[Conversations] Export Canvas Messages

[lukus_staup]

Hello! I would like to suggest a feature in Canvas messages that enables a user to export conversation and message chains for external archiving. As an instructor, it would be useful to easily save student communications to their student files. If you agree, please add your vote!  @leslie_whalley  

[lukus_staup]

@Stef_retired , that is very disappointing because that exact need has arisen and now we are limited to taking a screenshot of every single message and saving those .jpg files. Imagine what a streamlined process it could be if you could look up communications with individual students and save them straight from Canvas! I have been chatting with Canvas Support and during the chat they found another user that suggested the same idea!

https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Question-Forum/Is-there-a-way-to-download-Canvas-Inbox-Communicat...

The need is real! Please make this happen! It would be amazing! Thank you!

[Stef_retired]

@lukus_staup  We appreciate that this is a need for your institution, and perhaps for others as well. If you're the Canvas admin for the school, we recommend that you contact your school's Customer Success Manager (CSM) to discuss your priorities in the context of the longer-term Canvas roadmap—and if you're not the admin, please ask your admin to bring this up at their next CSM discussion. Thanks!

[aaron_bahmer]

@Stef_retired, so, you are saying the "suggest an idea" and discussion process isn't the only route to push enhancement decisions? That is, there are at least two routes: this one, where "Number of high-average Stars" can create enough weight to prove an idea worthy, and one where if enough CSM's bring an idea forward (or/and are loud enough?) that greater consideration will be placed on it?

And so, it seems, the four of us who rated this idea should drum up more supporters? What would be the best way to do that? Better tags? How do we reach a broader audience of the community? Is there a target threshhold for "yes, that's an idea worth developping" vs an idea, though of great merit, will end up archived and never to be spoken again? How long do we have until this conversation is moved one way or the other?

[Stef_retired]

@aaron_bahmer 

The Idea Conversations forum is but one of many sources from which the product team draws information to make its decisions. Please read through  What is the feature development process for Instru... to learn more.

[CameronAdair]

Print email thread from Canvas Inbox.  Right now you can't print an email or email thread.  Printing from browser only prints visible portion.  Emails are frequently used for record-keeping.  Important course correspondence is done in Cavas Inbox that often needs to be saved to pdf or printed for students, faculty and administration to keep in any records for individual classes.   The Inbox is used as an official course correspondence.  Without an ability to print a standard document of an email, it then treats this official correspondence as a low-level casual online chat.

Forward Canvas Inbox to external email address.  This would serve a similar purpose and allow access to important email history in Thunderbird or student Outlook accounts.

[cerick21]

This is a really important feature. I have a situation where a student sent me 100 separate messages in one thread. I need to document these messages. Thanks, Cynthia

[Jackie_Thorne]

I'm a student; the built-in ability to print messages or instructions from teachers without having to copy-paste into another program first would be a tremendous help to my workflow.

[tntechgal]

As an admin, I would like to have a print to pdf option for all inbox messages on accounts. We have had situations where sensitive information was discussed that could harm a student and we need to have a print all option instead of individual screen shots of each message.

[robotcars]

Hi @tntechgal,

This won't directly solve your problem, but Canvas Data has all conversation messages for the inbox. We've had to use it for similar scenarios where conversations need to be documented.

https://portal.inshosteddata.com/docs#conversation_message_dim

It takes a few more tables and a dual JOIN (one for the sender one for the recipient) to make a workable report, but I could share the example if this is an option that might work for you.

[nazila_safavi]

It would have made much mroe sense if the download feature was available.