New RCE - pin the sidebar

[tina_busch]

This idea has been developed and deployed to Canvas

For more information, please read through the Canvas Deploy Notes (2020-11-18).

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While I'm loving getting familiar with the new rich content editor my biggest annoyance is that the insert sidebar disappears every time I add a link or image. As a course designer this is greatly slowing down the way I build content in the RCE. It would be great if once the sidebar appears after you have chosen to insert a link or image that you could pin it open so if you are wanting to add multiple images or links then you can, instead of having to repeat the process every time. I'm finding this to be slowing down the content creation experience not enhancing it.

[Maeve_McCooey]

HI @erinhmcmillan, @peytoncraighill , just a quick query as I imagine this is going to come up from colleagues  - has the ability to pin the sidebar been removed from BETA? I can't seem to see the pin option in BETA or any of our other environments 😕. Thank you in advance, Maeve.

[cfleming]

+1. I have experienced that the image side bar flies away with the slightest of misclicks. 

[Stef_retired]

@cfleming  Would you please report that behavior to Canvas Support using the support pathway provided by your organization? General instructions for contacting Support are in How do I get help with Canvas as an instructor? 

[plna12]

@cfleming @Stef_retired I have the same issue in the Sidebar but have no way to report the behavior to Canvas support because I'm a Free-for-Teacher user. 

But it's not the slightest of misclicks because we haven't misclicked anything!

Basically, if you highlight a field in order to begin replacing its contents (such as changing the width of an image from 900 pixels to 600 pixels, or replacing a URL) the sidebar flies away before you get a chance to type anything, let alone click "Done". It's incredibly frustrating. I have to meticulously highlight only partially (such as "90" instead of "900") in order to replace the contents of the field.

[Stef_retired]

@plna12  I'm sorry to hear that you're experiencing difficulty with this. I attempted to recreate this by acting as you in one of your courses, but was not able to do so: highlighting words or a URL to change an external link brings up a modal that rests directly above the editor, and changing course links opens a flyout modal at the right that persists throughout the edit process, even when the user chooses to highlight a different portion of the text. 

[cfleming]

Stefanie I experience the behavior that @plna12 describes if I "sloppy" drag to highlight text of the pixels field. Let me explain, if you carefully drag from left to right over the numbers "900" the flyout stays in place. However, if you were to be a little loose and click and hold, dragging from right to left highlighting 900 and then go past the flyover just slightly, when you release the mouse (if you release off the flyout) the flyout just closes. 

[Stef_retired]

@cfleming  Have you initiated a case with Canvas Support? If you haven't yet, please do so; that will allow our engineers to examine the behavior you've reported and look into causes and remedies.

[cfleming]

I am unable to do so as far as I can see. Our work accounts lack the button under help (within Canvas.edu) and under my icon in https://community.canvaslms.com/ i also lack the "help" button. Unless there is another way. 

[Stef_retired]

@cfleming  I did a quick "Act As" to view the support options provided in the Help menu of your Canvas account, and I was able to view direct contact options for 24/7 chat and phone support for students and faculty along with an email for less urgent matters. (I'm not posting the telephone number in this global forum.) If you're not able to see those options in your own Help menu, I found this page of contact links on your school's website: Get IT Help | Department of Information Technology | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health