[ARCHIVED] How do I add a gif (not an image) to my Course Detail?

[jepsenjenn55]

I want to add a gif but it only allows an image to be dragged.

[James]

 @jepsenjenn55 ,

Can you explain a little more what you are trying to do?

I'm confused because a GIF (at least the most popular definition of it) is an image and Canvas supports it.

I followed the instructions in this lesson from the Canvas Instructor Guide: How do I add an image to a course card in the Dashboard?  At the top it says

Accepted images include JPG, JPEG, GIF, and PNG files.

I tested it by dragging an animated GIF into the box (instead of browsing my computer) and it even kept the animation on the dashboard card. I remember people having issues with that a month or so ago (I did test it in my beta instance).

Does your image have a .gif extension? Have you tried a different browser?

[ChristineConroy]

I have done this easily in the past but for some reason I can't get a gif file to play in a new course that I had to create on Canvas (spring 2022).  I can only access the pictures on my computer (doesn't even allow you to access the course files (unusual) and I've tried selecting pictures with gif extensions as well as dragging them and they don't play.  I am also noticing that they are only capture a small portion of the picture from the gif file.  I've tried to make to selections smaller but then I loose the animation again.  This shouldn't be that hard.  Something has changed???

[SusanNiemeyer]

Using "GIFs" instead of Images for Course Cards is problematic in terms of accessibility. While animations would be fun for many students, they would be problematic for others. 

[CoreyMcLaughlin]

Equalizedigital has a nuanced answer to this: "Is it possible to have an animated GIF on an accessible website?
Yes, animated GIFs can be accessible and are okay to include on websites that need to meet the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 508, and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), so long as they are created and added to the website in an accessible way.

Animated GIFs are accessible if:

they are set to stop playing after 5 seconds.
users have a way to pause or stop the GIF from playing.
there is high-quality alternative text describing the GIF.
the GIF’s animation does not contain rapid blinking or flashing.
any text contained in the GIF has appropriate color contrast with the background."

Since students can change their own course cards they do have the ability to stop the GIF as long as they are taught how to use their dashboard right?

[Chris_Hofer]

Hello @CoreyMcLaughlin ...

Since students can change their own course cards they do have the ability to stop the GIF as long as they are taught how to use their dashboard right?

---

Students can change their course cards to the extent that they can change the color of the course card or remove the color overlay that sits on top of an instructor-chosen image (so that the image appears as intended instead of having a color overlay that tints the image with that color).  If an instructor chooses to use an animated GIF on a course card, I'm not aware of any way for a student to stop that animation from running on the Canvas Dashboard.  Again, the image chosen on a course card on the Canvas Dashboard is something chosen by the instructor...not the student.

I hope this helps a bit.  Sing out if you have any other questions about this...thanks!