Button maker in rich content editor

[JonathanParkin]

This idea has been developed and deployed to Canvas

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I think there should be a button maker in the rich content editor (RCE). I find myself creating courses that make thorough use of the pages feature of canvas (especially when designing fully online, asynchronous  classes). I usually use images as buttons in order to make user friendly navigation options for these courses. This makes me wish that there was a way to more easily create and customize buttons within the RCE. I presently use "Da Button Factory" to create the buttons for my courses. This suggested button maker would have many (if not all) of the same features such as colour, font size, font, button size, fit to text, corner rounding...

The button maker could include additional features such as:

• Visual feedback that a button can be/ has been pressed (change of colour, removal of 3d elements to create the illusion of a physical button press).
• Programed changes to the button such as a change of colour after the assignment that it links to has been submitted. Or a size increase to draw attention to daily activities (quizzes, video lectures). 
• Prerequisites. The button that links to a quiz could re-direct the student to a video lecture or online reading if Canvas detects that the student has not interacted with the necessary material for said quiz. Canvas already tracks student activity through "Access Reports" so I don't think this is outside the realm of possibility.

These are just a few of my ideas. I definitely think that community polls could be set up to see what features would be more useful than others. While there is definitely a high ceiling for this kind of tool, I also think that this kind of tool would help more novice creators create more professional looking courses.

[KristinL]

📌  The Instructional Design Team created a blog that takes a closer look at this new tool:   The Dos and Don’ts of Icon Maker

[KristinL]

Comments from Instructure

For more information, please read through the Canvas Release Notes (2022-04-16). 

[c_murphy]

Hello,

This is icon maker is progress, but the tool leaves much to be desired. Here are my suggestions after first use:

• The shapes are limited, and not generally appropriate for Higher Education.  I'd like to be able to create a rounded rectangle, for example, that it looks like a button. Why is there no rectangle or rounded rectangle? Perhaps this is related to the way an icon image would display. But if that is problematic, perhaps the rectangle could be available as a choice allowing text only? It's an important shape.
• The available icon set is very small. This is hard to understand as there are so many really good creative commons icon sets.
• The ability to upload an image is quite important unless a very large icon set is incorporated.

[Ron_Bowman]

@c_murphy -

I believe I saw somewhere - probably the release notes that the ability to upload an icon is coming, it is just not incorporated yet.  So you have to wait for the next revision.