[Rich Content Editor] Restore Math Editor Functionality

[ssnyder2]

The new Equation Editor is nice, but we've lost a couple of features that are quite useful if you enter a lot of equations into your courses.

1.) In the previous version, once you selected "Advanced" to enter equations using LaTex, it remained in the Advanced state for future equations on the same quiz, discussion, etc.  Now, I have to click on "Directly Edit LaTex" every time, which is a pain to remember if you're typing quickly.

2.)  Quite often, I need to type several lines of equations when demonstrating how to simplify an expression or solve an equation.  So, I need to be able to see the previous line(s) while typing a new equation.  The previous version allowed me to move the Equation Editor window around my screen.  The new version won't let me, so I have to keep writing the math out on paper and typing it into the editor.  The extra time adds up....

[avagnoz]

The Equation Editor in Canvas was recently updated, and while the new layout is nice, I would like to request that certain features of the earlier version of the editor be reimplemented.

1. Each time the Equation Editor is used, the option to Directly Edit LaTeX must be re-selected, whereas in the old editor, you could select it once and it would remain selected each time you used the Editor within a given assignment. For math faculty using the Editor, there is rarely a time where we don't want the LaTeX version, so it would be nice if the old functionality was added back (select once within an assignment) or a way to set Directly Edit LaTeX as the default for the Editor within a Canvas account/course.
2. When the Equation Editor is opened, the window is no longer moveable, whereas it was prior to the update. This seems a bit clunky. It is nice to be able to move the editor, especially when you're typing something that references other information in a question prompt. I would like to see the Editor become moveable again.
3. Lastly, when using the Directly Edit LaTeX option while working on a Canvas Quiz, the LaTeX does not actually render below the editor box. Instead it shows what you typed in Times New Roman font beneath the editor box enclosed in backslash parentheses. For example: \(\hat{p}=\dfrac{47}{930}\) It will only render when you click Done. I would really like to be able to see the LaTeX rendering as I'm typing without having to close out the window.

Thank you for your consideration.

[ezaurova]

@avagnoz The last feature is actually a bug.  If you use the equation editor in an Assignment, it renders just fine (at least for me) when using Directly Edit LaTeX.  However, in a Quiz, it doesn't render and I see what you see.  I've already submitted the bug report, but if you, and everyone else experiencing this issue, could as well, that might help get it fixed sooner.

[avagnoz]

Thank you for that information, @ezaurova. Where can one go to submit a bug report?

[BruceNewell]

Can I submit all of these missing items from the new editor as bugs?

They used to be there and now they don't work. That sounds like the definition of a bug to me. That is not an enhancement.

And I would also like to know where to report a bug.

I have another issue other than this.

[nsfontes]

@avagnoz @BruceNewell I'm not a Canvas team member, but my conversation with one yielded these instructions to "report a problem" on a Canvas page within your browser. Hope that helps!

[BruceNewell]

I have been told that trying to get some of the old features back into the equation editor is now considered an enhancement. How is that?

When something is taken away from you, how is getting it back an enhancement? Is it not actually a bug fix? These are probably issues that no one thought about when creating the new editor. Now that we are bringing them up, they should be considered bugs, not enhancements.

The main ones for me seem to be:

Having the Direct Latex button stay chosen once we choose it.

Having the equation window able to move (float) over the screen.

Having the us be able to type in the Canvas window, highlight, and have that text appear in the equation editor window. (This is my biggest concern at this point.)

Making sure it renders the equations below our typing all the time.

All of these worked last month, and they do not work now. I consider these to be a bugs, not enhancements.

Consider that you took your car to a mechanic, and they removed your speedometer, and you wanted it back. How would you feel if they told you that you needed to write to the manufacturer and suggest an enhancement to add a speedometer to your car? You had one when it went in. Now you do not. That is not actually what an enhancement is.

I could create multiple examples in a real-world setting where everyone would say that we would not stand for it and totally consider it to be an over-step by the other person. It is outrageous for them to suggest that it is now MY DUTY to give them a suggestion and let them decide IF it is possible. We know it is possible since it was there before they broke it.

I think this is a case of poor planning, or not considering advanced users. This editor might work well for novice users. But those of us doing the higher level math courses who like to type using the codes to change colors and create matrices and two column proofs using the editor's (prior) abilities, we might need something other than what they considered.

I like to type like I speak, then go back and change the in-line items to be equations (like y=2x+4) rather than regular text. The added time with the new editor is cumbersome. I have a new year-long course to create (Pre-Calculus), and I do not relish the extra time.

I want the old features to be reinstated as soon as they can. They are not enhancements, and I which the Canvas programmers and staff would stop referring to them as anything other than bugs to be fixed. For them to consider these optional after they arbitrarily removed them seems condescending and capricious on their part.

Sorry for venting so long, but I will keep going at it until I get my features back. More posts seems to equal more desire.

[ezaurova]

@BruceNewell You are not alone!  They do seem to tread a fine line between enhancement and fix.  @avagnoz Regarding the question on how to report a bug (e.g. the editor not always rendering the LaTeX in the window), I was going to include a similar link, but the one for instructors rather than students, help for instructors.

[JoyHolly]

@BruceNewell Well described! For math editor users who mostly work in advanced mode, the recent change (leading to production obstacles) has been like throwing tacks on the road. I'm just so grateful that I am at the end-stage production of a year-long Algebra course rather than this happening a few months ago when I would have been even more affected by my reliable tool changing mid-stream with no warning. There is never a good time to lose functionality, though. And the not considering advanced users confuses me since the point where the structure of the math forces a shift from simple to complex (math editor-wise) is a low branch. Just adding a color, displaying a system of equations, or adding a text label to a math expression already necessitates advanced mode. (You don't even need to be doing something more complex like creating an aligned equation, etc.)

[dlyons]

All,

Just wanted to provide an update on some of the comments above:

1. Directly edit LaTeX (formerly advanced view) not rendering when editing a Classic Quiz has been fixed and deployed to Production!
2. Remembering the state of the editor (basic vs advanced) is being looked into now.
3. Ability to move the editor around the screen is being looked into now... but it's complicated because these types of interactions have considerable accessibility issues to account for.

We're still going to do #3, I just can't give a very accurate timeline on how soon. Essentially, having a floating window over the main application window (like an onscreen keyboard or calculator) is an obvious experience for well-sighted users with a mouse, but it can be a confusing mess for anyone using a screen reader or keyboard only nav. We have to clearly communicate to users utilizing a variety of input/outputs devices where they are on the screen, what they're doing, and how to get somewhere else. 

Thank you all for your feedback.

[BruceNewell]

I keep getting emails saying that Support has not heard from me regarding my Error Report. I guess they do not read these threads.

They said that if this gets enough support, they will work on replacing the items they stole from us.

They refuse to call them bugs. They keep calling the broken items "enhancements" to make us keep asking for them.

So, I guess, we need to keep posting out here every day to make sure that they see how much we need this. Apparently, more comments means more desire. That was the message I gleaned from the response from the Support Team Member who replied to my Error Report.