[Rich Content Editor] Paste Images into Canvas

[blomas]

This idea has been developed and deployed to Canvas

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I want the ability to paste images directly into Canvas from the clipboard. An example: I want to use Windows Snipping tool (or any other screenshot tool) to create an image. I then want to CTL-C to copy it and CTL-V to paste it into a quiz or assignment or content page in Canvas. Another example would be Copy-Pasting from a Word document into Canvas. This site is able to do it! I just did it below! Let's get this implemented in Canvas!

[GideonWilliams]

Its when the little things become much bigger obstacles for greater engagement that is so frustrating. I read my comment of over a year ago again and it still holds true as does my response to Deborah Bogard. 

The whole idea system needs a massive reboot. If the ideas are not going to be acted upon then comment and close. 

I have not tried the new RCE yet. Assume from your post that copy and paste does not work?

With the recent takeover, news about job losses at Instructure and impact on product development I am increasing concerned that even fewer of these ideas will be addressed.. All rather unfathomable given that pretty much all teaching and learning is now done remotely.

[holyholycats]

It is beyond my comprehension that this isn't a feature. Most of the communication apps we use in today's world have had this capability for years, and it boggles my mind that an educational app, where students are likely to want to show their work, doesn't allow this. If math students want to share photos of their written work (because the equation editor can be clunky, as well), they have to save each image as a file first? Really? REALLY?

[mjstenbe]

This feature would be superb. Great example of usage is in Gitbook.com for example. Their content editor is awesome and supports creating content on-the-fly with copy-paste-images etc. Havent noticed any lag in content download time or similar.

[Professor_Mac]

I am truly astonished that this is not already possible...I am trying to upload my own method book with 1000 photos related to guitar playing.  It should be as simple as Copy (from my word doc) Paste into Canvas Pages.  I'm pulling my hair out in frustration here.  If anyone has a workable solution please help.  I have already spend two days just uploading chapters 1 and 2.  This is insane!

[richard_gardner]

I've been using Canvas 3 or 4 years and have not been able to copy/paste and finally I got fed up and decided to see what others think. I've already been complaining about new quizzes not giving partial credit matching, and about the clunky attendance tool...these things are not special features we're asking for, but "no brainers." You'd think maybe the software developers who decided that if a kid gets 9 out of 10 matching questions right should get a zero, was drunk or high at work. Or that made it impossible to paste pictures. When we first got Canvas, the thing that excited me most was that they cared about what their users thought, and allowed users to suggest features and vote on them. But now I know that those votes and suggestions go nowhere. So disappointed. 

[tpavlic]

Platforms like Medium have greatly streamlined the process of content creation with their editing tools, and the Canvas content editor would benefit from mimicking some of these advances.

At a minimum, it should be possible to paste an image from the system pasteboard (clipboard) directly into the content editor, as you can do on Medium as well as social media (Facebook and Twitter). At the moment, images have to be uploaded as stand-alone files (or referenced as URL's) and embedded within an announcement, assignment, or quiz question. Creating quiz questions is already a very tedious task. Being able to quickly paste images into the editor and work with them without the intermediate steps of uploading images and embedding them would greatly help.

[tpavlic]

I just noticed that "New Quizzes" does support this! So the LTI tool has the feature, but everything else on Canvas does not. That seems strange.

[mooremath1]

Not being able to copy and paste images is the #1 downfall I have run into for Canvas. Everything takes me a lot longer to make since I have to copy, save, upload, etc. instead of simply snipping and pasting. 

I have read some of the cons like taking longer for students to open things or how the image is saved to Canvas, etc. I didn't read a single con that I couldn't find a work around for and being able to paste directly into Canvas would make teachers online lives so much easier and more efficient.

For the file size: create a warning screen if a file is larger than a certain size with an option to cancel or proceed... or have upload size option like emails do.

For how the files are saved: even if a random file name is created for Canvas when an image is pasted, why couldn't it be saved in a "pasted image" file folder which is sortable by module/date/etc.

[tpavlic]

In addition to the solutions given by @mooremath1, we know that this capability is already built in to New Quizzes. So Instructure apparently has already solved these problems. Thus, if NQ can do it, it seems crazy that Canvas cannot. I know that NQ is LTI, which is why it's so hard to link to main course materials within the New Quiz, and so image file management may be very different. Still, it basically gives the impression that Instructure has given up development on Canvas proper and has a skeleton development crew moving forward on New Quizzes as an LTI just to prevent having to try to modify the main, stagnant code base.

[mooremath1]

@tpavlic

I have not yet been able to get the paste function to work in a new quiz. When I paste, everything seems fine until I click "Done" and then my picture disappears as if it were never pasted.