New Rich Text Editor - open in full extent

[hancockk]

Currently when opening an existing item, the new RTE opens with only a few lines of text.  I have to type something for it to open to the full extent.  I would really like an option for it to automatically open to the full extent of the text.

This idea has been developed and deployed to Canvas

For more information, please read through the Canvas Deploy Notes (2020-10-21). 

[rmurchshafer]

I assume you mean the up and down size of the editor box. I don't know of a way to make it larger automatically, but you can make it larger or smaller by clicking the dots in the lower right corner and dragging.  Then tends to be the first thing I do when opening something in the new RCE so I have a larger visual window to work with.  Screenshot below, but not sure it's going to post correctly in the new community.  

[hancockk]

In response to murchshafer1, this is true of the old RTE as well.  Some of my pages are quite long and it can be problematic to have to scroll both the page and the text box. One of the things I like about the new RTE is that if you enter any character in the text box, it resizes the text box to include all of the text and I don't have to manually resize it with the dots.   Since it can do this, I'm asking if a setting can be provided or that it defaults to the full extent of the text when I open the text box without my having to enter the character.

[James]

I'm glad someone likes it expanding to full screen. That is something I strongly dislike about the new Rich Content Editor (RCE) and think it was the real problem behind the static toolbar.

I would like to see more text than is there now, but not all of it.

I think the way it functions may be so that you can see the controls at the bottom of the editor without having to scroll. But expanding the screen full size then means you have to do scrolling to get to those. If you're not typing, then the reasoning may be that you don't need to see the whole thing.

[hancockk]

Maybe putting an option in the controls at the bottom  that can be clicked to go full extent?  The one thing I don't like is if I scroll before I enter anything and then try to enter something, the box expands but kicks me back to the beginning and I have to scroll back down. 

[James]

I suspect your strong dislike is an artifact of expanding the window to full size and if they fix that, they would fix several of the issues: the static toolbar (the solution wasn't making the toolbar static, it was to stop expanding the screen that pushed it off), the losing your place when you insert content, the jumpy screen that Megan Troyer highlighted on July 21 in RCE Updates - Summer 2020, and others.

I'm generally opposed to extra controls that aren't necessary, but might see benefit in this case. I wouldn't add it to the bottom of the box, though, I would make it a user Setting under the Account > Settings page. Canvas won't, though. They want to make things just work right for most people. That's the problem, in this case, the new RCE might work for most people -- students turning in short assignments -- but it fails in a huge way for content creators.

I typically don't try to resist change or hold on to the old because it's the way we've always done things, but the old RCE worked really, really well for me.

[Stef_retired]

@hancockk 

Thanks for sharing this idea. While Do not auto-adjust height in New Rich Content Editor isn't asking for precisely the same thing, we think it will be productive to continue the conversation around RCE behavior in that discussion instead of adding this new one, as that way can keep conversation unified around similar requests that are aimed at the same pain point. What do you think?

[hancockk]

I'm fine with combining if it doesn't result in going back to having to manually extend the text box.

[Stef_retired]

@hancockk 

Thanks for confirming that. As @James has mentioned the product manager is actively reviewing conversations and inviting comments at RCE Updates - Summer 2020 so combining the ideas will be a great help. Please add your comments to Do not auto-adjust height in New Rich Content Editor  and we'll archive this one to remove the duplication.

[hancockk]

I'm not sure what prompted the reopening of this thread but even with the change that occurred, some of the bad behavior is continuing.  When I go to a section of text in the editor and select it to change the format, I am automatically moved to the top of the text box and need to scroll back down to where I was making the change.  Similarly, if I go back to existing text to add a link, once I select the text and the link option, I am moved back to the beginning of the box.  For small boxes, this isn't too much of an issue but for longer text, it takes additional time to keep re-scrolling to the location I am working on.