[Inbox] Add rich-content editor to Conversations

[seth]

As a user, I would like to be able to use the rich-content editor to compose messages in the Conversations inbox. This would enable me to create Conversations that are on par, formatting- and content-wise, with Announcements. (Students seem to read Conversations messages more diligently than Announcements.)

transferred from the old Community

Originally posted by: Mia Nolan

Special thanks for contributions by: Stefanie Sanders

[michelli]

@xyzGem you are absolutely right! That is the way to go but my university, at least, will probably balk at that even if it was possible. They are trying to drive me away from my email of choice because they want to integrate everything. I am now forced to check my email in three places before I can be sure I've seen it all. The Canvas inbox is also very slow. My copies of emails to the class don't appear in it for hours, or sometimes even days. It is impossible to manage.

[VHDL2STA]

I had also submitted a feature request that the Canvas email environment include the Canvas Rich Content Editor.

I also submitted a feature request for the following email capability: Every course has unique projects and activities that may require email communications between the teacher and the students. Files and sub-files are needed to keep emails organized into course project and activity correspondences. Otherwise teachers will have a rough time finding specific project/activity emails in the jungle of emails that are sent during the whole semester.

Summary:

(1) The Canvas email environment must incorporate the Rich Content Editor

(2) The Canvas email environment must incorporate files and sub-files

[michelli]

@VHDL2STA I agree with you and support your idea. One of the several reasons I try not to use Canvas conversations is the lack of folders and subfolders.

[yrodri9]

Please, add rich text to the emails/inbox tool. We really need to be able to add highlights, bold text, and images to the emails! Thanks!!!

[michelli]

@yrodri9 Exactly! Teachers need this! I am forced to paste unicode emojis in for list numbers, just to give the eye some landmarks in a set of instructions! Tooo slooooow!

Here's where to get them:

• Blue and white squares: https://emojis.wiki/keycap-0/ (scroll down to find the full set of 1-10)
• Black and white circles: https://unicode-table.com/en/sets/numerals/

Regards to all

[MartinSchmidt]

It would be nice to have formatting in the email section in Canvas. I would like to underline, make bullet points, paste a screenshot, etc, but I can't seem to do that in the Canvas shell email.  

[michelli]

Hello All

The first post in this thread is dated 2015! Normal formatting and organizing facilities in email is not something we should ever have had to ask for. Seven years later we are still struggling over this. When you think how pressed for time teachers and professors are, and how Canvas confuses us with its relentless uniformity, you are looking at a huge swathe of unnecessary stress. I ask the Canvas developers: please - don't waste any more time waiting for an upvote! Just do it! It should have been there from the beginning!

PS - I suggest licensing Thunderbird!

[kikimax]

@michelli et All,

Yes, 7 years of continuously suggesting, asking, BEGGING Instructure to CORRECT this (since it's a massive flaw and mistake on their part to begin with) and yet nothing! The feeling I had already for many years is that all these tools they "supposedly" provide for feedback, this Conversation Board and Forum, are simply for show. We didn't have ONE Project Manager EVER chiming in and giving us ANY sort of answer or timeline. It's been also quite clear to many of us who have been monitoring this discussion that Canvas-Instructure leadership simply doesn't give a s**t about us, the actual users as long as they're getting their monies from our institutions... What a sham! What a joke! I personally lost hope long time ago this feature will ever be implemented. I MISS BLACKBOARD VERY MUCH!! 😡

[michelli]

@kikimax and all - yes, I agree and feel pretty futile about it myself - and yet the potential is so clear that it's also tragic that they don't care about the people in the trenches. My own thought, every time I run into this kind of problem (and there are several) is that this was clearly NOT designed by people who have ever taught. They're working on stereotypical false memories of what they experienced as students and it never occurs to them that the more they tie our hands, the LESS good job we can do.

Grrr.r.r.r.r.....

[VHDL2STA]

Possible Explanation for Rich Content Editor (RCE) Inconsistency Regarding the Canvas Calendar and Canvas Mail utilities

The Rich Content Editor CAN be used in the Canvas Calendar but the Rich Content Editor Cannot be used in the Canvas mail utility. This inconsistency/discrepancy suggests that two different programmers were tasked for these two different Canvas constructs. If the same programmer would be working on both the Canvas Calendar and the Canvas Mail utility then this single  programmer would be able to design how to call the same RCE subroutine for both the Canvas Calendar and the Canvas Mail utilities.

As an aside there are MANY (!!!) excellent applications of using RCE in the Canvas Calendar, some of which its programmer may not have even anticipated.