[Announcements] Add Save & Publish button to Annoucements

To make behavior in Announcements consistent with all other tools in Canvas, there should be a Save & Publish button added. The Save button could then act like a 'Save Draft' feature, as it is in all other tools. There has been much confusion for our instructors because they expect the Save button to work the way it does in all other tools, saving their work but not publishing it. They don't expect it to post the announcement and send notification. Instructors have also expressed the need to save an announcement as they work (sometimes their announcements are very long) and the ability to preview how it looks before sending. That's why I think a 'Save & Publish' is a better choice than just changing the Save button to a Send button.
33 Comments
ddumonde
Community Explorer

I know there are feature priorities big and small, but accidentally sending out an announcement prematurely is a huge headache that could be easily avoided with a UI that provides options for a draft state for announcements.

"Save" is ambiguous because it does not communicate to the user that the announcement is being published and sent by email immediately. The delay feature is great but rather hidden in the UI and would be better as part of the save options.

These suggestions would make the save options look something like:

[Cancel] [Save Draft] [Publish Now] [Publish On …]

With Publish On … providing a date/time selector.

Four years? Really, Instructure?

cms_hickss
Community Coach
Community Coach

Maybe there should just be three buttons that do three different actions:

  1. Cancel
  2. Save as Draft
  3. Post
lira
Community Member

100% Agree! There absolutely should be an option to "Save" and an option for "Save & Publish"! 

kwk588
Community Member

What is the status of this change? Was it voted on? Clearly, someone didn't agree because I don't know how to save my announcements as drafts. I don't think I can do it. I really wish that this feature would be added to Canvas.

 

Kimberley_Q
Community Member

Pls add a save as draft feature to Announcements to ensure it does not post. Currently when you select save it posts the announcement which does not make sense (unless posting is delayed) and is unfair to users of Canvas. The comments here indicate there is a great need for this change. Thanks 

 

SarahKrainin
Community Member

Really need a way to save an announcements as a draft without actually sending it! Very frustrating and embarassing to hit "save" and this it sends/publishes the announcements instead of saving it!

akhuebel
Community Participant

I wholeheartedly agree with this suggestion.  It should have been implemented years ago.

 

lookers
Community Member

How on earth is this still not fixed, six years after the problem was pointed out? In every other place on Canvas, "Save" means "save for me so I can come back to it later," and the button that will publish something is clearly marked "Publish." Having a "Save" button that actually means "Publish and Send Notifications" is setting instructors up for massive embarrassment.

aspitkovsky
Community Member

I believe if I press "save" when editing the Announcement, it actually Sends the announcement. I accidentally pressed Save, thinking that I will return to editing it in a bit, and of course it was sent to all students... 

Perhaps Label "Save" as "Send" or "Post"? and add an option to save till later?

 

KristinL
Community Team
Community Team
Status changed to: New