[Account Settings] New 'Color Overlay' feature should have a way to change default setting

[chriscas]

With the new "Color Overlay" feature for course card images in this weeks Beta Release Notes, I think there should be a way to set the default behavior at an account level (edit: not subaccount level, since this really applies to users). The current default is to have the color overlay enabled, but I'd prefer the opposite behavior by default.  Rather than requesting to change the default, I think admins should have the ability to choose the default (enabled or disabled) for this feature.  I did mention this request in the release notes, and in the canvaslive beta release notes chat, and seemed to get some support.

Deactivated user‌laurakgibbs‌,  @kroeninm ‌,  @stuart_ryan ‌, Beta Release Notes (2017-05-01) Collaborative Chat 

[robert_spadoni]

HI all. Instructors can only control the color overlay behavior on their own computer. This is a problem for instructors, like me, who place images on their cards. I teach film, and one course card has a famous black and white image (comes out in many different random muddy colors on students' computers), and for my other course I also use an image from a film which also is rendered with arbitrary colors on other computers. Canvas needs to allow an instructor, when using an image, to control the overlay (turn it off or make it transparent) for *all* viewers of that card, not just for herself. There's no good reason not to implement this change Canvas-wide. Please, if you know anyone who uses Canvas, tell them about this page and ask them to vote. Thanks. 

[SHEBENE]

I don't think that Canvas would (and I for one wouldn't want them to) change the user-centric nature of course cards, nicknames, etc. That would be a vote down from me, but if the default could be, "if there's an image, default to no color-overlay" that would be perfect. The student would see it how it's intended, and then if they want their black and white image to have a reddish tint that's their call.

[rwhite3]

Thanks so much!

Rick White

- - - - -

Rick White

MiraCosta College

Computer Studies (CSIT) Associate Faculty

One Barnard Drive

Oceanside CA 92056

miracosta.edu/csit<http://miracosta.edu/csit>

rwhite@miracosta.edu

[James]

Canvas isn't planning on developing this in Q2 2019, but they did add a feature to the Update user settings endpoint of the Users API with the April 20, 2019, release. It's not a default, but it can be executed for every user to simulate making it the default. It's called hide_dashcard_color_overlays and you could make the API call part of your user creation process or decide to run it on existing accounts to force it off, making students turn it back on if they want it.

[robert_spadoni]

Dear James, THANKS! Can you tell me 1) Will I be turning off the color overly for the card *only* for my course, and not affecting the student's other cards? and 2) Can you tell if I have admin privileges to make the change you describe? Thanks again, Rob

[James]

 @robert_spadoni ,

It is a user-level setting and affects all color overlays for that user.

If an institution wanted to change this for their users, the previous method would have been to go through and masquerade as each user, go to their dashboard, click on the options (3 vertical dots) menu, and uncheck color overlay. Now that can be done through the API and can be programmed and doesn't require acting as that user or even any clicks. It's much faster, but the end result is the same.

You will need permissions to make changes for that user. In the source code, that's listed as the manage_user_details permission. A quick (I may be wrong) search makes it look like this is the "Users - manage login details" account role. It's explained on page 11 of the Canvas Account Role Permissions document.

[garrett_william]

The other option is to upload coding to your account's theme editor to remove the overlay.

[JACOBSEN_C]

... which then has to be supported by the institution and may break w/o notice as instructure updates Canvas.

[garrett_william]

Agree but I have had our code in their for two years (finger crossed) and so far so good. Now that I've said that it will probably break tomorrow.

[sendres]

I agree with  @stuart_ryan ‌ that Instructure's resolution of the previous idea was just wrong. The idea was to suppress the (stupid) color overlays whenever a course card image is provided, which means it should happen on a course-by-course basis. Instead, the implementation they came up with left it to students to choose (wrong) and that choice is applied to all the course cards (also wrong).