[Pages] ALL links when Page name changes

[anthonem]

This idea has been developed and deployed to Canvas

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Here's a common scenario:

An instructor makes a page, let's say a module overview page, and then links to this page from a custom Home page. While developing the course, the instructor changes the name of the module overview page. This breaks the homepage link because the page URL contains the page name.

Please create a system to avoid this common problem.

[jrblack]

I thought maybe I was going crazy but after reading through the comments, I realized that I'm not going crazy - what is crazy is that this is still an issue.  As at least one person has pointed out, this problem does not apply to assignments.  Makes absolutely no sense that the same logic cannot be applied to pages.  This is a very annoying problem and I would hope that something like this could take priority - I would have taken a fix to this over "confetti" any day....

[lic]

Just fix this please!

[evany_pace1]

We have links to different pages within our course, which has now been translated into 37 languages. Links pointing to wiki pages now don't work because the file names are translated. Is this really still an issue in 2021? Any solutions besides manually updating the links in 37 courses?

[lic]

Nope!

[ellen_caldwell]

I am a faculty member and when I edit a page name in a module, then the links to that page break everywhere. LMSs I've used in the past don't do this (and instead they have a unique code associated with the page so that you are able to edit the name throughout the course without breaking links). I believe that this did not used to happen so frequently in Canvas, but it is happening all the time now.

I chatted with a Canvas agent and was told that they are aware this is an issue and that no repair is planned. Instead I was told: 

Okay so for this the best thing to do when you are wanting to edit a page is to go directly to that page and then click on edit. It ensures that nothing brakes. I do apologize for the inconvenience.

Essentially, the "Edit" option in modules does not work if you have linked to that page anywhere previously (announcements, other pages, etc.) and this is a problem that should be solved (and there should currently be a warning at the minimum!).

[aeagle]

It is the end of 2021 and this is still an issue! 

Why are pages linked using their name and not a unique page number that remains the same even if a page is renamed? That would really help us with a lot of our troubleshooting issues at the institution level. 

[d_tames]

Please don't change URLs when a page name is changed. This would prevent a lot of problems if page URLs used permalinks and not page names.  If I want to create a new version, I would rather put a link at the top of the old page linking to the new one than automatically break numerous links by simply changing the title of a page. I don't think this was a problem when I started using Canvas, but it is a problem now. 

[LouisaFoley]

I am very worried if it is true that Canvas has no plan to fix this issue. And I find this especially strange if Canvas have solved the problem for Assignments but not for pages.
I am literally thinking we need to advise all our Institution's academics to think very carefully about changing the names of pages, but unfortunately page name changes can't be avoided. Are we supposed to advise them not to use Course links?

[lic]

It is sort of solved. If you change the names on the "pages" page, everything should work fine, it is just hard to remember, because I mostly work on the page with the modules, and if you change a name there, every link to the page dies.

[mterborg]

I cannot believe this is still an issue on the modules page. I am relatively new to Canvas as was quite surprised when I found out I have to manually update links when I rename pages as well as images. Can't we please get permalinks or at least allow updating multiple links rather than have to go through one by one updating the same link dozens of times?

Sincerely,

Mike