/common/test/data/test_start_date/html/toylab.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..81df84bd63
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common/test/data/test_start_date/html/toylab.html
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+<b>Lab 2A: Superposition Experiment</b>
+
+<p>Isn't the toy course great?</p>
diff --git a/common/test/data/test_start_date/html/toylab.xml b/common/test/data/test_start_date/html/toylab.xml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ab78aeb494
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common/test/data/test_start_date/html/toylab.xml
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+<html filename="toylab.html"/>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/common/test/data/test_start_date/policies/2012_Fall.json b/common/test/data/test_start_date/policies/2012_Fall.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a12ccecf1c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common/test/data/test_start_date/policies/2012_Fall.json
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+{
+    "course/2012_Fall": {
+        "graceperiod": "2 days 5 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds",
+        "start": "2011-07-17T12:00",
+        "display_name": "Toy Course"
+    },
+    "chapter/Overview": {
+        "display_name": "Overview"
+    },
+    "chapter/Ch2": {
+       "display_name": "Chapter 2",
+       "start": "2015-07-17T12:00"
+    },
+    "videosequence/Toy_Videos": {
+        "display_name": "Toy Videos",
+        "format": "Lecture Sequence"
+    },
+    "html/toylab": {
+        "display_name": "Toy lab"
+    },
+    "video/Video_Resources": {
+        "display_name": "Video Resources"
+    },
+    "video/Welcome": {
+        "display_name": "Welcome"
+    }
+}
diff --git a/common/test/data/test_start_date/roots/2012_Fall.xml b/common/test/data/test_start_date/roots/2012_Fall.xml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..30dd5e0180
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common/test/data/test_start_date/roots/2012_Fall.xml
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+<course org="edX" course="test_start_date" url_name="2012_Fall"/>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/common/test/data/toy/html/toylab.xml b/common/test/data/toy/html/toylab.xml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ab78aeb494
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common/test/data/toy/html/toylab.xml
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+<html filename="toylab.html"/>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/common/test/data/two_toys/policies/TT_2012_Fall/grading_policy.json b/common/test/data/two_toys/policies/TT_2012_Fall/grading_policy.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..13942c1715
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common/test/data/two_toys/policies/TT_2012_Fall/grading_policy.json
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+{
+  "GRADER" : [
+    {
+      "type" : "Homework",
+      "min_count" : 12,
+      "drop_count" : 2,
+      "short_label" : "HW",
+      "weight" : 0.15
+    },
+    {
+      "type" : "Lab",
+      "min_count" : 12,
+      "drop_count" : 2,
+      "category" : "Labs",
+      "weight" : 0.15
+    },
+    {
+      "type" : "Midterm",
+      "name" : "Midterm Exam",
+      "short_label" : "Midterm",
+      "weight" : 0.3
+    },
+    {
+      "type" : "Final",
+      "name" : "Final Exam",
+      "short_label" : "Final",
+      "weight" : 0.4
+    }
+  ],
+  "GRADE_CUTOFFS" : {
+    "A" : 0.87,
+    "B" : 0.7,
+    "C" : 0.5999
+  }
+}
diff --git a/common/test/data/two_toys/policies/TT_2012_Fall.json b/common/test/data/two_toys/policies/TT_2012_Fall/policy.json
similarity index 100%
rename from common/test/data/two_toys/policies/TT_2012_Fall.json
rename to common/test/data/two_toys/policies/TT_2012_Fall/policy.json
diff --git a/doc/discussion.md b/doc/discussion.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4f8ab9a01a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/discussion.md
@@ -0,0 +1,159 @@
+# Running the discussion service
+
+## Instruction for Mac
+
+## Installing Mongodb
+
+If you haven't done so already:
+
+    brew install mongodb
+
+Make sure that you have mongodb running. You can simply open a new terminal tab and type:
+ 
+    mongod
+
+## Installing elasticsearch
+
+    brew install elasticsearch
+
+For debugging, it's often more convenient to have elasticsearch running in a terminal tab instead of in background. To do so, simply open a new terminal tab and then type:
+
+    elasticsearch -f
+
+## Setting up the discussion service
+
+First, make sure that you have access to the [github repository](https://github.com/rll/cs_comments_service). If this were not the case, send an email to dementrock@gmail.com.
+
+First go into the mitx_all directory. Then type
+
+    git clone git@github.com:rll/cs_comments_service.git
+    cd cs_comments_service/
+
+If you see a prompt asking "Do you wish to trust this .rvmrc file?", type "y"
+
+Now if you see this error "Gemset 'cs_comments_service' does not exist," run the following command to create the gemset and then use the rvm environment manually:
+
+    rvm gemset create 'cs_comments_service'
+    rvm use 1.9.3@cs_comments_service
+
+Now use the following command to install required packages:
+
+    bundle install
+
+The following command creates database indexes:
+
+    bundle exec rake db:init
+
+Now use the following command to generate seeds (basically some random comments in Latin):
+
+    bundle exec rake db:seed
+
+It's done! Launch the app now:
+
+    ruby app.rb
+
+## Running the delayed job worker
+
+In the discussion service, notifications are handled asynchronously using a third party gem called delayed_job. If you want to test this functionality, run the following command in a separate tab:
+
+    bundle exec rake jobs:work
+
+## Initialize roles and permissions
+
+To fully test the discussion forum, you might want to act as a moderator or an administrator. Currently, moderators can manage everything in the forum, and administrator can manage everything plus assigning and revoking moderator status of other users.
+
+First make sure that the database is up-to-date:
+
+    rake django-admin[syncdb]
+    rake django-admin[migrate]
+
+For convenience, add the following environment variables to the terminal (assuming that you're using configuration set lms.envs.dev):
+
+    export DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE=lms.envs.dev
+    export PYTHONPATH=.
+
+Now initialzie roles and permissions:
+
+    django-admin.py seed_permissions_roles
+
+To assign yourself as a moderator, use the following command (assuming your username is "test", and the course id is "MITx/6.002x/2012_Fall"):
+
+    django-admin.py assign_role test Moderator "MITx/6.002x/2012_Fall"
+
+To assign yourself as an administrator, use the following command
+
+    django-admin.py assign_role test Administrator "MITx/6.002x/2012_Fall"
+
+## Some other useful commands
+
+### generate seeds for a specific forum
+The seed generating command above assumes that you have the following discussion tags somewhere in the course data:
+
+    <discussion for="Welcome Video" id="video_1" discussion_category="Video"/>
+    <discussion for="Lab 0: Using the Tools" id="lab_1" discussion_category="Lab"/>
+    <discussion for="Lab Circuit Sandbox" id="lab_2" discussion_category="Lab"/>
+
+For example, you can insert them into overview section as following:
+
+    <chapter name="Overview">
+      <section format="Video" name="Welcome">
+        <vertical>
+          <video youtube="0.75:izygArpw-Qo,1.0:p2Q6BrNhdh8,1.25:1EeWXzPdhSA,1.50:rABDYkeK0x8"/>
+          <discussion for="Welcome Video" id="video_1" discussion_category="Video"/>
+        </vertical>
+      </section>
+      <section format="Lecture Sequence" name="System Usage Sequence">
+        <%include file="sections/introseq.xml"/>
+      </section>
+      <section format="Lab" name="Lab0: Using the tools">
+        <vertical>
+          <html> See the <a href="/section/labintro"> Lab Introduction </a> or <a href="/static/handouts/schematic_tutorial.pdf">Interactive Lab Usage Handout </a> for information on how to do the lab </html>
+          <problem name="Lab 0: Using the Tools" filename="Lab0" rerandomize="false"/>
+          <discussion for="Lab 0: Using the Tools" id="lab_1" discussion_category="Lab"/>
+        </vertical>
+      </section>
+      <section format="Lab" name="Circuit Sandbox">
+        <vertical>
+          <problem name="Circuit Sandbox" filename="Lab_sandbox" rerandomize="false"/>
+          <discussion for="Lab Circuit Sandbox" id="lab_2" discussion_category="Lab"/>
+        </vertical>
+      </section>
+    </chapter>
+
+Currently, only the attribute "id" is actually used, which identifies discussion forum. In the code for the data generator, the corresponding lines are:
+
+    generate_comments_for("video_1")
+    generate_comments_for("lab_1")
+    generate_comments_for("lab_2")
+
+We also have a command for generating comments within a forum with the specified id:
+
+    bundle exec rake db:generate_comments[type_the_discussion_id_here]
+
+For instance, if you want to generate comments for a new discussion tab named "lab_3", then use the following command
+
+    bundle exec rake db:generate_comments[lab_3]
+
+### Running tests for the service
+
+    bundle exec rspec
+
+Warning: the development and test environments share the same elasticsearch index. After running tests, search may not work in the development environment. You simply need to reindex:
+
+    bundle exec rake db:reindex_search
+
+### debugging the service
+
+You can use the following command to launch a console within the service environment:
+
+    bundle exec rake console
+
+### show user roles and permissions
+
+Use the following command to see the roles and permissions of a user in a given course (assuming, again, that the username is "test"):
+
+    django-admin.py show_permissions moderator
+
+You need to make sure that the environment variables are exported. Otherwise you would need to do
+
+    django-admin.py show_permissions moderator --settings=lms.envs.dev --pythonpath=.
diff --git a/install.txt b/install.txt
index fa82b11a5c..37a6e50986 100644
--- a/install.txt
+++ b/install.txt
@@ -74,5 +74,4 @@ There is also a script "create-dev-env.sh" that automates these steps.
         $ django-admin.py syncdb --settings=envs.dev --pythonpath=.
         $ django-admin.py migrate --settings=envs.dev --pythonpath=.
         $ django-admin.py runserver --settings=envs.dev --pythonpath=.   
- 
 
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/courseware/access.py b/lms/djangoapps/courseware/access.py
index eaf70d7814..281580cf33 100644
--- a/lms/djangoapps/courseware/access.py
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/courseware/access.py
@@ -63,6 +63,9 @@ def has_access(user, obj, action):
     if isinstance(obj, Location):
         return _has_access_location(user, obj, action)
 
+    if isinstance(obj, basestring):
+        return _has_access_string(user, obj, action)
+
     # Passing an unknown object here is a coding error, so rather than
     # returning a default, complain.
     raise TypeError("Unknown object type in has_access(): '{0}'"
@@ -238,6 +241,30 @@ def _has_access_location(user, location, action):
     return _dispatch(checkers, action, user, location)
 
 
+def _has_access_string(user, perm, action):
+    """
+    Check if user has certain special access, specified as string.  Valid strings:
+
+    'global'
+
+    Valid actions:
+
+    'staff' -- global staff access.
+    """
+
+    def check_staff():
+        if perm != 'global':
+            debug("Deny: invalid permission '%s'", perm)
+            return False
+        return _has_global_staff_access(user)
+
+    checkers = {
+        'staff': check_staff
+        }
+
+    return _dispatch(checkers, action, user, perm)
+
+
 #####  Internal helper methods below
 
 def _dispatch(table, action, user, obj):
@@ -266,6 +293,15 @@ def _course_staff_group_name(location):
     """
     return 'staff_%s' % Location(location).course
 
+def _has_global_staff_access(user):
+    if user.is_staff:
+        debug("Allow: user.is_staff")
+        return True
+    else:
+        debug("Deny: not user.is_staff")
+        return False
+
+
 def _has_staff_access_to_location(user, location):
     '''
     Returns True if the given user has staff access to a location.  For now this
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/courseware/courses.py b/lms/djangoapps/courseware/courses.py
index b4407b7f93..c92cbb1425 100644
--- a/lms/djangoapps/courseware/courses.py
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/courseware/courses.py
@@ -30,7 +30,6 @@ def get_course_by_id(course_id):
         raise Http404("Course not found.")
 
 
-
 def get_course_with_access(user, course_id, action):
     """
     Given a course_id, look up the corresponding course descriptor,
@@ -142,6 +141,35 @@ def get_course_info_section(course, section_key):
 
     raise KeyError("Invalid about key " + str(section_key))
 
+# TODO: Fix this such that these are pulled in as extra course-specific tabs.
+#       arjun will address this by the end of October if no one does so prior to
+#       then. 
+def get_course_syllabus_section(course, section_key):
+    """
+    This returns the snippet of html to be rendered on the syllabus page,
+    given the key for the section.
+
+    Valid keys:
+    - syllabus
+    - guest_syllabus
+    """
+
+    # Many of these are stored as html files instead of some semantic
+    # markup. This can change without effecting this interface when we find a
+    # good format for defining so many snippets of text/html.
+
+    if section_key in ['syllabus', 'guest_syllabus']:
+        try:
+            with course.system.resources_fs.open(path("syllabus") / section_key + ".html") as htmlFile:
+                return replace_urls(htmlFile.read().decode('utf-8'),
+                                    course.metadata['data_dir'])
+        except ResourceNotFoundError:
+            log.exception("Missing syllabus section {key} in course {url}".format(
+                key=section_key, url=course.location.url()))
+            return "! Syllabus missing !"
+
+    raise KeyError("Invalid about key " + str(section_key))
+
 
 def get_courses_by_university(user, domain=None):
     '''
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/courseware/grades.py b/lms/djangoapps/courseware/grades.py
index 3d8d8b0ebe..1af3ab1bda 100644
--- a/lms/djangoapps/courseware/grades.py
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/courseware/grades.py
@@ -29,6 +29,8 @@ def grade(student, request, course, student_module_cache=None):
     output from the course grader, augmented with the final letter
     grade. The keys in the output are:
 
+    course: a CourseDescriptor
+
     - grade : A final letter grade.
     - percent : The final percent for the class (rounded up).
     - section_breakdown : A breakdown of each section that makes
@@ -42,7 +44,7 @@ def grade(student, request, course, student_module_cache=None):
     grading_context = course.grading_context
 
     if student_module_cache == None:
-        student_module_cache = StudentModuleCache(student, grading_context['all_descriptors'])
+        student_module_cache = StudentModuleCache(course.id, student, grading_context['all_descriptors'])
 
     totaled_scores = {}
     # This next complicated loop is just to collect the totaled_scores, which is
@@ -56,7 +58,8 @@ def grade(student, request, course, student_module_cache=None):
             should_grade_section = False
             # If we haven't seen a single problem in the section, we don't have to grade it at all! We can assume 0%
             for moduledescriptor in section['xmoduledescriptors']:
-                if student_module_cache.lookup(moduledescriptor.category, moduledescriptor.location.url() ):
+                if student_module_cache.lookup(
+                        course.id, moduledescriptor.category, moduledescriptor.location.url()):
                     should_grade_section = True
                     break
 
@@ -64,10 +67,9 @@ def grade(student, request, course, student_module_cache=None):
                 scores = []
                 # TODO: We need the request to pass into here. If we could forgo that, our arguments
                 # would be simpler
-                course_id = CourseDescriptor.location_to_id(course.location)
                 section_module = get_module(student, request,
                                             section_descriptor.location, student_module_cache,
-                                            course_id)
+                                            course.id)
                 if section_module is None:
                     # student doesn't have access to this module, or something else
                     # went wrong.
@@ -76,7 +78,7 @@ def grade(student, request, course, student_module_cache=None):
                 # TODO: We may be able to speed this up by only getting a list of children IDs from section_module
                 # Then, we may not need to instatiate any problems if they are already in the database
                 for module in yield_module_descendents(section_module):
-                    (correct, total) = get_score(student, module, student_module_cache)
+                    (correct, total) = get_score(course.id, student, module, student_module_cache)
                     if correct is None and total is None:
                         continue
 
@@ -171,7 +173,9 @@ def progress_summary(student, course, grader, student_module_cache):
             graded = s.metadata.get('graded', False)
             scores = []
             for module in yield_module_descendents(s):
-                (correct, total) = get_score(student, module, student_module_cache)
+                # course is a module, not a descriptor...
+                course_id = course.descriptor.id
+                (correct, total) = get_score(course_id, student, module, student_module_cache)
                 if correct is None and total is None:
                     continue
 
@@ -200,7 +204,7 @@ def progress_summary(student, course, grader, student_module_cache):
     return chapters
 
 
-def get_score(user, problem, student_module_cache):
+def get_score(course_id, user, problem, student_module_cache):
     """
     Return the score for a user on a problem, as a tuple (correct, total).
 
@@ -215,10 +219,11 @@ def get_score(user, problem, student_module_cache):
     correct = 0.0
 
     # If the ID is not in the cache, add the item
-    instance_module = get_instance_module(user, problem, student_module_cache)
+    instance_module = get_instance_module(course_id, user, problem, student_module_cache)
     # instance_module = student_module_cache.lookup(problem.category, problem.id)
     # if instance_module is None:
     #     instance_module = StudentModule(module_type=problem.category,
+    #                                     course_id=????,
     #                                     module_state_key=problem.id,
     #                                     student=user,
     #                                     state=None,
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/courseware/management/commands/check_course.py b/lms/djangoapps/courseware/management/commands/check_course.py
index 4b44581c3f..adb8bff709 100644
--- a/lms/djangoapps/courseware/management/commands/check_course.py
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/courseware/management/commands/check_course.py
@@ -84,6 +84,7 @@ class Command(BaseCommand):
         # TODO (cpennington): Get coursename in a legitimate way
         course_location = 'i4x://edx/6002xs12/course/6.002_Spring_2012'
         student_module_cache = StudentModuleCache.cache_for_descriptor_descendents(
+        course_id,
             sample_user, modulestore().get_item(course_location))
         course = get_module(sample_user, None, course_location, student_module_cache)
 
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/courseware/migrations/0003_done_grade_cache.py b/lms/djangoapps/courseware/migrations/0003_done_grade_cache.py
index 96b320bc8f..0ab35551c9 100644
--- a/lms/djangoapps/courseware/migrations/0003_done_grade_cache.py
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/courseware/migrations/0003_done_grade_cache.py
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@ class Migration(SchemaMigration):
 
     def forwards(self, orm):
 
+        # NOTE (vshnayder): This constraint has the wrong field order, so it doesn't actually
+        # do anything in sqlite.  Migration 0004 actually removes this index for sqlite.
         # Removing unique constraint on 'StudentModule', fields ['module_id', 'module_type', 'student']
         db.delete_unique('courseware_studentmodule', ['module_id', 'module_type', 'student_id'])
 
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/courseware/migrations/0004_add_field_studentmodule_course_id.py b/lms/djangoapps/courseware/migrations/0004_add_field_studentmodule_course_id.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ff79901824
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/courseware/migrations/0004_add_field_studentmodule_course_id.py
@@ -0,0 +1,120 @@
+# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
+import datetime
+from south.db import db
+from south.v2 import SchemaMigration
+from django.db import models
+
+
+class Migration(SchemaMigration):
+
+    def forwards(self, orm):
+        # Adding field 'StudentModule.course_id'
+        db.add_column('courseware_studentmodule', 'course_id',
+                      self.gf('django.db.models.fields.CharField')(default="", max_length=255, db_index=True),
+                      keep_default=False)
+
+        # Removing unique constraint on 'StudentModule', fields ['module_id', 'student']
+        db.delete_unique('courseware_studentmodule', ['module_id', 'student_id'])
+
+        # NOTE: manually remove this constaint (from 0001)--0003 tries, but fails for sqlite.
+        # Removing unique constraint on 'StudentModule', fields ['module_id', 'module_type', 'student']
+        if db.backend_name == "sqlite3":
+            db.delete_unique('courseware_studentmodule', ['student_id', 'module_id', 'module_type'])
+
+        # Adding unique constraint on 'StudentModule', fields ['course_id', 'module_state_key', 'student']
+        db.create_unique('courseware_studentmodule', ['student_id', 'module_id', 'course_id'])
+
+
+    def backwards(self, orm):
+        # Removing unique constraint on 'StudentModule', fields ['studnet_id', 'module_state_key', 'course_id']
+        db.delete_unique('courseware_studentmodule', ['student_id', 'module_id', 'course_id'])
+
+        # Deleting field 'StudentModule.course_id'
+        db.delete_column('courseware_studentmodule', 'course_id')
+
+        # Adding unique constraint on 'StudentModule', fields ['module_id', 'student']
+        db.create_unique('courseware_studentmodule', ['module_id', 'student_id'])
+
+        # Adding unique constraint on 'StudentModule', fields ['module_id', 'module_type', 'student']
+        db.create_unique('courseware_studentmodule', ['student_id', 'module_id', 'module_type'])
+
+
+    models = {
+        'auth.group': {
+            'Meta': {'object_name': 'Group'},
+            'id': ('django.db.models.fields.AutoField', [], {'primary_key': 'True'}),
+            'name': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'unique': 'True', 'max_length': '80'}),
+            'permissions': ('django.db.models.fields.related.ManyToManyField', [], {'to': "orm['auth.Permission']", 'symmetrical': 'False', 'blank': 'True'})
+        },
+        'auth.permission': {
+            'Meta': {'ordering': "('content_type__app_label', 'content_type__model', 'codename')", 'unique_together': "(('content_type', 'codename'),)", 'object_name': 'Permission'},
+            'codename': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '100'}),
+            'content_type': ('django.db.models.fields.related.ForeignKey', [], {'to': "orm['contenttypes.ContentType']"}),
+            'id': ('django.db.models.fields.AutoField', [], {'primary_key': 'True'}),
+            'name': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '50'})
+        },
+        'auth.user': {
+            'Meta': {'object_name': 'User'},
+            'about': ('django.db.models.fields.TextField', [], {'blank': 'True'}),
+            'avatar_type': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'default': "'n'", 'max_length': '1'}),
+            'bronze': ('django.db.models.fields.SmallIntegerField', [], {'default': '0'}),
+            'consecutive_days_visit_count': ('django.db.models.fields.IntegerField', [], {'default': '0'}),
+            'country': ('django_countries.fields.CountryField', [], {'max_length': '2', 'blank': 'True'}),
+            'date_joined': ('django.db.models.fields.DateTimeField', [], {'default': 'datetime.datetime.now'}),
+            'date_of_birth': ('django.db.models.fields.DateField', [], {'null': 'True', 'blank': 'True'}),
+            'display_tag_filter_strategy': ('django.db.models.fields.SmallIntegerField', [], {'default': '0'}),
+            'email': ('django.db.models.fields.EmailField', [], {'max_length': '75', 'blank': 'True'}),
+            'email_isvalid': ('django.db.models.fields.BooleanField', [], {'default': 'False'}),
+            'email_key': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '32', 'null': 'True'}),
+            'email_tag_filter_strategy': ('django.db.models.fields.SmallIntegerField', [], {'default': '1'}),
+            'first_name': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '30', 'blank': 'True'}),
+            'gold': ('django.db.models.fields.SmallIntegerField', [], {'default': '0'}),
+            'gravatar': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '32'}),
+            'groups': ('django.db.models.fields.related.ManyToManyField', [], {'to': "orm['auth.Group']", 'symmetrical': 'False', 'blank': 'True'}),
+            'id': ('django.db.models.fields.AutoField', [], {'primary_key': 'True'}),
+            'ignored_tags': ('django.db.models.fields.TextField', [], {'blank': 'True'}),
+            'interesting_tags': ('django.db.models.fields.TextField', [], {'blank': 'True'}),
+            'is_active': ('django.db.models.fields.BooleanField', [], {'default': 'True'}),
+            'is_staff': ('django.db.models.fields.BooleanField', [], {'default': 'False'}),
+            'is_superuser': ('django.db.models.fields.BooleanField', [], {'default': 'False'}),
+            'last_login': ('django.db.models.fields.DateTimeField', [], {'default': 'datetime.datetime.now'}),
+            'last_name': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '30', 'blank': 'True'}),
+            'last_seen': ('django.db.models.fields.DateTimeField', [], {'default': 'datetime.datetime.now'}),
+            'location': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '100', 'blank': 'True'}),
+            'new_response_count': ('django.db.models.fields.IntegerField', [], {'default': '0'}),
+            'password': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '128'}),
+            'questions_per_page': ('django.db.models.fields.SmallIntegerField', [], {'default': '10'}),
+            'real_name': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '100', 'blank': 'True'}),
+            'reputation': ('django.db.models.fields.PositiveIntegerField', [], {'default': '1'}),
+            'seen_response_count': ('django.db.models.fields.IntegerField', [], {'default': '0'}),
+            'show_country': ('django.db.models.fields.BooleanField', [], {'default': 'False'}),
+            'silver': ('django.db.models.fields.SmallIntegerField', [], {'default': '0'}),
+            'status': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'default': "'w'", 'max_length': '2'}),
+            'user_permissions': ('django.db.models.fields.related.ManyToManyField', [], {'to': "orm['auth.Permission']", 'symmetrical': 'False', 'blank': 'True'}),
+            'username': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'unique': 'True', 'max_length': '30'}),
+            'website': ('django.db.models.fields.URLField', [], {'max_length': '200', 'blank': 'True'})
+        },
+        'contenttypes.contenttype': {
+            'Meta': {'ordering': "('name',)", 'unique_together': "(('app_label', 'model'),)", 'object_name': 'ContentType', 'db_table': "'django_content_type'"},
+            'app_label': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '100'}),
+            'id': ('django.db.models.fields.AutoField', [], {'primary_key': 'True'}),
+            'model': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '100'}),
+            'name': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '100'})
+        },
+        'courseware.studentmodule': {
+            'Meta': {'unique_together': "(('course_id', 'student', 'module_state_key'),)", 'object_name': 'StudentModule'},
+            'course_id': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '255', 'db_index': 'True'}),
+            'created': ('django.db.models.fields.DateTimeField', [], {'auto_now_add': 'True', 'db_index': 'True', 'blank': 'True'}),
+            'done': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'default': "'na'", 'max_length': '8', 'db_index': 'True'}),
+            'grade': ('django.db.models.fields.FloatField', [], {'db_index': 'True', 'null': 'True', 'blank': 'True'}),
+            'id': ('django.db.models.fields.AutoField', [], {'primary_key': 'True'}),
+            'max_grade': ('django.db.models.fields.FloatField', [], {'null': 'True', 'blank': 'True'}),
+            'modified': ('django.db.models.fields.DateTimeField', [], {'auto_now': 'True', 'db_index': 'True', 'blank': 'True'}),
+            'module_state_key': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '255', 'db_column': "'module_id'", 'db_index': 'True'}),
+            'module_type': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'default': "'problem'", 'max_length': '32', 'db_index': 'True'}),
+            'state': ('django.db.models.fields.TextField', [], {'null': 'True', 'blank': 'True'}),
+            'student': ('django.db.models.fields.related.ForeignKey', [], {'to': "orm['auth.User']"})
+        }
+    }
+
+    complete_apps = ['courseware']
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/courseware/models.py b/lms/djangoapps/courseware/models.py
index 4389a5f169..393cb0918b 100644
--- a/lms/djangoapps/courseware/models.py
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/courseware/models.py
@@ -22,6 +22,9 @@ from django.contrib.auth.models import User
 
 
 class StudentModule(models.Model):
+    """
+    Keeps student state for a particular module in a particular course.
+    """
     # For a homework problem, contains a JSON
     # object consisting of state
     MODULE_TYPES = (('problem', 'problem'),
@@ -37,9 +40,10 @@ class StudentModule(models.Model):
     # Filename for homeworks, etc.
     module_state_key = models.CharField(max_length=255, db_index=True, db_column='module_id')
     student = models.ForeignKey(User, db_index=True)
+    course_id = models.CharField(max_length=255, db_index=True)
 
     class Meta:
-        unique_together = (('student', 'module_state_key'),)
+        unique_together = (('student', 'module_state_key', 'course_id'),)
 
     ## Internal state of the object
     state = models.TextField(null=True, blank=True)
@@ -57,7 +61,8 @@ class StudentModule(models.Model):
     modified = models.DateTimeField(auto_now=True, db_index=True)
 
     def __unicode__(self):
-        return '/'.join([self.module_type, self.student.username, self.module_state_key, str(self.state)[:20]])
+        return '/'.join([self.course_id, self.module_type,
+                         self.student.username, self.module_state_key, str(self.state)[:20]])
 
 
 # TODO (cpennington): Remove these once the LMS switches to using XModuleDescriptors
@@ -67,20 +72,20 @@ class StudentModuleCache(object):
     """
     A cache of StudentModules for a specific student
     """
-    def __init__(self, user, descriptors, select_for_update=False):
+    def __init__(self, course_id, user, descriptors, select_for_update=False):
         '''
         Find any StudentModule objects that are needed by any descriptor
         in descriptors. Avoids making multiple queries to the database.
         Note: Only modules that have store_state = True or have shared
         state will have a StudentModule.
-        
+
         Arguments
         user: The user for which to fetch maching StudentModules
         descriptors: An array of XModuleDescriptors.
         select_for_update: Flag indicating whether the rows should be locked until end of transaction
         '''
         if user.is_authenticated():
-            module_ids = self._get_module_state_keys(descriptors) 
+            module_ids = self._get_module_state_keys(descriptors)
 
             # This works around a limitation in sqlite3 on the number of parameters
             # that can be put into a single query
@@ -89,78 +94,86 @@ class StudentModuleCache(object):
             for id_chunk in [module_ids[i:i + chunk_size] for i in xrange(0, len(module_ids), chunk_size)]:
                 if select_for_update:
                     self.cache.extend(StudentModule.objects.select_for_update().filter(
+                        course_id=course_id,
                         student=user,
                         module_state_key__in=id_chunk)
                     )
                 else:
                     self.cache.extend(StudentModule.objects.filter(
+                        course_id=course_id,
                         student=user,
                         module_state_key__in=id_chunk)
                     )
 
         else:
             self.cache = []
-    
-    
+
+
     @classmethod
-    def cache_for_descriptor_descendents(cls, user, descriptor, depth=None, descriptor_filter=lambda descriptor: True, select_for_update=False):
+    def cache_for_descriptor_descendents(cls, course_id, user, descriptor, depth=None,
+                                         descriptor_filter=lambda descriptor: True,
+                                         select_for_update=False):
         """
+        course_id: the course in the context of which we want StudentModules.
+        user: the django user for whom to load modules.
         descriptor: An XModuleDescriptor
         depth is the number of levels of descendent modules to load StudentModules for, in addition to
             the supplied descriptor. If depth is None, load all descendent StudentModules
-        descriptor_filter is a function that accepts a descriptor and return wether the StudentModule 
+        descriptor_filter is a function that accepts a descriptor and return wether the StudentModule
             should be cached
         select_for_update: Flag indicating whether the rows should be locked until end of transaction
         """
-        
+
         def get_child_descriptors(descriptor, depth, descriptor_filter):
             if descriptor_filter(descriptor):
                 descriptors = [descriptor]
             else:
                 descriptors = []
-            
+
             if depth is None or depth > 0:
                 new_depth = depth - 1 if depth is not None else depth
 
                 for child in descriptor.get_children():
                     descriptors.extend(get_child_descriptors(child, new_depth, descriptor_filter))
-                
+
             return descriptors
-        
-        
+
+
         descriptors = get_child_descriptors(descriptor, depth, descriptor_filter)
-        
-        return StudentModuleCache(user, descriptors, select_for_update)
-    
+
+        return StudentModuleCache(course_id, user, descriptors, select_for_update)
+
     def _get_module_state_keys(self, descriptors):
         '''
         Get a list of the state_keys needed for StudentModules
         required for this module descriptor
-        
-        descriptor_filter is a function that accepts a descriptor and return wether the StudentModule 
+
+        descriptor_filter is a function that accepts a descriptor and return wether the StudentModule
             should be cached
         '''
         keys = []
         for descriptor in descriptors:
             if descriptor.stores_state:
                 keys.append(descriptor.location.url())
-            
+
             shared_state_key = getattr(descriptor, 'shared_state_key', None)
             if shared_state_key is not None:
                 keys.append(shared_state_key)
 
         return keys
 
-    def lookup(self, module_type, module_state_key):
+    def lookup(self, course_id, module_type, module_state_key):
         '''
-        Look for a student module with the given type and id in the cache.
+        Look for a student module with the given course_id, type, and id in the cache.
 
         cache -- list of student modules
 
         returns first found object, or None
         '''
         for o in self.cache:
-            if o.module_type == module_type and o.module_state_key == module_state_key:
+            if (o.course_id == course_id and
+                o.module_type == module_type and
+                o.module_state_key == module_state_key):
                 return o
         return None
 
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/courseware/module_render.py b/lms/djangoapps/courseware/module_render.py
index b45101f664..65e30475f2 100644
--- a/lms/djangoapps/courseware/module_render.py
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/courseware/module_render.py
@@ -70,7 +70,8 @@ def toc_for_course(user, request, course, active_chapter, active_section, course
     None if this is not the case.
     '''
 
-    student_module_cache = StudentModuleCache.cache_for_descriptor_descendents(user, course, depth=2)
+    student_module_cache = StudentModuleCache.cache_for_descriptor_descendents(
+        course_id, user, course, depth=2)
     course = get_module(user, request, course.location, student_module_cache, course_id)
 
     chapters = list()
@@ -159,14 +160,16 @@ def get_module(user, request, location, student_module_cache, course_id, positio
     shared_module = None
     if user.is_authenticated():
         if descriptor.stores_state:
-            instance_module = student_module_cache.lookup(descriptor.category,
-                                                  descriptor.location.url())
+            instance_module = student_module_cache.lookup(
+                course_id, descriptor.category, descriptor.location.url())
 
         shared_state_key = getattr(descriptor, 'shared_state_key', None)
         if shared_state_key is not None:
-            shared_module = student_module_cache.lookup(descriptor.category,
+            shared_module = student_module_cache.lookup(course_id,
+                                                        descriptor.category,
                                                         shared_state_key)
 
+
     instance_state = instance_module.state if instance_module is not None else None
     shared_state = shared_module.state if shared_module is not None else None
 
@@ -240,7 +243,7 @@ def get_module(user, request, location, student_module_cache, course_id, positio
 
     return module
 
-def get_instance_module(user, module, student_module_cache):
+def get_instance_module(course_id, user, module, student_module_cache):
     """
     Returns instance_module is a StudentModule specific to this module for this student,
         or None if this is an anonymous user
@@ -251,11 +254,12 @@ def get_instance_module(user, module, student_module_cache):
                           + str(module.id) + " which does not store state.")
             return None
 
-        instance_module = student_module_cache.lookup(module.category,
-                                              module.location.url())
+        instance_module = student_module_cache.lookup(
+            course_id, module.category, module.location.url())
 
         if not instance_module:
             instance_module = StudentModule(
+                course_id=course_id,
                 student=user,
                 module_type=module.category,
                 module_state_key=module.id,
@@ -284,6 +288,7 @@ def get_shared_instance_module(course_id, user, module, student_module_cache):
                                                         shared_state_key)
             if not shared_module:
                 shared_module = StudentModule(
+                    course_id=course_id,
                     student=user,
                     module_type=descriptor.category,
                     module_state_key=shared_state_key,
@@ -316,14 +321,14 @@ def xqueue_callback(request, course_id, userid, id, dispatch):
     # Retrieve target StudentModule
     user = User.objects.get(id=userid)
 
-    student_module_cache = StudentModuleCache.cache_for_descriptor_descendents(
+    student_module_cache = StudentModuleCache.cache_for_descriptor_descendents(course_id,
         user, modulestore().get_instance(course_id, id), depth=0, select_for_update=True)
     instance = get_module(user, request, id, student_module_cache, course_id)
     if instance is None:
         log.debug("No module {0} for user {1}--access denied?".format(id, user))
         raise Http404
 
-    instance_module = get_instance_module(user, instance, student_module_cache)
+    instance_module = get_instance_module(course_id, user, instance, student_module_cache)
 
     if instance_module is None:
         log.debug("Couldn't find instance of module '%s' for user '%s'", id, user)
@@ -369,7 +374,7 @@ def modx_dispatch(request, dispatch, location, course_id):
     # ''' (fix emacs broken parsing)
 
     # Check for submitted files and basic file size checks
-    p = request.POST.dict()
+    p = request.POST.copy()
     if request.FILES:
         for fileinput_id in request.FILES.keys():
             inputfiles = request.FILES.getlist(fileinput_id)
@@ -386,7 +391,7 @@ def modx_dispatch(request, dispatch, location, course_id):
                     return HttpResponse(json.dumps({'success': file_too_big_msg}))
             p[fileinput_id] = inputfiles
 
-    student_module_cache = StudentModuleCache.cache_for_descriptor_descendents(
+    student_module_cache = StudentModuleCache.cache_for_descriptor_descendents(course_id,
         request.user, modulestore().get_instance(course_id, location))
 
     instance = get_module(request.user, request, location, student_module_cache, course_id)
@@ -396,7 +401,7 @@ def modx_dispatch(request, dispatch, location, course_id):
         log.debug("No module {0} for user {1}--access denied?".format(location, user))
         raise Http404
 
-    instance_module = get_instance_module(request.user, instance, student_module_cache)
+    instance_module = get_instance_module(course_id, request.user, instance, student_module_cache)
     shared_module = get_shared_instance_module(course_id, request.user, instance, student_module_cache)
 
     # Don't track state for anonymous users (who don't have student modules)
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/courseware/views.py b/lms/djangoapps/courseware/views.py
index 2ab6fa0223..98444c176d 100644
--- a/lms/djangoapps/courseware/views.py
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/courseware/views.py
@@ -3,6 +3,10 @@ import logging
 import urllib
 import itertools
 
+from functools import partial
+
+from functools import partial
+
 from django.conf import settings
 from django.core.context_processors import csrf
 from django.core.urlresolvers import reverse
@@ -21,6 +25,11 @@ from courseware.courses import (get_course_with_access, get_courses_by_universit
 from models import StudentModuleCache
 from module_render import toc_for_course, get_module, get_section
 from student.models import UserProfile
+
+from multicourse import multicourse_settings
+
+from django_comment_client.utils import get_discussion_title
+
 from student.models import UserTestGroup, CourseEnrollment
 from util.cache import cache, cache_if_anonymous
 from xmodule.course_module import CourseDescriptor
@@ -29,6 +38,11 @@ from xmodule.modulestore.django import modulestore
 from xmodule.modulestore.exceptions import InvalidLocationError, ItemNotFoundError, NoPathToItem
 from xmodule.modulestore.search import path_to_location
 
+import comment_client
+
+
+
+
 log = logging.getLogger("mitx.courseware")
 
 template_imports = {'urllib': urllib}
@@ -135,8 +149,7 @@ def index(request, course_id, chapter=None, section=None,
             section_descriptor = get_section(course, chapter, section)
             if section_descriptor is not None:
                 student_module_cache = StudentModuleCache.cache_for_descriptor_descendents(
-                                                          request.user,
-                                                          section_descriptor)
+                    course_id, request.user, section_descriptor)
                 module = get_module(request.user, request,
                                     section_descriptor.location,
                                     student_module_cache, course_id)
@@ -219,6 +232,19 @@ def course_info(request, course_id):
     return render_to_response('courseware/info.html', {'course': course,
                                             'staff_access': staff_access,})
 
+# TODO arjun: remove when custom tabs in place, see courseware/syllabus.py
+@ensure_csrf_cookie
+def syllabus(request, course_id):
+    """
+    Display the course's syllabus.html, or 404 if there is no such course.
+
+    Assumes the course_id is in a valid format.
+    """
+    course = get_course_with_access(request.user, course_id, 'load')
+    staff_access = has_access(request.user, course, 'staff')
+
+    return render_to_response('courseware/syllabus.html', {'course': course,
+                                            'staff_access': staff_access,})
 
 def registered_for_course(course, user):
     '''Return CourseEnrollment if user is registered for course, else False'''
@@ -256,6 +282,26 @@ def university_profile(request, org_id):
 
     return render_to_response(template_file, context)
 
+def render_notifications(request, course, notifications):
+    context = {
+        'notifications': notifications,
+        'get_discussion_title': partial(get_discussion_title, request=request, course=course),
+        'course': course,
+    }
+    return render_to_string('notifications.html', context)
+
+@login_required
+def news(request, course_id):
+    course = get_course_with_access(request.user, course_id, 'load')
+
+    notifications = comment_client.get_notifications(request.user.id)
+
+    context = {
+        'course': course,
+        'content': render_notifications(request, course, notifications),
+    }
+
+    return render_to_response('news.html', context)
 
 @login_required
 @cache_control(no_cache=True, no_store=True, must_revalidate=True)
@@ -276,7 +322,8 @@ def progress(request, course_id, student_id=None):
             raise Http404
         student = User.objects.get(id=int(student_id))
 
-    student_module_cache = StudentModuleCache.cache_for_descriptor_descendents(request.user, course)
+    student_module_cache = StudentModuleCache.cache_for_descriptor_descendents(
+        course_id, request.user, course)
     course_module = get_module(request.user, request, course.location,
                                student_module_cache, course_id)
 
@@ -346,4 +393,3 @@ def instructor_dashboard(request, course_id):
     context = {'course': course,
                'staff_access': True,}
     return render_to_response('courseware/instructor_dashboard.html', context)
-
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/__init__.py b/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..61f59d6f9b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/__init__.py
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+# call some function from permissions so that the post_save hook is imported
+from permissions import assign_default_role
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/base/__init__.py b/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/base/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e69de29bb2
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/base/urls.py b/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/base/urls.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f2cb4ccb15
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/base/urls.py
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+from django.conf.urls.defaults import url, patterns
+import django_comment_client.base.views
+
+urlpatterns = patterns('django_comment_client.base.views',
+
+    url(r'upload$', 'upload', name='upload'),
+    url(r'users/(?P<user_id>\w+)/update_moderator_status$', 'update_moderator_status', name='update_moderator_status'),
+    url(r'threads/tags/autocomplete$', 'tags_autocomplete', name='tags_autocomplete'),
+    url(r'threads/(?P<thread_id>[\w\-]+)/update$', 'update_thread', name='update_thread'),
+    url(r'threads/(?P<thread_id>[\w\-]+)/reply$', 'create_comment', name='create_comment'),
+    url(r'threads/(?P<thread_id>[\w\-]+)/delete', 'delete_thread', name='delete_thread'),
+    url(r'threads/(?P<thread_id>[\w\-]+)/upvote$', 'vote_for_thread', {'value': 'up'}, name='upvote_thread'),
+    url(r'threads/(?P<thread_id>[\w\-]+)/downvote$', 'vote_for_thread', {'value': 'down'}, name='downvote_thread'),
+    url(r'threads/(?P<thread_id>[\w\-]+)/unvote$', 'undo_vote_for_thread', name='undo_vote_for_thread'),
+    url(r'threads/(?P<thread_id>[\w\-]+)/follow$', 'follow_thread', name='follow_thread'),
+    url(r'threads/(?P<thread_id>[\w\-]+)/unfollow$', 'unfollow_thread', name='unfollow_thread'),
+    url(r'threads/(?P<thread_id>[\w\-]+)/close$', 'openclose_thread', name='openclose_thread'),
+
+    url(r'comments/(?P<comment_id>[\w\-]+)/update$', 'update_comment', name='update_comment'),
+    url(r'comments/(?P<comment_id>[\w\-]+)/endorse$', 'endorse_comment', name='endorse_comment'),
+    url(r'comments/(?P<comment_id>[\w\-]+)/reply$', 'create_sub_comment', name='create_sub_comment'),
+    url(r'comments/(?P<comment_id>[\w\-]+)/delete$', 'delete_comment', name='delete_comment'),
+    url(r'comments/(?P<comment_id>[\w\-]+)/upvote$', 'vote_for_comment', {'value': 'up'}, name='upvote_comment'),
+    url(r'comments/(?P<comment_id>[\w\-]+)/downvote$', 'vote_for_comment', {'value': 'down'}, name='downvote_comment'),
+    url(r'comments/(?P<comment_id>[\w\-]+)/unvote$', 'undo_vote_for_comment', name='undo_vote_for_comment'),
+    
+    url(r'(?P<commentable_id>[\w\-]+)/threads/create$', 'create_thread', name='create_thread'),
+    # TODO should we search within the board?
+    url(r'(?P<commentable_id>[\w\-]+)/threads/search_similar$', 'search_similar_threads', name='search_similar_threads'),
+    url(r'(?P<commentable_id>[\w\-]+)/follow$', 'follow_commentable', name='follow_commentable'),
+    url(r'(?P<commentable_id>[\w\-]+)/unfollow$', 'unfollow_commentable', name='unfollow_commentable'),
+)
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/base/views.py b/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/base/views.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e619140993
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/base/views.py
@@ -0,0 +1,390 @@
+import time
+import random
+import os
+import os.path
+import logging
+import urlparse
+import functools
+
+import comment_client as cc
+import django_comment_client.utils as utils
+
+from django.core import exceptions
+from django.contrib.auth.decorators import login_required
+from django.views.decorators.http import require_POST, require_GET
+from django.views.decorators import csrf
+from django.core.files.storage import get_storage_class
+from django.utils.translation import ugettext as _
+from django.conf import settings
+from django.contrib.auth.models import User
+
+from mitxmako.shortcuts import render_to_response, render_to_string
+from courseware.courses import get_course_with_access
+
+
+from django_comment_client.utils import JsonResponse, JsonError, extract
+
+from django_comment_client.permissions import check_permissions_by_view
+from django_comment_client.models import Role
+
+def permitted(fn):
+    @functools.wraps(fn)
+    def wrapper(request, *args, **kwargs):
+        def fetch_content():
+            if "thread_id" in kwargs:
+                content = cc.Thread.find(kwargs["thread_id"]).to_dict()
+            elif "comment_id" in kwargs:
+                content = cc.Comment.find(kwargs["comment_id"]).to_dict()
+            else:
+                content = None
+            return content
+
+        if check_permissions_by_view(request.user, kwargs['course_id'], fetch_content(), request.view_name):
+            return fn(request, *args, **kwargs)
+        else:
+            return JsonError("unauthorized")
+    return wrapper
+
+def ajax_content_response(request, course_id, content, template_name):
+    context = {
+        'course_id': course_id,
+        'content': content,
+    }
+    html = render_to_string(template_name, context)
+    annotated_content_info = utils.get_annotated_content_info(course_id, content, request.user)
+    return JsonResponse({
+        'html': html,
+        'content': content,
+        'annotated_content_info': annotated_content_info,
+    })
+
+@require_POST
+@login_required
+@permitted
+def create_thread(request, course_id, commentable_id):
+    post = request.POST
+    thread = cc.Thread(**extract(post, ['body', 'title', 'tags']))
+    thread.update_attributes(**{
+        'anonymous'      : post.get('anonymous', 'false').lower() == 'true',
+        'commentable_id' : commentable_id,
+        'course_id'      : course_id,
+        'user_id'        : request.user.id,
+    })
+    thread.save()
+    if post.get('auto_subscribe', 'false').lower() == 'true':
+        user = cc.User.from_django_user(request.user)
+        user.follow(thread)
+    if request.is_ajax():
+        return ajax_content_response(request, course_id, thread.to_dict(), 'discussion/ajax_create_thread.html')
+    else:
+        return JsonResponse(thread.to_dict())
+
+@require_POST
+@login_required
+@permitted
+def update_thread(request, course_id, thread_id):
+    thread = cc.Thread.find(thread_id)
+    thread.update_attributes(**extract(request.POST, ['body', 'title', 'tags']))
+    thread.save()
+    if request.is_ajax():
+        return ajax_content_response(request, course_id, thread.to_dict(), 'discussion/ajax_update_thread.html')
+    else:
+        return JsonResponse(thread.to_dict())
+
+def _create_comment(request, course_id, thread_id=None, parent_id=None):
+    post = request.POST
+    comment = cc.Comment(**extract(post, ['body']))
+    comment.update_attributes(**{
+        'anonymous' : post.get('anonymous', 'false').lower() == 'true',
+        'user_id'   : request.user.id,
+        'course_id' : course_id,
+        'thread_id' : thread_id,
+        'parent_id' : parent_id,
+    })
+    comment.save()
+    if post.get('auto_subscribe', 'false').lower() == 'true':
+        user = cc.User.from_django_user(request.user)
+        user.follow(comment.thread)
+    if request.is_ajax():
+        return ajax_content_response(request, course_id, comment.to_dict(), 'discussion/ajax_create_comment.html')
+    else:
+        return JsonResponse(comment.to_dict())
+
+@require_POST
+@login_required
+@permitted
+def create_comment(request, course_id, thread_id):
+    return _create_comment(request, course_id, thread_id=thread_id)
+
+@require_POST
+@login_required
+@permitted
+def delete_thread(request, course_id, thread_id):
+    thread = cc.Thread.find(thread_id)
+    thread.delete()
+    return JsonResponse(thread.to_dict())
+
+@require_POST
+@login_required
+@permitted
+def update_comment(request, course_id, comment_id):
+    comment = cc.Comment.find(comment_id)
+    comment.update_attributes(**extract(request.POST, ['body']))
+    comment.save()
+    if request.is_ajax():
+        return ajax_content_response(request, course_id, comment.to_dict(), 'discussion/ajax_update_comment.html')
+    else:
+        return JsonResponse(comment.to_dict()),
+
+@require_POST
+@login_required
+@permitted
+def endorse_comment(request, course_id, comment_id):
+    comment = cc.Comment.find(comment_id)
+    comment.endorsed = request.POST.get('endorsed', 'false').lower() == 'true'
+    comment.save()
+    return JsonResponse(comment.to_dict())
+
+@require_POST
+@login_required
+@permitted
+def openclose_thread(request, course_id, thread_id):
+    thread = cc.Thread.find(thread_id)
+    thread.closed = request.POST.get('closed', 'false').lower() == 'true'
+    thread.save()
+    return JsonResponse(thread.to_dict())
+
+@require_POST
+@login_required
+@permitted
+def create_sub_comment(request, course_id, comment_id):
+    return _create_comment(request, course_id, parent_id=comment_id)
+
+@require_POST
+@login_required
+@permitted
+def delete_comment(request, course_id, comment_id):
+    comment = cc.Comment.find(comment_id)
+    comment.delete()
+    return JsonResponse(comment.to_dict())
+
+@require_POST
+@login_required
+@permitted
+def vote_for_comment(request, course_id, comment_id, value):
+    user = cc.User.from_django_user(request.user)
+    comment = cc.Comment.find(comment_id)
+    user.vote(comment, value)
+    return JsonResponse(comment.to_dict())
+
+@require_POST
+@login_required
+@permitted
+def undo_vote_for_comment(request, course_id, comment_id):
+    user = cc.User.from_django_user(request.user)
+    comment = cc.Comment.find(comment_id)
+    user.unvote(comment)
+    return JsonResponse(comment.to_dict())
+
+@require_POST
+@login_required
+@permitted
+def vote_for_thread(request, course_id, thread_id, value):
+    user = cc.User.from_django_user(request.user)
+    thread = cc.Thread.find(thread_id)
+    user.vote(thread, value)
+    return JsonResponse(thread.to_dict())
+
+@require_POST
+@login_required
+@permitted
+def undo_vote_for_thread(request, course_id, thread_id):
+    user = cc.User.from_django_user(request.user)
+    thread = cc.Thread.find(thread_id)
+    user.unvote(thread)
+    return JsonResponse(thread.to_dict())
+    
+
+@require_POST
+@login_required
+@permitted
+def follow_thread(request, course_id, thread_id):
+    user = cc.User.from_django_user(request.user)
+    thread = cc.Thread.find(thread_id)
+    user.follow(thread)
+    return JsonResponse({})
+
+@require_POST
+@login_required
+@permitted
+def follow_commentable(request, course_id, commentable_id):
+    user = cc.User.from_django_user(request.user)
+    commentable = cc.Commentable.find(commentable_id)
+    user.follow(commentable)
+    return JsonResponse({})
+
+@require_POST
+@login_required
+@permitted
+def follow_user(request, course_id, followed_user_id):
+    user = cc.User.from_django_user(request.user)
+    followed_user = cc.User.find(followed_user_id)
+    user.follow(followed_user)
+    return JsonResponse({})
+
+@require_POST
+@login_required
+@permitted
+def unfollow_thread(request, course_id, thread_id):
+    user = cc.User.from_django_user(request.user)
+    thread = cc.Thread.find(thread_id)
+    user.unfollow(thread)
+    return JsonResponse({})
+
+@require_POST
+@login_required
+@permitted
+def unfollow_commentable(request, course_id, commentable_id):
+    user = cc.User.from_django_user(request.user)
+    commentable = cc.Commentable.find(commentable_id)
+    user.unfollow(commentable)
+    return JsonResponse({})
+
+@require_POST
+@login_required
+@permitted
+def unfollow_user(request, course_id, followed_user_id):
+    user = cc.User.from_django_user(request.user)
+    followed_user = cc.User.find(followed_user_id)
+    user.unfollow(followed_user)
+    return JsonResponse({})
+
+@require_POST
+@login_required
+@permitted
+def update_moderator_status(request, course_id, user_id):
+    is_moderator = request.POST.get('is_moderator', '').lower()
+    if is_moderator not in ["true", "false"]:
+        return JsonError("Must provide is_moderator as boolean value")
+    is_moderator = is_moderator == "true"
+    user = User.objects.get(id=user_id)
+    role = Role.objects.get(course_id=course_id, name="Moderator")
+    if is_moderator:
+        user.roles.add(role)
+    else:
+        user.roles.remove(role)
+    if request.is_ajax():
+        course = get_course_with_access(request.user, course_id, 'load')
+        discussion_user = cc.User(id=user_id, course_id=course_id)
+        context = {
+            'course': course, 
+            'course_id': course_id,
+            'user': request.user,
+            'django_user': user,
+            'discussion_user': discussion_user.to_dict(),
+        }
+        return JsonResponse({
+            'html': render_to_string('discussion/ajax_user_profile.html', context)
+        })
+    else:
+        return JsonResponse({})
+
+@require_GET
+def search_similar_threads(request, course_id, commentable_id):
+    text = request.GET.get('text', None)
+    if text:
+        query_params = {
+            'text': text,
+            'commentable_id': commentable_id,
+        }
+        result = cc.search_similar_threads(course_id, recursive=False, query_params=query_params)
+        return JsonResponse(result)
+    else:
+        return JsonResponse([])
+
+@require_GET
+def tags_autocomplete(request, course_id):
+    value = request.GET.get('q', None)
+    results = []
+    if value:
+        results = cc.tags_autocomplete(value)
+    return JsonResponse(results)
+
+@require_POST
+@login_required
+@csrf.csrf_exempt
+def upload(request, course_id):#ajax upload file to a question or answer 
+    """view that handles file upload via Ajax
+    """
+
+    # check upload permission
+    result = ''
+    error = ''
+    new_file_name = ''
+    try:
+        # TODO authorization
+        #may raise exceptions.PermissionDenied 
+        #if request.user.is_anonymous():
+        #    msg = _('Sorry, anonymous users cannot upload files')
+        #    raise exceptions.PermissionDenied(msg)
+
+        #request.user.assert_can_upload_file()
+
+        # check file type
+        f = request.FILES['file-upload']
+        file_extension = os.path.splitext(f.name)[1].lower()
+        if not file_extension in settings.DISCUSSION_ALLOWED_UPLOAD_FILE_TYPES:
+            file_types = "', '".join(settings.DISCUSSION_ALLOWED_UPLOAD_FILE_TYPES)
+            msg = _("allowed file types are '%(file_types)s'") % \
+                    {'file_types': file_types}
+            raise exceptions.PermissionDenied(msg)
+
+        # generate new file name
+        new_file_name = str(
+                            time.time()
+                        ).replace(
+                            '.', 
+                            str(random.randint(0,100000))
+                        ) + file_extension
+
+        file_storage = get_storage_class()()
+        # use default storage to store file
+        file_storage.save(new_file_name, f)
+        # check file size
+        # byte
+        size = file_storage.size(new_file_name)
+        if size > settings.ASKBOT_MAX_UPLOAD_FILE_SIZE:
+            file_storage.delete(new_file_name)
+            msg = _("maximum upload file size is %(file_size)sK") % \
+                    {'file_size': settings.ASKBOT_MAX_UPLOAD_FILE_SIZE}
+            raise exceptions.PermissionDenied(msg)
+
+    except exceptions.PermissionDenied, e:
+        error = unicode(e)
+    except Exception, e:
+        logging.critical(unicode(e))
+        error = _('Error uploading file. Please contact the site administrator. Thank you.')
+
+    if error == '':
+        result = 'Good'
+        file_url = file_storage.url(new_file_name)
+        parsed_url = urlparse.urlparse(file_url)
+        file_url = urlparse.urlunparse(
+            urlparse.ParseResult(
+                parsed_url.scheme, 
+                parsed_url.netloc,
+                parsed_url.path,
+                '', '', ''
+            )
+        )
+    else:
+        result = ''
+        file_url = ''
+
+    return JsonResponse({
+        'result': {
+            'msg': result,
+            'error': error,
+            'file_url': file_url,
+        }
+    })
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/forum/__init__.py b/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/forum/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e69de29bb2
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/forum/urls.py b/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/forum/urls.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..76957a82d8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/forum/urls.py
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+from django.conf.urls.defaults import url, patterns
+import django_comment_client.forum.views
+
+urlpatterns = patterns('django_comment_client.forum.views',
+    url(r'users/(?P<user_id>\w+)$', 'user_profile', name='user_profile'),
+    url(r'(?P<discussion_id>\w+)/threads/(?P<thread_id>\w+)$', 'single_thread', name='single_thread'),
+    url(r'(?P<discussion_id>\w+)/inline$', 'inline_discussion', name='inline_discussion'),
+    url(r'', 'forum_form_discussion', name='forum_form_discussion'),
+)
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/forum/views.py b/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/forum/views.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c384980c9c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/forum/views.py
@@ -0,0 +1,238 @@
+from django.contrib.auth.decorators import login_required
+from django.views.decorators.http import require_POST
+from django.http import HttpResponse
+from django.utils import simplejson
+from django.core.context_processors import csrf
+from django.core.urlresolvers import reverse
+from django.contrib.auth.models import User
+
+from mitxmako.shortcuts import render_to_response, render_to_string
+from courseware.courses import get_course_with_access
+from courseware.access import has_access
+
+from urllib import urlencode
+from django_comment_client.permissions import check_permissions_by_view
+from django_comment_client.utils import merge_dict, extract, strip_none
+
+import json
+import dateutil
+import django_comment_client.utils as utils
+import comment_client as cc
+
+
+THREADS_PER_PAGE = 5
+PAGES_NEARBY_DELTA = 2
+
+
+def _general_discussion_id(course_id):
+    return course_id.replace('/', '_').replace('.', '_')
+
+def _should_perform_search(request):
+    return bool(request.GET.get('text', False) or \
+            request.GET.get('tags', False))
+        
+
+def render_accordion(request, course, discussion_id):
+
+    discussion_info = utils.get_categorized_discussion_info(request, course)
+
+    context = {
+        'course': course,
+        'discussion_info': discussion_info,
+        'active': discussion_id,
+        'csrf': csrf(request)['csrf_token'],
+    }
+
+    return render_to_string('discussion/_accordion.html', context)
+
+def render_discussion(request, course_id, threads, *args, **kwargs):
+
+    discussion_id = kwargs.get('discussion_id')
+    user_id = kwargs.get('user_id')
+    discussion_type = kwargs.get('discussion_type', 'inline')
+    query_params = kwargs.get('query_params', {})
+
+    template = {
+        'inline': 'discussion/_inline.html',
+        'forum': 'discussion/_forum.html',
+        'user': 'discussion/_user_active_threads.html',
+    }[discussion_type]
+
+    base_url = {
+        'inline': (lambda: reverse('django_comment_client.forum.views.inline_discussion', args=[course_id, discussion_id])), 
+        'forum': (lambda: reverse('django_comment_client.forum.views.forum_form_discussion', args=[course_id])),
+        'user': (lambda: reverse('django_comment_client.forum.views.user_profile', args=[course_id, user_id])),
+    }[discussion_type]()
+
+    annotated_content_infos = map(lambda x: utils.get_annotated_content_infos(course_id, x, request.user), threads)
+    annotated_content_info = reduce(merge_dict, annotated_content_infos, {})
+
+    context = {
+        'threads': threads,
+        'discussion_id': discussion_id,
+        'user_id': user_id,
+        'user_info': json.dumps(cc.User.from_django_user(request.user).to_dict()),
+        'course_id': course_id,
+        'request': request,
+        'performed_search': _should_perform_search(request),
+        'pages_nearby_delta': PAGES_NEARBY_DELTA,
+        'discussion_type': discussion_type,
+        'base_url': base_url,
+        'query_params': strip_none(extract(query_params, ['page', 'sort_key', 'sort_order', 'tags', 'text'])),
+        'annotated_content_info': json.dumps(annotated_content_info),
+    }
+    context = dict(context.items() + query_params.items())
+    return render_to_string(template, context)
+
+def render_inline_discussion(*args, **kwargs):
+    return render_discussion(discussion_type='inline', *args, **kwargs)
+
+def render_forum_discussion(*args, **kwargs):
+    return render_discussion(discussion_type='forum', *args, **kwargs)
+
+def render_user_discussion(*args, **kwargs):
+    return render_discussion(discussion_type='user', *args, **kwargs)
+
+def get_threads(request, course_id, discussion_id=None):
+
+    default_query_params = {
+        'page': 1,
+        'per_page': THREADS_PER_PAGE,
+        'sort_key': 'activity',
+        'sort_order': 'desc',
+        'text': '',
+        'tags': '',
+        'commentable_id': discussion_id,
+        'course_id': course_id,
+    }
+
+    query_params = merge_dict(default_query_params,
+                              strip_none(extract(request.GET, ['page', 'sort_key', 'sort_order', 'text', 'tags'])))
+
+    threads, page, num_pages = cc.Thread.search(query_params)
+
+    query_params['page'] = page
+    query_params['num_pages'] = num_pages
+
+    return threads, query_params
+
+# discussion per page is fixed for now
+def inline_discussion(request, course_id, discussion_id):
+    threads, query_params = get_threads(request, course_id, discussion_id)
+    html = render_inline_discussion(request, course_id, threads, discussion_id=discussion_id,  \
+                                                                 query_params=query_params)
+    return utils.HtmlResponse(html)
+
+def render_search_bar(request, course_id, discussion_id=None, text=''):
+    if not discussion_id:
+        return ''
+    context = {
+        'discussion_id': discussion_id,
+        'text': text,
+        'course_id': course_id,
+    }
+    return render_to_string('discussion/_search_bar.html', context)
+
+def forum_form_discussion(request, course_id):
+    course = get_course_with_access(request.user, course_id, 'load')
+    threads, query_params = get_threads(request, course_id)
+    content = render_forum_discussion(request, course_id, threads, discussion_id=_general_discussion_id(course_id), query_params=query_params)
+
+    recent_active_threads = cc.search_recent_active_threads(
+        course_id,
+        recursive=False,
+        query_params={'follower_id': request.user.id},
+    )
+
+    trending_tags = cc.search_trending_tags(
+        course_id,
+    )
+
+    if request.is_ajax():
+        return utils.HtmlResponse(content)
+    else:
+        context = {
+            'csrf': csrf(request)['csrf_token'],
+            'course': course,
+            'content': content,
+            'recent_active_threads': recent_active_threads,
+            'trending_tags': trending_tags,
+            'staff_access' : has_access(request.user, course, 'staff'),
+        }
+        # print "start rendering.."
+        return render_to_response('discussion/index.html', context)
+
+def render_single_thread(request, discussion_id, course_id, thread_id):
+    
+    thread = cc.Thread.find(thread_id).retrieve(recursive=True)
+
+    annotated_content_info = utils.get_annotated_content_infos(course_id, thread=thread.to_dict(), user=request.user)
+
+    context = {
+        'discussion_id': discussion_id,
+        'thread': thread,
+        'user_info': json.dumps(cc.User.from_django_user(request.user).to_dict()),
+        'annotated_content_info': json.dumps(annotated_content_info),
+        'course_id': course_id,
+        'request': request,
+    }
+    return render_to_string('discussion/_single_thread.html', context)
+
+def single_thread(request, course_id, discussion_id, thread_id):
+
+    if request.is_ajax():
+        
+        thread = cc.Thread.find(thread_id).retrieve(recursive=True)
+        annotated_content_info = utils.get_annotated_content_infos(course_id, thread, request.user)
+        context = {'thread': thread.to_dict(), 'course_id': course_id}
+        html = render_to_string('discussion/_ajax_single_thread.html', context)
+
+        return utils.JsonResponse({
+            'html': html,
+            'annotated_content_info': annotated_content_info,
+        })
+
+    else:
+        course = get_course_with_access(request.user, course_id, 'load')
+
+        context = {
+            'discussion_id': discussion_id,
+            'csrf': csrf(request)['csrf_token'],
+            'init': '',
+            'content': render_single_thread(request, discussion_id, course_id, thread_id),
+            'accordion': render_accordion(request, course, discussion_id),
+            'course': course,
+            'course_id': course.id,
+        }
+
+        return render_to_response('discussion/index.html', context)
+
+def user_profile(request, course_id, user_id):
+
+    course = get_course_with_access(request.user, course_id, 'load')
+    profiled_user = cc.User(id=user_id, course_id=course_id)
+
+    query_params = {
+        'page': request.GET.get('page', 1),
+        'per_page': THREADS_PER_PAGE, # more than threads_per_page to show more activities
+    }
+
+    threads, page, num_pages = profiled_user.active_threads(query_params)
+
+    query_params['page'] = page
+    query_params['num_pages'] = num_pages
+
+    content = render_user_discussion(request, course_id, threads, user_id=user_id, query_params=query_params)
+
+    if request.is_ajax():
+        return utils.HtmlResponse(content)
+    else:
+        context = {
+            'course': course, 
+            'user': request.user,
+            'django_user': User.objects.get(id=user_id),
+            'profiled_user': profiled_user.to_dict(),
+            'content': content,
+        }
+
+        return render_to_response('discussion/user_profile.html', context)
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/helpers.py b/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/helpers.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a168f53021
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/helpers.py
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+from django.core.urlresolvers import reverse
+from mitxmako.shortcuts import render_to_string
+from utils import *
+from mustache_helpers import mustache_helpers
+from functools import partial
+
+import pystache_custom as pystache
+import urllib
+
+def pluralize(singular_term, count):
+    if int(count) >= 2:
+        return singular_term + 's'
+    return singular_term
+
+def show_if(text, condition):
+    if condition:
+        return text
+    else:
+        return ''
+
+def render_content(content, additional_context={}):
+    content_info = {
+        'displayed_title': content.get('highlighted_title') or content.get('title', ''),
+        'displayed_body': content.get('highlighted_body') or content.get('body', ''),
+        'raw_tags': ','.join(content.get('tags', [])),
+    }
+    context = {
+        'content': merge_dict(content, content_info),
+        content['type']: True,
+    }
+    context = merge_dict(context, additional_context)
+    partial_mustache_helpers = {k: partial(v, content) for k, v in mustache_helpers.items()}
+    context = merge_dict(context, partial_mustache_helpers)
+    return render_mustache('discussion/_content.mustache', context)
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/management/__init__.py b/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/management/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e69de29bb2
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/management/commands/__init__.py b/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/management/commands/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e69de29bb2
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/management/commands/assign_role.py b/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/management/commands/assign_role.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..82daa34622
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/management/commands/assign_role.py
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+from django.core.management.base import BaseCommand, CommandError
+from django_comment_client.models import Permission, Role
+from django.contrib.auth.models import User
+
+
+class Command(BaseCommand):
+    args = 'user role course_id'
+    help = 'Assign a role to a user'
+
+    def handle(self, *args, **options):
+        role = Role.objects.get(name=args[1], course_id=args[2])
+
+        if '@' in args[0]:
+            user = User.objects.get(email=args[0])
+        else:
+            user = User.objects.get(username=args[0])
+
+        user.roles.add(role)
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/management/commands/create_roles_for_existing.py b/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/management/commands/create_roles_for_existing.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..148c204acf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/management/commands/create_roles_for_existing.py
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+"""
+This must be run only after seed_permissions_roles.py!
+
+Creates default roles for all users currently in the database. Just runs through
+Enrollments.
+"""
+from django.core.management.base import BaseCommand, CommandError
+
+from student.models import CourseEnrollment
+from django_comment_client.permissions import assign_default_role
+
+
+class Command(BaseCommand):
+    args = 'course_id'
+    help = 'Seed default permisssions and roles'
+
+    def handle(self, *args, **options):
+        if len(args) != 0:
+            raise CommandError("This Command takes no arguments")
+
+        print "Updated roles for ",
+        for i, enrollment in enumerate(CourseEnrollment.objects.all(), start=1):
+            assign_default_role(None, enrollment)
+            if i % 1000 == 0:
+                print "{0}...".format(i),
+        print
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/management/commands/seed_permissions_roles.py b/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/management/commands/seed_permissions_roles.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5987d5c677
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/management/commands/seed_permissions_roles.py
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+from django.core.management.base import BaseCommand, CommandError
+from django_comment_client.models import Permission, Role
+
+
+class Command(BaseCommand):
+    args = 'course_id'
+    help = 'Seed default permisssions and roles'
+
+    def handle(self, *args, **options):
+        if len(args) != 1:
+            raise CommandError("The number of arguments does not match. ")
+        course_id = args[0]
+        administrator_role = Role.objects.get_or_create(name="Administrator", course_id=course_id)[0]
+        moderator_role = Role.objects.get_or_create(name="Moderator", course_id=course_id)[0]
+        student_role = Role.objects.get_or_create(name="Student", course_id=course_id)[0]
+
+        for per in ["vote", "update_thread", "follow_thread", "unfollow_thread",
+                       "update_comment", "create_sub_comment", "unvote" , "create_thread",
+                       "follow_commentable", "unfollow_commentable", "create_comment", ]:
+            student_role.add_permission(per)
+
+        for per in ["edit_content", "delete_thread", "openclose_thread",
+                        "endorse_comment", "delete_comment"]:
+            moderator_role.add_permission(per)
+
+        for per in ["manage_moderator"]:
+            administrator_role.add_permission(per)
+
+        moderator_role.inherit_permissions(student_role)
+
+        administrator_role.inherit_permissions(moderator_role)
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/management/commands/show_permissions.py b/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/management/commands/show_permissions.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ec3167aa0c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/management/commands/show_permissions.py
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+from django.core.management.base import BaseCommand, CommandError
+from django_comment_client.models import Permission, Role
+from django.contrib.auth.models import User
+
+
+class Command(BaseCommand):
+    args = 'user'
+    help = "Show a user's roles and permissions"
+
+    def handle(self, *args, **options):
+        print args
+        if len(args) != 1:
+            raise CommandError("The number of arguments does not match. ")
+        try:
+            if '@' in args[0]:
+                user = User.objects.get(email=args[0])
+            else:
+                user = User.objects.get(username=args[0])
+        except User.DoesNotExist:
+            print "User %s does not exist. " % args[0]
+            print "Available users: "
+            print User.objects.all()
+            return
+
+        roles = user.roles.all()
+        print "%s has %d roles:" % (user, len(roles))
+        for role in roles:
+            print "\t%s" % role
+
+        for role in roles:
+            print "%s has permissions: " % role
+            print role.permissions.all()
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/middleware.py b/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/middleware.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..08e20b0296
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/middleware.py
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+from comment_client import CommentClientError
+from django_comment_client.utils import JsonError
+import json
+
+class AjaxExceptionMiddleware(object): 
+    def process_exception(self, request, exception):
+        if isinstance(exception, CommentClientError) and request.is_ajax():
+            return JsonError(json.loads(exception.message))
+        return None
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/migrations/0001_initial.py b/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/migrations/0001_initial.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4993984d74
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/migrations/0001_initial.py
@@ -0,0 +1,132 @@
+# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
+import datetime
+from south.db import db
+from south.v2 import SchemaMigration
+from django.db import models
+
+
+class Migration(SchemaMigration):
+
+    def forwards(self, orm):
+        # Adding model 'Role'
+        db.create_table('django_comment_client_role', (
+            ('id', self.gf('django.db.models.fields.AutoField')(primary_key=True)),
+            ('name', self.gf('django.db.models.fields.CharField')(max_length=30)),
+            ('course_id', self.gf('django.db.models.fields.CharField')(db_index=True, max_length=255, blank=True)),
+        ))
+        db.send_create_signal('django_comment_client', ['Role'])
+
+        # Adding M2M table for field users on 'Role'
+        db.create_table('django_comment_client_role_users', (
+            ('id', models.AutoField(verbose_name='ID', primary_key=True, auto_created=True)),
+            ('role', models.ForeignKey(orm['django_comment_client.role'], null=False)),
+            ('user', models.ForeignKey(orm['auth.user'], null=False))
+        ))
+        db.create_unique('django_comment_client_role_users', ['role_id', 'user_id'])
+
+        # Adding model 'Permission'
+        db.create_table('django_comment_client_permission', (
+            ('name', self.gf('django.db.models.fields.CharField')(max_length=30, primary_key=True)),
+        ))
+        db.send_create_signal('django_comment_client', ['Permission'])
+
+        # Adding M2M table for field roles on 'Permission'
+        db.create_table('django_comment_client_permission_roles', (
+            ('id', models.AutoField(verbose_name='ID', primary_key=True, auto_created=True)),
+            ('permission', models.ForeignKey(orm['django_comment_client.permission'], null=False)),
+            ('role', models.ForeignKey(orm['django_comment_client.role'], null=False))
+        ))
+        db.create_unique('django_comment_client_permission_roles', ['permission_id', 'role_id'])
+
+
+    def backwards(self, orm):
+        # Deleting model 'Role'
+        db.delete_table('django_comment_client_role')
+
+        # Removing M2M table for field users on 'Role'
+        db.delete_table('django_comment_client_role_users')
+
+        # Deleting model 'Permission'
+        db.delete_table('django_comment_client_permission')
+
+        # Removing M2M table for field roles on 'Permission'
+        db.delete_table('django_comment_client_permission_roles')
+
+
+    models = {
+        'auth.group': {
+            'Meta': {'object_name': 'Group'},
+            'id': ('django.db.models.fields.AutoField', [], {'primary_key': 'True'}),
+            'name': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'unique': 'True', 'max_length': '80'}),
+            'permissions': ('django.db.models.fields.related.ManyToManyField', [], {'to': "orm['auth.Permission']", 'symmetrical': 'False', 'blank': 'True'})
+        },
+        'auth.permission': {
+            'Meta': {'ordering': "('content_type__app_label', 'content_type__model', 'codename')", 'unique_together': "(('content_type', 'codename'),)", 'object_name': 'Permission'},
+            'codename': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '100'}),
+            'content_type': ('django.db.models.fields.related.ForeignKey', [], {'to': "orm['contenttypes.ContentType']"}),
+            'id': ('django.db.models.fields.AutoField', [], {'primary_key': 'True'}),
+            'name': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '50'})
+        },
+        'auth.user': {
+            'Meta': {'object_name': 'User'},
+            'about': ('django.db.models.fields.TextField', [], {'blank': 'True'}),
+            'avatar_type': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'default': "'n'", 'max_length': '1'}),
+            'bronze': ('django.db.models.fields.SmallIntegerField', [], {'default': '0'}),
+            'consecutive_days_visit_count': ('django.db.models.fields.IntegerField', [], {'default': '0'}),
+            'country': ('django_countries.fields.CountryField', [], {'max_length': '2', 'blank': 'True'}),
+            'date_joined': ('django.db.models.fields.DateTimeField', [], {'default': 'datetime.datetime.now'}),
+            'date_of_birth': ('django.db.models.fields.DateField', [], {'null': 'True', 'blank': 'True'}),
+            'display_tag_filter_strategy': ('django.db.models.fields.SmallIntegerField', [], {'default': '0'}),
+            'email': ('django.db.models.fields.EmailField', [], {'max_length': '75', 'blank': 'True'}),
+            'email_isvalid': ('django.db.models.fields.BooleanField', [], {'default': 'False'}),
+            'email_key': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '32', 'null': 'True'}),
+            'email_tag_filter_strategy': ('django.db.models.fields.SmallIntegerField', [], {'default': '1'}),
+            'first_name': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '30', 'blank': 'True'}),
+            'gold': ('django.db.models.fields.SmallIntegerField', [], {'default': '0'}),
+            'gravatar': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '32'}),
+            'groups': ('django.db.models.fields.related.ManyToManyField', [], {'to': "orm['auth.Group']", 'symmetrical': 'False', 'blank': 'True'}),
+            'id': ('django.db.models.fields.AutoField', [], {'primary_key': 'True'}),
+            'ignored_tags': ('django.db.models.fields.TextField', [], {'blank': 'True'}),
+            'interesting_tags': ('django.db.models.fields.TextField', [], {'blank': 'True'}),
+            'is_active': ('django.db.models.fields.BooleanField', [], {'default': 'True'}),
+            'is_staff': ('django.db.models.fields.BooleanField', [], {'default': 'False'}),
+            'is_superuser': ('django.db.models.fields.BooleanField', [], {'default': 'False'}),
+            'last_login': ('django.db.models.fields.DateTimeField', [], {'default': 'datetime.datetime.now'}),
+            'last_name': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '30', 'blank': 'True'}),
+            'last_seen': ('django.db.models.fields.DateTimeField', [], {'default': 'datetime.datetime.now'}),
+            'location': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '100', 'blank': 'True'}),
+            'new_response_count': ('django.db.models.fields.IntegerField', [], {'default': '0'}),
+            'password': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '128'}),
+            'questions_per_page': ('django.db.models.fields.SmallIntegerField', [], {'default': '10'}),
+            'real_name': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '100', 'blank': 'True'}),
+            'reputation': ('django.db.models.fields.PositiveIntegerField', [], {'default': '1'}),
+            'seen_response_count': ('django.db.models.fields.IntegerField', [], {'default': '0'}),
+            'show_country': ('django.db.models.fields.BooleanField', [], {'default': 'False'}),
+            'silver': ('django.db.models.fields.SmallIntegerField', [], {'default': '0'}),
+            'status': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'default': "'w'", 'max_length': '2'}),
+            'user_permissions': ('django.db.models.fields.related.ManyToManyField', [], {'to': "orm['auth.Permission']", 'symmetrical': 'False', 'blank': 'True'}),
+            'username': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'unique': 'True', 'max_length': '30'}),
+            'website': ('django.db.models.fields.URLField', [], {'max_length': '200', 'blank': 'True'})
+        },
+        'contenttypes.contenttype': {
+            'Meta': {'ordering': "('name',)", 'unique_together': "(('app_label', 'model'),)", 'object_name': 'ContentType', 'db_table': "'django_content_type'"},
+            'app_label': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '100'}),
+            'id': ('django.db.models.fields.AutoField', [], {'primary_key': 'True'}),
+            'model': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '100'}),
+            'name': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '100'})
+        },
+        'django_comment_client.permission': {
+            'Meta': {'object_name': 'Permission'},
+            'name': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '30', 'primary_key': 'True'}),
+            'roles': ('django.db.models.fields.related.ManyToManyField', [], {'related_name': "'permissions'", 'symmetrical': 'False', 'to': "orm['django_comment_client.Role']"})
+        },
+        'django_comment_client.role': {
+            'Meta': {'object_name': 'Role'},
+            'course_id': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'db_index': 'True', 'max_length': '255', 'blank': 'True'}),
+            'id': ('django.db.models.fields.AutoField', [], {'primary_key': 'True'}),
+            'name': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '30'}),
+            'users': ('django.db.models.fields.related.ManyToManyField', [], {'related_name': "'roles'", 'symmetrical': 'False', 'to': "orm['auth.User']"})
+        }
+    }
+
+    complete_apps = ['django_comment_client']
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/migrations/__init__.py b/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/migrations/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e69de29bb2
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/models.py b/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/models.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..605a731517
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/models.py
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+from django.db import models
+from django.contrib.auth.models import User
+import logging
+
+
+class Role(models.Model):
+    name = models.CharField(max_length=30, null=False, blank=False)
+    users = models.ManyToManyField(User, related_name="roles")
+    course_id = models.CharField(max_length=255, blank=True, db_index=True)
+
+    def __unicode__(self):
+        return self.name + " for " + (self.course_id if self.course_id else "all courses")
+
+    def inherit_permissions(self, role): # TODO the name of this method is a little bit confusing,
+                                         # since it's one-off and doesn't handle inheritance later
+        if role.course_id and role.course_id != self.course_id:
+            logging.warning("%s cannot inheret permissions from %s due to course_id inconsistency" % 
+                            (self, role))
+        for per in role.permissions.all():
+            self.add_permission(per)
+
+    def add_permission(self, permission):
+        self.permissions.add(Permission.objects.get_or_create(name=permission)[0])
+
+    def has_permission(self, permission):
+        return self.permissions.filter(name=permission).exists()
+
+
+class Permission(models.Model):
+    name = models.CharField(max_length=30, null=False, blank=False, primary_key=True)
+    roles = models.ManyToManyField(Role, related_name="permissions")
+
+    def __unicode__(self):
+        return self.name
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/mustache_helpers.py b/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/mustache_helpers.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b3b5daaa01
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/mustache_helpers.py
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+import django.core.urlresolvers as urlresolvers
+import urllib
+import sys
+import inspect
+
+def pluralize(content, text):
+    num, word = text.split(' ')
+    if int(num or '0') >= 2:
+        return num + ' ' + word + 's'
+    else:
+        return num + ' ' + word
+
+def url_for_user(content, user_id):
+    return urlresolvers.reverse('django_comment_client.forum.views.user_profile', args=[content['course_id'], user_id])
+
+def url_for_tags(content, tags): # assume that attribute 'tags' is in the format u'a, b, c'
+    return urlresolvers.reverse('django_comment_client.forum.views.forum_form_discussion', args=[content['course_id']]) + '?' + urllib.urlencode({'tags': tags})
+
+def close_thread_text(content):
+    if content.get('closed'):
+        return 'Re-open thread'
+    else:
+        return 'Close thread'
+
+current_module = sys.modules[__name__]
+all_functions = inspect.getmembers(current_module, inspect.isfunction)
+
+mustache_helpers = {k: v for k, v in all_functions if not k.startswith('_')}
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/permissions.py b/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/permissions.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ffb676d2c2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/permissions.py
@@ -0,0 +1,115 @@
+from .models import Role, Permission
+from django.contrib.auth.models import User
+from django.db.models.signals import post_save
+from django.dispatch import receiver
+from student.models import CourseEnrollment
+
+import logging
+from util.cache import cache
+
+
+@receiver(post_save, sender=CourseEnrollment)
+def assign_default_role(sender, instance, **kwargs):
+    if instance.user.is_staff:
+        role = Role.objects.get_or_create(course_id=instance.course_id, name="Moderator")[0]
+    else:
+        role = Role.objects.get_or_create(course_id=instance.course_id, name="Student")[0]
+
+    logging.info("assign_default_role: adding %s as %s" % (instance.user, role))
+    instance.user.roles.add(role)
+
+def cached_has_permission(user, permission, course_id=None):
+    """
+    Call has_permission if it's not cached. A change in a user's role or
+    a role's permissions will only become effective after CACHE_LIFESPAN seconds. 
+    """
+    CACHE_LIFESPAN = 60
+    key = "permission_%d_%s_%s" % (user.id, str(course_id), permission)
+    val = cache.get(key, None)
+    if val not in [True, False]:
+        val = has_permission(user, permission, course_id=course_id)
+        cache.set(key, val, CACHE_LIFESPAN)
+    return val
+
+def has_permission(user, permission, course_id=None):
+    for role in user.roles.filter(course_id=course_id):
+        if role.has_permission(permission):
+            return True
+    return False
+
+
+CONDITIONS = ['is_open', 'is_author']
+def check_condition(user, condition, course_id, data):
+    def check_open(user, condition, course_id, data):
+        try:
+            return data and not data['content']['closed']
+        except KeyError:
+            return False
+
+    def check_author(user, condition, course_id, data):
+        try:
+            return data and data['content']['user_id'] == str(user.id)
+        except KeyError:
+            return False
+
+    handlers = {
+        'is_open'      : check_open,
+        'is_author'    : check_author,
+    }
+
+    return handlers[condition](user, condition, course_id, data)
+
+
+def check_conditions_permissions(user, permissions, course_id, **kwargs):
+    """
+    Accepts a list of permissions and proceed if any of the permission is valid.
+    Note that ["can_view", "can_edit"] will proceed if the user has either
+    "can_view" or "can_edit" permission. To use AND operator in between, wrap them in 
+    a list. 
+    """
+
+    def test(user, per, operator="or"):
+        if isinstance(per, basestring):
+            if per in CONDITIONS:
+                return check_condition(user, per, course_id, kwargs)
+            return cached_has_permission(user, per, course_id=course_id)
+        elif isinstance(per, list) and operator in ["and", "or"]:
+            results = [test(user, x, operator="and") for x in per]
+            if operator == "or":
+                return True in results
+            elif operator == "and":
+                return not False in results
+
+    return test(user, permissions, operator="or")
+
+
+VIEW_PERMISSIONS = {
+    'update_thread'     :       ['edit_content', ['update_thread', 'is_open', 'is_author']],
+    'create_comment'    :       [["create_comment", "is_open"]],
+    'delete_thread'     :       ['delete_thread'],
+    'update_comment'    :       ['edit_content', ['update_comment', 'is_open', 'is_author']],
+    'endorse_comment'   :       ['endorse_comment'],
+    'openclose_thread'  :       ['openclose_thread'],
+    'create_sub_comment':       [['create_sub_comment', 'is_open']],
+    'delete_comment'    :       ['delete_comment'],
+    'vote_for_comment'  :       [['vote', 'is_open']],
+    'undo_vote_for_comment':    [['unvote', 'is_open']],
+    'vote_for_thread'   :       [['vote', 'is_open']],
+    'undo_vote_for_thread':     [['unvote', 'is_open']],
+    'follow_thread'     :       ['follow_thread'],
+    'follow_commentable':       ['follow_commentable'], 
+    'follow_user'       :       ['follow_user'],
+    'unfollow_thread'   :       ['unfollow_thread'],
+    'unfollow_commentable':     ['unfollow_commentable'],
+    'unfollow_user'     :       ['unfollow_user'],
+    'create_thread'     :       ['create_thread'],
+    'update_moderator_status' : ['manage_moderator'],
+}
+
+
+def check_permissions_by_view(user, course_id, content, name):
+    try:
+        p = VIEW_PERMISSIONS[name]
+    except KeyError:
+        logging.warning("Permission for view named %s does not exist in permissions.py" % name)
+    return check_conditions_permissions(user, p, course_id, content=content)
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/tests.py b/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/tests.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..0e8f786692
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/tests.py
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+from django.contrib.auth.models import User
+from django.test import TestCase
+from student.models import CourseEnrollment, \
+                           replicate_enrollment_save, \
+                           replicate_enrollment_delete, \
+                           update_user_information, \
+                           replicate_user_save
+                           
+from django.db.models.signals import m2m_changed, pre_delete, pre_save, post_delete, post_save
+from django.dispatch.dispatcher import _make_id
+import string
+import random
+from .permissions import has_permission
+from .models import Role, Permission
+
+class PermissionsTestCase(TestCase):
+    def random_str(self, length=15, chars=string.ascii_uppercase + string.digits):
+        return ''.join(random.choice(chars) for x in range(length))
+
+    def setUp(self):
+        self.course_id = "MITx/6.002x/2012_Fall"
+
+        self.moderator_role = Role.objects.get_or_create(name="Moderator", course_id=self.course_id)[0]
+        self.student_role = Role.objects.get_or_create(name="Student", course_id=self.course_id)[0]
+
+        self.student = User.objects.create(username=self.random_str(),
+                            password="123456", email="john@yahoo.com")
+        self.moderator = User.objects.create(username=self.random_str(),
+                            password="123456", email="staff@edx.org")
+        self.moderator.is_staff = True
+        self.moderator.save()
+        self.student_enrollment = CourseEnrollment.objects.create(user=self.student, course_id=self.course_id)
+        self.moderator_enrollment = CourseEnrollment.objects.create(user=self.moderator, course_id=self.course_id)
+
+    def tearDown(self):
+        self.student_enrollment.delete()
+        self.moderator_enrollment.delete()
+
+# Do we need to have this? We shouldn't be deleting students, ever
+#        self.student.delete()
+#        self.moderator.delete()
+
+    def testDefaultRoles(self):
+        self.assertTrue(self.student_role in self.student.roles.all())
+        self.assertTrue(self.moderator_role in self.moderator.roles.all())
+
+    def testPermission(self):
+        name = self.random_str()
+        self.moderator_role.add_permission(name)
+        self.assertTrue(has_permission(self.moderator, name, self.course_id))
+
+        self.student_role.add_permission(name)
+        self.assertTrue(has_permission(self.student, name, self.course_id))
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/urls.py b/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/urls.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..959b5fa2ca
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/urls.py
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+from django.conf.urls.defaults import url, patterns, include
+
+urlpatterns = patterns('',
+    url(r'forum/', include('django_comment_client.forum.urls')),
+    url(r'', include('django_comment_client.base.urls')),
+)
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/utils.py b/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/utils.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..619689aa00
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/utils.py
@@ -0,0 +1,184 @@
+from importlib import import_module
+from courseware.models import StudentModuleCache
+from courseware.module_render import get_module
+from xmodule.modulestore import Location
+from xmodule.modulestore.django import modulestore
+from django.http import HttpResponse
+from django.utils import simplejson
+from django.db import connection
+from django.conf import settings
+from django_comment_client.permissions import check_permissions_by_view
+from mitxmako import middleware
+
+import logging
+import operator
+import itertools
+import pystache_custom as pystache
+
+
+_FULLMODULES = None
+_DISCUSSIONINFO = None
+
+def extract(dic, keys):
+    return {k: dic.get(k) for k in keys}
+
+def strip_none(dic):
+    return dict([(k, v) for k, v in dic.iteritems() if v is not None])
+
+def strip_blank(dic):
+    def _is_blank(v):
+        return isinstance(v, str) and len(v.strip()) == 0
+    return dict([(k, v) for k, v in dic.iteritems() if not _is_blank(v)])
+
+def merge_dict(dic1, dic2):
+    return dict(dic1.items() + dic2.items())
+
+def get_full_modules():
+    global _FULLMODULES
+    if not _FULLMODULES:
+        class_path = settings.MODULESTORE['default']['ENGINE']
+        module_path, _, class_name = class_path.rpartition('.')
+        class_ = getattr(import_module(module_path), class_name)
+        modulestore = class_(**dict(settings.MODULESTORE['default']['OPTIONS'].items() + [('eager', True)]))
+        _FULLMODULES = modulestore.modules
+    return _FULLMODULES
+
+def get_categorized_discussion_info(request, course):
+    """
+        return a dict of the form {category: modules}
+    """
+    global _DISCUSSIONINFO
+    if not _DISCUSSIONINFO:
+        initialize_discussion_info(request, course)
+    return _DISCUSSIONINFO['categorized']
+
+def get_discussion_title(request, course, discussion_id):
+    global _DISCUSSIONINFO
+    if not _DISCUSSIONINFO:
+        initialize_discussion_info(request, course)
+    title = _DISCUSSIONINFO['by_id'].get(discussion_id, {}).get('title', '(no title)')
+    return title
+
+def initialize_discussion_info(request, course):
+
+    global _DISCUSSIONINFO
+    if _DISCUSSIONINFO:
+        return
+
+    course_id = course.id
+    _, course_name, _ = course_id.split('/')
+    user = request.user
+    url_course_id = course_id.replace('/', '_').replace('.', '_')
+
+    _is_course_discussion = lambda x: x[0].dict()['category'] == 'discussion' \
+                         and x[0].dict()['course'] == course_name
+    
+    _get_module_descriptor = operator.itemgetter(1)
+
+    def _get_module(module_descriptor):
+        print module_descriptor
+        module = get_module(user, request, module_descriptor.location, student_module_cache)
+        return module
+
+    def _extract_info(module):
+        return {
+            'title': module.title,
+            'discussion_id': module.discussion_id,
+            'category': module.discussion_category,
+        }
+
+    def _pack_with_id(info):
+        return (info['discussion_id'], info)
+
+    discussion_module_descriptors = map(_get_module_descriptor,
+                                        filter(_is_course_discussion,
+                                               get_full_modules().items()))
+
+    student_module_cache = StudentModuleCache.cache_for_descriptor_descendents(user, course)
+
+    discussion_info = map(_extract_info, map(_get_module, discussion_module_descriptors))
+
+    _DISCUSSIONINFO = {}
+
+    _DISCUSSIONINFO['by_id'] = dict(map(_pack_with_id, discussion_info))
+
+    _DISCUSSIONINFO['categorized'] = dict((category, list(l)) \
+                for category, l in itertools.groupby(discussion_info, operator.itemgetter('category')))
+
+    _DISCUSSIONINFO['categorized']['General'] = [{
+        'title': 'General discussion',
+        'discussion_id': url_course_id,
+        'category': 'General',
+    }]
+
+class JsonResponse(HttpResponse):
+    def __init__(self, data=None):
+        content = simplejson.dumps(data)
+        super(JsonResponse, self).__init__(content,
+                                           mimetype='application/json; charset=utf8')
+
+class JsonError(HttpResponse):
+    def __init__(self, error_messages=[]):
+        if isinstance(error_messages, str):
+            error_messages = [error_messages]
+        content = simplejson.dumps({'errors': error_messages},
+                                   indent=2,
+                                   ensure_ascii=False)
+        super(JsonError, self).__init__(content,
+                                        mimetype='application/json; charset=utf8', status=400)
+
+class HtmlResponse(HttpResponse):
+    def __init__(self, html=''):
+        super(HtmlResponse, self).__init__(html, content_type='text/plain')
+
+class ViewNameMiddleware(object):  
+    def process_view(self, request, view_func, view_args, view_kwargs):  
+        request.view_name = view_func.__name__
+
+class QueryCountDebugMiddleware(object):
+    """
+    This middleware will log the number of queries run
+    and the total time taken for each request (with a
+    status code of 200). It does not currently support
+    multi-db setups.
+    """
+    def process_response(self, request, response):
+        if response.status_code == 200:
+            total_time = 0
+
+            for query in connection.queries:
+                query_time = query.get('time')
+                if query_time is None:
+                    # django-debug-toolbar monkeypatches the connection
+                    # cursor wrapper and adds extra information in each
+                    # item in connection.queries. The query time is stored
+                    # under the key "duration" rather than "time" and is
+                    # in milliseconds, not seconds.
+                    query_time = query.get('duration', 0) / 1000
+                total_time += float(query_time)
+
+            logging.info('%s queries run, total %s seconds' % (len(connection.queries), total_time))
+        return response
+
+def get_annotated_content_info(course_id, content, user):
+    return {
+        'editable': check_permissions_by_view(user, course_id, content, "update_thread" if content['type'] == 'thread' else "update_comment"),
+        'can_reply': check_permissions_by_view(user, course_id, content, "create_comment" if content['type'] == 'thread' else "create_sub_comment"),
+        'can_endorse': check_permissions_by_view(user, course_id, content, "endorse_comment") if content['type'] == 'comment' else False,
+        'can_delete': check_permissions_by_view(user, course_id, content, "delete_thread" if content['type'] == 'thread' else "delete_comment"),
+        'can_openclose': check_permissions_by_view(user, course_id, content, "openclose_thread") if content['type'] == 'thread' else False,
+        'can_vote': check_permissions_by_view(user, course_id, content, "vote_for_thread" if content['type'] == 'thread' else "vote_for_comment"),
+    }
+
+def get_annotated_content_infos(course_id, thread, user):
+    infos = {}
+    def _annotate(content):
+        infos[str(content['id'])] = get_annotated_content_info(course_id, content, user)
+        for child in content.get('children', []):
+            _annotate(child)
+    _annotate(thread)
+    return infos
+
+def render_mustache(template_name, dictionary, *args, **kwargs):
+    template = middleware.lookup['main'].get_template(template_name).source
+    return pystache.render(template, dictionary)
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/lms_migration/management/__init__.py b/lms/djangoapps/lms_migration/management/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e69de29bb2
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/lms_migration/management/commands/__init__.py b/lms/djangoapps/lms_migration/management/commands/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e69de29bb2
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/lms_migration/management/commands/create_groups.py b/lms/djangoapps/lms_migration/management/commands/create_groups.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..7b52795606
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/lms_migration/management/commands/create_groups.py
@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+#!/usr/bin/python
+#
+# File:   create_groups.py
+#
+# Create all staff_* groups for classes in data directory.
+
+import os, sys, string, re
+
+from django.core.management.base import BaseCommand
+from django.conf import settings
+from django.contrib.auth.models import User, Group
+from path import path
+from lxml import etree
+
+def create_groups():
+    '''
+    Create staff and instructor groups for all classes in the data_dir
+    '''
+
+    data_dir = settings.DATA_DIR
+    print "data_dir = %s" % data_dir
+
+    for course_dir in os.listdir(data_dir):
+
+        if course_dir.startswith('.'):
+            continue
+        if not os.path.isdir(path(data_dir) / course_dir):
+            continue
+        
+        cxfn = path(data_dir) / course_dir / 'course.xml'
+        try:
+            coursexml = etree.parse(cxfn)
+        except Exception as err:
+            print "Oops, cannot read %s, skipping" % cxfn
+            continue
+        cxmlroot = coursexml.getroot()
+        course = cxmlroot.get('course')		# TODO (vshnayder!!): read metadata from policy file(s) instead of from course.xml
+        if course is None:
+            print "oops, can't get course id for %s" % course_dir
+            continue
+        print "course=%s for course_dir=%s" % (course,course_dir)
+    
+        create_group('staff_%s' % course)		# staff group
+        create_group('instructor_%s' % course)		# instructor group (can manage staff group list)
+
+def create_group(gname):
+    if Group.objects.filter(name=gname):
+        print "    group exists for %s" % gname
+        return
+    g = Group(name=gname)
+    g.save()
+    print "    created group %s" % gname
+
+class Command(BaseCommand):
+    help = "Create groups associated with all courses in data_dir."
+
+    def handle(self, *args, **options):
+        create_groups()
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/lms_migration/management/commands/create_user.py b/lms/djangoapps/lms_migration/management/commands/create_user.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..333608d467
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/lms_migration/management/commands/create_user.py
@@ -0,0 +1,146 @@
+#!/usr/bin/python
+#
+# File:   create_user.py
+#
+# Create user.  Prompt for groups and ExternalAuthMap
+
+import os, sys, string, re
+import datetime
+from getpass import getpass
+import json
+from random import choice
+import readline
+
+from django.core.management.base import BaseCommand
+from student.models import UserProfile, Registration
+from external_auth.models import ExternalAuthMap
+from django.contrib.auth.models import User, Group
+
+class MyCompleter(object):  # Custom completer
+
+    def __init__(self, options):
+        self.options = sorted(options)
+
+    def complete(self, text, state):
+        if state == 0:  # on first trigger, build possible matches
+            if text:  # cache matches (entries that start with entered text)
+                self.matches = [s for s in self.options 
+                                    if s and s.startswith(text)]
+            else:  # no text entered, all matches possible
+                self.matches = self.options[:]
+
+        # return match indexed by state
+        try: 
+            return self.matches[state]
+        except IndexError:
+            return None
+
+def GenPasswd(length=8, chars=string.letters + string.digits):
+    return ''.join([choice(chars) for i in range(length)])
+
+#-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# main command
+
+class Command(BaseCommand):
+    help = "Create user, interactively; can add ExternalAuthMap for MIT user if email@MIT.EDU resolves properly."
+
+    def handle(self, *args, **options):
+
+        while True:
+            uname = raw_input('username: ')
+            if User.objects.filter(username=uname):
+                print "username %s already taken" % uname
+            else:
+                break
+        
+        make_eamap = False
+        if raw_input('Create MIT ExternalAuth? [n] ').lower()=='y':
+            email = '%s@MIT.EDU' % uname
+            if not email.endswith('@MIT.EDU'):
+                print "Failed - email must be @MIT.EDU"
+                sys.exit(-1)
+            mit_domain = 'ssl:MIT'
+            if ExternalAuthMap.objects.filter(external_id = email, external_domain = mit_domain):
+                print "Failed - email %s already exists as external_id" % email
+                sys.exit(-1)
+            make_eamap = True
+            password = GenPasswd(12)
+            
+            # get name from kerberos
+            kname = os.popen("finger %s | grep 'name:'" % email).read().strip().split('name: ')[1].strip()
+            name = raw_input('Full name: [%s] ' % kname).strip()
+            if name=='':
+                name = kname
+            print "name = %s" % name
+        else:
+            while True:
+                password = getpass()
+                password2 = getpass()
+                if password == password2:
+                    break
+                print "Oops, passwords do not match, please retry"
+        
+            while True:
+                email = raw_input('email: ')
+                if User.objects.filter(email=email):
+                    print "email %s already taken" % email
+                else:
+                    break
+                
+            name = raw_input('Full name: ')
+        
+                
+        user = User(username=uname, email=email, is_active=True)
+        user.set_password(password)
+        try:
+            user.save()
+        except IntegrityError:
+            print "Oops, failed to create user %s, IntegrityError" % user
+            raise
+            
+        r = Registration()
+        r.register(user)
+        
+        up = UserProfile(user=user)
+        up.name = name
+        up.save()
+        
+        if make_eamap:
+            credentials = "/C=US/ST=Massachusetts/O=Massachusetts Institute of Technology/OU=Client CA v1/CN=%s/emailAddress=%s" % (name,email)
+            eamap = ExternalAuthMap(external_id = email,
+                                    external_email = email,
+                                    external_domain = mit_domain,
+                                    external_name = name,
+                                    internal_password = password,
+                                    external_credentials = json.dumps(credentials),
+                )
+            eamap.user = user
+            eamap.dtsignup = datetime.datetime.now()
+            eamap.save()
+        
+        print "User %s created successfully!" % user
+        
+        if not raw_input('Add user %s to any groups? [n] ' % user).lower()=='y':
+            sys.exit(0)
+        
+        print "Here are the groups available:"
+        
+        groups = [str(g.name) for g in Group.objects.all()]
+        print groups
+        
+        completer = MyCompleter(groups)
+        readline.set_completer(completer.complete)
+        readline.parse_and_bind('tab: complete')
+        
+        while True:
+            gname = raw_input("Add group (tab to autocomplete, empty line to end): ")
+            if not gname:
+                break
+            if not gname in groups:
+                print "Unknown group %s" % gname
+                continue
+            g = Group.objects.get(name=gname)
+            user.groups.add(g)
+            print "Added %s to group %s" % (user,g)
+        
+        print "Done!"
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/lms_migration/migrate.py b/lms/djangoapps/lms_migration/migrate.py
index dfdf86b4ac..a7d04a655d 100644
--- a/lms/djangoapps/lms_migration/migrate.py
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/lms_migration/migrate.py
@@ -2,13 +2,21 @@
 # migration tools for content team to go from stable-edx4edx to LMS+CMS
 #
 
+import json
 import logging
+import os
 from pprint import pprint
 import xmodule.modulestore.django as xmodule_django
 from xmodule.modulestore.django import modulestore
 
 from django.http import HttpResponse
 from django.conf import settings
+import track.views
+
+try:
+    from django.views.decorators.csrf import csrf_exempt
+except ImportError:
+    from django.contrib.csrf.middleware import csrf_exempt
 
 log = logging.getLogger("mitx.lms_migrate")
 LOCAL_DEBUG = True
@@ -18,6 +26,15 @@ def escape(s):
     """escape HTML special characters in string"""
     return str(s).replace('<','&lt;').replace('>','&gt;')
 
+def getip(request):
+    '''
+    Extract IP address of requester from header, even if behind proxy
+    '''
+    ip = request.META.get('HTTP_X_REAL_IP','')	# nginx reverse proxy
+    if not ip:
+        ip = request.META.get('REMOTE_ADDR','None')
+    return ip
+
 def manage_modulestores(request,reload_dir=None):
     '''
     Manage the static in-memory modulestores.
@@ -32,9 +49,7 @@ def manage_modulestores(request,reload_dir=None):
     #----------------------------------------
     # check on IP address of requester
 
-    ip = request.META.get('HTTP_X_REAL_IP','')	# nginx reverse proxy
-    if not ip:
-        ip = request.META.get('REMOTE_ADDR','None')
+    ip = getip(request)
 
     if LOCAL_DEBUG:
         html += '<h3>IP address: %s ' % ip
@@ -48,7 +63,7 @@ def manage_modulestores(request,reload_dir=None):
             html += 'Permission denied'
             html += "</body></html>"
             log.debug('request denied, ALLOWED_IPS=%s' % ALLOWED_IPS)
-            return HttpResponse(html)
+            return HttpResponse(html, status=403)
 
     #----------------------------------------
     # reload course if specified
@@ -108,3 +123,66 @@ def manage_modulestores(request,reload_dir=None):
 
     html += "</body></html>"
     return HttpResponse(html)
+
+@csrf_exempt
+def gitreload(request, reload_dir=None):
+    '''
+    This can be used as a github WebHook Service Hook, for reloading of the content repo used by the LMS.
+
+    If reload_dir is not None, then instruct the xml loader to reload that course directory.
+    '''
+    html = "<html><body>"
+    ip = getip(request)
+
+    html += '<h3>IP address: %s ' % ip
+    html += '<h3>User: %s ' % request.user
+
+    ALLOWED_IPS = []	# allow none by default
+    if hasattr(settings,'ALLOWED_GITRELOAD_IPS'):	# allow override in settings
+        ALLOWED_IPS = ALLOWED_GITRELOAD_IPS
+
+    if not (ip in ALLOWED_IPS or 'any' in ALLOWED_IPS):
+        if request.user and request.user.is_staff:
+            log.debug('request allowed because user=%s is staff' % request.user)
+        else:
+            html += 'Permission denied'
+            html += "</body></html>"
+            log.debug('request denied from %s, ALLOWED_IPS=%s' % (ip,ALLOWED_IPS))
+            return HttpResponse(html)    
+        
+    #----------------------------------------
+    # see if request is from github (POST with JSON)
+
+    if reload_dir is None and 'payload' in request.POST:
+        payload = request.POST['payload']
+        log.debug("payload=%s" % payload)
+        gitargs = json.loads(payload)
+        log.debug("gitargs=%s" % gitargs)
+        reload_dir = gitargs['repository']['name']
+        log.debug("github reload_dir=%s" % reload_dir)
+        gdir = settings.DATA_DIR / reload_dir 
+        if not os.path.exists(gdir):
+            log.debug("====> ERROR in gitreload - no such directory %s" % reload_dir)
+            return HttpResponse('Error')
+        cmd = "cd %s; git reset --hard HEAD; git clean -f -d; git pull origin; chmod g+w course.xml" % gdir
+        log.debug(os.popen(cmd).read())
+        if hasattr(settings,'GITRELOAD_HOOK'):	# hit this hook after reload, if set
+            gh = settings.GITRELOAD_HOOK
+            if gh:
+                ghurl = '%s/%s' % (gh,reload_dir)
+                r = requests.get(ghurl)
+                log.debug("GITRELOAD_HOOK to %s: %s" % (ghurl, r.text))
+        
+    #----------------------------------------
+    # reload course if specified
+
+    if reload_dir is not None:
+        def_ms = modulestore()
+        if reload_dir not in def_ms.courses:
+            html += "<h2><font color='red'>Error: '%s' is not a valid course directory</font></h2>" % reload_dir
+        else:
+            html += "<h2><font color='blue'>Reloaded course directory '%s'</font></h2>" % reload_dir
+            def_ms.try_load_course(reload_dir)
+            track.views.server_track(request, 'reloaded %s' % reload_dir, {}, page='migrate')
+
+    return HttpResponse(html)    
diff --git a/lms/envs/aws.py b/lms/envs/aws.py
index d2d71830b0..a72ad92957 100644
--- a/lms/envs/aws.py
+++ b/lms/envs/aws.py
@@ -19,6 +19,11 @@ EMAIL_BACKEND = 'django_ses.SESBackend'
 SESSION_ENGINE = 'django.contrib.sessions.backends.cache'
 DEFAULT_FILE_STORAGE = 'storages.backends.s3boto.S3BotoStorage'
 
+# Disable askbot, enable Berkeley forums
+MITX_FEATURES['ENABLE_DISCUSSION'] = False
+MITX_FEATURES['ENABLE_DISCUSSION_SERVICE'] = True
+
+
 ########################### NON-SECURE ENV CONFIG ##############################
 # Things like server locations, ports, etc.
 with open(ENV_ROOT / "env.json") as env_file:
@@ -42,6 +47,7 @@ LOGGING = get_logger_config(LOG_DIR,
                             syslog_addr=(ENV_TOKENS['SYSLOG_SERVER'], 514),
                             debug=False)
 
+COURSE_LISTINGS = ENV_TOKENS['COURSE_LISTINGS']
 
 ############################## SECURE AUTH ITEMS ###############################
 # Secret things: passwords, access keys, etc.
@@ -60,3 +66,5 @@ XQUEUE_INTERFACE = AUTH_TOKENS['XQUEUE_INTERFACE']
 if 'COURSE_ID' in ENV_TOKENS:
     ASKBOT_URL = "courses/{0}/discussions/".format(ENV_TOKENS['COURSE_ID'])
 
+COMMENTS_SERVICE_URL = ENV_TOKENS["COMMENTS_SERVICE_URL"]
+
diff --git a/lms/envs/common.py b/lms/envs/common.py
index 31067333c0..a217f0e7b9 100644
--- a/lms/envs/common.py
+++ b/lms/envs/common.py
@@ -30,10 +30,11 @@ import djcelery
 from path import path
 
 from .askbotsettings import * # this is where LIVESETTINGS_OPTIONS comes from
+from .discussionsettings import *
 
 ################################### FEATURES ###################################
 COURSEWARE_ENABLED = True
-ASKBOT_ENABLED = True
+ASKBOT_ENABLED = False
 GENERATE_RANDOM_USER_CREDENTIALS = False
 PERFSTATS = False
 
@@ -54,8 +55,13 @@ MITX_FEATURES = {
     # course_ids (see dev_int.py for an example)
     'SUBDOMAIN_COURSE_LISTINGS' : False,
 
+    # TODO: This will be removed once course-specific tabs are in place. see
+    # courseware/courses.py
+    'ENABLE_SYLLABUS' : True, 
+
     'ENABLE_TEXTBOOK' : True,
-    'ENABLE_DISCUSSION' : True,
+    'ENABLE_DISCUSSION' : False,
+    'ENABLE_DISCUSSION_SERVICE': True,
 
     'ENABLE_SQL_TRACKING_LOGS': False,
     'ENABLE_LMS_MIGRATION': False,
@@ -258,6 +264,14 @@ USE_L10N = True
 # Messages
 MESSAGE_STORAGE = 'django.contrib.messages.storage.session.SessionStorage'
 
+#################################### GITHUB #######################################
+# gitreload is used in LMS-workflow to pull content from github
+# gitreload requests are only allowed from these IP addresses, which are
+# the advertised public IPs of the github WebHook servers.
+# These are listed, eg at https://github.com/MITx/mitx/admin/hooks
+
+ALLOWED_GITRELOAD_IPS = ['207.97.227.253', '50.57.128.197', '108.171.174.178']
+
 #################################### AWS #######################################
 # S3BotoStorage insists on a timeout for uploaded assets. We should make it
 # permanent instead, but rather than trying to figure out exactly where that
@@ -303,6 +317,7 @@ SIMPLE_WIKI_REQUIRE_LOGIN_VIEW = False
 WIKI_ACCOUNT_HANDLING = False
 WIKI_EDITOR = 'course_wiki.editors.CodeMirror'
 WIKI_SHOW_MAX_CHILDREN = 0 # We don't use the little menu that shows children of an article in the breadcrumb
+WIKI_ANONYMOUS = False # Don't allow anonymous access until the styling is figured out
 
 ################################# Jasmine ###################################
 JASMINE_TEST_DIRECTORY = PROJECT_ROOT + '/static/coffee'
@@ -328,6 +343,7 @@ TEMPLATE_LOADERS = (
 )
 
 MIDDLEWARE_CLASSES = (
+    'django_comment_client.middleware.AjaxExceptionMiddleware',
     'django.middleware.common.CommonMiddleware',
     'django.contrib.sessions.middleware.SessionMiddleware',
     'django.middleware.csrf.CsrfViewMiddleware',
@@ -350,6 +366,9 @@ MIDDLEWARE_CLASSES = (
     'askbot.middleware.spaceless.SpacelessMiddleware',
     # 'askbot.middleware.pagesize.QuestionsPageSizeMiddleware',
     # 'debug_toolbar.middleware.DebugToolbarMiddleware',
+
+    'django_comment_client.utils.ViewNameMiddleware',
+    'django_comment_client.utils.QueryCountDebugMiddleware',
 )
 
 ############################### Pipeline #######################################
@@ -564,13 +583,16 @@ INSTALLED_APPS = (
     'course_wiki', # Our customizations
     'mptt',
     'sekizai',
-    'wiki.plugins.attachments',
+    #'wiki.plugins.attachments',
     'wiki.plugins.notifications',
     'course_wiki.plugins.markdownedx',
 
     # For testing
     'django_jasmine',
 
+    # Discussion
+    'django_comment_client',
+
     # For Askbot
     'django.contrib.sitemaps',
     'django.contrib.admin',
diff --git a/lms/envs/dev.py b/lms/envs/dev.py
index 6720c2050d..b269d293dd 100644
--- a/lms/envs/dev.py
+++ b/lms/envs/dev.py
@@ -73,6 +73,8 @@ MITX_FEATURES['ENABLE_LMS_MIGRATION'] = True
 MITX_FEATURES['ACCESS_REQUIRE_STAFF_FOR_COURSE'] = False   # require that user be in the staff_* group to be able to enroll
 MITX_FEATURES['USE_XQA_SERVER'] = 'http://xqa:server@content-qa.mitx.mit.edu/xqa'
 
+INSTALLED_APPS += ('lms_migration',)
+
 LMS_MIGRATION_ALLOWED_IPS = ['127.0.0.1']
 
 ################################ OpenID Auth #################################
diff --git a/lms/envs/dev_ike.py b/lms/envs/dev_ike.py
index 309ea1ac42..3ae141a037 100644
--- a/lms/envs/dev_ike.py
+++ b/lms/envs/dev_ike.py
@@ -17,14 +17,19 @@ MITX_FEATURES['ENABLE_TEXTBOOK'] = False
 MITX_FEATURES['ENABLE_DISCUSSION'] = False
 MITX_FEATURES['ACCESS_REQUIRE_STAFF_FOR_COURSE'] = True	  # require that user be in the staff_* group to be able to enroll
 
+MITX_FEATURES['DISABLE_START_DATES'] = True
+# MITX_FEATURES['USE_DJANGO_PIPELINE']=False      # don't recompile scss
+
 myhost = socket.gethostname()
 if ('edxvm' in myhost) or ('ocw' in myhost):
     MITX_FEATURES['DISABLE_LOGIN_BUTTON'] = True	# auto-login with MIT certificate
     MITX_FEATURES['USE_XQA_SERVER'] = 'https://qisx.mit.edu/xqa'	# needs to be ssl or browser blocks it
+    MITX_FEATURES['USE_DJANGO_PIPELINE']=False      # don't recompile scss
 
 if ('domU' in myhost):
     EMAIL_BACKEND = 'django.core.mail.backends.smtp.EmailBackend'
     MITX_FEATURES['REROUTE_ACTIVATION_EMAIL'] = 'ichuang@mitx.mit.edu'	# nonempty string = address for all activation emails
+    MITX_FEATURES['USE_DJANGO_PIPELINE']=False      # don't recompile scss
 
 SECURE_PROXY_SSL_HEADER = ('HTTP_X_FORWARDED_PROTOCOL', 'https')	# django 1.4 for nginx ssl proxy
 
@@ -33,4 +38,9 @@ SECURE_PROXY_SSL_HEADER = ('HTTP_X_FORWARDED_PROTOCOL', 'https')	# django 1.4 fo
 
 INSTALLED_APPS = tuple([ app for app in INSTALLED_APPS if not app.startswith('debug_toolbar') ])
 MIDDLEWARE_CLASSES = tuple([ mcl for mcl in MIDDLEWARE_CLASSES if not mcl.startswith('debug_toolbar') ])
-TEMPLATE_LOADERS = tuple([ app for app in TEMPLATE_LOADERS if not app.startswith('askbot') ])
+#TEMPLATE_LOADERS = tuple([ app for app in TEMPLATE_LOADERS if not app.startswith('askbot') ])
+#TEMPLATE_LOADERS = tuple([ app for app in TEMPLATE_LOADERS if not app.startswith('mitxmako') ])
+TEMPLATE_LOADERS = (
+    'django.template.loaders.filesystem.Loader',
+    'django.template.loaders.app_directories.Loader',
+    )
diff --git a/lms/envs/discussionsettings.py b/lms/envs/discussionsettings.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f13680a7fe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/envs/discussionsettings.py
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+DISCUSSION_ALLOWED_UPLOAD_FILE_TYPES = ('.jpg', '.jpeg', '.gif', '.bmp', '.png', '.tiff')
diff --git a/lms/lib/comment_client/__init__.py b/lms/lib/comment_client/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ecade68b50
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/lib/comment_client/__init__.py
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+from comment_client import *
+from utils import CommentClientError, CommentClientUnknownError
diff --git a/lms/lib/comment_client/comment.py b/lms/lib/comment_client/comment.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..34cb3d5d06
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/lib/comment_client/comment.py
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+from utils import *
+
+import models
+import settings
+
+class Comment(models.Model):
+
+    accessible_fields = [
+        'id', 'body', 'anonymous', 'course_id',
+        'endorsed', 'parent_id', 'thread_id',
+        'username', 'votes', 'user_id', 'closed',
+        'created_at', 'updated_at', 'depth',
+        'at_position_list', 'type',
+    ]
+
+    updatable_fields = [
+        'body', 'anonymous', 'course_id', 'closed',
+        'user_id', 'endorsed',
+    ]
+
+    initializable_fields = updatable_fields
+
+    base_url = "{prefix}/comments".format(prefix=settings.PREFIX)
+    type = 'comment'
+
+    @classmethod
+    def url_for_comments(cls, params={}):
+        if params.get('thread_id'):
+            return _url_for_thread_comments(params['thread_id'])
+        else:
+            return _url_for_comment(params['parent_id'])
+
+    @classmethod
+    def url(cls, action, params={}):
+        if action in ['post']:
+            return cls.url_for_comments(params)
+        else:
+            return super(Comment, cls).url(action, params)
+
+def _url_for_thread_comments(thread_id):
+    return "{prefix}/threads/{thread_id}/comments".format(prefix=settings.PREFIX, thread_id=thread_id)
+
+def _url_for_comment(comment_id):
+    return "{prefix}/comments/{comment_id}".format(prefix=settings.PREFIX, comment_id=comment_id)
diff --git a/lms/lib/comment_client/comment_client.py b/lms/lib/comment_client/comment_client.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..fe485433d6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/lib/comment_client/comment_client.py
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+from comment import Comment
+from thread import Thread
+from user import User
+from commentable import Commentable
+
+from utils import *
+
+import settings
+
+def search_similar_threads(course_id, recursive=False, query_params={}, *args, **kwargs):
+    default_params = {'course_id': course_id, 'recursive': recursive}
+    attributes = dict(default_params.items() + query_params.items())
+    return perform_request('get', _url_for_search_similar_threads(), attributes, *args, **kwargs)
+
+def search_recent_active_threads(course_id, recursive=False, query_params={}, *args, **kwargs):
+    default_params = {'course_id': course_id, 'recursive': recursive}
+    attributes = dict(default_params.items() + query_params.items())
+    return perform_request('get', _url_for_search_recent_active_threads(), attributes, *args, **kwargs)
+
+def search_trending_tags(course_id, query_params={}, *args, **kwargs):
+    default_params = {'course_id': course_id}
+    attributes = dict(default_params.items() + query_params.items())
+    return perform_request('get', _url_for_search_trending_tags(), attributes, *args, **kwargs)
+
+def tags_autocomplete(value, *args, **kwargs):
+    return perform_request('get', _url_for_threads_tags_autocomplete(), {'value': value}, *args, **kwargs)
+
+def _url_for_search_similar_threads():
+    return "{prefix}/search/threads/more_like_this".format(prefix=settings.PREFIX)
+
+def _url_for_search_recent_active_threads():
+    return "{prefix}/search/threads/recent_active".format(prefix=settings.PREFIX)
+
+def _url_for_search_trending_tags():
+    return "{prefix}/search/tags/trending".format(prefix=settings.PREFIX)
+
+def _url_for_threads_tags_autocomplete():
+    return "{prefix}/threads/tags/autocomplete".format(prefix=settings.PREFIX)
diff --git a/lms/lib/comment_client/commentable.py b/lms/lib/comment_client/commentable.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8f91bfc93d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/lib/comment_client/commentable.py
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+from utils import *
+
+import models
+import settings
+
+class Commentable(models.Model):
+
+    base_url = "{prefix}/commentables".format(prefix=settings.PREFIX)
+    type = 'commentable'
diff --git a/lms/lib/comment_client/legacy.py b/lms/lib/comment_client/legacy.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..fc87bcaf4f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/lib/comment_client/legacy.py
@@ -0,0 +1,180 @@
+def delete_threads(commentable_id, *args, **kwargs):
+    return _perform_request('delete', _url_for_commentable_threads(commentable_id), *args, **kwargs)
+
+def get_threads(commentable_id, recursive=False, query_params={}, *args, **kwargs):
+    default_params = {'page': 1, 'per_page': 20, 'recursive': recursive}
+    attributes = dict(default_params.items() + query_params.items())
+    response = _perform_request('get', _url_for_threads(commentable_id), \
+            attributes, *args, **kwargs)
+    return response.get('collection', []), response.get('page', 1), response.get('num_pages', 1)
+
+def search_threads(course_id, recursive=False, query_params={}, *args, **kwargs):
+    default_params = {'page': 1, 'per_page': 20, 'course_id': course_id, 'recursive': recursive}
+    attributes = dict(default_params.items() + query_params.items())
+    response = _perform_request('get', _url_for_search_threads(), \
+            attributes, *args, **kwargs)
+    return response.get('collection', []), response.get('page', 1), response.get('num_pages', 1)
+
+def search_similar_threads(course_id, recursive=False, query_params={}, *args, **kwargs):
+    default_params = {'course_id': course_id, 'recursive': recursive}
+    attributes = dict(default_params.items() + query_params.items())
+    return _perform_request('get', _url_for_search_similar_threads(), attributes, *args, **kwargs)
+
+def search_recent_active_threads(course_id, recursive=False, query_params={}, *args, **kwargs):
+    default_params = {'course_id': course_id, 'recursive': recursive}
+    attributes = dict(default_params.items() + query_params.items())
+    return _perform_request('get', _url_for_search_recent_active_threads(), attributes, *args, **kwargs)
+
+def search_trending_tags(course_id, query_params={}, *args, **kwargs):
+    default_params = {'course_id': course_id}
+    attributes = dict(default_params.items() + query_params.items())
+    return _perform_request('get', _url_for_search_trending_tags(), attributes, *args, **kwargs)
+
+def create_user(attributes, *args, **kwargs):
+    return _perform_request('post', _url_for_users(), attributes, *args, **kwargs)
+
+def update_user(user_id, attributes, *args, **kwargs):
+    return _perform_request('put', _url_for_user(user_id), attributes, *args, **kwargs)
+
+def get_threads_tags(*args, **kwargs):
+    return _perform_request('get', _url_for_threads_tags(), {}, *args, **kwargs)
+
+def tags_autocomplete(value, *args, **kwargs):
+    return _perform_request('get', _url_for_threads_tags_autocomplete(), {'value': value}, *args, **kwargs)
+
+def create_thread(commentable_id, attributes, *args, **kwargs):
+    return _perform_request('post', _url_for_threads(commentable_id), attributes, *args, **kwargs)
+    
+def get_thread(thread_id, recursive=False, *args, **kwargs):
+    return _perform_request('get', _url_for_thread(thread_id), {'recursive': recursive}, *args, **kwargs)
+
+def update_thread(thread_id, attributes, *args, **kwargs):
+    return _perform_request('put', _url_for_thread(thread_id), attributes, *args, **kwargs)
+
+def create_comment(thread_id, attributes, *args, **kwargs):
+    return _perform_request('post', _url_for_thread_comments(thread_id), attributes, *args, **kwargs)
+
+def delete_thread(thread_id, *args, **kwargs):
+    return _perform_request('delete', _url_for_thread(thread_id), *args, **kwargs)
+
+def get_comment(comment_id, recursive=False, *args, **kwargs):
+    return _perform_request('get', _url_for_comment(comment_id), {'recursive': recursive}, *args, **kwargs)
+
+def update_comment(comment_id, attributes, *args, **kwargs):
+    return _perform_request('put', _url_for_comment(comment_id), attributes, *args, **kwargs)
+
+def create_sub_comment(comment_id, attributes, *args, **kwargs):
+    return _perform_request('post', _url_for_comment(comment_id), attributes, *args, **kwargs)
+
+def delete_comment(comment_id, *args, **kwargs):
+    return _perform_request('delete', _url_for_comment(comment_id), *args, **kwargs)
+
+def vote_for_comment(comment_id, user_id, value, *args, **kwargs):
+    return _perform_request('put', _url_for_vote_comment(comment_id), {'user_id': user_id, 'value': value}, *args, **kwargs)
+
+def undo_vote_for_comment(comment_id, user_id, *args, **kwargs):
+    return _perform_request('delete', _url_for_vote_comment(comment_id), {'user_id': user_id}, *args, **kwargs)
+
+def vote_for_thread(thread_id, user_id, value, *args, **kwargs):
+    return _perform_request('put', _url_for_vote_thread(thread_id), {'user_id': user_id, 'value': value}, *args, **kwargs)
+
+def undo_vote_for_thread(thread_id, user_id, *args, **kwargs):
+    return _perform_request('delete', _url_for_vote_thread(thread_id), {'user_id': user_id}, *args, **kwargs)
+
+def get_notifications(user_id, *args, **kwargs):
+    return _perform_request('get', _url_for_notifications(user_id), *args, **kwargs)
+
+def get_user_info(user_id, complete=True, *args, **kwargs):
+    return _perform_request('get', _url_for_user(user_id), {'complete': complete}, *args, **kwargs)
+
+def subscribe(user_id, subscription_detail, *args, **kwargs):
+    return _perform_request('post', _url_for_subscription(user_id), subscription_detail, *args, **kwargs)
+
+def subscribe_user(user_id, followed_user_id, *args, **kwargs):
+    return subscribe(user_id, {'source_type': 'user', 'source_id': followed_user_id})
+
+follow = subscribe_user
+
+def subscribe_thread(user_id, thread_id, *args, **kwargs):
+    return subscribe(user_id, {'source_type': 'thread', 'source_id': thread_id})
+
+def subscribe_commentable(user_id, commentable_id, *args, **kwargs):
+    return subscribe(user_id, {'source_type': 'other', 'source_id': commentable_id})
+
+def unsubscribe(user_id, subscription_detail, *args, **kwargs):
+    return _perform_request('delete', _url_for_subscription(user_id), subscription_detail, *args, **kwargs)
+
+def unsubscribe_user(user_id, followed_user_id, *args, **kwargs):
+    return unsubscribe(user_id, {'source_type': 'user', 'source_id': followed_user_id})
+
+unfollow = unsubscribe_user
+
+def unsubscribe_thread(user_id, thread_id, *args, **kwargs):
+    return unsubscribe(user_id, {'source_type': 'thread', 'source_id': thread_id})
+
+def unsubscribe_commentable(user_id, commentable_id, *args, **kwargs):
+    return unsubscribe(user_id, {'source_type': 'other', 'source_id': commentable_id})
+
+def _perform_request(method, url, data_or_params=None, *args, **kwargs):
+    if method in ['post', 'put', 'patch']:
+        response = requests.request(method, url, data=data_or_params)
+    else:
+        response = requests.request(method, url, params=data_or_params)
+    if 200 < response.status_code < 500:
+        raise CommentClientError(response.text)
+    elif response.status_code == 500:
+        raise CommentClientUnknownError(response.text)
+    else:
+        if kwargs.get("raw", False):
+            return response.text
+        else:
+            return json.loads(response.text)
+
+def _url_for_threads(commentable_id):
+    return "{prefix}/{commentable_id}/threads".format(prefix=PREFIX, commentable_id=commentable_id)
+
+def _url_for_thread(thread_id):
+    return "{prefix}/threads/{thread_id}".format(prefix=PREFIX, thread_id=thread_id)
+
+def _url_for_thread_comments(thread_id):
+    return "{prefix}/threads/{thread_id}/comments".format(prefix=PREFIX, thread_id=thread_id)
+
+def _url_for_comment(comment_id):
+    return "{prefix}/comments/{comment_id}".format(prefix=PREFIX, comment_id=comment_id)
+
+def _url_for_vote_comment(comment_id):
+    return "{prefix}/comments/{comment_id}/votes".format(prefix=PREFIX, comment_id=comment_id)
+
+def _url_for_vote_thread(thread_id):
+    return "{prefix}/threads/{thread_id}/votes".format(prefix=PREFIX, thread_id=thread_id)
+
+def _url_for_notifications(user_id):
+    return "{prefix}/users/{user_id}/notifications".format(prefix=PREFIX, user_id=user_id)
+
+def _url_for_subscription(user_id):
+    return "{prefix}/users/{user_id}/subscriptions".format(prefix=PREFIX, user_id=user_id)
+
+def _url_for_user(user_id):
+    return "{prefix}/users/{user_id}".format(prefix=PREFIX, user_id=user_id)
+
+def _url_for_search_threads():
+    return "{prefix}/search/threads".format(prefix=PREFIX)
+
+def _url_for_search_similar_threads():
+    return "{prefix}/search/threads/more_like_this".format(prefix=PREFIX)
+
+def _url_for_search_recent_active_threads():
+    return "{prefix}/search/threads/recent_active".format(prefix=PREFIX)
+
+def _url_for_search_trending_tags():
+    return "{prefix}/search/tags/trending".format(prefix=PREFIX)
+
+def _url_for_threads_tags():
+    return "{prefix}/threads/tags".format(prefix=PREFIX)
+
+def _url_for_threads_tags_autocomplete():
+    return "{prefix}/threads/tags/autocomplete".format(prefix=PREFIX)
+
+def _url_for_users():
+    return "{prefix}/users".format(prefix=PREFIX)
+
diff --git a/lms/lib/comment_client/models.py b/lms/lib/comment_client/models.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..905f244783
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/lib/comment_client/models.py
@@ -0,0 +1,127 @@
+from utils import *
+
+class Model(object):
+
+    accessible_fields = ['id']
+    updatable_fields = ['id']
+    initializable_fields = ['id']
+    base_url = None
+    default_retrieve_params = {}
+
+    DEFAULT_ACTIONS_WITH_ID = ['get', 'put', 'delete']
+    DEFAULT_ACTIONS_WITHOUT_ID = ['get_all', 'post']
+    DEFAULT_ACTIONS = DEFAULT_ACTIONS_WITH_ID + DEFAULT_ACTIONS_WITHOUT_ID
+
+    def __init__(self, *args, **kwargs):
+        self.attributes = extract(kwargs, self.accessible_fields)
+        self.retrieved = False
+
+    def __getattr__(self, name):
+        if name == 'id':
+            return self.attributes.get('id', None)
+        try:
+            return self.attributes[name]
+        except KeyError:
+            if self.retrieved or self.id == None:
+                raise AttributeError("Field {0} does not exist".format(name))
+            self.retrieve()
+            return self.__getattr__(name)
+    
+    def __setattr__(self, name, value):
+        if name == 'attributes' or name not in self.accessible_fields:
+            super(Model, self).__setattr__(name, value)
+        else:
+            self.attributes[name] = value
+
+    def __getitem__(self, key):
+        if key not in self.accessible_fields:
+            raise KeyError("Field {0} does not exist".format(key))
+        return self.attributes.get(key)
+
+    def __setitem__(self, key, value):
+        if key not in self.accessible_fields:
+            raise KeyError("Field {0} does not exist".format(key))
+        self.attributes.__setitem__(key, value)
+
+    def get(self, *args, **kwargs):
+        return self.attributes.get(*args, **kwargs)
+
+    def to_dict(self):
+        self.retrieve()
+        return self.attributes
+
+    def retrieve(self, *args, **kwargs):
+        if not self.retrieved:
+            self._retrieve(*args, **kwargs)
+            self.retrieved = True
+        return self
+
+    def _retrieve(self, *args, **kwargs):
+        url = self.url(action='get', params=self.attributes)
+        response = perform_request('get', url, self.default_retrieve_params)
+        self.update_attributes(**response)
+
+    @classmethod
+    def find(cls, id):
+        return cls(id=id)
+
+    def update_attributes(self, *args, **kwargs):
+        for k, v in kwargs.items():
+            if k in self.accessible_fields:
+                self.__setattr__(k, v)
+            else:
+                raise AttributeError("Field {0} does not exist".format(k))
+
+    def updatable_attributes(self):
+        return extract(self.attributes, self.updatable_fields)
+
+    def initializable_attributes(self):
+        return extract(self.attributes, self.initializable_fields)
+        
+    @classmethod
+    def before_save(cls, instance):
+        pass
+
+    @classmethod
+    def after_save(cls, instance):
+        pass
+
+    def save(self):
+        self.__class__.before_save(self)
+        if self.id: # if we have id already, treat this as an update
+            url = self.url(action='put', params=self.attributes)
+            response = perform_request('put', url, self.updatable_attributes())
+        else: # otherwise, treat this as an insert
+            url = self.url(action='post', params=self.attributes)
+            response = perform_request('post', url, self.initializable_attributes())
+        self.retrieved = True
+        self.update_attributes(**response)
+        self.__class__.after_save(self)
+
+    def delete(self):
+        url = self.url(action='delete', params=self.attributes)
+        response = perform_request('delete', url)
+        self.retrieved = True
+        self.update_attributes(**response)
+
+    @classmethod
+    def url_with_id(cls, params={}):
+        return cls.base_url + '/' + str(params['id'])
+
+    @classmethod
+    def url_without_id(cls, params={}):
+        return cls.base_url
+
+    @classmethod
+    def url(cls, action, params={}):
+        if cls.base_url is None:
+            raise CommentClientError("Must provide base_url when using default url function")
+        if action not in cls.DEFAULT_ACTIONS:
+            raise ValueError("Invalid action {0}. The supported action must be in {1}".format(action, str(cls.DEFAULT_ACTIONS)))
+        elif action in cls.DEFAULT_ACTIONS_WITH_ID:
+            try:
+                return cls.url_with_id(params)
+            except KeyError:
+                raise CommentClientError("Cannot perform action {0} without id".format(action))
+        else: # action must be in DEFAULT_ACTIONS_WITHOUT_ID now
+            return cls.url_without_id()
diff --git a/lms/lib/comment_client/requirements.txt b/lms/lib/comment_client/requirements.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f2293605cf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/lib/comment_client/requirements.txt
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+requests
diff --git a/lms/lib/comment_client/settings.py b/lms/lib/comment_client/settings.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..75a107d0c9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/lib/comment_client/settings.py
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+from django.conf import settings
+
+if hasattr(settings, "COMMENTS_SERVICE_URL"):
+    SERVICE_HOST = settings.COMMENTS_SERVICE_URL
+else:
+    SERVICE_HOST = 'http://localhost:4567'
+
+PREFIX = SERVICE_HOST + '/api/v1'
+
+API_KEY = "PUT_YOUR_API_KEY_HERE"
diff --git a/lms/lib/comment_client/thread.py b/lms/lib/comment_client/thread.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c203e22d22
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/lib/comment_client/thread.py
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+from utils import *
+
+import models
+import settings
+
+class Thread(models.Model):
+
+    accessible_fields = [
+        'id', 'title', 'body', 'anonymous',
+        'course_id', 'closed', 'tags', 'votes',
+        'commentable_id', 'username', 'user_id',
+        'created_at', 'updated_at', 'comments_count',
+        'at_position_list', 'children', 'type',
+    ]
+
+    updatable_fields = [
+        'title', 'body', 'anonymous', 'course_id', 
+        'closed', 'tags', 'user_id', 'commentable_id',
+    ]
+
+    initializable_fields = updatable_fields
+
+    base_url = "{prefix}/threads".format(prefix=settings.PREFIX)
+    default_retrieve_params = {'recursive': False}
+    type = 'thread'
+
+    @classmethod
+    def search(cls, query_params, *args, **kwargs):
+        default_params = {'page': 1,
+                          'per_page': 20,
+                          'course_id': query_params['course_id'],
+                          'recursive': False}
+        params = merge_dict(default_params, strip_blank(strip_none(query_params)))
+        if query_params.get('text') or query_params.get('tags'):
+            url = cls.url(action='search')
+        else:
+            url = cls.url(action='get_all', params=extract(params, 'commentable_id'))
+            if params.get('commentable_id'):
+                del params['commentable_id']
+        response = perform_request('get', url, params, *args, **kwargs)
+        return response.get('collection', []), response.get('page', 1), response.get('num_pages', 1)
+        
+    @classmethod
+    def url_for_threads(cls, params={}):
+        if params.get('commentable_id'):
+            return "{prefix}/{commentable_id}/threads".format(prefix=settings.PREFIX, commentable_id=params['commentable_id'])
+        else:
+            return "{prefix}/threads".format(prefix=settings.PREFIX)
+
+    @classmethod
+    def url_for_search_threads(cls, params={}):
+        return "{prefix}/search/threads".format(prefix=settings.PREFIX)
+
+    @classmethod
+    def url(cls, action, params={}):
+        if action in ['get_all', 'post']:
+            return cls.url_for_threads(params)
+        elif action == 'search':
+            return cls.url_for_search_threads(params)
+        else:
+            return super(Thread, cls).url(action, params)
+
+    def _retrieve(self, *args, **kwargs):
+        url = self.url(action='get', params=self.attributes)
+        response = perform_request('get', url, {'recursive': kwargs.get('recursive')})
+        self.update_attributes(**response)
diff --git a/lms/lib/comment_client/user.py b/lms/lib/comment_client/user.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ae4abf91b7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/lib/comment_client/user.py
@@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
+from utils import *
+
+import models
+import settings
+
+class User(models.Model):
+
+    accessible_fields = ['username', 'email', 'follower_ids', 'upvoted_ids', 'downvoted_ids',
+                         'id', 'external_id', 'subscribed_user_ids', 'children', 'course_id',
+                         'subscribed_thread_ids', 'subscribed_commentable_ids',
+                         'threads_count', 'comments_count',
+                        ]
+
+    updatable_fields = ['username', 'external_id', 'email']
+    initializable_fields = updatable_fields
+
+    base_url = "{prefix}/users".format(prefix=settings.PREFIX)
+    default_retrieve_params = {'complete': True}
+    type = 'user'
+
+    @classmethod
+    def from_django_user(cls, user):
+        return cls(id=str(user.id),
+                   external_id=str(user.id),
+                   username=user.username,
+                   email=user.email)
+
+    def follow(self, source):
+        params = {'source_type': source.type, 'source_id': source.id}
+        response = perform_request('post', _url_for_subscription(self.id), params)
+
+    def unfollow(self, source):
+        params = {'source_type': source.type, 'source_id': source.id}
+        response = perform_request('delete', _url_for_subscription(self.id), params)
+
+    def vote(self, voteable, value):
+        if voteable.type == 'thread':
+            url = _url_for_vote_thread(voteable.id)
+        elif voteable.type == 'comment':
+            url = _url_for_vote_comment(voteable.id)
+        else:
+            raise CommentClientError("Can only vote / unvote for threads or comments")
+        params = {'user_id': self.id, 'value': value}
+        request = perform_request('put', url, params)
+        voteable.update_attributes(request)
+
+    def unvote(self, voteable):
+        if voteable.type == 'thread':
+            url = _url_for_vote_thread(voteable.id)
+        elif voteable.type == 'comment':
+            url = _url_for_vote_comment(voteable.id)
+        else:
+            raise CommentClientError("Can only vote / unvote for threads or comments")
+        params = {'user_id': self.id}
+        request = perform_request('delete', url, params)
+        voteable.update_attributes(request)
+
+    def active_threads(self, query_params={}):
+        if not self.course_id:
+            raise CommentClientError("Must provide course_id when retrieving active threads for the user")
+        url = _url_for_user_active_threads(self.id)
+        params = {'course_id': self.course_id}
+        params = merge_dict(params, query_params)
+        response = perform_request('get', url, params)
+        return response.get('collection', []), response.get('page', 1), response.get('num_pages', 1)
+
+    def _retrieve(self, *args, **kwargs):
+        url = self.url(action='get', params=self.attributes)
+        retrieve_params = self.default_retrieve_params
+        if self.attributes.get('course_id'):
+            retrieve_params['course_id'] = self.course_id
+        response = perform_request('get', url, retrieve_params)
+        self.update_attributes(**response)
+
+def _url_for_vote_comment(comment_id):
+    return "{prefix}/comments/{comment_id}/votes".format(prefix=settings.PREFIX, comment_id=comment_id)
+
+def _url_for_vote_thread(thread_id):
+    return "{prefix}/threads/{thread_id}/votes".format(prefix=settings.PREFIX, thread_id=thread_id)
+
+def _url_for_subscription(user_id):
+    return "{prefix}/users/{user_id}/subscriptions".format(prefix=settings.PREFIX, user_id=user_id)
+
+def _url_for_user_active_threads(user_id):
+    return "{prefix}/users/{user_id}/active_threads".format(prefix=settings.PREFIX, user_id=user_id)
diff --git a/lms/lib/comment_client/utils.py b/lms/lib/comment_client/utils.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4e8beec079
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/lib/comment_client/utils.py
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+import requests
+import json
+import settings
+
+def strip_none(dic):
+    return dict([(k, v) for k, v in dic.iteritems() if v is not None])
+
+def strip_blank(dic):
+    def _is_blank(v):
+        return isinstance(v, str) and len(v.strip()) == 0
+    return dict([(k, v) for k, v in dic.iteritems() if not _is_blank(v)])
+
+def extract(dic, keys):
+    if isinstance(keys, str):
+        return strip_none({keys: dic.get(keys)})
+    else:
+        return strip_none({k: dic.get(k) for k in keys})
+
+def merge_dict(dic1, dic2):
+    return dict(dic1.items() + dic2.items())
+    
+def perform_request(method, url, data_or_params=None, *args, **kwargs):
+    data_or_params['api_key'] = settings.API_KEY
+    if method in ['post', 'put', 'patch']:
+        response = requests.request(method, url, data=data_or_params)
+    else:
+        response = requests.request(method, url, params=data_or_params)
+    if 200 < response.status_code < 500:
+        raise CommentClientError(response.text)
+    elif response.status_code == 500:
+        raise CommentClientUnknownError(response.text)
+    else:
+        if kwargs.get("raw", False):
+            return response.text
+        else:
+            return json.loads(response.text)
+
+class CommentClientError(Exception):
+    def __init__(self, msg):
+        self.message = msg
+
+    def __str__(self):
+        return repr(self.message)
+
+class CommentClientUnknownError(CommentClientError):
+    pass
diff --git a/lms/lib/dogfood/views.py b/lms/lib/dogfood/views.py
index 7a0e03436d..6df881df98 100644
--- a/lms/lib/dogfood/views.py
+++ b/lms/lib/dogfood/views.py
@@ -24,7 +24,6 @@ from mitxmako.shortcuts import render_to_response, render_to_string
 import track.views
 from lxml import etree
 
-
 from courseware.module_render import make_track_function, ModuleSystem, get_module
 from courseware.models import StudentModule
 from multicourse import multicourse_settings
diff --git a/lms/static/coffee/src/customwmd.coffee b/lms/static/coffee/src/customwmd.coffee
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..74be7ddbfe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/static/coffee/src/customwmd.coffee
@@ -0,0 +1,181 @@
+# Mostly adapted from math.stackexchange.com: http://cdn.sstatic.net/js/mathjax-editing-new.js
+
+$ ->
+
+  if not MathJax?
+    return
+
+  HUB = MathJax.Hub
+
+  class MathJaxProcessor
+
+    MATHSPLIT = /// (
+      \$\$?                          # normal inline or display delimiter
+      | \\(?:begin|end)\{[a-z]*\*?\} # \begin{} \end{} style
+      | \\[\\{}$]
+      | [{}]
+      | (?:\n\s*)+                   # only treat as math when there's single new line
+      | @@\d+@@                      # delimiter similar to the one used internally
+    ) ///i
+
+    CODESPAN = ///
+      (^|[^\\])       # match beginning or any previous character other than escape delimiter ('/')
+      (`+)            # code span starts
+      ([^\n]*?[^`\n]) # code content
+      \2              # code span ends
+      (?!`)
+    ///gm
+
+    constructor: (inlineMark, displayMark) ->
+      @inlineMark = inlineMark || "$"
+      @displayMark = displayMark || "$$"
+      @math = null
+      @blocks = null
+
+    processMath: (start, last, preProcess) ->
+      block = @blocks.slice(start, last + 1).join("").replace(/&/g, "&amp;")
+                                                    .replace(/</g, "&lt;")
+                                                    .replace(/>/g, "&gt;")
+      if HUB.Browser.isMSIE
+        block = block.replace /(%[^\n]*)\n/g, "$1<br/>\n"
+      @blocks[i] = "" for i in [start+1..last]
+      @blocks[start] = "@@#{@math.length}@@"
+      block = preProcess(block) if preProcess
+      @math.push block
+
+    removeMath: (text) ->
+
+      @math = []
+      start = end = last = null
+      braces = 0
+
+      hasCodeSpans = /`/.test text
+      if hasCodeSpans
+        text = text.replace(/~/g, "~T").replace CODESPAN, ($0) -> # replace dollar sign in code span temporarily
+          $0.replace /\$/g, "~D"
+        deTilde = (text) ->
+          text.replace /~([TD])/g, ($0, $1) ->
+            {T: "~", D: "$"}[$1]
+      else
+        deTilde = (text) -> text
+
+      @blocks = _split(text.replace(/\r\n?/g, "\n"), MATHSPLIT)
+
+      for current in [1...@blocks.length] by 2
+        block = @blocks[current]
+        if block.charAt(0) == "@"
+          @blocks[current] = "@@#{@math.length}@@"
+          @math.push block
+        else if start
+          if block == end
+            if braces
+              last = current
+            else
+              @processMath(start, current, deTilde)
+              start = end = last = null
+          else if block.match /\n.*\n/
+            if last
+              current = last
+              @processMath(start, current, deTilde)
+            start = end = last = null
+            braces = 0
+          else if block == "{"
+            ++braces
+          else if block == "}" and braces
+            --braces
+        else
+          if block == @inlineMark or block == @displayMark
+            start = current
+            end = block
+            braces = 0
+          else if block.substr(1, 5) == "begin"
+            start = current
+            end = "\\end" + block.substr(6)
+            braces = 0
+
+      if last
+        @processMath(start, last, deTilde)
+        start = end = last = null
+
+      deTilde(@blocks.join(""))
+
+    @removeMathWrapper: (_this) ->
+      (text) -> _this.removeMath(text)
+
+    replaceMath: (text) ->
+      text = text.replace /@@(\d+)@@/g, ($0, $1) => @math[$1]
+      @math = null
+      text
+
+    @replaceMathWrapper: (_this) ->
+      (text) -> _this.replaceMath(text)
+
+  if Markdown?
+    
+    Markdown.getMathCompatibleConverter = (postProcessor) ->
+      postProcessor ||= ((text) -> text)
+      converter = Markdown.getSanitizingConverter()
+      processor = new MathJaxProcessor()
+      converter.hooks.chain "preConversion", MathJaxProcessor.removeMathWrapper(processor)
+      converter.hooks.chain "postConversion", (text) ->
+        postProcessor(MathJaxProcessor.replaceMathWrapper(processor)(text))
+      converter
+
+    Markdown.makeWmdEditor = (elem, appended_id, imageUploadUrl, postProcessor) ->
+      $elem = $(elem)
+
+      if not $elem.length
+        console.log "warning: elem for makeWmdEditor doesn't exist"
+        return
+
+      if not $elem.find(".wmd-panel").length
+        initialText = $elem.html()
+        $elem.empty()
+        _append = appended_id || ""
+        $wmdPanel = $("<div>").addClass("wmd-panel")
+                   .append($("<div>").attr("id", "wmd-button-bar#{_append}"))
+                   .append($("<textarea>").addClass("wmd-input").attr("id", "wmd-input#{_append}").html(initialText))
+                   .append($("<div>").attr("id", "wmd-preview#{_append}").addClass("wmd-panel wmd-preview"))
+        $elem.append($wmdPanel)
+
+      converter = Markdown.getMathCompatibleConverter(postProcessor)
+
+      ajaxFileUpload = (imageUploadUrl, input, startUploadHandler) ->
+        $("#loading").ajaxStart(-> $(this).show()).ajaxComplete(-> $(this).hide())
+        $("#upload").ajaxStart(-> $(this).hide()).ajaxComplete(-> $(this).show())
+        $.ajaxFileUpload
+          url: imageUploadUrl
+          secureuri: false
+          fileElementId: 'file-upload'
+          dataType: 'json'
+          success: (data, status) ->
+            fileURL = data['result']['file_url']
+            error = data['result']['error']
+            if error != ''
+              alert error
+              if startUploadHandler
+                $('#file-upload').unbind('change').change(startUploadHandler)
+              console.log error
+            else
+              $(input).attr('value', fileURL)
+          error: (data, status, e) ->
+            alert(e)
+            if startUploadHandler
+              $('#file-upload').unbind('change').change(startUploadHandler)
+              
+      imageUploadHandler = (elem, input) ->
+        ajaxFileUpload(imageUploadUrl, input, imageUploadHandler)
+
+      editor = new Markdown.Editor(
+        converter,
+        appended_id, # idPostfix
+        null, # help handler
+        imageUploadHandler
+      )
+      delayRenderer = new MathJaxDelayRenderer()
+      editor.hooks.chain "onPreviewPush", (text, previewSet) ->
+        delayRenderer.render
+          text: text
+          previewSetter: previewSet
+      editor.run()
+      editor
diff --git a/lms/static/coffee/src/discussion/content.coffee b/lms/static/coffee/src/discussion/content.coffee
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..7ae24bd68a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/static/coffee/src/discussion/content.coffee
@@ -0,0 +1,411 @@
+if not @Discussion?
+  @Discussion = {}
+
+Discussion = @Discussion
+
+initializeVote = (content) ->
+  $content = $(content)
+  $local = Discussion.generateLocal($content.children(".discussion-content"))
+  id = $content.attr("_id")
+  if Discussion.isUpvoted id
+    $local(".discussion-vote-up").addClass("voted")
+  else if Discussion.isDownvoted id
+    $local(".discussion-vote-down").addClass("voted")
+
+initializeFollowThread = (thread) ->
+  $thread = $(thread)
+  id = $thread.attr("_id")
+  $thread.children(".discussion-content")
+         .find(".follow-wrapper")
+         .append(Discussion.subscriptionLink('thread', id))
+
+@Discussion = $.extend @Discussion,
+
+  bindContentEvents: (content) ->
+
+    $content = $(content)
+    $discussionContent = $content.children(".discussion-content")
+    $local = Discussion.generateLocal($discussionContent)
+
+    id = $content.attr("_id")
+
+    handleReply = (elem) ->
+      $replyView = $local(".discussion-reply-new")
+      if $replyView.length
+        $replyView.show()
+      else
+        thread_id = $discussionContent.parents(".thread").attr("_id")
+        view =
+          id: id
+          showWatchCheckbox: not Discussion.isSubscribed(thread_id, "thread")
+        $discussionContent.append Mustache.render Discussion.replyTemplate, view
+        Discussion.makeWmdEditor $content, $local, "reply-body"
+        $local(".discussion-submit-post").click -> handleSubmitReply(this)
+        $local(".discussion-cancel-post").click -> handleCancelReply(this)
+      $local(".discussion-reply").hide()
+      $local(".discussion-edit").hide()
+
+    handleCancelReply = (elem) ->
+      $replyView = $local(".discussion-reply-new")
+      if $replyView.length
+        $replyView.hide()
+      $local(".discussion-reply").show()
+      $local(".discussion-edit").show()
+
+    handleSubmitReply = (elem) ->
+      if $content.hasClass("thread")
+        url = Discussion.urlFor('create_comment', id)
+      else if $content.hasClass("comment")
+        url = Discussion.urlFor('create_sub_comment', id)
+      else
+        return
+
+      body = Discussion.getWmdContent $content, $local, "reply-body"
+
+      anonymous = false || $local(".discussion-post-anonymously").is(":checked")
+      autowatch = false || $local(".discussion-auto-watch").is(":checked")
+
+      Discussion.safeAjax
+        $elem: $(elem)
+        url: url
+        type: "POST"
+        dataType: 'json'
+        data:
+          body: body
+          anonymous: anonymous
+          autowatch: autowatch
+        error: Discussion.formErrorHandler($local(".discussion-errors"))
+        success: (response, textStatus) ->
+          Discussion.clearFormErrors($local(".discussion-errors"))
+          $comment = $(response.html)
+          $content.children(".comments").prepend($comment)
+          Discussion.setWmdContent $content, $local, "reply-body", ""
+          Discussion.setContentInfo response.content['id'], 'can_reply', true
+          Discussion.setContentInfo response.content['id'], 'editable', true
+          Discussion.extendContentInfo response.content['id'], response['annotated_content_info']
+          Discussion.initializeContent($comment)
+          Discussion.bindContentEvents($comment)
+          $local(".discussion-reply-new").hide()
+          $local(".discussion-reply").show()
+          $local(".discussion-edit").show()
+          $discussionContent.attr("status", "normal")
+
+    handleVote = (elem, value) ->
+      contentType = if $content.hasClass("thread") then "thread" else "comment"
+      url = Discussion.urlFor("#{value}vote_#{contentType}", id)
+      Discussion.safeAjax
+        $elem: $local(".discussion-vote")
+        url: url
+        type: "POST"
+        dataType: "json"
+        success: (response, textStatus) ->
+          if textStatus == "success"
+            $local(".discussion-vote").removeClass("voted")
+            $local(".discussion-vote-#{value}").addClass("voted")
+            $local(".discussion-votes-point").html response.votes.point
+
+    handleUnvote = (elem, value) ->
+      contentType = if $content.hasClass("thread") then "thread" else "comment"
+      url = Discussion.urlFor("undo_vote_for_#{contentType}", id)
+      Discussion.safeAjax
+        $elem: $local(".discussion-vote")
+        url: url
+        type: "POST"
+        dataType: "json"
+        success: (response, textStatus) ->
+          if textStatus == "success"
+            $local(".discussion-vote").removeClass("voted")
+            $local(".discussion-votes-point").html response.votes.point
+
+    handleCancelEdit = (elem) ->
+      $local(".discussion-content-edit").hide()
+      $local(".discussion-content-wrapper").show()
+
+    handleEditThread = (elem) ->
+      $local(".discussion-content-wrapper").hide()
+      $editView = $local(".discussion-content-edit")
+      if $editView.length
+        $editView.show()
+      else
+        view = {
+          id: id
+          title: $local(".thread-raw-title").html()
+          body: $local(".thread-raw-body").html()
+          tags: $local(".thread-raw-tags").html()
+        }
+        $discussionContent.append Mustache.render Discussion.editThreadTemplate, view
+        Discussion.makeWmdEditor $content, $local, "thread-body-edit"
+        $local(".thread-tags-edit").tagsInput Discussion.tagsInputOptions()
+        $local(".discussion-submit-update").unbind("click").click -> handleSubmitEditThread(this)
+        $local(".discussion-cancel-update").unbind("click").click -> handleCancelEdit(this)
+
+    handleSubmitEditThread = (elem) ->
+      url = Discussion.urlFor('update_thread', id)
+      title = $local(".thread-title-edit").val()
+      body = Discussion.getWmdContent $content, $local, "thread-body-edit"
+      tags = $local(".thread-tags-edit").val()
+      Discussion.safeAjax
+        $elem: $(elem)
+        url: url
+        type: "POST"
+        dataType: 'json'
+        data: {title: title, body: body, tags: tags},
+        error: Discussion.formErrorHandler($local(".discussion-update-errors"))
+        success: (response, textStatus) ->
+          Discussion.clearFormErrors($local(".discussion-update-errors"))
+          $discussionContent.replaceWith(response.html)
+          Discussion.extendContentInfo response.content['id'], response['annotated_content_info']
+          Discussion.initializeContent($content)
+          Discussion.bindContentEvents($content)
+
+    handleEditComment = (elem) ->
+      $local(".discussion-content-wrapper").hide()
+      $editView = $local(".discussion-content-edit")
+      if $editView.length
+        $editView.show()
+      else
+        view = { id: id, body: $local(".comment-raw-body").html() }
+        $discussionContent.append Mustache.render Discussion.editCommentTemplate, view
+        Discussion.makeWmdEditor $content, $local, "comment-body-edit"
+        $local(".discussion-submit-update").unbind("click").click -> handleSubmitEditComment(this)
+        $local(".discussion-cancel-update").unbind("click").click -> handleCancelEdit(this)
+
+    handleSubmitEditComment= (elem) ->
+      url = Discussion.urlFor('update_comment', id)
+      body = Discussion.getWmdContent $content, $local, "comment-body-edit"
+      Discussion.safeAjax
+        $elem: $(elem)
+        url: url
+        type: "POST"
+        dataType: "json"
+        data: {body: body}
+        error: Discussion.formErrorHandler($local(".discussion-update-errors"))
+        success: (response, textStatus) ->
+          Discussion.clearFormErrors($local(".discussion-update-errors"))
+          $discussionContent.replaceWith(response.html)
+          Discussion.extendContentInfo response.content['id'], response['annotated_content_info']
+          Discussion.initializeContent($content)
+          Discussion.bindContentEvents($content)
+
+    handleEndorse = (elem, endorsed) ->
+      url = Discussion.urlFor('endorse_comment', id)
+      Discussion.safeAjax
+        $elem: $(elem)
+        url: url
+        type: "POST"
+        dataType: "json"
+        data: {endorsed: endorsed}
+        success: (response, textStatus) ->
+          if textStatus == "success"
+            if endorsed
+              $(content).addClass("endorsed")
+            else
+              $(content).removeClass("endorsed")
+
+            $(elem).unbind('click').click ->
+              handleEndorse(elem, !endorsed)
+
+    handleOpenClose = (elem, text) ->
+      url = Discussion.urlFor('openclose_thread', id)
+      closed = undefined
+      if text.match(/Close/)
+        closed = true
+      else if text.match(/[Oo]pen/)
+        closed = false
+      else
+        console.log "Unexpected text " + text + "for open/close thread."
+
+      Discussion.safeAjax
+        $elem: $(elem)
+        url: url
+        type: "POST"
+        dataType: "json"
+        data: {closed: closed}
+        success: (response, textStatus) =>
+          if textStatus == "success"
+            if closed
+              $(content).addClass("closed")
+              $(elem).text "Re-open Thread"
+            else
+              $(content).removeClass("closed")
+              $(elem).text "Close Thread"
+        error: (response, textStatus, e) ->
+          console.log e
+
+    handleDelete = (elem) ->
+      if $content.hasClass("thread")
+        url = Discussion.urlFor('delete_thread', id)
+        c = confirm "Are you sure to delete thread \"" + $content.find("a.thread-title").text() + "\"?"
+      else
+        url = Discussion.urlFor('delete_comment', id)
+        c = confirm "Are you sure to delete this comment? "
+      if c != true
+        return
+      Discussion.safeAjax
+        $elem: $(elem)
+        url: url
+        type: "POST"
+        dataType: "json"
+        data: {}
+        success: (response, textStatus) =>
+          if textStatus == "success"
+            $(content).remove()
+        error: (response, textStatus, e) ->
+          console.log e
+
+    handleHideSingleThread = (elem) ->
+      $threadTitle = $local(".thread-title")
+      $hideComments = $local(".discussion-hide-comments")
+      $hideComments.removeClass("discussion-hide-comments")
+                   .addClass("discussion-show-comments")
+      $content.children(".comments").hide()
+      $threadTitle.unbind('click').click handleShowSingleThread
+      $hideComments.unbind('click').click handleShowSingleThread
+      prevHtml = $hideComments.html()
+      $hideComments.html prevHtml.replace "Hide", "Show"
+
+    handleShowSingleThread = ->
+      $threadTitle = $local(".thread-title")
+      $showComments = $local(".discussion-show-comments")
+
+      if not $showComments.hasClass("first-time") and (not $showComments.length or not $threadTitle.length)
+        return
+
+      rebindHideEvents = ->
+        $threadTitle.unbind('click').click handleHideSingleThread
+        $showComments.unbind('click').click handleHideSingleThread
+        $showComments.removeClass("discussion-show-comments")
+                     .addClass("discussion-hide-comments")
+        prevHtml = $showComments.html()
+        $showComments.html prevHtml.replace "Show", "Hide"
+
+
+      if not $showComments.hasClass("first-time") and $content.children(".comments").length
+        $content.children(".comments").show()
+        rebindHideEvents()
+      else
+        discussion_id = $threadTitle.parents(".discussion").attr("_id")
+        url = Discussion.urlFor('retrieve_single_thread', discussion_id, id)
+        Discussion.safeAjax
+          $elem: $.merge($threadTitle, $showComments)
+          url: url
+          type: "GET"
+          dataType: 'json'
+          success: (response, textStatus) ->
+            Discussion.bulkExtendContentInfo response['annotated_content_info']
+            $content.append(response['html'])
+            $content.find(".comment").each (index, comment) ->
+              Discussion.initializeContent(comment)
+              Discussion.bindContentEvents(comment)
+            $showComments.removeClass("first-time")
+            rebindHideEvents()
+      
+    Discussion.bindLocalEvents $local,
+
+      "click .thread-title": ->
+        handleShowSingleThread(this)
+
+      "click .discussion-show-comments": ->
+        handleShowSingleThread(this)
+
+      "click .discussion-hide-comments": ->
+        handleHideSingleThread(this)
+
+      "click .discussion-reply-thread": ->
+        handleShowSingleThread($local(".thread-title"))
+        handleReply(this)
+
+      "click .discussion-reply-comment": ->
+        handleReply(this)
+
+      "click .discussion-cancel-reply": ->
+        handleCancelReply(this)
+
+      "click .discussion-vote-up": ->
+        $elem = $(this)
+        if $elem.hasClass("voted")
+          handleUnvote($elem)
+        else
+          handleVote($elem, "up")
+
+      "click .discussion-vote-down": ->
+        $elem = $(this)
+        if $elem.hasClass("voted")
+          handleUnvote($elem)
+        else
+          handleVote($elem, "down")
+
+      "click .admin-endorse": ->
+        handleEndorse(this, not $content.hasClass("endorsed"))
+
+      "click .admin-openclose": ->
+        handleOpenClose(this, $(this).text())
+
+      "click .admin-edit": ->
+        if $content.hasClass("thread")
+          handleEditThread(this)
+        else
+          handleEditComment(this)
+
+      "click .admin-delete": ->
+        handleDelete(this)
+
+  initializeContent: (content) ->
+
+    unescapeHighlightTag = (text) ->
+      text.replace(/\&lt\;highlight\&gt\;/g, "<span class='search-highlight'>")
+          .replace(/\&lt\;\/highlight\&gt\;/g, "</span>")
+
+    stripHighlight = (text, type) ->
+      text.replace(/\&(amp\;)?lt\;highlight\&(amp\;)?gt\;/g, "")
+          .replace(/\&(amp\;)?lt\;\/highlight\&(amp\;)?gt\;/g, "")
+
+
+    stripLatexHighlight = (text) ->
+      Discussion.processEachMathAndCode text, stripHighlight
+
+    markdownWithHighlight = (text) ->
+      converter = Markdown.getMathCompatibleConverter()
+      unescapeHighlightTag stripLatexHighlight converter.makeHtml text
+
+    $content = $(content)
+    initializeVote $content
+    if $content.hasClass("thread")
+      initializeFollowThread $content
+    $local = Discussion.generateLocal($content.children(".discussion-content"))
+
+    $local("span.timeago").timeago()
+
+    $contentTitle = $local(".thread-title")
+
+    if $contentTitle.length
+      $contentTitle.html unescapeHighlightTag stripLatexHighlight $contentTitle.html()
+
+    $contentBody = $local(".content-body")
+
+    $contentBody.html Discussion.postMathJaxProcessor markdownWithHighlight $contentBody.html()
+
+    MathJax.Hub.Queue ["Typeset", MathJax.Hub, $contentBody.attr("id")]
+    id = $content.attr("_id")
+
+    if $content.hasClass("thread")
+      discussion_id = $content.attr("_discussion_id")
+      permalink = Discussion.urlFor("permanent_link_thread", discussion_id, id)
+    else
+      thread_id = $content.parents(".thread").attr("_id")
+      discussion_id = $content.parents(".thread").attr("_discussion_id")
+      permalink = Discussion.urlFor("permanent_link_comment", discussion_id, thread_id, id)
+    $local(".discussion-permanent-link").attr "href", permalink
+
+    if not Discussion.getContentInfo id, 'editable'
+      $local(".admin-edit").remove()
+    if not Discussion.getContentInfo id, 'can_reply'
+      $local(".discussion-reply").remove()
+    if not Discussion.getContentInfo id, 'can_endorse'
+      $local(".admin-endorse").remove()
+    if not Discussion.getContentInfo id, 'can_delete'
+      $local(".admin-delete").remove()
+    if not Discussion.getContentInfo id, 'can_openclose'
+      $local(".admin-openclose").remove()
+    #if not Discussion.getContentInfo id, 'can_vote'
+    #  $local(".discussion-vote").css "visibility", "hidden"
diff --git a/lms/static/coffee/src/discussion/discussion.coffee b/lms/static/coffee/src/discussion/discussion.coffee
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8e98ac3110
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/static/coffee/src/discussion/discussion.coffee
@@ -0,0 +1,190 @@
+if not @Discussion?
+  @Discussion = {}
+
+Discussion = @Discussion
+
+initializeFollowDiscussion = (discussion) ->
+  $discussion = $(discussion)
+  id = $following.attr("_id")
+  $local = Discussion.generateLocal()
+  $discussion.children(".discussion-non-content")
+             .find(".discussion-title-wrapper")
+             .append(Discussion.subscriptionLink('discussion', id))
+
+@Discussion = $.extend @Discussion,
+
+  initializeDiscussion: (discussion) ->
+    $discussion = $(discussion)
+    $discussion.find(".thread").each (index, thread) ->
+      Discussion.initializeContent(thread)
+      Discussion.bindContentEvents(thread)
+    $discussion.find(".comment").each (index, comment) ->
+      Discussion.initializeContent(comment)
+      Discussion.bindContentEvents(comment)
+
+    #initializeFollowDiscussion(discussion) TODO move this somewhere else
+
+  bindDiscussionEvents: (discussion) ->
+
+    $discussion = $(discussion)
+    $discussionNonContent = $discussion.children(".discussion-non-content")
+    $local = Discussion.generateLocal($discussion.children(".discussion-local"))
+
+    id = $discussion.attr("_id")
+
+    handleSubmitNewPost = (elem) ->
+      title = $local(".new-post-title").val()
+      body = Discussion.getWmdContent $discussion, $local, "new-post-body"
+      tags = $local(".new-post-tags").val()
+      url = Discussion.urlFor('create_thread', id)
+      Discussion.safeAjax
+        $elem: $(elem)
+        url: url
+        type: "POST"
+        dataType: 'json'
+        data:
+          title: title
+          body: body
+          tags: tags
+        error: Discussion.formErrorHandler($local(".new-post-form-errors"))
+        success: (response, textStatus) ->
+          Discussion.clearFormErrors($local(".new-post-form-errors"))
+          $thread = $(response.html)
+          $discussion.children(".threads").prepend($thread)
+          $local(".new-post-title").val("")
+          Discussion.setWmdContent $discussion, $local, "new-post-body", ""
+          $local(".new-post-tags").val("")
+          if $discussion.hasClass("inline-discussion")
+            $local(".new-post-form").addClass("collapsed")
+          else if $discussion.hasClass("forum-discussion")
+            $local(".new-post-form").hide()
+
+    handleCancelNewPost = (elem) ->
+      if $discussion.hasClass("inline-discussion")
+        $local(".new-post-form").addClass("collapsed")
+      else if $discussion.hasClass("forum-discussion")
+        $local(".new-post-form").hide()
+
+    handleSimilarPost = (elem) ->
+      $title = $local(".new-post-title")
+      $wrapper = $local(".new-post-similar-posts-wrapper")
+      $similarPosts = $local(".new-post-similar-posts")
+      prevText = $title.attr("prev-text")
+      text = $title.val()
+      if text == prevText
+        if $local(".similar-post").length
+          $wrapper.show()
+      else if $.trim(text).length
+        Discussion.safeAjax
+          $elem: $(elem)
+          url: Discussion.urlFor 'search_similar_threads', id
+          type: "GET"
+          dateType: 'json'
+          data:
+            text: $local(".new-post-title").val()
+          success: (response, textStatus) ->
+            $similarPosts.empty()
+            console.log response
+            if $.type(response) == "array" and response.length
+              $wrapper.show()
+              for thread in response
+                #singleThreadUrl = Discussion.urlFor 'retrieve_single_thread 
+                $similarPost = $("<a>").addClass("similar-post")
+                                       .html(thread["title"])
+                                       .attr("href", "javascript:void(0)") #TODO
+                                       .appendTo($similarPosts)
+            else
+              $wrapper.hide()
+      else
+        $wrapper.hide()
+      $title.attr("prev-text", text)
+
+    initializeNewPost = ->
+      view = { discussion_id: id }
+      $discussionNonContent = $discussion.children(".discussion-non-content")
+
+      if not $local(".wmd-panel").length
+        $discussionNonContent.append Mustache.render Discussion.newPostTemplate, view
+        $newPostBody = $local(".new-post-body")
+        Discussion.makeWmdEditor $discussion, $local, "new-post-body"
+
+        $input = Discussion.getWmdInput($discussion, $local, "new-post-body")
+        $input.attr("placeholder", "post a new topic...")
+        if $discussion.hasClass("inline-discussion")
+          $input.bind 'focus', (e) ->
+            $local(".new-post-form").removeClass('collapsed')
+        else if $discussion.hasClass("forum-discussion")
+          $local(".new-post-form").removeClass('collapsed')
+
+        $local(".new-post-tags").tagsInput Discussion.tagsInputOptions()
+
+        $local(".new-post-title").blur ->
+          handleSimilarPost(this)
+
+        $local(".hide-similar-posts").click ->
+          $local(".new-post-similar-posts-wrapper").hide()
+
+        $local(".discussion-submit-post").click ->
+          handleSubmitNewPost(this)
+        $local(".discussion-cancel-post").click ->
+          handleCancelNewPost(this)
+
+      $local(".new-post-form").show()
+
+    handleAjaxReloadDiscussion = (elem, url) ->
+      if not url then return
+      $elem = $(elem)
+      $discussion = $elem.parents("section.discussion")
+      Discussion.safeAjax
+        $elem: $elem
+        url: url
+        type: "GET"
+        dataType: 'html'
+        success: (data, textStatus) ->
+          $data = $(data)
+          $parent = $discussion.parent()
+          $discussion.replaceWith($data)
+          $discussion = $parent.children(".discussion")
+          Discussion.initializeDiscussion($discussion)
+          Discussion.bindDiscussionEvents($discussion)
+
+    handleAjaxSearch = (elem) ->
+      $elem = $(elem)
+      url = URI($elem.attr("action")).addSearch({text: $local(".search-input").val()})
+      handleAjaxReloadDiscussion($elem, url)
+
+    handleAjaxSort = (elem) ->
+      $elem = $(elem)
+      url = $elem.attr("sort-url")
+      handleAjaxReloadDiscussion($elem, url)
+
+    handleAjaxPage = (elem) ->
+      $elem = $(elem)
+      url = $elem.attr("page-url")
+      handleAjaxReloadDiscussion($elem, url)
+
+    if $discussion.hasClass("inline-discussion")
+      initializeNewPost()
+
+    if $discussion.hasClass("forum-discussion")
+      $discussionSidebar = $(".discussion-sidebar")
+      if $discussionSidebar.length
+        $sidebarLocal = Discussion.generateLocal($discussionSidebar)
+        Discussion.bindLocalEvents $sidebarLocal,
+          "click .sidebar-new-post-button": (event) ->
+            initializeNewPost()
+
+    Discussion.bindLocalEvents $local,
+
+      "submit .search-wrapper>.discussion-search-form": (event) ->
+        event.preventDefault()
+        handleAjaxSearch(this)
+
+      "click .discussion-search-link": ->
+        handleAjaxSearch($local(".search-wrapper>.discussion-search-form"))
+
+      "click .discussion-sort-link": ->
+        handleAjaxSort(this)
+
+    $discussion.children(".discussion-paginator").find(".discussion-page-link").unbind('click').click ->
+      handleAjaxPage(this)
diff --git a/lms/static/coffee/src/discussion/discussion_module.coffee b/lms/static/coffee/src/discussion/discussion_module.coffee
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d449533ba9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/static/coffee/src/discussion/discussion_module.coffee
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+if not @Discussion?
+  @Discussion = {}
+
+Discussion = @Discussion
+
+@Discussion = $.extend @Discussion,
+  initializeDiscussionModule: (elem) ->
+    $discussionModule = $(elem)
+    $local = Discussion.generateLocal($discussionModule)
+    handleShowDiscussion = (elem) ->
+      $elem = $(elem)
+      if not $local("section.discussion").length
+        discussion_id = $elem.attr("discussion_id")
+        url = Discussion.urlFor 'retrieve_discussion', discussion_id
+        Discussion.safeAjax
+          $elem: $elem
+          url: url
+          type: "GET"
+          success: (data, textStatus, xhr) ->
+            $discussionModule.append(data)
+            discussion = $local("section.discussion")
+            Discussion.initializeDiscussion(discussion)
+            Discussion.bindDiscussionEvents(discussion)
+            $elem.html("Hide Discussion")
+            $elem.unbind('click').click ->
+              handleHideDiscussion(this)
+          dataType: 'html'
+      else
+        $local("section.discussion").show()
+        $elem.html("Hide Discussion")
+        $elem.unbind('click').click ->
+          handleHideDiscussion(this)
+
+    handleHideDiscussion = (elem) ->
+      $local("section.discussion").hide()
+      $elem = $(elem)
+      $elem.html("Show Discussion")
+      $elem.unbind('click').click ->
+        handleShowDiscussion(this)
+
+    $local(".discussion-show").click ->
+      handleShowDiscussion(this)
diff --git a/lms/static/coffee/src/discussion/main.coffee b/lms/static/coffee/src/discussion/main.coffee
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..29d809a41b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/static/coffee/src/discussion/main.coffee
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+$ ->
+
+  toggle = ->
+    $('.course-wrapper').toggleClass('closed')
+
+  Discussion = window.Discussion
+  if $('#accordion').length
+    active = $('#accordion ul:has(li.active)').index('#accordion ul')
+    $('#accordion').bind('accordionchange', @log).accordion
+      active: if active >= 0 then active else 1
+      header: 'h3'
+      autoHeight: false
+    $('#open_close_accordion a').click toggle
+    $('#accordion').show()
+
+  $(".discussion-module").each (index, elem) ->
+    Discussion.initializeDiscussionModule(elem)
+
+  $("section.discussion").each (index, discussion) ->
+    Discussion.initializeDiscussion(discussion)
+    Discussion.bindDiscussionEvents(discussion)
+
+  Discussion.initializeUserProfile($(".discussion-sidebar>.user-profile"))
diff --git a/lms/static/coffee/src/discussion/templates.coffee b/lms/static/coffee/src/discussion/templates.coffee
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4d43442a16
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/static/coffee/src/discussion/templates.coffee
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+if not @Discussion?
+  @Discussion = {}
+
+Discussion = @Discussion
+
+
+@Discussion = $.extend @Discussion,
+
+  newPostTemplate: """
+    <form class="new-post-form collapsed" id="new-post-form" style="display: block; ">
+      <ul class="new-post-form-errors discussion-errors"></ul>
+      <input type="text" class="new-post-title title-input" placeholder="Title" />
+      <div class="new-post-similar-posts-wrapper" style="display: none">
+        Similar Posts: 
+        <a class="hide-similar-posts" href="javascript:void(0)">Hide</a>
+        <div class="new-post-similar-posts"></div>
+      </div>
+      <div class="new-post-body reply-body"></div>
+      <input class="new-post-tags" placeholder="Tags" />
+      <div class="post-options">
+        <input type="checkbox" class="discussion-post-anonymously" id="discussion-post-anonymously-${discussion_id}">
+        <label for="discussion-post-anonymously-${discussion_id}">post anonymously</label>
+        <input type="checkbox" class="discussion-auto-watch" id="discussion-autowatch-${discussion_id}" checked="">
+        <label for="discussion-auto-watch-${discussion_id}">follow this thread</label>
+      </div>
+      <div class="new-post-control post-control">        
+        <a class="discussion-cancel-post" href="javascript:void(0)">Cancel</a>
+        <a class="discussion-submit-post control-button" href="javascript:void(0)">Submit</a>
+      </div>
+    </form>
+  """
+
+  replyTemplate: """
+    <form class="discussion-reply-new">
+      <ul class="discussion-errors"></ul>
+      <div class="reply-body"></div>
+      <input type="checkbox" class="discussion-post-anonymously" id="discussion-post-anonymously-{{id}}" />
+      <label for="discussion-post-anonymously-{{id}}">post anonymously</label>
+      {{#showWatchCheckbox}}
+      <input type="checkbox" class="discussion-auto-watch" id="discussion-autowatch-{{id}}" checked />
+      <label for="discussion-auto-watch-{{id}}">follow this thread</label>
+      {{/showWatchCheckbox}}
+      <br />
+      <div class = "reply-post-control">
+        <a class="discussion-cancel-post" href="javascript:void(0)">Cancel</a>
+        <a class="discussion-submit-post control-button" href="javascript:void(0)">Submit</a>
+      </div>
+    </form>
+  """
+
+  editThreadTemplate: """
+    <form class="discussion-content-edit discussion-thread-edit" _id="{{id}}">
+      <ul class="discussion-errors discussion-update-errors"></ul>    
+      <input type="text" class="thread-title-edit title-input" placeholder="Title" value="{{title}}"/>
+      <div class="thread-body-edit body-input">{{body}}</div>
+      <input class="thread-tags-edit" placeholder="Tags" value="{{tags}}" />
+      <div class = "edit-post-control">
+        <a class="discussion-cancel-update" href="javascript:void(0)">Cancel</a>
+        <a class="discussion-submit-update control-button" href="javascript:void(0)">Update</a>
+      </div>
+    </form>
+  """
+
+  editCommentTemplate: """
+    <form class="discussion-content-edit discussion-comment-edit" _id="{{id}}">
+      <ul class="discussion-errors discussion-update-errors"></ul>    
+      <div class="comment-body-edit body-input">{{body}}</div>
+      <div class = "edit-post-control">
+        <a class="discussion-cancel-update" href="javascript:void(0)">Cancel</a>
+        <a class="discussion-submit-update control-button" href="javascript:void(0)">Update</a>
+      </div>
+    </form>
+  """
diff --git a/lms/static/coffee/src/discussion/user_profile.coffee b/lms/static/coffee/src/discussion/user_profile.coffee
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..0cff708ae6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/static/coffee/src/discussion/user_profile.coffee
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+if not @Discussion?
+  @Discussion = {}
+
+Discussion = @Discussion
+
+@Discussion = $.extend @Discussion,
+  initializeUserProfile: ($userProfile) ->
+    $local = Discussion.generateLocal $userProfile
+
+    handleUpdateModeratorStatus = (elem, isModerator) ->
+      confirmValue = confirm("Are you sure?")
+      if not confirmValue then return
+      url = Discussion.urlFor('update_moderator_status', $$profiled_user_id)
+      Discussion.safeAjax
+        $elem: $(elem)
+        url: url
+        type: "POST"
+        dataType: 'json'
+        data:
+          is_moderator: isModerator
+        error: (response, textStatus, e) ->
+          console.log e
+        success: (response, textStatus) ->
+          parent = $userProfile.parent()
+          $userProfile.replaceWith(response.html)
+          Discussion.initializeUserProfile parent.children(".user-profile")
+
+    Discussion.bindLocalEvents $local,
+      "click .sidebar-revoke-moderator-button": (event) ->
+        handleUpdateModeratorStatus(this, false)
+      "click .sidebar-promote-moderator-button": (event) ->
+        handleUpdateModeratorStatus(this, true)
+
+  initializeUserActiveDiscussion: ($discussion) ->
diff --git a/lms/static/coffee/src/discussion/utils.coffee b/lms/static/coffee/src/discussion/utils.coffee
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c034b79675
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/static/coffee/src/discussion/utils.coffee
@@ -0,0 +1,244 @@
+if not @Discussion?
+  @Discussion = {}
+
+Discussion = @Discussion
+
+wmdEditors = {}
+
+@Discussion = $.extend @Discussion,
+
+  generateLocal: (elem) ->
+    (selector) -> $(elem).find(selector)
+
+  generateDiscussionLink: (cls, txt, handler) ->
+    $("<a>").addClass("discussion-link")
+            .attr("href", "javascript:void(0)")
+            .addClass(cls).html(txt)
+            .click -> handler(this)
+    
+  urlFor: (name, param, param1, param2) ->
+    {
+      follow_discussion       : "/courses/#{$$course_id}/discussion/#{param}/follow"
+      unfollow_discussion     : "/courses/#{$$course_id}/discussion/#{param}/unfollow"
+      create_thread           : "/courses/#{$$course_id}/discussion/#{param}/threads/create"
+      search_similar_threads  : "/courses/#{$$course_id}/discussion/#{param}/threads/search_similar"
+      update_thread           : "/courses/#{$$course_id}/discussion/threads/#{param}/update"
+      create_comment          : "/courses/#{$$course_id}/discussion/threads/#{param}/reply"
+      delete_thread           : "/courses/#{$$course_id}/discussion/threads/#{param}/delete"
+      upvote_thread           : "/courses/#{$$course_id}/discussion/threads/#{param}/upvote"
+      downvote_thread         : "/courses/#{$$course_id}/discussion/threads/#{param}/downvote"
+      undo_vote_for_thread    : "/courses/#{$$course_id}/discussion/threads/#{param}/unvote"
+      follow_thread           : "/courses/#{$$course_id}/discussion/threads/#{param}/follow"
+      unfollow_thread         : "/courses/#{$$course_id}/discussion/threads/#{param}/unfollow"
+      update_comment          : "/courses/#{$$course_id}/discussion/comments/#{param}/update"
+      endorse_comment         : "/courses/#{$$course_id}/discussion/comments/#{param}/endorse"
+      create_sub_comment      : "/courses/#{$$course_id}/discussion/comments/#{param}/reply"
+      delete_comment          : "/courses/#{$$course_id}/discussion/comments/#{param}/delete"
+      upvote_comment          : "/courses/#{$$course_id}/discussion/comments/#{param}/upvote"
+      downvote_comment        : "/courses/#{$$course_id}/discussion/comments/#{param}/downvote"
+      undo_vote_for_comment   : "/courses/#{$$course_id}/discussion/comments/#{param}/unvote"
+      upload                  : "/courses/#{$$course_id}/discussion/upload"
+      search                  : "/courses/#{$$course_id}/discussion/forum/search"
+      tags_autocomplete       : "/courses/#{$$course_id}/discussion/threads/tags/autocomplete"
+      retrieve_discussion     : "/courses/#{$$course_id}/discussion/forum/#{param}/inline"
+      retrieve_single_thread  : "/courses/#{$$course_id}/discussion/forum/#{param}/threads/#{param1}"
+      update_moderator_status : "/courses/#{$$course_id}/discussion/users/#{param}/update_moderator_status"
+      openclose_thread        : "/courses/#{$$course_id}/discussion/threads/#{param}/close"
+      permanent_link_thread   : "/courses/#{$$course_id}/discussion/forum/#{param}/threads/#{param1}"
+      permanent_link_comment  : "/courses/#{$$course_id}/discussion/forum/#{param}/threads/#{param1}##{param2}"
+    }[name]
+
+  safeAjax: (params) ->
+    $elem = params.$elem
+    if $elem.attr("disabled")
+      return
+    $elem.attr("disabled", "disabled")
+    $.ajax(params).always ->
+      $elem.removeAttr("disabled")
+
+  handleAnchorAndReload: (response) ->
+    #window.location = window.location.pathname + "#" + response['id']
+    window.location.reload()
+
+  bindLocalEvents: ($local, eventsHandler) ->
+    for eventSelector, handler of eventsHandler
+      [event, selector] = eventSelector.split(' ')
+      $local(selector).unbind(event)[event] handler
+
+  tagsInputOptions: ->
+    autocomplete_url: Discussion.urlFor('tags_autocomplete')
+    autocomplete:
+      remoteDataType: 'json'
+    interactive: true
+    height: '30px'
+    width: '100%'
+    defaultText: "Tag your post: press enter after each tag"
+    removeWithBackspace: true
+
+  isSubscribed: (id, type) ->
+    $$user_info? and (
+      if type == "thread"
+        id in $$user_info.subscribed_thread_ids
+      else if type == "commentable" or type == "discussion"
+        id in $$user_info.subscribed_commentable_ids
+      else
+        id in $$user_info.subscribed_user_ids
+    )
+
+  isUpvoted: (id) ->
+    $$user_info? and (id in $$user_info.upvoted_ids)
+
+  isDownvoted: (id) ->
+    $$user_info? and (id in $$user_info.downvoted_ids)
+
+  formErrorHandler: (errorsField) ->
+    (xhr, textStatus, error) ->
+      response = JSON.parse(xhr.responseText)
+      if response.errors? and response.errors.length > 0
+        errorsField.empty()
+        for error in response.errors
+          errorsField.append($("<li>").addClass("new-post-form-error").html(error))
+
+  clearFormErrors: (errorsField) ->
+    errorsField.empty()
+    
+  postMathJaxProcessor: (text) ->
+    RE_INLINEMATH = /^\$([^\$]*)\$/g
+    RE_DISPLAYMATH = /^\$\$([^\$]*)\$\$/g
+    Discussion.processEachMathAndCode text, (s, type) ->
+      if type == 'display'
+        s.replace RE_DISPLAYMATH, ($0, $1) ->
+          "\\[" + $1 + "\\]"
+      else if type == 'inline'
+        s.replace RE_INLINEMATH, ($0, $1) ->
+          "\\(" + $1 + "\\)"
+      else
+        s
+
+  makeWmdEditor: ($content, $local, cls_identifier) ->
+    elem = $local(".#{cls_identifier}")
+    id = $content.attr("_id")
+    appended_id = "-#{cls_identifier}-#{id}"
+    imageUploadUrl = Discussion.urlFor('upload')
+    editor = Markdown.makeWmdEditor elem, appended_id, imageUploadUrl, Discussion.postMathJaxProcessor
+    wmdEditors["#{cls_identifier}-#{id}"] = editor
+    editor
+
+  getWmdEditor: ($content, $local, cls_identifier) ->
+    id = $content.attr("_id")
+    wmdEditors["#{cls_identifier}-#{id}"]
+
+  getWmdInput: ($content, $local, cls_identifier) ->
+    id = $content.attr("_id")
+    $local("#wmd-input-#{cls_identifier}-#{id}")
+
+  getWmdContent: ($content, $local, cls_identifier) ->
+    Discussion.getWmdInput($content, $local, cls_identifier).val()
+
+  setWmdContent: ($content, $local, cls_identifier, text) ->
+    Discussion.getWmdInput($content, $local, cls_identifier).val(text)
+    Discussion.getWmdEditor($content, $local, cls_identifier).refreshPreview()
+
+  getContentInfo: (id, attr) ->
+    if not window.$$annotated_content_info?
+      window.$$annotated_content_info = {}
+    (window.$$annotated_content_info[id] || {})[attr]
+
+  setContentInfo: (id, attr, value) ->
+    if not window.$$annotated_content_info?
+      window.$$annotated_content_info = {}
+    window.$$annotated_content_info[id] ||= {}
+    window.$$annotated_content_info[id][attr] = value
+
+  extendContentInfo: (id, newInfo) ->
+    if not window.$$annotated_content_info?
+      window.$$annotated_content_info = {}
+    window.$$annotated_content_info[id] = newInfo
+  bulkExtendContentInfo: (newInfos) ->
+    if not window.$$annotated_content_info?
+      window.$$annotated_content_info = {}
+    window.$$annotated_content_info = $.extend window.$$annotated_content_info, newInfos
+
+  subscriptionLink: (type, id) ->
+    followLink = ->
+      Discussion.generateDiscussionLink("discussion-follow-#{type}", "Follow", handleFollow)
+
+    unfollowLink = ->
+      Discussion.generateDiscussionLink("discussion-unfollow-#{type}", "Unfollow", handleUnfollow)
+
+    handleFollow = (elem) ->
+      Discussion.safeAjax
+        $elem: $(elem)
+        url: Discussion.urlFor("follow_#{type}", id)
+        type: "POST"
+        success: (response, textStatus) ->
+          if textStatus == "success"
+            $(elem).replaceWith unfollowLink()
+        dataType: 'json'
+
+    handleUnfollow = (elem) ->
+      Discussion.safeAjax
+        $elem: $(elem)
+        url: Discussion.urlFor("unfollow_#{type}", id)
+        type: "POST"
+        success: (response, textStatus) ->
+          if textStatus == "success"
+            $(elem).replaceWith followLink()
+        dataType: 'json'
+
+    if Discussion.isSubscribed(id, type)
+        unfollowLink()
+    else
+      followLink()
+    
+  processEachMathAndCode: (text, processor) ->
+  
+    codeArchive = []
+
+    RE_DISPLAYMATH = /^([^\$]*?)\$\$([^\$]*?)\$\$(.*)$/m
+    RE_INLINEMATH = /^([^\$]*?)\$([^\$]+?)\$(.*)$/m
+
+    ESCAPED_DOLLAR = '@@ESCAPED_D@@'
+    ESCAPED_BACKSLASH = '@@ESCAPED_B@@'
+
+    processedText = ""
+
+    $div = $("<div>").html(text)
+
+    $div.find("code").each (index, code) ->
+      codeArchive.push $(code).html()
+      $(code).html(codeArchive.length - 1)
+
+    text = $div.html()
+    text = text.replace /\\\$/g, ESCAPED_DOLLAR
+
+    while true
+      if RE_INLINEMATH.test(text)
+        text = text.replace RE_INLINEMATH, ($0, $1, $2, $3) ->
+          processedText += $1 + processor("$" + $2 + "$", 'inline')
+          $3
+      else if RE_DISPLAYMATH.test(text)
+        text = text.replace RE_DISPLAYMATH, ($0, $1, $2, $3) ->
+          processedText += $1 + processor("$$" + $2 + "$$", 'display')
+          $3
+      else
+        processedText += text
+        break
+
+    text = processedText
+    text = text.replace(new RegExp(ESCAPED_DOLLAR, 'g'), '\\$')
+
+    text = text.replace /\\\\\\\\/g, ESCAPED_BACKSLASH
+    text = text.replace /\\begin\{([a-z]*\*?)\}([\s\S]*?)\\end\{\1\}/img, ($0, $1, $2) ->
+      processor("\\begin{#{$1}}" + $2 + "\\end{#{$1}}")
+    text = text.replace(new RegExp(ESCAPED_BACKSLASH, 'g'), '\\\\\\\\')
+
+    $div = $("<div>").html(text)
+    cnt = 0
+    $div.find("code").each (index, code) ->
+      $(code).html(processor(codeArchive[cnt], 'code'))
+      cnt += 1
+
+    text = $div.html()
+
+    text
diff --git a/lms/static/coffee/src/mathjax_delay_renderer.coffee b/lms/static/coffee/src/mathjax_delay_renderer.coffee
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9c3f3c5f92
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/static/coffee/src/mathjax_delay_renderer.coffee
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+getTime = ->
+  new Date().getTime()
+
+class @MathJaxDelayRenderer
+
+  maxDelay: 3000
+  mathjaxRunning: false
+  elapsedTime: 0
+  mathjaxDelay: 0
+  mathjaxTimeout: undefined
+  bufferId = "mathjax_delay_buffer"
+  numBuffers = 0
+
+  constructor: (params) ->
+    params = params || {}
+    @maxDelay = params["maxDelay"] || @maxDelay
+    @bufferId = params["bufferId"] || (bufferId + numBuffers)
+    numBuffers += 1
+    @$buffer = $("<div>").attr("id", @bufferId).css("display", "none").appendTo($("body"))
+
+  # render: (params) ->
+  # params:
+  #   elem: jquery element to be rendered
+  #   text: text to be rendered & put into the element;
+  #     if blank, then just render the current text in the element
+  #   preprocessor: pre-process the text before rendering using MathJax
+  #     if text is blank, it will pre-process the html in the element
+  #   previewSetter: if provided, will pass text back to it instead of
+  #     directly setting the element
+
+  render: (params) ->
+
+    elem = params["element"]
+    previewSetter = params["previewSetter"]
+    text = params["text"]
+    if not text?
+      text = $(elem).html()
+    preprocessor = params["preprocessor"]
+
+    if params["delay"] == false
+      if preprocessor?
+        text = preprocessor(text)
+      $(elem).html(text)
+      MathJax.Hub.Queue ["Typeset", MathJax.Hub, $(elem).attr("id")]
+    else
+      if @mathjaxTimeout
+        window.clearTimeout(@mathjaxTimeout)
+        @mathjaxTimeout = undefined
+      delay = Math.min @elapsedTime + @mathjaxDelay, @maxDelay
+      
+      renderer = =>
+        if @mathjaxRunning
+          return
+        prevTime = getTime()
+        if preprocessor?
+          text = preprocessor(text)
+        @$buffer.html(text)
+        curTime = getTime()
+        @elapsedTime = curTime - prevTime
+        if MathJax
+          prevTime = getTime()
+          @mathjaxRunning = true
+          MathJax.Hub.Queue ["Typeset", MathJax.Hub, @$buffer.attr("id")], =>
+            @mathjaxRunning = false
+            curTime = getTime()
+            @mathjaxDelay = curTime - prevTime
+            if previewSetter
+              previewSetter($(@$buffer).html())
+            else
+              $(elem).html($(@$buffer).html())
+        else
+          @mathjaxDelay = 0
+      @mathjaxTimeout = window.setTimeout(renderer, delay)
diff --git a/lms/static/css/vendor/indicator.gif b/lms/static/css/vendor/indicator.gif
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..085ccaecaf
Binary files /dev/null and b/lms/static/css/vendor/indicator.gif differ
diff --git a/lms/static/css/vendor/jquery.autocomplete.css b/lms/static/css/vendor/jquery.autocomplete.css
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4301a63362
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/static/css/vendor/jquery.autocomplete.css
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+.acInput {
+	width: 200px;
+}
+
+.acResults {
+	padding: 0px;
+	border: 1px solid WindowFrame;
+	background-color: Window;
+	overflow: hidden;
+}
+
+.acResults ul {
+	margin: 0px;
+	padding: 0px;
+	list-style-position: outside;
+	list-style: none;	
+}
+
+.acResults ul li {
+	margin: 0px;
+	padding: 2px 5px;
+	cursor: pointer;
+	display: block;
+	font: menu;
+	font-size: 12px;
+	overflow: hidden;
+}
+
+.acLoading {
+	background : url('indicator.gif') right center no-repeat;
+}
+
+.acSelect {
+	background-color: Highlight;
+	color: HighlightText;
+}
diff --git a/lms/static/css/vendor/jquery.tagsinput.css b/lms/static/css/vendor/jquery.tagsinput.css
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c595e249f9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/static/css/vendor/jquery.tagsinput.css
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+div.tagsinput { border:1px solid #CCC; background: #FFF; padding:5px; width:300px; height:100px; overflow-y: auto;}
+div.tagsinput span.tag { border: 1px solid #a5d24a; -moz-border-radius:2px; -webkit-border-radius:2px; display: block; float: left; padding: 5px; text-decoration:none; background: #cde69c; color: #638421; margin-right: 5px; margin-bottom:5px;font-family: helvetica;  font-size:13px;}
+div.tagsinput span.tag a { font-weight: bold; color: #82ad2b; text-decoration:none; font-size: 11px;  } 
+div.tagsinput input { width:80px; margin:0px; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 13px; border:1px solid transparent; padding:5px; background: transparent; color: #000; outline:0px;  margin-right:5px; margin-bottom:5px; }
+div.tagsinput div { display:block; float: left; } 
+.tags_clear { clear: both; width: 100%; height: 0px; }
+.not_valid {background: #FBD8DB !important; color: #90111A !important;}
diff --git a/lms/static/images/admin-actions-sprite.png b/lms/static/images/admin-actions-sprite.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b07a6d6b7b
Binary files /dev/null and b/lms/static/images/admin-actions-sprite.png differ
diff --git a/lms/static/images/vote-arrows.png b/lms/static/images/vote-arrows.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6f84cdb271
Binary files /dev/null and b/lms/static/images/vote-arrows.png differ
diff --git a/lms/static/images/wmd-buttons.png b/lms/static/images/wmd-buttons.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..50b3709036
Binary files /dev/null and b/lms/static/images/wmd-buttons.png differ
diff --git a/lms/static/js/Markdown.Converter.js b/lms/static/js/Markdown.Converter.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..58fc54a122
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/static/js/Markdown.Converter.js
@@ -0,0 +1,1332 @@
+var Markdown;
+
+if (typeof exports === "object" && typeof require === "function") // we're in a CommonJS (e.g. Node.js) module
+    Markdown = exports;
+else
+    Markdown = {};
+    
+// The following text is included for historical reasons, but should
+// be taken with a pinch of salt; it's not all true anymore.
+
+//
+// Wherever possible, Showdown is a straight, line-by-line port
+// of the Perl version of Markdown.
+//
+// This is not a normal parser design; it's basically just a
+// series of string substitutions.  It's hard to read and
+// maintain this way,  but keeping Showdown close to the original
+// design makes it easier to port new features.
+//
+// More importantly, Showdown behaves like markdown.pl in most
+// edge cases.  So web applications can do client-side preview
+// in Javascript, and then build identical HTML on the server.
+//
+// This port needs the new RegExp functionality of ECMA 262,
+// 3rd Edition (i.e. Javascript 1.5).  Most modern web browsers
+// should do fine.  Even with the new regular expression features,
+// We do a lot of work to emulate Perl's regex functionality.
+// The tricky changes in this file mostly have the "attacklab:"
+// label.  Major or self-explanatory changes don't.
+//
+// Smart diff tools like Araxis Merge will be able to match up
+// this file with markdown.pl in a useful way.  A little tweaking
+// helps: in a copy of markdown.pl, replace "#" with "//" and
+// replace "$text" with "text".  Be sure to ignore whitespace
+// and line endings.
+//
+
+
+//
+// Usage:
+//
+//   var text = "Markdown *rocks*.";
+//
+//   var converter = new Markdown.Converter();
+//   var html = converter.makeHtml(text);
+//
+//   alert(html);
+//
+// Note: move the sample code to the bottom of this
+// file before uncommenting it.
+//
+
+(function () {
+
+    function identity(x) { return x; }
+    function returnFalse(x) { return false; }
+
+    function HookCollection() { }
+
+    HookCollection.prototype = {
+
+        chain: function (hookname, func) {
+            var original = this[hookname];
+            if (!original)
+                throw new Error("unknown hook " + hookname);
+
+            if (original === identity)
+                this[hookname] = func;
+            else
+                this[hookname] = function (x) { return func(original(x)); }
+        },
+        set: function (hookname, func) {
+            if (!this[hookname])
+                throw new Error("unknown hook " + hookname);
+            this[hookname] = func;
+        },
+        addNoop: function (hookname) {
+            this[hookname] = identity;
+        },
+        addFalse: function (hookname) {
+            this[hookname] = returnFalse;
+        }
+    };
+
+    Markdown.HookCollection = HookCollection;
+
+    // g_urls and g_titles allow arbitrary user-entered strings as keys. This
+    // caused an exception (and hence stopped the rendering) when the user entered
+    // e.g. [push] or [__proto__]. Adding a prefix to the actual key prevents this
+    // (since no builtin property starts with "s_"). See
+    // http://meta.stackoverflow.com/questions/64655/strange-wmd-bug
+    // (granted, switching from Array() to Object() alone would have left only __proto__
+    // to be a problem)
+    function SaveHash() { }
+    SaveHash.prototype = {
+        set: function (key, value) {
+            this["s_" + key] = value;
+        },
+        get: function (key) {
+            return this["s_" + key];
+        }
+    };
+
+    Markdown.Converter = function () {
+        var pluginHooks = this.hooks = new HookCollection();
+        pluginHooks.addNoop("plainLinkText");  // given a URL that was encountered by itself (without markup), should return the link text that's to be given to this link
+        pluginHooks.addNoop("preConversion");  // called with the orignal text as given to makeHtml. The result of this plugin hook is the actual markdown source that will be cooked
+        pluginHooks.addNoop("postConversion"); // called with the final cooked HTML code. The result of this plugin hook is the actual output of makeHtml
+
+        //
+        // Private state of the converter instance:
+        //
+
+        // Global hashes, used by various utility routines
+        var g_urls;
+        var g_titles;
+        var g_html_blocks;
+
+        // Used to track when we're inside an ordered or unordered list
+        // (see _ProcessListItems() for details):
+        var g_list_level;
+
+        this.makeHtml = function (text) {
+
+            //
+            // Main function. The order in which other subs are called here is
+            // essential. Link and image substitutions need to happen before
+            // _EscapeSpecialCharsWithinTagAttributes(), so that any *'s or _'s in the <a>
+            // and <img> tags get encoded.
+            //
+
+            // This will only happen if makeHtml on the same converter instance is called from a plugin hook.
+            // Don't do that.
+            if (g_urls)
+                throw new Error("Recursive call to converter.makeHtml");
+        
+            // Create the private state objects.
+            g_urls = new SaveHash();
+            g_titles = new SaveHash();
+            g_html_blocks = [];
+            g_list_level = 0;
+
+            text = pluginHooks.preConversion(text);
+
+            // attacklab: Replace ~ with ~T
+            // This lets us use tilde as an escape char to avoid md5 hashes
+            // The choice of character is arbitray; anything that isn't
+            // magic in Markdown will work.
+            text = text.replace(/~/g, "~T");
+
+            // attacklab: Replace $ with ~D
+            // RegExp interprets $ as a special character
+            // when it's in a replacement string
+            text = text.replace(/\$/g, "~D");
+
+            // Standardize line endings
+            text = text.replace(/\r\n/g, "\n"); // DOS to Unix
+            text = text.replace(/\r/g, "\n"); // Mac to Unix
+
+            // Make sure text begins and ends with a couple of newlines:
+            text = "\n\n" + text + "\n\n";
+
+            // Convert all tabs to spaces.
+            text = _Detab(text);
+
+            // Strip any lines consisting only of spaces and tabs.
+            // This makes subsequent regexen easier to write, because we can
+            // match consecutive blank lines with /\n+/ instead of something
+            // contorted like /[ \t]*\n+/ .
+            text = text.replace(/^[ \t]+$/mg, "");
+
+            // Turn block-level HTML blocks into hash entries
+            text = _HashHTMLBlocks(text);
+
+            // Strip link definitions, store in hashes.
+            text = _StripLinkDefinitions(text);
+
+            text = _RunBlockGamut(text);
+
+            text = _UnescapeSpecialChars(text);
+
+            // attacklab: Restore dollar signs
+            text = text.replace(/~D/g, "$$");
+
+            // attacklab: Restore tildes
+            text = text.replace(/~T/g, "~");
+
+            text = pluginHooks.postConversion(text);
+
+            g_html_blocks = g_titles = g_urls = null;
+
+            return text;
+        };
+
+        function _StripLinkDefinitions(text) {
+            //
+            // Strips link definitions from text, stores the URLs and titles in
+            // hash references.
+            //
+
+            // Link defs are in the form: ^[id]: url "optional title"
+
+            /*
+            text = text.replace(/
+                ^[ ]{0,3}\[(.+)\]:  // id = $1  attacklab: g_tab_width - 1
+                [ \t]*
+                \n?                 // maybe *one* newline
+                [ \t]*
+                <?(\S+?)>?          // url = $2
+                (?=\s|$)            // lookahead for whitespace instead of the lookbehind removed below
+                [ \t]*
+                \n?                 // maybe one newline
+                [ \t]*
+                (                   // (potential) title = $3
+                    (\n*)           // any lines skipped = $4 attacklab: lookbehind removed
+                    [ \t]+
+                    ["(]
+                    (.+?)           // title = $5
+                    [")]
+                    [ \t]*
+                )?                  // title is optional
+                (?:\n+|$)
+            /gm, function(){...});
+            */
+
+            text = text.replace(/^[ ]{0,3}\[(.+)\]:[ \t]*\n?[ \t]*<?(\S+?)>?(?=\s|$)[ \t]*\n?[ \t]*((\n*)["(](.+?)[")][ \t]*)?(?:\n+)/gm,
+                function (wholeMatch, m1, m2, m3, m4, m5) {
+                    m1 = m1.toLowerCase();
+                    g_urls.set(m1, _EncodeAmpsAndAngles(m2));  // Link IDs are case-insensitive
+                    if (m4) {
+                        // Oops, found blank lines, so it's not a title.
+                        // Put back the parenthetical statement we stole.
+                        return m3;
+                    } else if (m5) {
+                        g_titles.set(m1, m5.replace(/"/g, "&quot;"));
+                    }
+
+                    // Completely remove the definition from the text
+                    return "";
+                }
+            );
+
+            return text;
+        }
+
+        function _HashHTMLBlocks(text) {
+
+            // Hashify HTML blocks:
+            // We only want to do this for block-level HTML tags, such as headers,
+            // lists, and tables. That's because we still want to wrap <p>s around
+            // "paragraphs" that are wrapped in non-block-level tags, such as anchors,
+            // phrase emphasis, and spans. The list of tags we're looking for is
+            // hard-coded:
+            var block_tags_a = "p|div|h[1-6]|blockquote|pre|table|dl|ol|ul|script|noscript|form|fieldset|iframe|math|ins|del"
+            var block_tags_b = "p|div|h[1-6]|blockquote|pre|table|dl|ol|ul|script|noscript|form|fieldset|iframe|math"
+
+            // First, look for nested blocks, e.g.:
+            //   <div>
+            //     <div>
+            //     tags for inner block must be indented.
+            //     </div>
+            //   </div>
+            //
+            // The outermost tags must start at the left margin for this to match, and
+            // the inner nested divs must be indented.
+            // We need to do this before the next, more liberal match, because the next
+            // match will start at the first `<div>` and stop at the first `</div>`.
+
+            // attacklab: This regex can be expensive when it fails.
+
+            /*
+            text = text.replace(/
+                (                       // save in $1
+                    ^                   // start of line  (with /m)
+                    <($block_tags_a)    // start tag = $2
+                    \b                  // word break
+                                        // attacklab: hack around khtml/pcre bug...
+                    [^\r]*?\n           // any number of lines, minimally matching
+                    </\2>               // the matching end tag
+                    [ \t]*              // trailing spaces/tabs
+                    (?=\n+)             // followed by a newline
+                )                       // attacklab: there are sentinel newlines at end of document
+            /gm,function(){...}};
+            */
+            text = text.replace(/^(<(p|div|h[1-6]|blockquote|pre|table|dl|ol|ul|script|noscript|form|fieldset|iframe|math|ins|del)\b[^\r]*?\n<\/\2>[ \t]*(?=\n+))/gm, hashElement);
+
+            //
+            // Now match more liberally, simply from `\n<tag>` to `</tag>\n`
+            //
+
+            /*
+            text = text.replace(/
+                (                       // save in $1
+                    ^                   // start of line  (with /m)
+                    <($block_tags_b)    // start tag = $2
+                    \b                  // word break
+                                        // attacklab: hack around khtml/pcre bug...
+                    [^\r]*?             // any number of lines, minimally matching
+                    .*</\2>             // the matching end tag
+                    [ \t]*              // trailing spaces/tabs
+                    (?=\n+)             // followed by a newline
+                )                       // attacklab: there are sentinel newlines at end of document
+            /gm,function(){...}};
+            */
+            text = text.replace(/^(<(p|div|h[1-6]|blockquote|pre|table|dl|ol|ul|script|noscript|form|fieldset|iframe|math)\b[^\r]*?.*<\/\2>[ \t]*(?=\n+)\n)/gm, hashElement);
+
+            // Special case just for <hr />. It was easier to make a special case than
+            // to make the other regex more complicated.  
+
+            /*
+            text = text.replace(/
+                \n                  // Starting after a blank line
+                [ ]{0,3}
+                (                   // save in $1
+                    (<(hr)          // start tag = $2
+                        \b          // word break
+                        ([^<>])*?
+                    \/?>)           // the matching end tag
+                    [ \t]*
+                    (?=\n{2,})      // followed by a blank line
+                )
+            /g,hashElement);
+            */
+            text = text.replace(/\n[ ]{0,3}((<(hr)\b([^<>])*?\/?>)[ \t]*(?=\n{2,}))/g, hashElement);
+
+            // Special case for standalone HTML comments:
+
+            /*
+            text = text.replace(/
+                \n\n                                            // Starting after a blank line
+                [ ]{0,3}                                        // attacklab: g_tab_width - 1
+                (                                               // save in $1
+                    <!
+                    (--(?:|(?:[^>-]|-[^>])(?:[^-]|-[^-])*)--)   // see http://www.w3.org/TR/html-markup/syntax.html#comments and http://meta.stackoverflow.com/q/95256
+                    >
+                    [ \t]*
+                    (?=\n{2,})                                  // followed by a blank line
+                )
+            /g,hashElement);
+            */
+            text = text.replace(/\n\n[ ]{0,3}(<!(--(?:|(?:[^>-]|-[^>])(?:[^-]|-[^-])*)--)>[ \t]*(?=\n{2,}))/g, hashElement);
+
+            // PHP and ASP-style processor instructions (<?...?> and <%...%>)
+
+            /*
+            text = text.replace(/
+                (?:
+                    \n\n            // Starting after a blank line
+                )
+                (                   // save in $1
+                    [ ]{0,3}        // attacklab: g_tab_width - 1
+                    (?:
+                        <([?%])     // $2
+                        [^\r]*?
+                        \2>
+                    )
+                    [ \t]*
+                    (?=\n{2,})      // followed by a blank line
+                )
+            /g,hashElement);
+            */
+            text = text.replace(/(?:\n\n)([ ]{0,3}(?:<([?%])[^\r]*?\2>)[ \t]*(?=\n{2,}))/g, hashElement);
+
+            return text;
+        }
+
+        function hashElement(wholeMatch, m1) {
+            var blockText = m1;
+
+            // Undo double lines
+            blockText = blockText.replace(/^\n+/, "");
+
+            // strip trailing blank lines
+            blockText = blockText.replace(/\n+$/g, "");
+
+            // Replace the element text with a marker ("~KxK" where x is its key)
+            blockText = "\n\n~K" + (g_html_blocks.push(blockText) - 1) + "K\n\n";
+
+            return blockText;
+        }
+
+        function _RunBlockGamut(text, doNotUnhash) {
+            //
+            // These are all the transformations that form block-level
+            // tags like paragraphs, headers, and list items.
+            //
+            text = _DoHeaders(text);
+
+            // Do Horizontal Rules:
+            var replacement = "<hr />\n";
+            text = text.replace(/^[ ]{0,2}([ ]?\*[ ]?){3,}[ \t]*$/gm, replacement);
+            text = text.replace(/^[ ]{0,2}([ ]?-[ ]?){3,}[ \t]*$/gm, replacement);
+            text = text.replace(/^[ ]{0,2}([ ]?_[ ]?){3,}[ \t]*$/gm, replacement);
+
+            text = _DoLists(text);
+            text = _DoCodeBlocks(text);
+            text = _DoBlockQuotes(text);
+
+            // We already ran _HashHTMLBlocks() before, in Markdown(), but that
+            // was to escape raw HTML in the original Markdown source. This time,
+            // we're escaping the markup we've just created, so that we don't wrap
+            // <p> tags around block-level tags.
+            text = _HashHTMLBlocks(text);
+            text = _FormParagraphs(text, doNotUnhash);
+
+            return text;
+        }
+
+        function _RunSpanGamut(text) {
+            //
+            // These are all the transformations that occur *within* block-level
+            // tags like paragraphs, headers, and list items.
+            //
+
+            text = _DoCodeSpans(text);
+            text = _EscapeSpecialCharsWithinTagAttributes(text);
+            text = _EncodeBackslashEscapes(text);
+
+            // Process anchor and image tags. Images must come first,
+            // because ![foo][f] looks like an anchor.
+            text = _DoImages(text);
+            text = _DoAnchors(text);
+
+            // Make links out of things like `<http://example.com/>`
+            // Must come after _DoAnchors(), because you can use < and >
+            // delimiters in inline links like [this](<url>).
+            text = _DoAutoLinks(text);
+            
+            text = text.replace(/~P/g, "://"); // put in place to prevent autolinking; reset now
+            
+            text = _EncodeAmpsAndAngles(text);
+            text = _DoItalicsAndBold(text);
+
+            // Do hard breaks:
+            text = text.replace(/  +\n/g, " <br>\n");
+
+            return text;
+        }
+
+        function _EscapeSpecialCharsWithinTagAttributes(text) {
+            //
+            // Within tags -- meaning between < and > -- encode [\ ` * _] so they
+            // don't conflict with their use in Markdown for code, italics and strong.
+            //
+
+            // Build a regex to find HTML tags and comments.  See Friedl's 
+            // "Mastering Regular Expressions", 2nd Ed., pp. 200-201.
+
+            // SE: changed the comment part of the regex
+
+            var regex = /(<[a-z\/!$]("[^"]*"|'[^']*'|[^'">])*>|<!(--(?:|(?:[^>-]|-[^>])(?:[^-]|-[^-])*)--)>)/gi;
+
+            text = text.replace(regex, function (wholeMatch) {
+                var tag = wholeMatch.replace(/(.)<\/?code>(?=.)/g, "$1`");
+                tag = escapeCharacters(tag, wholeMatch.charAt(1) == "!" ? "\\`*_/" : "\\`*_"); // also escape slashes in comments to prevent autolinking there -- http://meta.stackoverflow.com/questions/95987
+                return tag;
+            });
+
+            return text;
+        }
+
+        function _DoAnchors(text) {
+            //
+            // Turn Markdown link shortcuts into XHTML <a> tags.
+            //
+            //
+            // First, handle reference-style links: [link text] [id]
+            //
+
+            /*
+            text = text.replace(/
+                (                           // wrap whole match in $1
+                    \[
+                    (
+                        (?:
+                            \[[^\]]*\]      // allow brackets nested one level
+                            |
+                            [^\[]           // or anything else
+                        )*
+                    )
+                    \]
+
+                    [ ]?                    // one optional space
+                    (?:\n[ ]*)?             // one optional newline followed by spaces
+
+                    \[
+                    (.*?)                   // id = $3
+                    \]
+                )
+                ()()()()                    // pad remaining backreferences
+            /g, writeAnchorTag);
+            */
+            text = text.replace(/(\[((?:\[[^\]]*\]|[^\[\]])*)\][ ]?(?:\n[ ]*)?\[(.*?)\])()()()()/g, writeAnchorTag);
+
+            //
+            // Next, inline-style links: [link text](url "optional title")
+            //
+
+            /*
+            text = text.replace(/
+                (                           // wrap whole match in $1
+                    \[
+                    (
+                        (?:
+                            \[[^\]]*\]      // allow brackets nested one level
+                            |
+                            [^\[\]]         // or anything else
+                        )*
+                    )
+                    \]
+                    \(                      // literal paren
+                    [ \t]*
+                    ()                      // no id, so leave $3 empty
+                    <?(                     // href = $4
+                        (?:
+                            \([^)]*\)       // allow one level of (correctly nested) parens (think MSDN)
+                            |
+                            [^()\s]
+                        )*?
+                    )>?                
+                    [ \t]*
+                    (                       // $5
+                        (['"])              // quote char = $6
+                        (.*?)               // Title = $7
+                        \6                  // matching quote
+                        [ \t]*              // ignore any spaces/tabs between closing quote and )
+                    )?                      // title is optional
+                    \)
+                )
+            /g, writeAnchorTag);
+            */
+
+            text = text.replace(/(\[((?:\[[^\]]*\]|[^\[\]])*)\]\([ \t]*()<?((?:\([^)]*\)|[^()\s])*?)>?[ \t]*((['"])(.*?)\6[ \t]*)?\))/g, writeAnchorTag);
+
+            //
+            // Last, handle reference-style shortcuts: [link text]
+            // These must come last in case you've also got [link test][1]
+            // or [link test](/foo)
+            //
+
+            /*
+            text = text.replace(/
+                (                   // wrap whole match in $1
+                    \[
+                    ([^\[\]]+)      // link text = $2; can't contain '[' or ']'
+                    \]
+                )
+                ()()()()()          // pad rest of backreferences
+            /g, writeAnchorTag);
+            */
+            text = text.replace(/(\[([^\[\]]+)\])()()()()()/g, writeAnchorTag);
+
+            return text;
+        }
+
+        function writeAnchorTag(wholeMatch, m1, m2, m3, m4, m5, m6, m7) {
+            if (m7 == undefined) m7 = "";
+            var whole_match = m1;
+            var link_text = m2.replace(/:\/\//g, "~P"); // to prevent auto-linking withing the link. will be converted back after the auto-linker runs
+            var link_id = m3.toLowerCase();
+            var url = m4;
+            var title = m7;
+
+            if (url == "") {
+                if (link_id == "") {
+                    // lower-case and turn embedded newlines into spaces
+                    link_id = link_text.toLowerCase().replace(/ ?\n/g, " ");
+                }
+                url = "#" + link_id;
+
+                if (g_urls.get(link_id) != undefined) {
+                    url = g_urls.get(link_id);
+                    if (g_titles.get(link_id) != undefined) {
+                        title = g_titles.get(link_id);
+                    }
+                }
+                else {
+                    if (whole_match.search(/\(\s*\)$/m) > -1) {
+                        // Special case for explicit empty url
+                        url = "";
+                    } else {
+                        return whole_match;
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+            url = encodeProblemUrlChars(url);
+            url = escapeCharacters(url, "*_");
+            var result = "<a href=\"" + url + "\"";
+
+            if (title != "") {
+                title = attributeEncode(title);
+                title = escapeCharacters(title, "*_");
+                result += " title=\"" + title + "\"";
+            }
+
+            result += ">" + link_text + "</a>";
+
+            return result;
+        }
+
+        function _DoImages(text) {
+            //
+            // Turn Markdown image shortcuts into <img> tags.
+            //
+
+            //
+            // First, handle reference-style labeled images: ![alt text][id]
+            //
+
+            /*
+            text = text.replace(/
+                (                   // wrap whole match in $1
+                    !\[
+                    (.*?)           // alt text = $2
+                    \]
+
+                    [ ]?            // one optional space
+                    (?:\n[ ]*)?     // one optional newline followed by spaces
+
+                    \[
+                    (.*?)           // id = $3
+                    \]
+                )
+                ()()()()            // pad rest of backreferences
+            /g, writeImageTag);
+            */
+            text = text.replace(/(!\[(.*?)\][ ]?(?:\n[ ]*)?\[(.*?)\])()()()()/g, writeImageTag);
+
+            //
+            // Next, handle inline images:  ![alt text](url "optional title")
+            // Don't forget: encode * and _
+
+            /*
+            text = text.replace(/
+                (                   // wrap whole match in $1
+                    !\[
+                    (.*?)           // alt text = $2
+                    \]
+                    \s?             // One optional whitespace character
+                    \(              // literal paren
+                    [ \t]*
+                    ()              // no id, so leave $3 empty
+                    <?(\S+?)>?      // src url = $4
+                    [ \t]*
+                    (               // $5
+                        (['"])      // quote char = $6
+                        (.*?)       // title = $7
+                        \6          // matching quote
+                        [ \t]*
+                    )?              // title is optional
+                    \)
+                )
+            /g, writeImageTag);
+            */
+            text = text.replace(/(!\[(.*?)\]\s?\([ \t]*()<?(\S+?)>?[ \t]*((['"])(.*?)\6[ \t]*)?\))/g, writeImageTag);
+
+            return text;
+        }
+        
+        function attributeEncode(text) {
+            // unconditionally replace angle brackets here -- what ends up in an attribute (e.g. alt or title)
+            // never makes sense to have verbatim HTML in it (and the sanitizer would totally break it)
+            return text.replace(/>/g, "&gt;").replace(/</g, "&lt;").replace(/"/g, "&quot;");
+        }
+
+        function writeImageTag(wholeMatch, m1, m2, m3, m4, m5, m6, m7) {
+            var whole_match = m1;
+            var alt_text = m2;
+            var link_id = m3.toLowerCase();
+            var url = m4;
+            var title = m7;
+
+            if (!title) title = "";
+
+            if (url == "") {
+                if (link_id == "") {
+                    // lower-case and turn embedded newlines into spaces
+                    link_id = alt_text.toLowerCase().replace(/ ?\n/g, " ");
+                }
+                url = "#" + link_id;
+
+                if (g_urls.get(link_id) != undefined) {
+                    url = g_urls.get(link_id);
+                    if (g_titles.get(link_id) != undefined) {
+                        title = g_titles.get(link_id);
+                    }
+                }
+                else {
+                    return whole_match;
+                }
+            }
+            
+            alt_text = escapeCharacters(attributeEncode(alt_text), "*_[]()");
+            url = escapeCharacters(url, "*_");
+            var result = "<img src=\"" + url + "\" alt=\"" + alt_text + "\"";
+
+            // attacklab: Markdown.pl adds empty title attributes to images.
+            // Replicate this bug.
+
+            //if (title != "") {
+            title = attributeEncode(title);
+            title = escapeCharacters(title, "*_");
+            result += " title=\"" + title + "\"";
+            //}
+
+            result += " />";
+
+            return result;
+        }
+
+        function _DoHeaders(text) {
+
+            // Setext-style headers:
+            //  Header 1
+            //  ========
+            //  
+            //  Header 2
+            //  --------
+            //
+            text = text.replace(/^(.+)[ \t]*\n=+[ \t]*\n+/gm,
+                function (wholeMatch, m1) { return "<h1>" + _RunSpanGamut(m1) + "</h1>\n\n"; }
+            );
+
+            text = text.replace(/^(.+)[ \t]*\n-+[ \t]*\n+/gm,
+                function (matchFound, m1) { return "<h2>" + _RunSpanGamut(m1) + "</h2>\n\n"; }
+            );
+
+            // atx-style headers:
+            //  # Header 1
+            //  ## Header 2
+            //  ## Header 2 with closing hashes ##
+            //  ...
+            //  ###### Header 6
+            //
+
+            /*
+            text = text.replace(/
+                ^(\#{1,6})      // $1 = string of #'s
+                [ \t]*
+                (.+?)           // $2 = Header text
+                [ \t]*
+                \#*             // optional closing #'s (not counted)
+                \n+
+            /gm, function() {...});
+            */
+
+            text = text.replace(/^(\#{1,6})[ \t]*(.+?)[ \t]*\#*\n+/gm,
+                function (wholeMatch, m1, m2) {
+                    var h_level = m1.length;
+                    return "<h" + h_level + ">" + _RunSpanGamut(m2) + "</h" + h_level + ">\n\n";
+                }
+            );
+
+            return text;
+        }
+
+        function _DoLists(text) {
+            //
+            // Form HTML ordered (numbered) and unordered (bulleted) lists.
+            //
+
+            // attacklab: add sentinel to hack around khtml/safari bug:
+            // http://bugs.webkit.org/show_bug.cgi?id=11231
+            text += "~0";
+
+            // Re-usable pattern to match any entirel ul or ol list:
+
+            /*
+            var whole_list = /
+                (                                   // $1 = whole list
+                    (                               // $2
+                        [ ]{0,3}                    // attacklab: g_tab_width - 1
+                        ([*+-]|\d+[.])              // $3 = first list item marker
+                        [ \t]+
+                    )
+                    [^\r]+?
+                    (                               // $4
+                        ~0                          // sentinel for workaround; should be $
+                        |
+                        \n{2,}
+                        (?=\S)
+                        (?!                         // Negative lookahead for another list item marker
+                            [ \t]*
+                            (?:[*+-]|\d+[.])[ \t]+
+                        )
+                    )
+                )
+            /g
+            */
+            var whole_list = /^(([ ]{0,3}([*+-]|\d+[.])[ \t]+)[^\r]+?(~0|\n{2,}(?=\S)(?![ \t]*(?:[*+-]|\d+[.])[ \t]+)))/gm;
+
+            if (g_list_level) {
+                text = text.replace(whole_list, function (wholeMatch, m1, m2) {
+                    var list = m1;
+                    var list_type = (m2.search(/[*+-]/g) > -1) ? "ul" : "ol";
+
+                    var result = _ProcessListItems(list, list_type);
+
+                    // Trim any trailing whitespace, to put the closing `</$list_type>`
+                    // up on the preceding line, to get it past the current stupid
+                    // HTML block parser. This is a hack to work around the terrible
+                    // hack that is the HTML block parser.
+                    result = result.replace(/\s+$/, "");
+                    result = "<" + list_type + ">" + result + "</" + list_type + ">\n";
+                    return result;
+                });
+            } else {
+                whole_list = /(\n\n|^\n?)(([ ]{0,3}([*+-]|\d+[.])[ \t]+)[^\r]+?(~0|\n{2,}(?=\S)(?![ \t]*(?:[*+-]|\d+[.])[ \t]+)))/g;
+                text = text.replace(whole_list, function (wholeMatch, m1, m2, m3) {
+                    var runup = m1;
+                    var list = m2;
+
+                    var list_type = (m3.search(/[*+-]/g) > -1) ? "ul" : "ol";
+                    var result = _ProcessListItems(list, list_type);
+                    result = runup + "<" + list_type + ">\n" + result + "</" + list_type + ">\n";
+                    return result;
+                });
+            }
+
+            // attacklab: strip sentinel
+            text = text.replace(/~0/, "");
+
+            return text;
+        }
+
+        var _listItemMarkers = { ol: "\\d+[.]", ul: "[*+-]" };
+
+        function _ProcessListItems(list_str, list_type) {
+            //
+            //  Process the contents of a single ordered or unordered list, splitting it
+            //  into individual list items.
+            //
+            //  list_type is either "ul" or "ol".
+
+            // The $g_list_level global keeps track of when we're inside a list.
+            // Each time we enter a list, we increment it; when we leave a list,
+            // we decrement. If it's zero, we're not in a list anymore.
+            //
+            // We do this because when we're not inside a list, we want to treat
+            // something like this:
+            //
+            //    I recommend upgrading to version
+            //    8. Oops, now this line is treated
+            //    as a sub-list.
+            //
+            // As a single paragraph, despite the fact that the second line starts
+            // with a digit-period-space sequence.
+            //
+            // Whereas when we're inside a list (or sub-list), that line will be
+            // treated as the start of a sub-list. What a kludge, huh? This is
+            // an aspect of Markdown's syntax that's hard to parse perfectly
+            // without resorting to mind-reading. Perhaps the solution is to
+            // change the syntax rules such that sub-lists must start with a
+            // starting cardinal number; e.g. "1." or "a.".
+
+            g_list_level++;
+
+            // trim trailing blank lines:
+            list_str = list_str.replace(/\n{2,}$/, "\n");
+
+            // attacklab: add sentinel to emulate \z
+            list_str += "~0";
+
+            // In the original attacklab showdown, list_type was not given to this function, and anything
+            // that matched /[*+-]|\d+[.]/ would just create the next <li>, causing this mismatch:
+            //
+            //  Markdown          rendered by WMD        rendered by MarkdownSharp
+            //  ------------------------------------------------------------------
+            //  1. first          1. first               1. first
+            //  2. second         2. second              2. second
+            //  - third           3. third                   * third
+            //
+            // We changed this to behave identical to MarkdownSharp. This is the constructed RegEx,
+            // with {MARKER} being one of \d+[.] or [*+-], depending on list_type:
+        
+            /*
+            list_str = list_str.replace(/
+                (^[ \t]*)                       // leading whitespace = $1
+                ({MARKER}) [ \t]+               // list marker = $2
+                ([^\r]+?                        // list item text   = $3
+                    (\n+)
+                )
+                (?=
+                    (~0 | \2 ({MARKER}) [ \t]+)
+                )
+            /gm, function(){...});
+            */
+
+            var marker = _listItemMarkers[list_type];
+            var re = new RegExp("(^[ \\t]*)(" + marker + ")[ \\t]+([^\\r]+?(\\n+))(?=(~0|\\1(" + marker + ")[ \\t]+))", "gm");
+            var last_item_had_a_double_newline = false;
+            list_str = list_str.replace(re,
+                function (wholeMatch, m1, m2, m3) {
+                    var item = m3;
+                    var leading_space = m1;
+                    var ends_with_double_newline = /\n\n$/.test(item);
+                    var contains_double_newline = ends_with_double_newline || item.search(/\n{2,}/) > -1;
+
+                    if (contains_double_newline || last_item_had_a_double_newline) {
+                        item = _RunBlockGamut(_Outdent(item), /* doNotUnhash = */true);
+                    }
+                    else {
+                        // Recursion for sub-lists:
+                        item = _DoLists(_Outdent(item));
+                        item = item.replace(/\n$/, ""); // chomp(item)
+                        item = _RunSpanGamut(item);
+                    }
+                    last_item_had_a_double_newline = ends_with_double_newline;
+                    return "<li>" + item + "</li>\n";
+                }
+            );
+
+            // attacklab: strip sentinel
+            list_str = list_str.replace(/~0/g, "");
+
+            g_list_level--;
+            return list_str;
+        }
+
+        function _DoCodeBlocks(text) {
+            //
+            //  Process Markdown `<pre><code>` blocks.
+            //  
+
+            /*
+            text = text.replace(/
+                (?:\n\n|^)
+                (                               // $1 = the code block -- one or more lines, starting with a space/tab
+                    (?:
+                        (?:[ ]{4}|\t)           // Lines must start with a tab or a tab-width of spaces - attacklab: g_tab_width
+                        .*\n+
+                    )+
+                )
+                (\n*[ ]{0,3}[^ \t\n]|(?=~0))    // attacklab: g_tab_width
+            /g ,function(){...});
+            */
+
+            // attacklab: sentinel workarounds for lack of \A and \Z, safari\khtml bug
+            text += "~0";
+
+            text = text.replace(/(?:\n\n|^)((?:(?:[ ]{4}|\t).*\n+)+)(\n*[ ]{0,3}[^ \t\n]|(?=~0))/g,
+                function (wholeMatch, m1, m2) {
+                    var codeblock = m1;
+                    var nextChar = m2;
+
+                    codeblock = _EncodeCode(_Outdent(codeblock));
+                    codeblock = _Detab(codeblock);
+                    codeblock = codeblock.replace(/^\n+/g, ""); // trim leading newlines
+                    codeblock = codeblock.replace(/\n+$/g, ""); // trim trailing whitespace
+
+                    codeblock = "<pre><code>" + codeblock + "\n</code></pre>";
+
+                    return "\n\n" + codeblock + "\n\n" + nextChar;
+                }
+            );
+
+            // attacklab: strip sentinel
+            text = text.replace(/~0/, "");
+
+            return text;
+        }
+
+        function hashBlock(text) {
+            text = text.replace(/(^\n+|\n+$)/g, "");
+            return "\n\n~K" + (g_html_blocks.push(text) - 1) + "K\n\n";
+        }
+
+        function _DoCodeSpans(text) {
+            //
+            // * Backtick quotes are used for <code></code> spans.
+            // 
+            // * You can use multiple backticks as the delimiters if you want to
+            //   include literal backticks in the code span. So, this input:
+            //     
+            //      Just type ``foo `bar` baz`` at the prompt.
+            //     
+            //   Will translate to:
+            //     
+            //      <p>Just type <code>foo `bar` baz</code> at the prompt.</p>
+            //     
+            //   There's no arbitrary limit to the number of backticks you
+            //   can use as delimters. If you need three consecutive backticks
+            //   in your code, use four for delimiters, etc.
+            //
+            // * You can use spaces to get literal backticks at the edges:
+            //     
+            //      ... type `` `bar` `` ...
+            //     
+            //   Turns to:
+            //     
+            //      ... type <code>`bar`</code> ...
+            //
+
+            /*
+            text = text.replace(/
+                (^|[^\\])       // Character before opening ` can't be a backslash
+                (`+)            // $2 = Opening run of `
+                (               // $3 = The code block
+                    [^\r]*?
+                    [^`]        // attacklab: work around lack of lookbehind
+                )
+                \2              // Matching closer
+                (?!`)
+            /gm, function(){...});
+            */
+
+            text = text.replace(/(^|[^\\])(`+)([^\r]*?[^`])\2(?!`)/gm,
+                function (wholeMatch, m1, m2, m3, m4) {
+                    var c = m3;
+                    c = c.replace(/^([ \t]*)/g, ""); // leading whitespace
+                    c = c.replace(/[ \t]*$/g, ""); // trailing whitespace
+                    c = _EncodeCode(c);
+                    c = c.replace(/:\/\//g, "~P"); // to prevent auto-linking. Not necessary in code *blocks*, but in code spans. Will be converted back after the auto-linker runs.
+                    return m1 + "<code>" + c + "</code>";
+                }
+            );
+
+            return text;
+        }
+
+        function _EncodeCode(text) {
+            //
+            // Encode/escape certain characters inside Markdown code runs.
+            // The point is that in code, these characters are literals,
+            // and lose their special Markdown meanings.
+            //
+            // Encode all ampersands; HTML entities are not
+            // entities within a Markdown code span.
+            text = text.replace(/&/g, "&amp;");
+
+            // Do the angle bracket song and dance:
+            text = text.replace(/</g, "&lt;");
+            text = text.replace(/>/g, "&gt;");
+
+            // Now, escape characters that are magic in Markdown:
+            text = escapeCharacters(text, "\*_{}[]\\", false);
+
+            // jj the line above breaks this:
+            //---
+
+            //* Item
+
+            //   1. Subitem
+
+            //            special char: *
+            //---
+
+            return text;
+        }
+
+        function _DoItalicsAndBold(text) {
+
+            // <strong> must go first:
+            text = text.replace(/([\W_]|^)(\*\*|__)(?=\S)([^\r]*?\S[\*_]*)\2([\W_]|$)/g,
+            "$1<strong>$3</strong>$4");
+
+            text = text.replace(/([\W_]|^)(\*|_)(?=\S)([^\r\*_]*?\S)\2([\W_]|$)/g,
+            "$1<em>$3</em>$4");
+
+            return text;
+        }
+
+        function _DoBlockQuotes(text) {
+
+            /*
+            text = text.replace(/
+                (                           // Wrap whole match in $1
+                    (
+                        ^[ \t]*>[ \t]?      // '>' at the start of a line
+                        .+\n                // rest of the first line
+                        (.+\n)*             // subsequent consecutive lines
+                        \n*                 // blanks
+                    )+
+                )
+            /gm, function(){...});
+            */
+
+            text = text.replace(/((^[ \t]*>[ \t]?.+\n(.+\n)*\n*)+)/gm,
+                function (wholeMatch, m1) {
+                    var bq = m1;
+
+                    // attacklab: hack around Konqueror 3.5.4 bug:
+                    // "----------bug".replace(/^-/g,"") == "bug"
+
+                    bq = bq.replace(/^[ \t]*>[ \t]?/gm, "~0"); // trim one level of quoting
+
+                    // attacklab: clean up hack
+                    bq = bq.replace(/~0/g, "");
+
+                    bq = bq.replace(/^[ \t]+$/gm, "");     // trim whitespace-only lines
+                    bq = _RunBlockGamut(bq);             // recurse
+
+                    bq = bq.replace(/(^|\n)/g, "$1  ");
+                    // These leading spaces screw with <pre> content, so we need to fix that:
+                    bq = bq.replace(
+                            /(\s*<pre>[^\r]+?<\/pre>)/gm,
+                        function (wholeMatch, m1) {
+                            var pre = m1;
+                            // attacklab: hack around Konqueror 3.5.4 bug:
+                            pre = pre.replace(/^  /mg, "~0");
+                            pre = pre.replace(/~0/g, "");
+                            return pre;
+                        });
+
+                    return hashBlock("<blockquote>\n" + bq + "\n</blockquote>");
+                }
+            );
+            return text;
+        }
+
+        function _FormParagraphs(text, doNotUnhash) {
+            //
+            //  Params:
+            //    $text - string to process with html <p> tags
+            //
+
+            // Strip leading and trailing lines:
+            text = text.replace(/^\n+/g, "");
+            text = text.replace(/\n+$/g, "");
+
+            var grafs = text.split(/\n{2,}/g);
+            var grafsOut = [];
+            
+            var markerRe = /~K(\d+)K/;
+
+            //
+            // Wrap <p> tags.
+            //
+            var end = grafs.length;
+            for (var i = 0; i < end; i++) {
+                var str = grafs[i];
+
+                // if this is an HTML marker, copy it
+                if (markerRe.test(str)) {
+                    grafsOut.push(str);
+                }
+                else if (/\S/.test(str)) {
+                    str = _RunSpanGamut(str);
+                    str = str.replace(/^([ \t]*)/g, "<p>");
+                    str += "</p>"
+                    grafsOut.push(str);
+                }
+
+            }
+            //
+            // Unhashify HTML blocks
+            //
+            if (!doNotUnhash) {
+                end = grafsOut.length;
+                for (var i = 0; i < end; i++) {
+                    var foundAny = true;
+                    while (foundAny) { // we may need several runs, since the data may be nested
+                        foundAny = false;
+                        grafsOut[i] = grafsOut[i].replace(/~K(\d+)K/g, function (wholeMatch, id) {
+                            foundAny = true;
+                            return g_html_blocks[id];
+                        });
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+            return grafsOut.join("\n\n");
+        }
+
+        function _EncodeAmpsAndAngles(text) {
+            // Smart processing for ampersands and angle brackets that need to be encoded.
+
+            // Ampersand-encoding based entirely on Nat Irons's Amputator MT plugin:
+            //   http://bumppo.net/projects/amputator/
+            text = text.replace(/&(?!#?[xX]?(?:[0-9a-fA-F]+|\w+);)/g, "&amp;");
+
+            // Encode naked <'s
+            text = text.replace(/<(?![a-z\/?\$!])/gi, "&lt;");
+
+            return text;
+        }
+
+        function _EncodeBackslashEscapes(text) {
+            //
+            //   Parameter:  String.
+            //   Returns:    The string, with after processing the following backslash
+            //               escape sequences.
+            //
+
+            // attacklab: The polite way to do this is with the new
+            // escapeCharacters() function:
+            //
+            //     text = escapeCharacters(text,"\\",true);
+            //     text = escapeCharacters(text,"`*_{}[]()>#+-.!",true);
+            //
+            // ...but we're sidestepping its use of the (slow) RegExp constructor
+            // as an optimization for Firefox.  This function gets called a LOT.
+
+            text = text.replace(/\\(\\)/g, escapeCharacters_callback);
+            text = text.replace(/\\([`*_{}\[\]()>#+-.!])/g, escapeCharacters_callback);
+            return text;
+        }
+
+        function _DoAutoLinks(text) {
+
+            // note that at this point, all other URL in the text are already hyperlinked as <a href=""></a>
+            // *except* for the <http://www.foo.com> case
+
+            // automatically add < and > around unadorned raw hyperlinks
+            // must be preceded by space/BOF and followed by non-word/EOF character    
+            text = text.replace(/(^|\s)(https?|ftp)(:\/\/[-A-Z0-9+&@#\/%?=~_|\[\]\(\)!:,\.;]*[-A-Z0-9+&@#\/%=~_|\[\]])($|\W)/gi, "$1<$2$3>$4");
+
+            //  autolink anything like <http://example.com>
+            
+            var replacer = function (wholematch, m1) { return "<a href=\"" + m1 + "\">" + pluginHooks.plainLinkText(m1) + "</a>"; }
+            text = text.replace(/<((https?|ftp):[^'">\s]+)>/gi, replacer);
+
+            // Email addresses: <address@domain.foo>
+            /*
+            text = text.replace(/
+                <
+                (?:mailto:)?
+                (
+                    [-.\w]+
+                    \@
+                    [-a-z0-9]+(\.[-a-z0-9]+)*\.[a-z]+
+                )
+                >
+            /gi, _DoAutoLinks_callback());
+            */
+
+            /* disabling email autolinking, since we don't do that on the server, either
+            text = text.replace(/<(?:mailto:)?([-.\w]+\@[-a-z0-9]+(\.[-a-z0-9]+)*\.[a-z]+)>/gi,
+                function(wholeMatch,m1) {
+                    return _EncodeEmailAddress( _UnescapeSpecialChars(m1) );
+                }
+            );
+            */
+            return text;
+        }
+
+        function _UnescapeSpecialChars(text) {
+            //
+            // Swap back in all the special characters we've hidden.
+            //
+            text = text.replace(/~E(\d+)E/g,
+                function (wholeMatch, m1) {
+                    var charCodeToReplace = parseInt(m1);
+                    return String.fromCharCode(charCodeToReplace);
+                }
+            );
+            return text;
+        }
+
+        function _Outdent(text) {
+            //
+            // Remove one level of line-leading tabs or spaces
+            //
+
+            // attacklab: hack around Konqueror 3.5.4 bug:
+            // "----------bug".replace(/^-/g,"") == "bug"
+
+            text = text.replace(/^(\t|[ ]{1,4})/gm, "~0"); // attacklab: g_tab_width
+
+            // attacklab: clean up hack
+            text = text.replace(/~0/g, "")
+
+            return text;
+        }
+
+        function _Detab(text) {
+            if (!/\t/.test(text))
+                return text;
+
+            var spaces = ["    ", "   ", "  ", " "],
+            skew = 0,
+            v;
+
+            return text.replace(/[\n\t]/g, function (match, offset) {
+                if (match === "\n") {
+                    skew = offset + 1;
+                    return match;
+                }
+                v = (offset - skew) % 4;
+                skew = offset + 1;
+                return spaces[v];
+            });
+        }
+
+        //
+        //  attacklab: Utility functions
+        //
+
+        var _problemUrlChars = /(?:["'*()[\]:]|~D)/g;
+
+        // hex-encodes some unusual "problem" chars in URLs to avoid URL detection problems 
+        function encodeProblemUrlChars(url) {
+            if (!url)
+                return "";
+
+            var len = url.length;
+
+            return url.replace(_problemUrlChars, function (match, offset) {
+                if (match == "~D") // escape for dollar
+                    return "%24";
+                if (match == ":") {
+                    if (offset == len - 1 || /[0-9\/]/.test(url.charAt(offset + 1)))
+                        return ":"
+                }
+                return "%" + match.charCodeAt(0).toString(16);
+            });
+        }
+
+
+        function escapeCharacters(text, charsToEscape, afterBackslash) {
+            // First we have to escape the escape characters so that
+            // we can build a character class out of them
+            var regexString = "([" + charsToEscape.replace(/([\[\]\\])/g, "\\$1") + "])";
+
+            if (afterBackslash) {
+                regexString = "\\\\" + regexString;
+            }
+
+            var regex = new RegExp(regexString, "g");
+            text = text.replace(regex, escapeCharacters_callback);
+
+            return text;
+        }
+
+
+        function escapeCharacters_callback(wholeMatch, m1) {
+            var charCodeToEscape = m1.charCodeAt(0);
+            return "~E" + charCodeToEscape + "E";
+        }
+
+    }; // end of the Markdown.Converter constructor
+
+})();
diff --git a/lms/static/js/Markdown.Editor.js b/lms/static/js/Markdown.Editor.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..38d71c8ef7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/static/js/Markdown.Editor.js
@@ -0,0 +1,2176 @@
+// needs Markdown.Converter.js at the moment
+
+(function () {
+
+    var util = {},
+        position = {},
+        ui = {},
+        doc = window.document,
+        re = window.RegExp,
+        nav = window.navigator,
+        SETTINGS = { lineLength: 72 },
+
+    // Used to work around some browser bugs where we can't use feature testing.
+        uaSniffed = {
+            isIE: /msie/.test(nav.userAgent.toLowerCase()),
+            isIE_5or6: /msie 6/.test(nav.userAgent.toLowerCase()) || /msie 5/.test(nav.userAgent.toLowerCase()),
+            isOpera: /opera/.test(nav.userAgent.toLowerCase())
+        };
+
+
+    // -------------------------------------------------------------------
+    //  YOUR CHANGES GO HERE
+    //
+    // I've tried to localize the things you are likely to change to 
+    // this area.
+    // -------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+    // The text that appears on the upper part of the dialog box when
+    // entering links.
+    var linkDialogText = "<p><b>Insert Hyperlink</b></p><p>http://example.com/ \"optional title\"</p>";
+    var imageDialogText = "<p><b>Insert Image (upload file or type url)</b></p><p>http://example.com/images/diagram.jpg \"optional title\"<br><br></p>";
+
+    // The default text that appears in the dialog input box when entering
+    // links.
+    var imageDefaultText = "http://";
+    var linkDefaultText = "http://";
+
+    var defaultHelpHoverTitle = "Markdown Editing Help";
+
+    // -------------------------------------------------------------------
+    //  END OF YOUR CHANGES
+    // -------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+    // help, if given, should have a property "handler", the click handler for the help button,
+    // and can have an optional property "title" for the button's tooltip (defaults to "Markdown Editing Help").
+    // If help isn't given, not help button is created.
+    //
+    // The constructed editor object has the methods:
+    // - getConverter() returns the markdown converter object that was passed to the constructor
+    // - run() actually starts the editor; should be called after all necessary plugins are registered. Calling this more than once is a no-op.
+    // - refreshPreview() forces the preview to be updated. This method is only available after run() was called.
+    Markdown.Editor = function (markdownConverter, idPostfix, help, imageUploadHandler) {
+
+        idPostfix = idPostfix || "";
+
+        var hooks = this.hooks = new Markdown.HookCollection();
+        hooks.addNoop("onPreviewPush");       // called with no arguments after the preview has been refreshed
+        hooks.addNoop("postBlockquoteCreation"); // called with the user's selection *after* the blockquote was created; should return the actual to-be-inserted text
+        hooks.addFalse("insertImageDialog");     /* called with one parameter: a callback to be called with the URL of the image. If the application creates
+                                                  * its own image insertion dialog, this hook should return true, and the callback should be called with the chosen
+                                                  * image url (or null if the user cancelled). If this hook returns false, the default dialog will be used.
+                                                  */
+
+        this.getConverter = function () { return markdownConverter; }
+
+        var that = this,
+            panels;
+
+        this.run = function () {
+            if (panels)
+                return; // already initialized
+
+            panels = new PanelCollection(idPostfix);
+            var commandManager = new CommandManager(hooks);
+            var previewManager = new PreviewManager(markdownConverter, panels, function (text, previewSet) { hooks.onPreviewPush(text, previewSet); });
+            var undoManager, uiManager;
+
+            if (!/\?noundo/.test(doc.location.href)) {
+                undoManager = new UndoManager(function () {
+                    previewManager.refresh();
+                    if (uiManager) // not available on the first call
+                        uiManager.setUndoRedoButtonStates();
+                }, panels);
+                this.textOperation = function (f) {
+                    undoManager.setCommandMode();
+                    f();
+                    that.refreshPreview();
+                }
+            }
+
+            uiManager = new UIManager(idPostfix, panels, undoManager, previewManager, commandManager, help, imageUploadHandler);
+            uiManager.setUndoRedoButtonStates();
+
+            var forceRefresh = that.refreshPreview = function () { previewManager.refresh(true); };
+
+            forceRefresh();
+        };
+
+    }
+
+    // before: contains all the text in the input box BEFORE the selection.
+    // after: contains all the text in the input box AFTER the selection.
+    function Chunks() { }
+
+    // startRegex: a regular expression to find the start tag
+    // endRegex: a regular expresssion to find the end tag
+    Chunks.prototype.findTags = function (startRegex, endRegex) {
+
+        var chunkObj = this;
+        var regex;
+
+        if (startRegex) {
+
+            regex = util.extendRegExp(startRegex, "", "$");
+
+            this.before = this.before.replace(regex,
+                function (match) {
+                    chunkObj.startTag = chunkObj.startTag + match;
+                    return "";
+                });
+
+            regex = util.extendRegExp(startRegex, "^", "");
+
+            this.selection = this.selection.replace(regex,
+                function (match) {
+                    chunkObj.startTag = chunkObj.startTag + match;
+                    return "";
+                });
+        }
+
+        if (endRegex) {
+
+            regex = util.extendRegExp(endRegex, "", "$");
+
+            this.selection = this.selection.replace(regex,
+                function (match) {
+                    chunkObj.endTag = match + chunkObj.endTag;
+                    return "";
+                });
+
+            regex = util.extendRegExp(endRegex, "^", "");
+
+            this.after = this.after.replace(regex,
+                function (match) {
+                    chunkObj.endTag = match + chunkObj.endTag;
+                    return "";
+                });
+        }
+    };
+
+    // If remove is false, the whitespace is transferred
+    // to the before/after regions.
+    //
+    // If remove is true, the whitespace disappears.
+    Chunks.prototype.trimWhitespace = function (remove) {
+        var beforeReplacer, afterReplacer, that = this;
+        if (remove) {
+            beforeReplacer = afterReplacer = "";
+        } else {
+            beforeReplacer = function (s) { that.before += s; return ""; }
+            afterReplacer = function (s) { that.after = s + that.after; return ""; }
+        }
+        
+        this.selection = this.selection.replace(/^(\s*)/, beforeReplacer).replace(/(\s*)$/, afterReplacer);
+    };
+
+
+    Chunks.prototype.skipLines = function (nLinesBefore, nLinesAfter, findExtraNewlines) {
+
+        if (nLinesBefore === undefined) {
+            nLinesBefore = 1;
+        }
+
+        if (nLinesAfter === undefined) {
+            nLinesAfter = 1;
+        }
+
+        nLinesBefore++;
+        nLinesAfter++;
+
+        var regexText;
+        var replacementText;
+
+        // chrome bug ... documented at: http://meta.stackoverflow.com/questions/63307/blockquote-glitch-in-editor-in-chrome-6-and-7/65985#65985
+        if (navigator.userAgent.match(/Chrome/)) {
+            "X".match(/()./);
+        }
+
+        this.selection = this.selection.replace(/(^\n*)/, "");
+
+        this.startTag = this.startTag + re.$1;
+
+        this.selection = this.selection.replace(/(\n*$)/, "");
+        this.endTag = this.endTag + re.$1;
+        this.startTag = this.startTag.replace(/(^\n*)/, "");
+        this.before = this.before + re.$1;
+        this.endTag = this.endTag.replace(/(\n*$)/, "");
+        this.after = this.after + re.$1;
+
+        if (this.before) {
+
+            regexText = replacementText = "";
+
+            while (nLinesBefore--) {
+                regexText += "\\n?";
+                replacementText += "\n";
+            }
+
+            if (findExtraNewlines) {
+                regexText = "\\n*";
+            }
+            this.before = this.before.replace(new re(regexText + "$", ""), replacementText);
+        }
+
+        if (this.after) {
+
+            regexText = replacementText = "";
+
+            while (nLinesAfter--) {
+                regexText += "\\n?";
+                replacementText += "\n";
+            }
+            if (findExtraNewlines) {
+                regexText = "\\n*";
+            }
+
+            this.after = this.after.replace(new re(regexText, ""), replacementText);
+        }
+    };
+
+    // end of Chunks 
+
+    // A collection of the important regions on the page.
+    // Cached so we don't have to keep traversing the DOM.
+    // Also holds ieCachedRange and ieCachedScrollTop, where necessary; working around
+    // this issue:
+    // Internet explorer has problems with CSS sprite buttons that use HTML
+    // lists.  When you click on the background image "button", IE will 
+    // select the non-existent link text and discard the selection in the
+    // textarea.  The solution to this is to cache the textarea selection
+    // on the button's mousedown event and set a flag.  In the part of the
+    // code where we need to grab the selection, we check for the flag
+    // and, if it's set, use the cached area instead of querying the
+    // textarea.
+    //
+    // This ONLY affects Internet Explorer (tested on versions 6, 7
+    // and 8) and ONLY on button clicks.  Keyboard shortcuts work
+    // normally since the focus never leaves the textarea.
+    function PanelCollection(postfix) {
+        this.buttonBar = doc.getElementById("wmd-button-bar" + postfix);
+        this.preview = doc.getElementById("wmd-preview" + postfix);
+        this.input = doc.getElementById("wmd-input" + postfix);
+    };
+
+    // Returns true if the DOM element is visible, false if it's hidden.
+    // Checks if display is anything other than none.
+    util.isVisible = function (elem) {
+
+        if (window.getComputedStyle) {
+            // Most browsers
+            return window.getComputedStyle(elem, null).getPropertyValue("display") !== "none";
+        }
+        else if (elem.currentStyle) {
+            // IE
+            return elem.currentStyle["display"] !== "none";
+        }
+    };
+
+
+    // Adds a listener callback to a DOM element which is fired on a specified
+    // event.
+    util.addEvent = function (elem, event, listener) {
+        if (elem.attachEvent) {
+            // IE only.  The "on" is mandatory.
+            elem.attachEvent("on" + event, listener);
+        }
+        else {
+            // Other browsers.
+            elem.addEventListener(event, listener, false);
+        }
+    };
+
+
+    // Removes a listener callback from a DOM element which is fired on a specified
+    // event.
+    util.removeEvent = function (elem, event, listener) {
+        if (elem.detachEvent) {
+            // IE only.  The "on" is mandatory.
+            elem.detachEvent("on" + event, listener);
+        }
+        else {
+            // Other browsers.
+            elem.removeEventListener(event, listener, false);
+        }
+    };
+
+    // Converts \r\n and \r to \n.
+    util.fixEolChars = function (text) {
+        text = text.replace(/\r\n/g, "\n");
+        text = text.replace(/\r/g, "\n");
+        return text;
+    };
+
+    // Extends a regular expression.  Returns a new RegExp
+    // using pre + regex + post as the expression.
+    // Used in a few functions where we have a base
+    // expression and we want to pre- or append some
+    // conditions to it (e.g. adding "$" to the end).
+    // The flags are unchanged.
+    //
+    // regex is a RegExp, pre and post are strings.
+    util.extendRegExp = function (regex, pre, post) {
+
+        if (pre === null || pre === undefined) {
+            pre = "";
+        }
+        if (post === null || post === undefined) {
+            post = "";
+        }
+
+        var pattern = regex.toString();
+        var flags;
+
+        // Replace the flags with empty space and store them.
+        pattern = pattern.replace(/\/([gim]*)$/, function (wholeMatch, flagsPart) {
+            flags = flagsPart;
+            return "";
+        });
+
+        // Remove the slash delimiters on the regular expression.
+        pattern = pattern.replace(/(^\/|\/$)/g, "");
+        pattern = pre + pattern + post;
+
+        return new re(pattern, flags);
+    }
+
+    // UNFINISHED
+    // The assignment in the while loop makes jslint cranky.
+    // I'll change it to a better loop later.
+    position.getTop = function (elem, isInner) {
+        var result = elem.offsetTop;
+        if (!isInner) {
+            while (elem = elem.offsetParent) {
+                result += elem.offsetTop;
+            }
+        }
+        return result;
+    };
+
+    position.getHeight = function (elem) {
+        return elem.offsetHeight || elem.scrollHeight;
+    };
+
+    position.getWidth = function (elem) {
+        return elem.offsetWidth || elem.scrollWidth;
+    };
+
+    position.getPageSize = function () {
+
+        var scrollWidth, scrollHeight;
+        var innerWidth, innerHeight;
+
+        // It's not very clear which blocks work with which browsers.
+        if (self.innerHeight && self.scrollMaxY) {
+            scrollWidth = doc.body.scrollWidth;
+            scrollHeight = self.innerHeight + self.scrollMaxY;
+        }
+        else if (doc.body.scrollHeight > doc.body.offsetHeight) {
+            scrollWidth = doc.body.scrollWidth;
+            scrollHeight = doc.body.scrollHeight;
+        }
+        else {
+            scrollWidth = doc.body.offsetWidth;
+            scrollHeight = doc.body.offsetHeight;
+        }
+
+        if (self.innerHeight) {
+            // Non-IE browser
+            innerWidth = self.innerWidth;
+            innerHeight = self.innerHeight;
+        }
+        else if (doc.documentElement && doc.documentElement.clientHeight) {
+            // Some versions of IE (IE 6 w/ a DOCTYPE declaration)
+            innerWidth = doc.documentElement.clientWidth;
+            innerHeight = doc.documentElement.clientHeight;
+        }
+        else if (doc.body) {
+            // Other versions of IE
+            innerWidth = doc.body.clientWidth;
+            innerHeight = doc.body.clientHeight;
+        }
+
+        var maxWidth = Math.max(scrollWidth, innerWidth);
+        var maxHeight = Math.max(scrollHeight, innerHeight);
+        return [maxWidth, maxHeight, innerWidth, innerHeight];
+    };
+
+    // Handles pushing and popping TextareaStates for undo/redo commands.
+    // I should rename the stack variables to list.
+    function UndoManager(callback, panels) {
+
+        var undoObj = this;
+        var undoStack = []; // A stack of undo states
+        var stackPtr = 0; // The index of the current state
+        var mode = "none";
+        var lastState; // The last state
+        var timer; // The setTimeout handle for cancelling the timer
+        var inputStateObj;
+
+        // Set the mode for later logic steps.
+        var setMode = function (newMode, noSave) {
+            if (mode != newMode) {
+                mode = newMode;
+                if (!noSave) {
+                    saveState();
+                }
+            }
+
+            if (!uaSniffed.isIE || mode != "moving") {
+                timer = setTimeout(refreshState, 1);
+            }
+            else {
+                inputStateObj = null;
+            }
+        };
+
+        var refreshState = function (isInitialState) {
+            inputStateObj = new TextareaState(panels, isInitialState);
+            timer = undefined;
+        };
+
+        this.setCommandMode = function () {
+            mode = "command";
+            saveState();
+            timer = setTimeout(refreshState, 0);
+        };
+
+        this.canUndo = function () {
+            return stackPtr > 1;
+        };
+
+        this.canRedo = function () {
+            if (undoStack[stackPtr + 1]) {
+                return true;
+            }
+            return false;
+        };
+
+        // Removes the last state and restores it.
+        this.undo = function () {
+
+            if (undoObj.canUndo()) {
+                if (lastState) {
+                    // What about setting state -1 to null or checking for undefined?
+                    lastState.restore();
+                    lastState = null;
+                }
+                else {
+                    undoStack[stackPtr] = new TextareaState(panels);
+                    undoStack[--stackPtr].restore();
+
+                    if (callback) {
+                        callback();
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+
+            mode = "none";
+            panels.input.focus();
+            refreshState();
+        };
+
+        // Redo an action.
+        this.redo = function () {
+
+            if (undoObj.canRedo()) {
+
+                undoStack[++stackPtr].restore();
+
+                if (callback) {
+                    callback();
+                }
+            }
+
+            mode = "none";
+            panels.input.focus();
+            refreshState();
+        };
+
+        // Push the input area state to the stack.
+        var saveState = function () {
+            var currState = inputStateObj || new TextareaState(panels);
+
+            if (!currState) {
+                return false;
+            }
+            if (mode == "moving") {
+                if (!lastState) {
+                    lastState = currState;
+                }
+                return;
+            }
+            if (lastState) {
+                if (undoStack[stackPtr - 1].text != lastState.text) {
+                    undoStack[stackPtr++] = lastState;
+                }
+                lastState = null;
+            }
+            undoStack[stackPtr++] = currState;
+            undoStack[stackPtr + 1] = null;
+            if (callback) {
+                callback();
+            }
+        };
+
+        var handleCtrlYZ = function (event) {
+
+            var handled = false;
+
+            if (event.ctrlKey || event.metaKey) {
+
+                // IE and Opera do not support charCode.
+                var keyCode = event.charCode || event.keyCode;
+                var keyCodeChar = String.fromCharCode(keyCode);
+
+                switch (keyCodeChar) {
+
+                    case "y":
+                        undoObj.redo();
+                        handled = true;
+                        break;
+
+                    case "z":
+                        if (!event.shiftKey) {
+                            undoObj.undo();
+                        }
+                        else {
+                            undoObj.redo();
+                        }
+                        handled = true;
+                        break;
+                }
+            }
+
+            if (handled) {
+                if (event.preventDefault) {
+                    event.preventDefault();
+                }
+                if (window.event) {
+                    window.event.returnValue = false;
+                }
+                return;
+            }
+        };
+
+        // Set the mode depending on what is going on in the input area.
+        var handleModeChange = function (event) {
+
+            if (!event.ctrlKey && !event.metaKey) {
+
+                var keyCode = event.keyCode;
+
+                if ((keyCode >= 33 && keyCode <= 40) || (keyCode >= 63232 && keyCode <= 63235)) {
+                    // 33 - 40: page up/dn and arrow keys
+                    // 63232 - 63235: page up/dn and arrow keys on safari
+                    setMode("moving");
+                }
+                else if (keyCode == 8 || keyCode == 46 || keyCode == 127) {
+                    // 8: backspace
+                    // 46: delete
+                    // 127: delete
+                    setMode("deleting");
+                }
+                else if (keyCode == 13) {
+                    // 13: Enter
+                    setMode("newlines");
+                }
+                else if (keyCode == 27) {
+                    // 27: escape
+                    setMode("escape");
+                }
+                else if ((keyCode < 16 || keyCode > 20) && keyCode != 91) {
+                    // 16-20 are shift, etc. 
+                    // 91: left window key
+                    // I think this might be a little messed up since there are
+                    // a lot of nonprinting keys above 20.
+                    setMode("typing");
+                }
+            }
+        };
+
+        var setEventHandlers = function () {
+            util.addEvent(panels.input, "keypress", function (event) {
+                // keyCode 89: y
+                // keyCode 90: z
+                if ((event.ctrlKey || event.metaKey) && (event.keyCode == 89 || event.keyCode == 90)) {
+                    event.preventDefault();
+                }
+            });
+
+            var handlePaste = function () {
+                if (uaSniffed.isIE || (inputStateObj && inputStateObj.text != panels.input.value)) {
+                    if (timer == undefined) {
+                        mode = "paste";
+                        saveState();
+                        refreshState();
+                    }
+                }
+            };
+
+            util.addEvent(panels.input, "keydown", handleCtrlYZ);
+            util.addEvent(panels.input, "keydown", handleModeChange);
+            util.addEvent(panels.input, "mousedown", function () {
+                setMode("moving");
+            });
+
+            panels.input.onpaste = handlePaste;
+            panels.input.ondrop = handlePaste;
+        };
+
+        var init = function () {
+            setEventHandlers();
+            refreshState(true);
+            saveState();
+        };
+
+        init();
+    }
+
+    // end of UndoManager
+
+    // The input textarea state/contents.
+    // This is used to implement undo/redo by the undo manager.
+    function TextareaState(panels, isInitialState) {
+
+        // Aliases
+        var stateObj = this;
+        var inputArea = panels.input;
+        this.init = function () {
+            if (!util.isVisible(inputArea)) {
+                return;
+            }
+            if (!isInitialState && doc.activeElement && doc.activeElement !== inputArea) { // this happens when tabbing out of the input box
+                return;
+            }
+
+            this.setInputAreaSelectionStartEnd();
+            this.scrollTop = inputArea.scrollTop;
+            if (!this.text && inputArea.selectionStart || inputArea.selectionStart === 0) {
+                this.text = inputArea.value;
+            }
+
+        }
+
+        // Sets the selected text in the input box after we've performed an
+        // operation.
+        this.setInputAreaSelection = function () {
+
+            if (!util.isVisible(inputArea)) {
+                return;
+            }
+
+            if (inputArea.selectionStart !== undefined && !uaSniffed.isOpera) {
+
+                inputArea.focus();
+                inputArea.selectionStart = stateObj.start;
+                inputArea.selectionEnd = stateObj.end;
+                inputArea.scrollTop = stateObj.scrollTop;
+            }
+            else if (doc.selection) {
+
+                if (doc.activeElement && doc.activeElement !== inputArea) {
+                    return;
+                }
+
+                inputArea.focus();
+                var range = inputArea.createTextRange();
+                range.moveStart("character", -inputArea.value.length);
+                range.moveEnd("character", -inputArea.value.length);
+                range.moveEnd("character", stateObj.end);
+                range.moveStart("character", stateObj.start);
+                range.select();
+            }
+        };
+
+        this.setInputAreaSelectionStartEnd = function () {
+
+            if (!panels.ieCachedRange && (inputArea.selectionStart || inputArea.selectionStart === 0)) {
+
+                stateObj.start = inputArea.selectionStart;
+                stateObj.end = inputArea.selectionEnd;
+            }
+            else if (doc.selection) {
+
+                stateObj.text = util.fixEolChars(inputArea.value);
+
+                // IE loses the selection in the textarea when buttons are
+                // clicked.  On IE we cache the selection. Here, if something is cached,
+                // we take it.
+                var range = panels.ieCachedRange || doc.selection.createRange();
+
+                var fixedRange = util.fixEolChars(range.text);
+                var marker = "\x07";
+                var markedRange = marker + fixedRange + marker;
+                range.text = markedRange;
+                var inputText = util.fixEolChars(inputArea.value);
+
+                range.moveStart("character", -markedRange.length);
+                range.text = fixedRange;
+
+                stateObj.start = inputText.indexOf(marker);
+                stateObj.end = inputText.lastIndexOf(marker) - marker.length;
+
+                var len = stateObj.text.length - util.fixEolChars(inputArea.value).length;
+
+                if (len) {
+                    range.moveStart("character", -fixedRange.length);
+                    while (len--) {
+                        fixedRange += "\n";
+                        stateObj.end += 1;
+                    }
+                    range.text = fixedRange;
+                }
+
+                if (panels.ieCachedRange)
+                    stateObj.scrollTop = panels.ieCachedScrollTop; // this is set alongside with ieCachedRange
+                
+                panels.ieCachedRange = null;
+
+                this.setInputAreaSelection();
+            }
+        };
+
+        // Restore this state into the input area.
+        this.restore = function () {
+
+            if (stateObj.text != undefined && stateObj.text != inputArea.value) {
+                inputArea.value = stateObj.text;
+            }
+            this.setInputAreaSelection();
+            inputArea.scrollTop = stateObj.scrollTop;
+        };
+
+        // Gets a collection of HTML chunks from the inptut textarea.
+        this.getChunks = function () {
+
+            var chunk = new Chunks();
+            chunk.before = util.fixEolChars(stateObj.text.substring(0, stateObj.start));
+            chunk.startTag = "";
+            chunk.selection = util.fixEolChars(stateObj.text.substring(stateObj.start, stateObj.end));
+            chunk.endTag = "";
+            chunk.after = util.fixEolChars(stateObj.text.substring(stateObj.end));
+            chunk.scrollTop = stateObj.scrollTop;
+
+            return chunk;
+        };
+
+        // Sets the TextareaState properties given a chunk of markdown.
+        this.setChunks = function (chunk) {
+
+            chunk.before = chunk.before + chunk.startTag;
+            chunk.after = chunk.endTag + chunk.after;
+
+            this.start = chunk.before.length;
+            this.end = chunk.before.length + chunk.selection.length;
+            this.text = chunk.before + chunk.selection + chunk.after;
+            this.scrollTop = chunk.scrollTop;
+        };
+        this.init();
+    };
+
+    function PreviewManager(converter, panels, previewPushCallback) {
+
+        var managerObj = this;
+        var timeout;
+        var elapsedTime;
+        var oldInputText;
+        var maxDelay = 3000;
+        var startType = "delayed"; // The other legal value is "manual"
+
+        // Adds event listeners to elements
+        var setupEvents = function (inputElem, listener) {
+
+            util.addEvent(inputElem, "input", listener);
+            inputElem.onpaste = listener;
+            inputElem.ondrop = listener;
+
+            util.addEvent(inputElem, "keypress", listener);
+            util.addEvent(inputElem, "keydown", listener);
+        };
+
+        var getDocScrollTop = function () {
+
+            var result = 0;
+
+            if (window.innerHeight) {
+                result = window.pageYOffset;
+            }
+            else
+                if (doc.documentElement && doc.documentElement.scrollTop) {
+                    result = doc.documentElement.scrollTop;
+                }
+                else
+                    if (doc.body) {
+                        result = doc.body.scrollTop;
+                    }
+
+            return result;
+        };
+
+        var makePreviewHtml = function () {
+
+            // If there is no registered preview panel
+            // there is nothing to do.
+            if (!panels.preview)
+                return;
+
+
+            var text = panels.input.value;
+            if (text && text == oldInputText) {
+                return; // Input text hasn't changed.
+            }
+            else {
+                oldInputText = text;
+            }
+
+            var prevTime = new Date().getTime();
+
+            text = converter.makeHtml(text);
+
+            // Calculate the processing time of the HTML creation.
+            // It's used as the delay time in the event listener.
+            var currTime = new Date().getTime();
+            elapsedTime = currTime - prevTime;
+
+            pushPreviewHtml(text);
+        };
+
+        // setTimeout is already used.  Used as an event listener.
+        var applyTimeout = function () {
+
+            if (timeout) {
+                clearTimeout(timeout);
+                timeout = undefined;
+            }
+
+            if (startType !== "manual") {
+
+                var delay = 0;
+
+                if (startType === "delayed") {
+                    delay = elapsedTime;
+                }
+
+                if (delay > maxDelay) {
+                    delay = maxDelay;
+                }
+                timeout = setTimeout(makePreviewHtml, delay);
+            }
+        };
+
+        var getScaleFactor = function (panel) {
+            if (panel.scrollHeight <= panel.clientHeight) {
+                return 1;
+            }
+            return panel.scrollTop / (panel.scrollHeight - panel.clientHeight);
+        };
+
+        var setPanelScrollTops = function () {
+            if (panels.preview) {
+                panels.preview.scrollTop = (panels.preview.scrollHeight - panels.preview.clientHeight) * getScaleFactor(panels.preview);
+            }
+        };
+
+        this.refresh = function (requiresRefresh) {
+
+            if (requiresRefresh) {
+                oldInputText = "";
+                makePreviewHtml();
+            }
+            else {
+                applyTimeout();
+            }
+        };
+
+        this.processingTime = function () {
+            return elapsedTime;
+        };
+
+        var isFirstTimeFilled = true;
+
+        // IE doesn't let you use innerHTML if the element is contained somewhere in a table
+        // (which is the case for inline editing) -- in that case, detach the element, set the
+        // value, and reattach. Yes, that *is* ridiculous.
+        var ieSafePreviewSet = function (text) {
+            var preview = panels.preview;
+            var parent = preview.parentNode;
+            var sibling = preview.nextSibling;
+            parent.removeChild(preview);
+            preview.innerHTML = text;
+            if (!sibling)
+                parent.appendChild(preview);
+            else
+                parent.insertBefore(preview, sibling);
+        }
+
+        var nonSuckyBrowserPreviewSet = function (text) {
+            panels.preview.innerHTML = text;
+        }
+
+        var previewSetter;
+
+        var previewSet = function (text) {
+            if (previewSetter)
+                return previewSetter(text);
+
+            try {
+                nonSuckyBrowserPreviewSet(text);
+                previewSetter = nonSuckyBrowserPreviewSet;
+            } catch (e) {
+                previewSetter = ieSafePreviewSet;
+                previewSetter(text);
+            }
+        };
+
+        var pushPreviewHtml = function (text) {
+
+            var emptyTop = position.getTop(panels.input) - getDocScrollTop();
+
+            if (panels.preview) {
+                previewPushCallback(text, previewSet);
+            }
+
+            setPanelScrollTops();
+
+            if (isFirstTimeFilled) {
+                isFirstTimeFilled = false;
+                return;
+            }
+
+            var fullTop = position.getTop(panels.input) - getDocScrollTop();
+
+            if (uaSniffed.isIE) {
+                setTimeout(function () {
+                    window.scrollBy(0, fullTop - emptyTop);
+                }, 0);
+            }
+            else {
+                window.scrollBy(0, fullTop - emptyTop);
+            }
+        };
+
+        var init = function () {
+
+            setupEvents(panels.input, applyTimeout);
+            makePreviewHtml();
+
+            if (panels.preview) {
+                panels.preview.scrollTop = 0;
+            }
+        };
+
+        init();
+    };
+
+    // Creates the background behind the hyperlink text entry box.
+    // And download dialog
+    // Most of this has been moved to CSS but the div creation and
+    // browser-specific hacks remain here.
+    ui.createBackground = function () {
+
+        var background = doc.createElement("div"),
+            style = background.style;
+        
+        background.className = "wmd-prompt-background";
+        
+        style.position = "absolute";
+        style.top = "0";
+
+        style.zIndex = "1000";
+
+        if (uaSniffed.isIE) {
+            style.filter = "alpha(opacity=50)";
+        }
+        else {
+            style.opacity = "0.5";
+        }
+
+        var pageSize = position.getPageSize();
+        style.height = pageSize[1] + "px";
+
+        if (uaSniffed.isIE) {
+            style.left = doc.documentElement.scrollLeft;
+            style.width = doc.documentElement.clientWidth;
+        }
+        else {
+            style.left = "0";
+            style.width = "100%";
+        }
+
+        doc.body.appendChild(background);
+        return background;
+    };
+
+    // This simulates a modal dialog box and asks for the URL when you
+    // click the hyperlink or image buttons.
+    //
+    // text: The html for the input box.
+    // defaultInputText: The default value that appears in the input box.
+    // callback: The function which is executed when the prompt is dismissed, either via OK or Cancel.
+    //      It receives a single argument; either the entered text (if OK was chosen) or null (if Cancel
+    //      was chosen).
+    ui.prompt = function (text, defaultInputText, callback, imageUploadHandler) {
+
+        // These variables need to be declared at this level since they are used
+        // in multiple functions.
+        var dialog;         // The dialog box.
+        var input;         // The text box where you enter the hyperlink.
+
+
+        if (defaultInputText === undefined) {
+            defaultInputText = "";
+        }
+
+        // Used as a keydown event handler. Esc dismisses the prompt.
+        // Key code 27 is ESC.
+        var checkEscape = function (key) {
+            var code = (key.charCode || key.keyCode);
+            if (code === 27) {
+                close(true);
+            }
+        };
+
+        // Dismisses the hyperlink input box.
+        // isCancel is true if we don't care about the input text.
+        // isCancel is false if we are going to keep the text.
+        var close = function (isCancel) {
+            util.removeEvent(doc.body, "keydown", checkEscape);
+            var text = input.value;
+
+            if (isCancel) {
+                text = null;
+            }
+            else {
+                // Fixes common pasting errors.
+                text = text.replace(/^http:\/\/(https?|ftp):\/\//, '$1://');
+                // doesn't change url if started with '/' (local)
+                if (!/^(?:https?|ftp):\/\//.test(text) && text.charAt(0) != '/') {
+                    text = 'http://' + text;
+                }
+            }
+
+            dialog.parentNode.removeChild(dialog);
+
+            callback(text);
+            return false;
+        };
+
+
+
+        // Create the text input box form/window.
+        var createDialog = function () {
+
+            // The main dialog box.
+            dialog = doc.createElement("div");
+            dialog.className = "wmd-prompt-dialog";
+            dialog.style.padding = "10px;";
+            dialog.style.position = "fixed";
+            dialog.style.width = "400px";
+            dialog.style.zIndex = "1001";
+
+            // The dialog text.
+            var question = doc.createElement("div");
+            question.innerHTML = text;
+            question.style.padding = "5px";
+            dialog.appendChild(question);
+
+            // The web form container for the text box and buttons.
+            var form = doc.createElement("form"),
+                style = form.style;
+            form.onsubmit = function () { return close(false); };
+            style.padding = "0";
+            style.margin = "0";
+            style.cssFloat = "left";
+            style.width = "100%";
+            style.textAlign = "center";
+            style.position = "relative";
+            dialog.appendChild(form);
+
+            // The input text box
+            input = doc.createElement("input");
+            input.type = "text";
+            input.value = defaultInputText;
+            style = input.style;
+            style.display = "block";
+            style.width = "80%";
+            style.marginLeft = style.marginRight = "auto";
+            form.appendChild(input);
+
+            // The choose file button if prompt type is 'image'
+
+            if (imageUploadHandler) {
+              var chooseFile = doc.createElement("input");
+              chooseFile.type = "file";
+              chooseFile.name = "file-upload";
+              chooseFile.id = "file-upload";
+              chooseFile.onchange = function() {
+                imageUploadHandler(this, input);
+              };
+              form.appendChild(doc.createElement("br"));
+              form.appendChild(chooseFile);
+            }
+
+
+            // The ok button
+            var okButton = doc.createElement("input");
+            okButton.type = "button";
+            okButton.onclick = function () { return close(false); };
+            okButton.value = "OK";
+            style = okButton.style;
+            style.margin = "10px";
+            style.display = "inline";
+            style.width = "7em";
+
+
+            // The cancel button
+            var cancelButton = doc.createElement("input");
+            cancelButton.type = "button";
+            cancelButton.onclick = function () { return close(true); };
+            cancelButton.value = "Cancel";
+            style = cancelButton.style;
+            style.margin = "10px";
+            style.display = "inline";
+            style.width = "7em";
+
+            form.appendChild(okButton);
+            form.appendChild(cancelButton);
+
+            util.addEvent(doc.body, "keydown", checkEscape);
+            dialog.style.top = "50%";
+            dialog.style.left = "50%";
+            dialog.style.display = "block";
+            if (uaSniffed.isIE_5or6) {
+                dialog.style.position = "absolute";
+                dialog.style.top = doc.documentElement.scrollTop + 200 + "px";
+                dialog.style.left = "50%";
+            }
+            doc.body.appendChild(dialog);
+
+            // This has to be done AFTER adding the dialog to the form if you
+            // want it to be centered.
+            dialog.style.marginTop = -(position.getHeight(dialog) / 2) + "px";
+            dialog.style.marginLeft = -(position.getWidth(dialog) / 2) + "px";
+
+        };
+
+        // Why is this in a zero-length timeout?
+        // Is it working around a browser bug?
+        setTimeout(function () {
+
+            createDialog();
+
+            var defTextLen = defaultInputText.length;
+            if (input.selectionStart !== undefined) {
+                input.selectionStart = 0;
+                input.selectionEnd = defTextLen;
+            }
+            else if (input.createTextRange) {
+                var range = input.createTextRange();
+                range.collapse(false);
+                range.moveStart("character", -defTextLen);
+                range.moveEnd("character", defTextLen);
+                range.select();
+            }
+
+            input.focus();
+        }, 0);
+    };
+
+    function UIManager(postfix, panels, undoManager, previewManager, commandManager, helpOptions, imageUploadHandler) {
+
+        var inputBox = panels.input,
+            buttons = {}; // buttons.undo, buttons.link, etc. The actual DOM elements.
+
+        makeSpritedButtonRow();
+
+        var keyEvent = "keydown";
+        if (uaSniffed.isOpera) {
+            keyEvent = "keypress";
+        }
+
+        util.addEvent(inputBox, keyEvent, function (key) {
+
+            // Check to see if we have a button key and, if so execute the callback.
+            if ((key.ctrlKey || key.metaKey) && !key.altKey && !key.shiftKey) {
+
+                var keyCode = key.charCode || key.keyCode;
+                var keyCodeStr = String.fromCharCode(keyCode).toLowerCase();
+
+                switch (keyCodeStr) {
+                    case "b":
+                        doClick(buttons.bold);
+                        break;
+                    case "i":
+                        doClick(buttons.italic);
+                        break;
+                    case "l":
+                        doClick(buttons.link);
+                        break;
+                    case "q":
+                        doClick(buttons.quote);
+                        break;
+                    case "k":
+                        doClick(buttons.code);
+                        break;
+                    case "g":
+                        doClick(buttons.image);
+                        break;
+                    case "o":
+                        doClick(buttons.olist);
+                        break;
+                    case "u":
+                        doClick(buttons.ulist);
+                        break;
+                    case "h":
+                        doClick(buttons.heading);
+                        break;
+                    case "r":
+                        doClick(buttons.hr);
+                        break;
+                    case "y":
+                        doClick(buttons.redo);
+                        break;
+                    case "z":
+                        if (key.shiftKey) {
+                            doClick(buttons.redo);
+                        }
+                        else {
+                            doClick(buttons.undo);
+                        }
+                        break;
+                    default:
+                        return;
+                }
+
+
+                if (key.preventDefault) {
+                    key.preventDefault();
+                }
+
+                if (window.event) {
+                    window.event.returnValue = false;
+                }
+            }
+        });
+
+        // Auto-indent on shift-enter
+        util.addEvent(inputBox, "keyup", function (key) {
+            if (key.shiftKey && !key.ctrlKey && !key.metaKey) {
+                var keyCode = key.charCode || key.keyCode;
+                // Character 13 is Enter
+                if (keyCode === 13) {
+                    var fakeButton = {};
+                    fakeButton.textOp = bindCommand("doAutoindent");
+                    doClick(fakeButton);
+                }
+            }
+        });
+
+        // special handler because IE clears the context of the textbox on ESC
+        if (uaSniffed.isIE) {
+            util.addEvent(inputBox, "keydown", function (key) {
+                var code = key.keyCode;
+                if (code === 27) {
+                    return false;
+                }
+            });
+        }
+
+
+        // Perform the button's action.
+        function doClick(button) {
+
+            inputBox.focus();
+
+            if (button.textOp) {
+
+                if (undoManager) {
+                    undoManager.setCommandMode();
+                }
+
+                var state = new TextareaState(panels);
+
+                if (!state) {
+                    return;
+                }
+
+                var chunks = state.getChunks();
+
+                // Some commands launch a "modal" prompt dialog.  Javascript
+                // can't really make a modal dialog box and the WMD code
+                // will continue to execute while the dialog is displayed.
+                // This prevents the dialog pattern I'm used to and means
+                // I can't do something like this:
+                //
+                // var link = CreateLinkDialog();
+                // makeMarkdownLink(link);
+                // 
+                // Instead of this straightforward method of handling a
+                // dialog I have to pass any code which would execute
+                // after the dialog is dismissed (e.g. link creation)
+                // in a function parameter.
+                //
+                // Yes this is awkward and I think it sucks, but there's
+                // no real workaround.  Only the image and link code
+                // create dialogs and require the function pointers.
+                var fixupInputArea = function () {
+
+                    inputBox.focus();
+
+                    if (chunks) {
+                        state.setChunks(chunks);
+                    }
+
+                    state.restore();
+                    previewManager.refresh();
+                };
+
+                var noCleanup = button.textOp(chunks, fixupInputArea);
+
+                if (!noCleanup) {
+                    fixupInputArea();
+                }
+
+            }
+
+            if (button.execute) {
+                button.execute(undoManager);
+            }
+        };
+
+        function setupButton(button, isEnabled) {
+
+            var normalYShift = "0px";
+            var disabledYShift = "-20px";
+            var highlightYShift = "-40px";
+            var image = button.getElementsByTagName("span")[0];
+            if (isEnabled) {
+                image.style.backgroundPosition = button.XShift + " " + normalYShift;
+                button.onmouseover = function () {
+                    image.style.backgroundPosition = this.XShift + " " + highlightYShift;
+                };
+
+                button.onmouseout = function () {
+                    image.style.backgroundPosition = this.XShift + " " + normalYShift;
+                };
+
+                // IE tries to select the background image "button" text (it's
+                // implemented in a list item) so we have to cache the selection
+                // on mousedown.
+                if (uaSniffed.isIE) {
+                    button.onmousedown = function () {
+                        if (doc.activeElement && doc.activeElement !== panels.input) { // we're not even in the input box, so there's no selection
+                            return;
+                        }
+                        panels.ieCachedRange = document.selection.createRange();
+                        panels.ieCachedScrollTop = panels.input.scrollTop;
+                    };
+                }
+
+                if (!button.isHelp) {
+                    button.onclick = function () {
+                        if (this.onmouseout) {
+                            this.onmouseout();
+                        }
+                        doClick(this);
+                        return false;
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+            else {
+                image.style.backgroundPosition = button.XShift + " " + disabledYShift;
+                button.onmouseover = button.onmouseout = button.onclick = function () { };
+            }
+        }
+
+        function bindCommand(method) {
+            if (typeof method === "string")
+                method = commandManager[method];
+            return function () { method.apply(commandManager, arguments); }
+        }
+
+        function makeSpritedButtonRow() {
+
+            var buttonBar = panels.buttonBar;
+
+            var normalYShift = "0px";
+            var disabledYShift = "-20px";
+            var highlightYShift = "-40px";
+
+            var buttonRow = document.createElement("ul");
+            buttonRow.id = "wmd-button-row" + postfix;
+            buttonRow.className = 'wmd-button-row';
+            buttonRow = buttonBar.appendChild(buttonRow);
+            var xPosition = 0;
+            var makeButton = function (id, title, XShift, textOp) {
+                var button = document.createElement("li");
+                button.className = "wmd-button";
+                button.style.left = xPosition + "px";
+                xPosition += 25;
+                var buttonImage = document.createElement("span");
+                button.id = id + postfix;
+                button.appendChild(buttonImage);
+                button.title = title;
+                button.XShift = XShift;
+                if (textOp)
+                    button.textOp = textOp;
+                setupButton(button, true);
+                buttonRow.appendChild(button);
+                return button;
+            };
+            var makeSpacer = function (num) {
+                var spacer = document.createElement("li");
+                spacer.className = "wmd-spacer wmd-spacer" + num;
+                spacer.id = "wmd-spacer" + num + postfix;
+                buttonRow.appendChild(spacer);
+                xPosition += 25;
+            }
+
+            buttons.bold = makeButton("wmd-bold-button", "Strong <strong> Ctrl+B", "0px", bindCommand("doBold"));
+            buttons.italic = makeButton("wmd-italic-button", "Emphasis <em> Ctrl+I", "-20px", bindCommand("doItalic"));
+            makeSpacer(1);
+            buttons.link = makeButton("wmd-link-button", "Hyperlink <a> Ctrl+L", "-40px", bindCommand(function (chunk, postProcessing) {
+                return this.doLinkOrImage(chunk, postProcessing, false);
+            }));
+            buttons.quote = makeButton("wmd-quote-button", "Blockquote <blockquote> Ctrl+Q", "-60px", bindCommand("doBlockquote"));
+            buttons.code = makeButton("wmd-code-button", "Code Sample <pre><code> Ctrl+K", "-80px", bindCommand("doCode"));
+            buttons.image = makeButton("wmd-image-button", "Image <img> Ctrl+G", "-100px", bindCommand(function (chunk, postProcessing) {
+                return this.doLinkOrImage(chunk, postProcessing, true, imageUploadHandler);
+            }));
+            makeSpacer(2);
+            buttons.olist = makeButton("wmd-olist-button", "Numbered List <ol> Ctrl+O", "-120px", bindCommand(function (chunk, postProcessing) {
+                this.doList(chunk, postProcessing, true);
+            }));
+            buttons.ulist = makeButton("wmd-ulist-button", "Bulleted List <ul> Ctrl+U", "-140px", bindCommand(function (chunk, postProcessing) {
+                this.doList(chunk, postProcessing, false);
+            }));
+            buttons.heading = makeButton("wmd-heading-button", "Heading <h1>/<h2> Ctrl+H", "-160px", bindCommand("doHeading"));
+            buttons.hr = makeButton("wmd-hr-button", "Horizontal Rule <hr> Ctrl+R", "-180px", bindCommand("doHorizontalRule"));
+            makeSpacer(3);
+            buttons.undo = makeButton("wmd-undo-button", "Undo - Ctrl+Z", "-200px", null);
+            buttons.undo.execute = function (manager) { if (manager) manager.undo(); };
+
+            var redoTitle = /win/.test(nav.platform.toLowerCase()) ?
+                "Redo - Ctrl+Y" :
+                "Redo - Ctrl+Shift+Z"; // mac and other non-Windows platforms
+
+            buttons.redo = makeButton("wmd-redo-button", redoTitle, "-220px", null);
+            buttons.redo.execute = function (manager) { if (manager) manager.redo(); };
+
+            if (helpOptions) {
+                var helpButton = document.createElement("li");
+                var helpButtonImage = document.createElement("span");
+                helpButton.appendChild(helpButtonImage);
+                helpButton.className = "wmd-button wmd-help-button";
+                helpButton.id = "wmd-help-button" + postfix;
+                helpButton.XShift = "-240px";
+                helpButton.isHelp = true;
+                helpButton.style.right = "0px";
+                helpButton.title = helpOptions.title || defaultHelpHoverTitle;
+                helpButton.onclick = helpOptions.handler;
+
+                setupButton(helpButton, true);
+                buttonRow.appendChild(helpButton);
+                buttons.help = helpButton;
+            }
+
+            setUndoRedoButtonStates();
+        }
+
+        function setUndoRedoButtonStates() {
+            if (undoManager) {
+                setupButton(buttons.undo, undoManager.canUndo());
+                setupButton(buttons.redo, undoManager.canRedo());
+            }
+        };
+
+        this.setUndoRedoButtonStates = setUndoRedoButtonStates;
+
+    }
+
+    function CommandManager(pluginHooks) {
+        this.hooks = pluginHooks;
+    }
+
+    var commandProto = CommandManager.prototype;
+
+    // The markdown symbols - 4 spaces = code, > = blockquote, etc.
+    commandProto.prefixes = "(?:\\s{4,}|\\s*>|\\s*-\\s+|\\s*\\d+\\.|=|\\+|-|_|\\*|#|\\s*\\[[^\n]]+\\]:)";
+
+    // Remove markdown symbols from the chunk selection.
+    commandProto.unwrap = function (chunk) {
+        var txt = new re("([^\\n])\\n(?!(\\n|" + this.prefixes + "))", "g");
+        chunk.selection = chunk.selection.replace(txt, "$1 $2");
+    };
+
+    commandProto.wrap = function (chunk, len) {
+        this.unwrap(chunk);
+        var regex = new re("(.{1," + len + "})( +|$\\n?)", "gm"),
+            that = this;
+
+        chunk.selection = chunk.selection.replace(regex, function (line, marked) {
+            if (new re("^" + that.prefixes, "").test(line)) {
+                return line;
+            }
+            return marked + "\n";
+        });
+
+        chunk.selection = chunk.selection.replace(/\s+$/, "");
+    };
+
+    commandProto.doBold = function (chunk, postProcessing) {
+        return this.doBorI(chunk, postProcessing, 2, "strong text");
+    };
+
+    commandProto.doItalic = function (chunk, postProcessing) {
+        return this.doBorI(chunk, postProcessing, 1, "emphasized text");
+    };
+
+    // chunk: The selected region that will be enclosed with */**
+    // nStars: 1 for italics, 2 for bold
+    // insertText: If you just click the button without highlighting text, this gets inserted
+    commandProto.doBorI = function (chunk, postProcessing, nStars, insertText) {
+
+        // Get rid of whitespace and fixup newlines.
+        chunk.trimWhitespace();
+        chunk.selection = chunk.selection.replace(/\n{2,}/g, "\n");
+
+        // Look for stars before and after.  Is the chunk already marked up?
+        // note that these regex matches cannot fail
+        var starsBefore = /(\**$)/.exec(chunk.before)[0];
+        var starsAfter = /(^\**)/.exec(chunk.after)[0];
+
+        var prevStars = Math.min(starsBefore.length, starsAfter.length);
+
+        // Remove stars if we have to since the button acts as a toggle.
+        if ((prevStars >= nStars) && (prevStars != 2 || nStars != 1)) {
+            chunk.before = chunk.before.replace(re("[*]{" + nStars + "}$", ""), "");
+            chunk.after = chunk.after.replace(re("^[*]{" + nStars + "}", ""), "");
+        }
+        else if (!chunk.selection && starsAfter) {
+            // It's not really clear why this code is necessary.  It just moves
+            // some arbitrary stuff around.
+            chunk.after = chunk.after.replace(/^([*_]*)/, "");
+            chunk.before = chunk.before.replace(/(\s?)$/, "");
+            var whitespace = re.$1;
+            chunk.before = chunk.before + starsAfter + whitespace;
+        }
+        else {
+
+            // In most cases, if you don't have any selected text and click the button
+            // you'll get a selected, marked up region with the default text inserted.
+            if (!chunk.selection && !starsAfter) {
+                chunk.selection = insertText;
+            }
+
+            // Add the true markup.
+            var markup = nStars <= 1 ? "*" : "**"; // shouldn't the test be = ?
+            chunk.before = chunk.before + markup;
+            chunk.after = markup + chunk.after;
+        }
+
+        return;
+    };
+
+    commandProto.stripLinkDefs = function (text, defsToAdd) {
+
+        text = text.replace(/^[ ]{0,3}\[(\d+)\]:[ \t]*\n?[ \t]*<?(\S+?)>?[ \t]*\n?[ \t]*(?:(\n*)["(](.+?)[")][ \t]*)?(?:\n+|$)/gm,
+            function (totalMatch, id, link, newlines, title) {
+                defsToAdd[id] = totalMatch.replace(/\s*$/, "");
+                if (newlines) {
+                    // Strip the title and return that separately.
+                    defsToAdd[id] = totalMatch.replace(/["(](.+?)[")]$/, "");
+                    return newlines + title;
+                }
+                return "";
+            });
+
+        return text;
+    };
+
+    commandProto.addLinkDef = function (chunk, linkDef) {
+
+        var refNumber = 0; // The current reference number
+        var defsToAdd = {}; //
+        // Start with a clean slate by removing all previous link definitions.
+        chunk.before = this.stripLinkDefs(chunk.before, defsToAdd);
+        chunk.selection = this.stripLinkDefs(chunk.selection, defsToAdd);
+        chunk.after = this.stripLinkDefs(chunk.after, defsToAdd);
+
+        var defs = "";
+        var regex = /(\[)((?:\[[^\]]*\]|[^\[\]])*)(\][ ]?(?:\n[ ]*)?\[)(\d+)(\])/g;
+
+        var addDefNumber = function (def) {
+            refNumber++;
+            def = def.replace(/^[ ]{0,3}\[(\d+)\]:/, "  [" + refNumber + "]:");
+            defs += "\n" + def;
+        };
+
+        // note that
+        // a) the recursive call to getLink cannot go infinite, because by definition
+        //    of regex, inner is always a proper substring of wholeMatch, and
+        // b) more than one level of nesting is neither supported by the regex
+        //    nor making a lot of sense (the only use case for nesting is a linked image)
+        var getLink = function (wholeMatch, before, inner, afterInner, id, end) {
+            inner = inner.replace(regex, getLink);
+            if (defsToAdd[id]) {
+                addDefNumber(defsToAdd[id]);
+                return before + inner + afterInner + refNumber + end;
+            }
+            return wholeMatch;
+        };
+
+        chunk.before = chunk.before.replace(regex, getLink);
+
+        if (linkDef) {
+            addDefNumber(linkDef);
+        }
+        else {
+            chunk.selection = chunk.selection.replace(regex, getLink);
+        }
+
+        var refOut = refNumber;
+
+        chunk.after = chunk.after.replace(regex, getLink);
+
+        if (chunk.after) {
+            chunk.after = chunk.after.replace(/\n*$/, "");
+        }
+        if (!chunk.after) {
+            chunk.selection = chunk.selection.replace(/\n*$/, "");
+        }
+
+        chunk.after += "\n\n" + defs;
+
+        return refOut;
+    };
+
+    // takes the line as entered into the add link/as image dialog and makes
+    // sure the URL and the optinal title are "nice".
+    function properlyEncoded(linkdef) {
+        return linkdef.replace(/^\s*(.*?)(?:\s+"(.+)")?\s*$/, function (wholematch, link, title) {
+            link = link.replace(/\?.*$/, function (querypart) {
+                return querypart.replace(/\+/g, " "); // in the query string, a plus and a space are identical
+            });
+            link = decodeURIComponent(link); // unencode first, to prevent double encoding
+            link = encodeURI(link).replace(/'/g, '%27').replace(/\(/g, '%28').replace(/\)/g, '%29');
+            link = link.replace(/\?.*$/, function (querypart) {
+                return querypart.replace(/\+/g, "%2b"); // since we replaced plus with spaces in the query part, all pluses that now appear where originally encoded
+            });
+            if (title) {
+                title = title.trim ? title.trim() : title.replace(/^\s*/, "").replace(/\s*$/, "");
+                title = $.trim(title).replace(/"/g, "quot;").replace(/\(/g, "&#40;").replace(/\)/g, "&#41;").replace(/</g, "&lt;").replace(/>/g, "&gt;");
+            }
+            return title ? link + ' "' + title + '"' : link;
+        });
+    }
+
+    commandProto.doLinkOrImage = function (chunk, postProcessing, isImage, imageUploadHandler) {
+
+        chunk.trimWhitespace();
+        chunk.findTags(/\s*!?\[/, /\][ ]?(?:\n[ ]*)?(\[.*?\])?/);
+        var background;
+
+        if (chunk.endTag.length > 1 && chunk.startTag.length > 0) {
+
+            chunk.startTag = chunk.startTag.replace(/!?\[/, "");
+            chunk.endTag = "";
+            this.addLinkDef(chunk, null);
+
+        }
+        else {
+            
+            // We're moving start and end tag back into the selection, since (as we're in the else block) we're not
+            // *removing* a link, but *adding* one, so whatever findTags() found is now back to being part of the
+            // link text. linkEnteredCallback takes care of escaping any brackets.
+            chunk.selection = chunk.startTag + chunk.selection + chunk.endTag;
+            chunk.startTag = chunk.endTag = "";
+
+            if (/\n\n/.test(chunk.selection)) {
+                this.addLinkDef(chunk, null);
+                return;
+            }
+            var that = this;
+            // The function to be executed when you enter a link and press OK or Cancel.
+            // Marks up the link and adds the ref.
+            var linkEnteredCallback = function (link) {
+
+                background.parentNode.removeChild(background);
+
+                if (link !== null) {
+                    // (                          $1
+                    //     [^\\]                  anything that's not a backslash
+                    //     (?:\\\\)*              an even number (this includes zero) of backslashes
+                    // )
+                    // (?=                        followed by
+                    //     [[\]]                  an opening or closing bracket
+                    // )
+                    //
+                    // In other words, a non-escaped bracket. These have to be escaped now to make sure they
+                    // don't count as the end of the link or similar.
+                    // Note that the actual bracket has to be a lookahead, because (in case of to subsequent brackets),
+                    // the bracket in one match may be the "not a backslash" character in the next match, so it
+                    // should not be consumed by the first match.
+                    // The "prepend a space and finally remove it" steps makes sure there is a "not a backslash" at the
+                    // start of the string, so this also works if the selection begins with a bracket. We cannot solve
+                    // this by anchoring with ^, because in the case that the selection starts with two brackets, this
+                    // would mean a zero-width match at the start. Since zero-width matches advance the string position,
+                    // the first bracket could then not act as the "not a backslash" for the second.
+                    chunk.selection = (" " + chunk.selection).replace(/([^\\](?:\\\\)*)(?=[[\]])/g, "$1\\").substr(1);
+                    
+                    var linkDef = " [999]: " + properlyEncoded(link);
+
+                    var num = that.addLinkDef(chunk, linkDef);
+                    chunk.startTag = isImage ? "![" : "[";
+                    chunk.endTag = "][" + num + "]";
+
+                    if (!chunk.selection) {
+                        if (isImage) {
+                            chunk.selection = "enter image description here";
+                        }
+                        else {
+                            chunk.selection = "enter link description here";
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
+                postProcessing();
+            };
+
+            background = ui.createBackground();
+
+            if (isImage) {
+                if (!this.hooks.insertImageDialog(linkEnteredCallback))
+                    ui.prompt(imageDialogText, imageDefaultText, linkEnteredCallback, imageUploadHandler);
+            }
+            else {
+                ui.prompt(linkDialogText, linkDefaultText, linkEnteredCallback);
+            }
+            return true;
+        }
+    };
+
+    // When making a list, hitting shift-enter will put your cursor on the next line
+    // at the current indent level.
+    commandProto.doAutoindent = function (chunk, postProcessing) {
+
+        var commandMgr = this,
+            fakeSelection = false;
+
+        chunk.before = chunk.before.replace(/(\n|^)[ ]{0,3}([*+-]|\d+[.])[ \t]*\n$/, "\n\n");
+        chunk.before = chunk.before.replace(/(\n|^)[ ]{0,3}>[ \t]*\n$/, "\n\n");
+        chunk.before = chunk.before.replace(/(\n|^)[ \t]+\n$/, "\n\n");
+        
+        // There's no selection, end the cursor wasn't at the end of the line:
+        // The user wants to split the current list item / code line / blockquote line
+        // (for the latter it doesn't really matter) in two. Temporarily select the
+        // (rest of the) line to achieve this.
+        if (!chunk.selection && !/^[ \t]*(?:\n|$)/.test(chunk.after)) {
+            chunk.after = chunk.after.replace(/^[^\n]*/, function (wholeMatch) {
+                chunk.selection = wholeMatch;
+                return "";
+            });
+            fakeSelection = true;
+        }
+
+        if (/(\n|^)[ ]{0,3}([*+-]|\d+[.])[ \t]+.*\n$/.test(chunk.before)) {
+            if (commandMgr.doList) {
+                commandMgr.doList(chunk);
+            }
+        }
+        if (/(\n|^)[ ]{0,3}>[ \t]+.*\n$/.test(chunk.before)) {
+            if (commandMgr.doBlockquote) {
+                commandMgr.doBlockquote(chunk);
+            }
+        }
+        if (/(\n|^)(\t|[ ]{4,}).*\n$/.test(chunk.before)) {
+            if (commandMgr.doCode) {
+                commandMgr.doCode(chunk);
+            }
+        }
+        
+        if (fakeSelection) {
+            chunk.after = chunk.selection + chunk.after;
+            chunk.selection = "";
+        }
+    };
+
+    commandProto.doBlockquote = function (chunk, postProcessing) {
+
+        chunk.selection = chunk.selection.replace(/^(\n*)([^\r]+?)(\n*)$/,
+            function (totalMatch, newlinesBefore, text, newlinesAfter) {
+                chunk.before += newlinesBefore;
+                chunk.after = newlinesAfter + chunk.after;
+                return text;
+            });
+
+        chunk.before = chunk.before.replace(/(>[ \t]*)$/,
+            function (totalMatch, blankLine) {
+                chunk.selection = blankLine + chunk.selection;
+                return "";
+            });
+
+        chunk.selection = chunk.selection.replace(/^(\s|>)+$/, "");
+        chunk.selection = chunk.selection || "Blockquote";
+
+        // The original code uses a regular expression to find out how much of the
+        // text *directly before* the selection already was a blockquote:
+
+        /*
+        if (chunk.before) {
+        chunk.before = chunk.before.replace(/\n?$/, "\n");
+        }
+        chunk.before = chunk.before.replace(/(((\n|^)(\n[ \t]*)*>(.+\n)*.*)+(\n[ \t]*)*$)/,
+        function (totalMatch) {
+        chunk.startTag = totalMatch;
+        return "";
+        });
+        */
+
+        // This comes down to:
+        // Go backwards as many lines a possible, such that each line
+        //  a) starts with ">", or
+        //  b) is almost empty, except for whitespace, or
+        //  c) is preceeded by an unbroken chain of non-empty lines
+        //     leading up to a line that starts with ">" and at least one more character
+        // and in addition
+        //  d) at least one line fulfills a)
+        //
+        // Since this is essentially a backwards-moving regex, it's susceptible to
+        // catstrophic backtracking and can cause the browser to hang;
+        // see e.g. http://meta.stackoverflow.com/questions/9807.
+        //
+        // Hence we replaced this by a simple state machine that just goes through the
+        // lines and checks for a), b), and c).
+
+        var match = "",
+            leftOver = "",
+            line;
+        if (chunk.before) {
+            var lines = chunk.before.replace(/\n$/, "").split("\n");
+            var inChain = false;
+            for (var i = 0; i < lines.length; i++) {
+                var good = false;
+                line = lines[i];
+                inChain = inChain && line.length > 0; // c) any non-empty line continues the chain
+                if (/^>/.test(line)) {                // a)
+                    good = true;
+                    if (!inChain && line.length > 1)  // c) any line that starts with ">" and has at least one more character starts the chain
+                        inChain = true;
+                } else if (/^[ \t]*$/.test(line)) {   // b)
+                    good = true;
+                } else {
+                    good = inChain;                   // c) the line is not empty and does not start with ">", so it matches if and only if we're in the chain
+                }
+                if (good) {
+                    match += line + "\n";
+                } else {
+                    leftOver += match + line;
+                    match = "\n";
+                }
+            }
+            if (!/(^|\n)>/.test(match)) {             // d)
+                leftOver += match;
+                match = "";
+            }
+        }
+
+        chunk.startTag = match;
+        chunk.before = leftOver;
+
+        // end of change
+
+        if (chunk.after) {
+            chunk.after = chunk.after.replace(/^\n?/, "\n");
+        }
+
+        chunk.after = chunk.after.replace(/^(((\n|^)(\n[ \t]*)*>(.+\n)*.*)+(\n[ \t]*)*)/,
+            function (totalMatch) {
+                chunk.endTag = totalMatch;
+                return "";
+            }
+        );
+
+        var replaceBlanksInTags = function (useBracket) {
+
+            var replacement = useBracket ? "> " : "";
+
+            if (chunk.startTag) {
+                chunk.startTag = chunk.startTag.replace(/\n((>|\s)*)\n$/,
+                    function (totalMatch, markdown) {
+                        return "\n" + markdown.replace(/^[ ]{0,3}>?[ \t]*$/gm, replacement) + "\n";
+                    });
+            }
+            if (chunk.endTag) {
+                chunk.endTag = chunk.endTag.replace(/^\n((>|\s)*)\n/,
+                    function (totalMatch, markdown) {
+                        return "\n" + markdown.replace(/^[ ]{0,3}>?[ \t]*$/gm, replacement) + "\n";
+                    });
+            }
+        };
+
+        if (/^(?![ ]{0,3}>)/m.test(chunk.selection)) {
+            this.wrap(chunk, SETTINGS.lineLength - 2);
+            chunk.selection = chunk.selection.replace(/^/gm, "> ");
+            replaceBlanksInTags(true);
+            chunk.skipLines();
+        } else {
+            chunk.selection = chunk.selection.replace(/^[ ]{0,3}> ?/gm, "");
+            this.unwrap(chunk);
+            replaceBlanksInTags(false);
+
+            if (!/^(\n|^)[ ]{0,3}>/.test(chunk.selection) && chunk.startTag) {
+                chunk.startTag = chunk.startTag.replace(/\n{0,2}$/, "\n\n");
+            }
+
+            if (!/(\n|^)[ ]{0,3}>.*$/.test(chunk.selection) && chunk.endTag) {
+                chunk.endTag = chunk.endTag.replace(/^\n{0,2}/, "\n\n");
+            }
+        }
+
+        chunk.selection = this.hooks.postBlockquoteCreation(chunk.selection);
+
+        if (!/\n/.test(chunk.selection)) {
+            chunk.selection = chunk.selection.replace(/^(> *)/,
+            function (wholeMatch, blanks) {
+                chunk.startTag += blanks;
+                return "";
+            });
+        }
+    };
+
+    commandProto.doCode = function (chunk, postProcessing) {
+
+        var hasTextBefore = /\S[ ]*$/.test(chunk.before);
+        var hasTextAfter = /^[ ]*\S/.test(chunk.after);
+
+        // Use 'four space' markdown if the selection is on its own
+        // line or is multiline.
+        if ((!hasTextAfter && !hasTextBefore) || /\n/.test(chunk.selection)) {
+
+            chunk.before = chunk.before.replace(/[ ]{4}$/,
+                function (totalMatch) {
+                    chunk.selection = totalMatch + chunk.selection;
+                    return "";
+                });
+
+            var nLinesBack = 1;
+            var nLinesForward = 1;
+
+            if (/(\n|^)(\t|[ ]{4,}).*\n$/.test(chunk.before)) {
+                nLinesBack = 0;
+            }
+            if (/^\n(\t|[ ]{4,})/.test(chunk.after)) {
+                nLinesForward = 0;
+            }
+
+            chunk.skipLines(nLinesBack, nLinesForward);
+
+            if (!chunk.selection) {
+                chunk.startTag = "    ";
+                chunk.selection = "enter code here";
+            }
+            else {
+                if (/^[ ]{0,3}\S/m.test(chunk.selection)) {
+                    if (/\n/.test(chunk.selection))
+                        chunk.selection = chunk.selection.replace(/^/gm, "    ");
+                    else // if it's not multiline, do not select the four added spaces; this is more consistent with the doList behavior
+                        chunk.before += "    ";
+                }
+                else {
+                    chunk.selection = chunk.selection.replace(/^[ ]{4}/gm, "");
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        else {
+            // Use backticks (`) to delimit the code block.
+
+            chunk.trimWhitespace();
+            chunk.findTags(/`/, /`/);
+
+            if (!chunk.startTag && !chunk.endTag) {
+                chunk.startTag = chunk.endTag = "`";
+                if (!chunk.selection) {
+                    chunk.selection = "enter code here";
+                }
+            }
+            else if (chunk.endTag && !chunk.startTag) {
+                chunk.before += chunk.endTag;
+                chunk.endTag = "";
+            }
+            else {
+                chunk.startTag = chunk.endTag = "";
+            }
+        }
+    };
+
+    commandProto.doList = function (chunk, postProcessing, isNumberedList) {
+
+        // These are identical except at the very beginning and end.
+        // Should probably use the regex extension function to make this clearer.
+        var previousItemsRegex = /(\n|^)(([ ]{0,3}([*+-]|\d+[.])[ \t]+.*)(\n.+|\n{2,}([*+-].*|\d+[.])[ \t]+.*|\n{2,}[ \t]+\S.*)*)\n*$/;
+        var nextItemsRegex = /^\n*(([ ]{0,3}([*+-]|\d+[.])[ \t]+.*)(\n.+|\n{2,}([*+-].*|\d+[.])[ \t]+.*|\n{2,}[ \t]+\S.*)*)\n*/;
+
+        // The default bullet is a dash but others are possible.
+        // This has nothing to do with the particular HTML bullet,
+        // it's just a markdown bullet.
+        var bullet = "-";
+
+        // The number in a numbered list.
+        var num = 1;
+
+        // Get the item prefix - e.g. " 1. " for a numbered list, " - " for a bulleted list.
+        var getItemPrefix = function () {
+            var prefix;
+            if (isNumberedList) {
+                prefix = " " + num + ". ";
+                num++;
+            }
+            else {
+                prefix = " " + bullet + " ";
+            }
+            return prefix;
+        };
+
+        // Fixes the prefixes of the other list items.
+        var getPrefixedItem = function (itemText) {
+
+            // The numbering flag is unset when called by autoindent.
+            if (isNumberedList === undefined) {
+                isNumberedList = /^\s*\d/.test(itemText);
+            }
+
+            // Renumber/bullet the list element.
+            itemText = itemText.replace(/^[ ]{0,3}([*+-]|\d+[.])\s/gm,
+                function (_) {
+                    return getItemPrefix();
+                });
+
+            return itemText;
+        };
+
+        chunk.findTags(/(\n|^)*[ ]{0,3}([*+-]|\d+[.])\s+/, null);
+
+        if (chunk.before && !/\n$/.test(chunk.before) && !/^\n/.test(chunk.startTag)) {
+            chunk.before += chunk.startTag;
+            chunk.startTag = "";
+        }
+
+        if (chunk.startTag) {
+
+            var hasDigits = /\d+[.]/.test(chunk.startTag);
+            chunk.startTag = "";
+            chunk.selection = chunk.selection.replace(/\n[ ]{4}/g, "\n");
+            this.unwrap(chunk);
+            chunk.skipLines();
+
+            if (hasDigits) {
+                // Have to renumber the bullet points if this is a numbered list.
+                chunk.after = chunk.after.replace(nextItemsRegex, getPrefixedItem);
+            }
+            if (isNumberedList == hasDigits) {
+                return;
+            }
+        }
+
+        var nLinesUp = 1;
+
+        chunk.before = chunk.before.replace(previousItemsRegex,
+            function (itemText) {
+                if (/^\s*([*+-])/.test(itemText)) {
+                    bullet = re.$1;
+                }
+                nLinesUp = /[^\n]\n\n[^\n]/.test(itemText) ? 1 : 0;
+                return getPrefixedItem(itemText);
+            });
+
+        if (!chunk.selection) {
+            chunk.selection = "List item";
+        }
+
+        var prefix = getItemPrefix();
+
+        var nLinesDown = 1;
+
+        chunk.after = chunk.after.replace(nextItemsRegex,
+            function (itemText) {
+                nLinesDown = /[^\n]\n\n[^\n]/.test(itemText) ? 1 : 0;
+                return getPrefixedItem(itemText);
+            });
+
+        chunk.trimWhitespace(true);
+        chunk.skipLines(nLinesUp, nLinesDown, true);
+        chunk.startTag = prefix;
+        var spaces = prefix.replace(/./g, " ");
+        this.wrap(chunk, SETTINGS.lineLength - spaces.length);
+        chunk.selection = chunk.selection.replace(/\n/g, "\n" + spaces);
+
+    };
+
+    commandProto.doHeading = function (chunk, postProcessing) {
+
+        // Remove leading/trailing whitespace and reduce internal spaces to single spaces.
+        chunk.selection = chunk.selection.replace(/\s+/g, " ");
+        chunk.selection = chunk.selection.replace(/(^\s+|\s+$)/g, "");
+
+        // If we clicked the button with no selected text, we just
+        // make a level 2 hash header around some default text.
+        if (!chunk.selection) {
+            chunk.startTag = "## ";
+            chunk.selection = "Heading";
+            chunk.endTag = " ##";
+            return;
+        }
+
+        var headerLevel = 0;     // The existing header level of the selected text.
+
+        // Remove any existing hash heading markdown and save the header level.
+        chunk.findTags(/#+[ ]*/, /[ ]*#+/);
+        if (/#+/.test(chunk.startTag)) {
+            headerLevel = re.lastMatch.length;
+        }
+        chunk.startTag = chunk.endTag = "";
+
+        // Try to get the current header level by looking for - and = in the line
+        // below the selection.
+        chunk.findTags(null, /\s?(-+|=+)/);
+        if (/=+/.test(chunk.endTag)) {
+            headerLevel = 1;
+        }
+        if (/-+/.test(chunk.endTag)) {
+            headerLevel = 2;
+        }
+
+        // Skip to the next line so we can create the header markdown.
+        chunk.startTag = chunk.endTag = "";
+        chunk.skipLines(1, 1);
+
+        // We make a level 2 header if there is no current header.
+        // If there is a header level, we substract one from the header level.
+        // If it's already a level 1 header, it's removed.
+        var headerLevelToCreate = headerLevel == 0 ? 2 : headerLevel - 1;
+
+        if (headerLevelToCreate > 0) {
+
+            // The button only creates level 1 and 2 underline headers.
+            // Why not have it iterate over hash header levels?  Wouldn't that be easier and cleaner?
+            var headerChar = headerLevelToCreate >= 2 ? "-" : "=";
+            var len = chunk.selection.length;
+            if (len > SETTINGS.lineLength) {
+                len = SETTINGS.lineLength;
+            }
+            chunk.endTag = "\n";
+            while (len--) {
+                chunk.endTag += headerChar;
+            }
+        }
+    };
+
+    commandProto.doHorizontalRule = function (chunk, postProcessing) {
+        chunk.startTag = "----------\n";
+        chunk.selection = "";
+        chunk.skipLines(2, 1, true);
+    }
+
+
+})();
diff --git a/lms/static/js/Markdown.Sanitizer.js b/lms/static/js/Markdown.Sanitizer.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..cc5826fa8f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/static/js/Markdown.Sanitizer.js
@@ -0,0 +1,108 @@
+(function () {
+    var output, Converter;
+    if (typeof exports === "object" && typeof require === "function") { // we're in a CommonJS (e.g. Node.js) module
+        output = exports;
+        Converter = require("./Markdown.Converter").Converter;
+    } else {
+        output = window.Markdown;
+        Converter = output.Converter;
+    }
+        
+    output.getSanitizingConverter = function () {
+        var converter = new Converter();
+        converter.hooks.chain("postConversion", sanitizeHtml);
+        converter.hooks.chain("postConversion", balanceTags);
+        return converter;
+    }
+
+    function sanitizeHtml(html) {
+        return html.replace(/<[^>]*>?/gi, sanitizeTag);
+    }
+
+    // (tags that can be opened/closed) | (tags that stand alone)
+    var basic_tag_whitelist = /^(<\/?(b|blockquote|code|del|dd|dl|dt|em|h1|h2|h3|i|kbd|li|ol|p|pre|s|sup|sub|strong|strike|ul)>|<(br|hr)\s?\/?>)$/i;
+    // <a href="url..." optional title>|</a>
+    var a_white = /^(<a\shref="((https?|ftp):\/\/|\/)[-A-Za-z0-9+&@#\/%?=~_|!:,.;\(\)]+"(\stitle="[^"<>]+")?\s?>|<\/a>)$/i;
+
+    // <img src="url..." optional width  optional height  optional alt  optional title
+    var img_white = /^(<img\ssrc="(https?:\/\/|\/)[-A-Za-z0-9+&@#\/%?=~_|!:,.;\(\)]+"(\swidth="\d{1,3}")?(\sheight="\d{1,3}")?(\salt="[^"<>]*")?(\stitle="[^"<>]*")?\s?\/?>)$/i;
+
+    function sanitizeTag(tag) {
+        if (tag.match(basic_tag_whitelist) || tag.match(a_white) || tag.match(img_white))
+            return tag;
+        else
+            return "";
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// attempt to balance HTML tags in the html string
+    /// by removing any unmatched opening or closing tags
+    /// IMPORTANT: we *assume* HTML has *already* been 
+    /// sanitized and is safe/sane before balancing!
+    /// 
+    /// adapted from CODESNIPPET: A8591DBA-D1D3-11DE-947C-BA5556D89593
+    /// </summary>
+    function balanceTags(html) {
+
+        if (html == "")
+            return "";
+
+        var re = /<\/?\w+[^>]*(\s|$|>)/g;
+        // convert everything to lower case; this makes
+        // our case insensitive comparisons easier
+        var tags = html.toLowerCase().match(re);
+
+        // no HTML tags present? nothing to do; exit now
+        var tagcount = (tags || []).length;
+        if (tagcount == 0)
+            return html;
+
+        var tagname, tag;
+        var ignoredtags = "<p><img><br><li><hr>";
+        var match;
+        var tagpaired = [];
+        var tagremove = [];
+        var needsRemoval = false;
+
+        // loop through matched tags in forward order
+        for (var ctag = 0; ctag < tagcount; ctag++) {
+            tagname = tags[ctag].replace(/<\/?(\w+).*/, "$1");
+            // skip any already paired tags
+            // and skip tags in our ignore list; assume they're self-closed
+            if (tagpaired[ctag] || ignoredtags.search("<" + tagname + ">") > -1)
+                continue;
+
+            tag = tags[ctag];
+            match = -1;
+
+            if (!/^<\//.test(tag)) {
+                // this is an opening tag
+                // search forwards (next tags), look for closing tags
+                for (var ntag = ctag + 1; ntag < tagcount; ntag++) {
+                    if (!tagpaired[ntag] && tags[ntag] == "</" + tagname + ">") {
+                        match = ntag;
+                        break;
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+
+            if (match == -1)
+                needsRemoval = tagremove[ctag] = true; // mark for removal
+            else
+                tagpaired[match] = true; // mark paired
+        }
+
+        if (!needsRemoval)
+            return html;
+
+        // delete all orphaned tags from the string
+
+        var ctag = 0;
+        html = html.replace(re, function (match) {
+            var res = tagremove[ctag] ? "" : match;
+            ctag++;
+            return res;
+        });
+        return html;
+    }
+})();
diff --git a/lms/static/js/URI.min.js b/lms/static/js/URI.min.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..2663ddccd6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/static/js/URI.min.js
@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+/*! URI.js v1.6.3 http://medialize.github.com/URI.js/ */
+(function(){("undefined"!==typeof module&&module.exports?module.exports:window).IPv6={best:function(e){var e=e.toLowerCase().split(":"),h=e.length,j=8;""===e[0]&&""===e[1]&&""===e[2]?(e.shift(),e.shift()):""===e[0]&&""===e[1]?e.shift():""===e[h-1]&&""===e[h-2]&&e.pop();h=e.length;-1!==e[h-1].indexOf(".")&&(j=7);var f;for(f=0;f<h&&""!==e[f];f++);if(f<j)for(e.splice(f,1,"0000");e.length<j;)e.splice(f,0,"0000");for(f=0;f<j;f++){for(var h=e[f].split(""),l=0;3>l;l++)if("0"===h[0]&&1<h.length)h.splice(0,
+1);else break;e[f]=h.join("")}var h=-1,r=l=0,p=-1,d=!1;for(f=0;f<j;f++)d?"0"===e[f]?r+=1:(d=!1,r>l&&(h=p,l=r)):"0"==e[f]&&(d=!0,p=f,r=1);r>l&&(h=p,l=r);1<l&&e.splice(h,l,"");h=e.length;j="";""===e[0]&&(beststr=":");for(f=0;f<h;f++){j+=e[f];if(f===h-1)break;j+=":"}""===e[h-1]&&(j+=":");return j}}})();
+(function(e){function h(a){throw RangeError(E[a]);}function j(a,b){for(var c=a.length;c--;)a[c]=b(a[c]);return a}function f(a){for(var b=[],c=0,d=a.length,g,e;c<d;)g=a.charCodeAt(c++),55296==(g&63488)&&(e=a.charCodeAt(c++),(55296!=(g&64512)||56320!=(e&64512))&&h("ucs2decode"),g=((g&1023)<<10)+(e&1023)+65536),b.push(g);return b}function l(a){return j(a,function(a){var b="";55296==(a&63488)&&h("ucs2encode");65535<a&&(a-=65536,b+=x(a>>>10&1023|55296),a=56320|a&1023);return b+=x(a)}).join("")}function r(g,
+d,e){for(var f=0,g=e?t(g/c):g>>1,g=g+t(g/d);g>B*a>>1;f+=s)g=t(g/B);return t(f+(B+1)*g/(g+b))}function p(b){var c=[],d=b.length,e,f=0,j=C,k=g,m,u,n,o,i;m=b.lastIndexOf(D);0>m&&(m=0);for(u=0;u<m;++u)128<=b.charCodeAt(u)&&h("not-basic"),c.push(b.charCodeAt(u));for(m=0<m?m+1:0;m<d;){u=f;e=1;for(n=s;;n+=s){m>=d&&h("invalid-input");o=b.charCodeAt(m++);o=10>o-48?o-22:26>o-65?o-65:26>o-97?o-97:s;(o>=s||o>t((v-f)/e))&&h("overflow");f+=o*e;i=n<=k?y:n>=k+a?a:n-k;if(o<i)break;o=s-i;e>t(v/o)&&h("overflow");e*=
+o}e=c.length+1;k=r(f-u,e,0==u);t(f/e)>v-j&&h("overflow");j+=t(f/e);f%=e;c.splice(f++,0,j)}return l(c)}function d(b){var c,d,e,j,k,i,m,l,n,o=[],w,p,q,b=f(b);w=b.length;c=C;d=0;k=g;for(i=0;i<w;++i)n=b[i],128>n&&o.push(x(n));for((e=j=o.length)&&o.push(D);e<w;){m=v;for(i=0;i<w;++i)n=b[i],n>=c&&n<m&&(m=n);p=e+1;m-c>t((v-d)/p)&&h("overflow");d+=(m-c)*p;c=m;for(i=0;i<w;++i)if(n=b[i],n<c&&++d>v&&h("overflow"),n==c){l=d;for(m=s;;m+=s){n=m<=k?y:m>=k+a?a:m-k;if(l<n)break;q=l-n;l=s-n;o.push(x(n+q%l+22+75*(26>
+n+q%l)-0));l=t(q/l)}o.push(x(l+22+75*(26>l)-0));k=r(d,p,e==j);d=0;++e}++d;++c}return o.join("")}var k,i="function"==typeof define&&"object"==typeof define.amd&&define.amd&&define,q="object"==typeof exports&&exports,z="object"==typeof module&&module,v=2147483647,s=36,y=1,a=26,b=38,c=700,g=72,C=128,D="-",w=/[^ -~]/,F=/^xn--/,E={overflow:"Overflow: input needs wider integers to process.",ucs2decode:"UCS-2(decode): illegal sequence",ucs2encode:"UCS-2(encode): illegal value","not-basic":"Illegal input >= 0x80 (not a basic code point)",
+"invalid-input":"Invalid input"},B=s-y,t=Math.floor,x=String.fromCharCode,A;k={version:"0.3.0",ucs2:{decode:f,encode:l},decode:p,encode:d,toASCII:function(a){return j(a.split("."),function(a){return w.test(a)?"xn--"+d(a):a}).join(".")},toUnicode:function(a){return j(a.split("."),function(a){return F.test(a)?p(a.slice(4).toLowerCase()):a}).join(".")}};if(q)if(z&&z.exports==q)z.exports=k;else for(A in k)k.hasOwnProperty(A)&&(q[A]=k[A]);else i?define("punycode",k):e.punycode=k})(this);
+(function(){var e={list:{ac:"com|gov|mil|net|org",ae:"ac|co|gov|mil|name|net|org|pro|sch",af:"com|edu|gov|net|org",al:"com|edu|gov|mil|net|org",ao:"co|ed|gv|it|og|pb",ar:"com|edu|gob|gov|int|mil|net|org|tur",at:"ac|co|gv|or",au:"asn|com|csiro|edu|gov|id|net|org",ba:"co|com|edu|gov|mil|net|org|rs|unbi|unmo|unsa|untz|unze",bb:"biz|co|com|edu|gov|info|net|org|store|tv",bh:"biz|cc|com|edu|gov|info|net|org",bn:"com|edu|gov|net|org",bo:"com|edu|gob|gov|int|mil|net|org|tv",br:"adm|adv|agr|am|arq|art|ato|b|bio|blog|bmd|cim|cng|cnt|com|coop|ecn|edu|eng|esp|etc|eti|far|flog|fm|fnd|fot|fst|g12|ggf|gov|imb|ind|inf|jor|jus|lel|mat|med|mil|mus|net|nom|not|ntr|odo|org|ppg|pro|psc|psi|qsl|rec|slg|srv|tmp|trd|tur|tv|vet|vlog|wiki|zlg",
+bs:"com|edu|gov|net|org",bz:"du|et|om|ov|rg",ca:"ab|bc|mb|nb|nf|nl|ns|nt|nu|on|pe|qc|sk|yk",ck:"biz|co|edu|gen|gov|info|net|org",cn:"ac|ah|bj|com|cq|edu|fj|gd|gov|gs|gx|gz|ha|hb|he|hi|hl|hn|jl|js|jx|ln|mil|net|nm|nx|org|qh|sc|sd|sh|sn|sx|tj|tw|xj|xz|yn|zj",co:"com|edu|gov|mil|net|nom|org",cr:"ac|c|co|ed|fi|go|or|sa",cy:"ac|biz|com|ekloges|gov|ltd|name|net|org|parliament|press|pro|tm","do":"art|com|edu|gob|gov|mil|net|org|sld|web",dz:"art|asso|com|edu|gov|net|org|pol",ec:"com|edu|fin|gov|info|med|mil|net|org|pro",
+eg:"com|edu|eun|gov|mil|name|net|org|sci",er:"com|edu|gov|ind|mil|net|org|rochest|w",es:"com|edu|gob|nom|org",et:"biz|com|edu|gov|info|name|net|org",fj:"ac|biz|com|info|mil|name|net|org|pro",fk:"ac|co|gov|net|nom|org",fr:"asso|com|f|gouv|nom|prd|presse|tm",gg:"co|net|org",gh:"com|edu|gov|mil|org",gn:"ac|com|gov|net|org",gr:"com|edu|gov|mil|net|org",gt:"com|edu|gob|ind|mil|net|org",gu:"com|edu|gov|net|org",hk:"com|edu|gov|idv|net|org",id:"ac|co|go|mil|net|or|sch|web",il:"ac|co|gov|idf|k12|muni|net|org",
+"in":"ac|co|edu|ernet|firm|gen|gov|i|ind|mil|net|nic|org|res",iq:"com|edu|gov|i|mil|net|org",ir:"ac|co|dnssec|gov|i|id|net|org|sch",it:"edu|gov",je:"co|net|org",jo:"com|edu|gov|mil|name|net|org|sch",jp:"ac|ad|co|ed|go|gr|lg|ne|or",ke:"ac|co|go|info|me|mobi|ne|or|sc",kh:"com|edu|gov|mil|net|org|per",ki:"biz|com|de|edu|gov|info|mob|net|org|tel",km:"asso|com|coop|edu|gouv|k|medecin|mil|nom|notaires|pharmaciens|presse|tm|veterinaire",kn:"edu|gov|net|org",kr:"ac|busan|chungbuk|chungnam|co|daegu|daejeon|es|gangwon|go|gwangju|gyeongbuk|gyeonggi|gyeongnam|hs|incheon|jeju|jeonbuk|jeonnam|k|kg|mil|ms|ne|or|pe|re|sc|seoul|ulsan",
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+"";d.parseHost(a,this._parts);this.build(!b);return this};f.authority=function(a,b){if(this._parts.urn)return a===e?"":this;if(a===e)return this._parts.hostname?d.buildAuthority(this._parts):"";d.parseAuthority(a,this._parts);this.build(!b);return this};f.userinfo=function(a,b){if(this._parts.urn)return a===e?"":this;if(a===e){if(!this._parts.username)return"";var c=d.buildUserinfo(this._parts);return c.substring(0,c.length-1)}"@"!==a[a.length-1]&&(a+="@");d.parseUserinfo(a,this._parts);this.build(!b);
+return this};f.subdomain=function(a,b){if(this._parts.urn)return a===e?"":this;if(a===e)return!this._parts.hostname||this.is("IP")?"":this._parts.hostname.substring(0,this._parts.hostname.length-this.domain().length-1)||"";var c=this._parts.hostname.substring(0,this._parts.hostname.length-this.domain().length),c=RegExp("^"+h(c));a&&"."!==a[a.length-1]&&(a+=".");a&&d.ensureValidHostname(a);this._parts.hostname=this._parts.hostname.replace(c,a);this.build(!b);return this};f.domain=function(a,b){if(this._parts.urn)return a===
+e?"":this;"boolean"==typeof a&&(b=a,a=e);if(a===e){if(!this._parts.hostname||this.is("IP"))return"";var c=this._parts.hostname.match(/\./g);if(c&&2>c.length)return this._parts.hostname;c=this._parts.hostname.length-this.tld(b).length-1;c=this._parts.hostname.lastIndexOf(".",c-1)+1;return this._parts.hostname.substring(c)||""}if(!a)throw new TypeError("cannot set domain empty");d.ensureValidHostname(a);this._parts.hostname=!this._parts.hostname||this.is("IP")?a:this._parts.hostname.replace(RegExp(h(this.domain())+
+"$"),a);this.build(!b);return this};f.tld=function(a,b){if(this._parts.urn)return a===e?"":this;"boolean"==typeof a&&(b=a,a=e);if(a===e){if(!this._parts.hostname||this.is("IP"))return"";var c=this._parts.hostname.substring(this._parts.hostname.lastIndexOf(".")+1);return!0!==b&&p&&p.list[c.toLowerCase()]?p.get(this._parts.hostname)||c:c}if(a)if(a.match(/[^a-zA-Z0-9-]/))if(p&&p.is(a))c=RegExp(h(this.tld())+"$"),this._parts.hostname=this._parts.hostname.replace(c,a);else throw new TypeError("TLD '"+
+a+"' contains characters other than [A-Z0-9]");else{if(!this._parts.hostname||this.is("IP"))throw new ReferenceError("cannot set TLD on non-domain host");c=RegExp(h(this.tld())+"$");this._parts.hostname=this._parts.hostname.replace(c,a)}else throw new TypeError("cannot set TLD empty");this.build(!b);return this};f.directory=function(a,b){if(this._parts.urn)return a===e?"":this;if(a===e||!0===a){if(!this._parts.path&&!this._parts.hostname)return"";if("/"===this._parts.path)return"/";var c=this._parts.path.substring(0,
+this._parts.path.length-this.filename().length-1)||(this._parts.hostname?"/":"");return a?d.decodePath(c):c}c=this._parts.path.substring(0,this._parts.path.length-this.filename().length);c=RegExp("^"+h(c));this.is("relative")||(a||(a="/"),"/"!==a[0]&&(a="/"+a));a&&"/"!==a[a.length-1]&&(a+="/");a=d.recodePath(a);this._parts.path=this._parts.path.replace(c,a);this.build(!b);return this};f.filename=function(a,b){if(this._parts.urn)return a===e?"":this;if(a===e||!0===a){if(!this._parts.path||"/"===this._parts.path)return"";
+var c=this._parts.path.substring(this._parts.path.lastIndexOf("/")+1);return a?d.decodePathSegment(c):c}c=!1;"/"===a[0]&&(a=a.substring(1));a.match(/\.?\//)&&(c=!0);var g=RegExp(h(this.filename())+"$"),a=d.recodePath(a);this._parts.path=this._parts.path.replace(g,a);c?this.normalizePath(b):this.build(!b);return this};f.suffix=function(a,b){if(this._parts.urn)return a===e?"":this;if(a===e||!0===a){if(!this._parts.path||"/"===this._parts.path)return"";var c=this.filename(),g=c.lastIndexOf(".");if(-1===
+g)return"";c=c.substring(g+1);c=/^[a-z0-9%]+$/i.test(c)?c:"";return a?d.decodePathSegment(c):c}"."===a[0]&&(a=a.substring(1));if(c=this.suffix())g=a?RegExp(h(c)+"$"):RegExp(h("."+c)+"$");else{if(!a)return this;this._parts.path+="."+d.recodePath(a)}g&&(a=d.recodePath(a),this._parts.path=this._parts.path.replace(g,a));this.build(!b);return this};var y=f.query;f.query=function(a,b){return!0===a?d.parseQuery(this._parts.query):a!==e&&"string"!==typeof a?(this._parts.query=d.buildQuery(a),this.build(!b),
+this):y.call(this,a,b)};f.addQuery=function(a,b,c){var g=d.parseQuery(this._parts.query);d.addQuery(g,a,b);this._parts.query=d.buildQuery(g);"string"!==typeof a&&(c=b);this.build(!c);return this};f.removeQuery=function(a,b,c){var g=d.parseQuery(this._parts.query);d.removeQuery(g,a,b);this._parts.query=d.buildQuery(g);"string"!==typeof a&&(c=b);this.build(!c);return this};f.addSearch=f.addQuery;f.removeSearch=f.removeQuery;f.normalize=function(){return this._parts.urn?this.normalizeProtocol(!1).normalizeQuery(!1).normalizeFragment(!1).build():
+this.normalizeProtocol(!1).normalizeHostname(!1).normalizePort(!1).normalizePath(!1).normalizeQuery(!1).normalizeFragment(!1).build()};f.normalizeProtocol=function(a){"string"===typeof this._parts.protocol&&(this._parts.protocol=this._parts.protocol.toLowerCase(),this.build(!a));return this};f.normalizeHostname=function(a){this._parts.hostname&&(this.is("IDN")&&l?this._parts.hostname=l.toASCII(this._parts.hostname):this.is("IPv6")&&r&&(this._parts.hostname=r.best(this._parts.hostname)),this._parts.hostname=
+this._parts.hostname.toLowerCase(),this.build(!a));return this};f.normalizePort=function(a){"string"===typeof this._parts.protocol&&this._parts.port===d.defaultPorts[this._parts.protocol]&&(this._parts.port=null,this.build(!a));return this};f.normalizePath=function(a){if(this._parts.urn||!this._parts.path||"/"===this._parts.path)return this;var b,c,g=this._parts.path,e,f;"/"!==g[0]&&("."===g[0]&&(c=g.substring(0,g.indexOf("/"))),b=!0,g="/"+g);for(g=g.replace(/(\/(\.\/)+)|\/{2,}/g,"/");;){e=g.indexOf("/../");
+if(-1===e)break;else if(0===e){g=g.substring(3);break}f=g.substring(0,e).lastIndexOf("/");-1===f&&(f=e);g=g.substring(0,f)+g.substring(e+3)}b&&this.is("relative")&&(g=c?c+g:g.substring(1));g=d.recodePath(g);this._parts.path=g;this.build(!a);return this};f.normalizePathname=f.normalizePath;f.normalizeQuery=function(a){"string"===typeof this._parts.query&&(this._parts.query.length?this.query(d.parseQuery(this._parts.query)):this._parts.query=null,this.build(!a));return this};f.normalizeFragment=function(a){this._parts.fragment||
+(this._parts.fragment=null,this.build(!a));return this};f.normalizeSearch=f.normalizeQuery;f.normalizeHash=f.normalizeFragment;f.iso8859=function(){var a=d.encode,b=d.decode;d.encode=escape;d.decode=decodeURIComponent;this.normalize();d.encode=a;d.decode=b;return this};f.unicode=function(){var a=d.encode,b=d.decode;d.encode=encodeURIComponent;d.decode=unescape;this.normalize();d.encode=a;d.decode=b;return this};f.readable=function(){var a=this.clone();a.username("").password("").normalize();var b=
+"";a._parts.protocol&&(b+=a._parts.protocol+"://");a._parts.hostname&&(a.is("punycode")&&l?(b+=l.toUnicode(a._parts.hostname),a._parts.port&&(b+=":"+a._parts.port)):b+=a.host());a._parts.hostname&&(a._parts.path&&"/"!==a._parts.path[0])&&(b+="/");b+=a.path(!0);if(a._parts.query){for(var c="",g=0,f=a._parts.query.split("&"),h=f.length;g<h;g++){var i=(f[g]||"").split("="),c=c+("&"+d.decodeQuery(i[0]).replace(/&/g,"%26"));i[1]!==e&&(c+="="+d.decodeQuery(i[1]).replace(/&/g,"%26"))}b+="?"+c.substring(1)}return b+=
+a.hash()};f.absoluteTo=function(a){var b=this.clone(),c=["protocol","username","password","hostname","port"];if(this._parts.urn)throw Error("URNs do not have any generally defined hierachical components");if(this._parts.hostname)return b;a instanceof d||(a=new d(a));for(var e=0,f;f=c[e];e++)b._parts[f]=a._parts[f];"/"!==b.path()[0]&&(a=a.directory(),b._parts.path=(a?a+"/":"")+b._parts.path,b.normalizePath());b.build();return b};f.relativeTo=function(a){var b=this.clone(),c=["protocol","username",
+"password","hostname","port"],e;if(this._parts.urn)throw Error("URNs do not have any generally defined hierachical components");a instanceof d||(a=new d(a));if("/"!==this.path()[0]||"/"!==a.path()[0])throw Error("Cannot calculate common path from non-relative URLs");e=d.commonPath(b.path(),a.path());for(var a=a.directory(),f=0,i;i=c[f];f++)b._parts[i]=null;if(!e||"/"===e)return b;if(a+"/"===e)b._parts.path="./"+b.filename();else{c="../";e=RegExp("^"+h(e));for(a=a.replace(e,"/").match(/\//g).length-
+1;a--;)c+="../";b._parts.path=b._parts.path.replace(e,c)}b.build();return b};f.equals=function(a){var b=this.clone(),c=new d(a),e={},f={},a={},h;b.normalize();c.normalize();if(b.toString()===c.toString())return!0;e=b.query();f=c.query();b.query("");c.query("");if(b.toString()!==c.toString()||e.length!==f.length)return!1;e=d.parseQuery(e);f=d.parseQuery(f);for(h in e)if(Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(e,h)){if(j(e[h])){if(!j(f[h])||e[h].length!==f[h].length)return!1;e[h].sort();f[h].sort();b=
+0;for(c=e[h].length;b<c;b++)if(e[h][b]!==f[h][b])return!1}else if(e[h]!==f[h])return!1;a[h]=!0}for(h in f)if(Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(f,h)&&!a[h])return!1;return!0};"undefined"!==typeof module&&module.exports?module.exports=d:window.URI=d})();
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/lms/static/js/jquery.ajaxfileupload.js b/lms/static/js/jquery.ajaxfileupload.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d761c5ae3c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/static/js/jquery.ajaxfileupload.js
@@ -0,0 +1,206 @@
+jQuery.extend({
+  handleError: function( s, xhr, status, e )    {
+// If a local callback was specified, fire it
+    if ( s.error ) {
+      s.error.call( s.context || s, xhr, status, e );
+    }
+
+    // Fire the global callback
+    if ( s.global ) {
+      (s.context ? jQuery(s.context) : jQuery.event).trigger( "ajaxError", [xhr, s, e] );
+    }
+  },
+    createUploadIframe: function(id, uri){
+        //create frame
+        var frameId = 'jUploadFrame' + id;           
+        if(window.ActiveXObject) {
+            var io = document.createElement('<iframe id="' + frameId + '" name="' + frameId + '" />');
+            if(typeof uri== 'boolean'){
+                io.src = 'javascript:false';
+            }
+            else if(typeof uri== 'string'){
+                io.src = uri;
+            }
+        }
+        else {
+            var io = document.createElement('iframe');
+            io.id = frameId;
+            io.name = frameId;
+        }
+        io.style.position = 'absolute';
+        io.style.top = '-1000px';
+        io.style.left = '-1000px';
+
+        document.body.appendChild(io);
+        return io;
+    },
+    createUploadForm: function(id, fileElementId)
+	{
+		//create form	
+		var formId = 'jUploadForm' + id;
+		var fileId = 'jUploadFile' + id;
+		var form = $('<form  action="" method="POST" name="' + formId + '" id="' + formId 
+            + '" enctype="multipart/form-data"></form>');	
+		var oldElement = $('#' + fileElementId);
+		var newElement = $(oldElement).clone();
+		$(oldElement).attr('id', fileId);
+		$(oldElement).before(newElement);
+		$(oldElement).appendTo(form);
+		//set attributes
+		$(form).css('position', 'absolute');
+		$(form).css('top', '-1200px');
+		$(form).css('left', '-1200px');
+		$(form).appendTo('body');		
+		return form;
+    },
+
+    ajaxFileUpload: function(s) {
+        // TODO introduce global settings, allowing the client to modify them for all requests, not only timeout		
+        s = jQuery.extend({}, jQuery.ajaxSettings, s);
+        var id = new Date().getTime()        
+		var form = jQuery.createUploadForm(id, s.fileElementId);
+		var io = jQuery.createUploadIframe(id, s.secureuri);
+		var frameId = 'jUploadFrame' + id;
+		var formId = 'jUploadForm' + id;		
+        // Watch for a new set of requests
+        if ( s.global && ! jQuery.active++ )
+		{
+			jQuery.event.trigger( "ajaxStart" );
+		}            
+        var requestDone = false;
+        // Create the request object
+        var xml = {}   
+        if ( s.global )
+            jQuery.event.trigger("ajaxSend", [xml, s]);
+        // Wait for a response to come back
+        var uploadCallback = function(isTimeout)
+		{			
+			var io = document.getElementById(frameId);
+            try {				
+				if(io.contentWindow){
+					 xml.responseText = io.contentWindow.document.body ? 
+                        io.contentWindow.document.body.innerText : null;
+                	 xml.responseXML = io.contentWindow.document.XMLDocument ? 
+                        io.contentWindow.document.XMLDocument : io.contentWindow.document;
+					 
+				}
+                else if(io.contentDocument)
+				{
+					xml.responseText = io.contentDocument.document.body ? 
+                        io.contentDocument.document.body.textContent || document.body.innerText : null;
+                	xml.responseXML = io.contentDocument.document.XMLDocument ? 
+                        io.contentDocument.document.XMLDocument : io.contentDocument.document;
+				}						
+            }
+            catch(e)
+			{
+				jQuery.handleError(s, xml, null, e);
+			}
+            if ( xml || isTimeout == "timeout") 
+			{				
+                requestDone = true;
+                var status;
+                try {
+                    status = isTimeout != "timeout" ? "success" : "error";
+                    // Make sure that the request was successful or notmodified
+                    if ( status != "error" )
+					{
+                        // process the data (runs the xml through httpData regardless of callback)
+                        var data = jQuery.uploadHttpData( xml, s.dataType );    
+                        // If a local callback was specified, fire it and pass it the data
+                        if ( s.success )
+                            s.success( data, status );
+    
+                        // Fire the global callback
+                        if( s.global )
+                            jQuery.event.trigger( "ajaxSuccess", [xml, s] );
+                    } else
+                        jQuery.handleError(s, xml, status);
+                } catch(e) 
+				{
+                    status = "error";
+                    jQuery.handleError(s, xml, status, e);
+                }
+
+                // The request was completed
+                if( s.global )
+                    jQuery.event.trigger( "ajaxComplete", [xml, s] );
+
+                // Handle the global AJAX counter
+                if ( s.global && ! --jQuery.active )
+                    jQuery.event.trigger( "ajaxStop" );
+
+                // Process result
+                if ( s.complete )
+                    s.complete(xml, status);
+
+                jQuery(io).unbind();
+
+                setTimeout(function()
+                    {	try 
+                        {
+                            $(io).remove();
+                            $(form).remove();	
+                            
+                        } catch(e) {
+                            jQuery.handleError(s, xml, null, e);
+                        }									
+                    }, 100)
+                xml = null;
+            }
+        }
+        // Timeout checker
+        if ( s.timeout > 0 ) {
+            setTimeout(function(){
+                // Check to see if the request is still happening
+                if( !requestDone ) uploadCallback( "timeout" );
+            }, s.timeout);
+        }
+        try 
+		{
+           // var io = $('#' + frameId);
+			var form = $('#' + formId);
+			$(form).attr('action', s.url);
+			$(form).attr('method', 'POST');
+			$(form).attr('target', frameId);
+            if(form.encoding)
+			{
+                form.encoding = 'multipart/form-data';				
+            }
+            else
+			{				
+                form.enctype = 'multipart/form-data';
+            }			
+            $(form).submit();
+
+        } catch(e) 
+		{			
+            jQuery.handleError(s, xml, null, e);
+        }
+        if(window.attachEvent){
+            document.getElementById(frameId).attachEvent('onload', uploadCallback);
+        }
+        else{
+            document.getElementById(frameId).addEventListener('load', uploadCallback, false);
+        } 		
+        return {abort: function () {}};	
+
+    },
+
+    uploadHttpData: function( r, type ) {
+        var data = !type;
+        data = type == "xml" || data ? r.responseXML : r.responseText;
+        // If the type is "script", eval it in global context
+        if ( type == "script" )
+            jQuery.globalEval( data );
+        // Get the JavaScript object, if JSON is used.
+        if ( type == "json" )
+            eval( "data = " + data );
+        // evaluate scripts within html
+        if ( type == "html" )
+            jQuery("<div>").html(data).evalScripts();
+			//alert($('param', data).each(function(){alert($(this).attr('value'));}));
+        return data;
+    }
+})
+
diff --git a/lms/static/js/jquery.autocomplete.js b/lms/static/js/jquery.autocomplete.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8a43f12a36
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/static/js/jquery.autocomplete.js
@@ -0,0 +1,1091 @@
+/**
+ * @fileOverview jquery-autocomplete, the jQuery Autocompleter
+ * @author <a href="mailto:dylan@dyve.net">Dylan Verheul</a>
+ * @requires jQuery 1.6+
+ *
+ * Copyright 2005-2012, Dylan Verheul
+ *
+ * Use under either MIT, GPL or Apache 2.0. See LICENSE.txt
+ *
+ * Project home: https://github.com/dyve/jquery-autocomplete
+ */
+
+(function($) {
+    "use strict";
+
+    /**
+     * jQuery autocomplete plugin
+     * @param {object|string} options
+     * @returns (object} jQuery object
+     */
+    $.fn.autocomplete = function(options) {
+        var url;
+        if (arguments.length > 1) {
+            url = options;
+            options = arguments[1];
+            options.url = url;
+        } else if (typeof options === 'string') {
+            url = options;
+            options = { url: url };
+        }
+        var opts = $.extend({}, $.fn.autocomplete.defaults, options);
+        return this.each(function() {
+            var $this = $(this);
+            $this.data('autocompleter', new $.Autocompleter(
+                $this,
+                $.meta ? $.extend({}, opts, $this.data()) : opts
+            ));
+        });
+    };
+
+    /**
+     * Store default options
+     * @type {object}
+     */
+    $.fn.autocomplete.defaults = {
+        inputClass: 'acInput',
+        loadingClass: 'acLoading',
+        resultsClass: 'acResults',
+        selectClass: 'acSelect',
+        queryParamName: 'q',
+        extraParams: {},
+        remoteDataType: false,
+        lineSeparator: '\n',
+        cellSeparator: '|',
+        minChars: 2,
+        maxItemsToShow: 10,
+        delay: 400,
+        useCache: true,
+        maxCacheLength: 10,
+        matchSubset: true,
+        matchCase: false,
+        matchInside: true,
+        mustMatch: false,
+        selectFirst: false,
+        selectOnly: false,
+        showResult: null,
+        preventDefaultReturn: true,
+        preventDefaultTab: false,
+        autoFill: false,
+        filterResults: true,
+        sortResults: true,
+        sortFunction: null,
+        onItemSelect: null,
+        onNoMatch: null,
+        onFinish: null,
+        matchStringConverter: null,
+        beforeUseConverter: null,
+        autoWidth: 'min-width',
+        useDelimiter: false,
+        delimiterChar: ',',
+        delimiterKeyCode: 188,
+        processData: null,
+        onError: null
+    };
+
+    /**
+     * Sanitize result
+     * @param {Object} result
+     * @returns {Object} object with members value (String) and data (Object)
+     * @private
+     */
+    var sanitizeResult = function(result) {
+        var value, data;
+        var type = typeof result;
+        if (type === 'string') {
+            value = result;
+            data = {};
+        } else if ($.isArray(result)) {
+            value = result[0];
+            data = result.slice(1);
+        } else if (type === 'object') {
+            value = result.value;
+            data = result.data;
+        }
+        value = String(value);
+        if (typeof data !== 'object') {
+            data = {};
+        }
+        return {
+            value: value,
+            data: data
+        };
+    };
+
+    /**
+     * Sanitize integer
+     * @param {mixed} value
+     * @param {Object} options
+     * @returns {Number} integer
+     * @private
+     */
+    var sanitizeInteger = function(value, stdValue, options) {
+        var num = parseInt(value, 10);
+        options = options || {};
+        if (isNaN(num) || (options.min && num < options.min)) {
+            num = stdValue;
+        }
+        return num;
+    };
+
+    /**
+     * Create partial url for a name/value pair
+     */
+    var makeUrlParam = function(name, value) {
+        return [name, encodeURIComponent(value)].join('=');
+    };
+
+    /**
+     * Build an url
+     * @param {string} url Base url
+     * @param {object} [params] Dictionary of parameters
+     */
+    var makeUrl = function(url, params) {
+        var urlAppend = [];
+        $.each(params, function(index, value) {
+            urlAppend.push(makeUrlParam(index, value));
+        });
+        if (urlAppend.length) {
+            url += url.indexOf('?') === -1 ? '?' : '&';
+            url += urlAppend.join('&');
+        }
+        return url;
+    };
+
+    /**
+     * Default sort filter
+     * @param {object} a
+     * @param {object} b
+     * @param {boolean} matchCase
+     * @returns {number}
+     */
+    var sortValueAlpha = function(a, b, matchCase) {
+        a = String(a.value);
+        b = String(b.value);
+        if (!matchCase) {
+            a = a.toLowerCase();
+            b = b.toLowerCase();
+        }
+        if (a > b) {
+            return 1;
+        }
+        if (a < b) {
+            return -1;
+        }
+        return 0;
+    };
+
+    /**
+     * Parse data received in text format
+     * @param {string} text Plain text input
+     * @param {string} lineSeparator String that separates lines
+     * @param {string} cellSeparator String that separates cells
+     * @returns {array} Array of autocomplete data objects
+     */
+    var plainTextParser = function(text, lineSeparator, cellSeparator) {
+        var results = [];
+        var i, j, data, line, value, lines;
+        // Be nice, fix linebreaks before splitting on lineSeparator
+        lines = String(text).replace('\r\n', '\n').split(lineSeparator);
+        for (i = 0; i < lines.length; i++) {
+            line = lines[i].split(cellSeparator);
+            data = [];
+            for (j = 0; j < line.length; j++) {
+                data.push(decodeURIComponent(line[j]));
+            }
+            value = data.shift();
+            results.push({ value: value, data: data });
+        }
+        return results;
+    };
+
+    /**
+     * Autocompleter class
+     * @param {object} $elem jQuery object with one input tag
+     * @param {object} options Settings
+     * @constructor
+     */
+    $.Autocompleter = function($elem, options) {
+
+        /**
+         * Assert parameters
+         */
+        if (!$elem || !($elem instanceof $) || $elem.length !== 1 || $elem.get(0).tagName.toUpperCase() !== 'INPUT') {
+            throw new Error('Invalid parameter for jquery.Autocompleter, jQuery object with one element with INPUT tag expected.');
+        }
+
+        /**
+         * @constant Link to this instance
+         * @type object
+         * @private
+         */
+        var self = this;
+
+        /**
+         * @property {object} Options for this instance
+         * @public
+         */
+        this.options = options;
+
+        /**
+         * @property object Cached data for this instance
+         * @private
+         */
+        this.cacheData_ = {};
+
+        /**
+         * @property {number} Number of cached data items
+         * @private
+         */
+        this.cacheLength_ = 0;
+
+        /**
+         * @property {string} Class name to mark selected item
+         * @private
+         */
+        this.selectClass_ = 'jquery-autocomplete-selected-item';
+
+        /**
+         * @property {number} Handler to activation timeout
+         * @private
+         */
+        this.keyTimeout_ = null;
+
+        /**
+         * @property {number} Handler to finish timeout
+         * @private
+         */
+        this.finishTimeout_ = null;
+
+        /**
+         * @property {number} Last key pressed in the input field (store for behavior)
+         * @private
+         */
+        this.lastKeyPressed_ = null;
+
+        /**
+         * @property {string} Last value processed by the autocompleter
+         * @private
+         */
+        this.lastProcessedValue_ = null;
+
+        /**
+         * @property {string} Last value selected by the user
+         * @private
+         */
+        this.lastSelectedValue_ = null;
+
+        /**
+         * @property {boolean} Is this autocompleter active (showing results)?
+         * @see showResults
+         * @private
+         */
+        this.active_ = false;
+
+        /**
+         * @property {boolean} Is this autocompleter allowed to finish on blur?
+         * @private
+         */
+        this.finishOnBlur_ = true;
+
+        /**
+         * Sanitize options
+         */
+        this.options.minChars = sanitizeInteger(this.options.minChars, $.fn.autocomplete.defaults.minChars, { min: 1 });
+        this.options.maxItemsToShow = sanitizeInteger(this.options.maxItemsToShow, $.fn.autocomplete.defaults.maxItemsToShow, { min: 0 });
+        this.options.maxCacheLength = sanitizeInteger(this.options.maxCacheLength, $.fn.autocomplete.defaults.maxCacheLength, { min: 1 });
+        this.options.delay = sanitizeInteger(this.options.delay, $.fn.autocomplete.defaults.delay, { min: 0 });
+
+        /**
+         * Init DOM elements repository
+         */
+        this.dom = {};
+
+        /**
+         * Store the input element we're attached to in the repository
+         */
+        this.dom.$elem = $elem;
+
+        /**
+         * Switch off the native autocomplete and add the input class
+         */
+        this.dom.$elem.attr('autocomplete', 'off').addClass(this.options.inputClass);
+
+        /**
+         * Create DOM element to hold results, and force absolute position
+         */
+        this.dom.$results = $('<div></div>').hide().addClass(this.options.resultsClass).css({
+            position: 'absolute'
+        });
+        $('body').append(this.dom.$results);
+
+        /**
+         * Attach keyboard monitoring to $elem
+         */
+        $elem.keydown(function(e) {
+            self.lastKeyPressed_ = e.keyCode;
+            switch(self.lastKeyPressed_) {
+
+                case self.options.delimiterKeyCode: // comma = 188
+                    if (self.options.useDelimiter && self.active_) {
+                        self.selectCurrent();
+                    }
+                    break;
+
+                // ignore navigational & special keys
+                case 35: // end
+                case 36: // home
+                case 16: // shift
+                case 17: // ctrl
+                case 18: // alt
+                case 37: // left
+                case 39: // right
+                    break;
+
+                case 38: // up
+                    e.preventDefault();
+                    if (self.active_) {
+                        self.focusPrev();
+                    } else {
+                        self.activate();
+                    }
+                    return false;
+
+                case 40: // down
+                    e.preventDefault();
+                    if (self.active_) {
+                        self.focusNext();
+                    } else {
+                        self.activate();
+                    }
+                    return false;
+
+                case 9: // tab
+                    if (self.active_) {
+                        self.selectCurrent();
+                        if (self.options.preventDefaultTab) {
+                            e.preventDefault();
+                            return false;
+                        }
+                    }
+                break;
+
+                case 13: // return
+                    if (self.active_) {
+                        self.selectCurrent();
+                        if (self.options.preventDefaultReturn) {
+                            e.preventDefault();
+                            return false;
+                        }
+                    }
+                break;
+
+                case 27: // escape
+                    if (self.active_) {
+                        e.preventDefault();
+                        self.deactivate(true);
+                        return false;
+                    }
+                break;
+
+                default:
+                    self.activate();
+
+            }
+        });
+
+        /**
+         * Finish on blur event
+         * Use a timeout because instant blur gives race conditions
+         */
+        $elem.blur(function() {
+            if (self.finishOnBlur_) {
+                self.finishTimeout_ = setTimeout(function() { self.deactivate(true); }, 200);
+            }
+        });
+
+    };
+
+    /**
+     * Position output DOM elements
+     * @private
+     */
+    $.Autocompleter.prototype.position = function() {
+        var offset = this.dom.$elem.offset();
+        this.dom.$results.css({
+            top: offset.top + this.dom.$elem.outerHeight(),
+            left: offset.left
+        });
+    };
+
+    /**
+     * Read from cache
+     * @private
+     */
+    $.Autocompleter.prototype.cacheRead = function(filter) {
+        var filterLength, searchLength, search, maxPos, pos;
+        if (this.options.useCache) {
+            filter = String(filter);
+            filterLength = filter.length;
+            if (this.options.matchSubset) {
+                searchLength = 1;
+            } else {
+                searchLength = filterLength;
+            }
+            while (searchLength <= filterLength) {
+                if (this.options.matchInside) {
+                    maxPos = filterLength - searchLength;
+                } else {
+                    maxPos = 0;
+                }
+                pos = 0;
+                while (pos <= maxPos) {
+                    search = filter.substr(0, searchLength);
+                    if (this.cacheData_[search] !== undefined) {
+                        return this.cacheData_[search];
+                    }
+                    pos++;
+                }
+                searchLength++;
+            }
+        }
+        return false;
+    };
+
+    /**
+     * Write to cache
+     * @private
+     */
+    $.Autocompleter.prototype.cacheWrite = function(filter, data) {
+        if (this.options.useCache) {
+            if (this.cacheLength_ >= this.options.maxCacheLength) {
+                this.cacheFlush();
+            }
+            filter = String(filter);
+            if (this.cacheData_[filter] !== undefined) {
+                this.cacheLength_++;
+            }
+            this.cacheData_[filter] = data;
+            return this.cacheData_[filter];
+        }
+        return false;
+    };
+
+    /**
+     * Flush cache
+     * @public
+     */
+    $.Autocompleter.prototype.cacheFlush = function() {
+        this.cacheData_ = {};
+        this.cacheLength_ = 0;
+    };
+
+    /**
+     * Call hook
+     * Note that all called hooks are passed the autocompleter object
+     * @param {string} hook
+     * @param data
+     * @returns Result of called hook, false if hook is undefined
+     */
+    $.Autocompleter.prototype.callHook = function(hook, data) {
+        var f = this.options[hook];
+        if (f && $.isFunction(f)) {
+            return f(data, this);
+        }
+        return false;
+    };
+    
+    /**
+     * Set timeout to activate autocompleter
+     */
+    $.Autocompleter.prototype.activate = function() {
+        var self = this;
+        if (this.keyTimeout_) {
+            clearTimeout(this.keyTimeout_);
+        }
+        this.keyTimeout_ = setTimeout(function() {
+            self.activateNow();
+        }, this.options.delay);
+    };
+
+    /**
+     * Activate autocompleter immediately
+     */
+    $.Autocompleter.prototype.activateNow = function() {
+        var value = this.beforeUseConverter(this.dom.$elem.val());
+        if (value !== this.lastProcessedValue_ && value !== this.lastSelectedValue_) {
+            this.fetchData(value);
+        }
+    };
+
+    /**
+     * Get autocomplete data for a given value
+     * @param {string} value Value to base autocompletion on
+     * @private
+     */
+    $.Autocompleter.prototype.fetchData = function(value) {
+        var self = this;
+        var processResults = function(results, filter) {
+            if (self.options.processData) {
+                results = self.options.processData(results);
+            }
+            self.showResults(self.filterResults(results, filter), filter);
+        };
+        this.lastProcessedValue_ = value;
+        if (value.length < this.options.minChars) {
+            processResults([], value);
+        } else if (this.options.data) {
+            processResults(this.options.data, value);
+        } else {
+            this.fetchRemoteData(value, function(remoteData) {
+                processResults(remoteData, value);
+            });
+        }
+    };
+
+    /**
+     * Get remote autocomplete data for a given value
+     * @param {string} filter The filter to base remote data on
+     * @param {function} callback The function to call after data retrieval
+     * @private
+     */
+    $.Autocompleter.prototype.fetchRemoteData = function(filter, callback) {
+        var data = this.cacheRead(filter);
+        if (data) {
+            callback(data);
+        } else {
+            var self = this;
+            var dataType = self.options.remoteDataType === 'json' ? 'json' : 'text';
+            var ajaxCallback = function(data) {
+                var parsed = false;
+                if (data !== false) {
+                    parsed = self.parseRemoteData(data);
+                    self.cacheWrite(filter, parsed);
+                }
+                self.dom.$elem.removeClass(self.options.loadingClass);
+                callback(parsed);
+            };
+            this.dom.$elem.addClass(this.options.loadingClass);
+            $.ajax({
+                url: this.makeUrl(filter),
+                success: ajaxCallback,
+                error: function(jqXHR, textStatus, errorThrown) {
+                    if($.isFunction(self.options.onError)) {
+                        self.options.onError(jqXHR, textStatus, errorThrown);
+                    } else {
+                      ajaxCallback(false);
+                    }
+                },
+                dataType: dataType
+            });
+        }
+    };
+
+    /**
+     * Create or update an extra parameter for the remote request
+     * @param {string} name Parameter name
+     * @param {string} value Parameter value
+     * @public
+     */
+    $.Autocompleter.prototype.setExtraParam = function(name, value) {
+        var index = $.trim(String(name));
+        if (index) {
+            if (!this.options.extraParams) {
+                this.options.extraParams = {};
+            }
+            if (this.options.extraParams[index] !== value) {
+                this.options.extraParams[index] = value;
+                this.cacheFlush();
+            }
+        }
+    };
+
+    /**
+     * Build the url for a remote request
+     * If options.queryParamName === false, append query to url instead of using a GET parameter
+     * @param {string} param The value parameter to pass to the backend
+     * @returns {string} The finished url with parameters
+     */
+    $.Autocompleter.prototype.makeUrl = function(param) {
+        var self = this;
+        var url = this.options.url;
+        var params = $.extend({}, this.options.extraParams);
+
+        if (this.options.queryParamName === false) {
+            url += encodeURIComponent(param);
+        } else {
+            params[this.options.queryParamName] = param;
+        }
+
+        return makeUrl(url, params);
+    };
+
+    /**
+     * Parse data received from server
+     * @param remoteData Data received from remote server
+     * @returns {array} Parsed data
+     */
+    $.Autocompleter.prototype.parseRemoteData = function(remoteData) {
+        var remoteDataType;
+        var data = remoteData;
+        if (this.options.remoteDataType === 'json') {
+            remoteDataType = typeof(remoteData);
+            switch (remoteDataType) {
+                case 'object':
+                    data = remoteData;
+                    break;
+                case 'string':
+                    data = $.parseJSON(remoteData);
+                    break;
+                default:
+                    throw new Error("Unexpected remote data type: " + remoteDataType);
+            }
+            return data;
+        }
+        return plainTextParser(data, this.options.lineSeparator, this.options.cellSeparator);
+    };
+
+    /**
+     * Filter result
+     * @param {Object} result
+     * @param {String} filter
+     * @returns {boolean} Include this result
+     * @private
+     */
+    $.Autocompleter.prototype.filterResult = function(result, filter) {
+        if (!result.value) {
+            return false;
+        }
+        if (this.options.filterResults) {
+            var pattern = this.matchStringConverter(filter);
+            var testValue = this.matchStringConverter(result.value);
+            if (!this.options.matchCase) {
+                pattern = pattern.toLowerCase();
+                testValue = testValue.toLowerCase();
+            }
+            var patternIndex = testValue.indexOf(pattern);
+            if (this.options.matchInside) {
+                return patternIndex > -1;
+            } else {
+                return patternIndex === 0;
+            }
+        }
+        return true;
+    };
+
+    /**
+     * Filter results
+     * @param results
+     * @param filter
+     */
+    $.Autocompleter.prototype.filterResults = function(results, filter) {
+        var filtered = [];
+        var i, result;
+
+        for (i = 0; i < results.length; i++) {
+            result = sanitizeResult(results[i]);
+            if (this.filterResult(result, filter)) {
+                filtered.push(result);
+            }
+        }
+        if (this.options.sortResults) {
+            filtered = this.sortResults(filtered, filter);
+        }
+        if (this.options.maxItemsToShow > 0 && this.options.maxItemsToShow < filtered.length) {
+            filtered.length = this.options.maxItemsToShow;
+        }
+        return filtered;
+    };
+
+    /**
+     * Sort results
+     * @param results
+     * @param filter
+     */
+    $.Autocompleter.prototype.sortResults = function(results, filter) {
+        var self = this;
+        var sortFunction = this.options.sortFunction;
+        if (!$.isFunction(sortFunction)) {
+            sortFunction = function(a, b, f) {
+                return sortValueAlpha(a, b, self.options.matchCase);
+            };
+        }
+        results.sort(function(a, b) {
+            return sortFunction(a, b, filter, self.options);
+        });
+        return results;
+    };
+
+    /**
+     * Convert string before matching
+     * @param s
+     * @param a
+     * @param b
+     */
+    $.Autocompleter.prototype.matchStringConverter = function(s, a, b) {
+        var converter = this.options.matchStringConverter;
+        if ($.isFunction(converter)) {
+            s = converter(s, a, b);
+        }
+        return s;
+    };
+
+    /**
+     * Convert string before use
+     * @param s
+     * @param a
+     * @param b
+     */
+    $.Autocompleter.prototype.beforeUseConverter = function(s, a, b) {
+        s = this.getValue();
+        var converter = this.options.beforeUseConverter;
+        if ($.isFunction(converter)) {
+            s = converter(s, a, b);
+        }
+        return s;
+    };
+
+    /**
+     * Enable finish on blur event
+     */
+    $.Autocompleter.prototype.enableFinishOnBlur = function() {
+        this.finishOnBlur_ = true;
+    };
+
+    /**
+     * Disable finish on blur event
+     */
+    $.Autocompleter.prototype.disableFinishOnBlur = function() {
+        this.finishOnBlur_ = false;
+    };
+
+    /**
+     * Create a results item (LI element) from a result
+     * @param result
+     */
+    $.Autocompleter.prototype.createItemFromResult = function(result) {
+        var self = this;
+        var $li = $('<li>' + this.showResult(result.value, result.data) + '</li>');
+        $li.data({value: result.value, data: result.data})
+            .click(function() {
+                self.selectItem($li);
+            })
+            .mousedown(self.disableFinishOnBlur)
+            .mouseup(self.enableFinishOnBlur)
+        ;
+        return $li;
+    };
+
+    /**
+     * Get all items from the results list
+     * @param result
+     */
+    $.Autocompleter.prototype.getItems = function() {
+        return $('>ul>li', this.dom.$results);
+    };
+
+    /**
+     * Show all results
+     * @param results
+     * @param filter
+     */
+    $.Autocompleter.prototype.showResults = function(results, filter) {
+        var numResults = results.length;
+        var self = this;
+        var $ul = $('<ul></ul>');
+        var i, result, $li, autoWidth, first = false, $first = false;
+
+        if (numResults) {
+            for (i = 0; i < numResults; i++) {
+                result = results[i];
+                $li = this.createItemFromResult(result);
+                $ul.append($li);
+                if (first === false) {
+                    first = String(result.value);
+                    $first = $li;
+                    $li.addClass(this.options.firstItemClass);
+                }
+                if (i === numResults - 1) {
+                    $li.addClass(this.options.lastItemClass);
+                }
+            }
+
+            // Always recalculate position before showing since window size or
+            // input element location may have changed.
+            this.position();
+
+            this.dom.$results.html($ul).show();
+            if (this.options.autoWidth) {
+                autoWidth = this.dom.$elem.outerWidth() - this.dom.$results.outerWidth() + this.dom.$results.width();
+                this.dom.$results.css(this.options.autoWidth, autoWidth);
+            }
+            this.getItems().hover(
+                function() { self.focusItem(this); },
+                function() { /* void */ }
+            );
+            if (this.autoFill(first, filter) || this.options.selectFirst || (this.options.selectOnly && numResults === 1)) {
+                this.focusItem($first);
+            }
+            this.active_ = true;
+        } else {
+            this.hideResults();
+            this.active_ = false;
+        }
+    };
+
+    $.Autocompleter.prototype.showResult = function(value, data) {
+        if ($.isFunction(this.options.showResult)) {
+            return this.options.showResult(value, data);
+        } else {
+            return value;
+        }
+    };
+
+    $.Autocompleter.prototype.autoFill = function(value, filter) {
+        var lcValue, lcFilter, valueLength, filterLength;
+        if (this.options.autoFill && this.lastKeyPressed_ !== 8) {
+            lcValue = String(value).toLowerCase();
+            lcFilter = String(filter).toLowerCase();
+            valueLength = value.length;
+            filterLength = filter.length;
+            if (lcValue.substr(0, filterLength) === lcFilter) {
+                var d = this.getDelimiterOffsets();
+                var pad = d.start ? ' ' : ''; // if there is a preceding delimiter
+                this.setValue( pad + value );
+                var start = filterLength + d.start + pad.length;
+                var end = valueLength + d.start + pad.length;
+                this.selectRange(start, end);
+                return true;
+            }
+        }
+        return false;
+    };
+
+    $.Autocompleter.prototype.focusNext = function() {
+        this.focusMove(+1);
+    };
+
+    $.Autocompleter.prototype.focusPrev = function() {
+        this.focusMove(-1);
+    };
+
+    $.Autocompleter.prototype.focusMove = function(modifier) {
+        var $items = this.getItems();
+        modifier = sanitizeInteger(modifier, 0);
+        if (modifier) {
+            for (var i = 0; i < $items.length; i++) {
+                if ($($items[i]).hasClass(this.selectClass_)) {
+                    this.focusItem(i + modifier);
+                    return;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        this.focusItem(0);
+    };
+
+    $.Autocompleter.prototype.focusItem = function(item) {
+        var $item, $items = this.getItems();
+        if ($items.length) {
+            $items.removeClass(this.selectClass_).removeClass(this.options.selectClass);
+            if (typeof item === 'number') {
+                if (item < 0) {
+                    item = 0;
+                } else if (item >= $items.length) {
+                    item = $items.length - 1;
+                }
+                $item = $($items[item]);
+            } else {
+                $item = $(item);
+            }
+            if ($item) {
+                $item.addClass(this.selectClass_).addClass(this.options.selectClass);
+            }
+        }
+    };
+
+    $.Autocompleter.prototype.selectCurrent = function() {
+        var $item = $('li.' + this.selectClass_, this.dom.$results);
+        if ($item.length === 1) {
+            this.selectItem($item);
+        } else {
+            this.deactivate(false);
+        }
+    };
+
+    $.Autocompleter.prototype.selectItem = function($li) {
+        var value = $li.data('value');
+        var data = $li.data('data');
+        var displayValue = this.displayValue(value, data);
+        var processedDisplayValue = this.beforeUseConverter(displayValue);
+        this.lastProcessedValue_ = processedDisplayValue;
+        this.lastSelectedValue_ = processedDisplayValue;
+        var d = this.getDelimiterOffsets();
+        var delimiter = this.options.delimiterChar;
+        var elem = this.dom.$elem;
+        var extraCaretPos = 0;
+        if ( this.options.useDelimiter ) {
+            // if there is a preceding delimiter, add a space after the delimiter
+            if ( elem.val().substring(d.start-1, d.start) == delimiter && delimiter != ' ' ) {
+                displayValue = ' ' + displayValue;
+            }
+            // if there is not already a delimiter trailing this value, add it
+            if ( elem.val().substring(d.end, d.end+1) != delimiter && this.lastKeyPressed_ != this.options.delimiterKeyCode ) {
+                displayValue = displayValue + delimiter;
+            } else {
+                // move the cursor after the existing trailing delimiter
+                extraCaretPos = 1;
+            }
+        }
+        this.setValue(displayValue);
+        this.setCaret(d.start + displayValue.length + extraCaretPos);
+        this.callHook('onItemSelect', { value: value, data: data });
+        this.deactivate(true);
+        elem.focus();    
+    };
+
+    $.Autocompleter.prototype.displayValue = function(value, data) {
+        if ($.isFunction(this.options.displayValue)) {
+            return this.options.displayValue(value, data);
+        }
+        return value;
+    };
+
+    $.Autocompleter.prototype.hideResults = function() {
+        this.dom.$results.hide();
+    };
+
+    $.Autocompleter.prototype.deactivate = function(finish) {
+        if (this.finishTimeout_) {
+            clearTimeout(this.finishTimeout_);
+        }
+        if (this.keyTimeout_) {
+            clearTimeout(this.keyTimeout_);
+        }
+        if (finish) {
+            if (this.lastProcessedValue_ !== this.lastSelectedValue_) {
+                if (this.options.mustMatch) {
+                    this.setValue('');
+                }
+                this.callHook('onNoMatch');
+            }
+            if (this.active_) {
+                this.callHook('onFinish');
+            }
+            this.lastKeyPressed_ = null;
+            this.lastProcessedValue_ = null;
+            this.lastSelectedValue_ = null;
+            this.active_ = false;
+        }
+        this.hideResults();
+    };
+
+    $.Autocompleter.prototype.selectRange = function(start, end) {
+        var input = this.dom.$elem.get(0);
+        if (input.setSelectionRange) {
+            input.focus();
+            input.setSelectionRange(start, end);
+        } else if (input.createTextRange) {
+            var range = input.createTextRange();
+            range.collapse(true);
+            range.moveEnd('character', end);
+            range.moveStart('character', start);
+            range.select();
+        }
+    };
+
+    /**
+     * Move caret to position
+     * @param {Number} pos
+     */
+    $.Autocompleter.prototype.setCaret = function(pos) {
+        this.selectRange(pos, pos);
+    };
+
+    /**
+     * Get caret position
+     */
+    $.Autocompleter.prototype.getCaret = function() {
+        var elem = this.dom.$elem;
+        if ($.browser.msie) {
+            // ie
+            var selection = document.selection;
+            if (elem[0].tagName.toLowerCase() != 'textarea') {
+                var val = elem.val();
+                var range = selection.createRange().duplicate();
+                range.moveEnd('character', val.length);
+                var s = ( range.text == '' ? val.length : val.lastIndexOf(range.text) );
+                range = selection.createRange().duplicate();
+                range.moveStart('character', -val.length);
+                var e = range.text.length;
+            } else {
+                var range = selection.createRange();
+                var stored_range = range.duplicate();
+                stored_range.moveToElementText(elem[0]);
+                stored_range.setEndPoint('EndToEnd', range);
+                var s = stored_range.text.length - range.text.length;
+                var e = s + range.text.length;
+            }
+        } else {
+            // ff, chrome, safari
+            var s = elem[0].selectionStart;
+            var e = elem[0].selectionEnd;
+        }
+        return {
+            start: s,
+            end: e
+        };        
+    };
+
+    /**
+     * Set the value that is currently being autocompleted
+     * @param {String} value
+     */
+    $.Autocompleter.prototype.setValue = function(value) {
+        if ( this.options.useDelimiter ) {
+            // set the substring between the current delimiters
+            var val = this.dom.$elem.val();
+            var d = this.getDelimiterOffsets();
+            var preVal = val.substring(0, d.start);
+            var postVal = val.substring(d.end);
+            value = preVal + value + postVal;
+        }
+        this.dom.$elem.val(value);
+    };
+
+    /**
+     * Get the value currently being autocompleted
+     * @param {String} value
+     */
+    $.Autocompleter.prototype.getValue = function() {
+        var val = this.dom.$elem.val();
+        if ( this.options.useDelimiter ) {
+            var d = this.getDelimiterOffsets();
+            return val.substring(d.start, d.end).trim();
+        } else {
+            return val;
+        }
+    };
+
+    /**
+     * Get the offsets of the value currently being autocompleted
+     */
+    $.Autocompleter.prototype.getDelimiterOffsets = function() {
+        var val = this.dom.$elem.val();
+        if ( this.options.useDelimiter ) {
+            var preCaretVal = val.substring(0, this.getCaret().start);
+            var start = preCaretVal.lastIndexOf(this.options.delimiterChar) + 1;
+            var postCaretVal = val.substring(this.getCaret().start);
+            var end = postCaretVal.indexOf(this.options.delimiterChar);
+            if ( end == -1 ) end = val.length;
+            end += this.getCaret().start;
+        } else {
+            start = 0;
+            end = val.length;
+        }
+        return {
+            start: start,
+            end: end
+        };
+    };
+
+})(jQuery);
diff --git a/lms/static/js/jquery.tagsinput.js b/lms/static/js/jquery.tagsinput.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b05a87ca99
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/static/js/jquery.tagsinput.js
@@ -0,0 +1,364 @@
+/*
+
+	jQuery Tags Input Plugin 1.3.3
+	
+	Copyright (c) 2011 XOXCO, Inc
+	
+	Documentation for this plugin lives here:
+	http://xoxco.com/clickable/jquery-tags-input
+	
+	Licensed under the MIT license:
+	http://www.opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.php
+
+	ben@xoxco.com
+
+*/
+
+(function($) {
+
+	var delimiter = new Array();
+	var tags_callbacks = new Array();
+	$.fn.doAutosize = function(o){
+	    var minWidth = $(this).data('minwidth'),
+	        maxWidth = $(this).data('maxwidth'),
+	        val = '',
+	        input = $(this),
+	        testSubject = $('#'+$(this).data('tester_id'));
+	
+	    if (val === (val = input.val())) {return;}
+	
+	    // Enter new content into testSubject
+	    var escaped = val.replace(/&/g, '&amp;').replace(/\s/g,' ').replace(/</g, '&lt;').replace(/>/g, '&gt;');
+	    testSubject.html(escaped);
+	    // Calculate new width + whether to change
+	    var testerWidth = testSubject.width(),
+	        newWidth = (testerWidth + o.comfortZone) >= minWidth ? testerWidth + o.comfortZone : minWidth,
+	        currentWidth = input.width(),
+	        isValidWidthChange = (newWidth < currentWidth && newWidth >= minWidth)
+	                             || (newWidth > minWidth && newWidth < maxWidth);
+	
+	    // Animate width
+	    if (isValidWidthChange) {
+	        input.width(newWidth);
+	    }
+
+
+  };
+  $.fn.resetAutosize = function(options){
+    // alert(JSON.stringify(options));
+    var minWidth =  $(this).data('minwidth') || options.minInputWidth || $(this).width(),
+        maxWidth = $(this).data('maxwidth') || options.maxInputWidth || ($(this).closest('.tagsinput').width() - options.inputPadding),
+        val = '',
+        input = $(this),
+        testSubject = $('<tester/>').css({
+            position: 'absolute',
+            top: -9999,
+            left: -9999,
+            width: 'auto',
+            fontSize: input.css('fontSize'),
+            fontFamily: input.css('fontFamily'),
+            fontWeight: input.css('fontWeight'),
+            letterSpacing: input.css('letterSpacing'),
+            whiteSpace: 'nowrap'
+        }),
+        testerId = $(this).attr('id')+'_autosize_tester';
+    if(! $('#'+testerId).length > 0){
+      testSubject.attr('id', testerId);
+      testSubject.appendTo('body');
+    }
+
+    input.data('minwidth', minWidth);
+    input.data('maxwidth', maxWidth);
+    input.data('tester_id', testerId);
+    input.css('width', minWidth);
+  };
+  
+	$.fn.addTag = function(value,options) {
+			options = jQuery.extend({focus:false,callback:true},options);
+			this.each(function() { 
+				var id = $(this).attr('id');
+
+				var tagslist = $(this).val().split(delimiter[id]);
+				if (tagslist[0] == '') { 
+					tagslist = new Array();
+				}
+
+				value = jQuery.trim(value);
+		
+				if (options.unique) {
+					var skipTag = $(this).tagExist(value);
+					if(skipTag == true) {
+					    //Marks fake input as not_valid to let styling it
+    				    $('#'+id+'_tag').addClass('not_valid');
+    				}
+				} else {
+					var skipTag = false; 
+				}
+				
+				if (value !='' && skipTag != true) { 
+                    $('<span>').addClass('tag').append(
+                        $('<span>').text(value).append('&nbsp;&nbsp;'),
+                        $('<a>', {
+                            href  : '#',
+                            title : 'Removing tag',
+                            text  : 'x'
+                        }).click(function () {
+                            return $('#' + id).removeTag(escape(value));
+                        })
+                    ).insertBefore('#' + id + '_addTag');
+
+					tagslist.push(value);
+				
+					$('#'+id+'_tag').val('');
+					if (options.focus) {
+						$('#'+id+'_tag').focus();
+					} else {		
+						$('#'+id+'_tag').blur();
+					}
+					
+					$.fn.tagsInput.updateTagsField(this,tagslist);
+					
+					if (options.callback && tags_callbacks[id] && tags_callbacks[id]['onAddTag']) {
+						var f = tags_callbacks[id]['onAddTag'];
+						f.call(this, value);
+					}
+					if(tags_callbacks[id] && tags_callbacks[id]['onChange'])
+					{
+						var i = tagslist.length;
+						var f = tags_callbacks[id]['onChange'];
+						f.call(this, $(this), tagslist[i-1]);
+					}					
+				}
+		
+			});		
+			
+			return false;
+		};
+		
+	$.fn.removeTag = function(value) { 
+			value = unescape(value);
+			this.each(function() { 
+				var id = $(this).attr('id');
+	
+				var old = $(this).val().split(delimiter[id]);
+					
+				$('#'+id+'_tagsinput .tag').remove();
+				str = '';
+				for (i=0; i< old.length; i++) { 
+					if (old[i]!=value) { 
+						str = str + delimiter[id] +old[i];
+					}
+				}
+				
+				$.fn.tagsInput.importTags(this,str);
+
+				if (tags_callbacks[id] && tags_callbacks[id]['onRemoveTag']) {
+					var f = tags_callbacks[id]['onRemoveTag'];
+					f.call(this, value);
+				}
+			});
+					
+			return false;
+		};
+	
+	$.fn.tagExist = function(val) {
+		var id = $(this).attr('id');
+		var tagslist = $(this).val().split(delimiter[id]);
+		return (jQuery.inArray(val, tagslist) >= 0); //true when tag exists, false when not
+	};
+	
+	// clear all existing tags and import new ones from a string
+	$.fn.importTags = function(str) {
+                id = $(this).attr('id');
+		$('#'+id+'_tagsinput .tag').remove();
+		$.fn.tagsInput.importTags(this,str);
+	}
+		
+	$.fn.tagsInput = function(options) { 
+    var settings = jQuery.extend({
+      interactive:true,
+      defaultText:'add a tag',
+      minChars:0,
+      width:'300px',
+      height:'100px',
+      autocomplete: {selectFirst: false },
+      'hide':true,
+      'delimiter':',',
+      'unique':true,
+      removeWithBackspace:true,
+      placeholderColor:'#666666',
+      autosize: true,
+      comfortZone: 20,
+      inputPadding: 6*2
+    },options);
+
+		this.each(function() { 
+			if (settings.hide) { 
+				$(this).hide();				
+			}
+			var id = $(this).attr('id');
+			if (!id || delimiter[$(this).attr('id')]) {
+				id = $(this).attr('id', 'tags' + new Date().getTime()).attr('id');
+			}
+			
+			var data = jQuery.extend({
+				pid:id,
+				real_input: '#'+id,
+				holder: '#'+id+'_tagsinput',
+				input_wrapper: '#'+id+'_addTag',
+				fake_input: '#'+id+'_tag'
+			},settings);
+	
+			delimiter[id] = data.delimiter;
+			
+			if (settings.onAddTag || settings.onRemoveTag || settings.onChange) {
+				tags_callbacks[id] = new Array();
+				tags_callbacks[id]['onAddTag'] = settings.onAddTag;
+				tags_callbacks[id]['onRemoveTag'] = settings.onRemoveTag;
+				tags_callbacks[id]['onChange'] = settings.onChange;
+			}
+	
+			var markup = '<div id="'+id+'_tagsinput" class="tagsinput"><div id="'+id+'_addTag">';
+			
+			if (settings.interactive) {
+				markup = markup + '<input id="'+id+'_tag" value="" data-default="'+settings.defaultText+'" />';
+			}
+			
+			markup = markup + '</div><div class="tags_clear"></div></div>';
+			
+			$(markup).insertAfter(this);
+      
+
+			$(data.holder).css('width',settings.width);
+			$(data.holder).css('min-height',settings.height);
+			$(data.holder).css('height','100%');
+	
+			if ($(data.real_input).val()!='') { 
+				$.fn.tagsInput.importTags($(data.real_input),$(data.real_input).val());
+			}		
+			if (settings.interactive) { 
+				$(data.fake_input).val($(data.fake_input).attr('data-default'));
+				$(data.fake_input).css('color',settings.placeholderColor);
+		        $(data.fake_input).resetAutosize(settings);
+		
+        $(data.fake_input).doAutosize(settings);
+				$(data.holder).bind('click',data,function(event) {
+					$(event.data.fake_input).focus();
+				});
+			
+				$(data.fake_input).bind('focus',data,function(event) {
+					if ($(event.data.fake_input).val()==$(event.data.fake_input).attr('data-default')) { 
+						$(event.data.fake_input).val('');
+					}
+					$(event.data.fake_input).css('color','#000000');		
+				});
+						
+				if (settings.autocomplete_url != undefined) {
+					autocomplete_options = {source: settings.autocomplete_url};
+					for (attrname in settings.autocomplete) { 
+						autocomplete_options[attrname] = settings.autocomplete[attrname]; 
+					}
+				
+					if (jQuery.Autocompleter !== undefined) {
+            onSelectCallback = settings.autocomplete.onItemSelect;
+            settings.autocomplete.onItemSelect = function() {
+              $(data.real_input).addTag($(data.fake_input).val(), {focus: true, unique: (settings.unique)});
+              $(data.fake_input).resetAutosize(settings);
+              if (onSelectCallback) {
+                onSelectCallback();
+              }
+            }
+						$(data.fake_input).autocomplete(settings.autocomplete_url, settings.autocomplete);
+						$(data.fake_input).bind('result',data,function(event,data,formatted) {
+							if (data) {
+								$('#'+id).addTag(data[0] + "",{focus:true,unique:(settings.unique)});
+							}
+					  });
+					} else if (jQuery.ui.autocomplete !== undefined) {
+						$(data.fake_input).autocomplete(autocomplete_options);
+						$(data.fake_input).bind('autocompleteselect',data,function(event,ui) {
+							$(event.data.real_input).addTag(ui.item.value,{focus:true,unique:(settings.unique)});
+              
+							return false;
+						});
+					}
+				
+					
+				} else {
+						// if a user tabs out of the field, create a new tag
+						// this is only available if autocomplete is not used.
+						$(data.fake_input).bind('blur',data,function(event) { 
+							var d = $(this).attr('data-default');
+							if ($(event.data.fake_input).val()!='' && $(event.data.fake_input).val()!=d) { 
+								if( (event.data.minChars <= $(event.data.fake_input).val().length) && (!event.data.maxChars || (event.data.maxChars >= $(event.data.fake_input).val().length)) )
+									$(event.data.real_input).addTag($(event.data.fake_input).val(),{focus:true,unique:(settings.unique)});
+							} else {
+								$(event.data.fake_input).val($(event.data.fake_input).attr('data-default'));
+								$(event.data.fake_input).css('color',settings.placeholderColor);
+							}
+							return false;
+						});
+				
+				}
+				// if user types a comma, create a new tag
+				$(data.fake_input).bind('keypress',data,function(event) {
+					if (event.which==event.data.delimiter.charCodeAt(0) || event.which==13 ) {
+					    event.preventDefault();
+						if( (event.data.minChars <= $(event.data.fake_input).val().length) && (!event.data.maxChars || (event.data.maxChars >= $(event.data.fake_input).val().length)) )
+							$(event.data.real_input).addTag($(event.data.fake_input).val(),{focus:true,unique:(settings.unique)});
+					  	$(event.data.fake_input).resetAutosize(settings);
+						return false;
+					} else if (event.data.autosize) {
+			            $(event.data.fake_input).doAutosize(settings);
+          			}
+				});
+				//Delete last tag on backspace
+				data.removeWithBackspace && $(data.fake_input).bind('keydown', function(event)
+				{
+					if(event.keyCode == 8 && $(this).val() == '')
+					{
+						 event.preventDefault();
+						 var last_tag = $(this).closest('.tagsinput').find('.tag:last').text();
+						 var id = $(this).attr('id').replace(/_tag$/, '');
+						 last_tag = last_tag.replace(/[\s]+x$/, '');
+						 $('#' + id).removeTag(escape(last_tag));
+						 $(this).trigger('focus');
+					}
+				});
+				$(data.fake_input).blur();
+				
+				//Removes the not_valid class when user changes the value of the fake input
+				if(data.unique) {
+				    $(data.fake_input).keydown(function(event){
+				        if(event.keyCode == 8 || String.fromCharCode(event.which).match(/\w+|[áéíóúÁÉÍÓÚñÑ,/]+/)) {
+				            $(this).removeClass('not_valid');
+				        }
+				    });
+				}
+			} // if settings.interactive
+		});
+			
+		return this;
+	
+	};
+	
+	$.fn.tagsInput.updateTagsField = function(obj,tagslist) { 
+		var id = $(obj).attr('id');
+		$(obj).val(tagslist.join(delimiter[id]));
+	};
+	
+	$.fn.tagsInput.importTags = function(obj,val) {			
+		$(obj).val('');
+		var id = $(obj).attr('id');
+		var tags = val.split(delimiter[id]);
+		for (i=0; i<tags.length; i++) { 
+			$(obj).addTag(tags[i],{focus:false,callback:false});
+		}
+		if(tags_callbacks[id] && tags_callbacks[id]['onChange'])
+		{
+			var f = tags_callbacks[id]['onChange'];
+			f.call(obj, obj, tags[i]);
+		}
+	};
+
+})(jQuery);
diff --git a/lms/static/js/jquery.timeago.js b/lms/static/js/jquery.timeago.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..2e8d29f536
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/static/js/jquery.timeago.js
@@ -0,0 +1,152 @@
+/**
+ * Timeago is a jQuery plugin that makes it easy to support automatically
+ * updating fuzzy timestamps (e.g. "4 minutes ago" or "about 1 day ago").
+ *
+ * @name timeago
+ * @version 0.11.4
+ * @requires jQuery v1.2.3+
+ * @author Ryan McGeary
+ * @license MIT License - http://www.opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.php
+ *
+ * For usage and examples, visit:
+ * http://timeago.yarp.com/
+ *
+ * Copyright (c) 2008-2012, Ryan McGeary (ryan -[at]- mcgeary [*dot*] org)
+ */
+(function($) {
+  $.timeago = function(timestamp) {
+    if (timestamp instanceof Date) {
+      return inWords(timestamp);
+    } else if (typeof timestamp === "string") {
+      return inWords($.timeago.parse(timestamp));
+    } else if (typeof timestamp === "number") {
+      return inWords(new Date(timestamp));
+    } else {
+      return inWords($.timeago.datetime(timestamp));
+    }
+  };
+  var $t = $.timeago;
+
+  $.extend($.timeago, {
+    settings: {
+      refreshMillis: 60000,
+      allowFuture: false,
+      strings: {
+        prefixAgo: null,
+        prefixFromNow: null,
+        suffixAgo: "ago",
+        suffixFromNow: "from now",
+        seconds: "less than a minute",
+        minute: "about a minute",
+        minutes: "%d minutes",
+        hour: "about an hour",
+        hours: "about %d hours",
+        day: "a day",
+        days: "%d days",
+        month: "about a month",
+        months: "%d months",
+        year: "about a year",
+        years: "%d years",
+        wordSeparator: " ",
+        numbers: []
+      }
+    },
+    inWords: function(distanceMillis) {
+      var $l = this.settings.strings;
+      var prefix = $l.prefixAgo;
+      var suffix = $l.suffixAgo;
+      if (this.settings.allowFuture) {
+        if (distanceMillis < 0) {
+          prefix = $l.prefixFromNow;
+          suffix = $l.suffixFromNow;
+        }
+      }
+
+      var seconds = Math.abs(distanceMillis) / 1000;
+      var minutes = seconds / 60;
+      var hours = minutes / 60;
+      var days = hours / 24;
+      var years = days / 365;
+
+      function substitute(stringOrFunction, number) {
+        var string = $.isFunction(stringOrFunction) ? stringOrFunction(number, distanceMillis) : stringOrFunction;
+        var value = ($l.numbers && $l.numbers[number]) || number;
+        return string.replace(/%d/i, value);
+      }
+
+      var words = seconds < 45 && substitute($l.seconds, Math.round(seconds)) ||
+        seconds < 90 && substitute($l.minute, 1) ||
+        minutes < 45 && substitute($l.minutes, Math.round(minutes)) ||
+        minutes < 90 && substitute($l.hour, 1) ||
+        hours < 24 && substitute($l.hours, Math.round(hours)) ||
+        hours < 42 && substitute($l.day, 1) ||
+        days < 30 && substitute($l.days, Math.round(days)) ||
+        days < 45 && substitute($l.month, 1) ||
+        days < 365 && substitute($l.months, Math.round(days / 30)) ||
+        years < 1.5 && substitute($l.year, 1) ||
+        substitute($l.years, Math.round(years));
+
+      var separator = $l.wordSeparator === undefined ?  " " : $l.wordSeparator;
+      return $.trim([prefix, words, suffix].join(separator));
+    },
+    parse: function(iso8601) {
+      var s = $.trim(iso8601);
+      s = s.replace(/\.\d+/,""); // remove milliseconds
+      s = s.replace(/-/,"/").replace(/-/,"/");
+      s = s.replace(/T/," ").replace(/Z/," UTC");
+      s = s.replace(/([\+\-]\d\d)\:?(\d\d)/," $1$2"); // -04:00 -> -0400
+      return new Date(s);
+    },
+    datetime: function(elem) {
+      var iso8601 = $t.isTime(elem) ? $(elem).attr("datetime") : $(elem).attr("title");
+      return $t.parse(iso8601);
+    },
+    isTime: function(elem) {
+      // jQuery's `is()` doesn't play well with HTML5 in IE
+      return $(elem).get(0).tagName.toLowerCase() === "time"; // $(elem).is("time");
+    }
+  });
+
+  $.fn.timeago = function() {
+    var self = this;
+    self.each(refresh);
+
+    var $s = $t.settings;
+    if ($s.refreshMillis > 0) {
+      setInterval(function() { self.each(refresh); }, $s.refreshMillis);
+    }
+    return self;
+  };
+
+  function refresh() {
+    var data = prepareData(this);
+    if (!isNaN(data.datetime)) {
+      $(this).text(inWords(data.datetime));
+    }
+    return this;
+  }
+
+  function prepareData(element) {
+    element = $(element);
+    if (!element.data("timeago")) {
+      element.data("timeago", { datetime: $t.datetime(element) });
+      var text = $.trim(element.text());
+      if (text.length > 0 && !($t.isTime(element) && element.attr("title"))) {
+        element.attr("title", text);
+      }
+    }
+    return element.data("timeago");
+  }
+
+  function inWords(date) {
+    return $t.inWords(distance(date));
+  }
+
+  function distance(date) {
+    return (new Date().getTime() - date.getTime());
+  }
+
+  // fix for IE6 suckage
+  document.createElement("abbr");
+  document.createElement("time");
+}(jQuery));
diff --git a/lms/static/js/mustache.js b/lms/static/js/mustache.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..aab62f9ddc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/static/js/mustache.js
@@ -0,0 +1,613 @@
+/*!
+ * mustache.js - Logic-less {{mustache}} templates with JavaScript
+ * http://github.com/janl/mustache.js
+ */
+
+var Mustache;
+
+(function (exports) {
+  if (typeof module !== "undefined") {
+    module.exports = exports; // CommonJS
+  } else if (typeof define === "function") {
+    define(exports); // AMD
+  } else {
+    Mustache = exports; // <script>
+  }
+}(function () {
+  var exports = {};
+
+  exports.name = "mustache.js";
+  exports.version = "0.5.1-dev";
+  exports.tags = ["{{", "}}"];
+
+  exports.parse = parse;
+  exports.clearCache = clearCache;
+  exports.compile = compile;
+  exports.compilePartial = compilePartial;
+  exports.render = render;
+
+  exports.Scanner = Scanner;
+  exports.Context = Context;
+  exports.Renderer = Renderer;
+
+  // This is here for backwards compatibility with 0.4.x.
+  exports.to_html = function (template, view, partials, send) {
+    var result = render(template, view, partials);
+
+    if (typeof send === "function") {
+      send(result);
+    } else {
+      return result;
+    }
+  };
+
+  var whiteRe = /\s*/;
+  var spaceRe = /\s+/;
+  var nonSpaceRe = /\S/;
+  var eqRe = /\s*=/;
+  var curlyRe = /\s*\}/;
+  var tagRe = /#|\^|\/|>|\{|&|=|!/;
+
+  // Workaround for https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/COUCHDB-577
+  // See https://github.com/janl/mustache.js/issues/189
+  function testRe(re, string) {
+    return RegExp.prototype.test.call(re, string);
+  }
+
+  function isWhitespace(string) {
+    return !testRe(nonSpaceRe, string);
+  }
+
+  var isArray = Array.isArray || function (obj) {
+    return Object.prototype.toString.call(obj) === "[object Array]";
+  };
+
+  // OSWASP Guidelines: escape all non alphanumeric characters in ASCII space.
+  var jsCharsRe = /[\x00-\x2F\x3A-\x40\x5B-\x60\x7B-\xFF\u2028\u2029]/gm;
+
+  function quote(text) {
+    var escaped = text.replace(jsCharsRe, function (c) {
+      return "\\u" + ('0000' + c.charCodeAt(0).toString(16)).slice(-4);
+    });
+
+    return '"' + escaped + '"';
+  }
+
+  function escapeRe(string) {
+    return string.replace(/[\-\[\]{}()*+?.,\\\^$|#\s]/g, "\\$&");
+  }
+
+  var entityMap = {
+    "&": "&amp;",
+    "<": "&lt;",
+    ">": "&gt;",
+    '"': '&quot;',
+    "'": '&#39;',
+    "/": '&#x2F;'
+  };
+
+  function escapeHtml(string) {
+    return String(string).replace(/[&<>"'\/]/g, function (s) {
+      return entityMap[s];
+    });
+  }
+
+  // Export these utility functions.
+  exports.isWhitespace = isWhitespace;
+  exports.isArray = isArray;
+  exports.quote = quote;
+  exports.escapeRe = escapeRe;
+  exports.escapeHtml = escapeHtml;
+
+  function Scanner(string) {
+    this.string = string;
+    this.tail = string;
+    this.pos = 0;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Returns `true` if the tail is empty (end of string).
+   */
+  Scanner.prototype.eos = function () {
+    return this.tail === "";
+  };
+
+  /**
+   * Tries to match the given regular expression at the current position.
+   * Returns the matched text if it can match, `null` otherwise.
+   */
+  Scanner.prototype.scan = function (re) {
+    var match = this.tail.match(re);
+
+    if (match && match.index === 0) {
+      this.tail = this.tail.substring(match[0].length);
+      this.pos += match[0].length;
+      return match[0];
+    }
+
+    return null;
+  };
+
+  /**
+   * Skips all text until the given regular expression can be matched. Returns
+   * the skipped string, which is the entire tail of this scanner if no match
+   * can be made.
+   */
+  Scanner.prototype.scanUntil = function (re) {
+    var match, pos = this.tail.search(re);
+
+    switch (pos) {
+    case -1:
+      match = this.tail;
+      this.pos += this.tail.length;
+      this.tail = "";
+      break;
+    case 0:
+      match = null;
+      break;
+    default:
+      match = this.tail.substring(0, pos);
+      this.tail = this.tail.substring(pos);
+      this.pos += pos;
+    }
+
+    return match;
+  };
+
+  function Context(view, parent) {
+    this.view = view;
+    this.parent = parent;
+    this.clearCache();
+  }
+
+  Context.make = function (view) {
+    return (view instanceof Context) ? view : new Context(view);
+  };
+
+  Context.prototype.clearCache = function () {
+    this._cache = {};
+  };
+
+  Context.prototype.push = function (view) {
+    return new Context(view, this);
+  };
+
+  Context.prototype.lookup = function (name) {
+    var value = this._cache[name];
+
+    if (!value) {
+      if (name === ".") {
+        value = this.view;
+      } else {
+        var context = this;
+
+        while (context) {
+          if (name.indexOf(".") > 0) {
+            var names = name.split("."), i = 0;
+
+            value = context.view;
+
+            while (value && i < names.length) {
+              value = value[names[i++]];
+            }
+          } else {
+            value = context.view[name];
+          }
+
+          if (value != null) {
+            break;
+          }
+
+          context = context.parent;
+        }
+      }
+
+      this._cache[name] = value;
+    }
+
+    if (typeof value === "function") {
+      value = value.call(this.view);
+    }
+
+    return value;
+  };
+
+  function Renderer() {
+    this.clearCache();
+  }
+
+  Renderer.prototype.clearCache = function () {
+    this._cache = {};
+    this._partialCache = {};
+  };
+
+  Renderer.prototype.compile = function (tokens, tags) {
+    if (typeof tokens === "string") {
+      tokens = parse(tokens, tags);
+    }
+
+    var fn = compileTokens(tokens),
+        self = this;
+
+    return function (view) {
+      return fn(Context.make(view), self);
+    };
+  };
+
+  Renderer.prototype.compilePartial = function (name, tokens, tags) {
+    this._partialCache[name] = this.compile(tokens, tags);
+    return this._partialCache[name];
+  };
+
+  Renderer.prototype.render = function (template, view) {
+    var fn = this._cache[template];
+
+    if (!fn) {
+      fn = this.compile(template);
+      this._cache[template] = fn;
+    }
+
+    return fn(view);
+  };
+
+  Renderer.prototype._section = function (name, context, callback) {
+    var value = context.lookup(name);
+
+    switch (typeof value) {
+    case "object":
+      if (isArray(value)) {
+        var buffer = "";
+
+        for (var i = 0, len = value.length; i < len; ++i) {
+          buffer += callback(context.push(value[i]), this);
+        }
+
+        return buffer;
+      }
+
+      return value ? callback(context.push(value), this) : "";
+    case "function":
+      // TODO: The text should be passed to the callback plain, not rendered.
+      var sectionText = callback(context, this),
+          self = this;
+
+      var scopedRender = function (template) {
+        return self.render(template, context);
+      };
+
+      return value.call(context.view, sectionText, scopedRender) || "";
+    default:
+      if (value) {
+        return callback(context, this);
+      }
+    }
+
+    return "";
+  };
+
+  Renderer.prototype._inverted = function (name, context, callback) {
+    var value = context.lookup(name);
+
+    // From the spec: inverted sections may render text once based on the
+    // inverse value of the key. That is, they will be rendered if the key
+    // doesn't exist, is false, or is an empty list.
+    if (value == null || value === false || (isArray(value) && value.length === 0)) {
+      return callback(context, this);
+    }
+
+    return "";
+  };
+
+  Renderer.prototype._partial = function (name, context) {
+    var fn = this._partialCache[name];
+
+    if (fn) {
+      return fn(context, this);
+    }
+
+    return "";
+  };
+
+  Renderer.prototype._name = function (name, context, escape) {
+    var value = context.lookup(name);
+
+    if (typeof value === "function") {
+      value = value.call(context.view);
+    }
+
+    var string = (value == null) ? "" : String(value);
+
+    if (escape) {
+      return escapeHtml(string);
+    }
+
+    return string;
+  };
+
+  /**
+   * Low-level function that compiles the given `tokens` into a
+   * function that accepts two arguments: a Context and a
+   * Renderer. Returns the body of the function as a string if
+   * `returnBody` is true.
+   */
+  function compileTokens(tokens, returnBody) {
+    var body = ['""'];
+    var token, method, escape;
+
+    for (var i = 0, len = tokens.length; i < len; ++i) {
+      token = tokens[i];
+
+      switch (token.type) {
+      case "#":
+      case "^":
+        method = (token.type === "#") ? "_section" : "_inverted";
+        body.push("r." + method + "(" + quote(token.value) + ", c, function (c, r) {\n" +
+          "  " + compileTokens(token.tokens, true) + "\n" +
+          "})");
+        break;
+      case "{":
+      case "&":
+      case "name":
+        escape = token.type === "name" ? "true" : "false";
+        body.push("r._name(" + quote(token.value) + ", c, " + escape + ")");
+        break;
+      case ">":
+        body.push("r._partial(" + quote(token.value) + ", c)");
+        break;
+      case "text":
+        body.push(quote(token.value));
+        break;
+      }
+    }
+
+    // Convert to a string body.
+    body = "return " + body.join(" + ") + ";";
+
+    // Good for debugging.
+    // console.log(body);
+
+    if (returnBody) {
+      return body;
+    }
+
+    // For great evil!
+    return new Function("c, r", body);
+  }
+
+  function escapeTags(tags) {
+    if (tags.length === 2) {
+      return [
+        new RegExp(escapeRe(tags[0]) + "\\s*"),
+        new RegExp("\\s*" + escapeRe(tags[1]))
+      ];
+    }
+
+    throw new Error("Invalid tags: " + tags.join(" "));
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Forms the given linear array of `tokens` into a nested tree structure
+   * where tokens that represent a section have a "tokens" array property
+   * that contains all tokens that are in that section.
+   */
+  function nestTokens(tokens) {
+    var tree = [];
+    var collector = tree;
+    var sections = [];
+    var token, section;
+
+    for (var i = 0; i < tokens.length; ++i) {
+      token = tokens[i];
+
+      switch (token.type) {
+      case "#":
+      case "^":
+        token.tokens = [];
+        sections.push(token);
+        collector.push(token);
+        collector = token.tokens;
+        break;
+      case "/":
+        if (sections.length === 0) {
+          throw new Error("Unopened section: " + token.value);
+        }
+
+        section = sections.pop();
+
+        if (section.value !== token.value) {
+          throw new Error("Unclosed section: " + section.value);
+        }
+
+        if (sections.length > 0) {
+          collector = sections[sections.length - 1].tokens;
+        } else {
+          collector = tree;
+        }
+        break;
+      default:
+        collector.push(token);
+      }
+    }
+
+    // Make sure there were no open sections when we're done.
+    section = sections.pop();
+
+    if (section) {
+      throw new Error("Unclosed section: " + section.value);
+    }
+
+    return tree;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Combines the values of consecutive text tokens in the given `tokens` array
+   * to a single token.
+   */
+  function squashTokens(tokens) {
+    var lastToken;
+
+    for (var i = 0; i < tokens.length; ++i) {
+      var token = tokens[i];
+
+      if (lastToken && lastToken.type === "text" && token.type === "text") {
+        lastToken.value += token.value;
+        tokens.splice(i--, 1); // Remove this token from the array.
+      } else {
+        lastToken = token;
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Breaks up the given `template` string into a tree of token objects. If
+   * `tags` is given here it must be an array with two string values: the
+   * opening and closing tags used in the template (e.g. ["<%", "%>"]). Of
+   * course, the default is to use mustaches (i.e. Mustache.tags).
+   */
+  function parse(template, tags) {
+    tags = tags || exports.tags;
+
+    var tagRes = escapeTags(tags);
+    var scanner = new Scanner(template);
+
+    var tokens = [],      // Buffer to hold the tokens
+        spaces = [],      // Indices of whitespace tokens on the current line
+        hasTag = false,   // Is there a {{tag}} on the current line?
+        nonSpace = false; // Is there a non-space char on the current line?
+
+    // Strips all whitespace tokens array for the current line
+    // if there was a {{#tag}} on it and otherwise only space.
+    var stripSpace = function () {
+      if (hasTag && !nonSpace) {
+        while (spaces.length) {
+          tokens.splice(spaces.pop(), 1);
+        }
+      } else {
+        spaces = [];
+      }
+
+      hasTag = false;
+      nonSpace = false;
+    };
+
+    var type, value, chr;
+
+    while (!scanner.eos()) {
+      value = scanner.scanUntil(tagRes[0]);
+
+      if (value) {
+        for (var i = 0, len = value.length; i < len; ++i) {
+          chr = value.charAt(i);
+
+          if (isWhitespace(chr)) {
+            spaces.push(tokens.length);
+          } else {
+            nonSpace = true;
+          }
+
+          tokens.push({type: "text", value: chr});
+
+          if (chr === "\n") {
+            stripSpace(); // Check for whitespace on the current line.
+          }
+        }
+      }
+
+      // Match the opening tag.
+      if (!scanner.scan(tagRes[0])) {
+        break;
+      }
+
+      hasTag = true;
+      type = scanner.scan(tagRe) || "name";
+
+      // Skip any whitespace between tag and value.
+      scanner.scan(whiteRe);
+
+      // Extract the tag value.
+      if (type === "=") {
+        value = scanner.scanUntil(eqRe);
+        scanner.scan(eqRe);
+        scanner.scanUntil(tagRes[1]);
+      } else if (type === "{") {
+        var closeRe = new RegExp("\\s*" + escapeRe("}" + tags[1]));
+        value = scanner.scanUntil(closeRe);
+        scanner.scan(curlyRe);
+        scanner.scanUntil(tagRes[1]);
+      } else {
+        value = scanner.scanUntil(tagRes[1]);
+      }
+
+      // Match the closing tag.
+      if (!scanner.scan(tagRes[1])) {
+        throw new Error("Unclosed tag at " + scanner.pos);
+      }
+
+      tokens.push({type: type, value: value});
+
+      if (type === "name" || type === "{" || type === "&") {
+        nonSpace = true;
+      }
+
+      // Set the tags for the next time around.
+      if (type === "=") {
+        tags = value.split(spaceRe);
+        tagRes = escapeTags(tags);
+      }
+    }
+
+    squashTokens(tokens);
+
+    return nestTokens(tokens);
+  }
+
+  // The high-level clearCache, compile, compilePartial, and render functions
+  // use this default renderer.
+  var _renderer = new Renderer();
+
+  /**
+   * Clears all cached templates and partials.
+   */
+  function clearCache() {
+    _renderer.clearCache();
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * High-level API for compiling the given `tokens` down to a reusable
+   * function. If `tokens` is a string it will be parsed using the given `tags`
+   * before it is compiled.
+   */
+  function compile(tokens, tags) {
+    return _renderer.compile(tokens, tags);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * High-level API for compiling the `tokens` for the partial with the given
+   * `name` down to a reusable function. If `tokens` is a string it will be
+   * parsed using the given `tags` before it is compiled.
+   */
+  function compilePartial(name, tokens, tags) {
+    return _renderer.compilePartial(name, tokens, tags);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * High-level API for rendering the `template` using the given `view`. The
+   * optional `partials` object may be given here for convenience, but note that
+   * it will cause all partials to be re-compiled, thus hurting performance. Of
+   * course, this only matters if you're going to render the same template more
+   * than once. If so, it is best to call `compilePartial` before calling this
+   * function and to leave the `partials` argument blank.
+   */
+  function render(template, view, partials) {
+    if (partials) {
+      for (var name in partials) {
+        compilePartial(name, partials[name]);
+      }
+    }
+
+    return _renderer.render(template, view);
+  }
+
+  return exports;
+
+}()));
diff --git a/lms/static/js/split.js b/lms/static/js/split.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..50a3bbde07
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/static/js/split.js
@@ -0,0 +1,118 @@
+/*!
+ * Cross-Browser Split 1.1.1
+ * Copyright 2007-2012 Steven Levithan <stevenlevithan.com>
+ * Available under the MIT License
+ * ECMAScript compliant, uniform cross-browser split method
+ */
+
+/**
+ * Splits a string into an array of strings using a regex or string separator. Matches of the
+ * separator are not included in the result array. However, if `separator` is a regex that contains
+ * capturing groups, backreferences are spliced into the result each time `separator` is matched.
+ * Fixes browser bugs compared to the native `String.prototype.split` and can be used reliably
+ * cross-browser.
+ * @param {String} str String to split.
+ * @param {RegExp|String} separator Regex or string to use for separating the string.
+ * @param {Number} [limit] Maximum number of items to include in the result array.
+ * @returns {Array} Array of substrings.
+ * @example
+ *
+ * // Basic use
+ * split('a b c d', ' ');
+ * // -> ['a', 'b', 'c', 'd']
+ *
+ * // With limit
+ * split('a b c d', ' ', 2);
+ * // -> ['a', 'b']
+ *
+ * // Backreferences in result array
+ * split('..word1 word2..', /([a-z]+)(\d+)/i);
+ * // -> ['..', 'word', '1', ' ', 'word', '2', '..']
+ */
+
+var _split; // instead of split for a less common name; avoid conflict
+
+// Avoid running twice; that would break the `nativeSplit` reference
+_split = _split || function (undef) {
+
+    var nativeSplit = String.prototype.split,
+        compliantExecNpcg = /()??/.exec("")[1] === undef, // NPCG: nonparticipating capturing group
+        self;
+
+    self = function (str, separator, limit) {
+        // If `separator` is not a regex, use `nativeSplit`
+        if (Object.prototype.toString.call(separator) !== "[object RegExp]") {
+            return nativeSplit.call(str, separator, limit);
+        }
+        var output = [],
+            flags = (separator.ignoreCase ? "i" : "") +
+                    (separator.multiline  ? "m" : "") +
+                    (separator.extended   ? "x" : "") + // Proposed for ES6
+                    (separator.sticky     ? "y" : ""), // Firefox 3+
+            lastLastIndex = 0,
+            // Make `global` and avoid `lastIndex` issues by working with a copy
+            separator = new RegExp(separator.source, flags + "g"),
+            separator2, match, lastIndex, lastLength;
+        str += ""; // Type-convert
+        if (!compliantExecNpcg) {
+            // Doesn't need flags gy, but they don't hurt
+            separator2 = new RegExp("^" + separator.source + "$(?!\\s)", flags);
+        }
+        /* Values for `limit`, per the spec:
+         * If undefined: 4294967295 // Math.pow(2, 32) - 1
+         * If 0, Infinity, or NaN: 0
+         * If positive number: limit = Math.floor(limit); if (limit > 4294967295) limit -= 4294967296;
+         * If negative number: 4294967296 - Math.floor(Math.abs(limit))
+         * If other: Type-convert, then use the above rules
+         */
+        limit = limit === undef ?
+            -1 >>> 0 : // Math.pow(2, 32) - 1
+            limit >>> 0; // ToUint32(limit)
+        while (match = separator.exec(str)) {
+            // `separator.lastIndex` is not reliable cross-browser
+            lastIndex = match.index + match[0].length;
+            if (lastIndex > lastLastIndex) {
+                output.push(str.slice(lastLastIndex, match.index));
+                // Fix browsers whose `exec` methods don't consistently return `undefined` for
+                // nonparticipating capturing groups
+                if (!compliantExecNpcg && match.length > 1) {
+                    match[0].replace(separator2, function () {
+                        for (var i = 1; i < arguments.length - 2; i++) {
+                            if (arguments[i] === undef) {
+                                match[i] = undef;
+                            }
+                        }
+                    });
+                }
+                if (match.length > 1 && match.index < str.length) {
+                    Array.prototype.push.apply(output, match.slice(1));
+                }
+                lastLength = match[0].length;
+                lastLastIndex = lastIndex;
+                if (output.length >= limit) {
+                    break;
+                }
+            }
+            if (separator.lastIndex === match.index) {
+                separator.lastIndex++; // Avoid an infinite loop
+            }
+        }
+        if (lastLastIndex === str.length) {
+            if (lastLength || !separator.test("")) {
+                output.push("");
+            }
+        } else {
+            output.push(str.slice(lastLastIndex));
+        }
+        return output.length > limit ? output.slice(0, limit) : output;
+    };
+
+    // For convenience
+    String.prototype.split = function (separator, limit) {
+        return self(this, separator, limit);
+    };
+
+    return self;
+
+}();
+
diff --git a/lms/static/sass/_discussion.scss b/lms/static/sass/_discussion.scss
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..93c435a040
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/static/sass/_discussion.scss
@@ -0,0 +1,1008 @@
+/*** Variables ***/
+
+$comment-margin-left: 30px;
+$discussion-title-size: 1.6em;
+$comment-title-size: 1.0em;
+$post-font-size: 0.9em;
+$comment-info-size: 0.75em;
+$comment-font-size: 0.8em;
+$discussion-input-width: 100%;
+
+$tag-background-color: #e7ecdd;
+$tag-border-color: #babdb3;
+$tag-text-color: #5b614f;
+
+
+
+/*** Mixins ***/
+
+@mixin discussion-font {
+  font-family: inherit;
+}
+
+@mixin discussion-clickable {
+  color: black;
+  &:hover {
+    text-decoration: none;
+  }
+}
+
+@mixin standard-discussion-link {
+  text-decoration: none;
+  &:hover {
+    color: #1C71DD;
+    text-decoration: none;
+  }
+}
+
+
+
+/*** Discussions ***/
+
+.discussion {
+
+  #open_close_accordion {
+    display: none;
+  }
+
+  p + p, ul + p, ol + p {
+    margin-top: 0;
+  }
+
+
+
+  /*** Sidebar ***/
+
+  .sidebar-module {    
+    @include clearfix;
+    padding: 0 24px 24px 0;
+    margin-bottom: 24px;    
+    border-bottom: 1px solid #d3d3d3;
+    font-size: 0.8em;
+
+    header {
+      margin-bottom: 14px;
+      @include clearfix;
+    }
+
+    h4 {
+      float: left;
+      font-size: 1.1em;
+      font-weight: bold;
+    }
+
+    .sidebar-new-post-button, .sidebar-promote-moderator-button {
+      @include button;
+    }
+    .sidebar-revoke-moderator-button {
+      @include button(simple, gray);
+    }
+    .sidebar-new-post-button, .sidebar-promote-moderator-button, .sidebar-revoke-moderator-button {
+      display: block;
+      box-sizing: border-box;
+      width: 100%;
+      margin: 20px 0;
+      padding: 11px;
+      font-size: 1.1em;
+      text-align: center;
+
+      &:hover {
+        text-decoration: none;
+      }
+    }
+
+    .sidebar-view-all {
+      float: right;
+      font-size: 0.9em;
+      line-height: 1.6em;
+      @include standard-discussion-link;
+    }
+
+    .discussion-sidebar-following-list {
+      li {
+        @include clearfix;
+        margin-bottom: 8px;
+        border: none;
+      }
+
+      a {        
+        @include standard-discussion-link;
+        background: none;
+      }
+    }
+
+    .discussion-sidebar-tags-list li {
+      @include clearfix;
+      border-bottom: none;
+    }
+
+    .sidebar-tag-count {
+      color: #9a9a9a;
+      font-size: .85em;
+      line-height: 3em;
+    }
+
+    .sidebar-following-name {
+      float: left;
+      width: 80%;
+    }
+
+    .sidebar-vote-count {
+      float: right;
+      width: 20%;
+      text-align: right;
+      color: #9a9a9a;
+    }
+
+//user profile
+
+    .sidebar-username {
+      font-size: 1.5em;
+      font-weight: bold;
+      line-height: 1.5em;
+    }
+
+    .sidebar-user-roles {
+      color: darkGray;
+      font-style: italic;
+      margin-bottom: 15px;
+    }
+
+    .sidebar-threads-count, .sidebar-comments-count {
+      
+      span {
+        font-size: 1.5em;
+        font-weight: bold;
+        line-height: 1.5em;
+        margin-right: 10px;
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  .discussion-non-content {
+    margin-left: flex-gutter();
+  }
+
+  /*** Post ***/
+
+  .discussion-title {
+    @include discussion-font;
+    @include discussion-clickable;
+    display: inline-block;
+    font-size: $discussion-title-size;
+    font-weight: bold;
+    margin-bottom: flex-gutter(6);
+  }
+
+  .discussion-title-wrapper {
+    .discussion-watch-discussion, .discussion-unwatch-discussion {
+      @include discussion-font;
+      display: none;
+      font-size: $comment-info-size;
+      margin-left: 5px;
+    }
+  }
+
+  .discussion-right-wrapper {
+    min-height: 40px;
+    margin: 24px 0 24px 68px;
+  }
+
+  .admin-actions {
+    float: right;
+    margin: 0.4em 1em 0 2em;
+    padding: 0;
+
+    li {
+      margin-bottom: 6px !important;
+    }
+
+    a {
+      display: block;      
+      height: 25px;
+      padding-left: 25px;
+      border-radius: 50%;
+      background: url(../images/admin-actions-sprite.png) no-repeat;
+      font-size: .8em;      
+      line-height: 25px;
+      color: #b8b8b8;
+      @include transition(color, .1s);
+
+      &:hover {
+        text-decoration: none;
+      }
+
+      &.admin-endorse {
+        background-position: 0 0;        
+
+        &:hover {
+          color: #63b141;
+          background-position: 0 -75px;
+        }
+      }
+
+      &.admin-edit {
+        background-position: 0 -25px;
+
+        &:hover {
+          color: #009fe2;
+          background-position: 0 -100px;
+        }
+      }
+
+      &.admin-delete {
+        background-position: 0 -50px;
+
+        &:hover {
+          color: #d45050;
+           background-position: 0 -125px;
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  .comments {
+    .admin-actions {
+      margin-top: 0;
+
+      li {
+        margin-bottom: 2px !important;
+      }
+
+      a {
+        width: 20px;
+        height: 20px;
+        padding-left: 0;
+        overflow: hidden;
+        text-indent: -9999px;
+
+        &.admin-endorse {
+          background-position: 0 -150px;
+
+          &:hover {
+            background-position: 0 -225px;
+          }
+        }
+
+        &.admin-edit {
+          background-position: 0 -175px;
+
+          &:hover {
+            background-position: 0 -250px;
+          }
+        }
+
+        &.admin-delete {
+          background-position: 0 -200px;
+
+          &:hover {
+            background-position: 0 -275px;
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+
+
+
+  /*** thread ***/
+  
+  .thread {
+    //display: none;
+
+    .search-highlight {
+      display: inline;
+      font-weight: bold;
+      background-color: lightyellow;
+    }
+
+    .thread-title {
+      @include discussion-font;
+      @include discussion-clickable;
+      display: block;
+      margin-bottom: 1em;
+      font-size: $comment-title-size;
+      font-weight: bold;
+      line-height: 1.4em;
+    }
+
+    .thread-body, .content-body {
+      @include discussion-font;
+      font-size: $post-font-size;
+      margin-bottom: 4px;
+      margin-top: 3px;
+
+      p {
+        @include discussion-font;
+      }
+    }
+
+    .thread-tags {
+      display: inline-block;
+    }
+
+    .info {
+      @include discussion-font;
+      color: gray;
+      font-size: $comment-info-size;
+      font-style: italic;
+      margin-top: 1em;
+
+      a:hover {
+        text-decoration: none;
+        color: #1C71DD;
+      }
+
+      .comment-time {
+        display: inline;
+        float: right;
+        margin-right: 1em;
+      }
+
+      .comment-count {        
+        display: inline;
+        margin-right: 20px;
+      }
+
+      .discussion-actions {        
+        display: inline;
+        margin: 0;
+        padding: 0;
+
+        li {
+          display: inline;
+          margin-right: 20px;
+        }
+      }
+
+      .discussion-link {
+        @include discussion-font;
+        color: #1d9dd9;
+        display: inline;
+
+        &.discussion-unfollow-thread {
+          color: #dea03e;
+        }
+      }
+    }
+
+    .discussion-content {
+      border-top: lightgray 1px solid;
+      overflow: hidden;
+      // padding: 1.5% 0;
+
+      .discussion-reply-new {
+        @include discussion-font;
+        margin-left: 68px;
+
+        .reply-body {
+          @include discussion-font;
+          display: block;
+          font-size: $post-font-size;
+          margin-top: 10px;
+          width: 95%;
+        }
+
+        .reply-post-control {
+          margin-top: 1%;
+        }
+      }
+    }
+
+    //COMMENT STYLES
+    .comments {
+      overflow: hidden;
+
+      .discussion-votes {
+        margin-top: 8px;
+      }
+
+      .discussion-right-wrapper {
+        margin: 10px 0 10px 68px;
+      }
+
+      .comment {
+        margin-left: 68px;
+        .comment-body, .content-body {
+          @include discussion-font;
+          color: black;
+          display: block;
+          font-size: $comment-font-size;
+          margin-top: 3px;
+        }
+
+        &.endorsed {
+          > .discussion-content {
+            background-color: #fcfcea;
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+
+
+
+  /*** Sorting ***/
+
+  .discussion-sort {
+    float: right;
+    font-size: 0.8em;
+    margin-top: -36px;
+
+    .discussion-label {
+      display: block;
+      float: left;
+      padding: 0 14px;
+      line-height: 34px;
+    }
+
+    .discussion-sort-link {
+      display: block;
+      float: left;
+      padding: 0 14px;
+      line-height: 34px;
+
+      &:hover {
+        color: #1C71DD;
+        text-decoration: none;
+      }
+    }
+
+    .discussion-sort-link.sorted {
+      color: #000;
+      border-bottom: 2px solid #000;
+    }
+  }
+
+  /*** Search ***/
+
+  .search-wrapper-inline {
+    display: inline-block;
+    margin-top: 3%;
+    width: 80%;
+  }
+
+  .search-wrapper {
+    margin-bottom: 50px;
+    margin-left: .5%;
+  }
+
+  .discussion-search-form {
+    display: inline-block;
+    margin-bottom: 1%;
+    width: flex-grid(12);
+
+    .discussion-link {
+      @include button(simple, #999);
+      color: white;
+      display: inline-block;
+      font-size: inherit;
+      font-weight: bold;
+      margin-left: 1%;
+      padding-top: 9px;
+      text-decoration: none;
+    }
+
+    .discussion-search-text {
+      @include discussion-font;
+    }
+
+    .search-input {
+      float: left;
+      font: inherit;
+      font-style: normal;
+      // width: 72%;
+      width: flex-grid(8);
+      margin-left: flex-grid(1);
+    }
+  }
+
+  .search-within {
+    display: block;
+    margin-bottom: 3%;
+  }
+
+  .discussion-search-within-board {
+    font: inherit;
+    font-size: $post-font-size;
+    font-style: normal;
+  }
+
+  /*** buttons ***/
+
+  .control-button {
+    @include button;
+    @include discussion-font;
+    background-color: #959595;
+    @include background-image(linear-gradient(top, #959595, #7B7B7B));
+    border: 1px solid #6F6F6F;
+    @include box-shadow(inset 0 1px 0 #A2A2A2, 0 0 3px #CCC);    
+    color: white;
+    display: inline-block;
+    font-size: inherit;
+    font-weight: bold;
+    margin-bottom: 3%;
+    padding-top: 9px;
+    width: inherit;
+    text-decoration: none;
+    text-shadow: none;
+
+    &:hover {
+      background-color: #A2A2A2;
+      @include background-image(linear-gradient(top, #A2A2A2, #7B7B7B));
+      border: 1px solid #555;
+      @include box-shadow(inset 0 1px 0 #BBB, 0 0 3px #CCC);
+    }
+  }
+
+  .follow-wrapper {
+    display: inline;
+  }
+
+  /*** votes ***/
+
+  .discussion-votes {
+    float: left;
+    width: 60px;
+    margin-top: 18px;
+    text-align: center;
+
+    .discussion-vote {      
+      display: block;      
+      width: 50px;
+      height: 17px;
+      margin: auto;
+      background: url(../images/vote-arrows.png) no-repeat;
+      font-size: 15px;
+      font-weight: bold;
+      color: black;
+      @include hide-text;
+      @include transition(all, 0, easeOut);
+    }
+
+    .discussion-vote-up {
+      margin-bottom: 5px;
+      background-position: -50px -3px;      
+
+      &:hover {
+        background-position: -50px -5px;
+        @include transition-duration(0.05s);
+      }
+
+      &.voted {
+        background-position: 0 -3px;
+        color: #1C71DD;
+        @include transition-duration(0);
+      }
+    }
+
+    .discussion-vote-down {
+      margin-top: 7px;
+      background-position: -50px -30px;
+
+      &:hover {
+        background-position: -50px -28px;
+        @include transition-duration(0.05s);
+      }
+
+      &.voted {
+        background-position: 0 -30px;
+        color: #1C71DD;
+        @include transition-duration(0);
+      }
+    }   
+
+    .discussion-vote-count {
+      @include discussion-font;
+      font-size: $post-font-size;
+    }
+
+    .discussion-votes-point {
+      font-size: 1.1em;
+      font-weight: bold;
+      color: #9a9a9a;
+    }
+  }
+  
+  
+  /*** new post ***/
+  
+  .new-post-form, .discussion-thread-edit {
+    
+    .title-input, .body-input {
+      display: block !important;
+      font: inherit;
+      font-style: normal;
+      //width: $discussion-input-width !important;
+    }
+
+    .new-post-similar-posts-wrapper {
+      @include border-radius(3px);
+      border: 1px solid #EEE;
+      font-size: $post-font-size;
+      line-height: 150%;
+      margin-top: 1%;
+      padding: 1% 1.5%;
+    }
+    
+    .hide-similar-posts {
+      float: right;
+    }
+    
+    .new-post-similar-posts {
+      font: inherit;
+      .similar-post {
+        display: block;
+        line-height: 150%;
+      }
+    }
+
+    .discussion-errors {
+      color: #8F0E0E;
+      display: block;
+      margin-left: -5%;
+    }
+
+    .new-post-body {
+    }
+
+    .tagsinput {
+      background: #FAFAFA;
+      border: 1px solid #C8C8C8;
+      -webkit-border-radius: 3px;
+      -moz-border-radius: 3px;
+      -ms-border-radius: 3px;
+      -o-border-radius: 3px;
+      border-radius: 3px;
+      -webkit-box-shadow: 0 1px 0 0 rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.6), inset 0 0 3px 0 rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1);
+      -moz-box-shadow: 0 1px 0 0 rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.6), inset 0 0 3px 0 rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1);
+      box-shadow: 0 1px 0 0 rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.6), inset 0 0 3px 0 rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1);
+      -webkit-box-sizing: border-box;
+      -moz-box-sizing: border-box;
+      box-sizing: border-box;
+      margin-top: flex-gutter();
+      vertical-align: top;
+      -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;
+    }
+  }
+
+  .discussion-content-edit, .discussion-reply-new, .new-post-form {
+    margin: 10px 0 10px 0;
+    
+    .discussion-errors {
+      color: #8F0E0E;
+      display: block;
+      font: inherit;
+      font-size: $post_font_size;
+      list-style: none;
+      margin-left: -3%;
+      padding-left: 2em;
+    }
+    
+    a:hover {
+      color: #1C71DD;
+      text-decoration: none;
+    }
+
+    .new-post-title {
+      display: block;
+      padding: 5px 12px;
+      border-width: 1px;
+      width: 100%;
+    }
+
+    .thread-title-edit {
+      width: 100%;
+    }
+
+    &.collapsed {
+      .new-post-title {
+        display: none;
+        visibility: hidden;
+      }
+
+      .wmd-button-row {
+        height: 0;
+      }
+
+      .wmd-input {
+        height: 100px;
+        @include border-radius(3px);
+      }
+
+      .wmd-preview {
+        height: 0;
+        padding: 0;
+        border-width: 0;
+      }
+
+      .post-options {
+        height: 0;
+      }
+
+      .post-control {
+        display: none;
+      }
+
+      .tagsinput {
+        display: none;
+      }
+    }
+
+    .new-post-control {
+      margin-left: 75%;
+      margin-top: 1%;
+
+     .discussion-cancel-post {
+        margin-right: 1.5%;
+      } 
+    }
+
+    .reply-post-control {
+
+      .discussion-cancel-post {
+        margin-right: 1.5%;
+      }
+    }
+    
+    .edit-post-control {
+      margin-top: 1%;
+
+      .discussion-cancel-update {
+        margin-right: 1.5%;
+      }
+    }
+
+    .control-button {
+      @include button;
+      @include discussion-font;
+      margin-right: 16px;
+      padding-top: 9px;
+      color: white;
+      display: inline-block;
+      font-size: inherit;
+      font-weight: bold;
+      text-decoration: none;
+      width: inherit;
+      
+      &:hover {
+        color: white;
+      }
+    }
+
+    label {
+      display: inline;
+      font-family: $sans-serif;
+      font-size: .8em;
+      font-style: normal;
+      font-weight: 400;
+    }
+  }
+
+  .discussion-content-edit {
+    margin: 3%;
+  }
+
+  .new-post-form {
+    margin: 10px 0 40px 0;
+  }
+
+  .discussion-reply-new {
+    
+    .discussion-auto-watch {
+      margin-left: 2%;
+    }
+  }
+
+  .thread-tag {
+    background: $tag-background-color;
+    border: 1px solid $tag-border-color;
+    -moz-border-radius: 2px;
+    -webkit-border-radius: 2px;
+    color: $tag-text-color;
+    float: left;
+    font-size: 13px;
+    margin: 5px 7px 5px 0;
+    padding: 5px 7px;
+    text-decoration: none;
+
+    &:hover {
+      border-color: #7b8761;
+      color: #2f381c;
+      text-decoration: none;
+    }
+  }
+
+  /*** pagination ***/
+
+  .discussion-paginator {
+    font-size: $post-font-size;
+    margin-bottom: 10px;
+    margin-top: 20px;
+    text-align: center;
+
+    div {
+      display: inline-block;
+      font-weight: bold;
+      margin: 0 5px;
+
+      a {
+        background: #EEE;
+        -webkit-border-radius: 3px;
+        -moz-border-radius: 3px;
+        -ms-border-radius: 3px;
+        -o-border-radius: 3px;
+        border-radius: 3px;
+        color: black;
+        font-weight: normal;
+        padding: 4px 10px;
+        text-decoration: none;
+
+        &:hover {
+          background: #DDD;
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  &.inline-discussion, .forum-discussion, .user-discussion {
+    .new-post-form {
+      margin: 24px 60px;
+
+      .post-options {
+        margin: 8px 0 16px 0;
+        overflow: hidden;
+
+        label {
+          margin-right: 15px;
+          display: inline;
+        }
+      }
+
+      .post-control {
+        overflow: hidden;
+        margin: 0 0 5% 0;
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+
+
+/*** base editor styles ***/
+
+.wmd-panel {
+  width: 100%;
+  min-width: 500px;
+}
+
+.wmd-button-bar  {
+  width: 100%;
+  background-color: Silver; 
+}
+
+.wmd-input {
+  height: 150px;
+  width: 100%;
+  background-color: #e9e9e9;
+  border: 1px solid #c8c8c8;
+  font-family: Monaco, 'Lucida Console', monospace;
+  font-style: normal;
+  font-size: 0.8em;
+  line-height: 1.6em;
+  @include border-radius(3px 3px 0 0);
+
+  &::-webkit-input-placeholder {
+    color: #888;
+  }
+}
+
+.wmd-preview {
+  position: relative;
+  font-family: $sans-serif;
+  padding: 25px 20px 10px 20px;
+  margin-bottom: 5px;
+  box-sizing: border-box;
+  border: 1px solid #c8c8c8;
+  border-top-width: 0;
+  @include border-radius(0 0 3px 3px);
+  overflow: hidden;
+  @include transition(all, .2s, easeOut);
+
+  &:before {
+    content: 'PREVIEW';
+    position: absolute;
+    top: 3px;
+    left: 5px;
+    font-size: 11px;
+    color: #bbb;
+  }
+
+  p {
+    font-family: $sans-serif;
+  }
+  background-color: #fafafa;
+}
+
+.wmd-button-row {
+  position: relative; 
+  margin-left: 5px;
+  margin-right: 5px;
+  margin-bottom: 5px;
+  margin-top: 10px;
+  padding: 0px;  
+  height: 20px;
+  overflow: hidden;
+  @include transition(all, .2s, easeOut);
+}
+
+.wmd-spacer {
+  width: 1px; 
+  height: 20px; 
+  margin-left: 14px;
+  
+  position: absolute;
+  background-color: Silver;
+  display: inline-block; 
+  list-style: none;
+}
+
+.wmd-button {
+  width: 20px;
+  height: 20px;
+  padding-left: 2px;
+  padding-right: 3px;
+  position: absolute;
+  display: inline-block;
+  list-style: none;
+  cursor: pointer;
+}
+
+.wmd-button > span {
+  background-image: url('/static/images/wmd-buttons.png');
+  background-repeat: no-repeat;
+  background-position: 0px 0px;
+  width: 20px;
+  height: 20px;
+  display: inline-block;
+}
+
+.wmd-spacer1 {
+  left: 50px;
+}
+.wmd-spacer2 {
+  left: 175px;
+}
+
+.wmd-spacer3 {
+  left: 300px;
+}
+
+.wmd-prompt-background {
+  background-color: Black;
+}
+
+.wmd-prompt-dialog {
+  border: 1px solid #999999;
+  background-color: #F5F5F5;
+}
+
+.wmd-prompt-dialog > div {
+  font-size: 0.8em;
+  font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;
+}
+
+
+.wmd-prompt-dialog > form > input[type="text"] {
+  border: 1px solid #999999;
+  color: black;
+}
+
+.wmd-prompt-dialog > form > input[type="button"] {
+  border: 1px solid #888888;
+  font-family: trebuchet MS, helvetica, sans-serif;
+  font-size: 0.8em;
+  font-weight: bold;
+}
diff --git a/lms/static/sass/_news.scss b/lms/static/sass/_news.scss
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..3899091ec6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/static/sass/_news.scss
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+@mixin news-font {
+  font-family: inherit;
+}
+
+.notifications {
+  @include news-font;
+  font-size: 0.9em;
+  padding-left: 20px;
+  padding-top: 20px;
+  padding-bottom: 20px;
+  .notification {
+    @include news-font;
+    margin-top: 15px;
+    margin-botton: 15px;
+
+    a {
+      @include news-font;
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/lms/static/sass/application.scss b/lms/static/sass/application.scss
index 240d68c5b3..944d3b2884 100644
--- a/lms/static/sass/application.scss
+++ b/lms/static/sass/application.scss
@@ -27,3 +27,6 @@
 @import 'multicourse/password_reset';
 @import 'multicourse/error-pages';
 @import 'multicourse/help';
+
+@import 'discussion';
+@import 'news';
diff --git a/lms/static/sass/course.scss b/lms/static/sass/course.scss
index d3a74cb91b..93296aead6 100644
--- a/lms/static/sass/course.scss
+++ b/lms/static/sass/course.scss
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@
 
 // pages
 @import "course/info";
+@import "course/syllabus"; // TODO arjun replace w/ custom tabs, see courseware/courses.py
 @import "course/textbook";
 @import "course/profile";
 @import "course/gradebook";
diff --git a/lms/static/sass/course/_syllabus.scss b/lms/static/sass/course/_syllabus.scss
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..2f2b9eedcd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/static/sass/course/_syllabus.scss
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+div.syllabus {
+
+  padding: 0px 10px;
+
+  text-align: center;
+
+  h1 {
+    @extend .top-header
+  }
+
+  .notes {
+    width: 740px;
+    margin: 0px auto 10px;
+  }
+
+  table {
+
+    text-align: left;
+
+    margin: 10px auto;
+
+    thead {
+      font-weight: bold;
+      border-bottom: 1px solid black;
+    }
+
+    tr.first {
+      td {
+        padding-top: 15px;
+      }
+    }
+
+    td {
+
+      vertical-align: middle;
+
+      padding: 5px 10px;
+
+      &.day, &.due {
+        white-space: nowrap;
+      }
+
+      &.no_class {
+        text-align: center;
+      }
+
+      &.important {
+        color: red;
+      }
+
+      &.week_separator {
+        padding: 0px;
+        
+        hr {
+          margin: 10px;
+        }
+
+      }
+
+    }
+
+  }
+
+}
diff --git a/lms/static/sass/course/courseware/_courseware.scss b/lms/static/sass/course/courseware/_courseware.scss
index 71766fbbcc..1e7f13385a 100644
--- a/lms/static/sass/course/courseware/_courseware.scss
+++ b/lms/static/sass/course/courseware/_courseware.scss
@@ -58,18 +58,20 @@ div.course-wrapper {
           @extend h1.top-header;
           @include border-radius(0 4px 0 0);
           margin-bottom: -16px;
+          border-bottom: 0;
 
           h1 {
             margin: 0;
+            font-size: 1em;
           }
 
           h2 {
             float: right;
-            margin-right: 0;
-            margin-top: 8px;
+            margin: 12px 0 0;
             text-align: right;
             padding-right: 0;
             border-right: 0;
+            font-size: em(14, 24);
           }
         }
 
@@ -80,6 +82,7 @@ div.course-wrapper {
         }
 
         .histogram {
+          display: none;
           width: 200px;
           height: 150px;
         }
@@ -87,6 +90,15 @@ div.course-wrapper {
         ul {
           list-style: disc outside none;
           padding-left: 1em;
+          
+          &.discussion-errors {
+            list-style: none;
+            padding-left: 2em;
+          }
+
+          &.admin-actions {
+            list-style: none;
+          }
         }
 
         nav.sequence-bottom {
@@ -131,6 +143,7 @@ div.course-wrapper {
     }
 
     div.staff_info {
+      display: none;
       @include clearfix();
       white-space: pre-wrap;
       border-top: 1px solid #ccc;
diff --git a/lms/static/sass/multicourse/_course_about.scss b/lms/static/sass/multicourse/_course_about.scss
index fcf4382109..92d19dff86 100644
--- a/lms/static/sass/multicourse/_course_about.scss
+++ b/lms/static/sass/multicourse/_course_about.scss
@@ -274,6 +274,17 @@
           }
         }
       }
+
+      .prerequisites, .syllabus {
+        ul {
+          li {
+            font: normal 1em/1.6em $serif;
+          }
+          ul {
+            margin: 5px 0px 10px;
+          }
+        }
+      }
       
       .faq {
         @include clearfix;
diff --git a/lms/templates/courseware/course_navigation.html b/lms/templates/courseware/course_navigation.html
index 3b329c4832..63fec53c4c 100644
--- a/lms/templates/courseware/course_navigation.html
+++ b/lms/templates/courseware/course_navigation.html
@@ -19,15 +19,23 @@ def url_class(url):
     <ol class="course-tabs">
       <li class="courseware"><a href="${reverse('courseware', args=[course.id])}" class="${url_class('courseware')}">Courseware</a></li>
       <li class="info"><a href="${reverse('info', args=[course.id])}" class="${url_class('info')}">Course Info</a></li>
-% if user.is_authenticated():
-% if settings.MITX_FEATURES.get('ENABLE_TEXTBOOK'):
-      % for index, textbook in enumerate(course.textbooks):
-          <li class="book"><a href="${reverse('book', args=[course.id, index])}" class="${url_class('book')}">${textbook.title}</a></li>
-      % endfor
-% endif 
-% if settings.MITX_FEATURES.get('ENABLE_DISCUSSION'):
-      <li class="discussion"><a href="${reverse('questions')}">Discussion</a></li>
+% if settings.MITX_FEATURES.get('ENABLE_SYLLABUS'):
+      <li class="syllabus"><a href="${reverse('syllabus', args=[course.id])}" class="${url_class('syllabus')}">Syllabus</a></li>
 % endif
+% if user.is_authenticated():
+  % if settings.MITX_FEATURES.get('ENABLE_TEXTBOOK'):
+        % for index, textbook in enumerate(course.textbooks):
+            <li class="book"><a href="${reverse('book', args=[course.id, index])}" class="${url_class('book')}">${textbook.title}</a></li>
+        % endfor
+  % endif
+  % if settings.MITX_FEATURES.get('ENABLE_DISCUSSION_SERVICE'):
+        <li class="discussion"><a href="${reverse('django_comment_client.forum.views.forum_form_discussion', args=[course.id])}" class="${url_class('discussion')}">Discussion</a></li>
+        ## <li class="news"><a href="${reverse('news', args=[course.id])}" class="${url_class('news')}">News</a></li>
+  % endif 
+        
+  % if settings.MITX_FEATURES.get('ENABLE_DISCUSSION'):
+        <li class="discussion"><a href="${reverse('questions')}">Discussion</a></li>
+  % endif
 % endif
 % if settings.WIKI_ENABLED:
       <li class="wiki"><a href="${reverse('course_wiki', args=[course.id])}" class="${url_class('wiki')}">Wiki</a></li>
diff --git a/lms/templates/courseware/courseware.html b/lms/templates/courseware/courseware.html
index b63ff89f5c..02149ec463 100644
--- a/lms/templates/courseware/courseware.html
+++ b/lms/templates/courseware/courseware.html
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
 
    <%static:js group='courseware'/>
 
+  <%include file="../discussion/_js_dependencies.html" />
   <%include file="/mathjax_include.html" />
 
   <!-- TODO: http://docs.jquery.com/Plugins/Validation -->
@@ -28,6 +29,10 @@
     document.write('\x3Cscript type="text/javascript" src="' +
         document.location.protocol + '//www.youtube.com/player_api">\x3C/script>');
   </script>
+
+  <script type="text/javascript">
+    var $$course_id = "${course.id}";
+  </script>
 </%block>
 
 <%include file="/courseware/course_navigation.html" args="active_page='courseware'" />
diff --git a/lms/templates/courseware/syllabus.html b/lms/templates/courseware/syllabus.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..38c1fbd6f8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/templates/courseware/syllabus.html
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+<%inherit file="/main.html" />
+<%namespace name='static' file='/static_content.html'/>
+
+<%block name="headextra">
+  <%static:css group='course'/>
+</%block>
+
+<%block name="title"><title>${course.number} Course Info</title></%block>
+
+<%include file="/courseware/course_navigation.html" args="active_page='syllabus'" />
+<%! 
+  from courseware.courses import get_course_syllabus_section
+%>
+
+<section class="container">
+  <div class="syllabus">
+    <h1> Syllabus </h1>
+    % if user.is_authenticated():
+    ${get_course_syllabus_section(course, 'syllabus')}
+    % else:
+    ${get_course_syllabus_section(course, 'guest_syllabus')}
+    % endif
+  </div>
+</section>
diff --git a/lms/templates/dashboard.html b/lms/templates/dashboard.html
index cfe8a0953c..770e849841 100644
--- a/lms/templates/dashboard.html
+++ b/lms/templates/dashboard.html
@@ -107,6 +107,21 @@
       </section>
     % endif
 
+    % if staff_access and len(errored_courses) > 0:
+      <div id="course-errors">
+        <h2>Course-loading errors</h2>
+
+      % for course_dir, errors in errored_courses.items():
+         <h3>${course_dir | h}</h3>
+             <ul>
+           % for (msg, err) in errors:
+               <li>${msg}
+                 <ul><li><pre>${err}</pre></li></ul>
+               </li>
+           % endfor
+             </ul>
+      % endfor
+    % endif
   </section>
 </section>
 
diff --git a/lms/templates/discussion/_accordion.html b/lms/templates/discussion/_accordion.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e69de29bb2
diff --git a/lms/templates/discussion/_ajax_single_thread.html b/lms/templates/discussion/_ajax_single_thread.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ab52a31d94
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/templates/discussion/_ajax_single_thread.html
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+<%namespace name="renderer" file="_content_renderer.html"/>
+${renderer.render_comments(thread.get('children'))}
diff --git a/lms/templates/discussion/_blank_slate.html b/lms/templates/discussion/_blank_slate.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b8c8f58dda
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/templates/discussion/_blank_slate.html
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+<div class="blank-state">
+  % if performed_search:
+    Sorry! We can't find anything matching your search. Please try another search.
+  % else:
+    There are no posts here yet. Be the first one to post!
+  % endif
+</div>
diff --git a/lms/templates/discussion/_content.mustache b/lms/templates/discussion/_content.mustache
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8f3a284510
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/templates/discussion/_content.mustache
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+<div class="discussion-content">
+  <div class="discussion-content-wrapper">
+    <div class="discussion-votes">
+      <a class="discussion-vote discussion-vote-up" href="javascript:void(0)">&#9650;</a>
+      <div class="discussion-votes-point">{{content.votes.point}}</div>
+      <a class="discussion-vote discussion-vote-down" href="javascript:void(0)">&#9660;</a>
+    </div>
+    <div class="discussion-right-wrapper">
+      <ul class="admin-actions">
+        <li><a href="javascript:void(0)" class="admin-endorse">Endorse</a></li>
+        <li><a href="javascript:void(0)" class="admin-edit">Edit</a></li>
+        <li><a href="javascript:void(0)" class="admin-delete">Delete</a></li>
+        {{#thread}}
+          <li><a href="javascript:void(0)" class="admin-openclose">{{close_thread_text}}</a></li>
+        {{/thread}}
+      </ul>
+      {{#thread}}
+        <a class="thread-title" name="{{content.id}}" href="javascript:void(0)">{{{content.displayed_title}}}</a>
+        <div class="thread-raw-title" style="display: none">{{{content.title}}}</div>
+      {{/thread}}
+      <div class="discussion-content-view">
+        <a name="{{content.id}}" style="width: 0; height: 0; padding: 0; border: none;"></a>
+        <div class="content-body {{content.type}}-body" id="content-body-{{content.id}}">{{{content.displayed_body}}}</div>
+        <div class="content-raw-body {{content.type}}-raw-body" style="display: none">{{{content.body}}}</div>
+        {{#thread}}
+          <div class="thread-tags">
+            {{#content.tags}}
+              <a class="thread-tag" href="{{##url_for_tags}}{{.}}{{/url_for_tags}}">{{.}}</a>
+            {{/content.tags}}
+          </div>
+          <div class="thread-raw-tags" style="display: none">{{content.raw_tags}}</div>
+        {{/thread}}
+        <div class="info">
+          <div class="comment-time">
+            <span class="timeago" title="{{content.updated_at}}">sometime</span> by
+            {{#content.anonymous}}
+              anonymous
+            {{/content.anonymous}}
+            {{^content.anonymous}}
+              <a href="{{##url_for_user}}{{content.user_id}}{{/url_for_user}}">{{content.username}}</a>
+            {{/content.anonymous}}
+          </div>
+          <div class="comment-count">
+            {{#thread}}
+              {{#partial_comments}}
+                <a href="javascript:void(0)" class="discussion-show-comments first-time">Show all comments ({{content.comments_count}} total)</a>
+              {{/partial_comments}}
+              {{^partial_comments}}
+                <a href="javascript:void(0)" class="discussion-show-comments">Show {{##pluralize}}{{content.comments_count}} comment{{/pluralize}}</a>
+              {{/partial_comments}}
+            {{/thread}}
+          </div>
+          <ul class="discussion-actions">
+            <li><a class="discussion-link discussion-reply discussion-reply-{{content.type}}" href="javascript:void(0)">Reply</a></li>
+            <li><div class="follow-wrapper"></div></li>
+            <li><a class="discussion-link discussion-permanent-link" href="javascript:void(0)">Permanent Link</a></li>
+          </ul>
+        </div>
+      </div>
+    </div>
+  </div>
+</div>
diff --git a/lms/templates/discussion/_content_renderer.html b/lms/templates/discussion/_content_renderer.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..88b87da4a2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/templates/discussion/_content_renderer.html
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+<%! import django_comment_client.helpers as helpers %>
+
+<%def name="render_content(content)">
+  ${helpers.render_content(content)}
+</%def>
+
+<%def name="render_content_with_comments(content)">
+  <div class="${content['type']}" _id="${content['id']}" _discussion_id="${content.get('commentable_id')}" _author_id="${helpers.show_if(content['user_id'], content.get('anonymous'))}">
+    ${render_content(content)}
+    % if content.get('children') is not None:
+      ${render_comments(content['children'])}
+    % endif
+  </div>
+</%def>
+
+<%def name="render_comments(comments)">
+  <div class="comments">
+    % for comment in comments:
+      ${render_content_with_comments(comment)}
+    % endfor
+  </div>
+</%def>
diff --git a/lms/templates/discussion/_discussion_module.html b/lms/templates/discussion/_discussion_module.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..3d92f242a1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/templates/discussion/_discussion_module.html
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+<div class="discussion-module">
+  <a class="discussion-show control-button" href="javascript:void(0)" discussion_id="${discussion_id}">Show Discussion</a>
+</div>
diff --git a/lms/templates/discussion/_forum.html b/lms/templates/discussion/_forum.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..21dd182002
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/templates/discussion/_forum.html
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+<%namespace name="renderer" file="_content_renderer.html"/>
+
+<section class="discussion forum-discussion" _id="${discussion_id}">
+
+  <div class="discussion-non-content discussion-local">
+    <div class="search-wrapper">
+      <%include file="_search_bar.html" />
+    </div>    
+  </div>
+  % if len(threads) == 0:
+    <div class="blank">
+      <%include file="_blank_slate.html" />
+    </div>
+    <div class="threads"></div>
+  % else:
+    <%include file="_sort.html" />
+    <div class="threads">
+      % for thread in threads:
+        ${renderer.render_content_with_comments(thread)}
+      % endfor
+    </div>
+    <%include file="_paginator.html" />
+  % endif
+</section>
+
+<%include file="_js_data.html" />
diff --git a/lms/templates/discussion/_inline.html b/lms/templates/discussion/_inline.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..1737e2e558
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/templates/discussion/_inline.html
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+<%namespace name="renderer" file="_content_renderer.html"/>
+
+<section class="discussion inline-discussion" _id="${discussion_id}">
+
+  <div class="discussion-non-content discussion-local"></div>
+
+  <div class="threads">
+    % for thread in threads:
+      ${renderer.render_content_with_comments(thread)}
+    % endfor
+  </div>
+
+  <%include file="_paginator.html" />
+</section>
+
+<%include file="_js_data.html" />
diff --git a/lms/templates/discussion/_js_data.html b/lms/templates/discussion/_js_data.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..3e1dc4c280
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/templates/discussion/_js_data.html
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+<%! from django.template.defaultfilters import escapejs %>
+
+<script type="text/javascript">
+  var $$user_info = JSON.parse("${user_info | escapejs}");
+  var $$course_id = "${course_id | escapejs}";
+  if (typeof $$annotated_content_info === undefined || $$annotated_content_info === null) {
+    var $$annotated_content_info = {};
+  }
+  $$annotated_content_info = $.extend($$annotated_content_info, JSON.parse("${annotated_content_info | escapejs}"));
+</script>
diff --git a/lms/templates/discussion/_js_dependencies.html b/lms/templates/discussion/_js_dependencies.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..588ca1830c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/templates/discussion/_js_dependencies.html
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+<%namespace name='static' file='../static_content.html'/>
+
+<script type="text/x-mathjax-config">
+  MathJax.Hub.Config({
+    tex2jax: {
+      inlineMath: [
+        ["\\(","\\)"],
+      ],
+      displayMath: [
+        ["\\[","\\]"],
+      ]
+    }
+  });
+</script>
+
+## This must appear after all mathjax-config blocks, so it is after the imports from the other templates.
+## It can't be run through static.url because MathJax uses crazy url introspection to do lazy loading of MathJax extension libraries
+<script type="text/javascript" src="/static/js/vendor/mathjax-MathJax-c9db6ac/MathJax.js?config=TeX-MML-AM_HTMLorMML-full"></script>
+<!---<script type="text/javascript" src="http://cdn.mathjax.org/mathjax/latest/MathJax.js"> </script>-->
+<script type="text/javascript" src="${static.url('js/split.js')}"></script>
+<script type="text/javascript" src="${static.url('js/jquery.ajaxfileupload.js')}"></script>
+<script type="text/javascript" src="${static.url('js/Markdown.Converter.js')}"></script>
+<script type="text/javascript" src="${static.url('js/Markdown.Sanitizer.js')}"></script>
+<script type="text/javascript" src="${static.url('js/Markdown.Editor.js')}"></script>
+<script type="text/javascript" src="${static.url('js/jquery.autocomplete.js')}"></script>
+<script type="text/javascript" src="${static.url('js/jquery.timeago.js')}"></script>
+<script type="text/javascript" src="${static.url('js/jquery.tagsinput.js')}"></script>
+<script type="text/javascript" src="${static.url('js/mustache.js')}"></script>
+<script type="text/javascript" src="${static.url('js/URI.min.js')}"></script>
+<link href="${static.url('css/vendor/jquery.tagsinput.css')}" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css">
+<link href="${static.url('css/vendor/jquery.autocomplete.css')}" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css">
diff --git a/lms/templates/discussion/_paginator.html b/lms/templates/discussion/_paginator.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..25d2c06213
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/templates/discussion/_paginator.html
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+<%! from urllib import urlencode %>
+
+<% 
+  def merge(dic1, dic2):
+    return dict(dic1.items() + dic2.items())
+
+  def url_for_page(_page):
+    return base_url + '?' + urlencode(merge(query_params, {'page': _page}))
+%>
+
+<%def name="link_to_page(_page, text)">
+  <a class="discussion-page-link" href="javascript:void(0)" page-url="${url_for_page(_page)}">${text}</a>
+</%def>
+
+<%def name="div_page(_page)">
+  % if _page != page:
+    <div class="page-link">
+      ${link_to_page(_page, str(_page))}
+    </div>
+  % else:
+    <div class="page-link">${_page}</div>
+  % endif
+</%def>
+
+<%def name="list_pages(*args)">
+  % for arg in args:
+    % if arg == 'dots':
+      <div class="page-dots">...</div>
+    % elif isinstance(arg, list):
+      % for _page in arg:
+        ${div_page(_page)}
+      % endfor
+    % else:
+      ${div_page(arg)}
+    % endif
+  % endfor
+</%def>
+
+<div class="discussion-${discussion_type}-paginator discussion-paginator">
+  <div class="prev-page">
+    % if page > 1:
+      ${link_to_page(page - 1, "&lt; Previous page")}
+    % endif
+  </div>
+
+  % if num_pages <= 2 * pages_nearby_delta + 2:
+    ${list_pages(range(1, num_pages + 1))}
+  % else:
+    % if page <= 2 * pages_nearby_delta:
+      ${list_pages(range(1, 2 * pages_nearby_delta + 2), 'dots', num_pages)}
+    % elif num_pages - page + 1 <= 2 * pages_nearby_delta:
+      ${list_pages(1, 'dots', range(num_pages - 2 * pages_nearby_delta, num_pages + 1))}
+    % else:
+      ${list_pages(1, 'dots', range(page - pages_nearby_delta, page + pages_nearby_delta + 1), 'dots', num_pages)}
+    % endif
+  % endif
+  <div class="next-page">
+    % if page < num_pages:
+      ${link_to_page(page + 1, "Next page &gt;")}
+    % endif
+  </div>
+</div>
diff --git a/lms/templates/discussion/_recent_active_posts.html b/lms/templates/discussion/_recent_active_posts.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8fdf7d95e7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/templates/discussion/_recent_active_posts.html
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+% if recent_active_threads:
+  <article class="discussion-sidebar-following sidebar-module">
+    <header>
+      <h4>Following</h4>
+      <a href="#" class="sidebar-view-all">view all &rsaquo;</a>
+    </header>
+    <ol class="discussion-sidebar-following-list">
+      % for thread in recent_active_threads:
+        <li><a href="#"><span class="sidebar-following-name">${thread['title']}</span> <span class="sidebar-vote-count">${thread['votes']['point']}</span></a></li>
+      % endfor
+    <ol>
+  </article>
+% endif
diff --git a/lms/templates/discussion/_search_bar.html b/lms/templates/discussion/_search_bar.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e93b46efb2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/templates/discussion/_search_bar.html
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+<%! from urllib import urlencode %>
+<%
+
+def merge(dic1, dic2):
+  return dict(dic1.items() + dic2.items())
+
+def base_url_for_search():
+  return base_url + '?' + urlencode(merge(query_params, {'page': 1}))
+%>
+
+<form action="${base_url_for_search()}" method="get" class="discussion-search-form">
+  % if query_params.get('tags', None):
+    <input class="search-input" type="text" value="[${tags}]${text}" id="keywords" autocomplete="off"/>
+  % else:
+    <input class="search-input" type="text" value="${text}" id="keywords" autocomplete="off"/>
+  % endif
+  <div class="discussion-link discussion-search-link" href="javascript:void(0)">Search posts</div>
+</form>
diff --git a/lms/templates/discussion/_single_thread.html b/lms/templates/discussion/_single_thread.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..523945be56
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/templates/discussion/_single_thread.html
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+<%namespace name="renderer" file="_content_renderer.html"/>
+
+<section class="discussion" _id="${discussion_id}">
+  <a class="discussion-title" href="javascript:void(0)">Discussion</a>
+  ${renderer.render_content_with_comments(thread)}
+</section>
+
+<%include file="_js_data.html" />
diff --git a/lms/templates/discussion/_sort.html b/lms/templates/discussion/_sort.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8045e3936e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/templates/discussion/_sort.html
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+<%! from urllib import urlencode %>
+
+<%def name="link_to_sort(key, title)">
+  % if key == sort_key:
+    ${_link_to_sort(key, None, title + '', 'sorted')}
+    <!---
+    % if sort_order.lower() == 'desc':
+      ${_link_to_sort(key, 'asc', title + '', 'sorted')}
+    % else:
+      ${_link_to_sort(key, 'desc', title + '', 'sorted')}
+    % endif
+    -->
+  % else:
+    ${_link_to_sort(key, 'desc', title)}
+  % endif
+</%def>
+
+<%def name="_link_to_sort(key, order, title, cls='')">
+  <% 
+  def merge(dic1, dic2):
+    return dict(dic1.items() + dic2.items())
+
+  def url_for_sort(key, order):
+    if order is None:
+      return ''
+    else:
+      return base_url + '?' + urlencode(merge(query_params, {'page': 1, 'sort_key': key, 'sort_order': order}))
+  %>
+  <a class="discussion-sort-link ${cls}" href="javascript:void(0)" sort-url="${url_for_sort(key, order)}">${title}</a>
+</%def>
+
+<div class="discussion-sort discussion-local">
+  <span class="discussion-label">Sort by:</span>
+  ${link_to_sort('activity', 'top')}
+  
+  ${link_to_sort('date', 'date')}
+  
+  ${link_to_sort('votes', 'votes')}
+  
+  ${link_to_sort('comments', 'comments')}
+</div>
diff --git a/lms/templates/discussion/_trending_tags.html b/lms/templates/discussion/_trending_tags.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..2f9e874280
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/templates/discussion/_trending_tags.html
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+% if trending_tags:
+  <article class="discussion-sidebar-tags sidebar-module">
+      <header>
+        <h4>Recent Tags</h4>
+      </header>
+      <ol class="discussion-sidebar-tags-list">
+        % for tag, count in trending_tags:
+          <li><a href="#" class="thread-tag">${tag}</a><span class="sidebar-tag-count">&times;${count}</span></li>
+        % endfor
+      <ol>
+  </article>
+% endif
diff --git a/lms/templates/discussion/_user_active_threads.html b/lms/templates/discussion/_user_active_threads.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c3f5d0c403
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/templates/discussion/_user_active_threads.html
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+<%namespace name="renderer" file="_thread.html"/>
+
+<section class="discussion user-active-discussion">
+
+  <div class="discussion-non-content discussion-local"></div>
+
+  <div class="threads">
+    % for thread in threads:
+      ${renderer.render_thread(course_id, thread, show_comments=True)}
+    % endfor
+  </div>
+
+  <%include file="_paginator.html" />
+</section>
+
+<%include file="_js_data.html" />
diff --git a/lms/templates/discussion/_user_profile.html b/lms/templates/discussion/_user_profile.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6d7bc13e8c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/templates/discussion/_user_profile.html
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+<%! from django_comment_client.utils import pluralize %>
+<%! from django_comment_client.permissions import has_permission, check_permissions_by_view %>
+<%! from operator import attrgetter %>
+
+
+<div class="user-profile">
+  <%
+    role_names = sorted(map(attrgetter('name'), django_user.roles.all()))
+  %>
+  <div class="sidebar-username">${django_user.username}</div>
+  <div class="sidebar-user-roles">
+    ${", ".join(role_names)}
+  </div>
+  <div class="sidebar-threads-count"><span>${profiled_user['threads_count']}</span> ${pluralize('discussion', profiled_user['threads_count'])} started</div>
+  <div class="sidebar-comments-count"><span>${profiled_user['comments_count']}</span> ${pluralize('comment', profiled_user['comments_count'])}</div>
+  % if check_permissions_by_view(user, course.id, content=None, name='update_moderator_status'):
+    % if "Moderator" in role_names:
+      <a href="javascript:void(0)" class="sidebar-revoke-moderator-button">Revoke Moderator provileges</a>
+    % else:
+      <a href="javascript:void(0)" class="sidebar-promote-moderator-button">Promote to Moderator</a>
+    % endif
+  % endif
+</div>
diff --git a/lms/templates/discussion/ajax_create_comment.html b/lms/templates/discussion/ajax_create_comment.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..92f78f9e52
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/templates/discussion/ajax_create_comment.html
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+<%namespace name="renderer" file="_content_renderer.html"/>
+
+${renderer.render_content_with_comments(content)}
diff --git a/lms/templates/discussion/ajax_create_thread.html b/lms/templates/discussion/ajax_create_thread.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..92f78f9e52
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/templates/discussion/ajax_create_thread.html
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+<%namespace name="renderer" file="_content_renderer.html"/>
+
+${renderer.render_content_with_comments(content)}
diff --git a/lms/templates/discussion/ajax_update_comment.html b/lms/templates/discussion/ajax_update_comment.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..2a451bb34c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/templates/discussion/ajax_update_comment.html
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+<%namespace name="renderer" file="_content_renderer.html"/>
+
+${renderer.render_content(content)}
diff --git a/lms/templates/discussion/ajax_update_thread.html b/lms/templates/discussion/ajax_update_thread.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..2a451bb34c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/templates/discussion/ajax_update_thread.html
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+<%namespace name="renderer" file="_content_renderer.html"/>
+
+${renderer.render_content(content)}
diff --git a/lms/templates/discussion/ajax_user_profile.html b/lms/templates/discussion/ajax_user_profile.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c24081845f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/templates/discussion/ajax_user_profile.html
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+<%include file="_user_profile.html" />
diff --git a/lms/templates/discussion/index.html b/lms/templates/discussion/index.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9b0494dfff
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/templates/discussion/index.html
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+<%inherit file="../main.html" />
+<%namespace name='static' file='../static_content.html'/>
+<%block name="bodyclass">discussion</%block>
+<%block name="title"><title>Discussion – MITx 6.002x</title></%block>
+
+<%block name="headextra">
+<%static:css group='course'/>
+</%block>
+
+<%block name="js_extra">
+<%include file="_js_dependencies.html" />
+</%block>
+
+<%include file="/courseware/course_navigation.html" args="active_page='discussion'" />
+
+<section class="container">
+  <div class="course-wrapper">
+    <section aria-label="Course Navigation" class="course-index">
+      <nav>
+        
+        <article class="sidebar-module discussion-sidebar">
+          <a href="#" class="sidebar-new-post-button">New Post</a>
+        </article>
+
+        <%include file="_recent_active_posts.html" />
+
+        <%include file="_trending_tags.html" />
+        
+      </nav>
+    </section>
+
+    <section class="course-content">
+      ${content}
+    </section>
+  </div>
+</section>
diff --git a/lms/templates/discussion/user_profile.html b/lms/templates/discussion/user_profile.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c4d0d85607
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/templates/discussion/user_profile.html
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+<%! from django.template.defaultfilters import escapejs %>
+<%namespace name="renderer" file="_thread.html"/>
+
+<%inherit file="../main.html" />
+<%namespace name='static' file='../static_content.html'/>
+<%block name="bodyclass">discussion</%block>
+<%block name="title"><title>Discussion – MITx 6.002x</title></%block>
+
+<%block name="headextra">
+<%static:css group='course'/>
+</%block>
+
+<%block name="js_extra">
+<%include file="_js_dependencies.html" />
+</%block>
+
+<%include file="/courseware/course_navigation.html" args="active_page='discussion'" />
+
+<section class="container">
+  <div class="course-wrapper">
+    <section aria-label="User Profile" class="user-profile">
+      <nav>
+        
+        <article class="sidebar-module discussion-sidebar">
+          <%include file="_user_profile.html" />
+        </article>
+
+      </nav>
+    </section>
+
+    <section class="course-content">
+      ${content}
+    </section>
+  </div>
+</section>
+
+<script type="text/javascript">
+  var $$profiled_user_id = "${user.id | escapejs}";
+  var $$course_id = "${course.id | escapejs}";
+</script>
diff --git a/lms/templates/main.html b/lms/templates/main.html
index 891d770637..51b8d6030e 100644
--- a/lms/templates/main.html
+++ b/lms/templates/main.html
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
   <%static:js group='main_vendor'/>
   <%block name="headextra"/>
 
+
   <!--[if lt IE 9]>
   <script src="${static.url('js/html5shiv.js')}"></script>
   <![endif]-->
diff --git a/lms/templates/news.html b/lms/templates/news.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..2c37975e2a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/templates/news.html
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+<%inherit file="main.html" />
+<%namespace name='static' file='static_content.html'/>
+<%block name="bodyclass">courseware news</%block>
+<%block name="title"><title>News – MITx 6.002x</title></%block>
+
+<%block name="headextra">
+<%static:css group='course'/>
+</%block>
+
+<%block name="js_extra">
+</%block>
+
+<%include file="/courseware/course_navigation.html" args="active_page='news'" />
+
+<section class="container">
+  <div class="course-wrapper">
+    <section class="course-content">
+      <h3> Updates to Discussion Posts You Follow </h3>
+      ${content}
+    </section>
+  </div>
+</section>
diff --git a/lms/templates/notifications.html b/lms/templates/notifications.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..986a09500b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lms/templates/notifications.html
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+<%! from django.core.urlresolvers import reverse %>
+
+<%
+def url_for_thread(discussion_id, thread_id):
+  return reverse('django_comment_client.forum.views.single_thread', args=[course.id, discussion_id, thread_id])
+%>
+
+<% 
+def url_for_comment(discussion_id, thread_id, comment_id):
+  return url_for_thread(discussion_id, thread_id) + "#" + comment_id
+%>
+
+<%
+def url_for_discussion(discussion_id):
+  return reverse('django_comment_client.forum.views.forum_form_discussion', args=[course.id, discussion_id])
+%>
+
+<% 
+def discussion_title(discussion_id):
+  return get_discussion_title(discussion_id=discussion_id)
+%>
+
+<%
+def url_for_user(user_id): #TODO
+  return "javascript:void(0)"
+%>
+
+
+<div class="notifications">
+  % for notification in notifications:
+    ${render_notification(notification)}
+  % endfor
+</div>
+
+<%def name="render_user_link(notification)">
+  <% info = notification['info'] %>
+  % if notification.get('actor_id', None):
+    <a href="${url_for_user(notification['actor_id'])}">${info['actor_username']}</a>
+  % else:
+    Anonymous
+  % endif
+</%def>
+
+<%def name="render_thread_link(notification)">
+  <% info = notification['info'] %>
+  <a href="${url_for_thread(info['commentable_id'], info['thread_id'])}">${info['thread_title']}</a>
+</%def>
+
+<%def name="render_comment_link(notification)">
+  <% info = notification['info'] %>
+  <a href="${url_for_comment(info['commentable_id'], info['thread_id'], info['comment_id'])}">comment</a>
+</%def>
+
+<%def name="render_discussion_link(notification)">
+  <% info = notification['info'] %>
+  <a href="${url_for_discussion(info['commentable_id'])}">${discussion_title(info['commentable_id'])}</a>
+</%def>
+
+<%def name="render_notification(notification)">
+  <div class="notification">
+    % if notification['notification_type'] == 'post_reply':
+      ${render_user_link(notification)} posted a ${render_comment_link(notification)} 
+      to the thread ${render_thread_link(notification)} in discussion ${render_discussion_link(notification)}
+    % elif notification['notification_type'] == 'post_topic':
+      ${render_user_link(notification)} posted a new thread ${render_thread_link(notification)}
+      in discussion ${render_discussion_link(notification)}
+    % elif notification['notification_type'] == 'at_user':
+      ${render_user(info)} mentioned you in 
+      % if notification['info']['content_type'] == 'thread':
+        the thread ${render_thread_link(notification)}
+        in discussion ${render_discussion_link(notification)}
+      % else:
+        ${render_comment_link(notification)} 
+        to the thread ${render_thread_link(notification)} in discussion ${render_discussion_link(notification)}
+      % endif
+    % endif
+  </div>
+
+</%def>
diff --git a/lms/templates/seq_module.html b/lms/templates/seq_module.html
index 42953c40c6..985e3c9851 100644
--- a/lms/templates/seq_module.html
+++ b/lms/templates/seq_module.html
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-<div id="sequence_${element_id}" class="sequence" data-id="${item_id}" data-position="${position}" >
+<div id="sequence_${element_id}" class="sequence" data-id="${item_id}" data-position="${position}" data-course_modx_root="/course/modx" >
   <nav aria-label="Section Navigation" class="sequence-nav">
     <ol id="sequence-list">
       % for idx, item in enumerate(items):
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
   </nav>
 
   % for item in items:
-  <div class="seq_contents">${item['content'] | h}</div>
+  <div class="seq_contents tex2jax_ignore asciimath2jax_ignore">${item['content'] | h}</div>
   % endfor
   <div id="seq_content"></div>
 
diff --git a/lms/templates/tracking_log.html b/lms/templates/tracking_log.html
index 66d375c2f3..24b249a583 100644
--- a/lms/templates/tracking_log.html
+++ b/lms/templates/tracking_log.html
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 <table border="1"><tr><th>datetime</th><th>username</th><th>ipaddr</th><th>source</th><th>type</th></tr>
 % for rec in records:
     <tr>
-    <td>${rec.time}</td> 
+    <td>${rec.dtstr}</td> 
     <td>${rec.username}</td>  
     <td>${rec.ip}</td>  
     <td>${rec.event_source}</td>   
diff --git a/lms/urls.py b/lms/urls.py
index a3c6c9cdad..6e6ad4300e 100644
--- a/lms/urls.py
+++ b/lms/urls.py
@@ -126,6 +126,8 @@ if settings.COURSEWARE_ENABLED:
         #Inside the course
         url(r'^courses/(?P<course_id>[^/]+/[^/]+/[^/]+)/info$',
             'courseware.views.course_info', name="info"),
+        url(r'^courses/(?P<course_id>[^/]+/[^/]+/[^/]+)/syllabus$',
+            'courseware.views.syllabus', name="syllabus"), # TODO arjun remove when custom tabs in place, see courseware/courses.py
         url(r'^courses/(?P<course_id>[^/]+/[^/]+/[^/]+)/book/(?P<book_index>[^/]*)/$',
             'staticbook.views.index', name="book"),
         url(r'^courses/(?P<course_id>[^/]+/[^/]+/[^/]+)/book/(?P<book_index>[^/]*)/(?P<page>[^/]*)$',
@@ -147,6 +149,7 @@ if settings.COURSEWARE_ENABLED:
         # For the instructor
         url(r'^courses/(?P<course_id>[^/]+/[^/]+/[^/]+)/instructor$',
             'courseware.views.instructor_dashboard', name="instructor_dashboard"),
+
         url(r'^courses/(?P<course_id>[^/]+/[^/]+/[^/]+)/gradebook$',
             'courseware.views.gradebook', name='gradebook'),
         url(r'^courses/(?P<course_id>[^/]+/[^/]+/[^/]+)/grade_summary$',
@@ -154,6 +157,16 @@ if settings.COURSEWARE_ENABLED:
 
     )
 
+    # discussion forums live within courseware, so courseware must be enabled first
+    if settings.MITX_FEATURES.get('ENABLE_DISCUSSION_SERVICE'):
+
+        urlpatterns += (
+            url(r'^courses/(?P<course_id>[^/]+/[^/]+/[^/]+)/news$', 
+                'courseware.views.news', name="news"),
+            url(r'^courses/(?P<course_id>[^/]+/[^/]+/[^/]+)/discussion/',
+                include('django_comment_client.urls'))
+            )
+
     # Multicourse wiki
 if settings.WIKI_ENABLED:
     from wiki.urls import get_pattern as wiki_pattern
@@ -189,6 +202,8 @@ if settings.ASKBOT_ENABLED:
 #                       url(r'^robots.txt$', include('robots.urls')),
                               )
 
+
+
 if settings.DEBUG:
     ## Jasmine
     urlpatterns=urlpatterns + (url(r'^_jasmine/', include('django_jasmine.urls')),)
@@ -204,11 +219,14 @@ if settings.MITX_FEATURES.get('ENABLE_LMS_MIGRATION'):
     urlpatterns += (
         url(r'^migrate/modules$', 'lms_migration.migrate.manage_modulestores'),
         url(r'^migrate/reload/(?P<reload_dir>[^/]+)$', 'lms_migration.migrate.manage_modulestores'),
+        url(r'^gitreload$', 'lms_migration.migrate.gitreload'),
+        url(r'^gitreload/(?P<reload_dir>[^/]+)$', 'lms_migration.migrate.gitreload'),
         )
 
 if settings.MITX_FEATURES.get('ENABLE_SQL_TRACKING_LOGS'):
     urlpatterns += (
         url(r'^event_logs$', 'track.views.view_tracking_log'),
+        url(r'^event_logs/(?P<args>.+)$', 'track.views.view_tracking_log'),
         )
 
 urlpatterns = patterns(*urlpatterns)
diff --git a/repo-requirements.txt b/repo-requirements.txt
index 5e385ec3e6..baf63161a4 100644
--- a/repo-requirements.txt
+++ b/repo-requirements.txt
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 -e git://github.com/MITx/django-staticfiles.git@6d2504e5c8#egg=django-staticfiles
 -e git://github.com/MITx/django-pipeline.git#egg=django-pipeline
 -e git://github.com/benjaoming/django-wiki.git@32416cd1e#egg=django-wiki
+-e git://github.com/dementrock/pystache_custom.git@776973740bdaad83a3b029f96e415a7d1e8bec2f#egg=pystache_custom-dev
 -e common/lib/capa
 -e common/lib/xmodule
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index 7e69577073..c5cafe64b8 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ django-override-settings
 mock>=0.8, <0.9
 PyYAML
 South
+pytz
 django-celery
 django-countries
 django-kombu
diff --git a/setup-test-dirs.sh b/setup-test-dirs.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..c4db61ec16
--- /dev/null
+++ b/setup-test-dirs.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+# Create symlinks from ~/mitx_all/data or $ROOT/data, with root passed as first arg
+# to all the test courses in mitx/common/test/data/
+
+# posix compliant sanity check
+if [ -z $BASH ] || [ $BASH = "/bin/sh" ]; then
+echo "Please use the bash interpreter to run this script"
+exit 1
+fi
+
+ROOT="${1:-$HOME/mitx_all}"
+
+if [[ ! -d "$ROOT" ]]; then
+   echo "'$ROOT' is not a directory"
+   exit 1
+fi
+
+if [[ ! -d "$ROOT/mitx" ]]; then
+    echo "'$ROOT' is not the root mitx_all directory"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+if [[ ! -d "$ROOT/data" ]]; then
+    echo "'$ROOT' is not the root mitx_all directory"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+echo "ROOT is $ROOT"
+
+cd $ROOT/data
+
+for course in $(/bin/ls ../mitx/common/test/data/)
+do
+  # Get rid of the symlink if it already exists
+   if [[ -L "$course" ]]; then
+       echo "Removing link to '$course'"
+       rm -f $course
+   fi
+   echo "Make link to '$course'"
+   # Create it
+   ln -s "../mitx/common/test/data/$course"
+done
+
+# go back to where we came from
+cd -
diff --git a/utility-scripts/create_groups.py b/utility-scripts/create_groups.py
deleted file mode 100644
index 0e3245bb4d..0000000000
--- a/utility-scripts/create_groups.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,46 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/python
-#
-# File:   create_groups.py
-#
-# Create all staff_* groups for classes in data directory.
-
-import os, sys, string, re
-
-sys.path.append(os.path.abspath('.'))
-os.environ['DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE'] = 'lms.envs.dev'
-
-try:
-    from lms.envs.dev import *
-except Exception as err:
-    print "Run this script from the top-level mitx directory (mitx_all/mitx), not a subdirectory."
-    sys.exit(-1)
-
-from django.conf import settings
-from django.contrib.auth.models import User, Group
-from path import path
-from lxml import etree
-
-data_dir = settings.DATA_DIR
-print "data_dir = %s" % data_dir
-
-for course_dir in os.listdir(data_dir):
-    # print course_dir
-    if not os.path.isdir(path(data_dir) / course_dir):
-        continue
-    
-    cxfn = path(data_dir) / course_dir / 'course.xml'
-    coursexml = etree.parse(cxfn)
-    cxmlroot = coursexml.getroot()
-    course = cxmlroot.get('course')
-    if course is None:
-        print "oops, can't get course id for %s" % course_dir
-        continue
-    print "course=%s for course_dir=%s" % (course,course_dir)
-
-    gname = 'staff_%s' % course
-    if Group.objects.filter(name=gname):
-        print "group exists for %s" % gname
-        continue
-    g = Group(name=gname)
-    g.save()
-    print "created group %s" % gname
diff --git a/utility-scripts/create_user.py b/utility-scripts/create_user.py
deleted file mode 100644
index 3ce9ce0ecf..0000000000
--- a/utility-scripts/create_user.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,149 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/python
-#
-# File:   create_user.py
-#
-# Create user.  Prompt for groups and ExternalAuthMap
-
-import os, sys, string, re
-import datetime
-from getpass import getpass
-import json
-import readline
-
-sys.path.append(os.path.abspath('.'))
-os.environ['DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE'] = 'lms.envs.dev'
-
-try:
-    from lms.envs.dev import *
-except Exception as err:
-    print "Run this script from the top-level mitx directory (mitx_all/mitx), not a subdirectory."
-    sys.exit(-1)
-
-from student.models import UserProfile, Registration
-from external_auth.models import ExternalAuthMap
-from django.contrib.auth.models import User, Group
-from random import choice
-
-class MyCompleter(object):  # Custom completer
-
-    def __init__(self, options):
-        self.options = sorted(options)
-
-    def complete(self, text, state):
-        if state == 0:  # on first trigger, build possible matches
-            if text:  # cache matches (entries that start with entered text)
-                self.matches = [s for s in self.options 
-                                    if s and s.startswith(text)]
-            else:  # no text entered, all matches possible
-                self.matches = self.options[:]
-
-        # return match indexed by state
-        try: 
-            return self.matches[state]
-        except IndexError:
-            return None
-
-def GenPasswd(length=8, chars=string.letters + string.digits):
-    return ''.join([choice(chars) for i in range(length)])
-
-#-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-# main
-
-while True:
-    uname = raw_input('username: ')
-    if User.objects.filter(username=uname):
-        print "username %s already taken" % uname
-    else:
-        break
-
-make_eamap = False
-if raw_input('Create MIT ExternalAuth? [n] ').lower()=='y':
-    email = '%s@MIT.EDU' % uname
-    if not email.endswith('@MIT.EDU'):
-        print "Failed - email must be @MIT.EDU"
-        sys.exit(-1)
-    mit_domain = 'ssl:MIT'
-    if ExternalAuthMap.objects.filter(external_id = email, external_domain = mit_domain):
-        print "Failed - email %s already exists as external_id" % email
-        sys.exit(-1)
-    make_eamap = True
-    password = GenPasswd(12)
-    
-    # get name from kerberos
-    kname = os.popen("finger %s | grep 'name:'" % email).read().strip().split('name: ')[1].strip()
-    name = raw_input('Full name: [%s] ' % kname).strip()
-    if name=='':
-        name = kname
-    print "name = %s" % name
-else:
-    while True:
-        password = getpass()
-        password2 = getpass()
-        if password == password2:
-            break
-        print "Oops, passwords do not match, please retry"
-
-    while True:
-        email = raw_input('email: ')
-        if User.objects.filter(email=email):
-            print "email %s already taken" % email
-        else:
-            break
-        
-    name = raw_input('Full name: ')
-
-        
-user = User(username=uname, email=email, is_active=True)
-user.set_password(password)
-try:
-    user.save()
-except IntegrityError:
-    print "Oops, failed to create user %s, IntegrityError" % user
-    raise
-    
-r = Registration()
-r.register(user)
-
-up = UserProfile(user=user)
-up.name = name
-up.save()
-
-if make_eamap:
-    credentials = "/C=US/ST=Massachusetts/O=Massachusetts Institute of Technology/OU=Client CA v1/CN=%s/emailAddress=%s" % (name,email)
-    eamap = ExternalAuthMap(external_id = email,
-                            external_email = email,
-                            external_domain = mit_domain,
-                            external_name = name,
-                            internal_password = password,
-                            external_credentials = json.dumps(credentials),
-        )
-    eamap.user = user
-    eamap.dtsignup = datetime.datetime.now()
-    eamap.save()
-
-print "User %s created successfully!" % user
-
-if not raw_input('Add user %s to any groups? [n] ' % user).lower()=='y':
-    sys.exit(0)
-
-print "Here are the groups available:"
-
-groups = [str(g.name) for g in Group.objects.all()]
-print groups
-
-completer = MyCompleter(groups)
-readline.set_completer(completer.complete)
-readline.parse_and_bind('tab: complete')
-
-while True:
-    gname = raw_input("Add group (tab to autocomplete, empty line to end): ")
-    if not gname:
-        break
-    if not gname in groups:
-        print "Unknown group %s" % gname
-        continue
-    g = Group.objects.get(name=gname)
-    user.groups.add(g)
-    print "Added %s to group %s" % (user,g)
-
-print "Done!"